Latest Update- News Portal Briefing
Times of Malta reports that a former restauranteur stands accused of stealing around €70,000 worth of goods from 21 construction sites and half-finished houses over the past months.
MaltaToday reports that Energy Minister Miriam Dalli has defended her decision not to publish the internal Enemalta audit as of yet.
Newsbook reports that Malta has recorded its first case of the South African variant of coronavirus, Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Chris Fearne has confirmed
TVM reports that Gulf Med, which was established in Malta five years ago, is a joint venture between a Maltese company which offers medical services including in the evacuation of persons from remote areas such as oil rigs, and a helicopter company based in Qatar.
Updated 1300 – Covid-19 update
The Health Department reported 102 new cases of coronavirus in the previous 24 hours, with 124 recovering. The number of active cases has reached 2,316. 2,116 swab tests were carried out in the past 24 hours.
Meanwhile, the number of deaths linked to Covid-19 has reached 297.
‘I never did business with Fenech’, Parliamentary Secretary says
Parliamentary Secretary Rosianne Cutajar told the Times of Malta she never did business with Yorgen Fenech, after the newspaper reported she pocketed thousands of euros from him in an Mdina property deal.
On Sunday, Times of Malta reported that the alleged mastermind in the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder gave her a €40,000 pile of cash for the 2019 deal – €9,000 to Cutajar and €31,000 for her associate, Charles Farrugia.
Farrugia and Cutajar worked together to broker a €3.1 million property deal between Fenech and the property seller, Joseph Camilleri.
Asked outside parliament yesterday why she had accepted large amounts of cash from a person accused of corruption, Cutajar said: “I’ve never done business with Yorgen Fenech.
Updated 0900 – Newspaper Review
The Independent says that Projects Plus, a government body, is still carrying out studies on a beach extension project announced in 2018. The initiative seeks to extend the sandy beach in Għadira Bay 20 to 40 metres seawards.
The Times reveals that JobsPlus informed the Cabinet that around 1,200 third-country nationals are working illegally as cab drivers and couriers for food companies. According to employment laws, non-EU nationals must be employed full-time.
In-Nazzjon says that proposals by the PN to increase the Enemalta Feed-In Tariff will benefit 25,000 households that have invested in photovoltaic panels in the last ten years. Party Leader Bernard Grech said the proposal would correct injustice toward families.
L-Orizzont quotes Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo who said that more than 70 percent of licensed bars and clubs have requested information about a €2.2 million support scheme announced by the government.
The Times questions junior minister Rosianne Cutajar about reports that she took a brokerage fee from a property deal involving Yorgen Fenech. Cutajar denied that she ever did business with Fenech.
In-Nazzjon quotes a PN statement criticising the Prime Minister for failing to act against Parliamentary Secretary Rosianne Cutajar. The opposition party said that impunity of Cabinet members tarnishes the country’s reputation.
L-Orizzont says that nine percent of front-liners in the healthcare sectors have not been administered the Covid-19 vaccine. Health Minister Chris Fearne told parliament that, of these, some could not take the jab for medical reasons and others declined it.
The Independent says that the tourism authority conducted over 3,000 inspections on licensed holiday property and catering establishments over Carnival weekend. No irregularities were found except for two establishments which broke the closing-time law.
In-Nazzjon reports that two people died from Covid-19 between Sunday and Monday. A 97-year-old woman died while she was being treated at Mater Dei hospital and an 82-year-old man died at a private residence.
Morning Briefing
91% of medical frontliners vaccinated – Fearne
91% of health frontliners have accepted and indeed have been vaccinated against Covid-19, Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Chris Fearne revealed in Parliament.
Fearne however confirmed that some frontliners have not yet accepted the invitation to be vaccinated, while others have refused due to medical reasons, adding that vaccination remains voluntary and authorities will not be taking any measures with regard to these health workers.
So far, 51,641 doses of the Covid vaccine have been administered, of which 16,265 are second doses.
MEA laments quick introduction of right to disconnect
The Malta Employers’ Association has expressed disagreement over the implementation of the right to disconnect in Malta before the directive is transposed by the EU. The employers’ lobby said that with sensitive discussions taking place between social partners at EU level, it would be premature to introduce legislation locally before the directive is issued.
“There are still many aspects of this concept which are nebulous and it would be irresponsible to act before a common denominator for all EU countries is established,” the association said. “Employers’ and workers’ organisations are actively engaged in negotiations through their affiliations in EU social dialogue institutions, so there is no rational reason to rush things locally.”
Car importers decry Brexit impact
Second-hand car importers have announced the setting up of a new trade lobby as they seek to respond to an unprecedented crisis following Brexit.
“If things do not change, our business has no future,” a board member of the association, Ventur Auto Imports Ltd director Keith Grima, said.
The new Malta Car Importers Association will work in conjunction with the Used Cars Importers Association more than half the used cars imported into Malta come from the UK.
“With the Brexit agreement, we now have to pay 10 per cent of duty fees on top of freight cost and 18 per cent VAT on top of the final selling price, plus other expenses in additional certification and documentation which now need to be presented to the authorities, Grima added. The extra costs can raise prices by an estimated 30 per cent per vehicle.
MFSA fines reach record of almost EUR 1m
Malta’s financial regulator issued a record €975,462 in fines in 2020, imposed through 19 different decisions.
According to information tabled in parliament by Finance Minister Clyde Caruana, the Malta Financial Services Authority levied €2.8 million over the previous decade, with a couple of years (2013 and 2015) during which no fines were issued.
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