The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Times says the government is considering a revision of its proposed new utility tariffs so that they would be introduced gradually over a period of two or three years, particularly for enterprises currently having the surcharge capping system.
The Malta Independent leads with the MLP call for the government to re-launch the utility tariffs exercise. It also reports how a Lufthansa Technik €60m investment is nearing completion.
l-orizzont's front page is dedicated to Dr Muscat's press conference, where the Labour leader said the new power tariffs are equivalent to an increase in the surcharge to 245%.
In-Nazzjon also leads with the Lufthansa Technik investment, pointing out that the workforce there will rise to 750 by 2010. It also reports that the government this week will issue a call for tender to procure Herceptin, which is prescribed for certain stages of breast cancer.
The Press in Britain…
The Independent devotes its front cover to the story of Gayle Williams, a 34-year-old British aid worker who was shot dead in Kabul on her way to work by the Taliban for being Christian. They claimed she was spreading Christianity but Serve Afghanistan, where she worked, rejected this claim.
The Express reports that petrol prices have dropped to their lowest level in a year after a price war broke out between supermarkets.
The Daily Telegraph leads with the news that people are paying over the odds to heat their homes as energy suppliers are allegedly failing to pass on oil price cuts.
The Daily Mail has an update on its campaign for a fair deal for small firms - reporting that both Labour and the Tories have backed the key points of the paper's proposed package.
The Guardian's top story is the news that the chief executive of Lloyds TSB - one of the 'bail-out banks' - has told employees they will still receive bonuses this year.
The Financial Times looks at Gordon Brown's vow that the government would spend its way out of a downturn - in a 'Keynesian boost'.
Metro and the Daily Mirror report on the 63-year-old hospital patient, who killed himself on a busy NHS ward in Northampton.
The Sun reports a police operation to protect X-Factor stars has been launched after Muslim preacher Omar Bakri criticised the show for releasing a single in aid of a charity that supports British Forces.
And elsewhere…
Luxemburger Wort reports that EU environment ministers have pledged to honour ambitious carbon emission reduction targets despite fears industry could be severely impaired in light of the global financial crisis. But some EU states expressed deep opposition to the plan, arguing that, coupled with the financial crisis, such targets would place an unacceptable burden on their economies. The EU last year drew up plans to cut greenhouse gases by 20 percent by 2020.
Berliner Morgenpost quotes Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek assuring German Chancellor Angela Merkel that he was dedicated to ratifying the European Union's Lisbon Treaty before his country takes over the bloc's presidency next January.
Dnevnik reports that nine people have stared undergoing a trial in Bulgaria accused of embezzling some €7 million from EU accession funds.
Kiev Post says President Yushchenko has postponed elections in the Ukraine, scheduled for December 7, by one week due to the financial crisis. He is recalling parliament to enact emergency measures to combat the credit crunch.
Chumhuriyet leads with the chaos that ensued at a Turkish court in Istanbul hearing the case against 86 people accused of attempting to overthrow the government. The judged cleared the court as demonstrators entered his court demanding he freed the accused, all suspected members of the ultra-nationalist network known as Ergenekon.
Kathimerini reports that transport and public services in Greece are facing major disruptions today when unions begin a 24-hour strike against the economic policies of the conservative government.
Kurier says Austria's Social Democrats and the mainstream conservative People's Party have agreed to a schedule for coalition talks. The economic and financial crisis and the death of far-right leader Joerg Haider sped up the conservatives' decision to start talks with the Social Democrats, who won the September national elections with 29 per cent of the votes.
Jerusalem Post confirms Israel's Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has been granted another two weeks to try to form a government. She already has the backing of the Labour Party, and is now reportedly seeking the support of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party to be able to claim at least half the seats in parliament. Kadima is trying to avoid being forced into early elections, as opinion polls suggest the opposition right-wing Likud party would win.
Die Welt confirms the deaths of two German soldiers in a suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan. Five children were also killed and two other German soldiers were wounded in the Taliban attack when a bicycle rider blew himself up next to a German army convoy as the soldiers were searching houses.
Wall Street Journal reports that the chairman of the US Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke, has told Congress that a second wave of government spending may be needed to stimulate the ailing US economy.
The Washington Post says former Secretary of State Colin Powell will be asked to serve as a White House adviser if Barack Obama is elected president. Mr Powell, a retired Republican four- star general, crossed party lines to back Obama as he described his rival John McCain's campaign as petty.