1745- Latest News update
Times of Malta says a government ploy to hand out cheques prior to the March general election does not conform to international standards and good practice, an international election monitoring body has ruled.
MaltaToday says PN MEP David Casa, who worked on the EU directive that sets minimum standards for leave conditions to be enjoyed by new parents, welcomes Malta’s adoption of the rules but says only bare minimum was implemented
Newsbook says two young students who are studying English in Malta, have pleaded guilty to causing damage to a block of flats where they were being hosted by a Maltese Family.
TVM says the Malta Business Registry has continued to update its records to strike off companies that are not active or have not provided information requested. In 2021 the Registry (MBR) struck off more than 2,800 companies.
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Environment groups contest policy allowing high-rise buildings: A Planning Authority policy that permits buildings in Malta’s towns and villages to rise higher than what is allowed under local plans is being challenged in court by environmental organizations. In a joint statement, Din l-Art Ħelwa and the Coalition for Gozo (Din l-Art Ħelwa Għawdex, Għawdix, and Wirt Għawdex) argued that the relevant policy, which permits more floors than are allowed under local plans, is unlawful and should be overturned. “Most village centres have already sustained significant damage. But hopefully we still have time to rescue what is left before our towns are completely replaced by impersonal apartment buildings,” they said. The organisations clarified that in Malta, the construction industry is supervised by a set of planning regulations that are, at the highest level, approved by Parliament. (Times of Malta)
Annual food inflation rate rises to 10.2% in June: The National Statistics Office reported that the annual inflation rate for food and non-alcoholic drinks was 10.2% in June, further highlighting the significant rise in food costs. According to a statement from the NSO regarding the Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices (HICP), the annual rate of inflation last month was 6.1%, up from 5.8% in May. For the month of June, the 12-month moving average rate stood at 3.1%. (Maltatoday)
Covid-19 Update: Four persons died after being infected with Covid-19, according to health authorities. 261 new cases were identified, but a higher number of recoveries (604) means that the active case tally has plunged to 5,659.
Morning Briefing
Doctors say nurses action lengthening waiting time at hospital
Longer waiting times, obstructed beds and unattended patients are resulting from MUMN (nurses’ union) directives, doctors said on Monday, while distancing themselves from potential consequences. The doctors union has argued that they should not be held accountable if anything occurred to patients between the time of their admission to Mater Dei Hospital and the time they were transferred to the wards. The Medical Association of Malta filed the protest against the Health Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, expressing “serious concerns” about the consequences of industrial action which they said was ordered by another union covering another sector of health professionals. In a reaction, the Nurses Union turned the blame on hospital management for state of affairs. (The Times of Malta)
Yorgen Fenech will not get access to Keith Schembri mobile data
The Constitutional Court has overturned a decision by a judge which had ordered the police to hand data extracted from Keith Schembri’s phones to Yorgen Fenech’s lawyers. Fenech’s lawyers had argued that the data taken from Keith Schembri’s devices was “essential” to their case, even if it did not come from the phone that the former chief of staff had “lost” before his arrest in 2019. The Constitutional Court noted that the production of any records from an ongoing magisterial inquiry is prohibited by law. Fenech’s lawyers, the court noted, had also failed to indicate exactly how the data was relevant and “vital” to their case. (The Malta Independent)
Covid-19 Update: 180 new Covid-19 cases were reported on Monday, with one more death recorded. The tally remains steady at 6,006.
