Updated 1745- News Portal Update
Times of Malta reports that a man has admitted to the brutal murder of Shannon Mak.
MaltaToday reports that the Chamber of Commerce is calling for optimised testing, contact tracing, and quarantine leave to ensure the survival of viable businesses.
TVM report that 6 medieval chapels which have historical importance have been scheduled for protection at Grade 1 level.
Newsbook reports that the Nationalist Party (PN) is calling for an Inquiry Board to be appointed to look into the Electrogas deal.
Updated 1543 – 59-year-old man dies of COVID-19
A 59-year-old man has become Malta’s latest COVID-19 victim, the Health Ministry reported. He is the 45th person person to die following infection by coronavirus.
The Health Ministry reported that the man was admitted to Mater Dei Hospital on October 1 and was confirmed positive to COVID-19 the following day.
Updated 1233 – Covid-19 Update
Health authorities reported 111 cases of coronavirus, with 52 persons recovering in the past 24 hours.
This takes the number of active cases to 940.
Updated 0910 – Newspaper Review
Malta Today says that MEP Miriam Dalli has accepted to be co-opted to parliament after election candidates failed to submit their nominations to fill the seat vacated by Joseph Muscat. Sources expect Dalli to be handed an important portfolio in the Cabinet.
The Times says that Adrian Delia has rejected the PN leader’s offer to join the shadow cabinet. Sources told the paper that discussions between the former leader and Bernard Grech are still ongoing.
The Independent quotes Prime Minister Robert Abela who said that Malta has started earning the trust of international partners in the financial services sector. The pre-recorded message addressed a conference by FiannceMalta.
L-Orizzont carries an interview with the wife of Minister Carmelo Abela, Melanie, a year after an operation to remove a tumour was successful. Abela said that she wants to set up a support group for people who go through the same experience.
In-Nazzjon reports on a meeting between PN Leader Bernard Grech and the Hotels and Restaurants Association. Grech said that operators in the tourism sector should not bear the brunt of wrong decisions by the Prime Minister.
The Independent speaks to Birdlife Malta CEO Mark Sultana who warned against opening the trapping season for protected songbirds, which he said will roll back environmental results achieved in the past 20 years.
L-Orizzont quotes Justice Minister Edward Zammit Lewis who said that the government is considering extending the arrest limit during police interrogations.
Malta Today says that a report by the Commissioner for Standards in Public Life concludes that former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat overreached in his powers when he awarded Konrad Mizzi an €80,000 consultancy role after his resignation from Cabinet.
The Times follows a hearing before the constitutional court in which Keith Schembri’s lawyers argued that the magisterial inquiry into their client found no evidence of kickbacks paid to him, but the State Advocate replied that ‘other issues’ surfaced in an ongoing investigation.
In-Nazzjon reports that a 71-year-old man died from Covid-19 on Tuesday. The paper says that active cases have surged to 890 after more than 90 new infected persons registered overnight.
L-Orizzont says that the elderly man who died from COvid-19 on Tuesday had registered negative to the disease in the latest tests, but he had contracted the infection in September.
PM says Malta earning trust of international partners in financial services
Malta has earned the trust of international partners through rule of law reforms but “must up its game” in other areas of the finance industry, Robert Abela said during the opening speech of this year’s Finance Malta conference.
In particular, the PM referred to reforms which were greenlighted by the Venice Commission with regard to governance and also highlighted positive reactions by credit agencies.
He acknowledged that more effort needed to be done to enhance the financial services sector, which faced three key challenges: a decline in correspondent banking due to the fact that increased international regulation has made this less profitable; issues related to higher regulatory standards that international partners expect Malta to conform to; and issues relating to the tax regime that Malta operates.
Budget to safeguard jobs in all sectors
Next year’s Budget will be safeguarding jobs in all sectors of the economy, including in arts and recreation, Prime Minister Robert Abela said while addressing a meeting of the Malta Entertainment Industry and Arts Association (MEIA).
The PM said the country had been successful in saving jobs successfully containing, and reducing, unemployment, noting how jobs grew by 0.8% in the eurozone, in Malta it had dropped by 0.4%.
Covid-19 Update
Health authorities reported 93 new cases of coronavirus in Malta over the previous 24 hours. With 31 persons recovering, the number of active cases has reached 881.
A 71-year-old man who passed away at Mater Dei Hospital is being considered as having died due to COVID-19, the Health Ministry said, despite testing negative in the past few days.
However, because of the symptoms he displayed, and considering that the man had initially tested positive, this death is being classified as being Covid-related, and is the 44th death to be considered as such since the onset of the pandemic.
CDE News
