The following are the top stories in the national and international press today.
Times of Malta says a serial fraudster is facing legal action after collecting more than €75,000 in social benefits he was not entitled to. In another story, it says a former police inspector’s links to a “dubious” Paceville night club owner and his business relationship with the Gaffarena family have been exposed by an inquiry into a “compromised” murder investigation.
L-Orizzont also leads with the inquiry report saying it found that former inspector Daniel Zammit had not been ethical in his behaviour.
The Malta Independent says a rat infestation has been reported in Mqabba with residents complaining to their council about the situation since March.
In-Nazzjon says the Opposition has requested the Auditor General to investigate contracts signed by the government on the new power station.
International news
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has defeated a bid by dissenters in his left-wing Syriza party to push for an end to bailout talks and an exit from the euro currency. Kathimerini reports Syriza’s governing central committee early today backed a proposal by Tsipras to hold an emergency party conference in September, after the talks have been concluded.
Australia’s ABC TV says the piece of plane debris washed up on the French department of Reunion Island has been sent to France for further investigation. Speculation is rife it could belong to the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which disappeared in March 2014 less than an hour into a voyage from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
According to ANSAmed, the internationally-recognised Libyan government of Tobruk has asked the United Nations to put pressure on the National Congress of Tripoli to sign the latest draft agreement in Morocco aimed at creating a government national unity. Tobruk also calls on the international community to take individual sanctions against those obstructing the agreement.
Il Tempo says the situation at Fiumicino airport remains critical after a fire on Wednesday and a blackout yesterday morning resulted in heavy delays. Low-cost flights were the ones most affected by the blackout and a complete return to normality might take longer for these airlines. Spanish low-cost airline Vueling was heavily affected and was forced to cancel numerous flights.
Avvenire quotes a report by Caritas showing more than 100 million Christians in the world are suffering discrimination, persecution and violence at the hands of totalitarian regimes and countries that follow other religions - North Korea, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Somalia and Sudan. A total of 4,344 Christians were killed in sectarian violence and 1,062 churches were attacked worldwide between November 2013 and October 2014, .
The Jerusalem Post reports six people at Jerusalem’s annual Gay Pride have been stabbed, reportedly by an Orthodox Jewish man who police say had launched a similar attack on the parade 10 years ago. The suspect, identified as Yishai Schlissel, had only been released from prison a few weeks ago after serving a 10-year sentence for attempted murder and aggravated assault. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it a “despicable hate crime”. Other political leaders also condemned the attack.
The New York Times reports the UN General Assembly has unanimously approved a 70-nation-resolution against the trafficking, poaching and illegal trade in wildlife. The approval came shortly after American dentist Walter James Palmer killed a 13-year-old protected lion named Cecil in Zimbabwe, sparking an international outcry.
Sky News understands the British government is considering using military land in England’s South East to park lorries and ease congestion caused by the ongoing migrant crisis in Calais. Prime Minister David Cameron, who will chair a meeting of the government’s emergency Cobra committee later today following his return from a four-day tour of South East Asia, came under heavy criticism for describing the migrants attempting to gain access to Britain as a “swarm”. Acting Labour leader Harriet Harman said: “He should remember he is talking about people not insects.” Up to 100 migrants tried to break through police lines at a petrol station near the Channel Tunnel late yesterday.
El Universal says the death toll as a brakeless lorry crashed into a group of 200 people in the city’ Mazapil, in the central state of Zacatecas, has climbed to 26 dead, including four children. More than 120 others were injured, 10 of whom are in a critical condition.
Astronomy & Astrophysics reports astronomers have found a planetary system with three super-Earths orbiting a bright, dwarf star – one of them likely a volcanic world of molten rock. The four-planet system had been hiding out in the M-shaped, northern hemisphere constellation Cassiopeia, “just” 21 light years from Earth. It comprises four planets, one giant and three super-Earths orbiting a star dubbed HD219134.
Space.com announces a full moon is coming this Friday that is “unlike anything we’ve seen since 2012 and won’t see again until early 2018”. It’s called a blue moon. Despite the name, the colour of the moon will not change. This full moon is special because it’s the second one to occur this month – that’s what a “blue moon” is. The first full moon happened on July 2. The chances of seeing two full moons within the same month is a rare phenomenon that only takes place about once every 30 months.
Nevada Magazine reports the Mob Museum in Las Vegas is setting up an exhibit dedicated to the FIFA corruption scandal. The permanent display entitled “The ‘Beautiful Game’ Turns Ugly” will open at the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement in downtown Las Vegas on September 1. It will feature photos, media clippings and narratives about accusations of bribes and other criminal activity in FIFA. A US indictment citing the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations Act, a federal law known as RICO, was filed against senior FIFA officials last May.