The following are the top stories in the national and international press today.
Times of Malta says that closed-door discussions between the government and the Opposition have been on hold for the past two weeks despite Prime Minister Joseph Muscat’s indications that an agreement could be reached. In another story it says overcrowding at Mater Dei Hospital has reached “alarming levels” and is hitting staff and patients badly.
The Malta Independent says that 15 of the consultants at the Ministry for the Family and Social Solidarity are either Labour Party officials or other family members. In another story the newspaper says that no one has yet been earmarked for the President’s post.
In-Nazzjon quotes Opposition leader Simon Busuttil saying that the government has not called a meeting with the Opposition for over a week on talks regarding amendments to the Citizenship Act.
L-Orizzont says that e-mails presented in court today by MediaToday managing editor Saviour Balzan confired that businessman George Farrugia not only knew former Minister Austin Gatt and former Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi but also had several meetings with them.
International news
The world will bid Nelson Mandela farewell later today with ceremonies at Soweto Stadium in Johannesburg which will be attended by foreign leaders and crowds estimated at 80,000. Mail & Guardian says the South African government has released the list of speakers for the memorial service. The introductory speech will be made by South Africa President Jacob Zuma, followed by his US counterpart, Cuba’s President and the UN Secretary General. The ceremony, which starts at noon Malta time, is expected to last four hours.
Novy Kanal TV reports the security forces in the Ukraine have dismantled some anti-government protest encampments in the capital Kiev and raided the party’s headquarters of the jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko spokesman for the Batkivshchyna (Fatherland) Party said computer service has been suspended.
Reports from Moscow say a number of high-profile detainees could be given an amnesty to mark the 20th anniversary of the Russian constitution. Several Russian media outlets including Izvestia and Vedomosti newspapers have obtained a copy of the draft amnesty, which was submitted to Parliament by President Vladimir Putin on Monday.
Ansa says Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta and the new secretary of the People of Freedom party (PDL), Matteo Renzi,met at Palazzo Chigi and later issued a statement stating they had had “a long, positive and useful meeting” which confirmed their joint commitment to work together.
Il Tempo quotes Italian Premier Enrico Letta warning that “up to 25 per cent” of the European Parliament could be represented by Euro-sceptics and anti-Europeans following European elections next year.
Avvenire reports Pope Francis has called on “all institutions of the world, the whole Church and each of us as one human family” to give voice to all the people who silently suffer hunger, “so that this voice will become a roar can shake the world’’.
American and British intelligence operations have been spying on gamers across the world. Stories carried by The New York Times, The Guardian, and ProPublica said US and UK spies have spent years trawling online games for terrorists or informants.
Los Angeles Times reports federal prosecutors in the US have charged 18 current or former Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies in connection with “institutional abuse” in the country’s largest jail.
Haaretz quotes Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu telling a meeting of his Likud party the Israelis and the Palestinians were not close to a permanent peace agreement. Netanyahu later confirmed the return of the US Secretary of State John Kerry to the region next week.
According to El Tiempo, thousands of people have been protesting in the Colombian capital Bogota after the city’s mayor was sacked by the Inspector General. In a Facebook message, the mayor said he was sacked for putting privatised refuse services back into the public sector.
China will implement a two child policy as of 2014 for all couples, even when only one of the partners is an only child. The news was reported by the Xinhua state news agency, which quoted statements released by an official from the Family Planning Commission.
AGI says a quick-witted passer-by caught a three-year-old boy who plummeted from a balcony in northern Italy on Monday. The child and the passer-by were admitted a local hospital with slight injuries after the incident.
France Football reports Lionel Messi, Franck Ribery and Cristiano Ronaldo have been shortlisted for this year’s Ballon d’Or. Barcelona forward Messi has already won the title four times but seems less of a hot favourite this year after an injury-hit season. French winger Ribery was part of a Bayern Munich team that claimed an unprecedented treble of Champions League, German title and German Cup, as well as the European Supercup. Real Madrid’s Portugal striker Ronaldo won the 2008 Ballon d’Or and has been tipped to win the award this time around. The Ballon d’Or will be presented in Zurich on January 13.