The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press. The local newspapers are dominated by yesterday’s fatal shooting of a lawyer in Birkirkara.
Times of Malta says the murder victim had been threatened two years ago.
The Malta Independent reports how the lawyer was gunned down in Birkirkara.
In-Nazzjon says the lawyer was killed in a planned shooting.
l-orizzont gives prominence to the change at the top of the GWU with the retirement of Tony Zarb. Josef Bugeja has taken over.
The overseas press
ABC reports German Chancellor Angela Merkel is being tipped as a frontrunner to win the Nobel Peace Prize for her bold stance on the refugee crisis. Norway’s state broadcaster NRK said Pope Francis’ opposition to nuclear weapons boosted his chances, alongside his help in brokering a deal between the United States and Cuba, and his encyclical on climate change. Private broadcaster TV2 reported Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and US Secretary of State John Kerry were also considered in the final round of deliberations by the committee which is due to announce the winner in Oslo today at 11.00 a.m. (Malta time).
According to Libya Herald, UN envoy Bernardino Leon has announced the prime minister of new unity government is Faiez Al-Serraj, the member of the House of Representatives for the west Tripoli suburb of Hay Andalous. In a dramatic late-night announcement, Leon said he had won agreement on Serraj’s appointment from the Libya Dialogue delegates who have been negotiating the peace plan.
Sputnik says that both Russia and Tehran have denied US reports that four of Russia’s cruise missiles targeting Islamic State militants actually fell to the ground in Iran. Russia’s Defence Ministry stated all missiles hit their designated targets.
LBC reports a group of MPs and business leaders has launched a new campaign for Britain to leave the EU – with multi-millionaire donors named as its treasurers. The ‘Vote Leave’ campaign includes Labour, Conservative and UKIP politicians. It wants a free trade deal and “friendly cooperation” with the 28-country bloc and an independent say at institutions such as the World Trade Organisation.
Jerusalem Post reports Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged firm action against what he called “wave of terror” plaguing Israel and the Palestinian. Clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli security forces in the West Bank have sparked fears that a third Palestinian uprising, or intifada, could erupt.
Meanwhile, Al Ayyam quotes Palestinian President Madmoud Abbas urging Israel to keep away from holy sites such as al-Aqsa mosque and the Palestinians to refrain from violence. He also said that he wanted to avoid armed confrontation with Israel
Massive oil reserves have been located in the Golan Heights, close to Israel’s border with Syria. Afek Oil and Gas, an Israeli subsidiary of the Genie Energy, confirmed the find in an interview with Israel’s Channel 2 TV but conceded that until the oil is actually extracted, they won’t be sure of the actual amounts and quality of the oil that has been discovered.
The Associated Press says the crush and stampede last month outside of Saudi Arabia’s holy city of Mecca killed at least 1,400 people during the hajj pilgrimage. A new tally showed 630 more than the kingdom’s official toll.
Il Tempo reports Rome Mayor Ignazio Marino has resigned over accusations that he wined and dined friends and family using city funds. Marino subsequently announced he would refund expenses of €20,000 from his own pocket and also relinquish his City of Rome credit card.
Medicinenet announces a new drug for multiple sclerosis patients has been shown to dramatically reduce the progression of the disease. The treatment is being described by experts as a “game-changer”. But Ed Holloway, director of the UK MS Society, has said one shouldn’t be too hopeful yet.
Ansa reports a seven-year-old child has been saved from a serious food allergy by a special “blood wash” treatment practised for the first time in the world by Rome’s Bambino Gesù children’s hospital. The boy, Michele, suffered a very serious form of allergy to foods, including milk, eggs, fish and fruit, which combined with asthma, caused a series of bad fits.
The New York Times says a Chinese immigrant who butchered five relatives with a meat cleaver in a fit of jealousy has been sentenced to at least 125 years in prison after pleading guilty to murder. Mingdong Chen admitted to killing 37-year-old Qiao Zhen Li and her children Linda, nine; Amy, seven; Kevin, five; and 18-month-old William Zhou in October 2013.
Sport reports Spanish authorities have asked that Lionel Messi be given a 22-month jail sentence for alleged tax dodging. The Barcelona and Argentina star and his father Jorge have been charged with evading more than €4 million in taxes between 2007 and 2009 by funnelling income through companies in Belize and Uruguay responsible for selling his image rights. The contracts involved companies like Danone, Adidas, Pepsi-Cola and Procter and Gamble.