These are the main news from Malta’s news portals.
Guests at a boutique hotel in Buġibba had to be evacuated on Thursday evening due to a fire in the kitchen. Only one person had to be treated after he inhaled smoke. Civil Protection Department evacuated the guests in the hotel while they extinguished the kitchen fire. The Police and a medical team from Mater Dei were on site.
The Planning Authority approved the redevelopment application of the Manoel Island project by Midi plc at a hearing on Thursday. MaltaToday says the vote passed overwhelmingly with only the NGOs representative Annick Bonello voting against.
Minister Konrad Mizzi has ceded five libel cases he filed in the wake of the Panana Papers revelations. The Malta Independent says that two cases were filed against killed journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, another two against former Opposition Leader Simon Busuttil, and another against former PN Deputy Leader Beppe Fenech Adami.
The compilation of evidence in the murder cases of Daphne Caruana Galizia continued in court as IT expert Martin Bajada took the witness stand. The Times quotes Bajada who said that the investigation combed through thousands of phone calls made at the time of the explosion but two cell numbers in particular ‘stood out’ right at the moment the bomb went off.
The Shift News is being threatened with a SLAPP lawsuit by a Russian Banker. The portal says it received a legal letter from a firm representing Ruben Vardanyan after it quoted a report naming him in connection with the Troika Laudromat. The original report was published by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project.
The Animal Welfare office carried out a series of tests on a farm in Fgura after reports that cattle was being kept in bad conditions. Newsbook reports that officers ordered the cleansing of the farm, whose owner recently passed away, and to offer veterinary services to the animals.
The Freedom Monument in Birgu is being restored in time for the 40th anniversary of Freedom Day on March 31.TVM says that works started in October and is one of 30 regeneration projects currently carried out by the Works and Infrastructure Department.
Imperium has been established as a political party after 19 years since it was set up. LovinMalta reports that leader Norman Lowell will contest the upcoming MEP elections, with a statement saying the party ‘pro-Europe’ but against the current EU.
One News publishes National Statistics Office figures showing an increase of more than 9 percent in participation of women in the jobs market over the past five years. The rate stood at 60 percent in 2017 up from 49 in 2012.
Net News reports that the dentistry department at Mater Dei is not accepting follow-up appointments for patients. The portal says the department has been on strike for several months, causing widespread inconvenience.
