The following are the top stories in Malta's newspapers on Thursday.

Times of Malta leads with news that US President Donald Trump fired off allegations of election fraud on Wednesday, setting the stage for a potential legal battle, as Democrat Joe Biden took a slim lead in key states that could decide the bitterly contested White House race.

In a separate article, the newspaper quotes Justice Minister Edward Zammit Lewis' “grave concern” over “alleged manipulation of the media” after a lawyer offered hundreds of euro in cash to a Times of Malta journalist.

The Malta Independent reports that the PN will be taking "appropriate action" over Ryan Mercieca's candidature for the Gozo casual election for the vacated seat of the late Frederick Azzopardi. 

It also reports on how Nexia BT's Brian Tonna and Karl Cini on Wednesday refused to answer any questions in the public inquiry into the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia.

In-Nazzjon says that the government and Labour Party have remained silent over allegations over the involvement of a PL politician in the 2010 HSBC hold-up.

The newspaper also refers to Tonna and Cini's refusal to answer questions in the public inquiry.

L-orizzont leads with news that the government will be investing millions of euro to improve the working conditions of the Armed Forces of Malta. 

It meanwhile quotes Malta's Ambassador to the US, Keith Azzopardi, saying that despite increased security measures in Austria following the recent terrorist attack, the country will continue embracing tolerance and inclusion.