The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Times leads with the arrival of more than 180 migrants yesterday, including three babies. Three migrant women were also found dead, including one who was pregnant. The newspaper also reports that Frontex has no solution to illegal migration as Libya is not cooperating.
l-orizzont also leads with the arrival of the migrants.
The Malta Independent says Malta has the highest rate of early school leavers in the EU. It also says Parliament is set to appoint the Auditor- General on Wednesday.
In-Nazzon says tourism industry growth in Malta is three times higher than the world average. It also reports on the tragedy of migration.
The Press in Britain
According to The Independent, Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been criticised for pledging to provide backing to the Nigerian security forces.
The Daily Mirror and The Herald report on nine British troops being injured in a "friendly fire" incident in Afghanistan.
The Times says the Ministry of Defence is facing a series of huge compensation claims because of the alleged abuse of troops in Iraq.
The Daily Express leads with housing industry groups demanding a temporary hold on stamp duty in order to kick-start the economy.
The Daily Telegraph reports on car tax rises which are set to hit Britain's poorest families.
The Guardian quotes a top adviser to the Government saying he thinks that greedy and rude adults are contributing to the epidemic of violence among teenagers. It also has an exclusive interview with Ingrid Betancourt who says that she is trying to understand how to live again after six years of captivity in the Columbian jungle.
The London Evening Standard reports that new laws allowing paedophiles who abuse children abroad to be prosecuted in Britain will come into force next week. The legislation permits police to bring charges against the "sex tourists" even if their activities were legal in the country where they took place.
And elsewhere…
The New York Times says that the UN Security Council has delayed a vote on UN sanctions against Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe as the Harare government and its opposition resumed mediated talks in South Africa.
The International Herald Tribune reports the sharp reaction by Israel and the United States after Iran tested more missiles one of which could hit Israel and US bases in the Middle East. Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak said that his country would take action if its security interests were threatened. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, currently in Georgia, also reiterated Washington's stance that it would come to Israel's defence if it were attacked.
According to Warsaw Voice, the Polish government has asked the European Commission for more time to privatise three shipyards as workers demonstrated to save their jobs. The European Commission on Wednesday threatened Poland would be required to recover subsidies from three troubled shipyards unless it provides the EC with feasible restructuring plans. The EC gave Poland only one whole day to revise the restructuring plans provided.
Corriere della Sera reports the swift reaction by Italy’s Interior Minister Roberto Maroni to the non-binding European Parliament resolution which called on Italy to abstain from collecting fingerprints or using those already collected ahead of a full evaluation of the measures by the European Commission (EC). Maroni said he was ''outraged'' and said Italy would continue to take fingerprints during a government census of gypsy camps the EP recommendation to stop.
Le Figaro reports that French president Nicolas Sarkozy has ruled out a two-tier European Union following Ireland’s rejection of the Lisbon Treaty. Addressing Euro-MPs in Strasbourg, he said no member of the European “family” could be left behind – but further expansion of the 27-nation Union was out of the question unless the Lisbon Treaty was kept on track.
De Morgen leads with Belgium’s completion of the ratification process of the EU's Lisbon Treaty after the Flemish regional assembly voted in favour of the text.
Matavari Gazeti says Georgia has recalled its ambassador from Moscow after Russia said it had sent fighter jets into its neighbour's airspace.
The Washington Post reports that President Bush has signed a law overhauling the rules for eavesdropping. The law lets the government conduct intrusive surveillance without ever telling a court who it intends to spy on.
The New York Times quotes Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi announcing the United Nations will create an international commission to investigate the killing of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto
Montreal Gazette says John Lennon's handwritten lyrics to “Give Peace a Chance” have been auctioned for 528,000 euros. The lyrics were written during the legendary 1969 Bed-in protest for peace at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal.
Boston Globe says cousins who marry and have children are helping scientists in Massachusetts make ground-breaking discoveries about the genetic code linked to autism.