The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Times says there are fierce battles in Libya. It also says that the EU has partially restored funding to some educational programmes, but problems remain.
The Malta Independent also leads with the situation in Libya and and the partial restoration of funding for EU programmes.
l-orizzont says that two Libyan Mirage aircraft have been moved and placed in an isolated location at the airport. It also says that there is a 9% difference in salaries between men and women.
In-Nazzjon reports that there has been no let up in Libya violence. It also says that Mepa has approved a major flood relief project.
The overseas press
Al Jazeera reports that the Gaddafi regime in Libya struck back at its opponents with a powerful attack yesterday on Zawiya – the closest opposition-held city to Tripoli – and a barrage of tear gas and live ammunition to smother new protests in the capital. At least 37 people died in fighting and in an explosion at an ammunitions depot in Libya's rebellious east. Rebel volunteers backed by defecting troops, attacked the oil port of Ras Lanuf. It was not clear which side was in control.
Meanwhile, Libyan state television appeared to show that at least one of the three Dutch marines captured in Libya after a botched evacuation mission of two Europeans. The Dutch Defence Ministry said negotiations for the release of three marines continue
Le Figaro says Interpol has issued a global alert against Gaddafi and 15 others, including members of his family and close associates. The move was also intended to assist the International Criminal Court investigation into alleged crimes against humanity in Libya.
USA Today reports the United States has launched a multipronged effort to assist foreign migrant workers who have fled fighting in Libya into neighbouring Tunisia, sending two air force cargo planes to deliver blankets and other supplies. Plans have also been made to fly an unspecified number of refugees from camps along the Libya-Tunisia border on Saturday.
Al Masri Al Youm says hundreds of Egyptian protesters attempted to storm a building belonging to the internal security service in Alexandria in an outpouring of anger at the agency blamed for some of the worst human rights violations during ousted President Hosni Mubarak's rule. Officers inside the building opened fire on the crowd, injuring three demonstrators.
Meanwhile, Al Ahram reports that earlier, crowds in Cairo's Tahrir Square celebrated the military's choice of Essam Sharaf as the new prime minister to replace the one Mubarak had appointed. Sharaf was carried on the shoulders of demonstrators to a podium in the square from which he promised the estimated 10,000 people gathered there that he would do his best to meet their demands.
Helsingin Sanomat reports that at a summit of the conservative European People's Party in Helsinki, some of Europe's most powerful decision makers made some progress on lowering the interest rates on Ireland's bailout and reiterated previous commitments to coordinate their economic policies more closely. But they failed to agree on more pressing issues that have preoccupied financial markets for the past months. The most crucial of these is a promised overhaul of the euro zone's bailout fund.
The Irish Independent reports that Queen Elizabeth is to pay a state visit to Ireland – the first official tour of the Republic of Ireland by a British monarch. She will be accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh. A date for the visit has not been released but it is widely expected to be in May.
La Calame says the five African Presidents appointed by the African Union to mediate in the crisis in Ivory Coast have called for an immediate end to the killings there. The call by the leaders of South Africa, Chad, Bukina Faso and Tanzania meeting in Mauritania follows concerns by the UN Security Council about the risk of a new civil war in Ivory Coast.
The Miami Herald reports an American aid contractor has gone on trial in Cuba for espionage. Alan Gross is accused of illegally distributing imported satellite communications equipment. The case could have serious repercussions on US-Cuban relations.
Louisiana’s The Advocate reports that a78-year-old convicted child molester has undergone surgical castration in order to be released from prison on parole. Francis Phillip Tullier, who had faced hundreds of molestation counts involving young girls, pleaded guilty to three counts in 1999 and was sentenced to 27 years in prison. The surgery was done after being delayed several years while Tullier was treated for various medical issues.
A man armed with a dagger is reported to have tried to stab Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho as he signed autographs in a Spanish airport. A member of the club's security staff was said to have received a 4cm stab wound in the incident. The incident happened last Friday but has only just been reported by the Cadena Ser news channel. It is not clear if Mr Mourinho was aware of the attack at the time.