The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Times, like the other newspapers, gives prominence to yesterday's elaborate attempted hold-up on a security van carrying €2.8 million. It says six persons were arrested after robbers tried to bulldoze their way into a private security van but failed.
The Malta Independent says this was a movies-style hold-up.
In-Nazzjon says the hold-up was well planned but failed because of some hitch.
l-orizzont says the police are assuming there were some 10 persons involved in the attempted hold-up. The mechanical shovel used in the attempt was stolen in October.
In other stories, The Times also reports that a contract has been signed for a trade fair to be held at Naxxar fair grounds once more.
The Malta Independent says the Farmers' Cooperative has reported a 39% drop in income in December because of a glut caused by good weather.
In-Nazzjon says 12,180 have so far taken the H1N1 vaccine.
l-orizzont carries a picture of a very angry farmer jumping on produce after it did not fetch a proper price at the vegetable market.
The international press:
The International Herald Tribune reports that airline passengers bound for the United States are facing a myriad of security measures, even if not all European airports appear to be following a US demand for increased screening of passengers from 14 countries named by the US as security risks.
The Washington Times quotes US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton saying that internal unrest and a surge in al-Qaeda activity in Yemen has posed a global threat that was being met by US support for the Yemeni government's efforts to fight extremists.
Yemeni Times reports that security forces killed two suspected al-Qaeda militants in clashes north-east of the capital where the government last month carried out raids against an al-Qaeda cell it said was plotting attacks against foreign interests, possibly including embassies.
Gulf News dedicates most of its pages to the opening yesterday of the world's tallest skyscraper in Dubai. In a surprise move, the gleaming glass-and-metal tower was renamed Burj Khalifa in a nod to the leader of neighbouring Abu Dhabi, the oil-rich sheikdom which came to its rescue during the financial meltdown. The 828-metre-tower, billed as a "vertical city" of luxury apartments and offices, cost some US$1.5 billion (€1.04 billion) to build.
China Daily reports that hundreds of thousands of Chinese were ordered to stop drinking water from the Yellow River after diesel fuel leaked into a tributary. The 100 tonnes of diesel spilled from a broken pipeline last week into the Wei River, which feeds into the Yellow River, a water source for millions.
Solomon Star quotes disaster officials saying about 500 homes have been destroyed or damaged by a powerful 7.2 magnitude earthquake that rocked the Solomon Islands, causing panic but no major injuries.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper says the US Secret Service is investigating a case in Georgia where an effigy of President Obama was found hanging in the rural hometown of former President Jimmy Carter. It said the large black doll was found hanging from a building by a noose. The doll wore a sign with Obama's name on it.
Helsingin Sanomat says a near-empty passenger train crashed into the Holiday Inn hotel at Helsinki's main railway station. No-one was injured.
Asia Observer says 52 unmarried Muslim couples face charges of sexual misconduct and possible jail after being caught in hotel rooms by Malaysia's Islamic morality police. Scores of officers fanned out across budget hotels in central Selangor state before dawn on January 1, knocking on doors and detaining unmarried Muslim couples who were sharing rooms.
EU Observer reports that on his first day in office European Union President Herman Van Rompuy has called for an EU summit in Brussels on February 11th to discuss economic issues. External threats such as terrorism and climate change are near the top of the agenda, but the biggest problem facing Van Rompuy and the EU is the status of the bloc's weakened economy.
El Pais says an unidentified hacker hijacked Spain's official website for its presidency of the European Union, inserting a large smiling picture of comic character Mr Bean. The marked resemblance of the bumbling slapstick character played by Rowan Atkinson to Spain's Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has been a running joke in Spain for years. No information on the site had been affected.
In the UK, The Evening Standard reports that a former mayor has admitted breaking into women's homes and stealing their underwear. Ian Stafford, 59, resigned as mayor of Preesall in Lancashire when he was arrested in connection with the missing garments. He appeared at Preston Crown Court and pleaded guilty to three counts of burglary. The case was adjourned for pre-sentencing reports until February 5.