Corporate Dispatch Morning Briefing and Newspaper review

Good morning,

Your morning briefing with a review of the main news from Malta, Europe and around the world.

The Main News Headlines:  

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have declared an end in the battle against ISIS in Baghouz, eastern Syria, the last bastion of ISIS in Syria.

The Financial Times reported that Theresa May’s premiership is under increasing pressure after a week of shifting Brexit policies, in which she raised the prospect of a no-deal Brexit on March 29 only to accept an offer from EU leaders that leaves open the chance of an extended delay to the UK’s exit.

The special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, has delivered a report on his inquiry into Russian interference in the 2016 election to Attorney General William P. Barr, according to the Justice Department, bringing to a close an investigation that has consumed the nation and cast a shadow over President Trump for nearly two years.

Malta’s Newspapers front page stories:

The Times reports that there were almost half as many complaints by parents of students with disabilities as there were in the whole of last year. The paper says parents are growing more concerned about a lack of ability in the education sector to cater for persons with disabilities.

The Malta Independent covers the EU Leaders Summit in Brussels as head of states kept a united front to reject a request by British Prime Minister Theresa May to extend Brexit by three months to the end of June. The UK now has until April 12 to present its intentions.

The Times carries a statement by the Committee Against Bird Slaughter which says that illegal hunting recorded an all-time high over the past twelve days. CABS says that enforcement is not strong enough to deal with the situation.

The Malta Independent publishes an interview with a man diagnosed with HIV who says that treatment procedures in Malta are outmoded. The unidentified man said there still is a stigma surrounding the disease.

L-Orizzont carries a story about a woman who got pregnant after she was raped by a man she never saw again. The victim,  though, says that her daughter is the greatest gift in the world.

In-Nazzjon says that despite doing its best to resist recommendations by the Venice Commission, the government was forced to implement reforms after pressure from the Opposition.

L-Orizzont speaks to a Health Ministry spokesperson who assured that generic medication currently available for ADHD is of the highest quality. A petition by people with ADHD demanding more variety in medication carried 600 signatures.

In-Nazzjon reports that Malta registered a €63 million deficit ‘wiping out the surplus’. Quoting National Statistics Office reports, the paper says that government spending rose by 17.7 percent in the first two months since the beginning of the year.

Other Headlines:

Spanish Police launched a major operation against an international criminal organization accused of illegally selling access to pay-TV over the internet. Spanish officials calculate that this was Europe’s largest illegal TV streaming service and is estimated to have made €8 million in profits since 2013.

Apart from English and Maltese. Buttigieg speaks Norwegian, French, Spanish and Italian. The BBC reports that when the story of Mr Buttigieg’s language ability appeared on Twitter, people across the political spectrum were impressed.

Hungarian police detained a Syrian man accused of taking part in beheadings in Syria as a member of Islamic State, Budapest prosecutors said in a statement.

The Presidents of Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Peru signed a declaration to create a regional bloc of nations they say is open to any country, regardless of ideology, to collaborate on solving regional problems.

Per Bolund, Sweden’s financial market minister, criticised Swedbank after the bank released a short and highly redacted report into a money laundering scandal.

British Prime Minister Theresa May informed MPs that a third vote on her Brexit deal may not take place next week “if it appears there is not sufficient support”.

The morning briefing is brought to you by CI Consulta’s media monitoring service Be Informed. Contact us if you require specific media monitoring service for your business, to make informed business decisions.