LESA can now officially enforce parking permits

Feb 13 2023

LESA (Local Enforcement Support Agency) can now enforce parking permits issued by local councils following the publication of a recent legal notice.

This change comes after a lengthy period of uncertainty, where the court ruled that Transport Malta did not have the right to transfer permit issuance responsibilities to local councils.

The court ordered LESA to refund a €200 fine to a man whose car had been towed, with the legality of the permits and their enforcement being called into question as the decision faced backlash by both the agency and Transport Malta.

The new legal notice expands the right to issue tow zone signs to local councils and allows applicants to display them.

Previously, the court ruled in July that applicants did not have the legal right to display the signs provided by the council and only a government entity could do so.

However, the legal notice now states that “the notice may, after the applicant obtains the authorization and permission of the council, be administered and affixed by the applicant himself”.

Residents typically obtain permits to reserve parking spaces for construction vehicles and skips.

Valentina Rossi and Steve Zammit Lupi had expressed frustration about the issue on social media, stating that even after obtaining a permit, people still park in the designated spaces.

With the publishing of the legal notice, vehicles can now be clamped and towed if they violate a parking permit. In addition to the legal amendments, a new tow zone sign has also been approved and must be displayed 48 hours in advance of the start date with a time-stamped photo taken as evidence.

The updated notice replaces the Transport Malta logo with the logo of the relevant local council that issued the permit and instructs applicants to call LESA if someone parks in the reserved spaces.

LESA encouraged motorists to register their phone numbers with the agency over the weekend, posting on Facebook that doing so would “avoid having your vehicle towed when parked in tow-zone designated areas”. To register, motorists can visit lesa.gov.mt.

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Photo Source: Times of Malta

Rihanna reveals she is pregnant with second child at Super Bowl

Feb 13 2023

A representative for Rihanna confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that the superstar is currently expecting her second child following a grand performance during the Super Bowl halftime show.

Fans were already convinced that the singer announced her pregnancy during the performance as she descended onto a field from a floating stage and proceeded to open her red tracksuit to reveal a baby bump.

The 13 minute set, which was her first live show in seven years, did not include any guests in the traditional sense, but Rihanna had hinted on bringing up someone special on stage. Now we know it is baby number two.

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Rihanna went on to perform some of her greatest ever released hits, including Umbrella, Rude Boy, We Found Love and Diamonds.

The 34-year-old singer is already a mother to a nine-month-old son with rapper A$AP Rocky, and had said before the event that becoming a mum had made her feel like she could take on the world.

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Maltese photographer captures the calm after storm Helios

Feb 12 2023

Following an intense battering by storm Helios, which saw various areas of Malta flooded due to heavy rain fall and heavy winds, the calm that befell the islands afterwards provided a stark contrast to Malta’s sunnier side.

A local Maltese photographer by the name of Lara Farrugia, who goes by @lara.goes.exploring on Instagram, captured this moment with a short video of various Maltese sea-side locations following the storm and its damages.

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A post shared by LARA FARRUGIA | OCEAN | TRAVEL | MALTA (@lara.goes.exploring)

‘The Maltese Islands were hit with Storm Helios and let me tell you, it wasn’t pretty’ she explained to her followers.

‘We had non-stop rainfall for a day and a half, which resulted in sooo much flooding. People were urged not to leave the house and because it was that bad. Many buildings were also damaged in the process.’

‘The landscape has changed so much though…I’ve found 2 waterfalls in Fomm ir-Rih (crazy cause we have no waterfalls on the island), Gnejna Bay is unrecognizable with a new river the Gozo channel ferry is in places I’ve never seen it before and the water is 30 shades of blue due to clay dissolving into the sea!’

‘Sure, Malta has 300 days of sunshine, but boy do we get punished in those remaining 65’ she said.

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Enemalta address over 700 reports of images due to storm Helios

Feb 12 2023

Over the past four days, Enemalta reported receiving more than 700 weather-related faults, including power outages, damaged poles, and electricity wires.

In response, the company increased its workforce by 50% and allocated additional teams to assist affected customers.

During the storm, repairs were made as soon as it was safe for workers to do so. However, there were some high-line repairs that could not be completed due to dangerous wind conditions.

On Saturday, engineers and technicians were able to work on these remaining faults, with nine teams solely focused on storm repairs.

Repairs will continue Sunday and throughout the beginning of next week.

Enemalta apologizes for any inconvenience caused by the weather-related faults and reiterates its commitment to improving the electricity distribution system for its 350,000 customers in Malta and Gozo.

Energy and Environment Minister Miriam Dalli took to social media to thank the workers for their dedication.

‘Despite the horrific weather, Enemalta workers continued to work to assist clients impacted with difficulties during the weather which befell Malta over these past few days’ said the Minister.

‘I also thank the workers from the Water Services Corporation who fixed the damages in these conditions as well. Thank you to all the workers for your labour!’

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