The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Times reports that five detention officers involved in the death of a migrant in April 2011 are still awaiting disciplinary action. It also reports how Richard Cachia Caruana earned €143,000 annually.
The Malta Independent says Silvio Mangion made jokes about being a serial killer. He is facing trial for a third murder.
l-orizzont reports on the same case that Mangion asked the police whether he could plead insanity.
MaltaToday quotes Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando saying the prime minister can call an election if he is expelled from the PN.
In-Nazzjon reports that Maltese and foreign doctors have started specialisation courses in Malta, avoiding the need for Maltese doctors to continue studying abroad.
The overseas press
Dawn says Pakistan has reopened NATO supply lines into Afghanistan, after Washington apologised for a NATO air strike on a Pakistani border post that left 24 soldiers dead last November. The bitter seven-month stalemate had complicated the American troop withdrawal from Afghanistan and threatened counter-terrorism cooperation. The agreement drew an angry response from the Pakistani Taliban, which threatened to attack NATO supply trucks and kill the drivers if the convoys resume.
CNN quotes Human Rights Watch saying it had uncovered a network of government torture chambers in Syria. The group has identified 27 detention centres it said intelligence agencies have been using since March 2011, when president Bashar al-Assad's government began a deadly crackdown on anti-regime protests. The report said torture methods include prolonged beatings, electric shocks, burning with sulphuric acid, sexual assault, and the removal of fingernails. Human Rights Watch has called for the UN Security Council to refer Syria to the International Criminal Court and impose sanctions on officials carrying out abuse. The United Nations has said more than 10,000 people have been killed during the 16-month Syria conflict.
According to the Financial Times, politicians in Britain have welcomed the resignation of Bob Diamond as CEO of Barclays, one of the country’s biggest banks. Barclays had faced criticism and been heavily fined for manipulating interest rates. Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne said Diamond’s resignation was the first step towards a new age of responsibility.
France 24 reports French police have raided the home of the former president Nicolas Sarkozy and the premises of the law firm to which he now belongs, two months after he was voted out of office. An investigating magistrate is looking into claims that staff acting for the L'Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt gave €150,000 in cash to Sarkozy's aides during his bid to become president in 2007. His presidential immunity ended on June 16. Individual campaign contributions in France are limited to just €4,600.
El Universal says the runner-up in Mexico’ presidential election Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, of the left-wing PRD, has asked for a recount of the votes cast in Sunday’s election. He said there had been “inconsistencies” at more than 75 per cent of the polling booths and refused to concede victory after rival Enrique Pena Nieto came first in preliminary results. With 99 per cent of votes counted, Pena Nieto had a six percentage point lead. The final results are expected later today.
Huffington Post reports a judge in Texas has found an American pilot insane and therefore not guilty of interfering with the flight after his aircraft had to make an emergency landing last March. JetBlue pilot Clayton Osbon was wrestled to the floor by passengers after he began screaming about a bomb and terrorists.
The New York Times says the first-ever over-the counter self-testing kit for the Aids virus has been approved for sale in the United States. The product uses a mouth swab to detect anti-bodies in saliva and gives the result in less than 40 minutes.
Herald Sun announces the death of American television star Andy Griffith, aged 86. He was the star of the 1960s programme The Andy Griffith Show, as well as the 1980s legal drama Matlock. Despite his later success with Matlock, it was the role of Sheriff Andy Taylor on the The Andy Griffith Show in the 1960s that gave him a place in television history.
The Mirror says Britain has confirmed it would deploy missile defence systems in residential areas of London, including on the roof of a block of apartments, to defend against any air attack on the Olympic Games. The plan has angered people leaving nearby, who have launched legal action to block the move, which they say will endanger lives due to the possibility of accidents and the prospect that aircraft could be shot down over densely populated areas.
The Wall Street Journal reports Manchester United – one of the leading clubs in English football – has filed to become a listed company on the New York stock exchange. In its application, the club said it hoped to raise up to $100 million in an initial public offering which would go towards paying off debts.