LATEST UPDATE Updated 1745- News Portal Briefing
Times of Malta reports that Superintendent for Public Health Charmaine Gauci urged people to stay within their homes for Christmas.
MaltaToday reports that Malta Gay Rights Movement says that Malta is facing a public health crisis, as several people are left without lifesaving HIV medication
TVM reports that an elderly woman died after falling down steps in Rabat
Newsbook reports that Auditor General Charles Deguara told the Board of the Public Inquiry into the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia that his office was not given all the information it required while doing the investigation into the deal that passed on to Vitals Global Healthcare three public hospitals.
Updated 1245 – Covid-19 Update
Malta has registered 96 new coronavirus cases on Friday, while 87 recovered. The infections were detected after the health authorities carried out 2840 swab tests.
1879 cases remain active. In her weekly press conference, Health Superintendent Prof Charmaine Gauci said that the figures show the number of new cases are decreasing, with a seven-day moving average of 98.
“This shows that there has been an impact with the measures, and contact tracing, to ensure that the number of cases remains low,” she said.
Gauci added that while in other countries, the positivity rate has continued to increase, Malta’s rate, at 3.9 per cent, has remained stable. The positivity rate is the percentage of all coronavirus tests performed that are actually positive.
Two more Covid-19 patients have passed away – a 75-year-old man who tested positive for Covid-19 on 27 November and passed away yesterday at the St. Vincent de Paule residence, and a 96-year-old man who tested positive for the virus on 28 November and passed away at Mater Dei Hospital. Malta has now had 166 Covid-19 fatalities.
Updated 1150 – Government updates travel amber list
The number of countries from which arrivals to Malta are required to submit a negative COVID-19 test result on arrival has been extended to more than 40 countries.
The revised list comes into effect as from tomorrow. Any person arriving in Malta from these countries will have to present a negative PCR COVID-19 test performed no longer than 72 hours prior to their arrival. Those who fail to do so could be submitted to testing in Malta and may also have to quarantine.
The countries that made it in the amber list are the following:
Andorra
Austria
Belgium
Bulgaria
Canada
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Estonia
France (all airports except Ile-de-France)
Germany (all airports except Baden-Wurttemberg)
Greece (all airport except Attiki)
Hungary
Indonesia
Ireland
Italy (all airports except Sicily and Sardegna)
Japan
Jordan
Latvia
Lebanon
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Monaco
Morocco
Netherlands
Poland
Portugal (all airports except Madeira, Azores)
Romania
San Marino
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain (all airports except Canarias)
Sweden
Switzerland
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
United Kingdom
Uruguay
Vatican City
New Wellbeing index launched
The quality of life of Maltese and Gozitans is expected to be measured by a new index on which researchers from the University of Malta and the Foundation for the Welfare of Society will start working. This index will factor areas which go beyond economic wealth, but rather address social, educational and environmental aspects that characterize people’s standard of living.
This index is expected to measure people’s quality of life by considering areas such as physical and mental health, family and social integration, their level of education and skills, as well as the quality of the environment and open spaces.
Updated 0900 – Newspaper Review
The Times reports that businessman Yorgen Fenech has written to the Council of Europe requesting the suspension of the Caruana Galizia public inquiry, claiming that it breaches his rights to a fair trial.
The Independent says that EU rules prohibiting nonessential travelling from outside the EU will restrict tourism from the UK from January 1. The EU says there are currently no plans to add Britain to the safe travel list.
L-Orizzont speaks to the general director of the Customs Department, Joseph Chetcuti, following the interception of more than 600 kilograms of cocaine en route from Ecuador to Libya. Chetcuti said this was the first time the department had caught drugs on this route.
In-Nazzjon says that Minister Owen Bonnici could not explain his new responsibilities when asked by the paper and said he would provide more details about the new ministry for research, innovation, and Covid-19 strategy.
The Independent quotes a statement by the Chamber of Advocates expressing ‘utter dissatisfaction’ with a bill in parliament to amend laws regulating the profession. The Chamber said the proposals will not address the most pressing needs.
The Times says that proposed amendments to the divorce law envisages a period of six to twelve months of separation before couples are eligible for divorce. Currently, couples must live apart for four years before qualifying for divorce.
L-Orizzont follows the compilation of evidence against Samir Almiri, accused of killing Victor McKeon in March before fleeing to Morocco. Investigators said that the Libyan used the victim’s credit cards after his death.
In-Nazzjon reports on the death of four Covid-19 patients between Wednesday and Thursday, raising the total number of fatalities to 164. The most recent victims, three women and one man, were aged between 66 and 91.
Morning Briefing
Waiting time for divorce to be reduced in new bill
Government has introduced a new bill amending the divorce law, which if backed by Parliament will see the waiting time that couples must live apart to qualify for divorce reduced to six months. Currently, the original law had set the waiting time at four years.
However, the bill distinguishes between the time periods for the submission of joint and unilateral divorce claims by people who are not legally separated.
Where the parties are already legally separated, through a court judgment or a contract, there should be no waiting period for a person to be able to file for divorce. On the other hand, when no such judgement exists, if the request is filed by both parties, there is a waiting time of six months, while if the request is filed by one party against the other, on the date of commencement of the divorce proceedings, the couple must live apart for at least one year out of the previous two years.
In a statement, Justice Minister Edward Zammit Lewis said that the changes are necessary amendments that respect the private lives of individuals and families.
Yorgen Fenech asks Council of Europe and PM to suspend public inquiry
A lawyer on Yorgen Fenech’s behalf has written a letter to various international and local entities, including the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly asking for the Public Inquiry into the Assassination of Journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia to be suspended, arguing that Fenech’s rights are being breached. Lawyer Juliette Galea argued that there are matters of “grave concern regarding the conduct of the independent public inquiry into the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.”
“It has failed to provide Yorgen Fenech with basic procedural and substantive safeguards consistent with the protections guaranteed under Article 6 and 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights.” Article 6 regards the right to a fair trial and Article 8 regards the right to privacy.”
Dr Galea adds that “the concept of a public inquiry was birthed as an upshot of parliamentary accountability and the findings of an inquiry should be directed towards the executive and legislative arms of the State. A public inquiry ought to have nothing to do with a judicial process seeking to establish criminal guilt.”
Covid-19 Update
The Health Department reported 106 new cases of coronavirus in the previous 24 hours, with 128 recovering. The number of active cases has reached 1872. 2626 swab tests were carried out in the past 24 hours.
Meanwhile, the number of deaths linked to Covid-19 has reached 164.
CDE News
