Corporate Dispatch Morning News Briefing and Newspaper Review

Good morning

Your morning briefing with the latest news from Malta, Europe and around the world.

The latest developments

Two bodies belonging to a mother and daughter were found in a field in Gudja early on Saturday morning, the police have said. Marija Lourdes Bonnici and her daughter Angele Bonnici had last been seen at their home in Għaxaq on Tuesday and been reported to the police as missing on Wednesday. In a statement, the police said that they had questioned several people in connection with the two women’s disappearance. A person close to them provided information which led officers to a rural area between Santa Luċija and Gudja.

The newspaper front page stories:

The Times says that claims received by insurers following the severe storm in February amount to over €8 million, setting a new record. The Insurers Association informed that more than €3.6 is being claimed for damages sustained by private properties and €3.3 by commercial properties.

The Malta Independent carries an interview by Associated Press with El Hiblu 1 captain, Nader el-Hiblu, who said that the crew on board feared for their lives and described scenes of rioting migrants threatening to break the vessel.

The Times, meanwhile, reports that captain el-Hiblu may face charges related to human trafficking. An investigation is underway to establish the truth of his claims that the tanker had really been hijacked by the rescued migrants.

The Malta Independent says that the Environment Minister and the Transport Minister announced that the revised fuel station policy will be published for consultation in April. The minister met with activists camped outside the Planning Authority building protesting delays in the publication of the policy.

L-Orizzont quotes General Workers Union Secretary General who recommended that periodical updates to employment to protect workers from getting caught in between old laws and review processes. He was speaking at a ceremony marking Freedom Day.

In-Nazzjon leads with a report by the National Statistics Office which indicates a government deficit of €70 million for the year ending December 2018. The paper says government expenditure increased by more than 12 percent over the previous year.

L-Orizzont speaks to a woman who has had an abortion who says she felt no sense of guilt, regret or pain after the procedure. The unidentified woman she hopes to, one day, be able to speak openly about the abortion.

In-Nazzjon claims victory to Opposition Leader Adrian Delia and to the country against the delaying tactics by the government. The paper says that the court of appeals dismissed a plea by the Prime Minister and Attorney General to split the case involving Vitals Global Healthcare into separate smaller cases.

The other news

Since the invocation of the now-famous Article 50 by Britain two years ago, a section of Leave voters has been advocating to declare March 29th a national holiday. Today, there is scarcely any reason for celebration.

Pope Francis on Friday made it compulsory in law to report the sexual abuse of children within the Vatican and in its diplomatic missions worldwide.

Robert Mueller’s report into Russian interference in the 2016 US election will be made public “by mid-April”.

Slovakia Saturday is set to vote for a new president, with front-runner, Zuzana Caputova facing European Union Commissioner Maros Sefcovic.

The mayor of the French city of Bordeaux, France’s fifth-biggest city, called for residents to remain indoors Saturday and for shopowners to shutter their stores as the authorities braced for another weekend of “yellow vest” violence.

Facebook Inc Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg announced the company is looking to place restrictions on who can go live on its platform based on certain criteria in the aftermath of the Christchurch massacre.

Millions are set to show their commitment to the planet today by turning off their lights as they mark Earth Hour, an international event organised by the WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) to raise awareness of global warming.