The following are the top stories in the national and international press today.
Times of Malta says meat eaters fearing that by consuming processed meats they are putting themselves at as much risk of cancer as smokers need not
change their dietary habits just yet. In another story, it says preparations for the Valletta 2018 festivities are “lagging behind” and some aspects still remain unclear.
Malta Today says that Joe Gaffarena refused money for a car acquired by former minister Joe Cassar.
L-Orizzont says that Enemalta is in the process of collecting nearly €1 million from one client.
The Malta Independent says that according to Parliamentary Secretary Justyne Caruana legislation for the proposed hub for persons with disabilities would be in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability.
In-Nazzjon reports on the Opposition's proposal for members of the judiciary to start declaring their assets.
International news
Germany’s Die Zeit reports that some 26 million children and youths in EU countries face the risk of poverty. Research by the Bertelsmann Foundation in all EU-member states revealed young people in Europe have been the biggest losers from the economic and debt crisis in the past years. These fears concern 30 per cent of all youths under 18. Over five million of them stand a slim chance of a change in the future. According to research results, besides the “young-old” division, there is a clear “dividing line” between the European north and south.
Le Soir quotes European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker saying that it would be possible to “apply flexibility” in the EU budget regulations due to the cost member states are facing in dealing with the refugee crisis. The head of the EU executive stressed that this was necessary because “we are faced with an exceptional situation”. But, he added, all requests would be considered on a “country-by-country” basis.
Xinhua reports China has denounced what it called a “dangerous and provocative” act after the American warship USS Lassen, a guided-missile destroyer, sailed within 12 nautical miles of a Chinese-built artificial island at the centre of a regional dispute over maritime territory and sea routes. Washington said it is protecting freedom of navigation, but China calls the American naval manoeuver “a provocation”.
The New York Times says the US has again voted against a UN resolution calling for an end to its embargo with Cuba – nearly a year after the two former Cold War rivals announced the restoration of diplomatic ties. The UN General Assembly voted 191-2 in support of ending the embargo, with only the US and Israel expressing their dissent. The US has voted against the resolution every year for the past 24 years.
Fox News reports US federal authorities were investigating whether a deputy’s violent arrest of a student who refused to leave her South Carolina high school math class violated federal civil rights laws. In recorded images posted on social media, the deputy could be seen flipping the girl backward in her desk and tossing her across the classroom floor. A second student who verbally objected to the girl’s treatment was also arrested. Both girls were charged with disturbing schools and released to their parents.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has vowed to use “all political and legal means” to block a Catalan independence bid after separatist parties submitted a Bill on secession to the regional Catalan parliament. El Pais says that in a rare televised address to the nation, Rajoy condemned the Bill as an “act of provocation” which would “have no effect”. Catalan pro-independence parties won a majority of 72 in the 135-seat Catalan parliament in last month’s elections.
Euronews reports two right-wing lawmakers from Poland and Italy have been fined by the European Parliament for raising their arms in a Hitler-like salute. Janusz Korwin-Mikke, of Poland’s Congress of the New Right, and Gianluca Buonanno, of Italy’s Lega Nord, each received a 10-day suspension and a fine of €3,060. The incidents that led to the sanctions occurred separately.
According to The Jerusalem Post, an Israeli court has ordered the jailing of a firebrand Islamist cleric whose group has been accused of inciting a wave of violence over Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque compound. Fresh violence erupted yesterday evening, with two Palestinians stabbing and moderately wounding an Israeli soldier in the West Bank before being shot dead.
The European Commission has “closely examined” the World Health report on the carcinogenic effects of sausages and red meat and “taken account of the conclusions”. Radio 1 quotes Enrico Brivio, a spokesman for the European Commissioner with responsibility for Health and Food Safety saying that in any case the Commission acts on two fronts: the promotion of a healthy and balanced diet and healthy lifestyles that include physical activity. But, he added, “European standards on foods provide the highest standards of safety.”
Meanwhile, Ansa reports WHO assistant director-general Oleg Chestnov has said some foods needed to be limited as part of a healthy diet but did not need to be completely eliminated. On the sidelines of a conference on food and nutrition organised by the Italian Health Ministry at the Expo world fair, Chestnov said the document linking red meats to cancer was aimed mainly at politicians, so that they could regulate the sector appropriately within their borders.
And The Washington Post says US President Barack Obama yesterday ignored the WHO warning by lunching on a hamburger with bacon on Air Force One. Obama loves hamburgers and a blogger apparently nicknamed named him “President Obeef” because of his well-documented penchant for cheeseburgers.
Bild reports a court in Dusseldorf has banned “misleading” advertising for a condom brand that promised “21 orgasms”. The producer defended itself by saying that it was a joke, but Judge Johanna Brueckner-Hofmann was not amused at all. She stressed condoms are medical products that are used to prevent unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases and therefore require “particularly strict standards” regarding the instructions of use. Advertising could mislead consumers about the fact that these are products that cannot be re-used.