Updated 1745- News Portal Briefing
Times of Malta reports that Opposition leader Bernard Grech has said the PN will defend the rights of everyone “without exception”, in a social media post sources say was intended as a rebuke to his MP Edwin Vassallo.
MaltaToday reports that Newly elected European Parliament Vice-President Roberta Metsola says Jason Azzopardi’s decision to accept free hotel stay from Tumas Group was wrong but insists nothing should deflect the party’s attention from the fight for truth and justice
TVM reports the death of Qormi mayor Renald Falzon.
Newsbook reports that a shooting victim considered to be a star witness in the proceedings against two teenagers who stand accused of murdering Saviour Gaffarena (27) and attempted murder of Vince Gaffarena (17), has chosen to remain silent on Thursday.
Updated 1240
Covid-19 Update
The number of new Covid-19 cases reported today 150, with 101 patients recovering, health authorities said. This takes the tally active of cases to a new record of 2,124. In total, the number of cases recorded in Malta was 7,796, with 92 deaths, including two announced this morning.
5,580 patients have since recovered. The number of swab tests carried out on Friday were 3,035, for a total of 377,054.
In the weekly press conference, Health Superintendent Prof. Charmaine Gauci said that there were 208 people being treated in hospital for coronavirus including 13 in the intensive treatment unit and 10 in the infectious disease unit at Mater Dei.
Chris Cardona says he was framed on Caruana Galizia murder links
Chris Cardona says that the letter which attempted to link him to Caruana Galizia’s murder was “clearly an attempted frame-up.” The former Economy Minister and Labour Deputy Leader was testifyomg in the Daphne Caruana Galizia public inquiry on Friday.
Cardona testified that he had no idea who wrote those letters, and that these were not shown to him. Questioned by Judge Lofaro as to why he did not take steps to clear his name, Cardona insisted that he did not want to interefere with police investigations and that such action might be taken at the opportune time.
He also re-iterated a claim that a number of journalists were conspiring against him to implicate him in the crime, referring to to secret footage by a French journalist who recorded a bar-goer claiming he saw the former Minister meeting one of the alleged assassins of Daphne Caruana Galizia.
Opposition leader distances himself and PN from Vassallo comment on LGBT
PN Leader Bernard Grech has disassociated himself and the party from a comment made by Nationalist MP Edwin Vassallo against EU Equality Commissioner Helena Dalli.
On Facebook, the Mosta MP shared a Politico article in which Dalli was quoted as saying that EU countries that do not respect LGBTQI rights should face financial penalties.
“This is Marxism at its best,” Vassallo argued on Facebook. “She was like this in Malta, and she remained like this in the EU. This attitude is non-compatible with the value of liberty. It is a Marxist attitude that favours uniformity, not respect towards diversity. This is democratic dictatorship, totalitarianism at its best.”
Grech made the party’s position clear through posts of his own on social media platforms, stating that: “Putting people at the centre of our politics means respecting and actively defending the dignity and fundamental human rights of every individual. With no exception. I completely disassociate both myself and the PN from comments made to the contrary.”
Updated 0830 – Newspaper Review
The Times says that the police questioned former chief of staff Keith Schembri about chat conversations with businessman Yorgen Fenech between January and October last year, including a chat group which included then Prime Minister Joseph Muscat.
L-Orizzont leads with comments by the head of the Church Safeguarding Commission, Andrew Azzopardi, who said that the diocese imposed restrictions on five people in the last two years following allegations of sexual abuse.
The Independent quotes the head of the Church Safeguarding Commission Andrew Azzopardi who said that the Curia investigated 35 cases of misconduct by the clergy since 2018, referring them to state authorities.
In-Nazzjon announces that MEP Roberta Metsola was elected First Vice President of the EU parliament, the second highest role in the institution. The PN MEP described her election as a moment of pride for Malta.
The Times quotes results in the latest European School Survey which show that students in Malta generally have easier access to substances of abuse such as alcohol and drugs. On the other hand, cigarettes are the most difficult to obtain.
The Independent says that 44 percent of Maltese students taking part in the European School Survey had bought alcohol from bars and clubs despite it being illegal for establishments to sell alcoholic drinks to people under 17 years.
L-Orizzont speaks with virologist Chris Barbara who said that persons who recover from Covid-19 are experiencing long-term effects such as fatigue. Dr Barbara appealed for responsibility to help stop the spread of the virus.
In-Nazzjon quotes PN Leader Bernard Grech who said that Gozo has its own priorities and should not be considered an ‘extension’ of Malta. Grech was on a visit in Gozo where he held meetings with organisations and businesses.
Morning Briefing
Covid-19 Update
Two more Covid-19 related deaths were reportyed by the Ministry of Health yesterday evening, taking the country’s death tally to 90. Both victims were men, aged 82 and 78 respectively. The two were confirmed to have been positive for Covid-19 after a swab test was administered after they had died.
Malta currently has 2,079 active cases of Covid-19 after 109 new cases were identified yesterday.
Hundreds of messages between Muscat, Schembri and Fenech
Sections of the media yesterday reported that sources close to the investigation related to the messages found on Yorgen Fenech’s mobile phone found over 900 messages between the former Tumas Group CEO, former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and his Chief of Staff, Keith Schembri.
It is understood that a large part of the messages were innocous, discussing whisky, wine, women and food, and also referred to a particular residence that was available when needed. However, other messages could have related to allegations of money laundering, accusations which were denied by Schembri under arrest earlier this week.
Government launches BREXIT readiness action plan
Minister for Foreign and European Affairs Evarist Bartolo and Parliamentary Secretary for European Funds Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi launched the Government of Malta’s action plan in preparation for BREXIT.
At a press conference, with the participation of the President of the Chamber of Commerce, David Xuereb, and the Director General of the EU Coordination Department, Glenn Micallef, they presented the action plan document, which comprehensively covers all ongoing preparations to ensure everyone’s readiness for any scenario related to BREXIT.
The action plan covers the most important areas including transport, travel and connectivity with the UK. It also refers to the rights of citizens, both Maltese living in the United Kingdom and British citizens residing in Malta.
On trade, the document provides information on the impact of the rules for the import and export of goods and services, the impact on the professional qualifications of employees, and also on the new procedures and tariffs that will apply from January 1, 2021.
In this context, the action plan explains in detail the assistance that the government is offering through its entities, such as the professional assistance provided by Malta Enterprise to companies in order to mitigate the impact of Brexit on their operations.
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