News Paper Review – The Malta Independent reveals that the vice-president of French football club AS Monaco holds a Maltese passport purchased through the IIP scheme. Russian Vadim Vasilyev’s name surfaced among the list of 3,000 new citizens published in the Government Gazzette.
The Times says Għarb residents are angered at a decision by the Planning Authority to allow a fireworks factory to be developed 300 metres away from the iconic San Dimitri chapel. In a 2010 referendum, residents voted against fireworks factories built in ODZ land.
The Malta Independent quotes 18 human rights organisations who have appealed to the government to allow the Sea-Watch 3 to dock in Malta. In a joint statement the NGOs criticized the ‘Christian West’ after five EU countries refused to allow the rescue ship in for six days.
In-Nazzjon follows the story too and says that the organisations are urging the government in Malta to lead by example irrespective of whether the country holds the legal obligation. There are 32 migrants aboard the ship, apart from 22 crew members.
Another story in The Times reports on National Statistics Office figures which show an increase in grievous motorcycle accidents in the first nine months of the year over the same period last year. Motorcycle fatalities increased too, with seven riders losing their lives in accidents in 2018.
In-Nazzjon leads with a story about a 92-year-old man who died at an elderly home in Floriana and was sent to Mater Dei Hospital by Ambulance as if he died on the journey, or at the hospital. The paper says that the Ministry for the Elderly has not issued any clarification.
L-Orizzont says that the president of the European Parliamentary Forum on Population & Development warned against Maltese NGOs involved in a ‘cultural war’ on civil rights. Ulrika Karlssen said that conservative reactionaries want to take the clock back on social issues.
In-Nazzjon reports that more than seven million counterfeit cigarettes were intercepted by the Customs Department at the Malta Freeport. The rights holder of the registered trademark confirmed the illegality of the consignment.
In another story, L-Orizzont quotes WePROTECT chairman Ernie Allen who said that the spread of pornography is harming children. Allen said that explicit content easily accessed through phones and technology is having an impact on the developing brains of children.
