The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Times reports how according to studies, migrants in detention are at risk of mental illness . It also reports on the risk of sabotage during today’s elections in Libya.
The Malta Independent places its focus on the visit to Malta yesterday by the president of the EU Council , who said that banking union will only come with consensus. It also says that the killing of a migrant had been described as a serious incident in the Council of Europe.
l-orizzont says the police are without a police academy. The force has had to vacate its premises in Fort St Elmo while the new academy is still being built at Hal Farrug. In the meantime the old Umberto Calosso School will be used.
In-Nazzjon reports how Malta has reiterated its position against a raising of the retirement age and changes to the cost of living mechanism in the way proposed by the EU.
The overseas press
There is growing unrest in parts of Libya as the country prepares to head to the polls today for the first nationwide vote in more than 50 years. The Tripoli Post reports armed groups in eastern Libya shut off half the North African country's oil exports to press demands for more autonomy ahead of the vote. A helicopter carrying voting material made a forced landing near the eastern town of Benghazi yesterday after being struck by anti-aircraft fire in an attack which killed one person on board. The election for a temporary national assembly comes barely a year after former dictator Muammar Gaddafi was ousted in a NATO-backed uprising. On Thursday, the main storage centre for election materials in the eastern town of Ajdabiya was badly damaged in a suspected arson attack and last weekend armed men stormed the local election office in Benghazi and destroyed equipment.
Kathemerini says Greek prime minister Antonis Samaras has asked European Union and International Monetary Fund to extend the tough debt bailout programme by two years to ease the pain on an economy struggling in a fifth year of recession. In a speech to parliament, he presented his government's targets for the next four years, promising to push through a privatisation drive and keep Greece in the eurozone. In exchange, Mr Samaras promised his newly elected government would pledge to meet the budget commitments demanded of them. His speech comes as auditors from the EU an IMF pick through government books to determine how well Greece has met commitments made in return for a €237 billion bailout. Greece must win the confidence of the auditors to obtain the next tranche of aid money which it needs to pay current expenditure.
Le Monde reports that a world meeting on Syria has urged the United Nations to use the threat of sanctions to force change in Syria, as president Bashar al-Assad was rocked by the defection of one of his most senior generals. Speaking at the Friends of Syria meeting in Paris, US secretary of state Hillary Clinton said she was increasingly concerned about the lengths the Syrian government would go to retain power. She also rounded on Syria allies Russia and China, which both boycotted the meeting. Russia later "categorically" rejected the idea it was siding with the Assad regime over the conflict.
The Daily Mirror says British police have arrested seven men on suspicion of terrorist offences, just weeks before London hosts the Olympic Games. The arrests follow the discovery of firearms hidden in a car which was stopped by police in South Yorkshire on June 30 and impounded because it did not have any insurance. The weapons were later found during a routine search, and police tracked down the driver, passenger and other suspects.
Ansa reports that work and residence permits would be granted to migrants who blow the whistle on bosses who exploit them. A decree aimed at bringing Italy into line with European law on penalties for employers who hire undocumented migrants, gives additional bite to existing sanctions. The draft decree also increases penalties for those who hire more than three undocumented migrants, hire minors or have working conditions that are particularly harsh.
According to the Financial Times, Britain's Serious Fraud Office would formally investigate a bank rate-fixing scandal which has forced three Barclays executives to quit and dented London's reputation as a top financial centre. Three senior Barclays executives, including chief executive officer Bob Diamond, resigned this week over the row. The London Interbank Offered Rate (Libor), the rate at which banks lend to one another, plays a key role in global markets, affecting what banks, businesses and individuals pay to borrow money.
AFP reports that the EU and the United States have expressed concern over the impeachment of Romania's president by parliament, urging the European Union member state to ensure that the rule of law is respected. Romania's parliament yesterday voted to impeach centre-right President Traian Basescu, with 256 out of 432 lawmakers voting in favour of the move. The impeachment will only take effect if approved in a referendum within 30 days.
The eight British nationals are elated and all carry pictures on their front pages of Andy Murray, who has become the first Briton to reach the men's final in 74 after beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France with a 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5. The fourth seed will bid to become the first British man to triumph at the citadel of grass court tennis since Fred Perry in 1936 when he takes on Roger Federer, chasing a record-equalling seventh Wimbledon title, in the final on Sunday. Federer beat Serb Novak Djokovic, the world’s number one, to reach the final. British men have lost in the semi-finals on 11 occasions.