Two French boys, 16 and 17 years old, and an Italian 17-year old, were yesterday charged with having let off a tear gas canister inside the Galaxy Hotel on Friday night, leading to the evacuation of 150 residents and slight injuries to five.

Need for new impetus to tourism

Holding a press conference outside the ITS, Labour leader Alfred Sant said this year is seeing a slide in tourism: there were 12,000 less tourists in the first half of the year and tourists have spent Lm2 million less in Malta. Bed nights have decreased by 3.6 per cent and the tourists who came to Malta in the first six months were the least in the past 10 years while all, over the Mediterranean tourism figures have increased by between 4 and 5 per cent. Five-star hotels are seeing a 7 per cent cut in occupancy while three-star hotels saw their occupancy plummet by 20 per cent.

The Labour Party’s plan for tourism, Dr Sant said, will provide a new impulse and will bring the country out of the stagnation brought about by the PN government.

MP speaks to Lebanon FM

Labour MP Leo Brincat, the Council of Europe’s rapporteur on Lebanon, has spoken over the phone with Lebanon’s Foreign Minister, Fawzi Salloukh, expressing his and his part’s solidarity in this time of trial.

Arson

Two cars were completely burnt down in a Gharghur street during the night.

Nigerian arrested

A Nigerian man, 26, married to a Maltese and resident in Qawra, was arrested on Friday night after being found in possession of half a kilo cannabis and 200 grammes of cocaine as it was being imported to Malta.