Updted 1745 – News Portal Review
TVM reports 46 new cases of Covid-19 have been identified in Malta over the past 24 hours after 2,185 swab tests were carried out.
MaltaToday says two former Projects Malta officials have cast doubt on the Finance Minister’s claim that he was not privy to the entity’s workings when testifying in the Caruana Galizia inquiry.
Times of Malta reports how owners of photovoltaic panels will as of Monday be able to apply for financial aid to buy a battery to store their generated electricity in. The newly-launched pilot project, which was announced in this year’s Budget, will offer applicants up to 25 per cent of the cost of an energy storage system up to a maximum of €1,000.
The Malta Independent says that the Vitals Global Healthcare project came “out of the blue” and bypassed Projects Malta completely, Projects Malta’s former Executive Chairman Adrian Said told the public inquiry into Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder on Wednesday.
Newsbook reports the death of Mario Mintoff, who fell off a ladder in Republic Street, Valletta. Mintoff, aged 58 and residing in Valletta fell off the ladder on Monday evening at around 9 pm.
Updated 1240 – 46 new cases of Covid-19 in Malta
The Health Department reported 46 new cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours, with 48 recovering. The number of active cases has gone down slightly to 664, while the total number of cases reported so far in Malta reaches 1751.
From a summary provided of yesterday’s cases, it transpired that exactly half of the reported cases (19 of 38) were related to existent clusters.
Updated 0826 – Newspaper Review
The Times reports on a police raid on the house of a 25-year-old Albanian national in connection with the murder of Chris Pandolfino and Ivor Majiecovski. The Police Commissioner told a press conference that the suspect was found with a gun in his hands.
Malta Today says that the man arrested in connection with the Sliema double killing case was known to the police and had stopped signing the bail book since the getaway car used in the murder was found.
In-Nazzjon says that images from security cameras led investigators to identify one of the suspects in the Sliema double murder as Daniel Muka, before the police mounted an arrest raid on his property in Floriana on Tuesday.
The Independent follows a police press conference after the arrest of Daniel Muka. Police Commissioner Angelo Gafà said that the suspect is believed to be the mastermind of the double murder last week.
L-Orizzont says that the suspect in the double murder, Daniel Muka, had already been arraigned for a hold-up and for firing towards police officers. Investigators are still considering the case in Sliema as theft.
In-Nazzjon says that the police were tipped off on Daniel Muka’s whereabouts by a Maltese man who was arrested earlier. The unidentified person is believed to have facilitated Muka’s attempt to go into hiding.
L-Orizzont reports that a man wanted by US authorities was arrested in Malta. Nazzareno Mifsud was on the run for more than 30 years after facing charges about sexual abuse of underage children.
Malta Today says that PN leadership candidates Adrian Delia and Bernard Grech had until Monday to submit a detailed questionnaire to the party’s vetting Commission, together with tax return and bank statements of the past three years.
The Independent says that the team behind Bernard Grech’s campaign for the PN leadership is confident that support is growing, particularly in Gozo. Grech had visited activists in the island when a controversy erupted over MP David Stellini’s vacated seat.
Morning Briefing
Sliema double murder arrest
Following a dramatic raid in Floriana, the Police have yesterday arrested Daniel Muka, a 29-year old Albanian, in connection with the murder of Chris Pandolfino and Ivor Maciejowski last week.
In a crime conference, Commissioner Angelo Gafa said that the police were looking at the crime as a robbery, explaining that the victims potentially had a substantial amount of gold on their person which was stolen.
Gafa said that Maciejowski was found with a shot to the head, while Pandolfino had two shots to the chest, one to the neck and another in the head.
It is understood that Muka was previously charged with the attempted murder of three police officers, resisting arrest and causing slight injuries, as well as the illegal possession of a firearm.
Coronavirus in Malta
The long-term effects of COVID-19 on the brain still need to be clarified, despite “interesting” links, consultant neurologist Malcolm Vella said to The Times of Malta today.
Vella argues against letting down our guard just because the mortality rate is, so far, low in Malta. The neurologist refers to three cases who presented with strokes and tested positive, as well as a case of severe encephalopathy, following a prolonged stay on a ventilator in the Intensive Therapy Unit, in a patient with coronavirus-related lung disease.
Meanwhile, 38 new cases of coronavirus were reported yesterday by the Health Ministry, with 52 patients recovering. The larger increase in recoveries has pushed down the total number of active cases to 666, while the number of infections on the Maltese islands since the onset of the pandemic has now exceeded the 1,700 mark.
2,048 swab tests were carried out. The Department also said that a majority of yesterday’s cases, over 30, were related to existent clusters.
The Czech Republic and Tunisia were added to Malta’s amber travel list, a government statement said. The two countries join Bulgaria, Romania and parts of Spain (Barcelona, Girona, Madrid) on the list.
CDE News
