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MALTATODAY 23 October 2018 Budget

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NEWS maltatoday | TUESDAY • 23 OCTOBER 2018 18 Super League Triathlon is coming to Malta 26-28 October 2018 Paceville Birgu Bormla For more information and event schedule visit www.superleaguetriathlon.com C M Y CM MY CY CMY K SLT_Malta_Print_8cmx5col.pdf 1 12/10/18 11:43 PM ATTEMPTED MURDER CASE A woman and an infant have been admitted to hospital after a fire broke out in an apartment in St Publius Street in St Paul's Bay. Sources said that the two were hospitalised for smoke inhalation after firefighters brought the fire under control. Neighbours said they heard an explosion and the sound of windows shattering. Two pets were also said to have been rescued from the apartment. MATTHEW AGIUS WITNESSES have testi- fied about additional drugs charges made against under- age driver Liam Debono, who is accused of the attempted murder of a policeman whom he ran over earlier this year. Two crushers and other drugs paraphernalia, along with three bags of cannabis grass were found in the ac- cused's possession, experts told magistrate Joe Mifsud. Inspector Spiridione Zam- mit testified that Debono had been driving a Maruti jeep with an expired licence and insurance and a different car's licence plates. He had been spotted throwing away a joint. Three bags of canna- bis grass, which Debono had declared were his property, were found in the car. The driver had been accompa- nied by others. Cross-examined by defence lawyer Franco Debono, the inspector explained that this took place on 30 October 2017, months before the in- cident in which he had nearly killed PC Simon Schembri by dragging him under his car. "We had been waiting for the consent of the AG [to pros- ecute] …but we hadn't issued the charges," explained the Inspector as Debono protest- ed that the charges had been pressed three months after the police had charged him with the attempted murder. The defence is arguing that the charges have nothing to do with the Schembri charg- es and that there was no rea- son to add them to this case. A police sergeant testified that he had spotted a Maruti being driven by what ap- peared to be a minor. He had radioed in the car's number plate and was told that it did not belong to a Maruti but to an Opel. The car was stopped and Liam Debono was found behind the wheel. He had no licence or insurance on him at the time, said the sergeant, who had then searched the accused and seized a number of suspicious items. The case continues on Oc- tober 29. Liam Debono protests additional drugs charges KURT SANSONE AIR Malta is expected to an- nounce that it reached break even in the financial year that ended in March 2018, Malta- Today has learnt. This will be the first time in 18 years that the national air- line has registered a positive financial performance, airline sources said. The results are expected to be announced at the annual gen- eral meeting that will be held in December. Air Malta's fiscal year is from April to March. The airline underwent an in- tensive restructuring process since being on the brink of bankruptcy in 2010 when gov- ernment stepped in with State aid that had to be cleared by Brussels. The restructuring process, which involved downsizing the airline and cutting some of its routes, was supposed to turn the airline back to black within five years. The airline failed to do so and in June last year, under the stewardship of incoming Tour- ism Minister Konrad Mizzi, Air Malta shifted to a growth strat- egy. The airline added new routes, increased the number of air- craft in operation and negoti- ated collective agreements with its workers. It also cut certain costs, such as free on-board meals. The strategy appears to have paid off with the airline manag- ing to carry more passengers. The sources said that between January and August of this year, the airline registered a 35% in- crease in passenger numbers. Air Malta set to break even

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