Updated 1630
The Times of Malta reports that at least four teachers and staff members have quit their jobs at St Albert the Great College following the sacking of their headmaster earlier this year. It also reported that according to the MUT, it is operating without the proper licence.
Maltatoday follows Court action where a team of three psychiatrists, appointed to assess whether Abner Aquilina was fit to stand trial have confirmed their assessment that Aquilina was “angry towards women” and had wanted to have sex with a dead body.
Newsbook says that former Nationalist Party MP Jason Azzopardi revealed that he had sought to persuade Bernard Grech not to seek the leadership of the party, stating that he “knew he didn’t have the necessary qualities” to be at its helm. The PN rejected these claims.
TVM News quotes PM Robert Abela, who spoke on Labour radio. The Prime Minister explained he would not allow market forces to dictate in the case of energy and fuel prices and stressed that the Government will continue to assist so that the burden will not be shouldered by the people, as is happening in other European countries.
Updated 1206
Government to present proposals concerning abortion rules
Government is ready to bring forward a number of proposals concerning abortion which address situations which currently stop medical professionals from saving lives in cases of non-viable pregnancies. However, Health Minister Chris Fearne insisted that the changes will not “open the door to abortion. Fearne added that the government has been working on reviewing existing law and has held consultations with stakeholders in order to come up with a solution. Malta is the only EU country that has a complete ban on abortion.
Police appoints new AML Unit head
The former leader of the GWU police union Sandro Camilleri has been appointed as head of the anti-money laundering unit within the police’s Financial Crime Investigation Department (FCID). Camilleri, 46, will serve as superintendent, investigating major money laundering cases. The former CID officer previously led the police’s prosecution unit, and was the first president of the Police Officers Union, affiliated with the General Workers’ Union.
Blood donation ban for gay men lifted
Malta has announced the removal of restrictions on homosexual men for blood donation, deputy prime minister and health minister Chris Fearne has announced. “The discrimination employed – previously due to patient safety – will no longer stand on blood donations, a pledge we made to electors in 2022,” Fearne said. The gay rights lobby had argued that this ban was discriminatory, and called on health authorities to focus on risky behaviour rather than who the potential donor is.
Morning Briefing
Health service gets 111 new nurses
111 new nurses have joined the Public Health service earlier this week. Of these, 89 are young people who have just graduated from the University of Malta and 22 have graduated from Northumbria University. During a visit to the new nurses at Mater Dei hospital, Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Chris Fearne stressed that the most important resource in the health service is human resources. Minister Fearne called for more youths to consider this profession which he described as a vocation. (Maltatoday)
Two new Perm Secs, Cabinet Secretary appointed
Government has annouced the appointment of two new Permanent Secretaries and a Cabinet Secretary, after these nominations were approved by the Public Service Commission. Mr Jonathan Vassallo has been appointed Permanent Secretary for European Funds, within the Ministry for the Economy, European Funds and Lands. He has several years of experience in this field and has served in the same Ministry as Director General. Mr Godwin Mifsud was appointed Permanent Secretary to the Ministry for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects. For the past 12 years, Mr Mifsud has served as Director and Director General on economic research and policies. It was also announced that Mr Ryan Spagnol would be serving as Cabinet Secretary. Mr Spagnol’s experience is in the field of home affairs and national security. (DOI)
Soundstage in Kalkara gets PA approval
The Planning Authority has approved the construction of a soundstage at the Malta Film Studios in Kalkara. The project, which is eagerly awaited by the film industry, includes the construction of a soundstage and will include an environment-controlled indoor water tank which will incorporate the infinite horizon of the adjacent deep-water tank. The newly approved soundstage is soundproof hangar-like structure with a floor area of 4,000 square metres, used for the construction of set-building where shooting of film and television productions is carried out, the Planning Authority said in a statement on Thursday, after its decision. (Newsbook)
