The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press.
The Sunday Times leads with the arraignment of four prison wardens alleged to have beaten up a Dutch prisoner. Prison Director Sandro Gatt told the newspaper that a prison nurse had said the prisoner had no injuries. It also reports that many large vehicles are running on a hazardous combination of light heating oil and diesel to cut down on costs.
The Malta Independent on Sunday leads with IMF recommendations for Malta to scrap the cost of living adjustment and subsidies on electricity. It also says that an agreement on search and rescue between Malta and Libya is ready to be signed, but no date has been fixed for the signing.
It-Torca says the GWU is ready for effective consultations on the dockyard.
Il-Mument quotes an EU survey saying that 56 percent of the Maltese are satisfied with the performance of the government and are confident of the future.
MaltaToday says pressure is being made on Victor Galea, general secretary of Alternattiva Demokratika, to quit his teaching job because of his political position.
Illum says the police are looking into relationships which Labour MP and surgeon Anthony Zammit has had in the past few months. Mr Zammit was attacked and robbed in his own home on Tuesday.
KullHadd carries an interview with Karl Chircop’s wife, who says his medical condition is improving.
The Press in Britain…
The Sunday Times says senior military sources have warned that Russia is considering arming its Baltic fleet with nuclear warheads for the first time since the Cold War.
The Sunday Express features record-breaking swimmer Rebecca Adlington who claimed her second gold.
But, The Independent on Sunday points out, there’s even more to come with UK athletes set to claim more medals today.
The Observer warns that the drugs industry is overpricing vital new medicines to boost its profits.
The People says a policeman is set to publish a book about the Madeleine McCann investigation.
And elsewhere…
The Washington Times reports that President Bush has welcomed Russia's acceptance of a ceasefire agreement with Georgia. But he sent a stern warning that Russia cannot lay claim to the two disputed regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Bush said there was no room for debate on the issue as they are part of Georgia and lie within internationally-recognised borders. Russia's foreign minister had said that Georgia could forget about getting the provinces back.
According to Kyiv Post, Ukraine is prepared to open its missile defence network to cooperation with European and other foreign powers. The move follows Poland's recent preliminary agreement to let the United States deploy 10 interceptor missiles along its Baltic coast.
Haarestz says Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak is meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad at Barak's residence in Tel Aviv ahead of a possible release of 150 Palestinian prisoners.
Belarus News quotes the daughter of Alexander Kozulin, a leading opposition figure, saying her father had been released from prison. He was arrested in 2006 during a protest challenging the re-election of authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko and later sentenced to five-and-a-half years.
Johannesburg’s Sunday World reports that Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has told southern African leaders he would accept the prime minister's job in a power-sharing deal.
Vienna’s Centropolitan says heavy storms hit parts of Europe, killing six and injuring scores of people and damaging houses. Southern Poland was hardest hit with three deaths and 34 injuries when a tornado and heavy rain storms tore the roofs off homes, knocked down trees and overturned vehicles. In the Italian Alps, a Briton and a Dutch man apparently froze to death during a storm that hit the Monte Rosa peak, at an altitude of 13,000 feet.
The Irish Times reports that heavy rain also caused widespread flooding throughout Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic.
Egypt’s Al Ahram says a 27-year-old woman was in a stable condition in hospital after successfully giving birth to septuplets. The newborns, four boys and three girls, weigh between 3.2 pounds and 6.17 pounds and are in stable condition in incubators in four hospitals that have special premature baby units. The mother, who already has three daughters, took fertility drugs in an effort to have a son. Egypt's health minister announced that the seven babies will receive free milk and diapers for two years.