The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Times says many Maltese who admitted that they had more than one partner, said they did not use a condom. It also says that a religious allegedly involved in child abuse has died
The Malta Independent reports on low attendance in Parliament on Tuesday.
In-Nazzjon quotes the prime minister saying that the discussion within the PN on divorce is expected to be concluded this month. It also says that the PL is not making a commitment to reduce water and electricity tariffs.
l-orizzont features the complaints by Jean Pierre Farrugia on the raise given to ministers and MPs.
The overseas press:
Fox News reports a strong earthquake has hit a group of New Caledonia islands in the South Pacific. No tsunami warning was issued and there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. The 7.3-magnitude quake was centred on the Loyalty Islands, a chain about 1,000 miles east of the Australian city of Brisbane.
Meanwhile, The Courier Mail reports that the Australian state of Queensland was facing a reconstruction task of "post-war proportions", as floods left swathes of it under water. State Premier Anna Bligh fought back tears as she described the damage inflicted by the state's “worst natural disaster in our history”.
One man died when he was sucked into a storm drain and two more deaths elsewhere were reported by Australian broadcaster ABC, bringing the toll from this week's flooding to 15, with dozens more missing. One of the 15 bodies recovered was found 80 kilometers from where the person had been washed away. Queensland Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson said some bodies might never be recovered.
O Globo says at least 440 people have died and dozens are missing after floods and landslides swept through mountain towns in southeastern Brazil. Heavy rains earlier in the week killed 13 people in Sao Paulo state, raising the total death toll in southern Brazil to 442. President Rousseff visited the area on Thursday and vowed a shipment of seven tonnes of medicines. Ms Rousseff described the destruction as an act of God but she also expressed anger at illegal construction.
Asian Tribune says floods in Sri Lanka have killed 18 people and forced around one million people from their homes as some areas were under a metre of floodwater. The central area of the island has also been hit, with the rain triggering mudslides that have cut off some towns.
La Sicilia reports that Italy’s Mount Etna has come back to life with a brief eruption sending lava down its slopes and a cloud of ash into the sky. Nobody was injured. The ash from the two-hour eruption forced the closure of Catania’s Fontanarossa airport overnight affecting a few domestic flights. Etna is Europe’s most active volcano. Its last major eruption was in 1992.
Sky News reports that Labour's Debbie Abrahams has won the Oldham East and Saddleworth by-election, beating the Lib Dem candidate into second place. The Tories were third. Labour's share of the vote went up by 10 per cent compared with last May, the Lib Dems' stayed virtually the same, rising by 0.3 per cent, and the Conservatives' share fell by 13.6 per cent. Officials said the turnout was 48.06 per cent. Ms Abrahams said her victory was the "first step in a long journey" for her party, and branded coalition policies "reckless".
According to El Economista, Spain has managed to raise 3 billion euros from a sale of government bonds, injecting a dose of much-needed good news into markets. The Spanish bonds sale came a day after Portugal successfully auctioned off 1.25 billion euros worth of 10-year bonds with strong interest and high rates. The two sales have somewhat eased market pressures but many analysts still fear there is a real chance Portugal might be next in line for a bailout after Greece and Ireland. Italy also expects to release the results of a bonds sale worth between four and six billion euros.
Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal Europe says the ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet said he would increase the interest rate if recent signs of price pressures become firmly entrenched. The bank was to keep its interest rate at a record low 1 percent for the 20th month running. Inflation in the eurozone jumped to 2.2 percent in December while the ECB’s target is to keep it just under 2 percent. The ECB chief reaffirmed his support for an increase to the EU rescue fund for ailing economies but urged countries to do their utmost to meet their deficit targets and curb government debt.
Assabah reports Tunisia's president has said he would not seek a new term in office in 2014, following widespread protests which have left at least 23 people dead. Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali said he was also ordering police to stop using live rounds, hours after at least one person was shot dead in the capital Tunis. Human rights groups say more than 60 people have died in weeks of unrest across the country.
Corriere della Sera says Italy's highest court has ruled that Prime Minister Berlusconi cannot automatically be exempt from standing trial for alleged corruption. The Constitutional Court’s ruling stops short of completely rejecting the law shielding Berlusconi, which would have immediately reopened two trials, on corruption and tax fraud charges respectively. But it also gives judges leeway in deciding whether the premier should be exempt from trial.
The Jerusalem Post quotes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warning that too many refugees were flooding Israel and threatening its democratic state. In a speech to the Manufacturers Association Conference, Netanyahu said the government was building a fence at the gate with Egypt to stop the flood of thousands of refugees from entering into Israel every year. Netanyahu's comments come after Israeli troops in the north were put on alert over worries that the political turmoil in Lebanon might spill over into renewed violence on their shared border.