1745- Latest News update
Times of Malta says a man accused of murdering his mother and sister three years ago in a gruesome plot in the family’s Għaxaq home has been jailed for 36 years after admitting to killing them instead of undergoing trial.
MaltaToday says Interconnector prices shot up dramatically over the winter, with Malta paying double for energy imports via the interconnector compared to electricity prices from Electrogas.
Newsbook says six MEPs from the European Parliament’s civil liberties committee will assess progress in the investigations, trials, and reforms that followed the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia arrived in Malta on Monday morning, kicking off a two-day visit.
TVM says Malta Tourism Authority chairman Gavin Gulia said that the diving industry in Malta is a niche which continued to grow in recent years with over 122,000 tourists arriving in Malta for diving activities in 2019.
Updated 1300
Grech blames internal divergences for massive defeat: During an internal due diligence exercise preceding the PN’s leadership election, Nationalist Party head Bernard Grech admitted that the party’s “internal differences” had a huge influence on the election result. Grech has stated that during his one-and-a-half-year tenure as leader, he was able to bring the party together but blamed internal disagreements for the defeat. In the March 26 election, there was a nearly 40,000 vote difference between the Labour Party and the PN. Grech told the due diligence panel that he wants to reform the party so that everyone works together to make the PN more electable.
Farrugia Cann appointed Infrastructure Malta CEO: Trustin Farrugia Cann has been appointed as Infrastructure Malta’s Chief Executive Officer. The appointment will take effect as from today, according to the Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects. Farrugia Cann is an electrical engineer who worked at the Water Services Corporation including renewable energy and energy-efficiency improvements. The new CEO is also well-known in the football sphere, having been one of Malta’s top referees in recent years and having also officiated in UEFA matches.
Covid-19 Update: Health authorities reported 67 new cases on Monday, while one more fatality was registered. The number of active cases is now 1,759 after 142 patients recovered overnight.
Morning Briefing
PN leader calls for serious and immediate restructuring within Party
PN leader Bernard Grech called for a “serious” and “immediate” restructuring within the PN, saying this was the only way for it to move forward. Grech was also said that he would consider anything less than 70% in Saturday’s leadership vote, in which he is uncontested, as disappointing. We are being asked to decide what road lies ahead in these trying times,” he said in an interview on Sunday: “I have no doubt in my mind that the only direction for the Nationalist Party is to move forward. This means there needs to be courageous restructuring that has never been done before.” He also spoke at length about the reforms needed within the party’s internal structures: “Now it’s time for a structure that befits a modern and effective party and that ensures discipline among all party members.”
Malta to face rule of law scrutiny by MEPs
Maltese authorities will undergo European Parliament scruting this week when MEPs from the European Parliament’s civil liberties committee will assess progress in the investigations, trials, and reforms that followed the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. The visting MEPs, hailing from the spectrum of European political groupings, will be to assess the latest developments as regards the rule of law, recent judicial reforms, safety of journalists, anti-corruption measures, and citizenship and residence by investment schemes.
Covid-19 Update
Health authorities reported 61 new cases on Sunday, with active cases dropping to 1,835 after 146 persons recovered.
