Mintoff suffered light stroke

Dom Mintoff’s condition improved yesterday and he woke up from an induced coma alert and talking after having suffered a light stroke on Thursday.

Official information on the condition of the former Prime Minister and Labour leader was scant but sources said a CT scan confirmed the 94-year-old had suffered a light stroke that affected the right side of the brain.

Mr Mintoff was taken to Mater Dei Hospital on Thursday afternoon after he fell while on the roof of his Tarxien home. He was found some time later to be in a confused state. In hospital, he was treated for slight injuries and then transferred to intensive care.

The Department of Information said Mr Mintoff would be kept in intensive care for observation. No visitors were being allowed near Mr Mintoff.

However, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and Archbishop Paul Cremona visited him yesterday. Labour leader Joseph Muscat saw him late on Thursday evening shortly after he was admitted to hospital.

The controversial former Labour leader turned 94 just last month on August 6. He served as Prime Minister twice between 1956 and 1958 and from 1971 to 1984.

He was a member of Parliament for over half a century till 1998 but remained at the heart of Maltese politics right up to 2003, when he campaigned against Malta joining the EU with his long-time confidant, former Labour Prime Minister Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici.