The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Sunday Times says that while the Finance Minister may widen the tax bands in tomorrow’s budget, he is not expected to keep the PN election promise of cutting the top rate by 10%. It also reports that because of antiquated laws, top medical specialists are being forced to retire at 61.
Malta Today says GRTU director-general Vince Farrugia is prepared to challenge Infrastructure Minister Austin Gatt on the new power tariffs. The GRTU has said it will order its members not to pay that part of their power bills which funds the capping mechanism for big enterprises. The newspaper also reports former Prime Minister Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici insisting it was he, not Italian leader Craxi, who warned Libya of the US air raid in 1986.
The Malta Independent says the government commitment to a balanced budget by 2010 is likely to be put on the back burner. It too reports that the people should expect little in the way of tax cuts tomorrow.
Illum says 58% of Nationalists feel the government should cut taxes to push the economy forward.
It-Torca said urgency shown over the past few days to tackle problems at Cospicua Primary School was cosmetic as the problems have been there for a long time.
Il-Mument says the Budget will be based on the changed realities of the past few months. It also claims that Joseph Muscat has bowed to pressure from his deputy leaders to be more militant on the tariffs issue.
KullHadd reports on the plight of a woman whose medical condition worsened after she contracted MRSA in hospital.
The Press in Britain…
The Independent on Sunday examines the mood of America and asks if young pretender Barack Obama can really defeat the combative McCain.
The Sunday Mirror claims four out of five British people want Obama to win the race for the White House.
The Observer reports that Obama's campaign was rocked by the revelation that his aunt is an illegal immigrant in the US.
Sunday Express reveals John Prescott has raked in £40,000 from the BBC thanks to his obsession with class envy.
The News of the World leads with the new scandal engulfing the BBC, this time over salaries to management fat cats.
The Sunday Times also leads with the BBC, quoting ministers urging for an end to the culture of "fat cat" pay for top presenters or risk cuts to its £3.4bn a year public funding.
The Sunday Telegraph says the Tories plan to cut the BBC licence fee in response to lapses in judgment including the prank call by Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand.
The People reports that the new 007 film has topped Harry Potter for making cash on its opening day in the UK.
Daily Star Sunday says Christmas is cancelled for the stars of Coronation Street.
The Mail on Sunday says ministers were forced to order an emergency shutdown of a key Government computer system to protect millions of people's private details.
The Sunday Mail reports a father has been tracked down and charged with abducting his two sons after an eight-year manhunt.
And elsewhere…
France 24 reports that the French and British foreign ministers have held crisis talks with President Joseph Kabila in a diplomatic push to halt a rebel advance and looming humanitarian disaster in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Meanwhile L’Observateur says UN peacekeepers and foreign aid workers are struggling to help up to 250,000 refugees, who are suffering from lack of food and water. UN officials have accused government and rebel troops of raping and murdering civilians and called for more support on the ground.
Lusaka’s Sunday Mail reports that Zambia's main opposition will ask a court for a recount in the presidential race, after the ruling party edged into a razor-thin lead. The Patriotic Front of Michael Sata claims Thursday's vote was rigged.
Bangkok Post says Thailand's former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has urged his supporters to allow him home from exile in Britain.
The Washington Post leads with the US presidential election campaign’s final weekend, with the Democratic candidate, Barack Obama, still leading in the opinion polls.
Asian Observer reports that a Pakistani court has freed the parents of a 5-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy on bail a day after police raided an illegal wedding for the children. The parents reportedly arranged the wedding to end a long feud between the families.
Puntland Post says a 13-year-old girl who said she had been raped by three men was stoned to death in Somalia after being accused of adultery by Islamic militants.