The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Times leads with the suspected fraud in the certification of Manwel Dimech Bridge. It says the structure is safe but maintenance costs may rise.
The Malta Independent quotes the Prime Minister saying the EU has risen to the occasion by adopting the Immigration Pact. It also reports on the Manwel Dimech Bridge investigation.
In-Nazzjon also highlights the adoption of the Immigration Pact. It reports that three people have been jailed for a total of 10 years for bribing judges, and the government is to announce incentives worth €33m to encourage the use of alternative energy by households.
l-orizzont leads with the financial crisis and says the GWU is working to save jobs as Trelleborg yesterday announced a 4-day week for its 600 workers. It also gives prominence to an MLP statement which said the extraction of information from a MITTS server was a serious breach of national security and an attack on individual rights.
The Press in Britain…
The Times reports that as the cost of a barrel of oil went down to a new one-year low, Gordon Brown has called on garages to stop ignoring falling oil prices and start charging motorists a fair price for filling their tanks.
The Daily Express says gas and electricity bills will be cut.
FSA chairman Lord Turner has told The Financial Times that regulators should 'wipe the slate clean' as they search for a more effective global regime.
According to The Guardian, the head of the Government's financial watchdog has told banks the days of "soft-touch" regulation are over,.
The Metro reports on a gloomy day for the London stock market as shares went into a £50bn freefall.
The Independent claims the next head of the British Army believes a "surge" of 30,000 more troops is needed to beat the Taliban in Afghanistan.
The Daily Mail says the routine use of aspirin to ward off heart attacks could do more harm than good.
The Daily Mirror continues on yesterday’s theme and claims Guy Ritchie does not want a penny of Madonna's money from their divorce settlement.
The Daily Star says David Beckham is endorsing fish fingers for children.
And elsewhere…
USA Today reports a 20-year-old man trying to board a plane to Las Vegas was arrested after a pipe bomb, knife, fireworks and suspicious electronics were found in his luggage at a Long Island airport. Approximately 500 passengers in the terminal were evacuated during the two-hour ordeal.
EU Observer says EU leaders have ended a two-day summit with calls for a new global financial system as well as action to preserve growth and jobs. They agreed to stick to a December deadline for adopting new laws to combat climate change, endorsed stricter immigration guidelines and hardened their stance towards Russia.
According to La Gazzetta del Sud, around 670 would-be immigrants have arrived on the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa since Wednesday. The majority of the refugees were rescued by the Italian coast guard and navy from unseaworthy boats after fleeing Africa. Officials say more than 23,000 illegal immigrants entered Italy between January and July of this year.
The Irish Time quotes former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s call on wealthy nations to meet their commitments to help feed the world's hungry.
Berliner Morgenpost reports the German parliament has voted to increase the number of troops the country can send to Afghanistan by 1,000 to a total of 4,500 and extended the German mandate by 14 months.
Centrpolitan sats the OPEC oil cartel says it is bringing forward its special ministerial meeting to October 24, after oil prices plunged below $67 a barrel from a peak of $147 in July.
Stuttgarter Zeitung says a German engineer who provided Libya parts for a centrifuge system for use in ts nuclear weapons programme, has been sentenced to five and a half years in prison.
El Mundo reports a Spanish judge has opened a criminal investigation into atrocities committed during the Spanish Civil War and the ensuing dictatorship under General Francisco Franco.
The Irish Independent says structural engineers are examining whether a 120-year-old former Methodist Church in Dublin, ripped apart without permission, can be saved.
Il Tempo reports workers renovating a rugby stadium in Rome have uncovered a vast complex of tombs which mimic the houses and streets of a real city.