The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Times and the other newspapers feature Thea Garrett's disappointment after she failed to reach the Eurovision Song Contest. In other stories, The Times says mobile phone rates in Malta are above the EU average.
The Malta Independent says that gambling is on the rise, particularly online. It also says that 78 Maltese had abortions in the UK last year.
MaltaToday says the Mimcol CEO is on forced leave as the police investigate alleged bribery in the privatisation of Malta Superyachts.
In-Nazzjon says the government is working on the creation of a business park in Gozo. It also says that the government has reached an agreement with St James Hospital whereby patients may use the hospital's PET scan under the national health service.
l-orizzont says two BWSC sub-contractors were found guilty of corruption in Texas.
The overseas press:
The London Times reports the EU will introduce what it calls "a surprise new plan" today to combat global warming, committing member states to the most ambitious targets in the world. The plan proposes to cut emissions by 30 per cent on 1990 levels by 2020, and would cost the EU an extra 40 billion euros, imposing far tougher financial penalties on European industries than are being considered by other large economies.
The Wall Street Journal says sharemarkets worldwide slumped sharply with the US market having a horror session before staging a late recovery. Concerns about the health of European banks and rising tensions between North and South Korea sent investors fleeing from the stock market into safe-haven investments such as US government bonds.
In the UK, the national newspapers delve into the details of the Queen's Speech underlining parliamentary reform, more freedom for teachers and a "strong and fair society" on the agenda for British MPs this coming year. She announced her government's "first priority" would be to tackle the massive public sector deficit of an estimated 182 billion euros. The Daily Telegraph says it will hit middle class families the hardest.
According to Il Sole 24 Ore, Italy's government ministers have approved a plan to cut 24 billion euros from its 2011-2012 budget - a move aimed at shoring up investor confidence and preventing a Greece-style economic decline. If approved by parliament, the measure would help the government trim its budget deficit from 5.3 percent of GDP to 2.7 by 2012.
Meanwhile ABC announces that politicians in both chambers of Spain's Parliament have agreed to a 10 per cent pay cut as part of efforts to reduce an oversized deficit.
Le Monde says France has pledged to back South Korea in its quest to seek punishment for North Korea through the UN Security Council for the alleged torpedo attack on a South Korean naval ship. Meanwhile, Asia Times reports North Korea reacted to the allegations by severing ties with South Korea as tensions escalated on the peninsula. It said any attempt at retaliation by South Korea will be met with all-out war.
Trouw says the first European trial of suspected Somali pirates has started in the Netherlands. Five Somalians, aged between 25 and 45, are charged with the attempted hijacking of a Dutch cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden in January 2009.The men told the court they were only simple fishermen who themselves had come under attack.
Deutsche Welle reports Germany is preparing itself for floods in the next few days as water levels reached the critical mark and a six-year-old girl was killed when a tornado caused heavy damage to the town of Grossenhain. Meanwhile Gazeta Polska says emergency teams in Poland are attempting to shore up river banks as the country continues to suffer its worst floods for decades. So far, 15 people have died
Jamaica Observer quotes Prime Minister Bruce Golding vowing to restore order after at least 31 deaths during an anti-drug offensive in Kingston. As security forces battled fighters loyal to a suspected drug trafficker sought by the US, Golding said police would continue searching for illegal guns and crime suspects. The whereabouts of alleged drug lord Christopher "Dudus" Coke are unknown.
Trinidad Guardian announces a 59-year-old lawyer has been elected as the first female prime minister in Trinidad and Tobago. Preliminary elections results indicated Kamla Persad-Bissessar and her five-party People's Partnership coalition won 29 of 41 seats in parliament beating incumbent Prime Minister Patrick Manning.
The Irish Times says the first female pilot to fly for Aer Lingus, Captain Grainne Cronin, made her final flight yesterday after 33 years of service. The mother of two began her career with Aer Lingus in 1977 and became a captain in 1988. The airline has described her as a "trailblazer who paved the way for other women to become pilots".
El Caribe says a beauty queen known as the Dominican Cinderella for her rise from humble roots is trading pageants for politics and will serve as deputy mayor of the region where she was born. Ada Aimee de la Cruz, who was the 2009 Miss Universe runner up, was voted to office in May 16 elections.
USA today reports that an elderly US couple in their 70s, missing for three weeks, was found in critical condition alive buried under mounds of rubbish in their crammed apartment. Chicago police said their home may have to be condemned. Chicago Fire Department paramedics conducting a health check found the stench so overpowering they had to don hazardous materials suits before going inside the home.