Update 1300
Jeweller tied and beaten in Zurrieq hold-up: A jeweller was tied up and beaten by two thieves in Żurrieq on Friday evening,The man, 67, from Fgura, was found tied up and assaulted in his own shop by the police. Two people are believed to be involved in the robbery, with the thieves taking away an undisclosed number of items. (Maltatoday)
Thief threatens shopkeeper with acid: An individual threatened a cashier with a threat to use acid against them unless they surrendered the money during a robbery in Msida. At approximately 8:45 pm yesterday, authorities were notified of a robbery that had occurred at a shop on Triq il-Makna tas-Serrar. Law enforcement arrived at the location, where it was determined that an individual wearing a hat, glasses, and a mask had entered the establishment. This person demanded money from the cashier, identified as a 32-year-old Indian man residing in Msida. Subsequently, the perpetrator absconded from the premises after successfully stealing the money. The Police are actively engaged in a search for the suspect, who was described as wearing the aforementioned attire. Fortunately, the cashier did not sustain any injuries during the incident.(TVM)
OPM refuses ro release advice given on media protection: The Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) has turned down a Freedom of Information request by the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation for a copy of the report by a committee of experts regarding the protection of the media. The foundation said “the report that should have been published unprompted, the one that is supposed to tell the Government how to put right some of the wrongs that enabled Daphne’s assassination.” The committee of so-called experts was set up as part of the recommendations of the Public Inquiry into the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia. Last
Morning Briefing
Number of residents going abroad up 35% – NSO
During the second quarter of the year (April-June), the National Office of Statistics reported that 114,848 outbound tourist trips were taken for vacation purposes, while 46,973 were for visiting friends and relatives. The majority of these tourists were aged 25 to 44 years (47.3%), followed by the 45-64 age group (29.6%). Outbound travel to both EU and non-EU countries increased by 37.7% and 27.9% respectively compared to the same quarter in 2022. Italy retained its top spot as the most favored destination, comprising 39.9% of total tourist trips. The total nights spent by outbound tourists grew by 31.2%, surpassing 1.2 million nights. Non-rented accommodation establishments accounted for the largest share of guest nights at 50.5%. On average, outbound tourists stayed for 6.6 nights. (Times of Malta)
Rebate critiscm is ‘attack on Malta’ – Film Commissioner
Johann Grech, the Film Commissioner, has responded to criticism of the €42 million cash-back provided to Hollywood producers benefiting from Maltese film services’ state fiscal incentives, labeling it as “an assault on Malta.” In a five-minute video on his Facebook profile, Grech, who previously headed the Labour administration’s marketing efforts, stated, “This represents a tactless assault on the achievements of the film industry.” He further characterized the criticism as an intentional move to discourage foreign investment and jeopardize employment and investments in the industry, directly addressing viewers in his message. (Maltatoday)
OHSA had not visited fatal Corradino site – CEO
Occupational Health and Safety Authority CEO Mark Gauci revealed that the OHSA did not inspect the Corradino site that eventually collapsed, explaining that “the OHSA is not obliged to conduct inspections.” Gauci noted that OHSA inspectors were not obliged to inspect sites where construction work was not visibly in progress. He contended that even if they had visited the Corradino site, they would not have been able to avert the tragedy. He was testifying during the Jean Paul Sofia public inquiry. (Newsbook)
