Good evening,
These are the main news from Malta’s news portals for Saturday.
- Seven men, including six Italians, were arrested by the police after drugs were found in a number of vehicles which were arriving from Pozzallo in Sicily, on the catamaran. The Malta Independent reports that the police said that, with the assistance of the Customs Department, it arrested six Sicilians and a Maltese man from Birkirkara, whose ages vary between 23 and 51.
- In one of the cars, the police said that it found 20 kilogrammes of cannabis, packed in 34 packets which were hidden in various parts of the vehicle.
- A man who was observed exiting a Zebbug garage with a sack that contained 20kg of cannabis, has been remanded in custody by the magistrate’s court. MaltaToday reports that Etienne Farrugia, 41, who works as a driver, pleaded not guilty. The court heard how officers from the police anti-drug squad observed Farrugia approach a person and then exit a garage in Zebbug with a large sack.
- The PN leader reiterated that the government is stealing money from the people with the new power station and Minister (Konrad) Mizzi’s boasting confirms that the government intends keep doing so in the years to come. Net News reports Delia speaking during an event organised by the SHPN, a branch within the party for workers.
- Some 40 boys and girls suffering from vision impairment have benefited from equipment which will help them, among other factors, to improve their educational experience. This project, TVM reports, was undertaken on an initiative of the President’s Trust, resulted from a national reading marathon held in all primary schools, and towards which all students made a donation for every book they read.
- Plans to demolish a 150-year-old house in the heart of Sliema and replace it with an eight-floor hotel have been scrapped by the courts, following an appeal lodged by NGO Flimkien Għal Ambjent Aħjar. Times of Malta reports that the proposal to demolish the St Mary Street two-storey house, which dates back to 1861, had originally been refused by the Planning Authority. The Planning Tribual had however overturned that decision and said developers could forge ahead with their plans.
- FAA continued to battle for the building to be saved, and this week a court of appeal finally quashed the proposal.
- After weeks of lobbying by the Malta Developers Association, Transport Malta has announced that it will be extending construction hours to start earlier than 9:30am. Lovin Malta reports that the contractors vehicles will now be allowed to operate in “secondary roads” as long as they do not obstruct traffic. “MDA is very grateful that the Chairman of Transport Malta together with his team took note of the difficulties caused to these contractors and we are very satisfied with the outcome and agreement reached,” MDA President Sandro Chetcuti concluded.
- Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, this morning, inaugurated a football ground in Birzebbugia. The SportMalta project was made through a €2 million investment. One News reports that the Prime Minister said that the government is committed to sports and this year has invested over €13 million, in contrast with the average annual €5 million of investment in sports by the previous administration.
- The heavy rain which hit the Maltese islands left its mark on a number of roads and cities. Newsbook focuses on the fact that the rain also poured in the Manoel Theatre, mainly due to the fact that the water spouts on the theatre couldn’t manage with the rainfall, leading to musicians having to evacuate the stage. TVM reports of similar case at the Corradino Stadium in Paola.
