The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press.
The Times of Malta features a picture of the direct action on the Polidano group buildings but its main story is a statement by John Dalli that it was the prime minister who asked him to draw up the report on Mater Dei Hospital – contradicting the health minister.
The Malta Independent reports that a court stopped the Mepa action at Montekristo. It also reports that John Dalli calls for foreign management of Mater Dei.
In-Nazzjon says Mepa acted against illegal building 40 hours before a protest by environmentalists.
l-orizzont says a big raid was mounted against Ic-Caqnu.
The overseas press
Baltic Times says Ukraine was under pressure to choose sides as an EU summit designed to draw six ex-Soviet states into the Western fold opened in Vilnius amid a tough East-West tussle.
The Chinese state news agency Xinhua reports China's military has sent several fighter jets and an early warning aircraft on patrol in disputed air space in the new air defence zone Beijing has declared over the East China Sea.
Libya Herald reports more than 40 people were killed in an explosion at an ammunition depot in southern Libya. The blast, near the city of Sabha, occurred when a group of locals and African emigrants were trying to steal ammunition.
Deustche Welle reports unemployment in Germany rose slightly in November but stays below the symbolic three-million mark.
According to Clarin, police in Argentina freed some 100 women forced into prostitution at dozens of brothers in Buenos Aires. Most of them came from Paraguay and Peru. The authorities arrested 25 people and closed most of the brothels.
Reuters reports one in five South African clinics are running short of life-saving HIV/AIDS drugs, affecting nearly half a million people and undermining the success of the world's largest treatment programme. With about 6 million people or 10 per cen of the population infected with the virus, South Africa carries the world's heaviest HIV/AIDS caseload and has around 2.5 million people taking antiretroviral drugs daily.
Al Ahram says a student was killed during an Islamist demonstration at Cairo University as Egyptian authorities continued their crackdown on supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi.
Al Bawaba reports Syrian troops recaptured the strategic town of Deir Attiyeh, less than a week after losing it, taking the advantage in its bid to crush rebels just north of Damascus.
Meanwhile, the BBC reports that a plan “has been hatched” to destroy some of Syria’s chemical weapons at sea. Industry sources told the British radio station that a mobile destruction plant may be put aboard a US navy vessels in international waters in the Mediterranean. The toxic substances have to be out of Syria by the end of the year.
Estado de Sao Paulo says the Brazilian stadium where two workers were killed when a crane collapsed and crushed them will not be removed from the World Cup roster but its completion will be delayed.