The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Times says that scientists have managed to breed tuna in a natural manner. In another story it says that the behaviour of the girl who stripped naked on Regional Road last Wednesday has surprised her closest friends.
The Malta Independent also refers to the girl’s story saying that she was not drunk when she stripped naked. In another story, it says that Sliema mayor Nikki Dimech is convinced that the motion of no confidence in him was being planned before the police embarked on their investigation.
l-Orizzont quoted Mr Dimech alleging that the Sliema council had been given clear instructions by PN general secretary Paul Borg Olivier for the council to give a waste contract to GRTU’s company GreenMT.
In-Nazzjon says that the former Siggiewi PL club has now been returned to the community. It also refers to the US ambassador’s accident in California.
The overseas press:
The New York Times reports that a UN investigation has concluded that crimes allegedly committed against Rwandan Hutu refugees and Congolese Hutans in the Democratic Republic of Congo could be classified as genocide. A draft report covering 10 years of atrocities between 1993 and 2003 documents “widespread and systematic attacks” by the Rwandan army and the Congolese rebel movement. The Rwanda government said the UN report was rubbish.
Meanwhile, Panapress quotes DR Congo Information Minister Lambert Mende saying his country’s army needed more on-the-ground support for its security forces from the international community to prevent brutal rebel attacks such as the recent mass gang-rape of some 200 women and children. He also charged that the UN exaggerated the amount of rape in DRC.
Asia Observer reports the Taliban have hinted they might launch attacks against foreign flood relief workers in Pakistan, saying their presence was "unacceptable". Pakistani Taliban spokesman Azam Tariq claimed that the US and other countries were not really focused on providing aid to flood victims, but had other "intentions" which he did not specify.
Pak Tribune says officials have urged anyone left in three southern towns to evacuate immediately as water broke through an embankment, endangering areas previously untouched by the country's flooding disaster.
The Times says Downing Street has been asked to review its security arrangements after David Cameron narrowly avoided a deadly attack during a recent trip to Afghanistan. The Prime Minister’s Chinook was forced to make an emergency diversion as it flew towards army bases in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan.
Le Monde says some 300 more Roma were deported from airports in Paris and Lyon in the latest wave of what the French government calls a voluntary repatriation scheme, bringing the total number of Roma expelled from France this year to more than 8,000. Amnesty International said it was alarmed about the stigmatization of the Roma.
Le Canard Enchaine reveals that former French President Jacques Chirac and his conservative UMP party have agreed to pay the city more than two million euros to drop its embezzlement cases against him. The civil suit had alleged that Chirac and the party created 21 contracts for fake jobs during his tenure as the mayor of Paris between 1977 and 1995 paid out of the city's coffers to the tune of 4.5 million euros.
The English-language Press TV reports that Iran has submitted a proposal to Russia to jointly produce nuclear fuel for its Bushehr nuclear power plant and any future facilities. The head of Iran's nuclear programme, Ali Akbar Salehi, said Moscow was "studying the proposal".
The Washington Times says outgoing BP chief executive Tony Hayward has refused a US requests to appear at a hearing next month over the release of Abdelbaset Al Megrahi, the Libyan man convicted of bombing Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie. Mr Hayward said in a letter that he was focusing on ensuring a smooth transition of leadership at the company and would be unable to testify.
Metro says a mother who was told her newborn son was dead brought him back to life with two hours of cuddling. Jamie was born prematurely at 27 weeks, weighing just 1 kilo. His twin sister, Emily, survived but Jamie was declared dead after 20 minutes trying to get him to breathe. But after two hours of being spoken to, cuddled and held, he began showing signs of life. Then, after being given breast milk on his mother’s finger, he began breathing regularly.
Deutsche Welle reports 28-year-old Nadja Benaissa, a singer in a German girl band, has been given a two-year suspended prison sentence and 300 hours community service after she was convicted of causing bodily harm to her ex-boyfriend by having unprotected sex with him, despite knowing she was infected with HIV. She had faced a possible 10 years behind bars.
Bangkok Post says a 275 kilo woman, believed to be the heaviest in Thailand, has left her apartment for the first time in three years – with the help of a forklift. Neighbours of the 40-year-old woman had contacted the authorities when they learned she needed medical attention to remove a tumour in her right leg. Her treatment will involve removing the tumour and reducing her weight, which doctors suspect may be due to thyroid problems. The woman said her dream was to go to the beach once the treatment was completed.