The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Times leads with the government statement that migrants found at sea will be helped on their way. The statement was issued after Italy last week refused to assume responsibility for migrants rescued just 24 miles off Lampedusa. The newspaper also reports that the EU has started excessive deficit procedures against Malta.
The Malta Independent leads with the EU excessive deficit procedures. It also quotes EU economic affairs commissioner Almunia saying the EU economy will shrink by 4% this year.
In-Nazzjon says Italy’s actions on rescued illegal migrants last week were a violation of its international obligations. In other stories, it says the PN is fielding 133 candidates for the local council elections and 10 for the EP elections.
l-orizzont says the PL yesterday launched its European Parliament electoral campaign. It also features a GWU statement that the dockyard privatization process is proving the union right.
The Press in Britain
The Financial Times announces President Barack Obama's purge on offshore tax havens.
The Guardian features news of talks between Gordon Brown's aides and Labour rebels over the Royal Mail to avoid another damaging backbench revolt.
The Daily Telegraph leads on a story about a crisis in primary school places.
The Daily Express runs with a story about a new male contraceptive jab which experts say is as effective as the female pill.
The Daily Mail tells the story of fatal mistakes allegedly made by an exhausted stand-in doctor.
The Times says a new licence required to rent will hit all private landlords.
The Sun investigates to domestic violence against men and reports the story of a man who was “punched, burned, gassed and broken” by his wife-to-be.
And elsewhere…
In an interview with the Spanish newspaper El Pais, WHO chief Margaret Chan implied the agency might raise its alert to level 6 over swine flu. Level 6 would mean a global outbreak of swine flu was under way.
The International Herald Tribune quotes EU’s Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Joaquin Almunia European Commission saying Europe's economy will not start recovering until the second half of next year. He said the euro currency zone's economy would shrink 4.0 percent this year and 0.1 percent next year, with its overall public deficit tripling by 2010 to 6.5 percent of GDP.
Berliner Zeitung says Sergio Marchionne, the head of Italy's Fiat, would need between €5 billion and €7 billion in financial support from governments to create Europe's biggest car maker. Marchionne’s ambitious vision combines Fiat's car business with General Motors' European operations and Chrysler, with whom he sealed a partnership deal last week.
Chumhuriyet reports that at least 44 people were killed after an attack on a wedding party in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast. A clan feud may be behind the shooting in which at least another 10 people were wounded
The Press-Enterprise says police in California are hunting two armed robbers who abducted a three-year-old boy during a home invasion, telling his mother they were going to kill him. Briant Rodriguez’s mother and four siblings were tied up with red tape while the men searched the house during the robbery, which lasted 15 to 20 minutes.
Vientiane Mai says the Laotian government has insisted the trial of a pregnant British woman who faces possible death by firing squad for allegedly smuggling heroin into the country would be conducted fairly. Samantha Orobator, 20, has been in jail since August when she was accused of trying to smuggle 1.5lbs of heroin in her luggage. Those caught with more than the statutory limit of 1.1lbs face a mandatory death penalty.
Der Kurier says five people who collapsed after they were given drug-tainted drinks at a Vienna bar are no longer in a life-threatening condition. The victims, three men and two women, all in their 20s, are recovering at hospitals in the city.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said even a public apology from his wife would not be enough to salvage his 19-year marriage after she disparaged him in the media. The 72-year-old prime minister and media magnate lamented to the Corriere della Sera that his wife had been "stirred up" and "fallen into a media trap". Defending at length his party's choice of female candidates that Veronica had lambasted as "entertainment for the emperor," Berlusconi said each woman had impressive qualifications.
Ria-Novosti reports Russian police have accused a 20-year-old man of burying alive his girlfriend's brother who was alleged to have beaten his sister and his mother. The victim died of suffocation. The accused faces between eight years and life in jail if convicted.
Globe & Mail reports that eight people have appeared in a South African court accused of having stolen a giraffe from a game reserve and slaughtered it for food. Adult male giraffes can weigh up to 1,200kg and generally reach some five metres in height.