Malta u l-politika

“Fl-ahhar xahar kien hemm erba' self employed li minhabba s-sitwazzjoni ekonomika hazina li kienu fiha spiccaw ikkommettew suwicidju.”

Vincent Farrugia, Direttur Generali tal-General Retailers and Traders Union, 14.2.2004

“Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said yesterday that his trip on a private aircraft for the recent EU summit had cost Lm13,520.”

The Times 23.4.2004

“Who would need an office block in the centre of Brussels worth Lm6.5 million? The Malta government, stupid! That is the price to be paid to purchase the property in Brussels which will also house the office of Malta’s Permanent Representative to the EU, Richard Cachia Caruana. For comparison’s sake, pop singer Madonna’s 1,200 acre estate in England cost Lm3.8 million and the Beckham couple’s house in Spain was bought for Lm2.8 million.”

MaltaToday 27.6.2004

“More than one-in-five (21 per cent) of all children live below the poverty line. … Nearly 15 per cent of the population is at risk of being below the poverty line. The illiteracy rate of 11 per cent is more alarming. … Malta ranks in 32nd place among the developed countries due to the high illiteracy rate. … Figures show that 41 per cent of those who are poor are also unemployed. … only 21 per cent have a social life. People living on social benefits are hurt if they are taxed on their part-time job… On certain occasions, poor mothers buy a piece of chocolate for their children when they receive the paycheck so that they can keep them happy at least once a month.”

(di-ve news) 17.12.2004

“The number of students aged 15 and 16 dabbling in cannabis has practically doubled over eight years even though Maltese teenagers' use of the substance remained below the European average, a report has shown.”

The Times 27.3.2009

“Last Friday two local media organisations were deliberately excluded from a government briefing to prepare the rest of the major local media organisations for yesterday's announcement of the pre-budget document. The Union Press, one of the media excluded, yesterday reported prominently on its front page on this “secret” meeting for “chosen” journalists only.”

Editorjal, The Sunday Times 31.7.2005

“The government preferred to let patients suffer instead of paying a few hundred liri to get extra doctors from other sections to work at the accident and emergency department when they are off duty.”

Dr. Martin Balzan, segretarju generali tal-Medical Association of Malta

The Times 10.11.2005

“The YMCA Valletta said that 300 people are homeless everyday in Malta. It reported that in 2005, the group helped over 9000 clients with 6405 interventions carried out.”

VALLETTA, Malta (di-ve news) -- May 06, 2006 -- 1950CEST –

“F’pajjizna, aktar ma jgħaddi ż-żmien, aktar qed tidħol il-korruzzjoni,”

Dun Victor Grech, Illum, 25.11.2006

“A Maltese embassy with Chinese furniture – that’s the latest news from the Lm9 million Brussels property opposite the European Commission building that is to be turned into Dar Malta. It will be no shop window for arty Maltese furniture or anything national – all the furniture and interior furnishings for Dar Malta are coming straight from none other than the People’s Republic of China.”

MaltaToday 31.12.2006

“Few Maltese knew that one in five children lived in poverty, and mothers, who were poor, hid their state because it was a source of shame for them”.

Stharrig tal-Kummissjoni Nazzjonali tal-Familja, The Times 19.4.2007

“The National Statistics Office said yesterday that 14.9 per cent of all persons living in households fell under the poverty line in 2005. This means there were 59,315 persons in such a situation. The NSO published its first collection of poverty indicators for 2005. The poverty rate among males stood at 14.2 per cent, while that among females was 15.5 per cent.”

The Times 10.5.2007

“A Malta Maritime Authority (MMA) official facing corruption charges in the mariners’ licences bribery scandal has alleged that his superior, who is also indicted in the case, had reassured him that a ministry official would cover up for their frauds. In his interrogation at the police depot the day after his arrest on 13 June, MMA clerk Ivan Muscat told investigators that his manager, John Farrugia, had admitted there were fake navigators’ course certificates presented for the issuing of licences, but told him not to worry as “someone in the ministry” would cover them.”

MaltaToday 5.8.2007

“One-third of the Maltese say they are not earning enough money to cope by the end of the month according to the findings of the latest MaltaToday survey. A good 41 per cent of respondents say they earn just enough to make ends meet throughout the month, while only 26 per cent claim to have enough cash saved for their future.”

MaltaToday 16.9.2007

“Il-Mepa Qorti tal-Kangaroo,” huma fost il-kliem ibsin użati mill-Imħallef Joe Galea Debono fil-konfront ta' l-Awtorità Maltija għall-Ambjent u l-Ippjanar f'kawża li fetaħ bħala ċittadin komuni, flimkien ma' aktar minn 30 persuna oħra.

ILLUM 14.10.2007

“Helen Muscat, a founder of the Action for Breast Cancer Foundation, pointed out that they are not receiving the best treatment available from the government. The most notable example is Herceptin treatment, which is effective in one fifth of breast cancer cases. This is not made available by the government.”

Editorjal, The Times 19.10.2007

“M’għandna l-ebda dubju li l-PN se jipprova jisfrutta favur tiegħu l-istat ta’ saħħa ta’ (Alfred) Sant matul il-kampanja elettorali.”

Editorjal ILLUM 13.1.2008

Dikjarazzjoni ta’ Austin Gatt fil-Kabinett urtat lil numru kbir ta’ Membri Parlamentari Nazzjonalista. Gatt, li hu magħruf għall-istil tiegħu kif jitkellem mingħajr ma kelma joqgħod jomgħodha, waqt laqgħa tal-Kabinett instema’ jikkummenta li “hawn ġew m’hawnx post għad-demokrazija.”

ILLUM 25.1.2009

“The Parliamentary Secretary for Health Joseph Cassar yesterday called on relatives of patients recovering from operations to care for them at home in order to free up needed hospital beds.”

The Times 9.2.2009

Two employees of Papillon Caterers told a court today that they had been instructed and threatened over how to vote at the general elections by their employer Pierre Bartolo. … Testifying, PL deputy leader Anglu Farrugia said that after the elections he had received several reports of persons who were paid to vote Nationalist. Anthony Zammit had spoken to him and told him that he worked at Mater Dei Hospital with Papillon Caterers and had been threatened to vote Nationalist. A certain man he knew as Cioffi went with him to the polling station and he was told to take a photo of his ballot paper using his mobile phone. Dr Farrugia said this was just one of around 100 to 200 cases that he had asked the police to investigate in a report. The accused, he said, had bought votes for €200 each. Anthony Zammit was fired from work shortly after the election. … Police Inspector Daniel Zammit told the court that a certain Anthony Portelli, a former Papillon employee, had reported that he was threatened that if he did not vote PN, he would be fired. He had said that Edwin Cioffi, a cook with Papillon, went with him to vote. Inspector Zammit said the accused allegedly told Kristylee Bezzina and Anthony Zammit that if Labour were elected, they were not to turn up for work. … Kristylee Bezzina told the court that she had been working with Papillon for a year. While at work, Mr Bartolo told her to vote PN. Under cross examination by defence counsel Joe Giglio, Ms Bezzina said that she voted how she intended to, for the Nationalists. She said the accused had dropped her off at the polling station and told her how to vote.

timesofmalta.com latest news 11.2.2009

Emergency nurses are still unable to give potentially life-saving medication to patients when they go out on ambulances, five months after the issue was supposed to have been resolved. Nurses are very concerned that their inability to administer medication, which is, ironically, carried in their emergency bag, could cost lives. An Emergency nurse said yesterday they are unable to give medication even to patients suffering from heart attacks or strokes even when wasting precious moments could cost patients' lives. Nurses were also being faced with patients in extreme pain because of bone fractures but their hands were tied and were unable to administer pain killers, the nurse, who insisted on anonymity, said. … In one case a nurse was unable to give a boy suffering from febrile convulsions drugs while the mother begged and pleaded. In the end, the nurse handed over the drug to the mother who had to administer it to her son herself.

The Times 18.2.2009

A trial by jury was told this morning that a woman who stands accused of selling drugs within the prisons had practically a free rein, with wardens and inmates ‘afraid’ of her and access to an empty cell where she had four television sets and a sound surround system, among other items. … The accused had four lockers and even an empty cell containing, four televisions, DVD’s, surround sound system, and other items given to her by the other inmates.

Timesofmalta.com  12.12.2011, 10:17

Patients are currently being treated like sacks of potatoes, squeezed wherever there is space.

Paul Pace, President MUMN

timesofmalta.com, 23.2.2012, 11:15

Levels of a pollutant dust around Gżira primary school exceeded the EU limit 224 times, according to a report released yesterday. Data revealed that nearby residents also suffered as air monitoring figures from a private home in Gżira showed the limit was exceeded by 241 times, while a residence in Sliema Road was 112 times above the EU limit.

The Times 4.8.2012

Maltese workers are getting more stressed, according to the latest research by workspace provider Regus. The survey, canvassing the opinions of over 16,000 professionals across the globe, found that almost half of Maltese workers (46%) say their stress levels have risen over the past year. A number of national factors such as long working hours as well as continuing instability in the world economy are thought to have fuelled this growing pressure and respondents confirm that most stress triggers are of a professional rather than personal nature, with their job, customers and personal finances topping the list of causes.

timesofmalta.com Tuesday, September 18, 2012, 14:14

The Labour Party was trying to project a new image with people such as candidate Deborah Schembri who “has the face of a Nationalist", PN deputy leader Simon Busuttil said in a televised political debate.

timesofmalta.com Wednesday, February 6, 2013, 21:45

The Times:                 So the public debt is not a worry?

Kristy Debono:          No, I don’t believe it is a worry.

Intervista ma’ Kristy Debono Kandidata PN elezzjoni generali 2013

The Times 5.3.2013

Information laid on the Table of the House by the Prime Minister yesterday shows that 2003 and 2008 – both election years – registered the highest number of inter-government departmental transfers. Dr Muscat told Carmelo Abela (PL) that the transfer between 1999 and 2012 were as follows:

1999: 708

2000: 640

2001: 823

2002: 614

2003: 1,008

2004: 806

2005: 590

2006: 431

2007: 364

2008: 970

2009: 404

2010: 500

2011: 325

2012: 229

timesofmalta.com Tuesday, July 9, 2013, 09:43

The court also heard psychiatrist Joseph Spiteri who said that in 2007, the availability of drugs in jail was high, saying the drugs could be found “left, right and centre”.

timesofmalta.com Wednesday, October 8, 2014, 13:40