Local news for the week ending 27 November 2009:
SMOKING BAN TO BE EXTENDED
Health minister Mars di Bartolomeo says he’s considering extending the national smoking ban from restaurants to include bars and discos also. He said the government wanted to afford better protection to non-smokers who worked there. Mr Bartolomeo said the legislation would be brought into force next year and that objections would be ignored. He added that since a smoking ban in restaurants and workplaces was introduced in 2004, the number of smokers in the country had declined.
THIEF LOCKS HIMSELF UP
A young thief managed to lock himself in the supermarket he was robbing on Monday evening. (more…)
Last night, we attended the pre-event festivities for National Day. By my early analysis, it would seem that the pre-event activities are the best part of the holiday. We walked from our apartment down into the city center just before dusk — about 9pm, after we had dinner. The streets were packed with both with families and young adults, with everyone in high spirits. There were lots of tents with food, beer, wine and cocktails, and every restaurant was open with lots of outdoor seating.
the past two years, we’ve visited most of the distinct regions of Ireland. Our most significant omission was part of the south-west region of Ireland, mostly County Cork. This weekend, we rectified that exception. 