The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
All the newspapers lead with the publication by the government of the agreement reached on Saturday with the trade unions.
The Times says utility costs will be lower, but 11 trade unions are seeking an urgent meeting with technical people on the eco-contribution. In other stories, The Times says 31 of 40 construction companies surveyed by the GRTU said they would lay off workers because of an orders slowdown.
The Malta Independent reports Transport Minister Austin Gatt insisting a new road is needed at Ghadira to protect the beach and strengthen the infrastructure.
l-orizzont says MLP leader Joseph Muscat told at a business seminar that Malta could be the best in Europe.
In-Nazzjon quotes Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi telling the same seminar that the current financial crisis strengthened the government's resolve for change.
The Press in Britain…
The Independent leads with the attacks on India's financial capital and carries a picture of the aftermath inside Mumbai's railway station. It says 80 were killed and 250 injured in the terrorist rampage aimed at British and Americans. Westerners at hotels were taken hostages.
The Guardian calls the coordinated attacks on luxury hotels, a popular restaurant, hospitals and a railways station as ‘India's deadliest terrorist attack’. Eleven police are thought to be among the dead.
Under the heading ‘Carnage in Bombay’, The Times says al Qaeda have been linked to the attacks in which a British Euro MP was also caught in the onslaught.
The Daily Telegraph also reports on the attacks on Mumbai but leads with the news that Woolworths and MFI have collapsed as both go into administration.
The Daily Express says the job losses between the two could total more than 31,000.
The Daily Mirror also leads with the collapse of Woolworths, saying the retailer is the biggest casualty of the credit crisis so far.
The Financial Times reports that credit card companies will report back to the government with a set of "fair principles" to help credit card borrowers manage their debts.
Daily Star reports that the Ministry of Defence has been ordered to pay nearly £190,000 to a lesbian soldier who was sexually harassed by a male sergeant. The 32-year-old lance bombardier won her claims against the MoD for sex discrimination, victimisation and harassment at a tribunal in Leeds.
And elsewhere…
France 24 reports that Indian troops began moving into two five-star hotels in Mumbai, where heavily armed Islamist militants took at least 40 westerners hostage. The attacks have been condemned by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, France, current president of the European Union, the Bush administration and US President-elect Barack Obama.
Meanwhile, The Washington Times reports that the FBI has received a “plausible but unsubstantiated” report that al-Qaida terrorists may have discussed attacking the New York City subway system during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
EU Observer leads with the European Commission’s new two-year €200 billion stimulus package aimed at jolting European Union economies out of a recession. The European Commission said that the stimulus measures will need to be quick, targeted and temporary.
The New York Times reports that the UN Security Council has unanimously approved the deployment of an EU police and judicial mission in Kosovo. The planned EU mission, known as EULEX, will gradually take over from the present UN mission in Kosovo.
The People’s Daily says that the Chinese authorities have cancelled a summit with the European Union scheduled for next week in protest at EU leaders' plans to meet the Dalai Lama during his visit to Europe. The 27-nation bloc expressed regret at Beijing's decision but pledged to continue to promote a strategic partnership with China.
Semitsiak reports that some 75 percent of voters voted "aap" to a plan that would give Greenland partial control over its natural resources and take greater charge of justice and legal affairs from Denmark. Despite heavy snow and temperatures of minus 5 degrees Celsius, Greenlanders celebrated in the streets of capital Nuuk even before voting closed. Roughly
Az-Zaman quotse Iran’s nuclear chief saying the country was making progress with its controversial nuclear programme. Gholam Reza Aghazadeh, said over 5,000 centrifuges were now actively running at the country's uranium enrichment plant, an increase of 1,000 since August.
Bangkok Post reports that Thailand's Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat has rejected a call by the country's army chief to hold fresh elections in order to resolve a deepening political crisis. In a nationally televised address, Somchai said his government had been legitimised by elections and would continue to perform its duties, despite mounting pressure from anti-government protesters.
The Zimbabwean quotes opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai saying millions were facing starvation, amid fears that a cholera outbreak in the country will spread. More than 360 people have died and more than 9,000 cases have been reported so far. President Robert Mugabe says the situation is under control, a claim refuted by neighbouring South Africa.
Accra’s Daily Mail says at least 21 people have been killed and some 80 others injured after an overturned tanker carrying petrol exploded as people tried to scoop up the fuel from the gutters. Police said the charred bodies of 21 victims burned beyond recognition were buried in a mass grave at the scene of the accident.
Aviation Daily quotes scientists saying supersonic plumes of gas and dust shooting off one of Saturn's moons suggest it has liquid water, a key building block of life.
Times of Nigeria reports that regulators have closed down a pharmaceutical company after 25 children died after being fed its teething formula. The formula has since been withdrawn from all pharmacies around the country.