These are the main stories from Malta’s newspaper front pages for Friday.
The Times reports that authorities are on the alert for the arrival of a drug 100 times stronger than morphine and 50 times more powerful than heroin. The police said that substance fentanyl could kill not only users but first responders who come into contact on the job.
The Malta Independent quotes Transport Minister Ian Borg who said that studies on an underground system are at an advanced stage and are possible from a technical point of view. The Minister said the government has commissioned an international consortium to carry out the necessary studies.
The Times says that PN MP Simon Busuttil will file a fresh application for a magisterial inquiry into the Panama Papers case. Busuttil will argue that failure to act on the revelations breach EU and Maltese laws.
The Malta Independent says that the Planning Authority has approved changes to the Manoel Island project. A petition against the development, urging authorities to turn the area into a woodland park garnered 6,700 signatures.
L-Orizzont carries an interview with Lara Dimitrijevic and Miriam Sciberras, campaigners on opposite sides of the abortion debate. The paper says that the two women held different views on whether abortion constitutes a criminal act.
In-Nazzjon says that children in Msida are kept waiting for works on the local school to be completed because the government is delaying the project. The paper is quoting PN Leader Adrian Delia who was on a visit in Msida ahead of the local council elections.
L-Orizzont says that the General Workers Union congratulates George Vella on his nomination for the presidency and says it is confidence the choice will have the respect of the country. In another statement, the General Workers Union affirmed its belief that women should be free to lead their own destinies.
In-Nazzjon speaks to PN Secretary General Clyde Puli about the fundraising marathon taking place this Sunday. Puli told the paper that the marathon supports the party’s mission to work together for the country.
