The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Times reports that the government and the opposition have agreed in parliament on the setting up of a committee to discuss family issues. It also reports that Austin Gatt has formally declared he will vote against divorce in parliament.
The Malta Independent features the opening of the sewage treatment plant at Ta’Barkat and the decision by Marie-Louise Coleiro not to stand at the next general election.
l-orizzont reports that the prime minister is still undecided over how he will vote on divorce in Parliament. It also says that a French aircraft which made an emergency launch in Malta on Wednesday carried a missile which did not launch over Libya.
In-Nazzjon says Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca is to end her political career. It also quotes the prime minister saying MPs should be free to decide how they will vote in Parliament on divorce.
The overseas press
The highly-toxic strain of E.coli, which has killed nearly 20 people in Europe and made more than 1,600 ill, has spread to the United States. The New York Times quotes American health officials saying two, possibly three, cases had been reported in people who had recently travelled o Germany. Scientists were still searching for the source of the outbreak. The World Health Organisation said the highly-toxic strain of E.coli had never been detected before.
EU Times says Russia has banned all imports of fresh vegetables from the European Union as the diplomatic fallout from the mystery E.coli outbreak ratchets up a notch. The EU has branded the Russian response as disproportionate and called on Moscow to end its ban on raw vegetables from the union. The Russians said that European sanitary legislation simply does not work.
There are still no reports on the fate of more than 270 immigrants feared drowned after a boat carrying refugees from Libya reportedly capsized off the coast of the southern island of Lampedusa early on Thursday. According to Tunisia's official TAP news agency scores of people are missing and at least two are confirmed dead after a fishing boat carrying an estimated 800 immigrants sank off its coast in a storm. TAP said the fishing boat was believed to have set sail from Libya and was en route to Italy.
Al Jazeera says Syrian security forces have stepped up their brutal crackdown against protesters, using a helicopter to kill at least 13 people in Rastan. Despite the regime’s efforts to quell the demonstrations against Pfesident Assad, public opinion has been inflamed by the government’s kidnapping, torture and murder of a 13-year- old boy last week and the protests continue.
As violent suppression of opposition protests in Syria continue, US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton said time was running out for President Assad. The Washington Times reports Mrs Clinton saying the US had done all it could to exert pressure on the Syrian authorities but she lamented the lack of a strong and united international response to the Syrian situation. Syrian opposition groups meeting in Turkey have rejected an offer of dialogue and amnesty from President Assad.
Serbia wants to move faster towards joining the European Union now that war crimes indictee Ratko Mladic is in custody. In an interview with euronews, President Boris Tadic said the fugitive’s arrest in Serbia proves it is serious about honing its international credentials. Tadic’s bid to distance himself from yesterday’s Serbian rulers is clear. The EU agreed eight years ago that Balkan countries meeting its standards would be welcome. The bloc accepts that their momentum to join mainstream Europe is increasing, saying that, with Mladic captured, Serbia might start accession negotiations next year.
USA Today reports an American couple who kidnapped a schoolgirl and help her captive for nearly two decades, have been sentenced to life in prison. Jacey Dugard was abducted from outside her home in 1991 by Philip and Nancy Gorrido. She was repeatedly raped and gave birth to two children.
O Globo announces that Brazil has launched a welfare scheme aimed at lifting millions of people out of extreme poverty. The scheme involved cash payments and improved access to job training and public services.