The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Times reports that a Somali is to be taken to court and accused of human trafficking. It also reports that the Prime Minister is optimistic that Malta will get at least €20m in EU funds for energy projects.
The Malta Independent also leads with the EU summit. In another story, it reports how the Bucklands family, whose house in Fgura was destroyed as a result of an explosion in somebody else’s garage, have expressed anger at unfair treatment and no compensation. They made comparisons with the compensation given to the victims of the Naxxar fireworks explosion whose houses were also destroyed.
In-Nazzjon says a message of optimism has emerged from the EU summit. It also reports how ‘monster’ Fritzl was condemned to a life is a psychiatric institution.
l-orizzont asks if drug abusers, who are given free syringes, are treated better than diabetics. In another story it reports that medicine prices remain high in Malta compared to other European countries.
The Press in Britain
The Independent reports that Israel's military has ordered a criminal inquiry over the conduct of its 22-day military offensive in Gaza after testimonies by its own soldiers revealed that troops were allowed and, in some cases, even ordered to shoot unarmed Palestinian civilians.
The Times leads with the life sentence given to Josef Fritzl after being convicted on a series of charges including manslaughter by negligence.
The Daily Telegraph says the Tories will go into the next election committed to raising the top level of tax to 45p for those earning more than £150,000.
According to the Daily Mail Gordon Brown has led a Labour U-turn over the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings this summer by indicating he would be happy to attend a commemoration ceremony in Normandy on June 6.
The Guardian says more allegations about tax avoidance schemes set up by Barclays Bank have emerged from whistleblowers.
The Daily Express says hundreds of thousands of people suffering from Alzheimer's could be helped by revolutionary new drugs.
The Daily Mirror dedicates the front page the tragedy of British actress Natasha Richardson and describes the faces of her husband and family as being "etched with grief".
The Sun goes on to describe Irish actor Liam Neeson looking like a "broken man" after his wife's life support was turned off in New York on Wednesday night.
And elsewhere…
Most of the newspapers of the 27 EU member states lead with their leaders’ agreement in on the use of €5 billion in community funds to stimulate the economy. Börzen Zeitung says the funds, to be spent by the end of 2010, would be used for investment in energy and internet infrastructure projects. The agreement comes after four months of haggling among member states.
The Washington Times reports that the US House of Representatives has voted to impose a 90 percent tax on bonuses for top executives at companies that have accepted government bail-outs. The tax would apply to employees whose total annual pay exceeded $250,000 at firms that received more than $5 billion in government rescue funds.
Times of India says that a Mumbai businessman has been arrested on charges of raping his daughter for nine years under the influence of a “tantrik”.
Le Parisien reports that more than a million people have taken to the streets of cities in France in a national strike which affected schools, hospitals, public transport and other services. Workers are angry over rising unemployment and the high cost of living in the eurozone's second largest economy.
Cameroon Tribune leads with Pope Benedict’s first open Mass in Africa in front of 60,000 people in the capital Yaounde, saying Africa was a continent of hope but is under threat from urbanisation and materialism.
Die Welt reports that the first group of 120 Iraqi refugees, many of them members of Christian minorities, has arrived in Hanover under an agreement to provide sanctuary to thousands of Iraqis across the European Union. Germany has agreed to accept a total of 2,500 refugees under the EU's plan to take in 10,000 Iraqis across the bloc.
The Daily Journal reports that the American state of New Jersey is to ban bikini waxing after two women were hospitalised for infections following the so-called “Brazilian” procedures. Technically genital waxing has never been allowed in New Jersey – only the face, neck, abdomen, legs and arms are permitted. But because the bare-it-all “Brazilian” version was not specifically banned, state regulators have not enforced the law.