Update 1600
Grech invites all who believe Malta ‘deserves better’ to join PN’s Sunday national protest
PN and Opposition leader Bernard Grech invited all those that believed that Malta deserved better to join the party’s National protest on Sunday. In a recorded message on NET TV, Grech spoke of the recent significant wins by his party in court and promoted the PN’s Sunday protest at 3.30pm in front of Castille. Grech said that it was the Labour government that negotiated the “corrupt and fraudulent” contracts for the concession of the three state hospitals to Vitals/Steward and that it was Prime Minister Robert Abela and his friends that kept defending the deal. (MaltaToday)
Updated 1200 – Mid-Day Briefing
Police officer investigated for kicking man during arrest
A police officer is being investigated after a video surfaced on the internet showing him kicking a man lying on the ground as he was being arrested. According to The Times of Malta, the officer has not been suspended from his duties. Reports suggest that the internal investigation could take up to two weeks and could lead to internal disciplinary action or even criminal charges being issued against the officer. The investigation has, however, been confirmed by the police.
Industrial action in the health sector looms
The Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses is planning to launch an industrial action next week after its negotiations with the government over the sectorial agreement hit a brick wall. The union has informed its members that it had no other option but to declare an industrial dispute and issue directives across the whole health and elderly sectors next week. (Maltatoday)
Common position on migration sought at Malta meeting
Interior and Immigration Ministers of Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Spain are currently in Malta for the MED5 meeting. The Ministers are seeking to find a common position on immigration, a few days before the Interior Ministers’ European Council meet in Brussels. Interior and Security Minister Byron Camilleri said that this is a golden opportunity for Malta to resume with its leadership in this sector and to reach agreement so that all MED5 countries have a common position at the forthcoming EU Council of Ministers. (TVM)
Morning Briefing
Opposition demands answers from BOV in Vitals saga
Bank of Valletta should clarify its position regarding its €35.9 million loan to Steward Healthcare in the interest of its customers and Malta’s financial system, the PN said. In a statement PN spokesmen Adrian Delia and Jerome Caruana Cilia recalled how a court judgement a week ago that annulled the controversial hospitals’ privatisation deal originally signed with Vitals, declaring it to be “fraudulent”, made reference to the loan from Bank of Valletta to Steward.They appealed to the bank to clarify its position and to the institutions that had the duty to regulate BOV to ensure that laws are observed. (Times of Malta)
Business economic sentiment edges up in January – EC
The European Commission’s confidence surveys show that economic sentiment in Malta edged up in January when compared with a month earlier, and stood above its long-term average, which is estimated since November 2002. When compared with the previous month, the improvement was largely driven by industry, even though sentiment in this sector remained negative. In parallel,the EC’s Uncertainty Indicator for Malta decreased in January, signalling lower uncertainty. Uncertainty fell mostly in the retail sector and in industry, with smaller decreases recorded in the construction and in the services sectors. By contrast, uncertainty among consumers edged up slightly. Separately, a CBM report says that the Bank’s Business Conditions Index indicates that in January, annual growth in business activity stood slightly above its long-term average, estimated since January 2000.
23 persons living irregularly to be sent back – police
23 people living in Malta irregularly were apprehended by the police this week, police said. They are from Ghana, Gambia, Nigeria and Mali. They were taken to a detention centre for the process relating to their dismissal from Malta to be embarked upon. In a statement, the police said that the migrants were found during raids relating to irregular migration in several localities including Marsa, Pietà, Buġibba, Santa Venera, Paola and Marsascala. (Maltatoday)
