Balluta Bay stairs getting a €450,000 makeover

Aug 31 2021

Announced on Monday by Environment Minister Aaron Farrugia, an embellishment exercise on Balluta Bay’s Joe Attard Kingswell access stairs are set to cost around €450,000. Fully financed by the Planning Authority’s Development Planning Fund, the area will receive a full redesign which, according to the minister, will create ‘liveable environments and happier communities.’ He added that through various initiatives, the government is creating and encouraging ‘better recreational areas and healthier urban environments.’

The Planning Authority (PA) Executive Council Chairman Martin Saliba was present at the press conference. He stated that the PA was at the ‘forefront to promote urban plans through the planning fund.’ The space transformed will complement the Balluta Square, including a landscaping scheme to break up the current steep slope whilst also creating a terraced layout. Non-slip paving and wooden seat benches will be fitted, along with a water-feature which will flow down the length of the site.

The site stands between a row of Grade 2 townhouses and the Grade 1 Balluta church to its north, along with Grade 1 Balluta Buildings towards the south. This project is part of another five embellishment projects which will take place in three other localities apart from the St. Julian’s project. Together, they will cost €433,000 which is less than this Balluta project.

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Photo Source: Google Maps, Times of Malta, Aaron Farrugia FB

Outrage as private ambulances clamped at Mater Dei parking and missing calls

Aug 31 2021

Private ambulance operators have been having their ambulances clamped by the hospital security as parking at Mater Dei Hospital becomes more of a nightmare. Despite clamping cars of reckless drivers visiting the hospital might be legitimate enforcement, doing the same to ambulances seems quite bizarre. The owner of a private ambulance company Charlton Caruana posted to Facebook images of ambulances clamped in the hospitals parking.

He rhetorically asks; ‘Isn’t it obvious that an ambulance needs to be in hospital?’ ‘It seems that the people of KIS Ltd only take orders from their manager in Italy’ he continues. ‘They also insist they don’t take orders from the police. So it seems that ambulances cannot park in Mater Dei.’ Caruana spoke to Newsroom Lovin Malta, saying that a private company employed by the hospital to oversee parking was insisting on clamping all vehicles, service vehicles included.

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Photo Source: Charlton Caruana FB

Police leaving safety notes on open bags across Maltese beaches

Aug 31 2021

As part of a crime prevention campaign launched by the Community Police Officers at different beaches last weekend, police beach patrols were leaving little notes stating ‘We noticed your bag was open’. As some beachgoers leave their bags open to jump in and cool off, leaving some valuable items in plain sight, the police have issued little warnings to raise awareness against this practice.

They are to serve as a deterrent to pick-pocketing and other robberies as whereas some people go to the beach to lick up the sun and splash in the water, some take the opportunity to make off with other people’s items. The notes also contain a cheeky little rhetorical question; ‘Are your items on sale?’. This initiative will hopefully minimise beach robberies and safeguard people’s belongings.

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Photo Source: Malta Police Force FB

Spotify’s all-time streaming record broken by Justin Bieber

Aug 31 2021

Spotify history has just been made by Justin Bieber after he broke the streaming platform’s all-time monthly listener record. Revealed by Chart Data, the pop-star amassed 83.3 million monthly listeners, which is the most any artist has ever earned since Spotify’s launch. The Weeknd trails just behind Bieber with 74.53 million monthly listeners, followed by Ed Sheeran at 72.41 million monthly listeners. Due Lipa is currently leading the female artist rank at 65.5 million monthly listeners, followed by Doja Cat at 60.4 million.

Bieber, now 27, became the youngest solo artist in history to obtain 100 career entries on the Billboard Hot 100 charts last month. He beat Drake who previously held the title after achieving his 100th entry at age 28. Meanwhile, Kanye West is racking up to break the record for most Number 1 albums just this century.

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Photo Source: Billboard, Global Circulate