The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Times says bus drivers had been seeking €72m in compensation from the government as compensation for the impact of the transport reform. It also reports that the EU will give Malta an extra year to bring its deficit within EU rules.
The Malta Independent says the MUT has warned of harsher industrial action by teaching grades. Like the other newspapers it also features the visit to Malta by IUEFA President Michel Platini.
MaltaToday Midweek says businesses are preparing for high interst rates on late utility bill payments. It also says Muscat is planning to upstage Gonzi with an ambitious world tour which includes China.
In-Nazzjon quotes Parliamentary Secretary Joseph Cassar saying everyone would benefit from the health care reform. It also says works will start shortly on the demolition of the old oil depot below the Kalkara-Vittoriosa bastions.
l-orizzont asks if the EU would punish Malta for having an excessive deficit. It also says bus owners are not trusting the government.
The international press
CanaNews reports a man trapped under rubble on Haiti has been found alive, two weeks after an earthquake ravaged the island. US troops pulled the 35-year-old free from the remains of a collapsed building in the capital Port-au-Prince.
Tages Anzeiger says the police commander in charge of security for the Davos World Economic Forum has killed himself on the eve of the conference. Markus Reinhardt 61, was found dead in his hotel room in the town.
Tribune de Genève reports that the World Health Organization has defended its handling of the swine flu pandemic after its links to drug companies were questioned at a hearing by the Council of Europe's health committee.
In London, the Daily Mail devotes its entire front page to the unequivocal verdict from the Foreign Office's top lawyers on the Iraq invasion. Declassified documents released by the inquiry show that Michael Wood, the then senior legal adviser at the British Foreign Office, warned three months before the invasion that it was not certain if military action would be legal.
Le Parisien says a French parliamentary committee has recommended a partial ban on women wearing Islamic face veils in hospitals, schools, government offices and on public transport. It also recommends that anyone showing visible signs of "radical religious practice" should be refused residence cards and citizenship. The interior ministry says just 1,900 women in France wear the full veils.
USA Today reports that America is to ban truck and bus drivers from texting behind the wheel and offenders face fines of up to $2,000 (€1,421). Nineteen states already prohibit all drivers from texting behind the wheel. Another 10 restrict texting by learner drivers.
Variety anounces "Avatar" has become the highest grossing film of all time. 20th Century Fox announced James Cameron's film had generated $1.859 billion in sales, surpassing the previous record set by Cameron's "Titanic".
A Melbourne mum is seeking new grandparents for her three young children. Fiona Swan, from Caroline Springs, told the Melton Leader no previous grandparenting experience was necessary, although applicants must have a zest for life, openness, and a willingness to share their wisdom, love, and time. Ms Swan, whose mother lived interstate while her father was dead, said her children were without grandparents in Victoria.
EU Observer says a survey of prostitution across the EU has found Romania, Rusia and Bulgaria were the three top country of origin of migrant sex workers in the EU. EU-funded Tampep collects data from welfare groups and public health bodies that monitor and help prostitutes. Tampep's data collection is part of an effort to curb the spread of HIV/Aids and other sexually-transmitted diseases.
A 100-year-old paedophile in New York state has been detained after failing to undergo mandatory mental health treatment. The Buffalo News daily reports Theodore Sypnier, aged 100, was locked up late last week after being declared in violation of parole conditions for his conviction involving young sisters in the late 1990s. He failed to participate in sex offender counselling and now faces a court hearing within the next 30 days. Sypnier has a more than 60-year history of sexually molesting children.