The following are the top stories in the national and international press today.
All national newspapers this morning have the Prime Minister's request to Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia to resign on their front cover.
Times of Malta says the Prime Minister last night asked Dr Mallia to resign over the shooting incident involving his driver after an inquiry found there was an attempted cover-up. He also removed Acting Police Commissioner Ray Zammit and immediately appointed Security Services head Michael Cassar in his stead.
In-Nazzjon says the Prime Minister has left it up to Dr Mallia to take the decision to resign giving him time to read the inquiry report.
The Malta Independent says the inquiry found Dr Mallia and Mr Zammit at fault but exonerated Dr Mallia’s chief of staff Silvio Scerri and the government’s director of information Kurt Farrugia.
L-Orizzont says the Prime Minister has requested Dr Mallia to resign. In another story, it says the Shanghai Electric Power will be signed in the coming days after talks were concluded yesterday.
International news
The Washington Times reports the US government has put American embassies, military units and other American interests on alert, bracing for possible security threats related to today’s planned release of a report on the CIA’s harsh interrogation techniques. The report from the Senate Intelligence Committee will be the first public accounting of the CIA’s use of torture on al-Qaida detainees held in secret facilities in Europe and Asia in the years after the September 11, 2001, terror attacks.
ABC quotes Australia’s Attorney-General George Brandis saying at least 20 Australians have been killed fighting alongside terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq, and warned Western recruits were being duped into thinking they were an important part of a religious crusade. Some 70 Australians are still believed to be fighting in the Middle East while another 20 have returned home.
Meanwhile, France 24 says that in the first case of its kind, a mother is suing the French state after her teenage son travelled to Syria to join jihadists fighting there. Nadine D. told Le Parisien the authorities should have done more to stop him from making the journey to the war-torn country. The 16-year-old boy travelled to Syria via Turkey without a passport – with only his national ID card.
AFP reports the UN has said a new round of peace talks between Libya’s warring factions aimed at ending months of violence and political deadlock would be postponed until next week. The world body’s mission to Libya said last week that it planned to broker new negotiations beginning today.
Le Monde says French leftist politician Jean-Luc Melenchon had harsh words for German Chancellor Angela Merkel after the German leader said France and Italy had not done enough to trim their budgets, and called for both countries to enact additional deficit-cutting measures. Merkel told German newspaper Die Welt am Sonntag she agreed with the EU Commission that what France and Italy had put on the table so far was insufficient. Melenchon tweeted Merkel should concern herself with the poor in her country and ruined infrastructure in Germany.
It is claimed that Troika inspectors were told to “butt out” of Irish politics by officials during their latest visit. According to the Irish Times, a heated discussion took place at the Department of Finance after a source close to the European Commission was quoted in newspapers, outlining concerns about the revised water charges scheme. Finance Minister Michael Noonan has reportedly put his thoughts on those concerns in writing, in a letter to an EU Commissioner.
The Jerusalem Post reports Israeli lawmakers voted Monday to dissolve the parliament and hold elections on March 17, making the current government one of the shortest-lived in the country’s history. Lawmakers passed the motion at the end of an hours-long discussion of last-minute legislation that included no-confidence motions and harsh criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
USA Today says Britain’s Prince William sat down with President Barack Obama in Washington on Monday and unveiled an effort to curtail illegal wildlife trading while his wife, Kate, made an impression of a down-to-earth duchess on preschoolers and prominent British expats in New York. In the first full day of the popular royal couple’s first visit to either place, William went to the White House and spoke at a World Bank conference. Kate wrapped Christmas gifts and helped children decorate picture frames while touring a child development centre with New York City’s first lady, then talked at a lunch at the consul general’s home.
Los Angeles Times reports two raging fires in Los Angeles destroyed a massive residential complex under construction, heavily damaged a building undergoing renovations and snarled up rush-hour traffic while raining ash over a large area. More than 250 fire-fighters fought the blaze that consumed the seven-storey wood-framed structure and damaged two adjacent high-rises before being brought under control within 90 minutes.
Monday brought bad news for diesel car owners in European capitals. Euronews says London is now looking to follow in the footsteps of Paris which announced a ban on diesel engines on Sunday. The initiative could also see semi-pedestrianised zones beginning with weekend trials to be expanded, with diesel cars of the capital’s roads by 2020. The World Health Organisation reports that although more fuel efficient, diesel engines release more pollutants, responsible for the deaths of some 3.7 million people under the age of 60 in 2012.
Boston Globe reports the Salvation Army found an unusual surprise inside one of its red donation kettles: a diamond engagement ring given by a widow in honour of her late husband. The charity said Monday the anonymous benefactor placed the diamond ring – valued at $1,850 (€1,500) – and her wedding band in one of the kettles placed outside Boston’s North Station last week.