Updated 1745- News Portal review
The Times reports that The Seed, a €2 million production being produced by UK company Ingenious Group with local collaboration, is currently being shot at two locations in Malta.
MaltaToday says that Adrian Delia has warned against Malta ceding its sovereignty in any agreement it may reach with the US as he lambasted the government for failing to consult with the Opposition.
The Malta Independent says acclaimed international author Salman Rushdie is the special guest of the 2020 Malta Book Festival.
TVM says the Radisson Blu hotel in St Julian’s will close temporarily in two days.
Newsbook reports that a new embassy has opened in Japan
Updated 1235 – 85 persons recover in past 24 hours
The Health Department this afternoon reported a substantial amount of recoveries from Covid-19, 85 over the past 24 hours. With 29 new cases being identified during the same timeframe, the number of active case has gone down again to 517.
A total of 2,116 swab tests were taken.
The Ministry also reported that a 79-year-old woman infected with COVID-19 has died, making her the 34th victim.
The woman, who lived in a home for the elderly, was only identified as a coronavirus patient following a post-mortem swab test.
Updated 0834 – Man loses life in Kirkop tunnel incident
A 57 year old man, resident in Ħaż-Żebug lost his life early this morning in an incident while carrying out maintenance work in the Kirkop tunnels.
A police statement said that district officers were informed around 4.30am that assistance was required at this site.
The man, who died on the spot, was carrying out cleansing work in the tunnel, when for some reason, while on the high-up, he got stuck between the high-up and the roof of the same tunnel.
Updated 0815 – Government to back US request for SOFA agreement
Ministers have agreed to back a controversial deal that would hand the US jurisdictional powers in Malta, The Times of Malta said this morning.
Government decided to back the deal on a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with the US in the hope of securing Washington’s support to help avoid Malta being put on the international money laundering list following the Moneyval test.
Diplomatic sources had expressed concern that such agreement will impinge on Malta’s constitutional neutrality.
Updated 0806 – Newspaper Review
The Times says that Vince Muscat, one of the three suspects in the Caruana Galizia murder, accused police inspectors of playing for time not to expose involvement by politicians and other ‘prominent’ people in the crime.
The Independent reveals that the European Commission is set to examine Malta’s revamped citizenship by investment scheme. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen criticised the sale of EU passports in her State of the Union speech this month.
L-Orizzont publishes survey findings showing that 46 percent of people between 16 and 25 years are in favour of legalising abortion. Nationally, 82 percent are against abortion and 18 are in favour.
In-Nazzjon says that Justice Aaron Bugeja is hearing the case brought before the courts by 78 employees working for Keith Schembri’s business interests demanding their salaries to be exempt from the asset freeze imposed on the former chief of staff.
The Independent speaks with teachers who feel that the return to school has not been handled well enough and criticise the Education Ministry for not investing in alternative teaching methods while classrooms were suspended since March.
In-Nazzjon reports that two elderly people infected with Covid-19 died on Monday aged 91 and 86. Both victims were residents in nursing homes, bringing the total number of casualties in Malta to 33.
L-Orizzont carries an interview with ‘Desolate Days’ singer Chellcy Reitsma who said that the coronavirus pandemic dealt a blow to the arts industry.
The Times reveals that the Cabinet has agreed to support a Status of Forces Agreement that would grant the US military jurisdictional powers in Malta. The government is hoping to secure American backing in anti-money laundering evaluations next year.
Morning Briefing
Covid-19 death tally rises again
An elderly woman has become the 33rd person to die after being infected with Covid-19, the Health Ministry announced yesterday evening.
The woman was 82 years old.
The Health Ministry said that the woman returned a positive swab for Covid-19 on 17 September, and remained at the elderly home where she lived and passed away yesterday.
Yesterday, the Health Ministry reported 27 new cases of coronavirus over the past 24 hours, taking the tally on the Maltese Islands above the 3,000 mark.
41 persons have recovered over the same period, lowering the number of active cases to 575.
Nurses to follow industrial directives
With staff shortages taking a turn to the worse at Mater Dei, nurses at the Intensive Therapy Unit and the Oncology Centre have announced that they will be following union directives from tomorrow.
In a letter sent to the permanent secretary, the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses said the shor tage of nurses was an issue that the health division was taking too lightly.
MUMN president Paul Pace argied that the situation at the ITU took a turn for the worse with the recent increase in Covid-19 patients being admitted for intensive treatment.
All women deserve right to ‘body autonomy’ – Helena Dalli
Sexual and reproductive health rights are fundamental rights and key to gender equality, European Commissioner Helena Dalli said during a round table discussion on safe access to abortion. The Maltese Commissioner said that she was “committed to ensure access to high quality sexual and reproductive healthcare services” and argued for a “push back” against an erosion of rights.
All women across Europe deserved the right to “body autonomy”, she declared.
Despite this statement, Helena Dalli recalled that powers on sexual and reproductive health services, including abortion, lie with the member states.
