The following are the leading stories in the Maltese and international newspapers.
The Times says that Dr Sant has returned to the political fray. It also reports that hundreds of people visited Fort St Angelo during yesterday’s open day. Ivan Camilleri reports from Brussels that climate change, unless checked, will raise Med sea levels by half a metre within 50 years.
L-orizzont says Alfred Sant was given a grand welcome upon his return to the political arena yesterday. Those present at the MLP general conference yesterday included his mother. The newspaper also reports on eight arraignments over the weekend, including a man accused of a shooting at Msida on Saturday, and crowd trouble at football matches.
In-Nazzjon leads with the speech by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi where he stressed the PN’s confidence in the people, saying that with unity and proper direction, everything is possible. The newspaper also reports how MLP guest Alan Johnson, the British Health Secretary, is implicated in a campaign funding scandal in the UK. Johnson addressed the MLP conference on Friday and met Dr Sant.
The Malta Independent also reports Dr Sant’s political comeback and Dr Gonzi’s speech.
The Press in Britain…
The Daily Express reports a police chief is blaming new immigrants for a wave of violent crime in Britain.
The Daily Mail says a vaccine to help get rid of a deadly superbug has been developed by scientists in the UK.
The Daily Telegraph claims parents could be sent sex advice packs when their children reach the age of nine, under a government plan to reduce teenage pregnancies. It also says Health Secretary Alan Johnson has insisted he had been "100% honest" after becoming the latest Cabinet Minister embroiled in a donations scandal, saying his team had done "what the law asked us to do" and more to check the source of the cash. Johnson mounted a bullish defence despite the revelation that his Labour deputy leadership bid accepted more than £3,000 from a "proxy" donor.
The Times says McDonald's and other big businesses will award their own qualifications equal to GCSEs, A-levels and degrees, in subjects such as fast-food restaurant management.
The Daily Mirror says the family of Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Cole has urged her to leave the Arsenal player.
The Scotsman says Greens are lodging a European challenge to a £500m contract to complete the M74, plunging the long-running project into chaos.
The Daily Star reports football minnows Havant lapped up £100,000 worth of free booze and perks during their FA Cup weekend of dreams.The Independent’s main story is a special report on the besieged Iraqi city of Fallujah.
and elsewhere…
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung says Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) suffered losses in two state elections. In the state of Hesse, incumbent premier Roland Koch secured 36.8 percent of the vote, down from his 49-percent victory in 2003. His party remains strongest by a slim margin, ahead of Social Democratic (SPD) rival Andrea Ypsilanti with 36.7 percent. Lower Saxony saw CDU Premier Christian Wulff win 42.5 percent, down from 48.3 percent in 2003 but sufficient to hold on to power with the liberal Free Democrats (FDP). Both Koch and Wulff are seen as potential heirs to chancellor Merkel.
Corriere della Sera reports Silvio Berlusconi has threatened to take more than a million voters for Rome to support his repeated calls for an early general election. His threat came as President Napolitano braced himself for a further two days of consultations to try to resolve Italy’s political crisis. Premier Romano Prodi contends a general election should only be called in a year’s time, following a reform of the electoral law.
Jerusalem Post announces Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has agreed on an easing of the Gaza blockade to allow much-needed fuel into the area, after meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Jerusalem. In Egypt, efforts have been stepped up to close the country's breached border with Gaza.
The Star reports Beirut calm amid high police presence, after as many as eight protesters were shot dead and around 30 injured in demonstrations. Security officials say shooting started after demonstrators set ablaze tyres, blocking a main road in the southeast of Beirut to protest against power rationing, which have been taking place for days.
International Herald Tribune focuses on memorial services which have been held in a number of countries to remind of the world Nazi Germany's extermination of Jews on the occasion of Holocaust Remembrance Day. Politicians and church leaders have urged to continue the fight against anti-semitism and racial hatred. The State reports US Democratic presidential nomination rivals Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have gone back on the campaign trail after the South Carolina primary. Mr Obama was boosted by a decisive win in the latest vote before the rivals began a coast-to-coast campaign ahead of the next primary on February 5. Democratic voters in 22 states will go to the polls on what has been dubbed "Super Tuesday".
Jakarta Post leads with the death of former dictator Suharto, the army general who ruled Indonesia for 32 years. He was 86. Suharto's reign saw up to a million political opponents killed after he brutally crushed the country's communist movement. Suharto had been in intensive care with lung, heart and kidney failure.
The Nation claims that two days of ethnic clashes in the Kenyan city of Nakuru have left at least 60 people dead. The violence following President Mwai Kibaki's re-election has also spread across the west of the country to the town of Naivasha. Witnesses said police stood by as gangs from the Kikuyu tribe set fire to homes of Luo rivals, leaving at least seven people dead.
Manchester Evening News reports Manchester City players are reeling from a double blow - being dumped out of the FA Cup and suffering at the hands of dressing room thieves. They were knocked out of the Cup by Sheffield United and then discovered cash had been lifted from their wallets. South Yorkshire Police are probing the theft of some £2,000 at Bramall Lane from the City dressing room.