Three new COVID-19 deaths were announced on Wednesday, bringing Malta’s death tally from the virus up to 88. All died on Wednesday.
The Health Ministry said the deaths were of an 81-year-old man who was confirmed positive on November 3 and a 77-year-old man who was confirmed positive on November 10 died at Mater Dei. An 87-year-old man who was confirmed positive on October 29 died at the Good Samaritan long term facility. Times of Malta
Updated 1745- News Portal Briefing
Times of Malta reports that former Labour minister Konrad Mizzi and the ex-OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri are being questioned by police from the economic crimes unit as part of what is understood to be an investigation into trading in influence.
MaltaToday reports that magistrate Joe Mifsud has recused himself from hearing a perjury case against former FIAU manager Jonathan Ferris and Egrant whistleblower Maria Efimova.
Newsbook reports that Malta’s travel amber list has significantly expanded.
TVM reports that a customs dog has sniffed out €16,000 on a passenger.
Updated 1230
News Review
Covid-19 Update
Health authorities reported 141 new cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours, with 97 recoveries during the same timeframe. This brings the tally of active cases up to 2,081.
3,014 swab tests were carried out yesterday. The number of active cases in Malta is at the highest ever since the start of the pandemic.
Konrad Mizzi, Keith Schembri arrested and questioned on Yorgen Fenech links
Former Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi and Former PM Joseph Muscat’s Chief of Staff Keith Schembri are being questioned over a series of Whatsapp exchnges with businessman and murder suspect Yorgen Fenech
Mizzi was arrested yesterday evening and spent the night in custody, while Schembri was arrested this morning from his Mellieħa home. The police are understood to be investigating trading in influence.
It is understood that Mizzi, who was responsible of a number of large national projects under Muscat’s administration was questioned by financial crime department officers.
Konrad Mizzi was voted out of Labour earlier this year, and currently is an independent MP in Parliament.
MIA registers big drop in revenue as passengers drop by 74%
Malta International Airport registered a 67.7% drop in revenue in the first nine months of 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic severely affected air travel and related activity.
Last month, 110,346 passengers went through the airport, bringing year-to- date traffic up to 1,661,700 passenger movements. This was equivalent to a drop of 73.8% when compared to the same period in 2019.
In a statement, the company said it is confident that its financial resilience amassed over the past decade together with the right team of employees put it in a good position to continue facing COVID-related challenges and eventually emerge from this crisis.
Updated 0855: Newspaper Review
Malta Today says that Standards in Public Life Commissioner George Hyzler turned down a request by MP Jason Azzopardi to investigate his stay at a Tel Aviv Hotel in 2017. Hyzler said the incident happened before the Commission was set up but proposed new rules on gifts.
The Times reports that MP Jason Azzopardi failed to register a hotel stay paid for by a member of the Tumas Group in 2017, breaching the code of ethics which requires MPs to disclose such gifts in their annual financial declarations.
The Independent picks up a Facebook post by MP Jason Azzopardi on Tuesday where he apologises for accepting a businessman paying for his stay at a hotel in 2017. He said the gift did not influence his work as an MP but acknowledged that he should have acted differently.
In-Nazzjon quotes PN Leader Bernard Grech who said that the party is committed to Malta’s economic recovery. Grech visited the Excelsior hotel in Floriana on Tuesday, part of a series of meetings with workers in the tourism sector.
L-Orizzont speaks to virologist Chris Barbara who expressed confidence in the vaccine developments announced by AstraZeneca and Pfizer. Dr Barbara said that the two approaches by the companies are both equally promising.
The Times reports that Konrad Mizzi was detained overnight by a police branch that specialises in crimes related to money laundering. The interrogation started on Tuesday and is expected to continue today.
Malta Today says that the police did not confirm reports that former minister Konrad Mizzi was being questioned by the Financial Crimes and Investigations Department on Tuesday. The paper says it is not clear what he was interrogated about.
The Independent says that Steward Healthcare would be willing to listen to proposals from the government to absorb its workforce into the public sector. The company said that, as a private company, it establishes its own recruitment and remuneration policies.
L-Orizzont publishes an interview with a man infected with Covid-19 who warned against overconfidence. Tony Miles told the paper that many patients are discovering long-term effects after they recover from the virus.
In-Nazzjon reports that four people died from Covid-19 between Monday and Tuesday as the total number of victims climbed to 85. The patients were aged 61, 74, 83, and 99 and were all being treated at Mater Dei hospital.
Covid-19 Update: Four more deaths reported in the evening
Late Monday evening, the Ministry of Health announced that four persons died of Covid-19 today. The four men were 61, 74, 83 and 99 years old and died while being recovered at Mater Dei Hospital.
85 people have now lost their lives following infection by coronavirus.
Health authorities also reported 153 new COVID-19 cases between Monday and Tuesday, with 89 other patients recovering. The additional new cases took the active case tally to over 2,000.
Former Labour minister Konrad Mizzi held overnight
Former Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi was held by police overnight after being interrogated by the economic crimes unit. The now Independent MP was questioned on Tuesday at the unit’s new headquarters in Ħamrun.
Interrogation is expected to continue on Wednesday but it remains unclear why he was called in for interrogation by the police branch that specialises in money laundering cases.
Different media sources have tried to contact Mizzi yesterday evening, to no avail.
PM says government and doctors are on same page on events
Following yesterday’s angry reactions by medical bodies to Government’s decision to plough ahead with Christmas events, Prime Minister Robert Abela insisted that government and doctors were “on the same page”. Abela dismissed concerns that Christmas in the City would bring together large groups of people.
Doctors and health officers earlier on Tuesday said the government’s decision to hold events in Valletta in the run-up to Christmas was irresponsible but Abela said that doctors and governments both placed people’s health as a priority.
Despite this statement, the Medical Association of Malta threatened industrial action should such activities go ahead.
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