Update 1745
Times of Malta says a homeless man who on Monday admitted in court to stealing nine tins of coffee from a Zejtun supermarket, was handed a suspended sentence as “one last chance” to get his life back on track.
MaltaToday says President George Vella has taken the unprecedented step of appealing for honesty, sincerity and transparency from election candidates at the start of the campaign.
Newsbook says ADPD has confirmed its ten candidates for this year’s general election, through which it will be contesting all 13 electoral districts.
TVM says that an argument over work about a roof canopy led to an altercation between neighbours in Triq Satar, Qormi who were hauled to Court and charged with violating the public peace and with making threats among others charges.
Update 1250
PL pledges to increase urban green, public spaces: The Labour Party pushed its green credentials on Monday, with a pledge to increase urban public spaces by putting car parks underground. In a press briefing this morning, PL leader Robert Abela announced the party’s seven-year plan to increase green spaces in several localities. He added that the Labour Party would embark on several urban greening projects, including a scheme to buy up private properties in urban spaces to be used as open areas.
PN to push ten new economic sectors: PN Leader Bernard Grech this morning gave further details on the Party’s proposal to invest one billion euro on ten new economic niches. These include metaverse, due diligence, specialised manufacturing, 3D printing, AI applications, e-sports, production of video games, the sport industry, energy and social enterprises. Grech said that half of the funds allocated for the new proposed sectors will be paid for by public funds, including deposits which have remained dormant in financial institutions, Grech said. The other half will be paid through investments by foreign and local institutions, he said. No capital gains tax will be paid on such investments, he added.
Three PN MPs not to seek re-election: Nationalist MPs Clyde Puli, Kristy Debono, and Mario Galea have announced that they will not be contesting the upcoming election. The three MPs resorted to social media this morning to announce the decision. Puli was also PN general secretary until 2020. PN leader Bernard Grech thanked them for their contribution to the Party: “The three have decided not to contest the next election, for several personal reasons. The party thanks them for their ongoing support and contribution and wishes them well”, he said.
Darren Debono gets six months for dishonouring plea bargain deal: Darren Debono has been jailed for six months and fined €4,600 for refusing to honour the conditions of his plea deal. Debono is currently serving a 10-year sentence after agreeing to a plea deal in return for testimony. However, he refused to reveal any names linked to the HSBC hold-up, insisting he would only testify against Vincent Muscat. His lawyer announced his intention to appeal. Debono pleaded guilty to the charges of refusing a court order to testify.
Covid-19 Update: Two men, aged 68 and 78 died while Covid positive, health authorities said. 74 new cases were reported while 123 recovered, leaving active cases at 765. The death count is now two short of 600.
Morning Briefing
Political parties launch first proposal as electoral campaign kicks off
Political parties dished out the first official proposals with the election campaign kicking off on Sunday, after the PM announced 26th March as the polling date. The Labour Party placed the environment at the heart of its proposals, saying it will be investing €700 million over seven years in “green lungs” for urban spaces that would ensure residents would not need to drive their car to spend some time in an open public space. Speaking on Sunday, the Prime Minister also promised a reduction in taxes, by widening tax bands that would see workers and self-employed take home at least an extra €255 every year, up to a maximum of €365. The third proposal would see a drop from 35% to 25% in the corporate tax rate for the first €250,000.
On the other hand, the Nationalist Party said it will invest €1 billion to create 10 new economic sectors to help the Maltese economy. Opposition leader Bernard Grech addressed the first activity following the election date annoucement, addressing party supporters in front of Dar Centrali on Sunday evening: “I am at your service and not after power. I want to serve the people of this country. My dream is to have a country that we are proud of and which believes in its people. We want to create a country which encourages its people to be the best they can be, where, from the most ambitious to the most vulnerable are given all the help they need to reach their goals,” Grech said. (Times of Malta/Independent)
Parliament dissolved
President George Vella officially dissolved Parliament on Sunday, following Prime Minister Robert Abela’s election annoucement for 26 March.
Abela visited the President at San Anton Palace to formally recommend the dissolution of Parliament, after the earlier announcement in Floriana. Abela also presided over a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers and Parliamentary Group just after announcing the dissolution of Parliament. (Maltatoday)
Covid-19 Update
Two men died while positive with COVID-19 overnight as health authorities detected 77 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday. The victims were aged 70 and 87. The death toll has now reached 596.
