Press digest

The following are the top stories in the local and international press today:

All Maltese newspapers are dominated with yesterday’s arraignment of Sliema mayor Nikki Dimech who was charged with bribery. The mayor was granted bail against a number of conditions.

The Times also says that the EU has remained mum on Gaddafi’s request of €5 million a year to stop illegal immigration to Europe. It has a feature on Ghaxaq which has won first prize in an international fireworks festival.

l-Orizzont also refers to the return of Ghaxaq fireworks enthusiasts following their success in Spain. In a story on illegal immigration from Libya, it says that Gaddafi has still not come to Malta in spite of promises and it seemed that such visit was not even planned for this year.

The Malta Indepenent reports that the gas prices are higher as from today. It says that the PL has launched an exhibition with the shortlisted submissions for a new emblem.

In-Nazzjon says that Malta had an absolute record in tourism arrivals in July. It says that Malta, Germany and Austria were the only Eurostat countries to record lower unemployment according to Eurostat.

Malta Today speaks to Nikki Dimech following his arraignment. He says that his mobile phone record will prove him right.

The international press

The Jerualem Post reports Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered his security forces “to respond without diplomatic restraint” to the killing of four Israelis in a gun attack on their car in the West Bank. Speaking in the United States where he would hold direct peace talks with the Palestinians, he said the shooting underlined his position that Israel would not compromise on its security needs.

Haaretz says the two men and two women, one pregnant, were ambushed while driving near the Jewish settlement Kiryat Arba near Hebron, which has been a flashpoint of violence in the past. The paper quotes Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak saying Israel would "exact a price" from those responsible.

Meanwhile, Al Ayyam quotes a statement by the armed wing of the Islamist group Hamas claiming responsibility for the shooting. A Hamas spokesman in Gaza said they regarded it as “a natural response to the crimes of the occupation".

CNN says that in an address marking the end of the US combat mission in Iraq, President Obama has told the American people it was now time to concentrate on restoring the American economy. He said the US had paid a huge cost in lives and equipment to give Iraq a new beginning. It had spent more than a trillion dollars in war in the past decade, short-changing investment at home and contributing to record deficits.

Meanwhile, Az-Zaman reports that Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki hailed the end of American combat operations as an important step toward restoring Iraqi sovereignty. He said his forces were up to the job of protecting the country, and Iraq and the US will now interact as two sovereign nations. Starting today, the remaining 50,000 American troops would be focused on advising the Iraqi forces.

Many of the British nationals lead with excerpts from the memoirs of former Prime Minister Tony Blair, who said he did not anticipate the nightmare that unfolded in Iraq after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. However, he said he stood by his decision to commit Britain to the Iraq war.

In an interview with The Guardian, Mr Blair says he knew Gordon Brown's leadership would mean Labour could not win the 2010 general election. The Times looks at the final chapter of the book in which Mr Blair writes Labour was "hammered" in the May 6 vote because of Gordon Brown's "fateful" decision to abandon New Labour.

El Mercurio reports the owners of the Chilean mine which collapsed a month ago trapping 33 miners 700 metres underground, have apologised for the incident. One of the owners said they were asking for forgiveness for the pain caused. Meanwhile, engineers have began drilling to reach the miners with the hope of lifting them out one by one over the next three to four months.

Sydney Morning Herald says more than 70 immigrants have escaped from a detention centre in Darwin, northern Australia, and held a roadside protest against their treatment. The detainees, who include migrants from Afghanistan, said they were angry at the time taken to process their applications for asylum. The breakout followed disturbances at the centre over the weekend.

The International Herald Tribune reports that officials in the United States say they did not now believe that two Yemeni men, arrested at Amsterdam airport on suspicion of terrorism, were planning an attack. The two were detained on arrival from Chicago. Their bags had been flown without them to Washington after both men were re-routed. Security officials found suspicious items in the luggage, including a mobile phone tapes to a bottle. The Dutch authorities were still holding the men.

Le Parisien says France has said "insults" in the Iranian media aimed at its first lady, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, were unacceptable. The daily newspaper Kayhan had denounced her as a prostitute after she publicly criticised Iran for threatening to stone an Iranian woman to death. The paper went on to call for Mrs Bruni-Sarkozy's death.

Kathemerini says a new law comes into force today in Greece, banning smoking in public places – the second such attempt to curb tobacco addiction in just over a year. Smokers who break the law could be fined hundreds of euros while businesses might have to pay several thousands. Forty per cent of Greeks smoke an average of eight cigarettes a day.