The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press
The Times of Malta reports how Simon Busuttil went on the attack yesterday over the latest John Dalli revelations.
In a similar vein, In-Nazzjon quotes Dr Busuttil saying the Police Commissioner's position is untenable following testimony in court by his predecessor.
The Malta Independent says the government and opposition clashed on AFM promotions. In another story, John Dalli reiterates that there is no case against him.
l-orizzont reports how some families are burdened by usury, with debts as high as €500,000.
The overseas press
Two major stories lead the international headlines this morning: the UN Security Council’s landmark resolution setting up a plan for the destruction of Syrian chemical weapons and a telephone call between the US and Iranian presidents – breaking almost 35 years of diplomatic freeze.
The BBC said the United States warned Syria it would face consequences if it did not cooperate but Russia said it was not that simple. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the council immediately after the vote, “Today's historic resolution is the first hopeful news on Syria in a long time.”
Fox News says President Barack Obama and new Iranian President Hassan Rouhani spoke by telephone and, in a historic shift from years of unwavering animosity, agreed to work toward resolving their deep dispute over Tehran's nuclear efforts. Rouhani, who earlier in the day called the United States a “great” nation, reached out to arrange the 15-minute call. The last direct conversation between the leaders of the two countries was in 1979 before the Iranian Revolution toppled the pro-US Shah and brought Islamic militants to power.
The Somali-based Islamist group responsible for the attack on a Nairobi shopping mall that killed 67 has issued fresh threats, as Kenyan authorities announced they are holding eight people in connection with the Westgate siege. Jamhuuriya quotes Al Shabaab saying the siege, which took Kenyan soldiers and police four days to end, was “just the premiere of Act 1” and suggested it would be followed by other actions by its “warriors”.
Brazil's state-led oil company, Petroleo Brasileiro SA, and its Indian partners have made a “beautiful” oil discovery off Brazil's north-east coast. O Globo say that while making the announcement, the company's chief executive officer Maria das Graças Silva Foster declined to say how big the discovery is. However, she confirmed the find would produce a minimum 100,000 barrels of petroleum a day starting in 2018.
CCTV reports China's state-owned oil firm China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) has secured a $2-billion deal to develop a petroleum field in Uganda and help propel the east African nation into the club of oil-producing countries. Uganda's junior energy minister Peter Lokeris told AFP this was a major breakthrough for country, confirming it was a milestone towards making Uganda self-sustaining as far as oil and gas production was concerned.
Al Ahram confirms that a senior leader from Egypt's Islamist Muslim Brotherhood movement, Safwat Khalil, has died in jail in the Nile Delta city of Mansoura. Khalil, 59, who had cancer, died in custody on Thursday, shortly after a court ordered his release and that of 48 members of the Muslim Brotherhood. Khalil's death in prison was confirmed by the Muslim Brotherhood, which accused Egyptian authorities of “reluctance” to release Khalil, even after the court order.
ABC reports the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Fifth Assessment Report says there is now a 95 per cent probability that humans are responsible for global warming. It reveals the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has risen by 40 per cent since the pre-industrial era. In the summary for policymakers, the scientists say that sea level is expected to rise by between 26cm (at the low end) and 82cm (at the high end), depending on the greenhouse emissions path this century.
Metro says 129 beauty queens will take to the stage for the glittering Miss World final on the Indonesian island of Bali later today with Muslim hardliners threatening to stage fresh protests and even break through heavy security to rally at the venue. Some hardliners denounced Miss World as a “whore contest”. The event will be broadcast in more than 180 countries.
America's National Security Agency has admitted that some of its spies have been illegally eavesdropping on their partners and spouses. The Washington Post quotes NSA’s inspector general saying there had been 12 confirmed instances of romantic snooping by US spies since 2003. Some of the spies searched telephone records and tapped the communications of partners whom they suspected of infidelity.