The following are the top stories in the national and international press today.
Times of Malta says three Maltese hunters were arrested in Argentina and are facing criminal procedures in court over several illegal hunting activities. In another story, it says tempers flared yesterday as drivers got stuck in a massive traffic jam that snaked through the main roads of St Paul’s Bay after the Coast Road was temporarily closed for works.
Malta Today says that after his disciplinary transfer to the Valletta police station, former police inspector Daniel Zammit was transferred back as a investigator to the Economic Crimes Unit after March 2013 under political pressure from the Home Affairs Ministry.
The Malta Independent says there are no plans to downsize staff at Air Malta according to Tourism Minister Edward Zammit Lewis. It also says that Police Commissioner Michael Cassar and head of security for international events Peter Paul Zammit both earn €38,937 a year.
In-Nazzjon says police in Italy have seized the sixth car in one of a series of operations in the past months dealing with the theft and illegal trafficking of cars to Malta.
L-Orizzont reports that Foreign Minister George Vella was taken ill in Beijing during a visit for talks with the Chinese authorities.
International news
France 24 reports attempts by migrants desperate to reach England through the Channel Tunnel reached a new peak overnight, as about 2,000 migrants tried to enter the Eurotunnel terminal in the French port town of Calais. The migrants tried to break through the terminal’s security fence, causing some services to be cancelled or delayed.
Meanwhile, Channel 4 says British Home Secretary Theresa May announced an extra £7 million (€10 million) – in addition to the £15 million already promised – towards improving security at the French end of the Channel tunnel. Some 3,000 migrants, mainly from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan and Afghanistan, are camped out in Calais trying to reach Britain illegally.
Time reports US Secretary of State John Kerry has intensified efforts to beat back criticism of the Iran nuclear deal and convince US lawmakers that rejecting it would give Tehran a fast track to a weapon and access to billions of dollars from collapsed sanctions. Congress has until September 17 to endorse or reject it.
Euronews announces Amnesty International has deplored the “appalling” death sentences handed by a Libyan court to nine ex-Gaddafi officials, including one of his sons, his intelligence chief and last prime minister. It said the sentencing of over 30 Gaddafi-era officials in a trial “marred with serious flaws” highlighted Libya’s inability to bring people to justice according to international standards of fairness. Libya’s attorney general said lawyers could appeal against the sentences.
Jonathan Pollard, the former US Navy intelligence analyst whose conviction of spying for Israel stoked fierce international passions, has been granted parole and will be released from prison in November after nearly 30 years, according to The New York Times. The decision to free Pollard from his life sentence caps an extraordinary espionage case that spurred decades of legal and diplomatic wrangling.
Le Soir says at least 10 Nato members have requested Turkey to keep its dialogue with the Kurds open. Ambassadors meeting in Brussels, confirmed the “alliance’s compactness” in supporting Turkey’s initiatives to combat terrorism.
Closing a historic visit to Africa, President Barack Obama has urged the continent’s leaders to willingly and peacefully leave office when their terms expire. Reporter quotes him saying “I don’t understand this” phenomenon of leaders who refuse to step aside when their terms end, Obama said, referring to Burundi’s President Pierre Nkurunziza, who was just elected to a controversial third term, although he is constitutionally limited to two.
Ansa reports Italy’s highest appeals court has confirmed a 20-year prison sentence handed to an Egyptian man who raped and robbed dozens of young women in Milan. It rejected Sameh El Megey’s request for his sentence to be reduced. The 31-year-old often attacked the women while they were jogging.
The Sun says embattled Lord John Sewell has resigned from Britain’s House of Lords, apologising for causing “pain and embarrassment” after he was filmed allegedly snorting cocaine during sessions with sex workers. The 69-year-old is at the centre of a political sleaze scandal after the tabloid ran images appearing to show him snorting white powder through a rolled-up banknote and lounging in an orange bra.
Avvenire reports Pope Francis has made a passionate pleas to young Catholics not to fear wedlock. “Dear young friends, do not be afraid of marriage: Christ accompanies with his grace all spouses who remain united to him,” Pope Francis wrote on his Twitter account, which has over 22 million followers.
Most British nationals lead with the news that an American dentist has expressed regret for killing a much-loved Zimbabwean lion called Cecil, explaining he was relying on his guides “to ensure a legal hunt”. The Daily Telegraph says Walter Palmer had come under fierce criticism after he was named as the hunter who killed Cecil, amid allegations it took the lion 40 hours to die.
Prison seamstress Joyce Mitchell, who pleaded guilty to helping two inmates escape, told investigators that she performed sexual acts on one of the men and sent X-rated selfies to the other and knew the duo planned to kill her husband, police documents obtained by NBC News show. Mitchell, 51, told investigators that inmates Richard Matt and David Sweat nicknamed her husband, Lyle, “the glitch” and gave her small round pills to drug him with. Mitchell, 51, could get up to seven years when she is sentenced next month.
An Egyptian belly dancer and a singer are currently in prison near Cairo awaiting to trial on charges of “inciting obscenity, spreading depravity and shameful acts,” the Arabic Youm7 website reports. Belly dancer Bardis and singer Shakira were arrested after video clips featuring the women wearing skimpy dresses and girating their hips were posted on the internet.
Bild reports 70 years after the end of World War II, the stadia built by the Nazis for the 1936 Olympics are hosting the biggest Jewish sporting competition in Europe – the XIV edition of the European Maccabi Games in Berlin. More than 2,000 Jewish athletes from 36 countries compete in 19 sports including badminton, basketball, chess and volleyball. German President Joachim Gauck officially declared the games open yesterday evening.
Metro says a crowd of hundreds roared as an eight-year-old cerebral palsy sufferer completed a triathlon in North Yorkshire – on foot. Bailey Matthews cast aside his specially adapted walking frame to finish unaided. Hundreds had gathered to see Bailey complete the 100m swim, 4km bike ride and 1.3km run at Castle Howard Triathlon in North Yorkshire. His mum Julie said: “You can see his little face when he came round and saw everyone cheering! That was his way of finishing in style and showing everyone what he could do.”