Updated 1730
The Times of Malta says that consumers will start receiving revised utility bills to make up for overcharging due to an “anomaly” in the law. Energy Minister Miriam Dalli announced on Thursday that the “adjustment” will be backdated to the beginning of the year. On average, 80% of families will receive an adjustment of up to €8, with the figure varying depending on their consumption patterns, she said.
Maltatoday reports that a lawyer for the Daphne Caruana Galizia family has accused the men charged with the journalist’s murder of creating “self-inflicted” problems to have their trial postponed.
The Malta Independent quotes a PN statement which says that the compensation amounting to almost €1 million ordered by the court to be paid to the owners of a Birzebbuga property, which housed a PL club, must be paid by the Labour party and not the Maltese taxpayer.
TVM leads with news that 11 heads of foreign states have accepted the invitation by President George Vella to hold a meeting as part of the Arraiolos Group. The event is considered an excellent occasion to bring together non-executive Presidents from EU countries for a forum without an agenda, however which touches on current themes for countries on an individual basis, and for the entire European bloc.
Newsbook highlights a comment by Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, who told Prime Minister Robert Abela in an exchange of letters that Malta must offer better protection to its journalists, as well as ensure the right to access to information.
Updated 1230
PN hits out at FinMin for admitting economic policy failure
The Nationalist Party hit out at the Finance Minister after yesterday’s admission that the economic recipe adopted in the past 10 years is not suitable for the next decade. PN spokesperson Jerome Caruana Cilia argued that Minister Clyde Caruana, who championed an economic plan that “drove the country into a wall” cannot fix things. He chided the Minister for realising on the eve of Budget 2023 that “the chosen path, with the blessing of Joseph Muscat and Robert Abela, drove the country into a wall”.
Owners get €1m for property taken by Labour for party club
In another landmark judgement on property taken over by Labour in the Mintoff years, a Court awarded close to €1 million in damages for having been denied full enjoyment of the property after being ‘forced’ into agreeing to the lease. The case concerned property overlooking Pretty Bay in Birżebbuġia, formerly known as The Smiling Prince Hotel. The decision also paves the way for eviction of the Labour Party from the premises used a club.
Health authorities launch flu and Covid-vaccine: The health authorities have acquired 132,000 flu shots, including 115,000 vaccines for adults and 17,000 nasal sprays for children. The vaccine is effective against four types of flu including the one expected to be the most prevalent during the coming winter. Patients will also be offered an anti-Omicron vaccine, with authorities believing COVID-19 vaccinations will become an annual undertaking. Details about the vaccination were given in a news conference by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health Chris Fearne and the Superintendent of Public Health Charmaine Gauci.
Morning Briefing
Economic policy based on foreign labour no longer make sense – Finance Minister
In an apparent policy u-turn Finance Minister Clyde Caruana admitted that an economic plan based on importation of labour would not work any longer. Addressing a labour force skills survey, Caruana acknowledged that he had favoured a growth in human resources to boost productivity, but insisted that this recipe cannot work for the decade ahead. “If we adopt the same recipe; in the morning, rather than being stuck for one hour in traffic, we will be stuck for one-and-a-half or two hours; the tourism sector will invest in hotels that will remain empty and this will apply to other sectors eventually,” he reiterated. (Maltatoday)
Second KM retirement scheme being considered
Replying to parliamentary questions, Finance Minister Clyde Caruana said that he could not exclude the possibility of the government opening a second early retirement scheme for Air Malta workers. Caruana said that in the current stage of the airline’s restructuring, various studies requested by the European Commission are being carried out. Nationalist MP Ivan Castillo had argued that workers who had opted to stay with the airline rather than join the public service felt aggrieved because the early retirement option was only made available only after they had taken their decision. (Times of Malta)
FreeHour justifies University stunt
With social media in a frenzy – mostly negative – following an activity at University which saw students ‘battling it out’ to get as many five euro notes as possible thrown from a balloon, Zach Ciappara CEO of Freehour Malta said that ‘far more dangerous activities were organised on campus’. In a post on Instagram, Ciappara added that FreeHour Malta never expected such a huge turnout for its activity, as students were only alerted to in on the eve. He added that no one was injured in the activity and no alcohol was sold during the event.
