The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press today.
The Times reports that the police in Gozo are investigating allegations of attempted bribery to keep a rape case under wraps.
In-Nazzjon says the volume of recycled waste has doubled from last year. It also reports that the number of people in employment has risen and unemployment has continued to decline.
The Malta Independent reports a speech by the Prime Minister where he listed family-friendly measures adopted by the civil service and said more were needed. It also reports the GWU budget proposals, including a call for a bonus to compensate families for the increased cost of living and the power surcharge.
l-orizzont leads with the GWU budget proposals, saying they are aimed at helping Maltese families.
The Press in Britain…
Five newspapers report that the financial crisis has cooled relations between Britain and Iceland. Some 100 British local authorities have more than £20 billion in deposits in Icelandic banks that they now cannot access.
Under the heading "Give us our money back", The Daily Telegraph quotes British Prime Minister Gordon Brown saying Iceland's freezing of the bank accounts held by British savers was "effectively illegal action."
The Guardian says Mr Brown has branded Iceland's action as "totally unacceptable and illegal."
The Independent says council taxpayers now face increased bills or cuts in services due to the sudden collapse of Iceland's banks.
The Daily Mail describes the stand-off between the two countries as a “Cold War”.
The Times reports Mr Brown wants nations across the world to follow Britain's "ground-breaking" efforts to save the banking system.
Other subjects covered:
The Daily Express claims that as the cost of oil plummets, hard-pressed families can expect cheaper food and petrol.
The Scotsman says how two NHS doctors plotted to leave the British public "gripped by fear" by carrying out "murder on a wholesale scale" through a series of car bombings in London and Glasgow.
The Herald reports how they wanted to kill the innocent and seize public attention around the world,
The Daily Mirror says the mother of murdered English schoolboy Rhys Jones fled a courtroom in tears when she saw CCTV footage of the moment the 11-year-old boy was shot.
And elsewhere…
The Washington Times quotes the head of the International Monetary Fund saying that the US financial crisis threatens to send the world into a recession.
El Pais reports that the first official report into the crash of a SpanAir passenger jet shows an alarm in the cockpit failed to warn pilots that wing flaps and slats were not properly deployed as it took off from Madrid.
Avvenire quotes Pope Benedict saying that Pope Pius XII acted silently to save as many Jews as possible and expressed hope that efforts aimed at beatification would proceed smoothly.
Le Courrier des Balkans announces that Montenegro has formally recognised the independence of Kosovo after its secession from Serbia earlier this year.
The New York Times reports that a joint US-Libyan humanitarian fund for victims of terror would amount to $1.8 billion, of which $1.5 billion would be paid by Tripoli. Libya has started contributing to the fund.
USA Today quotes Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama saying America cannot afford the "erratic and uncertain leadership" on offer from Republican candidate John McCain.
Magyar Hirlap leads with the NATO defence ministers’ meeting in Budapest with Afghanistan and Somalia topping the agenda at the start of the informal talks.
Meanwhile, Jamhurriya reports that the Somali pirates holding a cargo ship full of battle tanks are trying to negotiate for its release after failing in their demand for €12.7m.
Oslo’s Aftenposten reports that a 29-year-old Norwegian Labour Party MP, who ran up huge phone bills on expenses calling fortune tellers, has decided not to seek re-election.