10 years ago - The Times

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Eurozone drops 2010 deadline to balance budgets

Eurozone ministers agreed on Monday to drop the 2010 deadline for balancing their budgets shortly before the Maltese government presented the budget for 2009, delaying the target by a year.

The decision is the latest measure aimed at mitigating the shocks expected from the global financial crisis.

The euro area member states were bound to balance their books by the end of 2010 and the government had tied its financial strategy to this target.

However, as the European Commission economic forecasts for 2009 predict a bad year for the economy, with an expected contraction of GDP growth, the euro group president and Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Jean Claude Juncker said ministers have agreed to waive the deadline.

“The ministers decided that their previous medium-term objective of zero deficits by the end of this decade, agreed in April 2007, should be revised.

“Instead, the goal will be replaced by individual plans for member states on a case-by-case basis and dates will be pushed back,” Mr Juncker said.

25 years ago - The Times

Friday, November 5, 1993

MLP claims health sector in state of collapse

The Labour Party has described St Luke’s Hospital as an artificially overcrowded, cockroach-infested and filth-ridden institution.

And the health sector is in a state of collapse with employees lacking motivation, proper management and organisation, the Labour Party spokesman on health, Edwin Grech, said yesterday.

The overcrowding problem at the hospital is being artificially caused to show people how small and inadequate the hospital has become, he claimed.

But the Ministry of Home Affairs and Social Development yesterday described Prof. Grech’s comments as another “partisan attack based on mistaken ideas”.

In a grim interview of the health sector, Prof. Grech said that the government had given up reforming St Luke’s and had come up with the “dream of building a new hospital”.

No proper study has been carried out to see if Malta needed another hospital.

The San Raffaele Hospital will be paid for out of taxpayers’ money and given to foreigners to run. It will be run like the Zammit Clapp Hospital – only for those who can afford to pay, said Prof. Grech.

Half a century ago - Times of Malta

Tuesday, November 5, 1968

Prime Minister in China

The Prime Minister, G. Borg Olivier, received a red carpet welcome yesterday when he arrived at Taipei from Hong Kong for a five-day official visit on the first leg of a Far East tour.

Dr Borg Olivier was greeted at the airport by Nationalist Chinese Vice-President Premier C. K. Yen, Minister of Economic Affairs K. T. Li and members of the Taipei Diplomatic Corps.

The Prime Minister was accorded full military honours complete with a 19-gun salute and inspection of a battalion of guard of honour. In the evening, the Prime Minister was the guest of honour at a dinner given by the Acting Foreign Minister at the Government Guest House.

Dr Borg Olivier will be received by President Chiang Kai-Shek during his visit to the Republic of China.

Boy injured

Thirteen-year-old Martin Gatt, of Sliema, was injured when he fell a height of about 20 feet. Gatt was trying to enter into the Plaza Cinema, Sliema, through its rear entrance in Tower Road.

He was detained in hospital.

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