The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas newspapers.
Times of Malta says a car rental company is charging a ‘Gozo tax’. It also says Air Malta flight crews are in dispute over food provided on aircraft.
The Malta Independent says the owner of a gentleman’s club has called for regulation of strip clubs.
In-Nazzjon leads with comments by Simon Busuttil yesterday that the opposition aims to remain active and effective.
l-orizzont reports how after 78 years a woman found her sister, who then died a few month later.
The overseas press
Revellers have welcomed 2015 across Europe and much of the world, after an eventful year that meant some celebrations were muted. Partying began in the Asia with major celebrations in Sydney, Hong Kong and Dubai.
El Khaleej reports says Dubai became one of the latest party hotspots to celebrate the New Year with a sound and light extravaganza around the world’s tallest tower. Party organizers in the emirate used some 70,000 panels to illuminate the 828-metre Burj Khalifa tower with a display of lights, aiming to break the record for the world’s largest LED-lit display.
In sharp contrast to Dubai, Times of India says the message in India, at least officially, was one of austerity with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his cabinet being asked to cancel travel plans and avoid lavish celebrations.
In Hong Kong, South China Morning Post reports hundreds of thousands of people crowded the city’s promenades to watch an eight-minute pyrotechnic display over its harbour. Hong Kong has been the scene of months of pro-democracy protests. And in China’s capital the theme was Beijing’s bid to hold the 2022 Winter Olympics, with performances by Olympic medalists and star pianist Lang Lang in sub-zero weather.
Indosiar says celebration plans in Indonesia were muted after the loss of AirAsia Flight 8501 over the weekend and a deadly landslide in Central Java earlier in December. In Surabaya, where the AirAsia plane departed on its ill-fated journey on Sunday, a candlelight vigil was held in the hours leading up to midnight.
Sydney Morning Post reports more than a million people watched a massive fireworks display against the spectacular backdrop of the famous Harbour Bridge and Opera House. The celebration took place just two weeks after a hostage drama in the city centre in which two hostages died along with the Iranian-born gunman.
One of the last midnight celebrations was on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, where O Globo says more than two million people are expected to watch a huge fireworks show opening celebrations for the 450th anniversary of the founding of the city.
And a big fireworks display has ushered in 2015 for the first time in the mainly Moslem north of Nigeria. Vanguard reports the event in Kano was by invitation only but large number of people showed up and security officials struggled to keep control.
In other news...
Al Ayyam reports Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas signed on to 20 international agreements on Wednesday, including the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) – a day after a bid for independence by 2017 failed at the United Nations Security Council. The move, which angered Israel and the United States, paves the way for the court to take jurisdiction over crimes committed in Palestinian lands and investigate the conduct of Israeli and Palestinian leaders over more than a decade of bloody conflict.
Baltic Times says Lithuanians today became the 19th member of the eurozone. Another Baltic state, Latvia, took over the rotating presidency of the European Union from Italy. And Serbia took over the presidency of the OSCE from Switzerland, as the multinational body plays a prominent role in efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict.
CCTV reports a stampede in China has killed 35 people and wounded 42 others. The crash happened just before midnight at Shanghai's popular riverfront Bund area, which is often jammed with spectators for major events. People had scrambled for coupons that looked like dollar bills that were being thrown out of a third-floor window.
Sheba TV announces a suicide bomber killed at least 26 people in central Yemen when he blew himself up at a cultural centre where students were celebrating the Prophet Mohammad’s birthday. At least 48 people, including many women and children, were also wounded.
Kabul Post says a rocket has hit a wedding party in Afghanistan killing at least 15 people and wounding at least 40 more. The incident took place between fierce fighting between Afghan soldiers and Taliban militants in Hellman province on the last day of US and NATO combat missions in Afghanistan.
The hackers who infiltrated Sony Pictures Entertainment’s computer servers have threatened to attack an American news media organization, according to an FBI bulletin obtained by The Intercept. According to Los Angeles’ Wave newspaper, Sony Pictures computer hacking was the biggest story of 2014.
India's government has announced a nationwide scheme to check whether people were using toilets as part of a cleanliness drive, AFP reports. Since October the government has provided 503,142 new household latrines. But experts say most of these end up being used as storerooms since many people consider toilets unhygienic and prefer to squat in the open, believing it more sanitary to defecate far from home.