The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press.
The Sunday Times of Malta says that cannabis torched aboard a ship off Malta was worth €300m.
The Malta Independent reports how former minister George Pullicino insisted yesterday that the BWSC power station can easily be converted to use gas.
MaltaToday says Arriva has made losses of €35 million since its service was introduced just over two years ago.
It-Torca says investigations on Fantasy Tours are continuing.
Il-Mument reports that Parliamentary Secretary Franco Mercieca in his ministerial declaration of assets omitted thousands of euros he made from operations in Libya.
KullHadd claims several people ended up in hospital because of alleged contaminated water at Splash and Fun.
Illum says an Israeli company has employed Manuel Delia, 'architect of the disaster in Malta's public transport'.
The overseas press
Avvenire reports tens of thousands of people filled St Peter's Square for a four-hour Syria peace vigil late Saturday, answering Pope Francis' call for a grassroots cry for peace that was echoed by Christians and non-Christians alike in Syria and in vigils around the world. The Vatican estimated about 100,000 took part in the Rome event, making it one of the largest rallies in the West against proposed US-led military action against the Syrian regime following the chemical weapons attack near Damascus last month. The US accuses President Bashar al-Assad's forces of killing 1,429 people in the gas attack.
President Barack Obama is continuing his media offensive to justify an armed intervention in Syria and obtain congressional approval in the coming week. The Associated Press says the president will today record interviews which will be broadcast on Monday evening on the six main US television networks: ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, CNN, and Fox. The White House announced Obama will seek to defend his decision to attack Syria.
Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal quotes US Secretary of State John Kerry saying that a number of countries, now “in double digits”, are ready to support military action in Syria. Kerry, who spoke in Paris after a joint press conference with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, added that the world could not be “silent spectators to slaughter” after Syria's alleged use of chemical weapons against its civilians.
Deutsche Welle reports EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has told the informal EU Council meeting in Vilnius that the evidence provided so far shows that the chemical attack in Syria on August 21 was perpetrated by the Assad regime. Ashton explained EU foreign ministers called for a “clear and strong response” to the chemical attack in Syria last month and believe that Assad's regime was responsible.
The Daily Mail says an Iranian strategic expert has warned that one of the daughters of President Obama would be kidnapped and raped if America carries out a military strike on Syria. Alireza Forghani, the former governor of the Kish Province in southern Iran, threatened mass murders and abductions of U. citizens in the event of an American-led attack on Syria. According to media reports, the United States intercepted an order from an Iranian official, instructing militants in Iraq to attack US interests in Baghdad if the attack goes ahead. The State Department has issued a warning telling US citizens to avoid all but essential travel to Iraq.
Australia's conservative leader Tony Abbott became prime minister yesterday, defeating incumbent Kevin Rudd and ending Labour Party's six years in power. The Australian says with about 80 percent of the votes counted, Abbott had 82 seats of the 150 available while Labour was on 54 seats. Rudd accepted responsibility for the expected defeated and announced he would leave the party leadership.
Kathimerini says Greece's Prime Minister Antonis Samaras has said he was confident his country would return to growth in 2014 after a heavy six-year recession. In a speech at a trade fair in Thessaloniki, he pledged to push for an easing of austerity measures, saying international organisations were all predicting 2014 would be the year the Greek economy began to recover, and credited unpopular austerity policies for the turnaround.
Al Ahram reports at least 31 Islamist were killed and 15 others arrested when the Egyptian army mounted a large operation against militants in North Sinai. Dozens of armoured vehicles supported by Apache attack helicopters took part in the operation against militants who had carried out attacks against police and military staff in Cairo for over a year.
German weekly Focus reports the recall of millions of dishwashers at risk of catching fire could cost German electronics group Bosch und Siemens Hausgeraete (BSH) up to €700 million. In an announcement published on its website in late August, the household appliances group said dishwashers manufactured between 1999 and 2005 and branded Bosch, Siemens, Neff, Constructa and Junker+Ruh ran the risk of overheating and catching fire because of a faulty electrical part. The recall affects some 5,000,000 dishwashers worldwide.
Ansa announces Italian director Gianfranco Rosi's documentary “Holy GRA”, which looks into everyday life off a Rome ring road, won the Golden Lion for best movie at the Venice film festival Saturday. “I would never, ever have believed a documentary would win the Venice film festival,” said an emotional Rosi, who won the top prize out of 20 films in competition with his tale which peered into houses, workplaces and gardens.
Tokyo has been chosen to host the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games ahead of Istanbul and Madrid. Clarin reports the Japanese capital won a final round of voting by International Olympic Committee (IOC) members in Buenos Aires to beat Istanbul by 60-36 votes. Madrid had earlier been eliminated in a first-round ballot. The announcement was met with jubilant scenes in Japan, as Tokyo prepares to host the event for the first time since 1964.