Times of Malta reports that a migrant died on Wednesday after he fell while trying to escape from the Ħal Far closed centre, the government said.
Malta Today says that Prime Minister Robert Abela has skirted around the issue of whether former prime minister Joseph Muscat’s position as Labour MP is tenable after he was called in for questioning by police in connection with statements about him by the man accused of having commissioned the Caruana Galizia assassination.
Newsbook reveals that Melvin Theuma, the middleman in the Daphne Caruana Galizia assassination who received a presidential pardon to turn state’s evidence, has been discharged from hospital after undergoing heart surgery, the police have confirmed.
The Malta Independent announces that the government has appointed a new Public Broadcasting Services (PBS) board. This was announced during the annual general meeting on 2 September. The Board is composed of a chairperson and eight board members with different skills and competences.
TVM reports that during a meeting with the Chamber of Commerce, PM Robert Abela announced that the wage supplement scheme and the voucher scheme will be extended until the end of October.
One News reports that Superintendent of Public Health, Professor Charmaine Gauci has announced that guidelines for the opening of schools will be published.
Net News reports that there are 22 new cases of Covid-19 that have been tested positive in the last 24 hours. This means that the total cases since March have increased to 2,068 while the active cases are those of 521.
Updated 1511 – Schools to re-open on 28 September
Malta will be re-opening its schools on 28 September, Government has confirmed.
In a press briefing, Education Ministry Permanent Secretary Frank Fabri said that in the coming hours, the health superintendence will be publishing the guidelines needed for the opening of the schools, based on sicentific evidence.
“The world has understood that schools cannot remain closed, and so protocols have been established for education to continue” Fabri said.
Updated 1233 – 22 new cases of coronavirus
The Health Department reported 22 new cases and 37 recoveries in the past 24 hours, taking the country’s tally to 428 active cases. 2,067 swab tests were carried out on Tuesday.
From yesterday’s cases, the Health Department said that 11 cases were related to existent clusters, one case was imported, with the remainding patients all being sporadic cases.
Updated 1104 – Government extends wage supplement and vouchers
Prime Minister Robert Abela has announced the extension of the validity of the Covid-19 wage supplement as well as the vouchers sent to all families in Malta until the end of October.
Abela was speaking during a Malta Chamber conference held this morning. In his intervention, he also spoke about the upcoming budgetary process, which he said will focus on pensioners and low-income earners.
Updated 0911 – Newspaper Review
Malta Today reports that Yorgen Fenech’s request for bail has been turned down by the court. Magistrate Rachel Montebello raised concerns by the court about tampering with evidence and absconding.
L-Orizzont leads with the court ruling against Yorgen Fenech’s bail request. The magistrate disagreed with the defence that the businessman’s rights are being breached but reminded the prosecution that it is their duty to move the case forward without delay.
The Times says that unpublished safety protocols for schools will reduce the number of students per classroom which could lead to a mix of online and in-person lessons. The plan will complicate timetables, especially for older students.
In-Nazzjon speaks to Teachers’ Union president Marco Bonnici who appealed for a ‘concrete plan’ on the reopening of schools. Bonnici said that the authorities have to ensure that protocols can be observed by all schools at all times.
The Independent reveals that two separate applications for an eight-storey hotel and an apartment block of the same height on adjacent sites in Xlendi have been submitted to the Planning Authority.
The Times reports that FBI investigators traced searches on the dark web for potassium cyanide, a deadly poison, to a device owned by Yorgen Fenech. The discovery was flagged a few months before the businessman was arrested.
Malta Today says that an 89-year-old became the latest Covid-19 victim in Malta on Tuesday. The Health Ministry confirmed that the man had tested negative for the infection when he was admitted for unrelated conditions in the last week of August.
In-Nazzjon reports on the thirteenth Covid-19 casualty after a man died at Mater Dei. The 89-year-old was originally discharged on Monday with no symptoms displayed but was rushed back after his condition deteriorated.
The Independent discusses the news that the Sex Work Reform report is being finalised with activists Lara Dimitrijevic and Anna Borg. They warned that prostitution laws must not ignore the connected issues of human trafficking.
L-Orizzont announces a new government scheme that will help families with autistic children to set up a sensory room in their own homes. The initiative was launched by Parliamentary Secretary Roderick Galdes and the wife of the Prime Minister, Lydia Abela.
Morning Briefing
Covid-19 in Malta
Yesterday, an 89-year-old man has become Malta’s 13th COVID-19 victim.
The man was released from hospital on the same day after being treated for a week for various health conditions. He tested negative to COVID-19 when swabbed upon admission but was nevertheless kept in isolation because he had come in contact with a positive person while in the community. Later he was re-admitted after his situation deteriorating before passing away in hospital.
26 new Covid-19 cases were registered in Malta in the previous 24 hours following 1,916 swab tests. 444 other cases are still active from a total of 1,909 confirmed cases in Malta since the emergence of the pandemic.
Fenech denied bail again
Daphne Caruana Galizia murder suspect Yorgen Fenech was again denied bail yesterday. His lawyers argued that Fenech satisfied all bail conditions but the Court said that allowing Fenech out of police custody could compromise evidence in the case against him, give him the chance to flee the country and provoke a public outcry.
The Times of Malta reported that US investigators traced online searches for a deadly poison back to a device owned by murder suspect Yorgen Fenech.
Meanwhile, middleman Melvin Theuma underwent heart surgery and is now recovering at Mater Dei Hospital. In a statement, Police said that Theuma was hospitalised last weekend and the incident was unrelated to the alleged self-imposed injuries reported in July.
Persons of trust should not get engaged in political controversy
Persons of trust employed by Government should not be making public statements on matters of political controversy, according to Malta’s Commissioner for Standards in Public Life, George Hyzler. Such persons should also be treating others with respect, in a decision on a complaint from Matthew Caruana Galizia, director of the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation.
The complaint had arisen from a Facebook post by the head of the Hate Crime and Speech Unit, Dr Joseph Borg, in which he directed an insult at Professor Arnold Cassola over a statement taking to task minister Michael Farrugia.
CDE News
