News Update
Man dies in traffic accident
A 90-year-old man was killed in a traffic accident in St Paul’s Bay on Sunday. The police said the accident happened in Triq San Pawl at 2.20pm. The victim was hit by a Peugeot 208 that was being driven by a 47-year-old man who lives in Ħamrun.
The victim died on the spot.
PL and PN are not the same – PM Abela
Robert Abela cautioned supporters not to be deceived in believing the Labour and Nationalist parties are the same. Abela said there is a “big difference” between the politics of hope and aspiration by the governing party and the politics of austerity and misery espoused by the PN. Abela expressed his pride in leading Labour, saying it is a party that strives to make a tangible difference in people’s lives. He slammed the Opposition leader for carrying out “politics by social media”. “Politics for Bernard Grech has come down to Facebook posts in reaction to what people are saying about him.” Abela said by contrast, politics for Labour comes down to listening to and mingling with the people. (More on Times of Malta – Malta Today
PN Leader focuses on messaging and the dissemination of the party message
Bernard Grech elicited the support of Nationalist Party activists to spread the party message in the face of what he called government’s control of the media. Grech said it was worrisome that Abela not only had the conversation but also did not acknowledge his mistake and apologise, following criticism by civil society. “That is why we need to continue to have journalists and editors with a backbone, and a truly independent media that would not suffer the same fate as the national broadcaster,” he said, adding that the Opposition’s message was often left out of prime news coverage. (MaltaToday – Times of Malta)
Morning Briefing
Trust in political leaders in decline – survey: Both Robert Abela and Bernard Grech have seen their trust rating decrease, according to Maltatoday’s first political survey of the year. Support for the Labour Party stands at 38.7%, a two-point increase, while the Nationalist Party scores 22.8%, a decrease of 1.4 points. Non-voters now account for 23.9%, an increase of 1.7 points, making them the second largest cohort after Labour voters. Both Robert Abela and Bernard Grech have seen their trust rating decrease. Details on Maltatoday.
Attempted hold-up in Sliema
An attempted hold-up took place at a prominent jewellery shop in Sliema on Saturday evening. Witnesses said two men wearing balaclavas charged into Sterling Jewellers on the busy Tower Road around 6.45pm and demanded cash before fleeing the scene. Police sources have confirmed that the thieves did not manage to steal anything. The Times of Malta shares further details.
Yacht club evicted, forced to operate from containers
The Royal Malta Sailing Club said it has been evicted from its long-standing premises in Ta’ Xbiex and is operating out of shipping containers. In a press statement, the RMYC said that talks to delay a court-ordered eviction or find a new home have failed, with the club forced to find an alternative solution to continue to provide services to its members. The use of shipping containers have allowed it to store equipment and remain in business, but the club believes that the situation will have a negative impact on the shopping community and damage Malta’s reputation as an international sailing destination. (The Malta Independent)
ADPD joins chorus of disapproval on Abela-Magistrate chat
ADPD the Green Party warned that PM Robert Abela’s declaration that “institutions should be left to work serenely” is fruitless, if “he tries to meddle where he should not.” “Abela was correct in protesting about sentences meted out in criminal cases,” ADPD Deputy Chairperson Sandra Gauci remarked on Saturday, referring to one of Abela’s political speeches. Her message was echoed by party chair Carmel Cacopardo who said that the PM’s behaviour was a threat to the independence of our country’s court because it places inappropriate pressure on it from the political and executive branches of the state”. (Maltatoday)
Elder critical after falling stairs
A 77-year-old man is fighting for his life after he fell down the stairs. The police responded to a call at 1.45pm on Saturday at a residence on Triq Pietru Xuereb, Tal-Pietà. The man, who hails from Għaxaq, fell while going up the stairs, the police said. He was taken to Mater Dei Hospital, where it was later certified that he sustained serious injuries. (Newsbook)
Grafitti, NGOs protest on construction deaths
Activists put pressure on construction deaths: A banner bearing the names of victims of construction site tragedies was left on the steps of the Planning Ministry on Saturday, as activists flagged continued inaction about such incidents. Activists gathered following the death of 20-year-old Jean Paul Sofia, who died after an incomplete structure on a construction site in Kordin collapsed and buried him under the rubble last December. (Times of Malta)
