The following are the leading stories in the Maltese and international press.
The Sunday Times quotes European Commission president José Manuel Barroso saying that the adoption of the euro by Malta “is the fruit of years of hard work, a firm commitment to sound economic policies and bold reform”.
The Malta Independent on Sunday claims that Mepa deputy chairman, Architect Catherine Galea, was ‘made to resigned’. The newspaper also claims that a March election will be announced either this week or next.
Maltatoday also leads with the resignation of Architect Galea saying that Emvironment Minister George Pullicino, responsible for Mepa, deemed her position “untenable”. The newspapers also alleges that it was “top MLP officials” who leaked Opposition Labour leader’s confidential health information to The Sunday Times a fortnight ago.
il-mument dedicates at least four pages to the euro celebrations quoting Mr Barroso saying that Malta is already at the heart of Europe.
Illum leads with the story of a Gozitan mother whose baby boy, 34 years ago, was taken away from her for adoption a few minutes after giving birth. She had been looking for him for the past 30 years. The newspaper also says that Dr Sant is in control of the party from his residence.
it-torca leads with the circumstances leading to the resignation of Minister John Dalli. Another story on the front page announces that Dr Sant will be addressing the Labour AGM later this month.
KullHadd quotes statistics given in parliament earlier this week on unmarried mothers and focuses on a 12-year-old schoolgirl mum.
The Press in Britain…
The Sunday Express says Al Qaeda terrorists posing as TV crews planned to kill the Queen by smuggling explosives into last year’s Commonwealth summit in Uganda. Two huge outside broadcast vans belonging to the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation were seized after a tip-off from intelligence agents.
Meanwhile, Scotland on Sunday reveals senior security sources have warned that hundreds of British non-Muslims have been recruited by Al-Qaeda to wage war against the west.
The People quotes Defence Secretary Des Browne saying Britain could be engaged in Afghanistan for decades. His comments were the most explicit sign yet from the Government that the UK's commitments may last more than 20 years.
The Observer says in its front page lead the the Government's chief medical officer wants a complete overhaul of the system of organ donation to combat a shortage of donors.
And The Sunday Telegraph reports Prime Minister Gordon Brown has thrown his weight behind a move to allow hospitals to take organs from dead patients without explicit consent.
In The Mail on Sunday (and The Sunday Telegraph), Princess Diana's former lover Hasnat Khan has spoken publicly about the woman who dubbed him "Mr Wonderful". Dr Khan, who revealed Diana's death continues to haunt him, said he does not want to give evidence at the Diana inquest unless he is forced into it by law.
According to The Sunday Times, Peter Hain continues to defy resignation calls as the row over the funding controversy intensified. The embattled Work and Pensions Secretary dismissed claims he covered up cash given to his deputy leadership campaign and vowed to get on with his job.
The Sunday Mirror reports Kate and Gerry McCann are planning to return to Portugal for a face-to-face showdown with police.
The Independent on Sunday claims ministers want to implant "machine-readable" microchips under the skin of offenders in an expansion of the tagging scheme.
And elsewhere…
The Washington Post quotes President Bush saying in Bahrain he is open to the possibility of slowing or stopping plans to bring home more US troops from Iraq, defying domestic demands to speed the withdrawals. Updated on war developments, Bush said the US presence in Iraq will outlast his presidency. Bush said any decision about troop levels "needs to be based upon success”.
Baghdad’s pan-arab Al-Ahrar says that in a major boost for reconciliation in deeply divided Iraq, Shiite and Sunni MPs unanimously passed a law yesterday allowing ex-officials of Saddam Hussein's Baath party to return to public life.
Teheran’s pro-Government daily Abrar quotes Iran's top leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all state matters, insisting with International Atomic Energy Agency head Mohamed El Baradei that the IAEA should exclusively handle Iranian nuclear questions — not the security council.
Taipei’s Jhongguo Shihbao reports Taiwan's opposition nationalists, who favour closer ties with China, have won a landslide victory in parliamentary elections, boosting their party's chances of regaining the presidency in March
New Zealand Herald on Sunday reports that the State funeral for Sir Edmund Hillary is likely to be held in Auckland in nine days, with the great mountaineer's own writing revealing he wanted his ashes to be scattered on the waters of the Hauraki Gulf
Reality television star Nicole Richie and pop singer Christina Aguilera have given birth to babies born an hour apart at the same Los Angeles hospital. According to People Magazine’s online edition, Richie, the daughter of soul singer Lionel Richie, and Rock Star partner Joel Madden, welcomed a baby girl at the Cedars Sinai Medical Centre. Shortly afterwards, in the same ward, Aguilera, who married music producer Jordan Bratman in 2005, gave birth to a boy. Mothers and babies are doing fine.