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WORLD NEWS Thursday 21 November 2019

Malta arrests exec, apparently linked to journalist slaying

Associated Press In Parliament later, Muscat
VALLETTA, Malta (AP) — said he was willing to put
Maltese authorities arrested himself under the scrutiny
a prominent businessman of lawmakers and answer
Wednesday who appears questions once the investi-
to be a "person of inter- gations were concluded.
est" in the assassination of "I will not abdicate, I will
a prominent investigative shoulder my responsibility,"
reporter on the Mediterra- he said.
nean island. No details of the charges
Yorgen Fenech was on a against Fenech have been
yacht heading north from revealed. Authorities have
Malta that was intercepted 48 hours to decide how to
by the Maltese military ear- proceed. On Wednesday
ly Wednesday and forced evening, protesters gath-
back to port. ered in front of Muscat's of-
In remarks to reporters, fice for a demonstration.
Prime Minister Joseph Mus- They carried placards with
cat did not directly tie photos of Caruana Gal-
the arrest to the slaying of izia and messages calling
53-year-old Daphne Ca- for resignations. A banner
ruana Galizia in a powerful placed across the main
car bomb in October 2017. door of the premier's office
But he did say that it ap- Police aboard the yacht "Gio" after it was intercepted on a course for Sicily by the Maltese military read "No to corruption."
peared to result from com- early Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019, and forced back to Portomaso, Malta. Fenech is a prominent ho-
ments he made a day ear- Associated Press telier and director of the
lier on the possibility of a we might be speaking of dice a case. The prime minister said no Maltese power company.
pardon for an alleged mid- persons of interest who The slain journalist's three politician is tied to Caruana His name appeared in the
dleman who had offered might have escaped," Mus- sons were more direct in Galizia's murder, but her Panama Papers three years
to identify the mastermind cat told reporters. their comments on Twitter, sons have said the arrested ago — millions of leaked
of the killing. He declined to comment making a link between the businessman is tied to Mus- documents that shed light
"If I had not given these further out of concern that arrest and their mother's as- cat's chief of staff and a on how the rich hide their
instructions, maybe today any comments might preju- sassination. former energy minister. money.q

French government to boost funding for public hospitals

By SYLVIE CORBET The plan includes an annu- heard their dismay," Prime
Associated Press al bonus of 800 euros ($885) Minister Edouard Philippe
PARIS (AP) — The French for about 40,000 caretak- said. The French state will
government says it will ers and nurses with modest also take over a third of the
boost funding for the coun- salaries living in the Paris re- public hospital debt, which
try's public hospitals, in an gion. Public hospitals across amounts to around 30 bil-
effort to end months of France will also get a fi- lion euros ($33.2 billion).
protests by doctors and nancial package allowing Some unions said the plan
nurses and as more dem- them to grant employees was too modest to bring
onstrations and strikes are a bonus of up to 300 eu- France's often-praised
expected next month over ros ($332). The plan follows health care system back to
the planned overhaul of a series of protests since high-level standards.
the pension system. March, including a big Several unions — includ-
The emergency plan un- demonstration last week in ing SNCF rail workers, Paris
veiled Wednesday will Paris involving exasperated subway conductors and
grant public hospitals an nurses, doctors and other Air France crews — have Medical staffs hold a poster reading "Save Public Hospitals"
additional 1.5 billion euros public hospital workers. called for a nationwide during a national demonstration Thursday, Nov. 14, 2019 in Paris.
($1.6 billion) over the next "We have heard their an- strike on Dec. 5. They fear Associated Press
three years, after years of ger. We have heard they the changes will lower pen- ment age. Others, includ- unions, joined the move-
cost cuts. are exhausted. We have sions and delay the retire- ing students and police ment this week. q