The following are the leading stories in Maltese and foreign newspapers. The majority of the seven local weeklies focus on the MLP leadership race.

The Sunday Times leads with a quote by former Labour deputy leader George Abela saying that MLP Secretary General Jason Micallef "is not the party". Its second lead is on the result of the general election reporting that the "PN lost votes in final week of campaign".

The Malta Independent on Sunday leads with the results of the local elections and says that these were won, as expected by Labour but the PN regained two (later confirmed as three) localities. It also quotes PN and MLP laders saying that though elected from two districts, Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando should resign over the Mistra Bay disco controversy.

Maltatoday claims that the extra hour extending voting time last Saturday could have swayed the tide in favour of the PN. It also reports that Labour MP Evarist Bartolo has called for the resignations of the deputy leaders and claims that the Pullicino Orlando contract reached Labour too late.

il-mument says that Jason Micallef is the target of Labour supporters who claim that he deceived them when he assured them that their party had won the geneal election. It also reports on the results of the local elections saying that the PN increased its number of councillors while the MLP obtained the majority of votes.

Illum says that Labour is at the crossroads over the leadership issue. In another story it quotes PN Secretary General Joe Saliba saying that Pullicino Orlando nearly cost them the election.

it-torca also refers to the results of the local elections and says that Labour won and lost at the same time. It also carries an interview with a woman who was thrown several metres by the blast of the Naxxar fireworks explosion.

KullHadd claims that three days before the general election, three parcels of government land in Mellieha were given for what it calls "a massive developments of apartment blocks. With reference to the results of the local elections, the paper says that the MLP obtained 52 per cent of the votes.

The Press in Britain...

The People claims that the police were investigating as a possible hoax the disappearance and ‘miraculous' release of Shannon Matthews on Friday after 24 days in captivity".

And under the heading "Why was Shannon laughing?", the Sunday Express says the police want to examine the exact nature of the relationship between Shannon Matthews and the man who is suspected of abducting her.

The News of the World carries an interview with the former wife of Michael Donovan, the man held on suspicion of kidnapping Shannon Matthews and prints allegations about his private life. Donovan, 39, uncle of Shannon's stepfather, was arrested after the girl was found in the drawer of a divan bed at a flat close to her home.

The Daily Star Sunday claims that while the police are hunting for an accomplice, Shannon has opened her heart to detectives trying to unravel the circumstances behind her disappearance.

The Mail on Sunday says Shannon and her mum saw each other briefly for just two minutes on Friday after the girl was release. However, the paper leads with a story alleging that Gordon Brown has been plunged into a row with the Queen because she was not consulted over plans for school-leavers to be forced to swear a patriotic oath.

The Observer carries comments from Gary Pugh, Britain's most senior police forensics expert, sating young children should be eligible for the DNA database if they exhibit behaviour indicating they may become criminals in later life.

The Sunday Telegraph says the Tories will not offer tax cuts to voters for at least four years and not until the party's second term in office. It quotes comments from Philip Hammond, the shadow Treasury chief secretary, who said the party is following a two-term strategy.

The Sunday Times says Labour has slumped to its lowest poll rating since 1983, when Michael Foot was leader, as voters delivered a withering verdict on last week's budget: Gordon Brown's party has slipped to 27% - 16 points behind the Conservatives.

But the Sunday Mirror claims Tory leaders David Cameron is losing crucial support among young mothers.

The Independent on Sunday focus on what it calls "Britain's refugee shame" and carries a story about a woman who fled Zimbabwe for sanctuary in the UK after being raped, beaten and her husband believed killed.

The Sunday Mail follows up the news that 22 convicted sex offenders have vanished from Scotland's new monitoring regime and says that the police have admitted that paedophile Martin Cusick is one of them. Some are believed to have fled the country.

The Sunday Herald publishes the result of a poll which shows that Fisrt Minister and Scottish Nationalist Pary leader Alex Salmond has recorded an unprecedented 75 percent lead in approval ratings over Labour rival Wendy Alexander.

And elsewhere...

South China Morning Post reports China has given Tibetan independence protesters until tomorrow Monday to surrender after riots in the regional capital Lhasa. Chinese officials say at least 10 people were killed in Friday's violent protests, but exiled Tibetan leaders in northern India say the death toll is at least 30 and could be higher. China has ordered tourists out of Tibet's capital and troops patrolled the streets a day after deadly clashes. The violence erupted on the fifth day of mainly peaceful protests that began on the 49th anniversary of a failed uprising against Chinese rule.

Meanwhile, Tribune de Genève says the president of the International Olympic Committee has poured cold water on calls for a boycott of the Beijing Games over China's crackdown in Tibet. Jacques Rogge said such a boycott doesn't solve anything, adding that it would penalises innocent athletes and harm a worthwhile event.

Magyar Demokrata says police in the Hungarian capital Budapest used tear gas to disperse hundreds of radical nationalists who turned violent as the country marked the 160th anniversary of its failed war of independence from Hapsburg rule. The demonstrators had attempted to disrupt a ceremony by the country's socialist Prime Minister, Ferenc Gyurcsany.

London's pan-Arab newspaper Al-Hayat claims initial election results show Iranian conservatives poised to win a two-thirds parliamentary majority. But reformists still managed to retain a foothold even though hundreds of their most prominent candidates had been barred from running by the country's conservative establishment. Turnout was about 60 percent of the Islamic Republic's 44 million eligible voters.

Korrieri says a massive explosion at an Albanian army ammunition dump near the capital Tirana has killed at least four people and injured more than 150 others, including many children. The initial blast set off a series of explosions, and ammunition continued to detonate for hours. Prime Minister Sali Berisha visited the site of the accident and said he believed the final death toll could be much higher.

Ha'aretz reports that an Israeli air strike has killed three Islamic Jihad militants preparing to fire rockets at southern Israel from the northern Gaza Strip. Earlier in the day, three other Islamic Jihad militants were wounded in an Israeli raid as they launched homemade rockets from eastern Gaza.

Meanwhile, Al Nahar quotes the armed wing of Hamas saying it can strike Israeli helicopters with weapons which the Palestinian Authority abandoned when its forces were driven out of Gaza last June. The statement came after Israeli television said an army helicopter was hit by Palestinian fire on Friday during a Gaza overflight, the first incident of its kind in several years.

Islamabad's Al-Qamar reports that a bomb blast at an Italian restaurant in the Pakistani capital has killed a Turkish woman and wounded 11 other people, including foreign. The restaurant is especially popular among foreigners and is one of few that serves alcohol in Islamabad. Authorities said the explosion was not a suicide attack, but a blast from a charge apparently planted outside the restaurant.

The Atlanta Journal carries a half-page picture showing the CNN news centre with broken windows as turbulent weather struck during the busy rush hour, killing one person and injuring dozens. A tornado with winds up to 130mph cut through downtown Atlanta, blowing windows out of skyscrapers.

L'Humanitè says that the mayor in the French village of Sarpourenx threatened to punish locals if they die, because there is no room in the overcrowded cemetery. Gerard Lalanne warned the 260 residents that "all persons not having a plot in the cemetery are forbidden from dying in the parish". The edict added: "Offenders will be severely punished." Questioned by the newspaper, Lalanne said, "It may be a laughing matter for some, but not for me."

The Witchita Eagle says a 35-year-old Kansas woman sat on a toilet for up to two years, leaving her body stuck to the seat. Police said Pam Babcock's skin appeared to have grown around the seat in the two years she apparently was in the bathroom of the house in Ness City. Medics pried the seat off and took her to hospital after a call from boyfriend Kory McFarren, who said she had "a phobia about leaving the bathroom".