The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press.
The Times leads with the Royal Wedding under the heading Kiss Me Kate. It also reports that a Briton died in Bugibba.
The Malta Independent says that a pro-divorce priest, Fr Joe Grima, is due to come to Malta.
l-orizzont says GWU Secretary General Tony Zarb has extended the arm of friendship to the CMTU in an effort to bring about trade union unity. It also reports how former minister Josef Bonnici is to become Governor of the Central Bank.
In-Nazzjon leads with the building of a new girls’ secondary school in Qormi.
The overseas press.
In a live address on Al-Libiya state television in the early hours of Saturday morning, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has said that he would not leave Libya and that he was still prepared to enter a ceasefire but only if all sides were involved. He said “the crusader Nato attack” had not stop and called for negotiations with Nato powers to end the air strikes on Libya. Gaddafi added that if it was oil the coalition countries were after there was no problem in negotiating contracts.
Meanwhile, Al Jazeera reports the Libyan government has announced that its forces took control of Misurata's port and warned rebels in the besieged city they faced further bloodshed unless they handed in their weapons within four days. A Nato official told Reuters there was no evidence to support such claims and that anti-Gaddafi forces continud to expand their perimeter around Misrata. Earlier on Friday Nato warships said that they had stopped Gaddafi forces from laying anti-ship mines in Misrata's harbour, accusing the regime of trying to disrupt the flow of aid to the city which has been besieged for two months.
Al Arabiya says Libya's government announced it would not allow any more sea deliveries to Misrata, and that aid agencies should use land routes instead. It threatened to attack any ships approaching Misurata.
L’Osservatore Romano leads with the last-minute preparations for the beatification of Pope John Paul II tomorrow. The casket containing his body was removed from the Vatican crypts to be transferred to the Altar of Confession in St Peter’s Basilica to give thousands of Catholic pilgrims an opportunity for prayer and veneration after the beatification ceremony Sunday. Some of the 62 monarchs and foreign leaders as well as thousands of the more than a million Catholic pilgrims began arriving in Rome.
Ansa reports that thousands of police and civil protection volunteers would work together to maintain security during the three days of events. Italian police chief Antonio Manganelli said there was no 'specific' security threat to the events, to which more than 2,300 journalists from 100 countries have been accredited. The beatification is expected to generate €260 million for the city of Rome. Of this amount, €20 million would be spent on culture and recreation and more than €15 million on shopping.
The Royal Wedding between Prince William, second in line to the British throne, and Kate Middleton, and the couple’s balcony kiss are on the front pages of most of the papers. They were married in a glittering ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London before some 2,000 guests. Kate, who now has the title Duchess of Cambridge, told a news agency photographer, “We had a great day.” The Daily Express said it was “William and Kate’s perfect day… sealed with a double kiss.”
CNN quotes human rights campaigners saying more than 60 protesters have been killed across Syria as tens of thousands of demonstrators defied government repression to call for freedom. Many of those who died were reportedly shot by the security forces in the southern city of Deraa.
Meanwhile, The New York Times reports that the UN Humans Rights Council has endorsed a US call for an investigative mission into the bloodshed in Syria by voting for a resolution that also condemned a violent government crackdown in the country. About 200 Syrians and Syrian Americans also protested in front of the UN headquarters on Friday, asking greater global attention to the situation in Syria. They said there was not enough being done compared to other Middle Eastern countries like Libya.
USA Today quotes analysts in the United States saying the tornadoes that swept across the south of the cost insurance companies up to $5 billion. President Obama has been visiting the affected area where more than 300 people were killed. Speaking in Tuscaloosa, Mr Obama said he had "never seen devastation like this" and promised Washington would do everything possible to help those affected.