The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press.
The Times of Malta reports how a couple lost their right to keep children when a court refused to lift a care order.
The Malta Independent quotes Alfred Sant saying on a website that people should not be regarded like lidl products regarding immigration.
l-orizzont says PN candidate Manuel Delia made extremist comparisons when commenting on facebook about immigration.
In-Nazzjon says Joseph Muscat is staying silent on the people's lack of confidence in the ministerial declaration of assets. It also says that cleaners are distributing milk at Mater Dei.
The overseas press
The US has sharply escalated its drone war in Yemen. The Associated Press reports 34 suspected al-Qaida militants killed in less than two weeks, including three strikes on Thursday alone in which a dozen died. The action against al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, as the Yemen branch is known, comes amid a global terror alert issued by Washington. One Mideast official says the uptick is due to its leaders leaving themselves more vulnerable by moving from their normal hideouts toward areas where they could carry out attacks.
The euro has continued its steady rise against the US dollar, with analysts viewing the development as a sign of economic recovery in the eurozone. Yesterday, it surged to almost 1.34 against the US dollar, thus reaching its highest level in seven week. Börzen-Zeitung quotes a statement from the Frankfurt-based Metzler Bank arguing that the rise of the euro was helped in no small way by a monthly surge in German exports. But the rise was also supported by news from China, with Beijing also reporting a strong increase in exports, signaling the world's second-largest economy was gaining momentum.
President Barack Obama has voiced support for embattled Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and his economic restructuring plans after the two met Thursday. The Washington Post says Obama called for more growth-oriented policies in Greece, saying the austerity has not been adequate to revive the country's battered economy. Speaking after the talks, Obama said it was important to have a plan for fiscal consolidation to manage the debt.
Ansa reports a boat carrying 176 Syrian and Egyptian immigrants and refugees was rescued by the Italian Coast Guard off the shores of Sicily. Of those on board 41 were women and 73 were children. One newborn and six women, three of whom were pregnant, were taken to hospital. Passengers said the journey took between 12 and 14 days.
Pope Francis has penned a piece in the Vatican daily L'Osservatore Romano marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan – the first time a pontiff has done so since John Paul II in 1991. Pope Francis wrote, “We are called to respect the religion of the other, its teachings, its symbols, its values. Particular respect is due to religious leaders and to places of worship. How painful are attacks on any one of these!”
Sole 24 Ore says the Italian government has extended the current wage freeze applied on public sector employees through to the end of 2014, citing the economic outlook and the exceptional conditions Italy's public finance are facing. The measures block automatic pay rises as well as suspend union negotiations for collective contract-payment increases.
The Israeli Government news agency Ynet announces the re-opening of the Israeli airport of Eilat, in the south of the country, near the Egyptian Sinai. The airport was closed for incoming flights for about two hours by the army, for unspecified “security reasons”.
The website linked to the suicide of British teenager Hannah Smith, as well as two Irish girls, is facing a backlash after several major companies decided to withdraw advertising from the site. Metro says Specsavers, Vodafone, Laura Ashley and Save the Children have all pulled ads from ask.fm. Hannah, 14, was found hanged on Friday after being bullied on the website. Earlier, British Prime Minister David Cameron said internet users should boycott “vile” websites which allow cyber-bullying to avoid more deaths of young people who receive abuse online. He said website operators must “step up to the plate” to ensure users are protected.
The New York Times announces the death of Margaret Pellegrini, one of the last of the 124 little people who played Munchkins in the 1939 film "The Wizard of Oz". She was 89. The four-foot-tall Pellegrini, a frequent guest of honor at "Oz" festivals around the US, had been in declining health since a stroke in March. Illness kept her from serving as grand marshal at this year's event. Only two other actors who portrayed Munchkins survive.
ABC News reports Karen Black, the prolific actress who appeared in more than 100 movies and was featured in such counterculture favorites as “Easy Rider”, “Five Easy Pieces” and “Nashville” has died in Los Angeles. Black's husband, Stephen Eckelberry, said the actress died from complications from cancer. She was 74.
AFP quotes astronomers saying stargazers will be treated to a spectacular fireball show early next week when earth hits a belt of comet debris known as the Perseids. The annual Perseid meteor shower, dubbed "the tears of St Lawrence" in honour of a martyred Christian saint, should peak in the early hours of Monday and Tuesday with between 60 and 100 shooting stars per hour. They will be visible over most of the world, but most clearly in the northern hemisphere.