The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Times reports that Dom Mintoff’s funeral will be held on Saturday morning. It features several interviews with people who knew Dom Mintoff.
The Malta Independent says the Labour Party has described itself as being orphaned.
MaltaToday says Mintoff was the man who shaped Malta for better or worse.
l-orizzont quotes Oliver Friggieri saying that Mintoff was a great leader of a small country.
In-Nazzjon announces Saturday’s state funeral. It also reports that the number of cruise line passengers increased in the past seven months.
The overseas press
ABC quotes University of Colorado researchers saying the Arctic ice cap is melting at a startlingly rapid rate and may shrink to its smallest-ever level within weeks as the planet's temperatures rise. The rapid melt affects local people's lifestyles and scientists warn of serious consequences for the rest of the planet. The Arctic ice cap serves a vital function by reflecting light and hence keeps the earth cool. Scientists said it was possible the rapid melt was a factor in severe storms witnessed worldwide in recent years as it changed the nature of the planet's temperature gradients.
Pravda reports Syria’s deputy Prime Minister Qadri Jamil has said the West was looking for an excuse to engage in military intervention in his country. Speaking during a visit to Moscow, Jamil said the government was prepared to discuss the exit of President Assad, as part of unconditional talks to end months of escalating conflict but the West’s demands for the removal of Assad as a pre-condition to talks was “unacceptable”. He reiterated that sending western forces in Syria would lead to a wider war in the Middle East and dismissed President Obama’s warning about what would happen if Syria were to use chemical weapons, calling it “election year propaganda”.
The New York Times says aid agencies have called on the UN Security Council to reach an agreement with the Syrian authorities on humanitarian access. They said innocent Syrians in dire need of food, water and essential services should not be held hostage to the ongoing political deadlock.
According to Gazete Oku, President Abdullah Gul of Turkey has called a fatal bomb attack on the town of Gaziantep a "crime against humanity" and lamented the deaths of the nine victims, including four children. Gul said in a statement he shared the pain of the families who lost loved ones and condemned those responsible for the car bomb that exploded near a police station in southeastern Turkey, near the country's border with Syria. In addition to the nine deaths, 69 other people were wounded.
The Wall Street Journal reports ratings agency Standard & Poor's warning that the odds of the United States slipping back into recession were on the rise. The American firm has raised the chance of a double-dip recession in the US to 25 per cent, up from 20 per cent in February. S&P underscored concern about the impact of a recession in the 17-nation eurozone, whose economy contracted 0.2 per cent in the second quarter, forecasting a 0.6 per cent contraction this year. It said the European debt crisis added greater uncertainty to next year’s US economic prospects.
Detroit Free Press says US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has joined several other party officials in calling on Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin to withdraw from the race over inflammatory remarks he made about rape. Todd Akin cause uproar by suggesting women’s bodies could prevent pregnancy in certain cases of “legitimate rape”. Romney said Akin's remarks were "offensive and wrong", but he stopped short of urging him to drop out. Meanwhile, in a sombre, 30-second spot, Missouri congressman Todd Akin has asked voters for forgiveness. Looking directly at the camera he said that rape “is an evil act" and admitted he had used the wrong words in the wrong way.
The International Herald Tribune reports world leaders have paid tribute to the late Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who died in Monday after more than 20 years in power. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Meles would be remembered "for his exceptional leadership on African issues within and outside the continent" and for overseeing his country's economic development. President Obama said Meles deserved recognition for his contribution to Ethiopia’s development and his commitment to helping the country’s poor. Large crowds, carrying candles, ran alongside the hearse as it made its way through Addis Ababa on arrival from Brussels. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Hailemariam Desalegn would take over until elections in 2015.
Times of India says Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has come under pressure to resign because of his involvement in the allocation of coal reserves to private companies. Between 2005 and 2009, 57 coal licences were issued to private companies on a nomination basis and not through a competitive auction. India's auditor-general says as a result, the so-called "coalgate" scandal has cost Indian taxpayers an estimated €26 billion in revenue.
Afghan militants fired rockets on a US airbase in Afghanistan, damaging a plane used by America’s top military officer. A spokesman told VOA that Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, General Martin Dempsey was in his room and nowhere near the aircraft when two rockets landed near it on Bagram Airbase. He later left the base in another plane. Shrapnel from the attack slightly wounded two ground staff members and also damaged a helicopter. The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attack.
Latin Trade quotes a study by the United Nations which suggests that the gap between the rich and the poor in much of Latin America was widening. The report, by the UN Human Settlement Programme, said that the richest 20 per cent of the population earn on average 20 times more than the poorest 20 per cent.
CBS News says Nasa has reported that its Curiosity rover mission to Mars has sustained damage to its wind sensors. The mission team said it was not a major problem. NASA had earlier said it would send a new robot probe to Mars in a bid to shed light on how rocky planets like the Earth were created. The new probe, called InSight, would be launched in 2016.
At dawn today, four groups of Scouts and mountaineers climbed the highest peaks of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and used traditional techniques to kindle flames that were brought together to form the London 2012 Paralympic Flame. The Telegraph says the flames were then transferred to each nation’s capital city where they would become the focus for a day of Paralympic celebrations. Next Tuesday, the four Flames would be united in Stoke Mandeville to create the London 2012 Paralympic Flame, which will be carried 92 miles by 580 inspirational torch bearers to the Olympic Stadium.
Meanwhile, Northern Irish Police have charged three members of the Jordanian Paralympic squad with sexual offences. The BBC reports one of the man is charged with abusing a child. The 18-strong Jordanian squad is one of 17 international Paralympic teams to have trained in Northern Ireland ahead of the London 2012 Games, which open on August 29.