The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Times leads with Malta’s farewell to Fr Peter Serracino Inglott. It also says that Parliament must pass the Budget Measures Implementation by May 14.
The Malta Independent reports that the financial transactions tax could save Malta €27m in contributions to the EU. It also says that the MUMN will decide today about industrial action in operation theatres, but the health minister said yesterday that relations have improved.
l-orizzont asks if higher tariffs are in store as the government reduced Mepa funds by €175,000.
In-Nazzjon says an average of 121 operations are being held at Mater Dei Hospital. It also says that the Pig Breeders Association has had a meeting with the prime minister and praised his commitment to the sector.
The overseas press
TV Azteca gives maximum coverage to Pope Benedict XVI’s pilgrimage to Mexico – his first visit to the world’s second most populous Catholic country. Mexican President Felipe Calderon and first lady Margarita Zavala greeted the pope at the Guanajuato International Airport amid wild cheers from the crowd. The president said the pope’s visit had enormous importance as Mexico was suffering greatly from drug-related violence. On his part, the pope called on Mexicans to conquer an "idolatry of money" that feeds drug violence. He also urged Cuba, where he begins a visit on Monday, to leave behind a Marxism that "no longer responds to reality” and "find new models, with patience, and in a constructive way".
The French police team that shot dead Mohammed Merah, the Toulouse gunman who officials say confessed to shooting dead seven people including three children in recent weeks, has defended its actions, having drawn heavy criticism in the wake of Thursday’s assault. In an interview with the France 2 TV channel, Amaury de Hautecloque, the commander of the elite RAID unit that carried out the operation, said they had tried to flood Merah’s apartment with tear gas. But during that attempt, the 23-year-old pulled out his weapons and started firing.
Los Angeles Times says President Barack Obama has urged Americans to do some "soul searching" after the killing of an unarmed black teenager by a neighbourhood watch guard that has sparked outrage across the nation. "If I had a son he would look like Trayvon," Mr Obama, the country's first African-American president, told reporters, as he called the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin a "tragedy". Up to 20,000 people demanding justice demanded the arrest of George Zimmerman, who claims he acted in self-defence after a confrontation with the teenager.
Euronews says Asma al-Assad, the wife of Syria’s President, has joined the long list of people within the Syrian regime to face EU sanctions. The 36-year-old, who holds both Syrian and British passports, now faces a travel ban and will have her assets in the EU frozen. The new restrictions also target Assad’s mother, sister and sister-in-law and come as the UN Arab League envoy Kofi Annan prepares to fly to Moscow and Beijing to win support for his peace plan aimed at stopping the 12-month-old violent crackdown, securing humanitarian aid and launching a political dialogue with the Syrian opposition.
Seattle Post reports the US military says the army staff sergeant charged with the killings of Afghan civilians in a Kandahar shooting spree could face the death penalty. Staff sergeant Robert Bales, a 38-year-old veteran of four combat tours, is accused of walking off his base on March 11 under cover of darkness and opening fire at civilians in at least two different villages in Panjwai district. On Friday, Bales was charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder and six counts of attempted murder over the shooting spree. The dead include four men, four women and nine children. One man, one woman and four children were wounded.
Wall Street Journal says the World Bank has announced three candidates to succeed outgoing president Robert Zoellick in the first challenge to the US monopoly of the top job in history. Well-known economists from Colombia and Nigeria – José Antonio Ocampo, a professor at Columbia University and Nigerian finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala – were nominated to contend with the US candidate, Jim Yong Kim, a Korea-born, US-raised physician and currently president of Dartmouth College, known for fighting to bring medical services to impoverished communities around the world. The Bank said it expected to select its new president "by consensus" by its 2012 Spring Meetings with the International Monetary Fund that begin on April 20. Zoellick plans to step down at the end of his term in June.
The Jerusalem Post reports anger in Israel at moves within the UN to investigate the effect of Jewish settlements on Palestinian human rights. Israel is considering severing ties with the UN Human Rights Council and withdrawing its ambassador after the organisation voted to establish a fact-finding mission in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The settlements are considered illegal under international law, though Israel and the residents disagree.
Arizona Daily Star reports that a pregnant Jessica Simpson on the cover of Elle magazine was apparently too much for some customers of a Safeway supermarket in Tucson, Arizona who prompted management to cover it with cardboard. The April issue features a photo of the fashion mogul on its cover with one hand covering an exposed breast and another wrapped around her nude belly.
According to Al Ahram, the Egyptian FA has suspended one of the country’s leading teams over the match violence that killed more than 70 people in February. The Postr Said-based club, Al Masry, has been banned for two years over the clashes that broke out at its stadium during a game with the visiting team, Al Ahli.
AFP reports Kazakhstan's shooting team has demanded an apology from Kuwait after a spoof national anthem from the satirical movie Borat was played at a medal ceremony instead of the official version. The blunder took place as Maria Dmitrienko stood on top of the podium to celebrate her gold medal performance at the 10th Arab Shooting Championship in Kuwait. Red-faced organisers in Kuwait apologised for the embarrassing oversight before restaging the medal ceremony – this time with the correct version of the Kazakhstan anthem.