Latest update- 1745
Times of Malta reports that a former altar boy who claims he was sexually abused by two priests in Xagħra first mentioned his childhood trauma in September 2019 but only named the alleged perpetrators several months later, Gozo bishop Anton Teuma told a court on Monday.
MaltaToday reports that auditor General Charles Deguara says inadequate waste separation leading to recyclable waste being dumped in landfills
Newsbook reports that the db Group have submitted new plans for their project on the ex-Institue for Tourism Studies (ITS) site in Pembroke. In a Facebook post Birdlife Malta said that although the height has been reduced, there are only minimal changes to the overall volume of the project.
TVM reports that a woman was taken to hospital in the early hours of this morning after being involved in an accident in the limits of Zejtun.
Updated: 1233 – Covid-19 Update
124 new cases of coronavirus were reported on Monday, with 141 persons recovering, cases which have been identified through 3,037 swab tests carried out on Sunday. This means that the number of active cases stands at 2,657
During the past 24 hours, an 81 year old male and an 88 year old female became the latst two fatalities of the pandemic, which has now taken the lives of 269 persons on Maltese shores.
Health authorities also said that by the end of last week 27,759 vaccine doses were administered. Just under 4,000 of them were second doses.
Updated 1030 – Residential property sales decline during first half of 2020
Residential property sales in Malta and Gozo have declined by around 28 per cent during the first nine months of 2020, according to the Central Bank of Malta. Transactions declined primarily in the second and third quarters.
However, the annual figures might turn out not to be so bleak, as the Bank noted a significantly higher number of promises of sale increased significantly during the third and fourth quarters of 2020. The CBM explained that if these deals are concluded successfully, they could result in a substantial increase in property transactions at the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021, demonstrating that a rebound is on the cards.
The Times of Malta reports that according to the Malta Developers’ Association (MDA), 13,867 promises of sale were signed between January and December last year, with sales in 2020 generating around €3 billion in turnover, matching the 2019 results. Almost 1,400 promises of sales were signed in December alone, the lobby group said.
Updated 1010: Number of foreign workers unchanged
The number of foreigners working in Malta has remained constant for the first time in ten years, with the number at the end of 2020 being the same as that in the previous year.
There are currently some 67,500 foreign workers in the country, roughly the same number as in December 2019, when the number stood at 67,596. The data was revealed by the Finance Ministry.
Back in 2013, there were roughly 20,000 foreign workers in Malta, with the largest increase in this timeframe relating mostly to third country nationals.
Updated 0830 – Newspaper Review
The Independent says that the Corradino Correctional Facility reached a record population of 908 inmates in 2020, an increase of more than 11 percent over the previous all-time highest registered in 2018.
The Times quotes Central Bank data on mortgages which shows that contracts for residential properties fell by 28 percent in the first nine months of the pandemic compared with the same period the previous year.
L-Orizzont speaks to Chamber of SMEs deputy president Philip Fenech who said that the owners of bars and clubs need all the help they can get and welcomed the aid package introduced by the government last week.
In-Nazzjon quotes PN Leader Bernard Grech who announced that the party will unveil new proposals for a sustainable energy policy that will reduce prices for water and electricity and generate cleaner, more efficient power.
The Times reveals that Minister Aaron Farrugia and Minister Clint Camilleri, who hold opposite views on hunting, are working together to nominate members on the Ornis consultative body.
L-Orizzont quotes Prime Minister Robert Abela who described journalism as the “fourth pillar” of democracy and said that politicians ought to answer questions by journalists from all media houses.
The Independent quotes a Eurostat study which finds that 0.5 percent of total utilised agricultural area in Malta is used for organic farming, the lowest share in the EU where the average stands at 8.5 percent.
In-Nazzjon says that survey results published in Malta Today and It-Torċa indicate encouraging results for the PN as leader Bernard Grech recorded an increase of 9.1 percent in approval ratings since October.
Morning Briefing
“Malta is like heaven” – PM Abela
Prime Minister Robert Abela said Malta was like heaven when looking at how the pandemic affected other countries in Europe. This was possible thanks to he authorities’ decisions and the people’s efforts had made it possible for Malta to be in a better state than the rest of Europe.
Speaking at a Labour Party event on Sunday, Abela said: “We are living in heaven, even at this moment. Look at what is happening elsewhere. In Sicily, Libya, Spain, France, Germany…look around you and you will see how well we are living. This is because of the decisions we took but also because the people obeyed and made sacrifices,” he said.
Abela touched a number of other issues, including the citizenship scheme, calling on the Opposition to join them in supporting the newly-revamped scheme, and appealed for further unity on the national stance towards immigration.
“My appeal is that, as the European Commission is evaluating the programme with its revised rules, we need to have a single position as a country. We need convergence on this programme,” he said. Abela said that government is open to discussing any issues with the Nationalist Party, the latter of which has been highly critical at EU level with the programme.
PN to present energy plan
Opposition Leader Bernard Grech announced that the party will put forward an energy policy for Malta within the coming days, with the aim of offering cheaper utility bills while producing cleaner energy. He explained that the police will include a large-scale clean energy generation plan, and the infrastructure needed to move towards electric transportation and energy efficiency.
“Energy needs a long-term plan. If you don’t look ahead we will suffer the same issue faced by Labour, who lost €400 million in funding for a gas pipeline because they failed to consider new technologies, such as hydrogen,” Grech argued.
Air Malta may need to layoff more people
Air Malta Executive Chairman David Curmi said that the airline can operate with fewer people. Speaking to the Malta Independent, Curmi spoke about the need for the national airline to reduce losses, start making profits and become more efficient.
The biggest challenge for Air Malta, he said, is to, “without having expectations of great profits,” become sustainable and depend less on its shareholder – the government – or on external help, like the European Commission.
He insisted that the airline cannot have unrealistic expectations and must, over the coming years, focus on nearby markets and core destinations.
Covid-19 Update
A total of 182 new COVID-19 cases were recorded between Saturday and Sunday, as another two virus patients died. The victims were a 63-year-old woman and a 78-year-old man. Both died at Mater Dei Hospital, the Health Ministry said. Their deaths bring the number of people who died while infected with COVID-19 to 267. Statistics released by the ministry also showed that 185 people recovered overnight, meaning there were 2,676 known active cases of COVID-19 in Malta as of 12.30pm on Sunday.
CDE News
