The following are the top stories in the national and international press today.
Times of Malta says says that a quarter of all offences caught by speed cameras are going unpunished, as the owners of foreign registered vehicles cannot be traced. In another story, it reports that employers will start paying a maternity leave contribution equivalent to 30c per €100 for every employee in a move to end discrimination between men and women.
L-Orizzont also leads with the launch of the maternity fund aimed saying this was aimed at removing all forms of discrimination against women.
The Malta Independent says the Commission Against Corruption has started to hear evidence on the alleged ‘abuse of power’ over Parliamentary Secretary Ian Borg’s rural property development.
Malta Today says that under the new planning legislation, the planning minister will have the right to request the planning authority to regularise illegal development.
In-Nazzjon says that Economy Minister Chris Cardona’s rental contract for an apartment in Portomaso was doubtful and raised more questions than it answered.
International news
Kathimerini reports the Greek government has submitted to parliament the second batch of reforms demanded by creditors as a precursor to talks on the country’s multi-billion euro bailout. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has until tonight to secure parliament’s approval of the measures that apply the new EU rules for bailing out banks in difficulty, introduced after the financial crisis of 2008. The law also includes reform of the civil justice system to speed up trials and reduce costs.
Meanwhile, Ta Nea says the civil servants’ union plans a rally outside parliament late tonight, when the vote on the reforms is due to take place. According to some analysts the coalition government might be forced to call early elections in the coming months if Syriza MPs continue to vote against the government. However, the prime minister, who reshuffled his cabinet four days ago, hopes to continue with a minority government to support the new loan agreements signed on July 12 in Brussels between Athens and the Eurozone countries.
The Wall Street Journal reports Standard & Poor’s has raised its rating of Greece from CCC- to CCC +. S & P said in a statement the outlook is stable, noting that the risk that Greece will leave the euro area is less than 50 per cent, although there is still a 33 per cent possibility.
The total number of immigrants arriving in Italy in 2015 could reach 200,000, surpassing the 2013 and 2014 annual figure of 170,000. Ansa quotes Giovanni Pinto, Director of Central Immigration and Border Police, saying he was informed that in Niger and Nigeria they’re preparing camps for 500,000 displaced people, referring to those fleeing Boko Haram militants.
Some 43 per cent of Labour supporters would back left-wing MP Jeremy Corbyn as the party’s new leader, a YouGov poll for The Times suggests. The results are a setback for Blairites as their candidate Liz Kendall is trailing in last place on 11 per cent. Bookies’ favourite Andy Burnham was on 26 per cent while the remaining candidate Yvette Cooper was currently in third place on 20 per cent in the poll. The study also predicts Corbyn would defeat Burnham 53 per cent to 47per cent in the final round.
Turkish security forces had repeatedly warned about seven ISIL militants who crossed into Turkey illegally, planning to stage deadly attacks against targets in the country, Hurriyet reports. The National Intelligence Organisation informed security forces about possible attacks by ISIL members on June 22 and July 3. Police started operations against ISIL in several cities, detaining around 97 people. However, security forces reportedly failed to reach seven of the targets in the raids.
El Pais says three freelance journalists from Spain have disappeared in Syria, according to a journalists’ federation. They were working in the area around Aleppo, where government and rebel forces have been fighting for control. The Spanish government fears they have been kidnapped.
The European Court of Human Rights has criticised Italy for failing to provide legal recognition for same-sex couples, saying this violated their rights. Adnkronos reports the case was brought before the Strasbourg court by three gay couples in long-term relationships who lived in the northern cities of Trento, Milan and Lissone whose municipalities had refused to recognise their marriages.
Fox News says US authorities are investigating the death of a black woman who was found hanged in a jail cell in what her family and supporters allege was a murder. Authorities say Sandra Bland, 28 hanged herself with a plastic garbage bag July 13, three days after her arrest during a confrontational traffic stop.
Bloomberg reports Toshiba’s chief executive and president, Hiseo Tanaka, and seven members of the Japanese company’s board of directors have resigned after a probe by an independent panel of experts uncovered the “systematic inflation” of the firm’s profits for $1.2 billion over the years. Tanaka did not deny the findings, merely stating that it was not his intention to encourage the accounting irregularities.
Ansa quotes a report by EU intellectual property agency OHIM which shows Italy is the European Union member state that suffers the most as a result of counterfeiting activities in the fashion sector. Counterfeit clothes, shoes and accessories cost Italian producers and distributors €4.5 billion in lost revenues annually and the overall EU-wide damage is estimated at €26.3 billion in lost annual sales. The report said that the trend also leads to the loss of 49,482 jobs directly connected to the sector in Italy and 362,625 jobs in the 28-member bloc.
Manchester Evening News reports a Manchester United fan has got his sight back for the first time in 10 years after receiving a state-of-the-art “bionic eye” and can’t wait for the new Premier League season. Ray Flynn, 80, from Audenshaw, Manchester, has AMD – advanced dry age related macular degeneration – and is the first patient with AMD in the world to undergo such a procedure. The retired engineer is also believed to be the first human being to benefit from natural and artificial sight at the same time.
The police photographer called to the Oscar Pistorius crime scene has spoken of the trauma and nightmares he still suffers. Mail and Guardian says Morne du Toit accused bosses of ignoring his deteriorating mental health and refusing to put him on a medical pension after the scene he found at Pistorius’ house convinced him it was time to leave the police. Pictures of the crime scene showed a trail of blood from the bathroom, flecks of blood on the wall, on the sofa downstairs and on the landing. du Toit claims what he encountered that day continues to haunt his dreams.
The BBC announces the death of Theodore Bikel, best known for his role as Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof. He was 91. First taking the role in 1967, Bikel went on to play Tevye more than 2,000 times on Broadway. He created the stage role of Captain von Trapp in the original 1959 Broadway production of The Sound of Music. A prominent film actor, he starred in over 150 films including The African Queen and My Fair Lady. In 1958 he was nominated for an Oscar for his role as Sheriff Max Muller in The Defiant Ones.