Morning Briefing
PN Leader accuses PM of having no qualms to use taxpayers’ money for the benefit of the Labour Party
The Labour government has a finger in the pie in every public contract, PN leader Bernard Grech said on Sunday, accusing prime minister Robert Abela of having no qualms about using tax payers’ money for the benefit of those close to him. “Robert Abela has no qualms about robbing the public, using taxpayers’ money, for the benefit of the Labour Party and its people,” he said. (Times of Malta)
Disgruntlement in political parties on the rise
Trust in Robert Abela and Bernard Grech continues to decline as disgruntled voters punish the two major political parties and their leaders, a MaltaToday survey shows. Support for the Labour Party has declined by almost three points to 39.4% since July. The survey released today shows the PN losing six points since July to reach 19.9%, its worst result under Grech’s leadership. The October survey puts Robert Abela’s trust rating at 46.9%, which is high but still represents a contraction of 3.5 points since July. Grech has experienced a similar decline, hitting his lowest ever trust rating at 18.1%. Trust in the Opposition leader declined by 3.3 points since July. The results paint a picture of an increasingly disgruntled electorate with 22.6% saying they will note vote – an increase of eight points since July – and 31.1% saying they trust neither Abela nor Grech – an increase of seven points since July.
Air Malta pilots to get golden handshake of up to €1m each
The government is planning to offer Air Malta pilots a golden handshake of between €750,000 and €1 million each as part of its plans to save the airline from a financial crash landing. Details of the buyout plan were presented to unions and constituted bodies on Friday afternoon by Finance Minister Clyde Caruana, Times of Malta reports. The government last year asked Brussels for permission to pump €290 million into the ailing airline as a last-ditch attempt to save it but was asked to come up with a smaller “more realistic figure”. Sources say negotiations with the European Commission are ongoing, but they are not optimistic that they will secure the figure needed.
Budget
Finance Minister Clyde Caruana told The Malta Independent on Sunday that government has “no intention at all” to reduce any tax rates, but reiterated government’s pledge for no tax rate increases.
Group of journalists want public consultation on media reform
A number of journalists, grouped within the Media Reform Initiative joined the call for the government to launch a public consultation on the proposed media reform and called on the Institute of Maltese Journalists to drop out of the government-appointed media committee of experts if this did not happen. The lobby group said that the ongoing support for public consultation on the proposed media reform indicated that the reform was full of defects and did not effectively protect journalists. “These demands for public consultation also show that no one is believing government when it says that it has already carried out a public consultation,” MRI said.(Maltatoday)
Man, girl in hospital after separate accidents
A 25-year-old Paola resident suffered grievious injureies after falling around three storeys in a Birkirkara construction site, according to a police statement. The accident took place at around 3pm on Torri Wejter Street. The man was taken to Mater Dei hospital as police began to investigate the case. In a separate accident, a three-year-old girl was taken to hospital after she was hit by a car in Ta’ Xbiex on Saturday morning. The police said the accident took place at 11.30am in Abate Rigord Street. (Times of Malta/Independent)
ADPD wants government to reverse 2006 development plans
ADPD has reiterated its call for the government to reverse the controversial 2006 rationalisation exercise as yet another swathe of agricultural land – this time in Iklin – is facing imminent destruction and development. The Green party held a press conference on “rationalised” land in Iklin, around 5,000sqm of land previously dedicated to agriculture included in the development zone. Adding insult to injury, it pointed out, is that the developer is seeking to build a required road through ODZ land, thus increasing the amount of land that can be built up (Newsbook)
One case of breast cancer every day
About 350 women are diagnosed with breast cancer every day last year, that is, almost a woman every day throughout a year.
Surgeon Gordon Caruana Dingli said that the survival rate of those diagnosed is among the highest in the European Union. This is the most common cancer among women which is diagnosed when they are between 60 and 70. (TVM News)
