Updated 1745 Newsportal Review
Timesofmalta.com reports that the government onhas forged ahead with its plan to reform the constitution and hand public entities the power to impose much larger fines than they can right now.
Maltatoday leads with the news that the Labour Party parliamentary group approves co-option of Jonathan Attard to House instead of outgoing MP Manuel Mallia.
According to tvm.com.mt, the First Hall of the Civil Court has ordered the Police and the Attorney General to conclude within four months the evidence for the prosecution in the case of Tarcisio Mifsud, one of the persons arraigned in Court in 2013 and charged with corruption in oil purchases by Enemalta between 1998 and 2003.
Newsbook quotes Opposition MP Jason Azzopardi who testified that former Economy Minister Chris Cardona and sitting minister Carmelo Abela had met with Alfred Degiorgio a few days before the HSBC heist at an apartment in Fleur de Lys where Degiorgio received the robbery plans and a set of false keys.
The Malta Independent follows an ANSA story that nine passengers who returned to Pescara from Malta on Tuesday tested positive to Covid-19.
Updated 1230: Covid-19 Update: Active coronavirus cases have shot up to 1,000 after 218 new cases were reported on Wednesday. No one recovered during the past 24 hours. 4,188 swab tests were carried out.
Updated 1116
84 migrants rescued: The Armed Forces of Malta has rescued 84 migrants who were stranded in a boat in Malta’s search and rescue area, including three who were found dead. The Times of Malta reports that the rescue operation began late on Tuesday night and continued into the early hours of the morning, with the rescued migrants brought to Malta at about 4.30am.
2,000 jobs at risks – FELTOM: While the abrupt, forced closure of the sector has set the Language Schools into complete panic and disarray, FELTOM insisted that it is the jobs of the approximate 2,000 direct employees that must take priority without delay. Following what FELTOM feels is “the scapegoating” of the language school industry, its members now eagerly await a reply from government who till yesterday has not as yet given any concrete guarantees towards a reversal of what has been a complete disaster.
Lovin Malta’s Peregin to join PN as political strategist: Lovin Malta founder Christian Peregin announced that he is leaving Lovin Malta, a company and newsportal he founded five years ago to join the Nationalist Party. In an article, he said that only the PN that has a fighting chance to grow into an alternative government, since it already enjoys 30% of the country’s support. Peregin said he was not a fervent Nationalist, but a Maltese citizen who has a natural interest in democracy.
0840 – Newspaper Review
The Times says that health authorities revised the travel ban on unvaccinated travellers to give incoming visitors without the vaccine the option to go into mandatory quarantine upon arrival. The new rule comes into effect today.
Malta Today reports that the Gozo Regional Development Authority has resurfaced plans to build an airstrip in Gozo. Originally proposed in the 1990s, the project has been a controversial subject for many administrations.
The Independent reports that a five-year-old girl who died in hospital may have been infected with Covid-19. Addressing a press conference, Health Minister Chris Fearne said the girl tested negative to a first swab test when she was admitted to hospital on Friday.
In-Nazzjon says that a girl of five years resulted mildly reactive to the coronavirus on a second swab test after she was hospitalised this weekend. The patient was displaying symptoms of Covid-19 when she passed away.
L-Orizzont quotes an Economic Stability report by the Central Bank noting an increase in the national debt in 2020 but remain at sustainable levels. The document says that the financial system showed resilience throughout the pandemic.
The Times reports that the founder of Lovinmalta.com, Chris Peregin, has stepped down from CEO of the media company to join the Nationalist Party. It is understood that the 33-year-old will take up a position in strategy and outreach.
The Independent says that the opposition members on the Parliamentary Standards Committee voted to publish the probe into MP Rosianne Cutajar. The government members and the Speaker voted against, calling for further investigations.
In-Nazzjon says that Speaker Angelo Farrugia, who chairs the Parliamentary Standards Committee, walked out of a session debating the Standards Commissioner report into Rosianne Cutajar. The opposition criticised his decision to leave.
Malta Today quotes Health Minister Chris Fearne that 15 per cent of current Covid-19 patients are Maltese citizens. He warned that the Delta variant has penetrated the community and that vaccination remains the best defence.
L-Orizzont speaks with psychiatrist Mark Xuereb who said that economic uncertainty is leading business leaders into depression and anxiety. The head of the Crisis Resolution Unit said that the Covid-19 emergency is having an impact on national mental health.
In-Nazzjon speaks to sources in the language learning industry who said that businesses are set to lose between €35 to €40 million as schools shut down today. There are currently around 12,000 language students in Malta.
Morning Briefing
After EC complaints, Malta rescinds outright ban on unvaccinated travelers
Malta has removed the complete ban unvaccinated travelers entering the country, introducing instead mandatory quarantine on arrival. The Commission had implied that the outright ban was a form of discrimination. A legal notice published yesterday said that that unvaccinated arrivals from amber-list countries, which include all EU states, can enter the country but must “submit themselves to a period of quarantine”.
Malta hands in recovery plan
The European Commission has on Tuesday received an official recovery and resilience plan from Malta. This plan sets out the reforms and public investment projects that Malta plans to implement with the support of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). The RRF is at the heart of NextGenerationEU which will provide €800 billion (in current prices) to support investments and reforms across the EU. It will play a crucial role in helping Europe to emerge stronger from the crisis and secure the green and digital transitions. The presentation of the plan follows intensive dialogue between the Commission and Government. Malta has requested a total of €316.4 million in grants under the RRF. Projects in the plan cover the entire lifetime of the RRF until 2026. The plan proposes projects in five of the seven European flagship areas.
The plan was drafted according to the criteria established by the European Commission, including that 37% of expenditure have to be addressed towards environmental projects linked to climate change; 20% for digital transition and reforms connected with the Country Specific Recommendations for Malta for the years 2019 and 2020.
Covid-19 Update
Active cases reached 782 after 154 new cases were reported on Tuesday, with just six recoveries. 351,395 persons are now fully vaccinated. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health Chris Fearne announced that a five-year-old child has died while positive with COVID-19 although the infection does not appear to be the cause of death. A cousin of the cousin girl has appealed to the public “stop speculating and wait for test results”. During the press briefing, Fearne also revealed that from the current active cases, less than 15% are Maltese, while more than 90% of cases concern non-vaccinated persons.
CDE News
