Updated 1330 – Covid-19 Update
Three new COVID-19 cases were registered on Friday with four patients recovering. Thus, active cases go down to 32. 1,965 swab tests were carried out yesterday.
Newspaper Review
The Independent says that over 200 lawyers are objecting to proposed law amendments that would limit the warrant of advocates to professionals doing court-related work. The Chamber of Advocates is opposing the government’s proposal.
L-Orizzont announces that Ryanair subsidiary Malta Air has invested in six new Boeing 737 Max plans that will help the company to access new markets. Industry sources said that the new aircraft will reduce fuel and operational costs for the airline.
The Times reports that the Planning Authority was ordered to compensate the original owners of a site in Luqa pointing to preferential treatment when their application for a garden centre was rejected only to later allow a supermarket to be built on the land.
In-Nazzjon reports on a meeting between the PN and Richmond Foundation discussing the party’s proposals on mental wellbeing. PN Leader Bernard Grech said that Malta has to aim for excellence in mental health services.
The Times says that Prime Minister Robert Abela omitted his income from his asset declaration for last year, the only MP to fail to do so. Abela said that his income was in accordance with his tax returns, which were not tabled in parliament.
In-Nazzjon says that the Public Inquiry on the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia will terminate its duties within a month. The board heard tens of witnesses to establish whether the state could have acted to prevent the murder of the journalist.
The Independent reports that an 82-year-old man became the latest victim of Covid-19 in Malta on Thursday. Health authorities said that he was fully vaccinated and had twice tested positive to the virus.
L-Orizzont quotes Eurobarometer survey results indicating that seven in ten EU citizens have either received the Covid-19 vaccine or are keen on taking it. Three-fourths of respondents believe that vaccination is the only way to beat the pandemic.
In-Nazzjon says that the European Commission is warning the government over Malta’s failure to update laws related to waste management including waste facilities and waste material generated from packaging.
Morning Briefing
Government outlines economic vision
In a virtual meeting of the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development (MCESD), Minister for the Economy and Industry Silvio Schembri, gave a detailed presentation of the intention behind the strategic vision to workers’ representatives and employers within the MCESD. Schembri said that the economic vision means a renewal of the labour market, and as such all mechanisms are required to work to enable workers access to the labour market. The government shall continue promoting labour market participation, worker protection and adequate education for the future labour market, with the aim that each person working 40 hours per week can live comfortably and start a family. Above all, at the centre of this economic vision is the worker, and the worker needs to be protected with the best working conditions possible which enable them to reach their maximum potential.
Covid-19 Update
An 82-year-old man became COVID-19 420th victim, despite having been vaccinated and had recovered from the virus earlier. This was announced by Health Minister Chris Fearne announced earlier today. There were no new cases today, and with eleven recoveries, active cases have gone down to 33. Fo the first time in 15 months, there are no Covid cases in hospital. Meanwhile, a survey carried out by the EU into Covid-19 vaccines shows that 78% of the Maltese believe the vaccine is the only way to get rid of the pandemic. In reply to the same question, being the belief that the vaccine is the only way to end the pandemic, the EU average is 75%.
Migrants in Maltese waters taken to Italy
A group of 86 migrants picked up by a German NGO ship, Nadir, in Malta’s search and rescue region refused to hand them over to the Libyan coastguard. The migrants were later transferred to an Italian patrol vessel which took them to Italy. The NGO said that 86 asylum seekers were in distress including an unconscious person, pregnant women and children. The NGO said that the migrants were found within the Maltese search-and-rescue zone, but Malta refused to take responsibility. The Nadir then sailed for the Italian port of Lampedusa, where the migrants were to be handed over to the Italian coast guard, said a spokesperson for the organization Resqship.
CDE News
