The Times reports that people in Malta are optimistic about the country’s economic performance in 2019, with more then 80 percent saying that the situation will either improve or remain stable. The Eurobarometer survey says Maltese are twice as positive about the economy than other EU citizens.
The Malta Independent says that the Swieqi Local Council and several NGOs have expressed concern over concessions sought by the Corinthia Group to develop land in St George’s Bay for purposes not related to tourism. Parliament will decide over whether the existing conditions shall be changed.
The Times reports that a financial services company has filed a court application against Satabank, the MFSA, and EY demanding deposits held at the bank to be released immediately. The director of Juanafil Finance Ltd. said the company had over €60,000 frozen by Satabank.
The Malta Independent asks the Transport Minister about plans to introduce universal free public transport, as the Prime Minister recently indicated. Minister Ian Borg said that government does not have a specific timeframe and that calculations on the costs related to such measures have not yet been made.
L-Orizzont quotes Health Minister Chris Fearne who said the government’s plan is to allow the private sector to provide healthcare services, but the health system must remain public. The Minister told the newspaper that government wants to cooperate with the private sector, not compete with it.
In-Nazzjon leads with a story about a joint operation between the Customs Department and the police which led to the interception of ‘tons of cannabis’ at the Malta Freeport. The paper said the huge haul was hidden in a container carrying rolls of fabric.
In another story, L-Orizzont publishes comments from MaltaDevelopers Association president Sandro Chetcuti who said that some foreign construction workers raise occupational risks because they use outdated methods in construction. The paper speaks to a Maltese visitor in the UK who was trapped at Gatwick airport after the series of flight cancellations. She says she will arrive in Malta just in time for Christmas.
In-Nazzjon quotes PN Leader Adrian Delia who said that he wants to fight corruption as much as he wants to fight hatred. Delia was taking part in TV programme Xarabank and said this Christmas will be an opportunity for him to better understand those going through difficult times.
Another story in In-Nazzjon picks up a report in German newspaper Die Welt in which the father of a teenager found dead at the bottom of Dingli Cliffs in 2016 accuses authorities in Malta of lying to him about the investigation.
