The following are the top stories in Malta's newspapers on Friday.

Times of Malta leads with news that the police have questioned former chief-of-staff Keith Schembri about “two large volumes” of WhatsApp messages with Yorgen Fenech, including exchanges in a group that included former prime minister Joseph Muscat.

In a separate article, it refers to a survey that found that students in Malta tend to have easier access than the average European student to most substances of abuse, including alcohol, cannabis, MDMA and cocaine.

The Malta Independent meanwhile reports on restrictions imposed by the Church on eight people following abuse. The newspaper also refers to the ESPAD survey, noting that in 12 months, 82 per cent of children aged between 15 and 16 said they consumed alcohol. 

In-Nazzjon focuses on PN MP Roberta Metsola's election to the post of first vice-president of the European Union. It also quotes party leader Bernard Grech saying that Gozo cannot be an extension of Malta. The region, he adds, should not only be more productive, but also sustainable. 

L-orizzont says the Church's Safeguarding Commission has seen an increase in the number of complaints filed about priests' behaviour. 

In another frontpage article, it quotes virologist Chris Barbara on the long-term effects of past COVID-19 patients, including fatigue and a dry cough.