In the Press: IVF treatment is working, more on the smart meter scandal

The Times of Malta

On revoking George Farrugia’s pardon, Cabinet reshuffles - PM “excludes nothing”

PM Joseph Muscat yesterday said that he did not exclude the possibility of revoking the presidential pardon given to George Farrugia, a rogue oil trader, last February. While he refused to comment on the anticipated Cabinet reshuffle, he also said that he would not exclude the possibility of future reshuffles if they were needed. “There are no rules on this, and I follow my own rules anyway – not traditions,” he said on the TVM programme Dissett.

In-Nazzjon

The EU is worth fighting for – Simon Busuttil

Speaking at the European People’s Party Congress in Dublin, PN leader Simon Busuttil said that Europe is a cause worth defending. The last five years have seen economic, social and environmental challenges, he said, and through the solidarity fostered by the EU, they were overcome. Busuttil also expressed solidarity with the people of Ukraine and said that their place was in the EU, a right they were currently fighting for.

L-Orizzont

Austerity does not work – Louis Grech

Giving comments at the opening of the Business Roundtable yesterday, Deputy PM Louis Grech said that austerity measures negatively impact the citizen and eventually the economy itself. He called for an increased diversification of the economy as a way to strengthen it. One way the Maltese government is doing this, he explained, is by attracting more direct foreign investment.

The Malta Independent

Government IVF treatment gets first results

Health Minister Godfrey Farrugia said that the first couples selected for IVF treatment “will soon be expecting babies”. A committee had been formed to determine the priority of couples, a decision that factored in the age of the individuals. The treatment itself was free and the prospective parents only had to pay for medicines involved.

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All the newspapers ran reports of the testimonies of electricity consumers who had paid for tampered smart meters.

These testimonies, which were provided by individuals who came forward without the threat of legal action from Enemalta, were enough to indict Manuel Micallef, 35 of Mtarfa, and Richard Gauci, 47 of Rabat.

The two former employees charged between €500 and €1,200 for meters that would under-read. The case will continue next month and more consumers are expected to testify.