The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Times says the police on Wednesday questioned AAA animal sanctuary founder Freddie Fenech over alleged fraud.
The Malta Independent says the UN Secretary General is expected to visit Malta on April 21-22.
l-orizzont says the Malta Freeport request for a €1 million garnishee order against the GWU was a disgusting threat to trade unionism.
In-Nazzjon highlights an address by the Governor of the Central Bank on Thursday. It says the economy will continue to grow, even though other economies are in recession.
The Press in Britain
The Daily Express predicts an Easter Bank Holiday bonanza on the High Street.
According to the Daily Star, British shoppers are ignoring terrorist threats and plan to spend some £8 billion in an Easter bonanza.
A follow-up on the terror raid story runs on the front of The Sun with claims one of the suspects arrived in Britain on false papers.
The Telegraph leads on a story about a Downing Street email smear campaign against the Tories.
The Daily Mail leads on a story about civil servants who were paid a £250 bonus for ‘struggling’ into work during heavy snow.
The Times reports a budget row over a £2,000 payout to scrap a car.
And elsewhere…
The front pages of Italian national newspapers are dominated by giant pictures of the state funeral mass for the earthquake dead as the country came to a standstill during a national day of mourning. An estimated 10,000 mourners of relatives, rescue workers, volunteers and politicians turned out.
Corriere della Sera says that outlining plans for clean-up operation, Premier Silvio Berlusconi offered his houses to people left homeless in the wake of the earthquake that killed 290 and devastated L'Aquila and surrounding towns last Monday. The premier, whose homes include Villa Certosa, a luxury villa on the Sardinian coast, and a mansion outside Milan, did not specify which homes he would make available.
The Washington Times quotes President Barack Obama saying the US economy is showing “glimmers of hope” despite continuing stresses. After meeting with members of his economic team, Obama indicated more steps to improve the business climate.
Resonansi reports that Georgia's opposition said it would launch a national disobedience campaign after President Mikhail Saakashvili ignored calls to resign.
Timpul says Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin has called for a full recount of Sunday's parliamentary election, which was marred by claims of voter fraud.
USA Today says the American ship's captain taken hostage by Somali pirates managed to jump off their lifeboat overnight but was recaptured
Times of India reports 23 people have been killed in a blaze at a firecracker factory at Jalgaon in the western state of Maharashtra. Another 48 were injured.
Berliner Zeitung says a 32-year-old woman has suffered serious injuries after being mauled by a polar bear at Berlin Zoo after she leapt into the moat surrounding the bear's pen.
Le Quotidien reports that the European Investment Bank has approved a loan of €284 million to the 2012 London Olympic Games organizers to help fund the construction of the Olympic Village. The loan can only be spent on building about half the 3,000 housing units on the East London development that will be turned into affordable housing after the games.