The following are the top stories in national newspapers today.

Times of Malta says Air Malta was forced to wet lease aircraft on 14 occasions over the busy Christmas period, as its own fleet could not meet the demand. In another story it says official figures show 175 women underwent in vitro fertilisation treatment at Mater Dei Hospital last year, with the youngest being 26.

The Malta Independent says discussions between PN leader Simon Busuttil and Marlene Farrugia, the head of the Democratic Party, on the possibility of forming a coalition against Labour have been fruitful but it was still too early to draw conclusions.

MaltaToday says the headmaster of a national sports school has defended a graphic PSC abortion lesson given by a pro-lifer.

L-Orizzont says a new project is expected to produce seven million cubic metres of high quality water for use by the agriculture and industry sectors as from this year.

In-Nazzjon says a Maltese trucker died yesterday in an accident in Italy.