The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Times reports that the Corinthia is upbeat over its Libya business prospects.
The Malta Independent leads with comments by Joseph Muscat reiterating that Labour will reduce utility bills in a sustainable manner.
l-orizzont says there is anger within the PN parliamentary group over comments by the Prime Minister about a poor talent pool from which he could select his ministers.
In-Nazzjon focuses on the commissioning of a new linear accelerator at Boffa Hospital.
The overseas press.
Fighters loyal to the National Transitional Council in Libya, surrounding the town of Bani Walid, say talks with pro-Gaddafi forces there have broken down – opening the way for a military attack. Tripoli Post quotes NTC negotiator Abdullah Kenshil saying the fighters had demanded that the revolutionaries enter Bani Walid without their weapons, charging that it was a pretext for an ambush. Kenshil said the forces holding out in Bani Walid had been assured they would be well treated if they gave up.
A pro-Gaddafi TV station, Arrai, said forces in Bani Walid have rejected opposition attempts to negotiate, insisting they would carry on resisting. Civilians coming from Bani Walid said most of Gaddafi's forces had now fled, taking their heavy weaponry with them into the surrounding mountains.
Aljazeera says rebel forces have been massing outside Bani Walid, in some cases reportedly as close as 15 km from the town centre. Meanwhile, Nato has been bombing targets in and around Bani Walid and Sirte.
Al Arabiya reports NTC officials say they had taken control of key parts of a major pipe-line network south of Tripoli, known as “the great man-made river”. They hope the water supply to the capital would be restored soon.
As violence continues in Syria, Al Bawaba announces that the head of the Arab League planned to visit Syria this week to express concern about months of bloodshed during months of anti-government protests. Secretary General Abil Al Arabi said the Damascus government had welcomed his trip. The League had publicly spoken of the Syrian people’s “legitimate aspirations” for political and social reforms.
The center-left Social Democrats (SPD) have won a decisive victory in local elections in the northeastern Baltic state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania – Chancellor Angela Merkel's home constituency. German broadcaster ARD put the SPD at 36 percent and the Christian Democrats at 23.3 percent – their worst showing ever in the state. The socialist Left Party gained ground, rising from 16.8 percent to 18.2 percent support while the Greens are poised to enter the state parliament for the first time with 8.2 percent of the vote
Il Tempo says several historical monuments have been attacked in Rome. These include the Trevi Fountain and a marble statue in Piazza Navona. An American student has been caught climbing the Coliseum trying to chip pieces of marble off the Roman amphitheatre to take home as a souvenir.
In the UN, the i newspaper says financial problems are putting world-famous St Mary's Hospital at risk of closure. The Independent also leads with the difficulties facing Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs three major hospitals in London, including St Mary's. It says the Trust planned to sell the land to developers in its struggle to reduce its debt of £100 million.
The Christian Science Monitor quotes President Obama saying federal aid to east coast areas of the United States, hit by hurricane Irene, would not be affected by budgetary concerns. The hurricane caused damages estimated at $10 billion. Another tropical storm is moving inland from the Gulf of Mexico.
El Observador says Uruguay has ordered the repatriation of five of peacekeepers from Haiti over accusations that they sexually assaulted a teenage Asian boy. The UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti and the Haitian authorities launched separate investigations. Uruguay was prompted to act after a video of the alleged abuse was posted on the internet. In it everal men in uniform are hear to laugh as they hold the boy on a bed during in what appeared to be a sexual assault.
A Burmese news magazine has published an interview with the pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi – the first time the authorities had permitted this inside Burma since he release from years of detention. The interview was conducted just after release last November but the journal, The Messenger, had not been authorised to publish it until now. The interview deals with the prospects for young people in Burma and her hopes that they would study more.