The third day of Malta’s EU Council presidency brings more great headlines

We’ve known it for a long time now, despite Tourism Minister ED ZL’s firm-and-convincing denials, that there is no way on earth Alitalia could buy Air Malta even if it wanted to, which it does not. And now, it’s been confirmed. The deal, which was never really on anyway, is definitely off.

ED ZL, the minister responsible for Air Malta – because, of course, when your national airline is dying and was €66 million in the red last summer already, you really should put a man whose sole experience is arguing cases in Malta’s courts of justice in charge of it – is now calling in the airline’s various groups of employees to break the news and tell them what to expect.

The only consolation those employees have is that Muscat – whose ultimate decisions all of these are – is not going to shut down Air Malta before the general election, but will allow it to keep ratcheting up millions more in debt and face the disaster after he’s returned as prime minister. Or leave the disaster for somebody else to solve.