The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Times leads with the arraignment of a Kirkop man over the Mqabba shooting on Saturday. A police inspector said prompt police action prevented a massacre.
The Malta Independent also leads with the arraignment. In another story it says filling station owners expect a refund on the cost of their stocks after a sharp fall in fuel prices.
In-Nazzjon says Saturday’s shooting stemmed from arguments following the March 8 election and says PL media reports have been denied.
l-orizzont also features the arraignment and reports that a survey has shown that the Maltese read least in the EU.
The Press in Britain…
The Financial Times announces Tata, the Indian owner of Jaguar Land Rover, has agreed to inject tens of millions of pounds into the British car company.
The Times says that Gordon Brown is putting millions on the table to try and save Jaguar. In a pre-Christmas interview, he said he had made the fight against unemployment his top priority for 2009.
The Independent warns of lengthening dole queues to come as thousands of public and private sector jobs are axed.
Metro claims that people's mortgages could be under threat, even if they keep up all their loan repayments.
The Guardian reveals that government plans to overhaul maternity services are in disarray as hospitals have not received necessary funding for improvements.
The Daily Mail says that every GP will be trained to diagnose dementia under plans to revolutionise treatment for Alheimer's sufferers.
The Daily Telegraph leads with a warning from the Archbishop of Canterbury, who says Britain must learn the lessons of Nazi Germany in dealing with the effects of the economic downturn.
And elsewhere…
El Pais quotes IMF managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn warning that governments around the world need to spend more to head off the threat of recession. He said under normal circumstances he would oppose sharp increases in state debt, but now saw it as the lesser of two evils.
The Jerusalem Post says Israel has threatened to launch a major offensive against the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. Some 50 rockets and mortars have been fired from the Gaza Strip at Israel since uneasy six-month truce ended last Friday.
Kathemerini reports street violence raging into a third week in Athens as protests sparked by the fatal police shooting of a teenager fused with political tension only hours away from the Greek parliament's approval, by only four votes, of the budget.
Romania Post says Bucharest has set a new world record, as nearly 4,000 Santas played host to the world's biggest-ever Christmas give-away. Children lined the streets of Bucharest to receive gifts from 3,939 people dressed as Father Christmas, easily surpassing the previous record of 3,618 held by Taipei. The bid was certified by representatives from the Guinness Book of World Records.
Gulf News reports a Saudi court has ruled that an eight-year-old girl who was married off to a 58-year-old must stay with the man until she reaches puberty. Then she must file the case of divorce herself. The girl was married off by her father in exchange for a £4,000 dowry.