State visit to Turkey

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca shake hands as they pose for a photo at the end of an official welcoming ceremony at the presidential complex in Ankara, Turkey, on Thursday. Dr Coleiro Preca was on a two-day State visit to Turkey, where she also led a Maltese business delegation.

What made the headlines

Mega projects approved: A permit for a sprawling residential development rising to 12 storeys on the site of the former Mistra Village in Xemxija was renewed by the Planning Authority. The project includes 744 residential units, shops, restaurants, offices, a clubhouse and over 1,600 parking spaces. A permit was first issued in 2013 but no work was ever done, forcing the developers to apply to renew the permit. The Planning Authority also gave the go-ahead for a 12-storey residential development at Smart City. The Shoreline project will include about 400 luxury flats, almost 14,000 square metres of rentable commercial space, mostly shops, and another 1,500 square metres of bars and restaurants.

Bulgaria, Cyprus and Malta targeted by Commission over ‘golden visas and passports’: The European Commission urged Member States to crack down on schemes granting ‘golden visas and passports’ to foreign investors, warning they can bring corruption and money laundering in their wake. It published a report urging members to curb the practice of giving foreigners – often Chinese, Russians and Americans – residency or citizenship in return for investment. The Commission complained that Bulgaria, Cyprus and Malta run schemes granting foreign investors citizenship without requiring them to live in those EU countries or show “genuine connections” to them. The Commission also said residence permits pose serious security risks to Member States.

Fears over online ‘medical school’ based in Malta: European doctors expressed concern that a Malta-based online medical school could be used as a backdoor for underqualified doctors to work in EU hospitals. Frank Montgomery, who chairs the Standing Committee of European Doctors, an EU-wide doctors’ lobby, told the Times of Malta a Malta-based company offering medical courses via online correspondence had been the topic of discussion at a recent meeting of its members, adding that they did not know the level of qualifications within this organisation. The contentious programme is offered by the European Digital University, which was licensed by the Maltese education authorities last year.

Palumbo father and son jailed in Sicily: Palumbo Shipyards boss Antonio Palumbo and his son Raffaele were sentenced to six years in prison over illegal waste dumping in Sicily. The two Neapolitan businessmen were among seven men found guilty by a Messina court last week, which ruled that they had facilitated illegal dumping between 2011 and 2013. Their lawyers will be appealing the sentence. Antonio Palumbo has consistently maintained that the case was politically motivated.

No deal Brexit will cost Malta €6m: Malta would have to fork out an additional €6 million a year in contributions to the European budget in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat told Parliament. Dr Muscat told a press conference earlier in the day that in the event of a no-deal Brexit, Britons already living in Malta would be required to apply for a residence permit that would be valid for 10 years, which could be renewed.

Malta ‘biggest loser’ in quality of life study: Malta was labelled “the biggest loser” in a Quality of Life Index that analysed living conditions in 187 different countries. Malta fell from 19th best for quality of life to 38th in The Expat Insider 2018 report. According to the researchers, living in Malta was deemed as being “not as peaceful as it seems”. One UK expat reported that “corruption seems endemic at all levels of society” and an Irish respondent noted that “the horrendous corruption in every aspect of governance is appalling”.

Corinthia deal talks reopen after warning: The government reopened talks with the Corinthia Group to modify existing deals on projects on the St George’s Bay peninsula after receiving legal advice that EU State aid rules could be breached, the Times of Malta revealed. The advice came from a reputable Brussels-based legal firm, which noted that if the present draft deal was cleared, the government could face a legal challenge by interested parties over breach of EU State aid rules.

Fuel pumps off limits after 6pm: Consumers were not able to purchase fuel after petrol stations closed at 6pm as a result of a partial strike announced by the GRTU. Fuel station owners decided to strike after the government rejected their proposal for a higher profit margin following years of negotiations. Station owners also agreed to withhold licensing fees due to the Regulator for Energy and Water Services. The strike was lifted for a day on Friday pending talks with the government yesterday.

What trended

‘Trade unionism or cartelling?’

Fuel hoses dried up at 6pm for much of this week, as fuel station owners took a tough stance in negotiations with the government.

Judging by online readers’ reaction, the sabre-rattling backfired.

“Is this trade unionism or cartelling?” asked Gergely.

Karen was not buying station owners’ pleas. “If it were such an unprofitable business, there wouldn’t be constant new applications for petrol stations every 400m or so!” she wrote.

“This is awesome,” cheered Milos. “So you can improve your health and walk for a change!”

Environmental awareness

What if people frustrated by environmental degradation dragged themselves away from their keyboard and planted 10 trees each instead?

That seed of an idea appears to be gradually taking root across the country, with thousands of members signing up to the Grow 10 Trees movement and around 100 actively involved.

 Compliments rained down on Adrian Gatt and his environmental brainchild, with many readers thrilled by the idea.

But no comment board is complete without its share of contrarians.

“Imagine if one complained successfully to save 10 mature trees in ADDITION to the new 10 saplings planted,” argued Matthew. “Educate the children about that, dude”.

Joseph was enthused by the concept, but concerned about the way activists were going about their arborial mission.

“From the picture I can see that a sapling was planted just two feet from a very mature tree,” he wrote, adding “that is going to make it impossible for the sapling to grow”.

Chris’ vein of scepticism ran far deeper. “Look at the ruined square in Paola,” he sighed, recalling how authorities had also made a big song and dance about planting trees in the Marsascala family park. All had been forgotten, he claimed. “Except for a few, all are dead”.

Peter the Customs dog

Peter the Customs dog sniffed out a passenger carrying €26,000 in undeclared cash at Malta International Airport this week.

The coup prompted a fair few chuckles among our readers.

“Is he up for adoption?” asked a hopeful Matthew.

“We need a Peter in charge of the Economic Crimes Division,” mused C.

“Job well done Peter,” Deborah congratulated, before she took a jab at the government’s diplomatic recruitment strategy. “Maybe you should be Ambassador to Montenegro”.

What they said

“Any of you who are thinking of staying home come election day – who may be thinking that this is a wise thing to do – will be voting for Joseph Muscat, you will be giving consensus to Konrad Mizzi.”

Nationalist Party leader Adrian Delia warning PN supporters thinking of withholding their vote during next year’s local and European elections that they would be playing into the hands of the Labour Party.

“You have nothing to worry about, even if there is a no-deal.”

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat assuring Britons living in Malta that their status will be protected even if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

“We speak about opening a golden gate to Europe for some privileged people who have the money to pay for citizenship or residence. We are looking at it with concern.”

European Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova speaking during the publication of a report by the Commission which warned that the sale of passports by EU Member States could lead to corruption and money laundering.

“Human rights will always be threatened and I’m convinced that this will be an ongoing struggle in any democracy. That is why we have to remember the Holocaust every year.”

Patrick Siegele, director of the Anne Frank Centre in Berlin, speaking to the Times of Malta ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day which is commemorated today.

“What has happened to us? In which hole did we shove and bury our compassion, our values and our basic humanity?”

Nationalist MP Mario de Marco, writing in the Times of Malta, about how people are ignoring the plight of migrants who drown in the Mediterranean.