Italy – England quarter final on Sunday: Businesses set to profit from ‘mother of all matches’
As soon as the final whistle was blown on Tuesday evening, local football enthusiasts were drooling at the prospect of seeing their favourite national team securing a famous victory against their fiercest rivals. Sunday’s game promises to be a huge crowd puller, with football enthusiasts flocking to bars and open-air big screens to immerse themselves in the atmosphere even more. Irrespective of how the game might unfold, bar owners are already rubbing their hands with glee as this is a unique opportunity to make a bumper profit. The way in which the Euro 2012 knock out tree has unfolded ensured that interest in the competition will be guaranteed throughout. Germany versus Italy could be a good one, and England versus Germany is an even bigger potential fixture. Several bar owners in the St Julian’s and Paceville area told this paper that sales during Euro 2012 are already better than the 2010 World Cup in South Africa when both sides crashed out in the early stages of the competition. This time around, either Italy or England is guaranteed a place in the last four, where they could battle it out to go a step further and reach the final. Sunday’s winner will then be facing Germany, unless Greece claim a major scalp on Friday night, which would send shockwaves in sporting terms and maybe beyond. With the stakes so high motorcades in renowned hotspots such as Sliema and Bugibba are to be expected late at night. Hopefully celebrations will be conducted in a civilised manner and won’t be spoiled by any provocations from those mostly interested in rubbing salt into the wounds.(independent.com.mt) Football is a great sport and an equally good entertainment.
PN challenges JPO to back his claim on MPs' voting intentions - JPO reacts
The Nationalist Party said today that it has a signed declaration by 33 government MPs saying they never had any intention to vote for the Opposition's motion calling for the resignation of Richard Cachia Caruana. In a statement, the party said that in view of this declaration, it was asking Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando to substantiate the claim he made in Parliament on Monday that there were up to 10 Nationalist MPs who had wished to back the Opposition's motion. The PN listed the names of the MPs who signed its declaration - all MPs except Dr Pullicino Orlando and Jesmond Mugliett.. They include Franco Debono, who was condemned by the PN Executive yesterday for his vote on the motion against Carm Mifsud Bonnici in the same statement where Dr Pullicino Orlando and Mr Mugliett were condemned for their vote against Mr Cachia Caruana. Mr Debono was himself a fierce critic of Mr Cachia Caruana, but when the vote against Dr Mifsud Bonnici was taken, he declared he would not vote against the government in the Cachia Caruana motion.(timesofmalta.com) From this story we could get a book.
Reclaimed land ‘won’t do’
Existing space should be used. Reclamation would be a “fake” solution to the problems resulting from bad management of existing land, according to environmental organisation Friends of the Earth. The starting point must be the project, not creating land. “There is no justification for it to take place before existing land is planned efficiently. “It’s a fake solution about doing something because you did not manage to control something else,” said Martin Galea De Giovanni, who chairs the NGO. In an interview with The Sunday Times, Labour leader Joseph Muscat said a new Labour government would look into land reclamation. He was discussing construction, which had to be sustainable and respect the environment. Mr Galea De Giovanni said the situation had not changed since 2005 when Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi spoke about exploring the option, as there was still a lot of vacant property. The proposal was shot down by two reports commissioned by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority. The first, released in 2005, aimed to find suitable areas for land reclamation and identified two potential spots: Qalet Marku and Xghajra. Other areas were either too deep or ecologically sensitive, among other factors. The second study, issued in 2007, found that it was not viable to build artificial land using construction debris. Marine biologist and environmentalist Alan Deidun said nothing had changed since then. There were no new technologies or changes in the landscape that might discredit the reports’ conclusions.(timesofmalta.com) The space management is crucial to an island.
As soon as the final whistle was blown on Tuesday evening, local football enthusiasts were drooling at the prospect of seeing their favourite national team securing a famous victory against their fiercest rivals. Sunday’s game promises to be a huge crowd puller, with football enthusiasts flocking to bars and open-air big screens to immerse themselves in the atmosphere even more. Irrespective of how the game might unfold, bar owners are already rubbing their hands with glee as this is a unique opportunity to make a bumper profit. The way in which the Euro 2012 knock out tree has unfolded ensured that interest in the competition will be guaranteed throughout. Germany versus Italy could be a good one, and England versus Germany is an even bigger potential fixture. Several bar owners in the St Julian’s and Paceville area told this paper that sales during Euro 2012 are already better than the 2010 World Cup in South Africa when both sides crashed out in the early stages of the competition. This time around, either Italy or England is guaranteed a place in the last four, where they could battle it out to go a step further and reach the final. Sunday’s winner will then be facing Germany, unless Greece claim a major scalp on Friday night, which would send shockwaves in sporting terms and maybe beyond. With the stakes so high motorcades in renowned hotspots such as Sliema and Bugibba are to be expected late at night. Hopefully celebrations will be conducted in a civilised manner and won’t be spoiled by any provocations from those mostly interested in rubbing salt into the wounds.(independent.com.mt) Football is a great sport and an equally good entertainment.
PN challenges JPO to back his claim on MPs' voting intentions - JPO reacts
The Nationalist Party said today that it has a signed declaration by 33 government MPs saying they never had any intention to vote for the Opposition's motion calling for the resignation of Richard Cachia Caruana. In a statement, the party said that in view of this declaration, it was asking Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando to substantiate the claim he made in Parliament on Monday that there were up to 10 Nationalist MPs who had wished to back the Opposition's motion. The PN listed the names of the MPs who signed its declaration - all MPs except Dr Pullicino Orlando and Jesmond Mugliett.. They include Franco Debono, who was condemned by the PN Executive yesterday for his vote on the motion against Carm Mifsud Bonnici in the same statement where Dr Pullicino Orlando and Mr Mugliett were condemned for their vote against Mr Cachia Caruana. Mr Debono was himself a fierce critic of Mr Cachia Caruana, but when the vote against Dr Mifsud Bonnici was taken, he declared he would not vote against the government in the Cachia Caruana motion.(timesofmalta.com) From this story we could get a book.
Reclaimed land ‘won’t do’
Existing space should be used. Reclamation would be a “fake” solution to the problems resulting from bad management of existing land, according to environmental organisation Friends of the Earth. The starting point must be the project, not creating land. “There is no justification for it to take place before existing land is planned efficiently. “It’s a fake solution about doing something because you did not manage to control something else,” said Martin Galea De Giovanni, who chairs the NGO. In an interview with The Sunday Times, Labour leader Joseph Muscat said a new Labour government would look into land reclamation. He was discussing construction, which had to be sustainable and respect the environment. Mr Galea De Giovanni said the situation had not changed since 2005 when Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi spoke about exploring the option, as there was still a lot of vacant property. The proposal was shot down by two reports commissioned by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority. The first, released in 2005, aimed to find suitable areas for land reclamation and identified two potential spots: Qalet Marku and Xghajra. Other areas were either too deep or ecologically sensitive, among other factors. The second study, issued in 2007, found that it was not viable to build artificial land using construction debris. Marine biologist and environmentalist Alan Deidun said nothing had changed since then. There were no new technologies or changes in the landscape that might discredit the reports’ conclusions.(timesofmalta.com) The space management is crucial to an island.