Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1510560
6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 29 OCTOBER 2023 NEWS CLAIRVOYANT Mr TOURE a Marabout clairvoyant medium healer and Exorcist with an exceptional gift. Specialising in disenchantment, voodoo protection against dangers, couple problems return of a loved one, impotence and sexual issues whatever the nature. Court cases. Tel: +35677484511 JAMES DEBONO RETAIL Marketing Limited, the company which owns the Well- bee's supermarket chain, is pro- posing a new supermarket in a long disused quarry in Marsaskala. The site is an ODZ area opposite the Marsaskala family park and 150m from a petrol station ap- proved in 2018. Plans submitted to the Planning Authority foresee the construc- tion of a 1,520sq.m supermarket and a 520sq.m store at ground floor level within the disused quarry, a roof car park with 97 spaces and photovoltaic panels at roof level. The company proposing the de- velopment has declared that it is not the owner of the site in ques- tion, but has been authorised to carry out such proposed develop- ment through an agreement with the owner. Ephraim Schembri of the Schembri Barbros group had de- clared owning the land in ques- tion in an application for a shop- ping mall presented on the same site in 2017. The same group also owns the nearby petrol station approved on 1,500sq.m of ODZ in 2018 and extended by a further 1,200 sq.m in 2022. Back in 2017 Schembri had pro- posed a basement parking area, commercial outlets, a drive thru take away, a restaurant and offic- es on the site of the quarry. The application was later withdrawn following strong objections by residents. Back then the Environment and Resources Authority had also ob- jected to the proposed develop- ment. While acknowledging that the site of the disused quarry and its immediate surroundings do not appear to be environmentally sensitive, ERA insisted on the re- tention of the area as open space and its possible restoration into agricultural use in a way which can "improve the overall environ- mental quality of this rural area". ERA had also expressed its con- cern that the development would result in the further commercial development along the urban fringe. The PA is presently faced by three other applications for ODZ supermarkets; one along the Birkirkara bypass, another along the Mriehel bypass and another instead of a construction plant in Tal-Balal San Gwann. Supermarket proposed in ODZ Marsaskala quarry ERA had objected to a previous proposal of a shopping mall insisting the quarry should be rehabilitated into a green open space KURT SANSONE ITALIAN children were the largest group of foreign stu- dents enrolled in Malta's kinder, primary and secondary schools, figures released by the National Statistics Office show. There were 1,123 Italian stu- dents in the academic year 2021/2022, making them the largest cohort among the more than 8,000 foreign students at- tending compulsory schooling and kindergartens. The figures are a reflection of the growing number of Italians that have migrated to work and live in Malta over the past decade. The 2021 Census found that almost 14,000 Ital- ians live in Malta, the largest foreign nationality at 12%. In a study title An Overview Of Research On The Recent Migration Of Italians In Malta, published this year, research- er Sandro Caruana describes the large presence of Italians as "the biggest increase of a community of non-Maltese nationals since 2011" when only 947 Italians lived in the country. The second largest group of foreign students was British with 670 children, followed by Syrian students (604). The NSO said there were 58,377 students enrolled in the education system up to second- ary level during the 2021/2022 academic year, an increase of 330 students over the previous year. The figures exclude children attending childcare facilities. The data is for State, church and private schools. Of these, 50,023 (86%) were Maltese, while 8,352 (14%) were foreign, the majority of which were non-EU nationals. Non-EU nationals accounted for 5,010 students, while EU nationals accounted for 3,342 Italian children of foreign students There were 1,123 Italian students in the academic year 2021/2022, making them the largest cohort among the more than 8,000 foreign students attending compulsory schooling and kindergartens There were 58,377 students enrolled in kindergarten, primary and secondary school during the scholastic year 2021/2022 of which 14% were foreign