The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press.
The Times of Malta reports how a prominent Libyan militia leader died in Malta on Thursday. His death sparked fierce fighting in Tripoli.
The Malta Independent reports that the citizenship bill has passed its first hurdle in parliament.
In-Nazzjon says the government is ignoring calls to change the citizenship law in a way which would not make is insulting on the people
l-orizzont highlights the GWU’s ‘positive’ reaction to the Budget.
The overseas press
Ansa reports Britain, France, Italy and the United States have renewed their support for the Libyan government of Prime Minister Ali Zeidan, reiterating their concern about the instability in the country after yesterday's clashes and calling for the consolidation of democracy. A joint statement released by the US Embassy in Tripoli, the four countries urged the Libyans to reject the use of force put aside individual differences.
Al Ayyam quotes Palestinian officials saying a report they received from Russia on the role of radioactive polonium in Arafat's death in 2004was inconclusive. The revelation came a day after Swiss scientists said the Palestinian leader was probably poisoned by the rare and extremely lethal substance. Four investigations, hundreds of testimonies and stacks of medical reports on Yasser Arafat's unexplained death have all failed to produce hard evidence of what killed him.
La Sicilia says Italian police have arrested a suspected Somali people trafficker over the migrant boat that sank off Lampedusa last month in a tragedy that claimed 366 lives. The 24-year-old Somali was arrested after being identified by the migrants in interviews with prosecutors. He is also accused of sexual assaults and of offering female Eritrean migrants for sex with Libyan militiamen.
European Voice reports EU Trade Commissioner Karel de Gucht is to stand trial over alleged tax evasion. The Belgian authorities have presented him with a bill for €900,000. They say the commissioner and his wife made €1.2 million from selling shares eight years ago, but unlike his wife, the commissioner didn't report his income to the tax authorities. He will stand trial at the end of this month.
The People’s Daily announces China's leaders begin a four-day closed-door meeting in Beijing to discuss the economic and political agenda for the next decade. Known as the Third Plenum, the meeting is typical when Chinese leaders announce significant reforms. Areas expected to be discussed include liberalising the financial sector, state-owned enterprises and reforming China's household registration system.
Talks in Geneva on Iran's nuclear programme between Iran and world powers are to enter a third day on Saturday. US Secretary of State John Kerry and Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Zarif yesterday held five hours of talks as they sought to conclude a deal over Iran’s nuclear programme. Officials from both countries described the meeting as “productive”. The Washington Post revealed a deal that would give Iran limited relief from economic sanctions in exchange for a temporary freeze of some of its nuclear activities. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and a senior Chinese diplomat are expected to join the talks on Saturday.
The world's strongest storm of the year has battered the central Philippines across a 600-kilometre front, killing at least 100 people and forcing millions of people to flee to safer ground. ABC quotes Captain Andrews of the Philippines Civil Aviation Authority saying at least 100 people are dead in Tacloban in the eastern Philippines, one of the first areas to be hit. A 100 more need medical evacuation but this will be difficult because Tacloban's airport terminal has been completely destroyed. Still at typhoon strength, Haiyan is expected to make landfall near Hue in central Vietnam around lunchtime local time on Sunday.
Al Ahram reports Egyptian Foreign Affairs Minister Nabil Fahmy has said that the next general election will be held next February or March, while the presidential election will be held next summer. Mr. Fahmy, speaking on the sidelines of a visit in Madrid, also said the Muslim Brotherhood were still legal in Egypt and are therefore allowed to take part in the election.
VOA says an American prosecutor has been sent to jail for 10 days, fined and barred from practicing law after a court found him guilty of hiding evidence that led to a man being jailed for a murder he did not commit. Texas district attorney Ken Anderson was fined for contempt of court in the 1987 trial of Michael Morton who spent nearly 25 years in prison as a result.
For the first time since a year from his divorce, Tom Cruise has admitted that his wife Katie Holmes left him to protect her daughter Suri from the clutches of the Scientology sect. According to San Francisco Chronicle, the revelation came in an explosive testimony he gave in a libel suit against two magazines – “Life and Style” and “In Touch” – that in 2012 had accused him of having abandoned his daughter. Cruise is suing the publishers for $50 million in damages
Pravda reports two Russian cosmonauts will today take the Olympic torch for a historic spacewalk aimed at showcasing Moscow's prowess in science and sport. The feather-shaped silver and red symbol of peace and friendship has already been sent to the North Pole aboard a Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker and is still set to visit the bottom of Baikal – the world's deepest freshwater lake.