The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press.
Times of Malta says the police are not ruling out taking action against the injured man who was found next to the body of a 15-year-old girl at the foot of Dingli Cliffs on Wednesday.
The Malta Independent says the EU summit conclusions make no mention of a returns policy for migrants.
In-Nazzjon says the Council for the South refused to discuss the mooring of a gas tanker in Marsaxlokk.
l-orizzont gives prominence to the meeting between the Pope and President Abela. It also focuses on the EU summit and the possibility mentioned by Malta that it could become an energy hub.
The overseas press
Deutsche Welle reports the 57-nation Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) – which includes both Russia and the European Union – has agreed to send scores of civilian observers to Ukraine. To start with, 100 monitors would be deployed around the country, including in Russian-speaking areas of eastern Ukraine but they would not be sent to Crimea.
EU Observer has revealed the names of the 12 more Russians who would be targeted by new EU sanctions following the annexation of Crimea. They include Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin and two close aides of Vladimir Putin, Sergei Glazyev and Vladislav Surkov. The speakers of Russia's two houses of parliament, Valentina Matviyenko (former Russian Ambassador to Malta) and Sergei Naryshkin are also included.
Euronews says the EU has signed an association agreement with Ukraine. The Russian government dismissed the pact, saying the current Ukrainian government has no democratic mandate, and that the EU should have waited until after fresh elections.
ABC reports the international hunt for objects in the southern Indian Ocean – that could be from the missing Malaysia Airlines aircraft – has entered a third day. Australian Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said objects spotted on satellite images in Indian Ocean may now have “sunk to the bottom”. Malaysia has asked the US to provide underwater surveillance equipment to help in the search for the missing plane.
Ansa says Pope Francis has warned members of the mafia that they would go to hell if they did not repent. Speaking at a prayer vigil for relatives of people murdered by the mafia, the Pope said its members could not take their blood-stained money to paradise. The names of more than 800 people killed by the mafia were read out.
The Wall Street Journal reports President Obama has met the heads of six leading internet companies to discuss plans to reform US government surveillance. Some activities of the National Security Agency revealed by the exiled Intelligence contactor Edward Snowden have created tension between the government and companies such as Google and Facebook.
La Tribune says thousands of Algerian Opposition supporters have taken part in a rally in the capital Algiers to call for a boycott of next month’s Presidential election. Islamist and secular opposition parties at the rally denounced 77-year-old President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's attempt to win a fourth term of office, saying a stroke last year has left him unfit to govern.
The Associated Press reports a US federal judge has struck down a ban on gay marriage in the state of Michigan. Two Detroit-area nurses successfully argued that the ban violated their rights under the US constitution. The state is planning to lodge an appeal. Seventeen states and the District of Columbia currently issue licences for same-sex marriage.
O Globo says the government of Brazil has confirmed it would send troops to Rio de Janiero to deal with a spate of violent attacks against police bases in the city. The decision came after the governor of Rio asked President Roussef for federal government support to improve security ahead of the World Cup in June.
Fifa's ethics committee is to examine fresh allegations of corruption against two former vice-presidents of world football's governing body. Earlier this week the Daily Telegraph alleged that Jack Warner, once one of the most influential and notorious figures at Fifa, received $1.2m from a company controlled by Mohamed Bin Hammam, a Fifa vice-president and a senior figure in Qatar's bid for the 2022 World Cup.
Reuters reports a tongue-in-cheek book that purports to deal with an awkward but critical issue, “How to Poo on a Date”, has scooped the award for the Oddest Book Title of the Year. The prize, which carries no cash award, is run by The Bookseller, a British-based business magazine and website for the book industry.