The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Sunday Times reports how President George Abela said yesterday that he had lost confidence in his top aide - the secretary to the presidency. In other stories it says that the police are investigating an African sex slave trafficking ring operating in Malta, and that fuel pump owners have warned of industrial action if their profits continue to be reduced.
The Malta Independent on Sunday also leads with the President's press conference. It also quotes EU Commissioner John Dalli saying that an EU level bank tax is unlikely to happen.
MaltaToday in its lead on the President's press conference, says that Dr Abela is ‘shooting the messenger' but stays silent on allegations on impropriety.
It-Torca says an EU Green Paper poses new threats to pensions. It also says that there are growing suspicions that Russian nuclear expert Alexander Pikayev was killed and did not die accidentally in Malta.
Il-Mument quotes the prime minister saying that Malta does not need to take austerity measures as financial consolidation is on track. It also quotes Parliamentary Secretary Chris Said saying that more medicine price cuts are on the way, with the government insisting that prices should be near the European average.
KullHadd says a court has confirmed that a former official in the Health Ministry took bribes from people who sought an invalidity pension.
Illum says 432 patients were admitted to hospital suffering with trombosis last year.
The overseas press
Gazeta Polska reports that Poland and the US have signed an agreement for a key missile base during a visit to Poland by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Poland and the US say the shield is designed to ward off the threat of missile attacks aimed at Poland and the rest of Europe, especially the possibility of a ballistic missile strike stemming from Iran. Moscow has expressed concern that the policy was aimed at its military arsenal. But Clinton stressed the controversial deal was a purely defensive system and was not directed at Russia.
Trybuna says Polish voters go to the polls on Sunday to elect their new president in a runoff election. The favorite to win is liberal Bronislaw Komorowski, but the deceased president's twin Jaroslaw Kaczynski is close behind.
Times of Central Asia says Kyrgyzstan's provisional leader Roza Otunbayeva has been sworn in as president, ushering in what the government hopes will be a new era of stability and democratic freedoms. Her government came to power after former President Kurmanbek Bakiyev was deposed in a bloody popular.
The Observer says most UK government departments were being asked to prepare "illustrative plans" to cut spending by 40 per cent - as well as the expected 25 per cent - within the month. Education, defence, international aid and health budgets are being protected. Labour said the news will raise fears about the future of frontline services.
Al Thawra reports that Mohammed Oudeh, the mastermind behind the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre in which 11 Israeli athletes were killed, has died in a hospital in Syria. He was 73. Known under his guerrilla name Abu Daoud, he did not take part in the notorious attack. He later said he had no regrets because he considered the athletes, as military reservists, to be legitimate targets.
Kabul Weekly says General David Petraeus, the new commander of US and Nato forces in Afghanistan, has called for unity in the civilian and military effort to turn back the Taliban and stabilise the troubled country.
Adevarul says more than 2,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in Romania due to floods after a river burst its bank. Around a third of the country is affected, with road and rail services disrupted.
Congo Tribune reports that 230 villagers were killed and another 100 injured when a fuel tanker overturned and exploded into flames in Democratic Republic of Congo overnight. According to the UN, the truck, transporting fuel from Tanzania, overturned at high speed and after the accident people tried to siphon its contents of the tanker. The UN peacekeeping mission has rushed troops to the area to help evacuate survivors.
Vanguard says pirates kidnapped 12 foreign sailors off the coast of Nigeria's restive and oil-rich southern delta during an attack that left one crew member injured. The Nigerian navy escorted the ship to safe waters and transported the wounded Ukrainian sailor to a local hospital. All efforts were being made to rescue the kidnapped crew,
El Pais reports hundreds of protesters gathered in Madrid to ask the country's highest court to suspend a new law - due to take effect tomorrow - allowing unrestricted abortion in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy. The law would also allow 16 and 17-year-olds to have abortions without their parents' consent, although parents would have to be informed. The Constitutional Court has agreed to hear an appeal lodged by the opposition which holds it to be unconstitutional.
New Musical Express reports that Lady Gaga has become the first living person with ten million Facebook fans when she broke through the ten million fans barrier. That made her page the sixth most popular on the social networking site. Lady Gaga responded to the news by thanking her fans via a video message on her Facebook page.