Good morning,
Our Saturday morning briefing follows.
The Malta Independent reports that Maria Efimova, said that ‘People connected to the Maltese government openly call for my execution’, arguing that after the Egrant inquiry publication, life in Malta has become more dangerous and thus she should not be extradited.
The Malta Independent reports that the Dean of the Faculty of Law Kevin Aquilina believes that the full Egrant inquiry should be published, however with certain information being redacted, in order to protect the privacy of third parties and not prejudice any further investigations.
The Times reports how two Sicilians and a Maltese man were arrested after they were caught with what is being described as the largest ever single haul of cannabis this year. The drugs were found hidden in packages among boxes of melons and watermelons. The packages were found inside two separate vans carrying the fruit on their arrival from Sicily.
The Trump administration says it has reunited more than 1,800 migrant children with family members by a court-ordered deadline. This includes 1,442 children back with their parents in US immigration custody and 378 others released in “appropriate circumstances”, says a court filing. But more than 700 children are not “eligible” to be reunited, including 431 with parents no longer in the US.
Special councillor Mueller is examining whether the actions add up to attempts to obstruct the investigation by both intimidating witnesses and pressuring senior law enforcement officials to tamp down the inquiry.
Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney, claims that then-candidate Trump knew in advance about the June 2016 meeting in Trump Tower in which Russians were expected to offer his campaign dirt on Hillary Clinton.
A 62-year-old man died at an Athens hospital on Friday as a result of extensive burn injuries, raising the toll from Monday’s deadly east Attica wildfires to 87.
The Spanish Interior Ministry has defended its pushback policy on display on Thursday morning, when over 700 African migrants stormed the fence separating Morocco from Spain’s north African enclave of Ceuta.
António Guterres, the UN secretary general, has warned that the organisation is facing an unprecedented shortage of funding for its core budget and will need to make urgent cuts unless member states pay up. The alarm was raised in letters, seen by the Guardian and other news organisations, sent by Guterres to member states and staff.
Fiat Chrysler said on Thursday that it “had no knowledge of the facts” related to the health of boss Sergio Marchionne, who died this week, after the hospital that treated him announced he had been seriously ill for more than a year.
Facebook’s value lost €120 billion in one day. The company attributed their results to a new advertising format and giving users more control over privacy. But the elephant in the room was the swirl of scandals surrounding the company.
A Spanish court sent a mother to jail for hiding with children in custody bid. Spanish politicians and women’s groups have criticised the verdict as the long-running custody battle has become a rallying point in Spain’s battle against gender violence.
An Israeli civilian has been stabbed to death in a settlement near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. The 31-year-old victim was taken to hospital where he died of his injuries, a hospital spokesman said. Two other Israelis were wounded in the attack in Adam on Thursday. One, aged 50, is in a critical condition and the other suffered minor injuries.
Superstar George Michael committed suicide, his lover claims, according to an exclusive report in the British tabloid The Sun earlier this week.
Veteran singer Tina Turner expressed her sorrow and grief on Facebook about her saddest moment in her life as a mother.
