Updated 1745 – Newsportal Review
The Times of Malta reports that a commuter was hit by a bus shortly after getting off another one in Sliema, in an incident that has been caught on camera. The video, which has been doing the rounds on social media, shows the 25-year-old coming down off the bus, walking in front of it and then being hit by another oncoming bus.
Maltatoday leads with a story from Court where three men have been arraigned after a police investigation into the trafficking and forced prostitution of two South American women in Malta. They have been denied bail. The three men were charged less than two weeks after the women received suspended sentences for engaging in prostitution.
Newsbook says that Carlo Micallef has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer of the Malta Tourism Authority, the government said on Friday. Micallef will succeed Johann Buttigieg.
TVM follows the story of a 15-year-old student who attends St Thomas More college in Zejtun, who was punished because of the way he cut his hair. The mother of the student, who is in Year Ten, said that her son was being made to stay inside during break time until his hair grows out.
Updated 1255
European arrest warrant for Dalligate witness: A crucial witness in the Dalligate bribery case is wanted for questioning in connection with an alleged scam in which critical gaming authority information was leaked. Iosif Galea is the target of a European arrest warrant, according to police sources, for his alleged role in the criminal plot. Galea, a former Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) employee who now works as a gaming consultant, is suspected of receiving sensitive information from within the regulator. Another former top gaming authority official, together with his wife, was charged in court earlier this week with leaking confidential insider information from the regulator.
Proxy vote allowed in PN election: The Nationalist Party said that its delegates, the members of the General Council, will be able to vote via proxy in tomorrow’s leadership election. However, the last-minute decision comes just a day before the PN’s councillors vote in a one-horse contest for Bernard Grech’s re-election as leader. After each general election, the PN’s statute requires a secret ballot election for leadership.
Covid-19 Update: Active Covid-19 cases stand at 1,501 after 86 new infections were reported by health authorities, together with 141 recoveries.
Morning Briefing
Former MGA official accused with litany of financial crimes
A former top gaming authority official and his wife were accused with money laundering. Jason Farrugia, 34, and his wife, Christine, 26, pleaded not guilty to the allegations. Farrugia was separately charged with a raft of other alleged offences, including extortion, accepting bribes, fraud exceeding €5,000, misappropriation, trading in influence, disclosing confidential information and computer misuse. Bail was denied.
Fearne announced More IVF cycles for free
The Embryo Protection Act has been amended to allow prospective parents to have more IVF cycles on the national health service for free. On Thursday, Malta’s health minister, Chris Fearne, also stated that the EPA, Malta’s embryological authority, will write a protocol for pregenetic diagnosis (PDG) on embryos to determine which disorders can be discovered for embryo selection. The PGD methodology, according to the minister, would allow prospective parents to use IVF to choose embryos free of inherited disorders before implanting them for assisted reproduction.
Covid-19 Update: 90 new cases of Covid-19 were reported by health authorities on Thursday. 143 people recovered from the virus, meaning that the number of active cases currently stands at 1,556.
