The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Times reports that Labour has accused the government of malicious behaviour for the way how raises to ministerial pay have been hidden. It also says that Malta and the EU have not taken any decision on Libyan assets.
The Malta Independent says an evangelical church pastoral has claimed his event – about gays having been converted – has been hijacked. It also reports how a man was arraigned yesterday for allegedly stabbing his wife six times.
l-orizzont reports comments by the Malta Employers’ Association that it was unacceptable for tenderers to bid with conditions that were so low that workers had unacceptable conditions.
In-Nazzjon gives prominence to comments by Labour Mp Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca that she opposed the introduction of divorce, especially because of the children.
The overseas press
Börzen Zeitung says both the Greek government and European Commission leaders have denied a report that Greece was considering exiting the eurozone and reverting to its own currency.
Most British nationals lead with the results of the referendum in which the electorate overwhelmingly rejected any change in the way MPs are elected. The Guardian says more than 68 per cent said “no” in a referendum on the Alternative Vote, a system in which candidates are chosen in order of preference. The rejection is a defeat for the Liberal Democratic Party, the junior party in the governing coalition, which has been campaigning for electoral reforms.
USA Today reports that at a ceremony at a military base in Kentucky, President Obama has decorated members of the special forces team that killed Osama bin Laden. Speaking afterwards to an audience of some 2,000 cheering soldiers, he praised the team for what he called a “job well done” and said Al Qeda had been decapitated and would ultimately be defeated. The Army helicopter pilots and Navy Seal involved in the mission were not in the audience. Their identities were being kept secret.
Meanwhile, according to The Wall Street Journal, a US drone attack in Yemen targeted but failed to kill the head of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the US-born radical Yemeni cleric Anwar al-Awlaki. Two brothers believed to be mid-ranking al-Qaeda officials died in a drone strike in south Yemen on Thursday.
The Washington Times says US says that along with international partners, it would take additional steps against Syria if President Assad’s government failed to stop the violent oppression of anti-government protests. Earlier tens of thousands of Syrians took part in another day of protests across Syria defying an Interior Ministry warning not to take to the streets. Human rights activists said at least 13 people have been killed, six in Homs.
Il Tempo quotes Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini saying a "realistic" end to military operations in Libya would be in "three-four" weeks. This could enable political moves to get underway to achieve a possible ceasefire and foster national reconciliation led by the anti-Gaddafi Libyan National Council (CNT), he said.
In Tripoli on Friday, Al Libiya TV reported that the Gaddafi regime reacted strongly to the creation of a special fund for the rebels, fuelled by frozen Gaddafi assets, decided by the Contact Group in Rome Thursday. Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim said it was "like piracy on the high seas".
Corriere della Sera says Milan prosecutors have asked for the indictment of three people accused of aiding and abetting alleged prostitution for Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi. The three are Berlusconi's former dental hygienist, ex-showgirl and now Lombardy regional councillor Nicole Minetti; a veteran news anchor at one of Berlusconi's TV channels and close personal friend of the premier's, Emilio Fede; and a showbiz talent scout and self-styled 'VIP impresario', Lele Mora. They are suspected of procuring young women for the premier's alleged sex parties. According to prosecutors, 33 young women including a minor were involved in alleged prostitution at parties held by Berlusconi between the start of 2009 and January 2011.
The Daily Mail announces that Paul McCartney has become engaged to his girlfriend of four years, the 51-year-old New York businesswoman Nancy Shevell. A spokesman for the former Beatle, which is 68, said they were thrilled. The date of the wedding is not yet known. Sir Paul's first wife, Linda, died of cancer in 1998. He married Heather Mills in 2002 and divorced in 2008 after a $14-million settlement.