Corporate Dispatch Morning Briefing and Newspaper Review

Good morning,

These are the latest news from around the world: 

The race against the time for the Spanish rescuers to save the little Julen Rossello, the two-year-old boy who fell last Sunday in a well near Malaga enters the sixth day and despite the technical problems slowing down the rescue operations there is belief that the baby is alive .

Germany is considering ways to block Huawei from its next generation mobile phone network, according to reports. Berlin is exploring stricter security requirements which may prevent Huawei products being used in its 5G network.

Two days of clashes between rival militias near Libya’s capital Tripoli have left 10 people dead and 41 wounded, the health ministry said Thursday.

President Trump retaliated on Thursday against Speaker Nancy Pelosi for threatening to cancel his planned State of the Union address on Jan. 29, writing in a letter that he, in turn, was postponing her planned trip abroad, calling it a “public relations event.”

Boris Johnson claims now is the time to “use Brexit to unite the country”, in a major speech which will be seen as the latest move in his Tory leadership campaign. In a “wide-ranging speech”, a label widely seen by MPs as code for a leadership bid, Mr Johnson will urge the government to focus on the “issues that drove Brexit”.

A top North Korean general is in Washington Friday for a rare visit, during which he is expected to meet President Donald Trump as the two countries seek to finalize a new summit aimed at denuclearization and easing decades of hostility.

Internet this week has been exploding with #10YearChallenge pictures and videos of how people and their lives have changed. The challenge faced by these countries has been unspoken and unjustified for years together, Have a look and share your thoughts.

These are the main news from the Maltese newspapers.

The Times reveals that, at least, 30 cases of swine flu have been reported at Mater Dei hospital and St Vincent de Paule residence. The strain of influenza can potentially be deadly, and sources told the paper that overcrowding further promotes the spread.

The Malta Independent reports that a sports village is being proposed on the site of the abandoned Flower Power in Ta’ Qali. Plans show a mega development including two full-size football pitches, a full-size rugby pitch, six tennis courts, a sports hotel, and retail space.

The Times says that the administrative council meeting within the Nationalist Party on Wednesday lasted four hours and discussed the future of the leadership at length. The paper says that a vote by show of hands was taken to declare support in party leader Adrian Delia, with a statement later saying the vote was unanimous.

The Malta Independent quotes PN political coordinator Jean Pierre Debono who, interviewed on the paper’s discussion programme, said that ‘gossiping’ Nationalist MPs have neither a place in the party or in politics. Debono said that if anyone has issues with the leadership, there are proper channels within the party to address them.

L-Orizzont reports on the arrival of Foreign Ministers from nine countries in Malta for a 5+5 Summit between five North African countries and five Southern EU countries. The theme of the meeting is ‘Working Together – A Sustainable Future for the Western Mediterranean.’

In-Nazzjon quotes PN Leader Adrian Delia who said on Net TV that these will be a relentless four months for the party, as it prepares for the European Parliament and Local Councils elections in May. Delia said the party will visit every home and every place of work to bring its message through.

L-Orizzont speaks to Parliamentary Secretary for Active Ageing Anthony Agius Decelis who discusses the second phase of a project ‘Making Homes Fun’. In another story, the apper says that the EU funds allocated to Malta in the current budget have been completely used.

In-Nazzjon says that Astra Cast has shut down its factory in Bulebel, leaving 32 employees out of work overnight. The paper reports that, in the last weeks, no one was being allowed to enter the site except for management.