The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Times says the Red Cross is considering setting up a field hospital in Malta to treat up to 200 Libyans injured in the conflict.
The Malta Independent says Greece will get loans in time to avoid default.
MaltaToday quotes comments by abuse victim Lawrence Grech and says Lou Bondi had sought BBC money.
l-orizzont highlights the PL call for the resignation of Austin Gatt and political appointees in view of the bus service 'disaster'.
In-Nazzjon says that just 7.6% of former dockyard workers are still looking for work.
The overseas press
Forbes reports that stock markets soared around the world yesterday amid hopes that Europe was finally finding a way out of its debt crisis. Greece passed an unpopular property tax and German Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged to offer the struggling country "all necessary assistance". Financial markets closely watched a meeting between Merkel and Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou in Berlin , but neither announced any new measure. Greece must receive a rescue loan of €8 billion before mid-October to stave off bankruptcy but creditors have demanded more efforts to raise revenue.
Libya's interim government says capturing former leader Muammar Gaddafi is a matter of security and stability not just for Libya, but for the region and beyond. In an interview with Reuters, the charge d'affaires at the Libyan embassy in London, Mahmoud Nacua, accused the international community of not giving Libya's new leaders the support needed to put pressure on African countries like Zimbabwe and Algeria to stop any sabotage from Gaddafi, his sons and supporters.
Meanwhile, Al Jazeera reports that hundreds of fearful civilians have fled Sirte as the new regime's forces closed in from east, south and west. Fleeing residents spoke of lack of food, water and medicines and the UN has expressed concern of a possible epidemic.
In Bani Walid, Gaddafi's forces went on the offensive and AFP quotes an NTC fighter saying pro-Gaddafi forces were fighting in civilian clothes and there were African mercenaries "everywhere". In Benghazi, meanwhile, an NTC member said Libya's new rulers had decided to postpone formation of a transitional government "until the entire country was liberated".
Arrai TV has broadcast footage dated September 20 of what it said was Muammar Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam apparently rallying his forces. Brandishing an automatic rifle and wearing a military uniform, he appealed to a crowd of followers in an unidentified location not to hand over Libya and promised he would send them weapons. It was the first time that Saif had been seen in public since the Libyan capital Tripoli was overrun by rebels in August.
US President Barack Obama has succeeded in reaching out to Israelis with his efforts to block the UN from unilaterally declaring a Palestinian state, according to the result of a research poll sponsored by The Jerusalem Post. When asked about the Obama administration's policies, 54 per cent said they were more favourable toward Israel, 19 per cent said they were more pro-Palestinian, and 27 per cent called them neutral. If an election were held now, Likud would remain the largest party, rising from 27 to 32 Knesset seats, Labour would rise dramatically from eight to 26, and Kadima would fall from 28 to 18.
The Washington Post reports that Israel advanced plans to build 1,100 homes in the Jewish neighborhood of Gilo, built on West Bank land annexed to Jerusalem. The move, which a spokesman for Interior Minister Eli Yishai said was purely technical, drew condemnation from Palestinian officials and a sharp rebuke from the US. The Obama administration warned that the decision could undercut efforts to restart negotiations.
San Francisco Chronicle quotes US health officials saying as many as 16 people have died from possible listeria illnesses traced to Colorado. The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has said that 72 illnesses and 13 deaths were linked to the tainted fruit and state and local officials say they were investigating three additional deaths that might be connected. The deaths in eight states surpassed the nine deaths linked to an outbreak of salmonella in peanuts almost three years ago.
CNN says the trial of Dr Conrad Murray, accused of his involuntary manslaughter in the death of Michael Jackson, started in downtown Los Angeles amid emotional scenes and shouts of "murderer" by some of the pop superstar's fans as the defendant arrived at the Clara Foltz Justice Centre. The jury has heard a recording of the singer slurring his speech while under the influence of sedatives and was shown a photo of the singer's body on a hospital bed.
The Daily Telegraph quotes Amnesty International saying Najalaa Harrir, the Saudi woman who challenged a ban on women driving, has been sentenced to 10 lashes. The sentence was handed down just two days after Saudi King Abdullah granted women the right to vote and run in municipal elections. AI said two other women were also believed to be facing charges related to driving. Saudi Arabia's strict Islamic laws do not ban women from driving, but require them to use locally-issued licences which are not issued to women, making it effectively illegal for them to drive.