Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/922844
14 15 Newspaper post maltatoday today today SUNDAY • 7 JANUARY 2018 • ISSUE 948 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY From Russia... with cash. Meet Malta's newest 'citizens' YOUR FIRST READ AND CLICK OF THE DAY WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT €1.75 INTERVIEW Malcolm Galea "They used to say 'a laugh a minute'. Now, 'a laugh a minute' is dull. It has to be a laugh every two or three lines." Jan 2018 | Issue 97 www.vida.com.mt PARIS MON AMOUR THE ULTIMATE CULTURAL CITY BREAK BEYOND GLUTEN FREE RECIPES AND TIPS FOR ALL AUM axes lecturers to make up for poor student intake PL donors want M'skala shopping mall permit MATTHEW VELLA ONE of Labour's major donors is hoping to get a green light for a 10,000 sq.m shopping mall right outside the Marsaskala family park. Earmarking a disused quarry on Triq Sant Antnin, the Schembri Barbros group can bank on a recent permit for their adja- cent fuel station – which is already outside development zones – setting the precedent for the construction. The controversial 1,500 sq.m fuel station was granted a permit only recently, eight years after the original application was filed. The applicant is nominally Patrick Guntrip, but his wife Josephine is a shareholder in a Schembri Barbros subsidiary. KURT SANSONE HIGH wage costs and too few students forced the American University of Malta to axe all full-time lecturers as it tries to contain losses. Sources close to the project have told Malta- Today that the poor student intake made the running costs unsustainable after the AUM enticed lecturers with annual salaries ranging between €90,000 and €135,000. "The wage bill could not be justified when compared to the low student intake at the start of the first academic year last September," the sources said. The salaries are way above the average paid by the University of Malta where the high- est paid lecturers can expect to earn around €75,000. 4 4 MATTHEW VELLA VITALS Global Healthcare ran into liquidity problems and is still negotiating a price for its 30-year hospitals concession to American healthcare giant Steward. VGH was reported to have sold its concession just 21 months after being granted a concession to run three state hospitals, with government presenting the transfer as a done deal. But a VGH spokesperson said that no change in owner- ship had yet taken place. "VGH is presently in negotia- tions with Steward Healthcare and no change in owner- ship has taken place… it is presently in negotiations in accordance with the terms of the agreement entered into between the parties." MaltaToday has learnt that VGH was seeking a buy-out from Steward after failing to obtain the necessary credit facilities to take its multi-million project forward. Sources added that in recent months, payments to sup- pliers had become an issue, with the VGH finance depart- ment taking far too long to deal with invoices, leaving suppliers on edge. PGS 2-3 PHOTO JAMES BIANCHI Liquidity problems pushed Vitals to seek sale Vitals Global Healthcare still negotiating with Steward Health Care, no transfer of ownership finalised yet July 2016 - Issue 79 www.vida.com.mt EXPLORING MALTA'S COASTLINES Malta's hottest bays TAKE ME TO THE BEACH Summer's fashion must-haves FREE with MaltaToday YOUR FIRST READ AND CLICK OF THE DAY Merhba! Dobro pozalovat!