The following are the top stories in the local and international press today:
The Times says more free medicines are to start being given by the government in bid to stop doctors bending rules, giving patients the wrong diagnosis. In another story, the newspaper says that some of the worst flood problems can be solved with proper maintenance to the infrastructure that had been built by the British.
l-Orizzont says that the price of diesel and kerosene has gone up again only a week after its cost was already increase in last week's budget. In another story, it says that Mount Carmel Hospital is working with 165 employees less. The newspaper says that the Gozo Ministry had confirmed a report in the same paper that asbestos was still present in the corridors of Gozo General Hospital.
In-Nazzjon says that a case of electricity theft by the Mqabba Labour club has been uncovered. It quotes the Prime Minister during the PN’s general council yesterday saying that Malta had to continue riding the waves.
The Malta Independent also leads with the Prime Minister addressing the general council. In another story it quotes the father of the son in Parliamentary Secretary Chris Said’s perjury case saying that his only motivation was the well-being of his son.
The international press
O Globo reports that thousands of supporters of Brazil’s governing Workers Party have taken to the streets across the country to celebrate the victory of Dilma Rousseff in the second round of the presidential election – becoming the country's first woman president. The Superior Electoral Court said that with 99 per cent of the votes counted, Ms Rousseff, 62, won 56 per cent, against 44 per cent for her rival, José Serra of the Social Democratic Party. In her first pledge after winning the election, she vowed to eradicate poverty affecting 20 million people.
In Iraq, al-Baghdadiya TV says at least 37 people have been killed after Iraqi security forces stormed a Catholic church in central Baghdad to some 100 people being held hostages by gunmen. Twenty-five hostages were among the dead, along with seven members of the Iraqi security forces and at least five of the attackers. The gunmen, foreign Arabs, had reportedly demanded the release of jailed al-Qaeda militants.
According to The International Herald Tribune, Britain, France, Germany and the US have stopped all freight packages from Yemen following the discovery on Friday of explosives in two packages being sent from Yemen to synagogues in the US. Airlines, freight forwarders and couriers have been ordered to closely examine every consignment originating from Yemen which either arrives despite the ban or which is already being held in storage en route to its destination. Qatar Airways has confirmed one of the two bombs was transported on two passenger planes before being seized in Dubai. Reports say the bombs were designed to blow up in mid-flight.
Meanwhile, Al-Ayyam says the authorities in the Yemen have granted a conditional release to 22-year-old university student Hanan al-Samawi, the woman who was arrested on suspicion of mailing the devices. Her legal team insisted she was innocent and her friends she was tricked into posting the parcels.
USA Today says President Obama has made his final push at a rally was in Ohio, a key swing state, urging Democrats to get out and vote in Tuesday's mid-term elections to determine who will control Congress. It has been a hard sell for Mr Obama: Democrats are widely expected to lose at least 40 seats and their majority in the House of Representatives, where all 435 seats are on the ballot. Also at stake are 37 seats in the 100-seat Senate and governorships in 37 states.
The Miami Herald reports that a US military tribunal in Guantanamo Bay has sentenced a self-confessed Islamist militant to 40 years in jail on charges that include murdering a US soldier and conspiring to commit terrorist acts. Canadian Omar Khadr, now 24, pleaded guilty to the charges in a plea deal limiting his sentence to eight years. Under his plea deal, the native of Toronto is expected to be sent home to Canada after serving one year at Guantanamo Bay.
Gazete Oku says a suicide bomb blast in the centre of Istanbul has injured 32 people, including 15 policemen. Police say the bomber tried to board a police bus in Taksim Square. Seventeen civilians were also hurt.
Asia Times reports China has kicked off its once-a-decade census, with six million census workers polling 1.295 billion people. The authorities hope to clarify the number of migrant workers, reveal how many children there are in China, which is generally under-reported because of the country's population controls and the one-child policy.
Alcohol is more harmful than heroin or crack, according to a study published in medical journal The Lancet. The report is co-authored by Professor David Nutt, the former UK chief drugs adviser who was sacked by the government in October 2009. It ranks 20 drugs on 16 measures of harm to users and to wider society. Tobacco and cocaine are judged to be equally harmful, while ecstasy and LSD are among the least damaging.
Moscow Times reports Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is in the Kurils, defying Japan's warnings not to visit the disputed islands in the Pacific Ocean. Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan immediately described Mr Medvedev's visit to Kunashir Island as "regrettable". The islands have been under Moscow's control since the end of World War II.
According to Sky News, women's football in Britain is on the verge of becoming professional after 90 years on the sidelines, with preparations under way for the launch of a Ladies' Premier League. The Football Association's new Super League will see top-tier club players being paid for the first time. Players can currently only expect a maximum performance tip of just £30 (€34.5) per win.