Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/625693
www.maltatoday.com.mt wednesday edition wednesday • 13 January 2016 • issue 451 • published every wednesday and sunday €1.00 Newspaper post New bus routes 'disastrous' for university students Students left short-changed as bus route revamp means that trips to university are removed, lengthier or less frequent Tim DiacoNo University students have been left fuming following the bus route revamp that came into play late last year. "the new routes have been nothing short of an absolute dis- aster for us," law student Johann Agius told Maltatoday. "Bus routes to the university are now either lengthier, removed entire- ly, or slashed in frequency." Agius recently set up an online petition, calling on transport minister Joe Mizzi to revert the bus routes that were introduced on 20 December. Pressure is now piling on transport Malta to sort out the fiasco, with 1,355 people having signed the petition at the time of writing. As a result of the bus route re- vamp, several routes from val- letta to the university and Mater Dei (such as route 35) have been removed entirely. "i recently had to wait for 45 minutes near Portes des Bombes for a bus that passes through uni- versity and when one finally did arrive, it was completely full up," Agius said. "By that time, i de- cided to go home as i had already missed my lecture." Other routes have been signifi- cantly lengthened – buses from the Marsa Park and ride termi- nus that used to travel directly to the university and Mater Dei now take a detour via st Luke's Hospi- tal and Hamrun. Agius, a Fgura resident, ex- plained that this in practice means that his daily bus trips to university take half an hour long- er than they used to. students from Birzebbugia have it even worse, as their route (210) to the university has now been lengthened to also include Mar- saxlokk, as well as st Luke's Hos- pital and Hamrun. Denise Griscti complained on the petition page that her journeys to the univer- sity now take a minimum of one hour and 15 minutes. the bus route (X1) that used to travel directly from Cirkew- wa to the university and Mater Dei now takes a winding detour through Mellieha and doesn't stop at the national hospital – a great inconvenience for medical and health students who live in Gozo. "these two essential details were left unmentioned during our most recent meeting with transport Malta," Gozo Uni- versity Group president Denis Muscat said. "the situation is un- acceptable and the changes have left Gozitan students frustrated." Angelik gave cancer sufferers false hope, Church says Gabriel ScicluNa twO cancer sufferers who were told by self-styled mystic Angelik Caruana that they had been healed died within a month of this. such false prophecies and alleged mira- cles were among the major issues which had worried the Maltese church authori- ties during an investigative procedure that led to the Curia's declaration that Caru- ana's visions of the Holy virgin were 'not divine'. speaking to Maltatoday, apostolic vicar Fr rene Camilleri explained a number of negative criteria that made the Curia ques- tion the alleged divinity of the Borg in-na- dur visions. "these criteria, established in a document issued by the vatican, clearly say that genuine apparition cases should not be linked to some monetary gain." Camilleri said thousands of euros had been collected from people who wanted to join the monthly spiritual meetings led by Caruana. But what concerned the Maltese curia the most were a number of cases related to false miracles. "we had two particular cases where Angelik told two cancer pa- tients that their illness was cured, but they died within a month." He insisted that their death is not attrib- uted to Angelik's false intervention, "as that would be criminal". 'the church has no problem with people meeting up to pray every month. Maybe we can turn a blind eye when someone claims that they see the virgin Mary. But we could not ignore Angelik's case, as, ac- cording to him, the virgin Mary was mak- ing very particular requests." Tonio Fenech denies any wrongdoing in purchase of €25,000 ministerial car for paltry €1,908 on eve of 2013 election PaGe 6 Self-styled mystic told two cancer sufferers they were cured but both died within a month PaGe 5 PaGe 5