Updated 1640pm – Newspaper review
Times of Malta reports that Former prime minister Joseph Muscat has said he is not a suspect in the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder, after being interrogated by police on Friday.
Malta Today says that the Union of Professional educators has come out against the physical return of children to classrooms when schools reopen in September.
Newsbook reports that Malta has been allocated €243.6 million in loans given by the EU through the temporary Support to mitigate Unemployment Risks in an Emergency (SURE) initiative.
TVM says that the number of patients who have died of Covid-19 in Malta has now gone up to 10 as the Ministry of Health confirmed that a 72-yer-old man has died after testing positive for the virus.
The Malta Independent quotes Xarabank presenter Peppi Azzopardi told The Malta Independent The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) has made a big mistake if it cancelled Xarabank in order to silence him, when asked by this newsroom if he thinks one of the reasons behind this decision were his opinions on controversial subjects which did not go down well with a lot of his followers.
One News says in the first six months of the year, the number of accidents within a workplace in Malta and Gozo have decreased by almost 30% .
Net News reports that the first cruiseliner entered the Maltese ports early on Friday morning since the ports were closed when the first case of COVID-19 in Malta last March.
Updated 0830 – Newspaper Review
Morning Briefing
Libya keeping its end of the deal?
The Independent reports that the sister of one of the victims of the double murder in Sliema on Tuesday is currently staying in the same house with her two sons, but they were out at the time of the crime.
The Times says that the getaway car used by the three people who broke into the house of Chris Pandolfino and Ivor Maciejowski was reported stolen two years ago. The number plates were also taken from another car earlier this year.
In-Nazzjon says that the Armed Forces rescued 118 migrants adrift and brought them to land. The paper says that the army had been left waiting ‘for hours’ for a decision on the rescue operation by the government.
In-Nazzjon says that public debt has risen to more than a billion euros in the first six months of the year. Government debt increased to €6,377 million in June from €5,328 million in December.
L-Orizzont says that hundreds of boats attempting to cross from Libya to Europe in recent weeks were intercepted by the Libyan Coast Guard. The paper says that most of the migrants that made it through, disembarked in Italy.
The Independent says that public health doctors went on a one-hour strike on Thursday to protest the reversal of safety measures by the government. The Medical Association said that authorities were undermining efforts to bring the pandemic under control.
The Times says that holiday rental service Airbnb has imposed a global ban on parties at any of its listed properties and limited the number of guests in larger homes to 16. The measures are in effect until further notice.
L-Orizzont says that a record number of 3,030 swab tests were taken between Wednesday and Thursday, returning 40 positive cases. Health Minister Chris Fearne said that testing is crucial to bringing the outbreak under control.
In-Nazzjon quotes a European survey which finds that more than 82,000 people in Malta are at risk of poverty. The figure translates to 17.1 percent of households, an increase of 0.3 percentage points from the previous year.
Speculation on Sliema double murder continues
Investigators believe that the murder of two men inside their Sliema home may have been some form of pay back but the motive is not yet clear. Reports also said that the sister of one of two men who were murdered in Sliema on Tuesday and her two sons were staying in the same house but were still out when the shooting took place. No arrests have been made yet.
A 9mm pistol was probably used in the the double murder which took the life of investment banker Chris Pandolfino and art collector Ivor Maciejowski on Tuesday night.
118 migrants saved by AFM
The Armed Forces of Malta saved 118 migrants who were on a sinking boat in Malta’s search and rescue zone, the Home Affairs Ministry said. Nine women, one of whom is pregnant, as well as five children were on board.
Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri explained in a video message that the Libyan authorities intercepted up to 7,000 migrants in the first seven months of 2020. He added that the Maltese government is committed to continue working with the Libyan authorities to prevent more migrant arrivals and to prevent deaths in the Mediterranean.
Coronavirus in Malta
There were 40 new Coronavirus cases, following 3,030 swab tests carried in the previous 24 hours. The total of active cases is 699 as 18 recovered. This information was released by the Health Ministry in its daily update.
Swab tests carried out on Wednesday reached a new record of 3,030, for a total of 166,348. The health authorities said that the cases registered on Wednesday are still being investigated.
Meanwhile, the first cruise ship, MSC Grandiosa, has moments ago called into the Grand Harbour today, the first one of its kind since March.
CDE News
