Press digest

The following are the top stories in the local and overseas press:

The Times and most of the other newspapers lead with the bomb explosion and shooting spree in Norway. The Times heading is Carnage in Norway. It also reports that St Paul Street, vital for Valletta traffic after the removal of Pope Pius Street, to be closed for 11 weeks.

The Malta Independent highlights the bus route changes, announced yesterday. 

L-orizzont says a business run by Edwin Vassallo does not conform to packaging waste rules. 

In-Nazzjon, after the Norway story, gives prominence to the reports on their work issued yesterday by the Nationalist MPs.

The overseas press

Norway’s largest tabloid newspaper, Verdens Gang, reports the police have arrested a 32-year-old Norwegian man linking him to two attacks that had left at least 17 people dead. It started in the capital Oslo, when at a bomb tore through the prime minister's office building, blowing out windows and killing at least seven people. Some two hours later, in what police believe was a related attack, a lone gunman dressed as a police officer opened fire at a summer camp for teenagers on an island 25 miles outside Oslo, killing  10 more. The attacks have touched off wide ranging speculation about the motive and who may be responsible. Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg called on the Scandinavian nation to stand together, vowing to respond with more democracy and openness without being naïve.

Voice of America says Republican House Speaker John Boehner walked away from vital debt ceiling talks at the White House with US President Barack Obama. The president said later Boehner had rejected an "extraordinarily fair deal" that would have included $650 billion of cuts to entitlement programmes while Boehner told a news conference afterwards that Obama had "moved the goal posts" by demanding a tax hike. President Obama has called a meeting with congressional leaders at the White House for this afternoon (5 p.m. Malta time).

Börzen Zeitung says shares rose following the eurozone's agreement designed to resolve the Greek debt crisis. UK and French markets gained more than one per cent in morning trading, before slipping slightly, with the FTSE 100 index ending up 0.6 per cent higher. Eurozone leaders agreed a new package worth €109 billion with banks and private lenders also be asked to contribute. The euro was trading at $1.4369, down from $1.4439 immediately following Thursday's deal announcement.

According to Ansa, there has been a strong explosion on Libyan territory Ben Guardane, some 30 kilometers away from the Tunisian border. It quotes the local correspondent of the Portuguese news agency Tap saying that residents reported a tall column of smoke shortly afterwards. The explosion seemed to come from the same areas that in recent weeks, were target of Nato bombings that have destroyed arms depots and military sites of the loyalist forces.

The gruelling heatwave over eastern parts of the US and Canada has intensified.  USA Today reports Friday was expected to be declared the region's hottest day yet. Temperatures feel as high as 46⁰C in places along the crowded east coast, with no relief expected until after the weekend. At least 22 deaths have been blamed on the heat. According to Toronto Star, the blistering heat has also hit parts of Canada, with temperatures in Toronto expected to top 35⁰C, according to Environment Canada.

The New York Times says the United Nations on Friday named two Congolese army colonels who appeared to be blocking an investigation of soldiers accused of mass gang-raping at least 47 women in eastern Congo. It said if the attackers were not identified the officers themselves should stand trial for the crimes committed by the troopers under their command.

Ohio Post reports a jury in Cleveland has found a 51-year-old man guilty of murdering 11 women whose remains were dumped around his home. Anthony Sowell could face the death penalty during the sentencing phase. The police discovered the first two bodies in 2009 after executing a search warrant for Sowell's arrest in response to an assault and rape charge. Over the next week, more women's bodies were found in Sowell's Cleveland house and buried in shallow graves in the backyard.

Belfast Daily says a man has rejected an apology from the Northern Ireland police after they interrupted his wedding on suspicion it was "a sham marriage". The police wrongly arrested Neil McIlwee and his expectant fiancée, Yanan Sun, moments before the ceremony at the Guildhall in Londonderry last Tuesday. Chief Inspector John Burrows said the police had acted in good faith, but sometimes they got things wrong. The couple were taken to a police station, forced to dress in forensic clothing and separated. They were held for five hours and only released when their solicitor got involved. They were married the next day in nearby Castlederg.