1745- Latest News update
Times of Malta says the sound of explosions interrupted an interview with a Maltese man living in a besieged Ukrainian city on Monday morning.
MaltaToday says Prime Minister Robert Abela has refused to comment on reports surrounding his involvement in a property deal with alleged kidnapper Christian Borg.
Newsbook says amid the government will not provide a list of Russian citizens who have purchased Maltese citizenship through the golden passports scheme to subject persons carrying out relevant activity or business as defined by Malta’s anti-money laundering (AML) regime for due diligence purposes.
TVM says that PM Robert Abela has announced that if he is re-elected to govern, his administration will implement what he has described as a guarantee of €145 million for children.
Mid-Day Update
PM Abela made €45,000 on a property with car dealership owner – reports: Prime Minister Robert Abela made some €45,000 on a property deal with a car dealership owner involved in a recent abduction case. The Times of Malta has published contracts and notarial deeds, confirming that Abela, as a Labour MP in June 2018, entered a contract to buy a Zabbar field, only to transfer his stake to auto-dealer and alleged kidnapper Christian Borg just a few months later. The report also notes how on the day the deal was contracted between Abela and a third company, Christian Borg received Planning Authority permission to build nine apartments and garages on the plot of land, despite having no apparent connection to the property. Questioned during a Labour presser, Abela described the story as “spin”.
Malta offers health treatments to Ukrainians, no intention to stop passport sales: Malta is offering Ukrainian nationals with serious health conditions, including cancer, to continue their treatment in Malta. This was revealed by PM Robert Abela this morning. However, he refuted calls to halt the passports scheme or to publish the list of Russian beneficiaries, saying that he respected the Russian community in Malta and who probably do not agree with the war. “We are showing solidarity with Ukraine, but I do not agree with the stance taken by Opposition leader Bernard Grech. We cannot treat all Russians as criminals,” he said.
Parties launch more electoral promises: The Labour Party has announced a new set of PL proposals relating to families and children, including the provision of free laptops to secondary school students and the extension of the government’s free childcare service. The service of IVF will be extended to include new services with the most modern technology. On the other hand, Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech presented a set of other proposals to aimed at fighting poverty and “not allowing the cost of living to have a devastating impact on families”. The taxation model needs to be further modernized, while keeping tax burdens as low as possible, Grech announced.
Covid-19 Update: There were 40 new cases of Covid-19 on Monday, with 61 new recoveries. Active cases have declined below 700. Meanwhile, a 76-year-old woman passed away while Covid-19 positive.
Morning Briefing
Labour’s electoral manifesto to include 1,000 proposals
PM Robert Abela said that the Labour will announce 1,000 election proposals during the campaign trail. Speaking in a rally in Naxxar, Abela said that “we have a plan with 1,000 proposals which was born from a concept of drafting 100 ideas, that all came from the people”. He revealed that the PL would this week be unveiling measures and incentives for those who are trying to start a family: “A just society gives the same opportunities to everyone. Everyone must have the same opportunities and a government led by me will be with you in every moment,” he said. [Times of Malta]
PN promises reduced income tax for business
PN’s campaign trail continued in Zurrieq, with Opposition Leader making an appeal to the undecided to join the party, asking to “let us change this country for the better, let us be the key to the change that this country needs. Grech announced plans for ESG (Environment sustainability and governance) criteria, for a more sustainable future, if elected, pointing out that this was detailed in the PN’s electoral manifesto. Income tax will be reduced to 15% on the first €500,000 for businesses, to incentivise trade, Grech promised. [Net News/Maltatoday]
Covid-19 Update
Two people died while Covid positive, the health authorities said on Sunday. The latest victims are a man aged 76 and a woman aged 86. This has taken the total number of Covid related deaths in the country up to 604. The number of new cases reported on Sunday was 56, while 65 people recovered from the virus. There are currently 714 active cases in the country. 35 patients in Mater Dei Hospital currently have Covid, three of whom are in the ITU. [Malta Independent]
