The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Times leads with the arrival in Malta of former US presidential candidate John McCain, who is here on a two-day visit. It also quotes Labour leader Joseph Muscat saying that oil prices are too low for consumers to have an electricity surcharge.
The Malta Independent quotes the Prime Minister saying the term of office of local councils should be longer.
L-orizzont leads with Joseph Muscat’s comments on what he said was a PN web of espionage and adds that Dr Muscat is challenging the PN to sue him.
In-Nazzjon also leads with Dr Gonzi’s comments about local councils. It also carries comments by PN General Secretary Paul Borg Olivier, who accused the PL of hypocrisy over the collection of personal data.
The Press in Britain…
The Financial Times reports US President-elect Barack Obama has put aside concerns on the deficit and spelt out plans for the biggest infrastructure investment in half a century.
The Daily Star says that Britons put their fears over the looming recession behind them at the weekend, going on a £13bn shopping spree.
The Daily Express claims the Government is planning to charge people higher council tax if they build a tree house in their garden. The paper calls the plan 'Labour's latest stealth tax'.
The Daily Mail says Justice Minister Jack Straw plans to overhaul the Human Rights Act to prevent it being exploited by criminals.
The Times says that subjects like history, geography and religious studies could be removed from the primary school curriculum and replaced with a 'human, social and environmental' learning programme.
The Guardian quotes the British environment secretary saying a global campaign is needed to pressure political leaders into sealing a treaty on tackling climate change.
According to The Independent, a collection of letters and manuscripts by Oscar Wilde, seemingly lost for more than 50 years, has been rediscovered by academics.
The Daily Record says grieving relatives are up in arms over a move by the NHS to charge mourners £30 plus VAT to view bodies.
And elsewhere…
The European edition of The Wall Street Journal reports that the leaders of Britain, France and the European Union's executive arm are set to meet in London to discuss ways of responding to the global financial crisis. They are to be joined at the table by around 50 leading businessmen and economists. The meeting is meant to help co-ordinate the various European rescue plans ahead of a meeting of the European Council in Brussels later in the week.
Kathemerini says rioting in a number of Greek cities for a second night following the shooting death of a 15-year-old boy in central Athens late on Saturday. Witnesses said he was shot in the chest by police after youths attacked their patrol car with stones and petrol bombs.
Afghan Daily says more than 200 suspected Taliban militants have attacked a terminal operated by the Western military alliance NATO in north-western Pakistan. They killed a guard and set fire to more than 60 trucks that were meant to deliver supplies to NATO troops operating in neighbouring Afghanistan.
The Irish Independent reports the Irish authorities have launched an investigation to establish the source of a toxic substance that forced the recall of all Irish pork products. Dioxin levels found in some meat samples were up to 200 times above the legal limit. The European Commission says it is closely monitoring the situation.
Accra Daily Mail announces that vote-counting has begun following Ghana's presidential and parliamentary elections. Turnout was high and despite long line-ups at polling stations all over the country, no major incidents of violence were reported.
Jyllands Posten reports that the Italian mafia drama "Gomorra" has dominated the European Film Awards, winning five prizes including best film, best director and best actor at a ceremony in Copenhagen.
The Boston Globe reports the state’s Public Health Commission is scheduled to vote on Thursday on expanded smoking restrictions that would be among the toughest in the US. The proposal would ban cigar bars and hookah bars, which currently enjoy exemptions from Boston's four-year-old workplace smoking ban.