Updated 1230
Scope gives Malta A+
Malta has secured an A+ rating by Scope, a German agency, which gave a stable outlook in its latest assessment. On the positive side, the agency noted that Malta still has growth potential in view of its eurozone membership but did highlight that “lingering institutional and administrative deficiencies” could negatively impact the economy in the future.
Abela meets President of the Libyan Presidential Council
In the margins of the United Nations General Assembly, Prime Minister Robert Abela held a bilateral meeting with President of the Libyan Presidential Council Mohamed Menfi. According to a DOI statement, the Prime Minister noted that as an elected member of United Nations Security Council Malta will work tirelessly towards supporting the laudable and unwavering efforts of the Secretary General and the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Libya.
Prime Minister Abela ascertained President Menfi that Malta will also continue to push for Libya to remain high on the EU’s agenda, a point which will surely be reinforced in view of the current geopolitical climate.
Four in hospital after underage girl crashes car
Four people were hospitalised after an underage driver drove a car into a wall in Swieqi early today. All four victims are aged 21 and under and one of them, a 20-year-old Naxxar man, was seriously injured. The crash happened on Triq il-Madliena and involved a Renault Zoe being driven by a 17-year-old girl from St Paul’s Bay. (Times of Malta)
Maltese law protects mother’s life – NGO
Pro-life NGO Life Network Foundation said that Maltese law has always protected a mother’s life. In a statement, it said that it was not true that Maltese law favours the death of the mother in order to save the life of the unborn child, a claim being made by pro-abortion groups. This is being said in order to spread the false idea that Malta has outdated laws; weighing up the value of the baby’s life directly against that of the mother. “This is not the case. Every crime in Malta’s Criminal Code, including abortion, is a crime only when the intention of the person is specifically to do what is prohibited by the law,” the foundation said. (The Malta Independent)
Morning Briefing
Bilateral meetings for Malta in New York
In the last few days, Malta had several bilateral meetings on the margins of the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. This was is in preparation for Malta’s seat on the United Nations Security Council as well as to explore ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation both on a political and economic level. Minister Ian Bog said that “the advantage of this type of fora is to be able to meet, discuss and build important relationships with different countries that have an interest in Malta. It was a pleasure listening to the positive feedback and the enthusiasm that these colleagues share in terms of how they perceive Malta and the contribution our country can offer during its term on the Security Council.” The bilateral meetings held by Minister Borg were with the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, Japan, India, China, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Algeria, Serbia, Ethiopia, Jordan, Palestine and Kirabiti.
PN condemns government attitude towards councils
The PN accused government of once again negating local councils by taking away more powers. In a presser, Opposition MP Darren Carabott and president of the PN Councillor’s College Charles Bonello said government has taken over public cleansing duties in a number of localities, confirming its lack of trust in councils. “On the contrary, government does not trust elected officials, including those coming form the governing party, because it wants to centralise power,” the PN spokespersons said. (Newsbook)
Unemployment drops by 520
In August, the number of people who registered for work amounted to 922 people, which is 520 less than when compared to August of last year. The NSO said on Friday tha compared with August of last year, the people registering for work under Part 1 of the registry went down by 494 people and 26 others were on Part II of the unemployment registry.
