Good morning,
The earthquake which jolted Greece, the investigations in the suspicious packages sent in the US to Trump’s critics, the arrests following the gruesome rape, drugging and murder of 16 year old in Rome and the arrival of Khashoggi’s son in the US are amongst the headlines one finds in the main news agencies and outlets around the world.
The morning review also includes an analysis of what’s reported on Malta’s newspaper front-pages, to start your day informed.
The Latest
A strong earthquake with magnitude 6.8 struck off the western Greek tourist island of Zakynthos in the Ionian Sea early Friday, and was felt as far away as Athens, but authorities said there were no immediate reports of injuries or major damage.
US Federal authorities investigating a spate of pipe bombs sent this week to several prominent critics of President Trump have turned their attention toward southern Florida, believing that a number of the explosive devices were mailed from the area, two people briefed on the matter said Thursday.
The son of slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Salah, arrived in the United States after Saudi Arabia lifted a travel ban.
The United Nations special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions said Khashoggi’s killing bears the hallmark of an extrajudicial execution.
Three people have been detained by police in relation to the homicide of Desiree Mariottini, a 16-year-old girl found dead in an abandoned building in Rome’s San Lorenzo district last week, sources said Thursday. Investigators believe that Desiree was drugged and gang raped while unconscious before she died.
Parliamentary privilege used to reveal Sir Philip Green as the ‘leading British businessman’ against whom sexual harassment and racial abuse allegations were made
In what can be interpreted as a rally of support in view of Italy’s row with the EU over the budget, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte spoke to Trump over the phone.
The customers of a UK-based fintech company have been left unable to access money in their accounts after the decision taken by the MFSA to freeze the activities at a bank co-owned by the company’s founder.
Mikhail Gorbachev said that “today, this tremendous accomplishment, of which our two nations can be rightfully proud, is in jeopardy. President Trump announced last week the United States’ plan to withdraw from the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty and his country’s intention to build up nuclear arms.”
Flash floods in Jordan swept away a school bus Thursday, killing at least 17 people, mostly pupils, emergency services said, as Israel sent forces to help with rescue operations.
The impact of Brexit on next week’s UK budget has been spelled out by one of Britain’s leading economic forecasters, with the difference between a soft and no-deal outcome worth £30bn over the next five years for Philip Hammond.
Romanian authorities say a Wizz Air flight from Georgia to Poland was forced to make an emergency landing in Bucharest because of a bomb threat.
Women will be allowed to join UK Special Forces for the first time, removing the final barrier to women in Britain’s armed forces. Gavin Williamson has announced that all roles will now be open to both genders in the SAS and SBS.
A bid by Belgium bishops to allow young married men to take the cloth has fallen flat at a Vatican meet — though Pope Francis is considering testing out the idea in the Amazon.
Insecurity and looting have hit Libya’s archaeological sites in the chaos and fighting that followed the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, as rival groups struggle to consolidate control of the country.
Martin Glenn, the Football Association chief executive, is calling for a cash raid on the booming sports gambling industry as part of his alternative funding plan for the grass-roots game after the collapse of the £600 million Wembley deal.
The Review
The Malta Independent covers a debate between Finance Minister Edward Scicluna and Opposition spokesperson for finance Mario de Marco. Talking about the budget, the Minister said that the cruising economy can be managed on an ‘even key’; the shadow minister said that the budget does not fully respond to present challenges such as infrastructure and pensions.
The Times reveals that two senior officials in the Inland Revenue Department are being investigated for ‘serious irregularities.’ The nature of the charges is unknown but the paper says it likely involves fraud.
Another story in The Malta Independent features the battles with cancer that Fleur Marie Cilia Buckett had to endure. Nicknamed the ‘Fearless Warrior’, Cilia Buckett addressed a press conference ahead of the fourth edition of the Pink Ribbon Motorcycle Ride on Sunday 28.
The Times quotes figures by the Ministry for Family which show that 9,000 people made use of support line 179 last year. A third of these, the newspaper said, only wanted someone to talk to while more than a thousand calls were about mental health issues.
L-Orizzont speaks to MCESD chairman John Bencini who says that government cannot increase cost of living adjustments arbitrarily because this is fixed by a specific mechanism. In the meantime, he says the system needs to be updated.
In another feature, L-Orizzont follows up on the story of baby Cristiano who was found abandoned in Buġibba this summer. The newspaper reveals that his mother visits the baby often.
In-Nazzjon leads with an article about an analysis of the banking sector in the EU by Standard & Poor’s. In its assessment of Malta, the credit rating agency focuses on the situation with Pilatus Bank and the newspaper says it shifts responsibility on the MFSA and FIAU.
Another story in In-Nazzjon says that Air Malta ramp agents are unhappy with the way they are being treated by the airline. The newspaper says the agents also feel they are not being supported by the General Workers Union.
