These are the main headlines of the local and international newspapers.
The Sunday Times says Joe Vella Bonnici has made huge gains in the tight race for the post of Labour Party secretary general. In a second lead, it quotes Fisheries Cooperative president Ray Bugeja saying that Sicilian fishermen were not involved in the Simshar tragedy. In a back-page story, the paper says that Labour leader Joseph Muscat is prepared to present a Bill in Parliament proposing the introduction of divorce, but only if Nationalist MPs are given a free vote on the issue.
The Malta Independent on Sunday quotes Minister of Finance Tonio Fenech warning the General Workers’ Union that by jeopardizing the dockyards’ privatisation process, it risks another Sea Malta debacle.
Malta Today alleges that millions of euros in taxpayers’ money are being squandered for the internal security at Mater Dei Hospital. It claims that last January, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi issued a direct order for security services costing €2m a year while 50 former St Luke’s Hospital security guards continue to get paid.
Il-Mument dedicates its front page to the MLP secretary-general race and says that former deputy leader Michael Falzon has publicly urged delegates not to vote for incumbent Jason Micallef.
Illum says the MLP race is concentrated on three candidates: Joe vella Bonici, Alfred Gricti and Jason Micallef. Keith Grech is the fourth contender.
it-torċa refers to the untimely death in Greece of Doujon Zammit and says that he now lives in others through organ donation.
KullĦadd says Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando is in Malaysia representing Malta in a Commonwealth conference on “Environmental Protection, Conflict of Interest and Corruption in Small States.”
The Press in Britain…
The Independent On Sunday asks whether the Beijing Olympics will herald a new era of international relations with China, now under pressure to lift censorship and honour its human rights guarantees.
The Sunday Express says Tony Blair's daughter Kathryn has sparked a huge security alert by allowing Facebook users to follow her family's holiday movements.
The Mail On Sunday reports that Mr Blair has written a secret memo to Gordon Brown accusing him of being "vacuous" and "lamentable" in his reign as prime minister, playing into David Cameron's hands.
The People says Labour MPs are to launch "guerrilla" war to oust under-fire Gordon Brown.
The Sunday Telegraph claims that the Jill Dando murder case may now be handed over to a provincial police force.
The Sunday Times says UK beach water quality is being jeopardised by thousands of unregulated overflow pipes.
And elsewhere…
The International Herald Tribune quotes International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge saying he had never struck a deal with Beijing organisers to censor Internet sites for foreign reporters. C
Teheran’s pro-government daily Abrar quotes Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad once again declaring his country will not retreat from what he called its "nuclear rights".
Meanwhile German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has told German news magazine Der Spiegel that Iran should to stop playing for time.
Al Jazeera says at least nine Palestinians were killed and dozens injured in battles in Gaza City between forces of the rival Hamas and Fatah movements, prompting Israel to open its border to fleeing Fatah members.
El Pais leads with the release from jail in Spain of a Basque separatist convicted of killing 25 people after serving 21 years of his 3,000-year sentence.
The Japan Times Weekly says Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda has vowed to fight price hikes and jump-start a lacklustre economy following a major cabinet reshuffle.
Colombo Page reports that a summit of South Asian leaders has opened in Sri Lanka, with tensions between India and Pakistan seen overshadowing regional talks on trade, terrorism and poverty. Pakistan has denied allegations that its spies helped bomb the Indian embassy in Afghanistan, and there have been renewed border tensions over Kashmir.
Welt an Sonntag says that German doctors seeking a cure for leukemia see promise in an unexpected source - methadone
The Chicago Sun-Times says a 61-year-old Illinois jail supervisor faces criminal charges for allegedly pocketing at least $370,000 she took from prisoners' commissary accounts.
New Zealand’s Dominion Post reports that cash-strapped Kiwis are spending less on entertainment, appliances and takeaways, but their “love affair with booze continues”.