Joseph Muscat believes he is being “stalked by sick minds” as details of his travel plans are leaked on social media. The former prime minister, now facing serious fraud and corruption charges, addressed the rumors about his trips to China and Barbados in response to questions from the Times of Malta yesterday “Quite frankly, the consistent leaks about my travels increasingly feel like stalking by sick minds,” he stated. Both during and after his court appearance on Tuesday, lawyer Jason Azzopardi and author Mark Camilleri claimed they had been informed that Muscat planned to travel to China and then to Barbados, where he would host 40 guests on an all-expenses-paid trip. When contacted by the Times of Malta to clarify the rumors, Muscat confirmed he had traveled to China and was currently there on a work trip.
Steady turnout in EP early voting
Malta’s Electoral Commission reported a steady turnout in today’s early voting for the European Parliament and Local Council elections. By 2:00 pm, both polls had seen a 51% participation rate among registered early voters. In the European Parliament election, 8,234 out of 15,979 registered early voters had cast their ballots by early afternoon. Similarly, the Local Council elections saw 8,298 out of 16,135 registered voters participating, also achieving a 51% turnout. (Newsbook/TVM)
Half of Maltese 25-34 year olds still live with parents
According to a study published by the EU Agency for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound), 49% of young Maltese workers aged 25 to 34 still live in their parental home. The statistics are based on calculations made by the report’s authors using EU-SILC microdata. The report, titled ‘Becoming Adults: Young People in a Post-Pandemic World,’ reveals that a significant proportion of young Europeans aged 25 to 34 continue to live with their parents, even while employed. (Maltatoday)
Teachers’ collective agreement vote postponed
The Malta Union of Teachers has postponed a member vote on a new collective agreement reached with the government last week. Following months of negotiations, including a one-day strike, the government and the union announced last Friday that they had reached an agreement, pending member approval. However, the feedback the MUT received after a presentation yesterday has been negative. (The Malta Independent)
