The following are the top stories in the national and international press today.
All national newspapers today lead with the Valletta summit, which is bringing together leaders from European and African nation in a bid to discuss and tackle the migration crisis.
Times of Malta quotes Prime Minister Joseph Muscat saying differences between EU and African countries had been narrowed more than expected during the first day of the summit.
L-Orizzont says the summit yesterday emphasised the main legal issues and reports Dr Muscat saying laws need to be changed.
In-Nazzjon reports about the unveiling of a monument in Castille Square which commemorates the link between the European and African continents.
Foreign Minister George Vella confirmed to The Malta Independent that Marisa Micallef, who served as Malta’s ambassador to Washington, stepped down from her post.
International news
A myriad of world media also feature the Valletta Summit on Migration with some reporting progress between the EU and African nations on a 17-page action plan that sets out initiatives to curb migration into the EU, including by taking back illegal immigrants. However, the BBC reports that African leaders have criticised “Europe’s fortress approach” to the flow of African migrants reaching its shores. They said Europe must be prepared to “cooperate rather than dictate” a solution.
In a front-page article in the Catholic Church-affiliated Italian daily Avvenire, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi called the Malta two-day event “a great opportunity” for Europe, to rediscover the soul lost under piles of dusty bureaucratic paperwork”. He suggested intervention in the migrants' countries of origin in order to “create conditions suited to the cultural, labour, and economic growth of every potential migrant, so that Europe is a choice, not a necessary landing, an unrelenting destiny”. He called the migrant crisis “a humanitarian catastrophe that requires all of our attention”.
AFP reports the United Nations has voiced alarm over moves by European countries to cut development aid in a bid to free up funds to support the large influx of refugees. Finland, Norway and Sweden are preparing major cuts in aid to poor countries in budgets now before their parliaments, while Denmark has approved a major decrease in foreign aid. The Netherlands is also looking at shifting funds from development assistance to refugees inside the country.
Expressen says Sweden has introduced “temporary border controls” to deal with flow of migrants. Interior Minister Anders Ygeman explained that the controls would last until November 21. The Swedish authorities expect the arrival of 200,000 migrants this year alone.
The Turkish government is preparing to send 10,700 soldiers to Syria in mid-December to fight ISIS and create safe areas for displaced people in the north of the country. According to the pro-government daily Yeni Safak, Ankara would present a document analysing the situation in Syria and would include a request for funds to the great powers at the G20 summit in Antalya over the weekend. The safe areas would shelter up to five million refugees.
Le Soir says the European Parliament has approved a formal request for EU reform of the electoral system, which calls for the all EU citizens who are abroad to have the opportunity to vote in elections to elect MEPs. Moreover, MEPs propose lowering the voting age to 16. The vote was 315 in favour, 234 against and 55 abstentions.
El Mundo reports the Spanish Constitutional Court has unanimously suspended with immediate effect the resolution passed by the pro-independence Catalan Parliament. However, La Vanguardia quotes the region’s vice-president , Neus Munte, saying the Catalan government would reject the court’s decision and go forward on the road of secession from Spain.
Irrawaddy reports Myanmar’s president has agreed to meet opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi for talks about transferring power. President Thein Sein has congratulated Suu Kyi as her party continued to steam towards winning 75 per cent of available seats in the country’s historic elections. Thein Sein said that the government would accept the results of the polls and promised “a peaceful transfer of power”.
Mealtime should be a moment for families to communicate without being distracted by mobile phones or the television, Pope Francis said on Wednesday. Ansa quotes him telling the General Audience in St Peter’s Square that silence at the table was more akin to being at a hotel than being surrounded by loved ones, and a lack of conviviality can brood selfishness,
Tribune de Genève reports the Blue Moon Diamond has been sold for a record €44.8 million in Geneva. According to Sotheby’s, the sale price is a record for any gemstone and also per carat. The diamond was purchased by a private collector from Hong Kong and renamed ‘The Blue Moon of Josephine’.
Liverpool Echo announces the death of Scottish drummer Andy White. He was 85. On September 11, 1962, he was called to the renowned music studio on Abbey Road to play the drums for The Beatles’ debut single “Love Me Do” and its B-track “P.S. I Love You”, well before the group from Liverpool rose to fame. White was given the opportunity thanks to producer George Martin’s lack of confidence in Ringo Starr.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered an investigation into claims the country’s athletes have been part of a systematic doping programme, BBC reports. Speaking for the first time since a World Anti-Doping Agency independent commission revealed its damning findings on Monday, Putin said he wanted “professional co-operation” with anti-doping bodies.