The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Times highlights a woman's plea for a kidney to save her son's father. It also reports a European Court of Human Rights ruling that the immigrant push-back policy by Italy breached human rights.
The Malta Independent says that Brussels has lowered Maltese and the Eurozone's growth forecasts.
In-Nazzjon reports on the government's multi-million iLearning portal linking teachers and parents through their schools.
l-orizzont quotes the Ombudsman saying that waiting lists for entry to old people's homes is alarming and unacceptable.
The overseas press
A major world conference opens in Tunis today to seek a breakthrough in the Syrian unrest. The BBC reports the US, Europe and Arab countries attending the Tunisia "Friends of Syria" conference, organised by the Arab League, plan to challenge President Bashar al-Assad to provide humanitarian access within days to the worst-affected areas. High-level representatives of over 70 countries will attend. Russia and Chin, which blocked a UN Security Council resolution that would have backed an Arab League peace plan for Syria, will be absent
The New York Times says that on the eve of the Tunis conference, the UN has appointed former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan as joint UN and Arab League envoy to try to bring an end the violence and the humanitarian crisis in Syria. His appointment comes during a continuing crackdown in the besieged city of Homs. Some 150 civilians were killed between Wednesday and yesterday across Syria.
In other developments, France 24 says two French and a British journalists wounded in the artillery strike that killed acclaimed American war correspondent Marie Colvin and French photographer Remi Ochlik have released videos pleading for help, amid claims they were deliberately targeted by Syrian troops. Al Bawaba says the Assad regime insisted it could not be held responsible for the deaths of journalists who had "sneaked" across the border without visas and were working in "trouble-hit areas". But information minister Adnan Mahmud said the governor of Homs had been ordered to find the wounded reporters and bring them out safely.
Al Jazeera says the UN has released a damning report saying Syrian forces had shot dead unarmed women and children under orders from the "highest level" of army and government officials. UN investigators say they are drafting a list of top Syrian leaders suspected of crimes against humanity. The UN says that over 5,400 civilians have been killed in Syria's 11-month crackdown on anti-Assad demonstrators inspired by other Arab Spring uprisings across the Middle East and North Africa.
CNN reports the assault on Homs continued on Thursday, with shelling targeting the rebel-held area of Baba Amr. Residents say the attacks begin around 6.00 a.m. every day, with mortar and artillery fire, rockets and cannon. The relentless shelling has all but cut the area's access to food and medical supplies. Activists claim even water tanks have been deliberately destroyed by Syrian troops.
Baltimore Sun says WikiLeaks suspect Bradley Manning has been formally charged ahead of a court martial that could see the United States soldier sentenced to life in prison. The 24-year-old is accused of passing hundreds of thousands of military field reports from Iraq and Afghanistan and US diplomatic cables to WikiLeaks between November 2009 and May 2010, when he was serving in Iraq. The US government claim the disclosures threatened national security while supporters view the site as a whistleblower that exposed US wrongdoing and see Manning as a political prisoner.
Arab News says simultaneous early morning attacks on mostly Shiite targets across Iraq killed at least 55 people and wounded dozens in one of the bloodiest days of violence since US troops pulled out last December. The attacks, that appeared to pitch Al Qaeda-linked Sunni Muslim insurgents against Shiites, raised fears of a return to the widespread sectarian carnage that tore Iraq apart and cost thousands of lives in 2006 and 2007.
Pravda reports that a crowd of more than 130,000 has heard Prime Minister Vladimir Putin deliver a strongly patriotic speech at a Moscow stadium as he bids for re-election as president of Russia. Pledging to win "the battle for Russia", he said he would not allow interference in the country's affairs. Putin is widely expected to win the presidential race and denies claims of widespread fraud in last December’s general election.
Sky News says singer Charlotte Church has settled a claim against Rupert Murdoch's News Group Newspapers for phone hacking. The settlement means the group will be spared a potentially damaging public trial the day after it launches a Sunday edition of its Sun tabloid. There was no detail of how much NGN had agreed to pay Church, although media reports have suggested it could be one of the largest agreed so far.
The Irish Times reports that the Dublin Supreme Court delivered a landmark judgement upholding the constitutionality of a law that allows teenage boys – but not teenage girls – to be prosecuted for having underage sex. The appeal arose from charges brought against a 15-year-old boy under a 2006 Criminal Law for having sex with a 14-year-old girl. His lawyers argued the law discriminated against him on gender grounds. In 2010 the High Court rejected his challenge because girls risk pregnancy and the law is entitled to place the burden of criminal sanction on those who bear the least adverse consequences.