The following are the top stories in the national and international press today

The Sunday Times of Malta says the concrete used in some parts of Mater Dei Hospital is estimated to have cost half what Maltese taxpayers were charged for it. In another story, it says Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, who earns almost €60,000 as executive chairman of the government’s science agency, only frequents his office on Wednesdays and is at his dental practice on the other days of the week.

MaltaToday says that a waiver in the Mater Dei contract exonerates Skanska and the Maltese partners.

It-Torca says that the Nationalist government had identified Zonqor as a potential site for a rubbish dump.

The Malta Independent on Sunday says the new university in Zonqor will comprise five colleges with buildings not exceeding three stories.

Illum quotes that according to Health Parliamentary Secretary Chris Fearne consultants Arup never saw such inferior concrete in any public building in Europe.

Il-Mument says the government has supplied Cyrus Engerer with a diplomatic passport.

Kullhadd says that the Nationalist cabinet removed three million metres of land from ODZ in 2006 in spite of more than enough sufficient vacant land for new units up to 2020.

International news

The archbishop of Dublin, Mgr Diarmuid Martin, has told broadcaster RTE that the Church in Ireland needed to take a “reality check” to reconnect with young people following the country’s overwhelming vote in favour of same-sex marriage. The referendum found 62 per cent were in favour of changing the constitution to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry. Constitutional reform should come into force this summer and the first gay marriages  are now likely to take place in the early autumn.

El Mundo says in a ceremony attended by thousands of faithful, Archbishop Oscar Romero was beatified by the Roman Catholic in an emotional ceremony elevating the once-controversial cleric to the ranks of the blessed 35 years after his assassination. Cardinal Angelo Amato, the prefect of the Vatican’s saint-making office, called on the crowd of some 260,000-plus to rejoice in a “feast of peace, fraternity and forgiveness”.

Polskie Radio reports Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski is running neck-and-neck with his right-wing challenger ahead of today’s election run-off. Victory for Andrzej Duda could boost the chances for his Law and Justice Party at parliamentary elections in October.

Kathimerini quotes Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras telling his ruling Syriza party that he is ready to accept a “viable and long-lasting” deal with lenders but not on “humiliating terms”. Although he said negotiations had entered a final stretch, Mr Tsipras hinted there was much ground still to be covered and said the Greek people cannot take more austerity. He also said Greece had done all it could to compromise.

France 24 says a poll has shown most French people are in favour of military intervention by France in Syria – a sharp reversal from a survey in 2013 when the majority opposed government plans for air strikes against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The survey showed that “92 per cent of French say they are personally worried by the situation in Syria”.

Meanwhile, Al Ayyam reports Iraqi forces have started a counter offensive to try to get back control of the city of Ramadi, which Islamic State militants seized earlier this week. A senior Iraqi army commander says IS fighters now pose a real threat to Baghdad, which is just 70 miles away.

According to AFP,the United States said yesterday it was “deeply troubled” after President Putin officially enacted a controversial law banning what Moscow deems to be “undesirable” non-governmental organisations, reported. Under the highly controversial law, authorities can ban foreign NGOs and go after their employees, who risk up to six years in prison or being barred from the country.

Kyiv Post reports a separatist commander in eastern Ukraine was killed along with several other fighters after their car came under attack. The defence ministry of the self-proclaimed Lugansk republic confirmed that Alexey Mozgovoy, the commander of a police battalion in the war-torn region, was among the dead and said it was hunting for the assailants behind the attack.

Meanwhile, Iwacu says a Burundi opposition figure and at least one of his bodyguards have been killed in a drive-by shooting in the capital. The incident risks igniting further tensions in the central African state.

AP says the pipeline that leaked thousands of gallons of oil on the California coast was the only pipe of its kind in the county not required to have an automatic shut-off valve because of a court fight nearly three decades ago. Auto shut-off valves are not required by federal regulators.

VOA News says a white patrolman who fired down through the windshield of a suspect’s car at the end of a 137-shot barrage that left the two unarmed black occupants dead has been acquitted of criminal charges by a judge who said he could not determine the Cleveland officer alone fired the fatal shots. Michael Brelo, 31, put his head in his hands as the judge issued a verdict followed by angry, but peaceful, protests outside the courthouse. Police blocked furious protesters from going inside while across the city others held a mock funeral. Demonstrations lasted into the night and some people were arrested.

According to RTL, a 65-year-old woman has given birth to quadruplets – making her a mother to 17 children. Annegret Raunigk had been criticised by doctors for her decision to have fertilised eggs implanted abroad, amid concerns her body would be physically incapable of bearing the children. However, the three boys and one girl were delivered by caesarean section in Berlin. Although the quadruplets have a strong chance of survival, complications cannot be ruled out because they were born prematurely at 26 weeks. Ms Raunigk is a teacher nearing retirement, and has seven grandchildren.

 

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.