The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:

The Times leads with the publication of the Church consultation document on the organisation of village feasts, saying the Church has drawn the line on indiscipline in band marches. The newspaper also reports that family doctors are to be given a greater role in the reform of primary health care, and doctor registration is to be introduced.

The Malta Independent says the Church is to ban what are known as ‘surprises' during band marches. In another story, the newspaper reports yesterday's GWU congress where Labour leader Joseph Muscat called for incentives to boost the economy.

In-Nazzjon says the Church proposals aim at restoring dignity to village feasts. It also reports comments by the Prime Minister that jobs remain the government's priority.

l-orizzont's main focus is on the GWU national congress. Union general secretary Tony Zarb said the union would remain credible, competent and consistent.

The Press in Britain...

In what it describes as an overhaul of the new world order, The Independent claims Arab states have launched secret moves with China, Russia and France to stop using the US dollar as currency for oil.

The Daily Mail says the Tories will raise the retirement age to 66 if they win power to pay for Gordon Brown's spending spree and plug the black hole in Britain's finances.

The Guardian says millions of workers will be affected as early as 2016.

According to the Financial Times, pensioners and public sector workers have been warned they faced a tougher financial future as both the Conservatives and Labour began to match words on curbing the £175-billion-deficit with action.

Metro says up to 40,000 judges, senior NHS managers, civil servants, quango bosses and GPs are to have their salaries frozen next year.

The Daily Star also tells how Tory leader David Cameron has promised "better days ahead" - including tax cuts - if voters dump Labour at next year's election but leads with a story about Jordan's cage-fighter lover Alex Reid.

The Daily Express announces prison wardens will today urge the abolition of jail terms of less than a year in favour of softer community sentences.

The Daily Mirror says Laila Rouass poured out her heart to friends over the Strictly Come Dancing race row.

And elsewhere...

Dawn says a suicide bomber disguised as a security officer blew up the UN food agency's Pakistan headquarters killing five people. The attack came a day after the new leader of the Pakistani Taliban vowed to stage more attacks.

Thai Post reports at least 10 people have been killed and 88 injured after a train crashed in heavy rain near a popular resort in Thailand. The train, travelling from the south to Bangkok, derailed as it approached a station near Hua Hin on the Gulf of Thailand before dawn.

According to Asia Observer, rescue workers have called off the search for life under the rubble left by a massive earthquake, focusing instead on bringing aid to survivors in the towns and hills of western Indonesia, despite being hampered by torrential rains. The death toll from Wednesday's 7.6-magnitude tremor in Sumatra island is expected to be in the thousands once the missing people are declared dead. The UN has said 1,100 people died, while the government puts the toll at 603.

Times of India declared that the death toll from flooding in southern India has risen to 222 after days of torrential rain left vast tracts of land devastated and displaced millions of people.

Kathmerini quotes Greece's new socialist Prime Minister George Papandreou saying he has a 100-day plan to stimulate the economy by creating jobs and cleaning up public finances.

Berliner Zeitung reports German Chancellor Angela Merkel will travel to Washington next month to meet with US President Barack Obama. Mrs Merkel, who won a second term in the September 27 general election, will address both houses of Congress on November 3, at the invitation of House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Le Soir leads with protesting airline pilots who say their long working hours pose a threat to passenger safety and who have held demonstrations in Brussels and at airports in several European cities.

De Standard says some 1,000 disgruntled dairy farmers from Germany, France and other countries converged on Brussels yesterday, clogging the streets with around 200 tractors to influence the EU agriculture ministers' meeting on the milk market and get further concessions. They also hurled eggs at the EU headquarters.

Jerusalem Post reports that an Israeli Cabinet minister has called off a visit to Britain because of concerns he could be arrested on suspicion of committing war crimes.

Le Parisien says the deputy head of France's main telecoms company has resigned amid mounting criticism of the firm's failure to deal with a spate of employee suicides.

The New York Times quotes the UNDP annual Human Development Index which shows Norway having the world's highest quality of life. At the other end of stick, Niger suffers the lowest. The report said a child born in Niger can expect to live to just over 50 years, which is 30 years less than a child born in Norway.

The Egyptian Gazette says politicians want to ban imports of a Chinese-made kit meant to help women fake their virginity. The Artificial Virginity Hymen is intended to help newly married women fool their husbands into believing they are virgins. Virginity is culturally important in the conservative Middle East where sex before marriage is considered by many to be illicit.

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