The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press.
The Times says two Australians of Maltese descent are feared dead as a result of bushfires. It also reports how Kadima Party leader Livni has a slim lead in the Israeli elections.
The Malta Independent reports that dissident PN MPs are expected to toe the party line when Parliament debates an opposition motion on the extension of St John's Cathedral museum today.
l-orizzont also leads with a curtain-raiser on this evening's debate in Parliament.
MaltaToday says a man accused of drug trafficking was employed by the Education Division. It also reports that bus owners have accused Transport Minister Austin Gatt of tactics aimed at misleading opinion.
In-Nazzjon reports that €8.2m are to be spent on roads in Gozo, including the rebuilding of the road to Xlendi. The work is expected to be completed by the end of next year.
The Press in Britain
The Scotsman leads on the four former bank bosses who appeared before a Commons committee and said sorry for their role in the financial crisis.
The Daily Mirror devotes its cover to what it describes as "the most pathetic apologies in history".
The Sun reports the ex-bosses of RBS and HBOS admitted they had misjudged the economic crisis just hours before 2,300 jobs were axed at RBS.
The Herald says RBS staff are paying for the crisis caused by their former leaders.
The Independent reports the banks’ crisis has "deepened" after one of Gordon Brown's key advisers – Sir James Crosby, currently deputy chairman of the Financial Services Authority and former chief executive of HBOS – was accused of sacking a whistleblower who predicted that reckless lending would end in disaster.
The Daily Mail leads on the same story and quotes whistleblower Paul Moore saying Sir James was the "original architect" of the strategy which led the bank into near-collapse.
The Times says Gordon Brown has been "drawn further into the banking crisis" after Paul Moore's evidence in a memo to the Treasury Select Committee.
The former bank chiefs' apologies also make the front page of The Financial Times. However, the paper focuses on the US bank rescue plan after Barack Obama's administration announced plans to spend up to $2,000bn on toxic assets.
The Daily Telegraph reports that savers are receiving such bad rates of interest that many current accounts now offer a better return for investors.
The Guardian says the Treasury has accused Lloyds, one of the banks bailed out by the Government, of running a tax avoidance scheme worth hundreds of millions of pounds.
The Daily Express reports on new research which has suggested that eggs are not as unhealthy as previously thought.
According to the Daily Star, Danielle Lloyd's new book reveals all the details of her relationships with Premier League footballers.
And elsewhere…
With just one seat separating the country's two largest parties, The Jerusalem Post predicts weeks of political wrangling until the country has a new government, saying that the election's real winner could end up being an ultra-nationalist kingmaker. With 99 percent of votes counted, Israel's central election commission said Tzipi Livni's Kadima party won 28 seats in the 120-member parliament, followed by Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party with 27.
Haaretz says the election winner could form a coalition with the Yisrael Beiteinu party, who came third, but Avigdor Lieberman said his ultranationalist party will only join a coalition government that pledged to topple the Hamas regime in Gaza. Defence Minister Ehud Barack is unlikely to remain a member of the Israeli cabinet after his Labour Party trailed in fourth place.
The Age says Australian police are stopping some residents of bushfire-hit areas from returning to their homes, saying the scenes would be too gruesome as there were still a number of charred bodies to be removed.While 181 deaths have been confirmed across the affected area so far, there are dozens of people missing.
Wall Street Journal leads with the approval of the United States Senate of the country's massive economic stimulus package. The bill, worth nearly $840 billion, was passed by 61 votes to 37 with the help of a handful of Republicans. The legislation must now pass back to the US House of Representatives, which originally demanded the inclusion of more spending in the bill.
Teheran Times quotes Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad saying he welcomed talks with the United States, but only if they were based on what he calls "mutual respect". Speaking at celebrations marking the 30th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, Ahmedinejad said he hoped the changes promised by the new US administration were authentic. His comments come a day after US President Barack Obama said he was looking for opportunities for having a "constructive dialogue" with Tehran.
Az-Zaman reports French President Nicolas Sarkozy has urged European leaders to rebuild ties with Iraq. Speaking during a visit to Baghdad, Sarkozy said a peaceful Iraq was in Europe's interests and emphasised his country's commitment to participate in Iraq's reconstruction.
Clarin claims Catholic bishop Richard Williamson, who sparked controversy for denying the Holocaust, now faces legal charges in Argentina. The 68-year-old bishop could face up to three years in prison if he found guilty of denying that Jews were killed in Nazi gas chambers and other charges.
Corriere della Sera reports that opponents of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi have accused him of trying to politicise a private tragedy after the death of 38-year-old Eluana Englaro,at the centre of a bitter right-to-die debate. Berlusconi has said she was killed, and blamed President Giorgio Napolitano for rejecting an emergency decree that would have forced doctors to resume feeding her.
The Mail & Guardian reports national elections in South Africa will be held on April 22. The ruling African National Congress Party is expected to win, but with a reduced majority following the formation of a breakaway party.