Updated 1745- News Portal Briefing
Latest Update- News Portal Briefing
Times of Malta reports that the police arrested four men after they found a fridge and a chest freezer stuffed with drugs being carried on a van in Floriana late on Monday.
MaltaToday reports that Robert Vella was appointed Lands Authority CEO
Newsbook reports that the decision to sack former PBS CEO John Bundy was deemed unjust according to the law, said the Employment Tribunal.
TVM reports that the compilation of the testimony against the alleged mastermind in the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, Yorgen Fenech, continued being heard before Magistrate Rachel Montebello.
Updated 1330 – Covid-19 Update
Covid-19 update
The Health Department reported 141 new cases of coronavirus in the previous 24 hours, with 132 recovering. The number of active cases has reached 2,665. 32,836 swab tests were carried out in the past 24 hours.
Meanwhile, the number of deaths linked to Covid-19 has reached 261. 29,002 vaccine doses were administered until yesterday, of which 4,476 were second doses.
Updated 1120
MUMN wants Govt action on exodus of foreign nurses
The MUMN has appealed to Government to stem the exodus of nursing staff, while asking for a meeting with the PM ‘to prevent a major crisis in the healthcare sector.’
The Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses (MUMN) said it is concerned by the ‘substantial’ number of foreign nurses leaving the country. “We are in a situation where the nurses’ shortage is affecting the service being offered to our patients and the wellbeing of our staff.”
The Union said that beside pay issues, foreign nurses are facing a secondary, but important challenge of getting their family in Malta.
NSO says jobs increased in 2020 despite pandemic
In September 2020, registered full-time employment increased by 4.6% while part-time employment as a primary job decreased by 9.9 per cent when
compared to the corresponding month in 2019, the NSO said this morning.
Administrative data provided by Jobsplus show that, over a period of one year, the labour supply (excluding part-timers) in September 2020 increased by 5.4%, reaching 234,964. This was mainly attributed to a year-on-year increase in the full-time registered employment (10,218) and an increase in registered unemployment (1,717).
When September 2020 is compared to September 2019, the highest increase in employment was brought about by Administrative and support service activities (NACE 77-82) and Human health and social work activities, with 2,596 and 1,700 respectively
Registered fulltime employment in the private sector went up by 8,813 persons to 181,653. Public sector full-time
employment increased by 1,405 persons to 49,926
The number of persons registered as full-time self-employed rose by 2,476 when compared to September 2019, while the number of persons registered as employees increased by 7,742.
Updated 0838 – Newspaper Review
The Times quotes Gozo bishop Anton Teuma who said he was glad that a victim of alleged sexual abuse by two priests reported the case to the police last month because he felt he could no longer bear the weight.
L-Orizzont follows the testimony of Gozo bishop Anton Teuma in the proceedings against two priests accused of sexual abuse of a minor. Mons. Teuma said he encouraged the victim to report the case to authorities.
The Independent says the young man who reported two Gozo priests for sexual abuse when he was a child, had met bishop Anton Teuma several times before finally reporting the case to the Church Safeguarding Commission.
In-Nazzjon reports on a visit by PN Leader Bernard Grech to the Mosta market on Monday. Grech said that small business owners are facing new challenges because of the pandemic and that the party is offering an alternative vision.
The Times says that a Maltese man has been arrested by the Italian Guardia di Finanza in Calabria over suspicions of smuggling of protected songbirds. The officers found that the 68-year-old was carrying more than a thousand finches and other birds in his van.
L-Orizzont reports the story of a woman who lost both her parents to Covid-19 in the space of less than two minutes on Christmas day. Sher Johnson says that she was allowed to let the two elderly patients be by each other’s side in their last moments.
The Independent speaks to MEP candidate Peter Agius who suggested that government tenders include requirements for organic food produce to support local production. Agius warned that the country is increasingly relying on foreign markets for foods.
In-Nazzjon says environmental activists welcomed a pledge by PN Leader Bernard Grech on Sunday to propose a new energy vision that balances environmental sustainability and economic development.
Morning Briefing
Gozo Bishop testifies in child abuse case
The case against Gozitan priests Joseph Cini and Joseph Sultana continued yesterday, with Bishop Anton Teuma testiying. Teuma testified that the former altar boy who claims he was sexually abused by two priests in Xagħra first mentioned his childhood trauma in September 2019 but only named the alleged perpetrators several months later.
While the abuse was mentioned after six councelling sessions, the names of his alleged abusers – Xagħra priests Joseph Cini, 70, and Joseph Sultana, 84 were only mentioned last March after 19 councelling sessions. Teuma said that the victim instead that he did not want to report the two men, placing a significant burden on him.
Earlier in the sitting, Magistrate Monica Vella refused a challenge by the defence to get the case to be heard behind closed doors without no live reporting. After the hearings, Vella decided that there was sufficient evidence for both accused to be placed under a bill of indictment.
Elections are looming – Alfred Sant
“Elections are looming”, Labour MEP Alfred Sant said in a cyrptic tweet, seemingly contradicting PM Abela’s statement that Government had no intention to call an early election.
Sant said that “elections are looming even if other concerns loom larger.” Sant added that “the government needs to balance the demands of the electoral game with those of the need to manage well the Covid-19 end-process (if it is an end one).”
PN is offering alternative Government – Grech
The Leader of the Opposition and of the Nationalist Party, Bernard Grech, said the PN is offering an alternative Government that has a vision for the challenges currently being experienced by small and medium-sized enterprises. He stated this during a spontaneous visit to retail outlets and the open market at Mosta.
Dr Grech met entrepreneurs who expressed their concerns as to how they can survive during the rest of this year. He appealed to the Government to do more for these and to inform them and explain to them what will happen after March later this year.
In a press release, the PN said that the retail outlet owners and market vendors had told Dr Grech the Government was keeping them in the dark and they therefore cannot plan ahead in their own interests and that of their employees.
Covid-19 Update
124 new cases of coronavirus were reported on Monday, with 141 persons recovering, cases which have been identified through 3,037 swab tests carried out on Sunday. This means that the number of active cases stands at 2,657. During the previous 24 hours, an 81 year old male and an 88 year old female became the latst two fatalities of the pandemic, which has now taken the lives of 269 persons on Maltese shores.Health authorities also said that by the end of last week 27,759 vaccine doses were administered. Just under 4,000 of them were second doses.
CDE News
