These are the main news items on Malta’s news portals.
President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca has started a state visit to Turkey, accompanied by other cabinet members. TVM says that the President is a trade delegation of 50 people representing various sectors.
Swieqi resident Ivan Mifsud filed a judicial protest in court against the ‘unlimited rights’ granted to the Corinthia Group for its project in ST George’s Bay. Net News says that Mifsud notes that the land is classified to be used for social good, not private gain.
A residential complex of over 700 units in Mistra has been approved by the Planning Authority, reports The Malta Independent. The project will see the redevelopment of Mistra Village, covering some 42,000 square metres.
In another session, the Planning Authority have the go-ahead to a development at Smart City comprising of 372 apartments and 28,000 square metres of retail space. MaltaToday says that NGOs representative Annick Bonello was the only member to vote against the proposal, although Labour MP Clayton Bartolo raised concerns.
The marathon sitting for the Planning Board included also a decision on plans to build 30 residential apartments in Għaxaq. One News says that the development was refused unanimously as it was located in a 250-year-old baroque garden.
A baby battling bacterial meningitis has returned to a stable condition, announced Health Minister Chris Fearne. This was the second case to affect a young child in a matter of days but Newsbook quotes the Minister who said the two matters were not related.
Chief of Staff Keith Schembri failed to show up in court to day to testify in libel proceedings he initiated against former Opposition Leader Simon Busuttil who accused him of receiving kickbacks. The Times reports that lawyers disagreed over whether Schembri should also testify over 17 Black.
Matthew Caruana Galizia said that his mother Daphne was murdered after several years of harassment which targeted her children. The son of the killed journalist was taking part in a debate at the World Economic Forum in Davos, reported by The Shift News.
