The following are the top stories in the Maltese and the international press today.

THE TIMES

The Hunters' Federation has warned wayward hunters not to break the law. Lino Farrugia, federation secretary, said the organisation will act against members who break the law.

Air Malta pilots have rejected a pay offer by the airline.

Traffic accidents increased by nearly 5% in the third quarter of this year.

l-ORIZZONT

Eco-Skola primary school  students have  presented proposals to political parties.

The ETC is considering action against the employers of a Chinese fisherman abandoned at St Luke's Hospital after he was injured.

There is confusion on the new planned completion date of Manwel Dimech bridge.

In-NAZZJON

The international oil price yesterday was a few cents  just under $100.

MLP promises to remove income tax on overtime cannot be taken seriously because they have not been costed.

THE MALTA INDEPENDENT

GRTU insists charges for credit card use need to be reduced or slashed.

Mdina bastions restoration to start.

THE MALTA BUSINESS WEEKLY

Reduction in port charges still hampered by anomalies.

The Press in Britain...

England's 2-3 defeat at the hands of Croatia at Wembley and the failure to qualify for next year's European football Championships dominate the British media with the head of the FA, Brian Barwick, telling Sky News that there will be "a lot to talk about" this morning but he refused to be drawn on the future of the head coach. The FA board are to hold an emergency meeting at 8.30 am (9.30 am Malta time) to discuss Steve McClaren's future.

Economists say the British economy could lose out on a £1.5bn boost after the home nations all failed to qualify for the European Championships next summer. England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales all failed to reach the football showpiece in Austria and Switzerland. The economists said there will be no boost in sales of beer, football kit, TVs and food traditionally enjoyed when the home nations qualify.

The Sun says it all with a picture: a deflated football in the gutter.

The Daily Mirror reports footie fans are furious with the England boss and The Daily Star describe the England XI as "a bunch of losers".

The Guardian says the side will now be looking for a new coach and The Daily Express describes what it calls "the humiliation as England's football fumblers blow our Euro 2008 chance".

Metro blames goalkeeper Carson's clanger as the start of the Three Lions's slide out of the European finals while The Daily Mail's heading reads: "England blow it" and describes the match as "a night of extraordinary football drama".

The Times sums it up with the  words: "End of the Road".

And in other stories:

Many dailies follow up on the loss of two computer discs containing the Child Benefit records of more than 25 million people and The Times says thousands of people have changed their bank pin codes over fears they have been put at risk of fraud. The Telegraph reports that Prime Minister Gordon Brown was dragged into the lost data crisis after it emerged that ministers ignored warnings over security in Government departments while The Financial Times says that the lost data furore deepened as it emerged that senior Revenue and Customs managers refused to make the data more secure because it would have been too expensive. The Guardian says that ministers are to look at scaling back plans for ID cards in response to the loss of the personal information.

The Daily Express says Kate and Gerry McCann remain the main suspects in the disappearance of their daughter Madeleine as the Portuguese police prepare to end their inquiry.

The Metro reports that freed murder suspect Diya Lumumba says he will never forgive Amanda Knox for implicating him in the death of student Meredith Kercher in Italy.

The Daily Mail leads with the latest revelations from the royal inquest into the death of the Princess of Wales as a palace aide names five men as Diana's lovers while the Express tells "how the Palace disapproved of Diana's lovers".

The Scotsman looks back to the Piper Alpha oil rig disaster in 1988 as a new investigation apparently reveals a series of safety failings.

... and elsewhere

The International Herald Tribune reports that as France's transportation strike moved into its second week yesterday, arsonists disrupted high-speed train service on four rail lines across the country in what a government official characterized as a "coordinated act of sabotage." The outbreak of early morning fires along electrical lines for the TGV happened hours before the start of talks between transit unions and government officials. The negotiators met for more than four hours and agreed to continue their talks as strike-weary travelers endured the eighth day of a walkout with no end in sight.

Pakistan Times leads with Cricket legend Imran Khan's release from jail after going on hunger strike and quotes the law minister as saying that the government had released 5,634 prisoners detained under the country's emergency laws. Another 623 who remain in custody will be released soon. Mr Khan went on hunger strike this week to protest against General Pervez Musharraf's military crackdown. The cricket star turned politician is the leader of a small opposition group and a vocal critic of the president.

Corriere della Sera reports that Italy's former royal family has asked the state to pay damages of 260 million euros for the 54-year exile imposed on it by the 1948 constitution which founded the modern republic. Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy confirmed that his family has also asked for property confiscated by the nascent Italian state to be returned. Lawyers for the Savoy family last month sent a seven-page letter containing the requests to Italian President Giorgio Napolitano and Premier Romano Prodi. Vittorio Emanuele of Savoy, the son of Italy's last king, and his son Emanuele Filiberto, argue that by banning male members of the Savoy family from entering Italian territory, the constitution ran counter to the European Convention on human rights.

Arutz Sheva, Tel Aviv right-wing newspaper says an overwhelming 84 per cent of Gaza Arabs think the situation in Gaza has worsened since the Hamas military takeover last June. However, most of the negative attitude came from Fatah supporters. Fatah and Hamas supporters generally were split on other questions concerning Hamas' leadership, but there was general agreement that the political situation has deteriorated since the death of Yasser Arafat three years ago.  If elections were held this week, Fatah would win 54 percent of the vote while Hamas would receive only 15 percent, according to the survey. 

Moscow Times reports that the former KGB officer named as a suspect over Alexander Litvinenko's murder said the British Government's case against him has collapsed. Andrei Lugovoy, who is running for the Russian parliament in the December 2 elections, called Mr Litvinenko - who was poisoned in London - a "traitor". He said the Russian constitution means he cannot be extradited and accused MI6 of "the loudest flop in their history".

The San Francisco Chronicle quotes scientists in California saying that high temperatures and air pollution may work together to increase the risk of death from heart disease or stroke. Research showed that ozone levels are closely linked to soaring death rates attributed to heatwaves. The new study by researchers at the University of California at Irvine suggests ozone and high temperature should be seen as a joint hazard.

The Irish Times reports that the only salmon farm in Northern Ireland has lost its entire stock of more than 100,000 fish to a spectacular jellyfish attack. Billions of jellyfish - in a dense pack 25 sq km wide and 10 metres deep - overwhelmed the fish in two net pens about 1.5km off the coast north of Belfast. Workers tried to rescue the salmon but they struggled for hours to push their way through the mass of jellyfish. All the fish were dead or dying from stings and stress by the time the boats reached the pens.

Italy's Donna Moderna reports on a new study which shows that sex continues to be a popular pastime for Italian couples well into older age. The research, which analysed the sex life of some 1,300 Italians over the age of 69, found that 49 per cent of respondents with a partner and 8 per cent of singles enjoy frequent sexual relations. Of those surveyed, 55 per cent lived with a partner, while 45% were single or widowed, found the research, which was carried out by the Italian Andrology Society (SIA) and the Federation of Family Doctors. ''This is evidence that, contrary to stereotypes, healthy over-70s are in no way ready to cut back on sex in their personal relationships,'' commented Alessandro Palmieri, a SIA researcher.