The following are the top stories in the national and international press today.
Newspapers in Malta today report the suspension in use of Arriva’s bendy buses pending investigations following a series of fires.
Times of Malta says thousands of bus passengers could face travel disruption and delays as the buses are being replaced with subcontracted vehicles. In another story, it says that the US Embassy has admitted that an American man who verbally abused a Maltese driver in a road rage incident caught on camera is a member of staff.
L-Orizzont says that urine tests carried out on two prison officials were positive. The tests were carried out as part of new procedures introduced in a bid to halt the use of drugs in prisons.
In-Nazzjon and The Malta Independent lead with a report of a news conference given by Nationalist Party in which it was claimed that the Police Commissioner’s public declaration last week that he has powers to request service providers to hand telephone logs is an abuse of power.
MaltaToday says that barely three months after the approval of a policy allowing hotels in tourist areas to add two new floors, a more comprehensive policy is to be issued for public consultation in the coming weeks.
International news
The United States military is ready to strike Syria as momentum grows in France and Britain for punitive action and Western powers have told the Syrian opposition in Istanbul to expect military action against Assad's forces “within days”.
Global Times says Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem has warned his country would defend itself in a way that would “surprise” its enemies.
US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said the American military was ready to act against Syria for its alleged use of chemical weapons. Hagel told the BBC that the US military had “moved assets in place” and would be able to “fulfil and comply” with any option President Obama wishes to take.
According to The Washington Post, US Secretary of State John Kerry has made a flurry of calls to allies over the last five days, including the foreign ministers of Britain, France, Canada, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan. Kerry has also been in contact with senior NATO, EU and Arab League officials, and he has spoken to his counterparts in Syria and Russia.
News reports say the US and several other Western powers are considering a limited, targeted response to Damascus' alleged use of chemical weapons to punish Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The Times says British Prime Minister David Cameron has instructed parliament to return from its summer recess on Thursday. But many British politicians have voiced skepticism over Britain taking military action. And elsewhere in Europe, politicians are more hesitant to wage a military campaign in Syria.
Le Monde quotes President François Hollande saying France is ready to punish those who made the “vile” decision to gas innocent people. He also promised France will increase its military support to the main Syrian opposition group.
Daily Star reports the Arab League has blamed the Syrian government for last week's alleged chemical weapons attack near Damascus that killed hundreds, calling for the perpetrators to be brought to justice. In an emergency meeting held Tuesday, the Arab League also called on members of the UN Security Council to overcome their differences and agree on “deterrent” measures against those who committed “this heinous crime”.
Il Tempo quotes Foreign Minister Emma Bonino affirming Italy would only support a military strike against Syria if it was authorised by the Security Council. Der Spiegel reports Germany has said there should be “consequences” if the alleged chemical attack is proven. But it is unlikely to get involved in any military campaign, especially in the run-up to a general election next month.
China's state news agency Xinhua cautioned against a rush to military action. In a Tuesday commentary, it said the world should remember that the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq followed US allegations that Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. Those weapons were never found. Russia, a key Syrian ally, has also warned against Western intervention in Syria.
Bloomberg says oil prices surged and shares fell on Wall Street amid growing fears of a military strike against Syria. Brent crude hit a six-month high, while gold rallied as investors moved into the safe-haven commodity.
Reuters reports Libya's largest western oilfields closed when an armed group shut down the pipeline linking them to ports, its deputy oil minister said on Tuesday, reducing its oil output to a trickle.
In other news...
According to VOA News, authorities in California confirm firefighters have contained 20 per cent of a massive wildfire that is threatening a famous national park. Nearly 3,700 firefighters have been deployed to battle the blaze, which is threatening the reservoir that provides drinking water for the nearby city of San Francisco.
Dawn reports the trial of Pakistan’s former military leader, Pervez Musharraf, opened in Rawalpindi, a week after an anti-terrorism court indicted him on charges of conspiring to murder Benazir Bhutto in 2007. He did not attend the proceedings because of threats to his life Islamist extremists.
ABC says an American court has ordered Facebook to pay $20 million in compensation to about 600,000 users whose names and profile pictures appeared in ads on the site without their permission. They will receive about $16 each in compensation. Meanwhile, Facebook has for the first time published data on how government agents in more than 70 countries demanded information on about 38,000 of its users in the first half of this year. About half the orders were from US authorities.
A six-year-old boy in China has reportedly had his eyes gouged out, blinding him for life, in a gruesome attack that may have been carried out by a ruthless organ trafficker. Shanxi TV reports family members found the boy covered in blood some three to four hours after he went missing while playing outside.