The following are the top stories in the local and international press today:
All local newspapers report on the AFM rescue operation of 78 immigrants 68 nautical miles south of Malta.
The Times also reports on a court case on torture which the magistrate defined as "stomach churning". It says that the police are investigating the former partner of David Darmanin's girlfriend, who was stabbed early on Tuesday. It also carries an EU health ministers warning on (A)H1N1.
Malta Today describes Finance Minister Tonio Fenech's recent trip with a couple of businessmen as a fatal flight. It says that 71 percent of university student were all for a condom machine.
The Independent says that the government will be issuing public transport reform tender this week. It reports that the care given to AIDS victims in Malta is very good but says that the country should not be complacent as the situation could worsen with the arrival of more immigrants who were suffering from the disease.
l-Orizzont reports on the find of empty shotgun shells on a vessel at the Freeport saying there were British sanctions against the Iranian company IRISL which rented out the vessel carrying the containers. It asks if Villa Rosa is up for speculation.
in-Nazzjon says that the public transport reform offer document would be published Saturday. It report on the court case when a man is accused of committing torture and says that the final meetings on the budget were held with the social partners.
The Press in Britain...
The Daily Telegraph, which broke the expenses story, says Gordon Brown is facing a rebellion from some of his own MPs who are refusing to pay up.
The Times leads with the same story, with the headline: "After the payback, the fightback."
The Independent asks if a national postal strike could spell the end of the Royal Mail.
The Guardian celebrates its legal battle with an oil company over reporting parliamentary proceedings.
The Financial Times says the Royal Bank of Scotland is exploring plans to sell all 312 of its branches in England and Wales.
According to the Daily Mail, Tesco boss Sir Terry Leahy has slammed Labour's education record as ''woeful''.
The Daily Mirror has Boyzone manager Louis Walsh talking of his heartbreak after band member Stephen Gately died from fluid on his lungs.
The Sun quotes Louis Walsh saying, "I've lost my very, very best friend."
And elsewhere...
The Washington Times quotes President Barack Obama saying his administration was "significantly closer" to passing his top priority health reform bill after a key Senate Finance committee backed its version of the measure.
Ha'aretz reports President Simon Perez of Israel saying the Hezbollah had turned Lebanon into a "powder keg".
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has told ABC Radio that Australia will continue to collaborate with Indonesia in dealing with the scourge of people smugglers.
The Miami Herald reports that a judge has resentenced one of five members of the biggest Cuban spy ring broken up in America to 22 years in jail, down from a previous life term that was deemed too harsh.
The Dominion Post says the New Zealand police have defended their search for missing toddler Aisling Symes after the girl's body was found in an already searched drain close to her family home.
Susan Klebold, whose son Dylan was one of the two teenagers responsible for the 1999 Columbine school massacre in the United States, has told O Magazine that she remained haunted by her son's role in the tragedy.
De Telegraaf reports that the Dutch far-right politician Geert Wilders has won his appeal against the British government's refusal to let him enter the UK.
Novaya Gazeta says Josef Stalin's grandson has lost his libel action over its article which said the Soviet dictator sent thousands of people to their deaths.
Newark Post reports a six-year-old boy is facing 45 days in a US reform centre after attempting to eat his school lunch with a knife and fork camping set.
China's official Xinhua News Agency says nearly 1,000 children living near smelting plants in China's central Henan province have tested positive for excessive lead levels in their blood.
Le Figaro reports experts saying a portrait of a girl belonging to a private collector may be a previously unrecognised work by Leonardo da Vinci after a fingerprint appeared to match that of the Italian master.
Primera Hora says a needle exchange programme in Puerto Rico is testing a vending machine that provides drug users with clean syringes during the night to fight the spread of HIV and hepatitis C.