The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press.
The Times of Malta reports testimony by former Police Commissioner John Rizzo that there had been agreement to charge John Dalli. It also reports that Enemalta has asked the police to investigate a missing file.
The Malta Independent says Syrians in Malta worry about their friends in Syria every day.
l-orizzont leads with Joseph Muscat's address at the UN General Assembly.
In-Nazzjon reports how, according to the former Police Commissioner, there was enough evidence for John Dalli to be arraigned. He also said that Lawrence Gonzi never interfered in the case.
The overseas press
France 24 quotes a senior US official in New York saying the UN Security Council could vote late today on a draft US-resolution on destroying Syria's chemical weapons.
The US and its European allies have said they were pleased by a new tone and a significant shift in attitude from Iran in talks aimed at resolving the impasse over the country's disputed nuclear activities. The Associated Press reports Iran said it was eager to dispel suspicions that it was trying to develop a nuclear weapon and to get punishing international sanctions lifted as fast as possible.
Ansa reports divers have spotted human remains near the shipwrecked Costa Concordia, with authorities saying only DNA tests will determine if they are those of two victims whose bodies were never found.
Le Soir quotes a European source saying the EU is likely to be €20 billion in the red in 2013, forcing the bloc to transfer payment of unpaid bills to 2014.
Scientists and governments have examined the summary of an eagerly-awaited UN report expected to emphasise the escalating threat from climate change. To be released in Stockholm today, it will be the Nobel-winning panel's first overview since 2007 of the scientific evidence for climate change. A draft of the summary seen by AFP declares with the greatest emphasis to date that climate change is on the march and humans are responsible for it.
The first scoop of Martian soil analyzed by NASA's Curiosity rover held about two percent water, offering hope for hydrating humans who someday explore the Red Planet. Laurie Leshin, lead author of the study, wrote in the journal Science that “while this is not as much water you will find in Earth soil... it's substantial”. The United States has said it hopes to launch the first humans to Mars by the 2030s.
O Globo says the authorities in Brazil have uncovered slaver-like conditions for workers on the expansion of San Paolo international airport in preparation for next year’s football World Cup. An investigation found that one of Brazil’s biggest building contractors forced more than 100 workers to live in miserable accommodation.
Meanwhile, campaigners have called on Qatar to change its policy towards migrant labourers preparing for the 2022 World Cup, following an investigation by British newspaper The Guardian alleging “modern-day slavery”. The report said dozens of Nepalese workers had died while working in Qatar in recent weeks, raising concerns about the Gulf state's preparations to host the World Cup.
Le Monde says a French climber has uncovered a treasure trove of jewels worth some half a million euros while climbing a glacier off Mont Blanc in the Alps. A box of emeralds, rubies and sapphires were discovered inside the wreckage of a plane that crashed into the mountain half a century ago. If unclaimed, the young climber could inherit the jewellery in accordance with French law.
El Pais reports workers at Madrid’s main metro station have discovered a cheque for two million dollars in a leather wallet wedged into the frame of a carriage door which wouldn’t close properly. It is thought the wallet may have been snatched by a thief who discarded it. The wallet contained documentation, a driver’s licence, credit cards and the cheque. A search has begun to locate him.