The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press.
Times of Malta reports how Appogg agency has been cleared over how two German children were snatched and taken to Germany. It also says Malta will achieve its renewable energy targets for the first time.
The Malta Independent reports how the energy minister finally admitted that the new power station will not be ready on time.
In-Nazzjon says the government’s admission that the new power station will not be completed on time means the prime minister has failed in his biggest pre-election promise.
l-orizzont says a regional joint venture between Shanghai Electric and Enemalta is set to be announced.
The overseas press
ABC News reports that Turkey had granted the United States access to its air bases for the campaign against the Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria.
Al Arabiya quotes a senior Iraqi government official interviewed by London’s Daily Telegraph saying about 10 thousand jihadists Isis were at the gates of Baghdad, ready to launch an attack on the Iraqi capital.
Meanwhile, jihadist propaganda continues to work at full capacity, railing against the “crusaders” and the symbols of the hated West. The Isis flag flying on the obelisk in St Peter’s Square is the latest provocation of the Islamic state through its online magazine Dabiq.
Al Ahram reports the international community has pledged $5.4 billion (€4.25 billion) to rebuild the war-ravaged Gaza Strip. However, at a donors’ conference organised by Egypt in Cairo, all of the key participants said their efforts would be futile without a permanent peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
According to Reuters, Hong Kong police have removed some barricades erected by pro-democracy protesters at key sites in the heart of the city to relieve traffic chaos that has plagued some districts during rush hour. Many police withdrew after the barriers were removed.
CNN reports President Obama has urged for the immediate launch of additional measures to ensure that the country’s health system “is ready to follow the correct protocol” in tackling Ebola virus cases.
Missouri Daily News says 17 people were arrested in the US city of St Louis during weekend protests over the death of a black teenager by a white officer. Thousands of people took to the streets and held vigils as part of a so-called “weekend of resistance” staged in anger over the August 9 death of Michael Brown in the nearby suburb of Ferguson, Missouri.
La Prensa reports partial results show Evo Morales has easily won an unprecedented third term as Bolivia’s president. He received 59.5 per cent of the vote against 25.3 per cent for cement magnate Samuel Doria Medina.
Metro says UK authorities are to make revenge porn – when people publish sexually explicit pictures of former partners – a new offence punishable by up to two years in jail. The move comes after figures uncovered by the press showed children as young as 11 had been victims.
Mail & Guardian reports Oscar Pistorius returns to the courtroom today to face sentencing after being convicted of culpable homicide for killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. The sentence is at the judge’s discretion and can range from a suspended sentence and a fine to as much as 15 years in prison.
Belgium’s new health minister, Maggie De Block, has been targeted by the Belgian media accusing her of lacking credibility due to her size. “Belgium now has an obese health minister, with what credibility?” asked Tom van Weghe on the VRT network.
A 10-month-old girl is recovering at a Louisiana hospital after she spent up to three days trapped under her father’s body after he dropped dead. Sabine Parish Deputy Coroner Ron Rivers told The Times that Betty Jean Fields was dehydrated and had blistering skin when she was found Friday night by authorities in Shreveport. Deputies were called to the home after the girl’s five-year-old brother went next door to tell neighbours he thought his father was dead. Fields had a history of cardiac problems.