The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press.
The Times of Malta reports how a man was stabbed to death in a row over loud music. It also reports about the rampant theft of electricity.
The Malta Independent also leads with yesterday's murder, reporting how a Serbian man was stabbed through the heart.
MaltaToday reports how an Enemalta probe found over 1,000 tampered smart meters.
In-Nazzjon leads with a PN statement that the government should not continue to obstructe the impeachment of Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco.
l-orizzont says a solution has been confirmed for workers laid off from Arrow Pharm.
The overseas press
Sky News reports British Prime Minister David Cameron has pledged “any aid necessary” to combat floods that have hit the south of England as he said the military would be given a bigger role in the relief effort. The Daily Mail says 100,000 people have signed the Mail’s petition calling for foreign aid cash to go to British flood victims. Cameron has cancelled a trip to the Middle East because of the situation.
Al Arabiya said aid agencies are hoping to resume the evacuation of civilians from Syria’s besieged city of Homs, a day after the operation was suspended. Hundreds of civilians remained trapped in the old city – a hub of the revolt against President Bashar al-Assad.
Huffington Post says that in an annual review of Press freedom, Reporters Without Borders has said the crisis in Syria has had its impact on media throughput the region. The organisation says events in Syria have reinforced media polarisation in Lebanon, encouraged, encouraged Jordan to tighten its grip and helped to ac celebrate the spiral of violence in Iraq.
The Wall Street Journal reports the Republican-controlled US House of Representatives has narrowly approved a Bill raising the debt ceiling for one year. It ensures the government would not default on its debts at the end of the month. The Bill will now go to the Senate, which is controlled by Democrats.
The New York Times quotes UN Secretary General Ban Ki moon warning that the sectarian violence in the Central African Republic could lead to a de facto partition of the country into Christian and Muslim regions. He has asked France to send more troops to the country. Amnesty International said today “ethnic cleansing” was being carried out against Muslim civilians, with international peacekeepers unable to prevent it.
Al Manar TV reports thousands of people have gathered in a small town in northern Israel to see a statue of the Virgin Mary that a family claims is “weeping oil”. The Christian family from Tarshiha, close to the border with Lebanon, says the statue is “covered with oil” and that the phenomenon is a miracle. The Khoury family bought the statue last year, but only recently noticed it was “weeping”. Amira Khoury said the “weeping” statue made her want to pray more.
Worldwide, one woman in 14 has been sexually assaulted by someone other than a partner, according to the first global estimate of the problem, published on today. Its authors wrote in The Lancet that despite important gaps in data, the overall picture was clear: sex attacks on women are a big and widely overlooked problem. The highest rates were in sub-Saharan Africa, the lowest was in South Asia and north Africa and the Middle East. Within Europe, three countries in the east (Lithuania, Ukraine, Azerbaijan) had a lower level of sexual assault (6.9 percent) than countries in the centre (10.7 percent) and west of the continent (11.5 percent). The figure for North America was 13 percent.
ABC News reports a police chase through Melbourne’s outer east early this morning ended with the delivery of a healthy newborn baby. Dandenong police attempted to intercept a car for a routine check just before 2.00 a.m. The driver, Seyha Ng, 38, refused to stop but continued to obey the speed limit and road signs. As he pulled into the emergency entrance of Dandenong Hospital, his wife Metaouk Ing gave birth – shocking both the father and the pursuing police officers.