The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Times leads with the remarks made in Parliament by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and Opposition leader Joseph Muscat, who said Malta acted correctly in the standoff with Italy over the destination of rescued migrants. The newspaper also reports how pirates unsuccessfully tried to board a Maltese-registered ship off Yemen.
The Malta Independent gives prominence to a press conference given by BirdLife on continued poaching despite the hunting ban. It also reports the statement in Parliament on the migrants issue.
l-orizzont publishes e-mails between the GWU and the Director of Employment and Industrial Relations to prove it previously disagreed with the director on his method of verification of union membership.
In-Nazzjon also leads with the migrants spat with Italy. It also reports that the government’s local government policy will be announced today.
The Press in Britain
The Guardian says Chancellor Alistair Darling is due to unveil an emergency £1bn package for Britain's housing market in tomorrow’s budget.
The Daily Express reports that the housing market appears to be picking up.
The Independent claims piracy syndicates operating in some Gulf states are laundering huge sums of money taken in ransom for vessels hijacked off the Horn of Africa.
The Daily Mirror leads with the tale of a young cadet who died after taking steroids in a tragic attempt to get into the Marines.
The Daily Mail says bright children from poor homes are failing to get into university because of under-performing state schools.
The Sun claims scientists see the rising number of overweight people as a cause of global warming.
According to The Times, the speed limit on many A-roads will soon be reduced to 50 miles per hour.
The Telegraph reports on a leading scientist's claim that using genetic research to provide cures for common illnesses has proved a 'false dawn'.
The Metro leads with a court case involving a love-struck teenager who was allegedly lured to his death in a 'honey trap'.
And elsewhere…
Tribune de Geneve leads with widespread disruption of the UN Conference on racism as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused Israel of being the "most cruel and racist regime". His remarks sparked a walkout by angry Western diplomats. The US and eight other Western countries, expressing concerns about its fairness, were already boycotting the event.
De Standard says the European Union has opened antitrust investigations into airlines that fly lucrative trans-Atlantic routes as part of the Star and Oneworld airline alliances, saying it suspected their co-operation was restricting competition.
Jamaica Gleaner reports a 20-year-old Jamaican gunman who hijacked a Canadian plane near Montego Bay has been captured after an eight-hour stand-off with police.
The Washington Post says President Barack Obama has called for spending cuts amounting to $100 million and the suspension of "at least 100 current programmes".
Autotrader reports that China's emerging car industry has unveiled a collection of new vehicles at Shanghai's car show, from electric run-arounds to luxury saloons.
Lakbima says some 35,000 civilians have fled the last corner of Sri Lankan territory held by the Tamil Tigers in what President Rajapaksa described as the "largest-ever hostage rescue mission in history". He said the military rescued the non-combatants by opening several routes into the war zone. But a pro-rebel website said hundreds of civilians were feared killed in the "total chaos" that prevailed when the soldiers entered the zone.
Times of India reports that armed Hindu radicals have attacked a century-old church in India during a service to protest against religious conversions.
USA Today says veterinarians are investigating why 21 polo horses fell ill and died in a short time before their match at a Florida tournament. According to the International Polo Club Palm Beach, the horses from the Venezuela-based Lechuza Caracas team were being unloaded from their trailers on Sunday afternoon when two of them collapsed and others acted dizzy and disoriented.
Asia Observer says the Great Wall of China is even greater than once thought. A two-year government mapping study has uncovered new sections of the ancient Chinese monument, concealed by hills, trenches and rivers, which total about 290km.
A study has found that after drinking alcohol men actually see women as less attractive. Leicester Mercury reports that Booze makes no difference to a man’s ability to guess a woman’s age but the findings showed that alcohol reduced the ability of women to guess the age of the photo models.
London’s Evening Standard reports people are being urged to donate their brains after death to help find a cure for Parkinson’s disease. Around one in 500 people is affected by the condition and scientists need more brains to help find a cure.