The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Times quotes Franco Debono saying he should be the prime minister's special delegate as he is close tot he people and was the catalyst for the prime minister's outreach exercise. It also reports comments by the Minister of Finance that it is difficult to half Enemalta's losses.
The Malta Independent says Joseph Muscat yesterday promised a new style of administration. It also quotes the prime minister saying families are at the centre of the government's attention.
In-Nazzjon says the government will absorb rising energy costs. It also quotes the prime minister saying the government wants the best for the people.
l-orizzont says foreign property investors have disappeared form Malta.
The overseas press
A tearful Vladimir Putin has declared victory in Russia's presidential amid opposition claims of widespread fraud. Ria Novosti says that as expected, preliminary results show Putin has garnered about 65 per cent of the vote - enough to avoid a run-off against the second-placed candidate. Addressing tens of thousands of supporters at an early Monday morning rally outside the Kremlin walls, Putin insisted it had been an "open and honest contest at the expense of those trying to destroy Russian statehood". A visibly-emotional Putin earlier told his supporters in his campaign headquarters in Moscow City Hall, that everything promised before the election was "doable and will be fulfilled".
The BBC says there had been widespread reports of voting irregularities. Putin's opponents said voting in many parts of the country was manipulated to help him return to the presidency after four years as prime minister. And they vowed to step up the biggest protests since Putin rose to power 12 years ago. His nearest rival in the election, Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov who is thought to have taken between 17 and 18 per cent of votes, said his party would not recognise the official results of the election, calling it "illegitimate, dishonest and untransparent".
Sky News reports that minutes after Putin voted, a group of the topless Ukrainian Femen group tried to steal the ballot box with his vote in it. The three women protesters revealed slogans painted on their chests and backs including "I steal for Putin" and "Kremlin rats", and shouted "Putin is a thief!" They tried to take the box before being detained by police. The group is known for its topless protests against trafficking of women and prostitution in several countries.
Asia Times reports that China's annual parliamentary session has got underway with a speech from the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao promising economic growth, reduced carbon emissions and a stronger military. The 10-day gathering of the National People's Congress is the last before a leadership change. On the economic front, Wen said China had set a GDP target of 7.5 per cent, down from the 2011 goal of 8 per cent – an acknowledgement that the world's second-largest economy was slowing as the eurozone debt crisis and the sluggish recovery in the United States hurt demand for Chinese exports.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has admitted publicly for the first time that his cancer had returned and said he faced a new round of radiotherapy treatment after having a second malignant tumor removed in Cuba. AFP says the news not only throws Venezuela into turmoil, but could have implications around the region, amid expectations that the man who arguably is Latin America's dominant figure may be forced, even temporarily, to cede the public stage.
The Washington Times quotes Barack Obama warning against "loose talk" of a war with Iran and insisting sanctions must be given time to prevent the country pursuing nuclear weapons. The US president said he "had Israel's back" and believed an opportunity remained for diplomacy – backed by pressure to succeed". He was addressing a crowd of 13,000 at powerful pro-Israel lobby, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference, a day before a key meeting with Isreal's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He is expected to use the meeting to urge Mr Netanyahu to avoid a premature strike on the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities.
Radio Okapi says more than 200 people died and hundreds other injured in a series of massive explosions at an arms depot in the Republic of Congo. Ministers said the blasts were caused by a fire. Reports say lots of buildings have been destroyed.
A 14-month-old girl who was found alone in a field, miles from her home in tornado-ravaged Indiana, has died of severe head injuries. Voice of America says Angel Babcock was found after her family's mobile home was destroyed in the storms that ravaged the midwest and south of the US. The tornado killed her parents, brother and sister. The girl's death brings the overall toll from the storms to 39 across five states. Whole communities were wiped out as around 90 tornadoes struck on Friday.
Libya's leadership has apologised after armed men smashed the graves of British and Italian soldiers killed during World War II. Metro quotes the British Foreign Office saying more than 200 headstones in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery in Benghazi were damaged, as was the Cross of Remembrance. The Commission said it would take some time to determine if the graves of any Australian servicemen have been desecrated.