These are the main headlines reviewed by our editorial and research team for today.
According to the Labor Force Survey for the third quarter of the year, the participation rate in the labor market continued to increase and reached more than 255,000 people in employment. The National Statistics Office said that from this survey of trends in the labor market there was an increase of 4.5% in people working compared with July and September of last year. Source: TVM
Shop owners in Valletta complained that Monday’s power-cut, lasting over three hours was another blow to last-minute Christmas shopping. A retailer told MaltaToday that the week leading up to Christmas is arguably the most important week for business. Another long-standing retailer on Merchant’s Street said that 2019 was the worst year for business for as long as he could remember. Source: MaltaToday
Yorgen Fenech is back in court on Monday morning as the compilation of evidence against him related to the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia continues. Highlights from Monday’s sitting: Keith Schembri refused to give police the password to his iCloud and emails; Police did not seal Schembri’s OPM office after the arrest; Lawyer for AG says it is not Fenech but ‘others’ who were tampering with evidence; Fenech’s wife and children left for the UK on day of arrest ‘for their safety’; Documents related to Wings Development, known as 17 Black found in search; Bail request for Fenech denied. Source: Times of Malta
Labour leadership contenders Chris Fearne and Robert Abela have been “influenced” by civil society members, according to an online petition in support of embattled Police Commissioner Lawrence Cutajar. The petition, ‘Fiduċja assoluta fil-Kummissarju tal-Pulizija Lawrence Cutajar’, (absolute faith in Commissioner Lawrence Cutajar), has only garnered around 700 signatures so far. Source: The Malta Independent
Partit Laburista (PL) leadership contender Chris Fearne said that he is not in apposition to judge whether Minister Chris Cardona did any wrongdoing if he visited a brothel in Germany. In his interview with Fr. Joe Borg for Newsbook.com.mt, the PL deputy leader and Health minister said that it is up to Minister Chris Cardona to contemplate whether his alleged visit to the brothel was right or wrong, and he will not be the one pointing fingers. Source: Newsbook
