Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/956412
maltatoday WEDNESDAY 21 MARCH 2018 8 News MATTHEW AGIUS A man accused of carrying a knife in public whilst on bail for drug of- fences has been jailed. Inspector Godwin Scerri charged Elliot Paul Busuttil with carrying a knife in public without a permit, breaching bail, committing an of- fence during the operative period of a suspended sentence, breaching the peace by making a noisy distur- bance and relapsing. The accused had released a state- ment to the police after refusing to consult with a lawyer, he said. 34-year-old Busuttil looked down at his feet as the prosecution and defence approached magistrate Monica Vella's bench to discuss the case out of hearing range from the public. In February Busuttil had been re- leased on bail after being charged in connection with a police raid on a Bugibba drug den. Lawyer Ishmael Psaila entered a plea of guilty on behalf of the ac- cused. He asked that the man not be held at CCF but at Mt Carmel and be admitted to a drug rehabili- tation program. Asked by the court, Busuttil said he understood the implications of pleading guilty and reaffirmed his plea. In view of his admission of guilt, the court sentenced the man to a fine of €116 for the knife charge and nine months imprisonment for the other charges. It also recommended that the ac- cused be given the assistance he requires to overcome his drug ad- diction. Nine months jail for carrying unlicensed knife while on bail for drug charges MASSIMO COSTA 'TROJAN Horse was a Uni- corn' – an internationally re- nowned annual digital arts festival – will be held in Malta for the next three years, aim- ing to place Malta in the in- dustry's limelight, bring tal- ent to the island and lead to recruitment. The festival, which is be- ing officially announced at an event yesterday evening and was previously organised in Portugal, has relocated to Malta and will this year take place from 24 to 29 September. The September event – where 3D artists, animators, game developers and those working in visual effects and related areas could showcase their talents – would attract some 1,500 people, digital economy parliamentary sec- retary Silvio Schembri said, remarking that Malta had worked hard to win its bid for THU to relocate here. Describing it as a "major event in gaming and enter- tainment", he said the festival would serve as "another link in the chain helping Malta's digi- tal hub eco-system f lourish". Explaining that Malta was now starting to increase its focus on the area of game de- sign – as distinct and sepa- rate from the iGaming sector – Schembri said that the most important asset in the gam- ing industry was human capi- tal, and the festival would go a long way towards attracting talent to Malta. When it comes to the gam- ing industry, Schembri said, the most fundamental issue was the recruitment process. "In order for Malta to re- ally launch itself as a gam- ing hub, it must attract the critical mass of labour to the country, and events such as THU are necessary for this to happen," he highlighted, "We have a good product to offer, but people now need to dis- cover us, and then the gaming industry will come here." Andrea Blasich from THU said that the event would not only be coming to Malta for six days a year, but would be promoting the gaming eco- system all year round. "More than anything, this will be a networking event, and our goal is to promote Malta as a gaming hub." Film executive Scott Ross, who has worked with James Cameron and George Lucas, said THU had "loved the fact that the [Maltese] govern- ment has embraced the possi- bility of making Malta the key digital entertainment place of the world. "The future is digital," he emphasised, "We want to cre- ate an incubator in Malta for digital artists." The September event – which will take place at St El- mo's and at the Mediterranean Conference Centre – will also give local companies the op- portunity to be involved, and there will be recruitment ef- forts throughout the festival. Ross remarked that THU employed a concept of hav- ing "mighty knights" from the gaming industry within it, and this would tie in nicely with the Knights Hospital- lers' legacy in Malta. Ross added that THU had also been speaking with stu- dents "at two universities" in Malta, as it wanted to build a relationship and have an out- reach programme with stu- dents. mcosta@mediatoday.com.mt Digital arts fest relocates to Malta, aims to bolster island as industry hub 'Trojan Horse was a Unicorn', an annual digital arts festival, is relocating to Malta for the next three years JAMES DEBONO CORINTHIA Palace Hotel Ltd has presented an application to replace the Marsa matchbox factory with a five-storey multi- purpose centre, which includes both offices and shops. The application foresees the demolition of existing indus- trial buildings, the excavation of the site and the construction of three levels of underground parking. The multipurpose complex will include a restaurant and shops at the lower levels and of- fices at the higher levels. In total the project will gen- erate 3,560sq.m of retail and 15,395sq.m of office space. The Matchbox factory which dates back to 1950 has been left abandoned for the past years. Some features on the façade including the inscription "Mod- ern Match Factory Marsa" have been lost. The building will be replaced by a modern one. The application presented by Corinthia comes in the wake of a high-rise application pre- sented on a neighbouring site by Angelo Xuereb. Xuereb's plans foresee a 37-sto- rey office tower, with the ground floor occupying 7,500sq.m, act- ing as a podium, with the first floor being 2,650sq.m, then with each floor reducing in size. Plans foresee the creation of a public square around the tower. A 16-floor office tower is also being proposed to replace an older industrial building in Church Wharf closer to the Grand Harbour. The applica- tion was submitted by James Mallia on behalf of Church Wharf Properties Limited The Church's Environment Commission (KA) has recently called for a masterplan for Mar- sa and the inner area based on a sound public consultation pro- cess. KA said this should be drawn up to enable the area to reach its full potential in an environmen- tally, socially and economically sustainable manner in the best public interest. The commission said it be- lieved that development plan- ning in Malta should strive to become an exercise in making the "common good" the prima- ry public policy consideration, rather than placing it on the back-burner to accommodate special interests. Offices and shops proposed instead of Marsa matchbox factory Proposed design of the new development