Monday Morning Briefing

Good morning,

Your morning briefing brings you the latest headlines, a review of today’s Maltese newspaper front pages and an over-all round up of what happened in the past hours.

Start your day informed.

Have a good day.

The Latest

• The Panama Maritime Authority has revoked the registration of search and rescue ship Aquarius 2 in a move that means there will be no charity rescue ships off the Libyan coast in the near future unless the vessel can find a new flag to sail under.

• New US tariffs on China take effect with no compromise in sight. Washington imposes $200bn taxes on Chinese goods, while Beijing targets $60bn of US goods. The Guardian

• A second woman has come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against President Donald Trump’s US Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Deborah Ramirez, a Yale university classmate of the judge, detailed the alleged incident to the New Yorker.

• The United Nations Secretary-General, the President of the European Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice President of the European Commission, met in New York for their annual meeting in the margins of the seventy-third session of the United Nations General Assembly. EU

• In Maldives, Opposition candidate Ibrahim Soleih declared victory on National television and called on President Yameen to respect the will of the people and ensure a smooth transition of power.

• A British woman jailed in Egypt for taking hundreds of painkillers into the country has lost an appeal against her conviction, it has been reported. The Telegraph

• The “formal incitement against the UAE from within Iran is unfortunate, and has escalated after the Ahvaz attack,” UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr. Anwar Gargash tweeted. Gulf News

• Jeremy Corbyn has said he will “obviously be bound” by what Labour members decide on a second Brexit referendum, amid growing calls for him to back the idea. Sky News

• Former Austrian Health Minister Pamela Rendi-Wagner is set to become the new chair of the country’s opposition Social Democrat Party (SPÖ). Rendi-Wagner was unanimously elected by the 16-member party leadership in a specially convened meeting Saturday, German magazine Der Spiegel reported. The decision will be formally endorsed by the 70-strong party executive Tuesday. Politico/Der Spiegel

• Macedonia’s President Gorge Ivanov has decried an agreement that would change the country’s name to end a long-standing dispute with Greece, calling on his compatriots to boycott the vote on the deal that takes place on September 30. Al Jazeera

• French President Emmanuel Macron’s popularity fell further in September, adding to troubles afflicting his administration since the departure of high-profile ministers and a summer scandal over his bodyguard, two polls showed on Sunday. Reuters

• Comcast has triumphed over 21st Century Fox and Walt Disney in the auction for Sky with a £30.6bn bid in a deal that will redraw the global media landscape. Financial Times

• “I do not understand why you treat him this way, he is a man who gave her everything, who has always treated her well. He had a heart attack, he was sick and she never worried about it. “How do you do not want your father’s side on the happiest day of your life?” Samantha Grant as she accuses her sister Meghan Markle on Domenica Live – TgCom

The Review

Back to School is visible even in the way the newspapers have dedicated their front pages.

• The Times leads with the story, that the government has once again miscalculated the number of educators needed to cover all teaching posts in State schools, according to the teachers’ union.

• The Union of Professional Educators reports that there were LSAs and teachers which were given orders to do transport supervision, reports The Malta Independent. 

• In-Nazzjon says that Prime Minister Muscat blamed the parents for last minute decisions, as the cause for problems in the school transport allocation.

• A group of doctors will soon be equipped with a kit that could help them provide lifesaving first aid to casualties they encounter while driving, Times of Malta reports. 

• The Malta Independent, also reports that extreme pornorgraphy is making prostituion more physically demanding.

• L-Orizzont reports that Magistrate Edwina Grima, said that its time that the so called ‘Gentleman’s clubs’ need to become regulated.

• In-Nazzjon leads with the Sunday interview given by PN leader Adrian Delia, who argued that the youths need to be given space and involvement in future politics.

• L-Orizzont also reports the interview given by the Prime Minister who said there are a number of foreign companies interested in setting up in Malta.

The Headline Digest 

• Tripoli’s situation might get turn for worse as Al Qaeda is believed to be working alongside militias opposed to the government. Read more.

• Reports that Theresa May is planning a November election – Jeremy Corbyn would back second referendum but prefers election. Read more.

• Pope Francis appeals against the growing anti-semitism. Read more.

• Berlusconi announces he’ll be contesting the next European Parliament elections. Read more.

• Pirates kidnap 12 crew members on board Swiss cargo ship off the coast of Nigeria. Read more.

• Torrential rains and flooding kill four in Tunisia. Read more.