Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1137604
YOUR FIRST READ AND CLICK OF THE DAY WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT maltatoday €1.95 2 today today today SUNDAY • 30 JUNE 2019 • ISSUE 1026 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY Europe chooses leaders PAGE 7 INSIDE MT2 maltatoday This Week Dreaming of a female pope Q and A Manatapu Film The Swallows of Kabul 2 The all new pull-out section INSIDE • LISTINGS • TV • LAW • CLASSIFIEDS High times More money, more problems, more drugs... of cocaine users than heroin of cocaine For the fi rst time ever, Caritas has a higher intake Caritas has a higher higher intake higher intake higher of cocaine users than heroin cocaine than heroin Page 6 Shoreline pays €32 million premium for 99-year lease SMARTCITY MATTHEW VELLA THE dream to create a futuristic 'internet city' that would deliver over 5,000 jobs was dead soon after the financial crisis of 2009. Over 10 years later, Smart City Malta – a real estate deal inked in 2007 with Dubai telecoms gi- ant Tecom – is reaping its ben- efits, minus the jobs target. The company, now owned by Smart City Dubai, is cashing in on a €32 million premium after sub-leasing a portion of the land it was granted by the National- ist administration at dirty cheap rates (less than €5 per square metre), for real estate develop- ment. The developers are Shore- line Holdings, that will build a 372-luxury apartment com- plex after being transferred 55,000sq.m. in gross f loor area from other parts of the Smart City development. The company will enjoy the use of the land for 99 years, starting retroactively from 2007, at an annual ground rent of €12,222 – or €3,543 over and above the €8,678 that Smart City should be paying the government. The ground rent will be revised every five years by 5%. PN It's (class) war! Is the PN split between Delia's supporters and the party's old guard? 14-15 Europe chooses leaders ROBERT MUSUMECI Defending the new construction management rules INTERVIEW 16-17 KURT SANSONE maps out the permutations and where Joseph Muscat fi ts in 4-5 Pilots on the warpath over retirement scheme SAVIOUR BALZAN THE Airline Pilots Association has voted in favour of industrial action, threatening a full-blown strike to leave Air Malta planes grounded, unless the government accedes to their demands. ALPA is requesting a guarantee on an early retirement scheme which sees them receiving close to €700,000 at the age of 55. The pilots are requesting that the gov- ernment guarantees their early retire- ment scheme, even if Air Malta should fail as a company – a move seemingly taken after the launch of Ryanair's sub- sidiary airline Malta Air. However, the government is unable to uphold this request since it would breach European Union rules against state aid. ALPA representative Dominic Azzo- pardi was unavailable for comment yes- terday. A spokesperson for the tourism min- istry told MaltaToday that Air Malta closing down was not on the cards. "It's not remotely in the government's vi- sion... but the pilots' demand would go contrary to state aid regulations." Meanwhile the ministry also warned ALPA pilots against taking rash indus- trial action. "Unless the pilots change their behav- iour, the handling of Air Malta's growth operation will not be undertaken through the core airline, but entrusted instead to Malta MedAir," the govern- ment-owned company which owns air- line slots used by Air Malta, as well as a share in the Malta Air airline that is run by Irish low fares giant Ryanair. PAGE 2 AIR MALTA ULTIMATUM Pilots threaten strike, government warns it will run Air Malta with another company