The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Times quotes Caritas saying that the minimum wage must rise to €180 per week.
The Malta Independent says nine shots were fired in the shootout at Marsascala on Thursday which saw one man killed .
In-Nazzjon leads with the people’s salute to Censu Tabone and the passing away of Peter Serracino Inglott.
l-orizzont also leads with the Caritas appeal for a higher minimum wage.
The overseas press
L'Osservatore Romano reports that the Vatican has opened a criminal investigation into unauthorised leaks to the Italian media of confidential documents, describing alleged corruption, mismanagement, and internal conflicts among top officials. The leaked documents include a letter to Pope Benedict by the Vatican's current ambassador to Washington alleging cronyism, nepotism and corruption among the administrators of Vatican City. Others concern poison pen memos criticising Carinal Tarcisio Bertone, the pope's number two, and the reporting of suspicious payments by the Vatican Bank. Apart from a criminal investigation by an internal Vatican tribunal, the pope has ordered a separate administrative inquiry .
The New York Times says American officials have identified the soldier alleged to have carried out a shooting rampage that left 16 civilians dead. Staff Sergeant Robert Bales – a 38-year-old father of two – was being transferred from Kuwait to Fort Leavenworth in Kansas The defence case is expected to focus on post traumatic stress disorder and the level of care the US military provides its veterans. An unnamed official told the newspaper the soldier snapped, blaming stress, alcohol and an argument with his wife back home.
Meanwhile, Ariana TV reports Afghan President Hamid Karzai has accused the United States of failing to cooperate with an Afghan investigation into the killings. Speaking to reporters in Kabul, Karzai complained that his government did not receive cooperation from the USA regarding the surrender of the US soldier to the Afghan government. Afghan leaders had demanded a public trial in Afghanistan for the soldier. In an attempt to ease the rising tension between their countries, President Barack Obama has agreed to further talks about Karzai's demand for US troops to pull back from villages.
Tripoli Post says a person was killed and five others injured in violent clashes which broke out in Benghazi at a rally calling for a semi-autonomous territory to be created in eastern Libya. Reports said a crowd demanding a semi-autonomous region of Cyrenaica was attacked by men armed with rifles and knives. The plan calls for a regional parliament with control over the police but stops short of dividing Libya. It has provoked fierce criticism from many who fear it would lead to the disintegration of the country.
Al Bawaba quotes UN and Arab League envoy on Syria, Kofi Annan, saying he was sending a team to Damascus to discuss setting up a new international monitoring mission. After briefing the Security Council about his peace efforts, he renewed calls for an end to fighting and for unimpeded humanitarian aid. Syria said it was ready to co-operate with Mr Annan, but also reaffirmed its determination to combat "terrorists".
Actor George Clooney was detained for three hours by the police while protesting outside the Sudanese embassy. The actor was with his father and some US congress members, protesting against the massacre under way in South Kordofan, a region disputed between Sudan and South Sudan, the Huffington Post reports. On Wednesday, Clooney met US president Barack Obama, urging him to put pressure on Chinese president Hu Jintao - who backs Sudan's Omar el Bashir - in order to prevent a humanitarian disaster in Sudan. The two leaders will meet on 26 and 27 March in Seoul, South Korea.
Topix says East Timor has begun voting in the first round of its presidential election. The polls are widely expected to be a three-way race among Nobel Peace Prize winner and current president, Ramos Horta, former armed forces chief Taur Matan Ruak (or 'TMR' as he is known), and former parliamentary speaker Francisco "Lu-Olo" Guterres. Australians observers are monitoring the elections.
President Hugo Chavez will soon return to Venezuela from Cuba, where he had a tumour removed from his pelvic region. The 57-year-old has been in power since 1999 and will run for a new term in office in October. Globovision reports it was still unclear, however, whether he would be able to carry on with his election campaign despite the treatments he will have to undergo.
Millions of people in Ireland and the US will don green today and celebrate St Patrick's Day with parades, good cheer, and perhaps a pint of beer – even if the party started as early as yesterday afternoon with the traditional pub crawl. The Irish Independent estimates that up to 500,000 spectators are expected to line the streets for the Dublin parade while more than 150,000 visitors are expected to flock to Cork city over the weekend for the festivities.
International Business Times says the St Paddy's Day Pub Crawl in New York is expected to attract some 12,000 people – many sporting T-shirts saying “Kiss me – I’m Irish!”. On any given day 5.5 million pints of Guinness, the famous Irish stout brand, are consumed around the world. But, according to Beth Davies Ryan, global corporate-relations director of Guinness, on St. Patrick's Day, that number more than doubles to 13 million pints.