The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Times leads with the growth in the government deficit, saying it is the worst in the eurozone in terms of GDP. It also reports the opening of the debate on amendments to the Electoral Law on early voting. Opposition leader Joseph Muscat called for a packet of reforms.
The Malta Independent leads with the Honoris Causa degree conferred on UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon at the end of his visit to Malta yesterday. It also highlights the growth on the national financial deficit.
In-Nazzjon says the European Parliament has approved a report by Simon Busuttil on a common immigration policy. It also quotes Foreign Minister Tonio Borg saying the amendments to the Electoral Law strengthen the right to vote.
l-orizzont says that in a stormy Parliamentary debate the government could not guarantee that all those who voted actually were eligible to do so.
The Press in Britain
British newspapers focus on yesterday’s budget in which Chancellor Alistair Darling has targeted high earners with a new 50p top rate of tax in an attempt to rebuild Britain's battered public finances as he revealed that borrowing will this year soar to a record £175 billion. The Financial Times says Mr Darling has gambled on a rapid economic recovery.
The Daily Mail also says Mr Darling has gambled Britain's future on a wildly optimistic forecast of future growth.
The Daily Telegraph reports the government has returned to the politics of class warfare.
The Guardian says Mr Darling attempted to lay down battle lines for next year's general election with a £7bn squeeze on the rich.
The Times says Mr Darling effectively read the last rites over new Labour.
The Daily Express says Mr Darling and Gordon Brown have 'ruined Britain'.
The Herald reports that the Budget is 'deeply damaging' to Scotland and will leave taxpayers with a decade of debt.
The Daily Star says the government has clobbered drivers, smokers and drinkers and left everyone facing higher taxes for a decade.
The Daily Mirror says Darling's 'Robin Hood Budget' will help the poor by hitting the rich.
The Sun says Britons can enjoy an extended heatwave – after feeling the icy blast of recession in the Budget.
And elsewhere…
The Wall Street Journal leads with IMF predictions that the world economy is likely to shrink by 1.3 per cent this year for the first time in six decades.
The Globe & Mail reports that early results in South Africa’s general election show the Jacob Zuma’s ruling African National Congress is in the lead.
Ha’aretz quotes the Israeli military saying internal investigations show it acted according to international law during its operations in Gaza three months ago. It admits that a small number of errors did take place, such as the death of 21 people in a wrongly targeted house.
Die Welt reports German prosecutors have said four men charged over a foiled plot to attack American and other targets in Germany were motivated by hatred of the US and aspired to emulate the scale of September 11.
The New York Times says the UN Security Council has called on Tamil Tiger rebels in Sri Lanka to surrender and allow civilians trapped in the battle zone to leave.
Times of India reports that an Indian businessman based in Qatar has offered to fund the education of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ child actor Rubina Ali. The move came a day after Rubina was at the centre of controversy surrounding her alleged sale to an Arab sheikh.
Variety announces the death of Oscar-winning British cinematographer and director Jack Cardiff aged 94.
Detroit Free Press says a 57-year-old Detroit woman avoided serious injury when the underwire on her bra deflected a bullet shot at her by men breaking into a neighbour's house. She was treated at a nearby hospital but her injuries are not life threatening.