The following are the main headlines of the local and international newspapers:
The Times quotes Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi saying in Brussels that the government is studying the possibility of radically revising the utilities surcharge mechanism and introducing new tariffs reflecting prevailing market prices. He was evasive when asked whether the tariffs would be revised upwards. In another story, the newspaper reports that the GWU is willing to lobby Brussels over the shipyards.
The Malta Independent quotes the Dr Gonzi saying that in spite of the increase in fuel prices, the 2010 budget surplus aim would be reached. Its second lead announces that Labour leader Joe Muscat backs the GWU proposal for a task force to be set up to discuss the shipyards’ future.
Il-Ġens Illum claims that since its registration in December 2003, Malta Shipyards Ltd never filed its profit and loss account with the Malta Financial Services Authority
In-Nazzjon features this evening’s inauguration of the new Nationalist Party headquarters but leads with the news that pharmaceutical firm Actavis is investing a further €17m over three years.
l-orizzont leads with a human story of a young irregular migrant who miscarried in the last months of her pregnancy, and a two-month old baby who was saved in the latest voyage of Africans to Malta.
The Press in Britain…
The Daily Telegraph leads with a story that hedge fund manager Chris Hohn, who runs The Children’s Investment Fund (TCI), donated £466million to the foundation run by his wife, Jamie Cooper-Hohn, that benefits projects across Africa and the developing world.
According to the Guardian, one in four British homes could be fitted with solar heating equipment, and a further 3,500 wind turbines could also be erected across Britain within 12 years as part of a green energy revolution to be proposed by the government.
The Daily Mail reports that the end of the cheap fixed mortgage has arrived as Britain’s biggest lender Halifax raised rates by up to 0.5 per cent.
The Daily Express says the hate preacher Abu Hamza will cost tax payers millions by heading into a court battle to stop his extradition.
The Daily Mirror leads with the story that Naomi Campbell escaped jail over her attack on two policemen during a four-letter tirade aboard a British Airways jet.
The Independent reports that, according to the country’s public health watchdog, measles has become endemic in Britain 14 years after its spread was halted.
The Times reports a test that can detect Down’s syndrome from the blood of pregnant women has raised the prospect of routine screening for the condition.
The Sun reports that Cristiano Ronaldo has admitted he wants to move to Real Madrid despite Alex Fergusion's objections.
And elsewere...
European Voice leads says EU leaders have wrapped up a two-day summit in Brussels that was dominated by discussions on how to respond to the rejection of the bloc's reform treaty by voters in Ireland.
Zimbabwe Independent reports that opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai is considering withdrawing from next week's run-off presidential election due to conditions inside the country.
The People’s Daily says the latest leg of the Olympic torch relay has begun. The torch is being carried through Tibet's capital, Lhasa, three months after the biggest anti-China protests in decades led to violent clashes between demonstrators and police.
La Epocha reports officials have arrested two men who may have been planning to kill President Evo Morales of Bolivia.
Afghan Daily reports a suicide bomber has attacked a NATO convoy as it passed through Gereshk, killing five civilians and one soldier from the coalition.
According to India Today, air force helicopters and rescue workers in boats have struggled to provide relief to 3 million people affected by monsoon floods.
Seoul’s Korea Herald says the president replaced his top advisers in a bid to placate outrage over plans to resume US beef imports.
Diario says Portuguese police have arrested a US fugitive who allegedly phoned bomb threats to extort money from American banks and hacked into their computers.
Hellenic Star says two sold-out concerts by British singer James Blunt have been cancelled after their open-air venue in Athens was closed for security reasons.
The Irish Times predicts that up to 10,000 people will take part in the Gay Pride parade through Dublin to mark the success of the capital's 25th Pride festival.
El Pais says about 300 Britons who sold properties in Spain have joined a class action to reclaim tax they claim they overpaid to the government.
Sydney Morning Herald reports that an American man on honeymoon has been charged with murder after allegedly drowning his new wife during a dive on the Great Barrier Reef.
USA Today reports that the authorities are investigating whether a charity in Virginia broke the law by helping a 16-year-old illegal immigrant get an abortion. Meanehile, The Boston Globe claims a pact made by a group of teenagers to get pregnant and raise their babies together is said to be behind a rise in pregnancies at a Massachusetts school.