Good morning,
These are today’s main stories carried by Malta’s newspapers.
Malta Today quotes World Health Organisation figures showing that measle cases in Malta increased by 500 percent in the first six months of the year. The majority of cases affected people over 16 years whose parents chose not to vaccinate them when they were children.
The Sunday Times leads with the submission of a proposal for the construction of a three-storey industrial complex in Marsa. Historian Conrad Thake says that the development would ‘dwarf’ the monumental Ottoman Cemetery and appeals for its rejection.
The Independent on Sunday carries an interview with Animal Welfare director Noel Montebello who said that the department receives some 5,000 reports every year. Montebello notes that there is a general change in mentality in how animals are treated.
The Sunday Times reports that almost 60 percent of Year 9 students chose applied subjects including agribusiness, retail and hospitality. A new range of subjects is designed to offer more choice than ‘purely academic’ routes.
Malta Today says that the family of a murdered drug runner claims that the jury that will try the man accused with his killing is not sufficiently equipped to reach a verdict. The family has filed a human rights breach case.
The Independent on Sunday speaks to a Tourism Ministry spokesperson following reports that embellishment works in Marsaxlokk were carried out before permits were issued. The source said that the works could be carried out because they were ‘minor’.
Illum publishes a feature on the use of cocaine in Malta and says that one person every day seeks help with problems related to the substance. The paper speaks to Sedqa director George Grech who reveals ‘alarming figures’ on the use of cocaine.
It-Torċa speaks to Gozo bishop Mario Grech who said that the EU has abandoned the values of its founding fathers and is forgetting immigrants who die in the Mediterranean. Bishop Grech says that EU leaders are being ‘selective’ in their treatment of migrants.
Il-Mument says that that the road-widening project in Paola and the proposed underpass in Santa Luċija present a structural threat to the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum and to the temple complex in Tarxien.
Kulħadd says that the news that the Nationalist Party will not stage the traditional Independence celebrations on the granaries in Floriana is piling pressure on the leadership, with members of the Executive Council asking where money from ‘record’ fundraisers went.
Kulħadd follows on a comment by opposition MP Jason Azzopardi that the salaries of parliamentary secretaries have been increased. The paper says that they receive €22,000 less than when Azzopardi was himself a parliamentary secretary.
Illum carries an interview with government MP Rosianne Cutajar about the setting up of crematoriums in Malta. Cutajar believes that the government should issue a concession to not more than one operator.
It-Torċa says that proposals by the Marsaxlokk local council for regeneration of the bay are being met with resistance by market vendors. Another story reports on plans by Malta-based Corinthia hotels to expand to new markets.
CiConsulta – BeInformed Media Monitoring
