News Update
Police have arrested a man for allegedly setting fire to the door of a private residence in Ħamrun. District police were notified of the incident on Friday 5 November, at around 5:15pm. They were told that the door of a house on Triq Alexander caught fire, likely after someone set fire to it. Maltatoday
Two men are in hospital after the vehicles they were in were involved in a crash, the police said. The accident took place in Mdina Road, Attard, on Sunday at 12.45pm. Times of Malta
Archbishop Emeritus Paul Cremona was awarded the highest honour of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. He was awarded the gold palm of Jerusalem by Cardinal Fernando Filoni in recognition of his service to the church. The presentation took place in St. John’s Co-Cathedral during the investiture of seventeen new knights including three priests and seven dames. The ceremony was led by Cardinal Filoni who is the Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. TVM
The number of new Covid-19 cases rose to 50 on Sunday as a recent upward trend continued. 11 are hospitalised while three are in intensive care.
Parliament must look into reports former prime minister Joseph Muscat was paid thousands of euros by a firm linked to the controversial hospitals deal, Opposition leader Bernard Grech said on Sunday. Speaking on the Nationalist Party’s NET radio, Grech said Muscat has a lot to explain and the House must demand he answers. Times of Malta
Grech also criticised government MPs in the Labour Party’s parliamentary group for failing to condemn Konrad Mizzi for his actions towards parliament’s public accounts committee. Maltatoday
At least two inmates have been given statements to the police after filing a report against prison authorities led by Alex Dalli, Newsbook.com.mt can confirm. According to activist and popular TV presenter Peppi Azzopardi, prison authorities are impeding four inmates from giving a statement to the police over the way the Corradino Correctional Facility is being run. While confirming that a number of prisoners are willing to speak to the police, sources told this newsroom that two inmates have already given a statement to investigators. Newsbook
A five-month-old baby was seriously injured in a two-car collision on the Tal-Barrani Road on Saturday evening. The accident took place in the limits of Tarxien at 10pm. Malta Independent
Newspaper Headlines
Political Survey
A survey carried by It-Torċa shows that PM Robert Abela registered an increase in support after the Budget. He has a trust rating of 52.5% compared to 27% for Bernard Grech. Meanwhile, MaltaToday reports that according to its latest survey, both the PN’s and Bernard Grech’s voting numbers were on an upward trajectory in the post-Budget period. Support for Labour was unchanged at 43.3% but support for the PN rose three points to 29.8%. Robert Abela’s trust rating remained unchanged at 48.9%.
Other Stories
Joseph Muscat was wired thousands of euro by Swiss firm linked to VGH players
Joseph Muscat was wired tens of thousands of euros in “consultancy fees” from a Swiss company that received millions from Steward Healthcare during the firm’s takeover of the VGH hospitals deal. The former prime minister was paid a total of €60,000 to his Bank of Valletta account last year, the first payment taking place just two months after he stepped down, an investigation by Times of Malta has found. The money was split across four monthly payments, two from Accutor AG and two from Spring X Media. Both these companies were run by lawyer Wasay Bhatti and share an address in Switzerland. Times of Malta
Update: Former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said he had been transparent in his replies to The Times and had no problem replying without disclosing other parties’ commercial information. Dr Muscat made it clear he had carried out work for a company, contrary to the implication in the headline that made it seem as if he had been given payment for nothing or supposedly as compensation for a transaction involving millions. Dr Muscat stated that the work he undertook was not linked to projects related to the Maltese Government. TVM
Any cultural heritage discovered during the excavation of the metro tunnels would have to be investigated, the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage told The Malta Independent on Sunday. It said that there would need to be a balance between preservation and the need to provide infrastructural projects of national importance.
Morning Briefing
14 migrants seeking assistance in Maltese SAR
14 asylum seekers found themselves in distress in Malta’s search and rescue area, according to emergency NGO Alarm Phone.
The group, which escaped from Libya, is understood to have been at see for five years. Alarm Phone said that both the Italian and Maltese authorities had been contacted about the boat, but had not responded. (Times of Malta)
Greens lament excessive coastal development
The Green Party said on Saturday that excessive development around the coast was lowering quality of life’. Addressing a presser at Zonqor, party chairperson Carmel Cacopardo said that the coast is for all to enjoy and that is should be protected from the excessive commercialisation of recent years, indicating areas such as the Freeport Terminal, Manoel Island, Balluta Bay and the Birgu Waterfront, were open spaces have been taken away from the public. Cacopardo said that climate change will lead to a rise in the sea level, with a devastating effect on Malta. “Not only will it impact the infrastructure – maritime, tourism, water and electricity – which is all interlinked to our coast, it will even impact the residential areas close to the sea.” (Maltatoday)
Malta donates 135,000 Covid-19 vaccine to Ghana
The Government of Malta has donated more than 135,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses to the Government of Ghana, while it continues to show solidarity with countries in need, in particular in Sub-Saharan Africa. A special Air Malta direct flight to Accra Ghana, coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, arrived in Accra on Saturday. Jean Claude Galea Mallia, Malta’s High Commissioner to Ghana, was at the airport to ensure the safe In line with the Ministry for Foreign and European Affairs’ Strategy for Africa, in recent months, Malta has begun a campaign of donating hundreds of thousands of vaccine doses to countries that have been struggling to obtain enough of them. (DOI)
Covid-19 Update
41 new cases were reported on Saturday by health authorities, while eight persons recovered. Active cases continued to climb, and now stand at 331. Nine persons are currently hospitalised.
CDE News
