Updated 1750
Times of Malta reports about the arraignment of Jeremie Camilleri who is being charged with homicide in connection with yesterday’s tragic Gzira event. In yet another shocking development, police have reportedly gained access to footage showing that Camilleri directed his vehicle towards the pedestrian.
Maltatoday reports that the courts in Malta and Gozo received 544 divorce applications last year of which 377 were decided. 524 divorce cases were filed in Malta, of which 363 were decided and 161 are pending.
TVM leads with a story on how workers from the Civil Protection Department were involved in a delicate operation this morning to pull a truck driver out of his truck after he was involved in a head on crash with a trailer in Triq Ħal Far, Ħal Far.
The Malta Independent says that a man was critically injured this morning when he fell one storey on a construction site. The man, aged 57, of Marsascala was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
Updated 1230 – Mid-Day Briefing
Man to be charged with Gżira murder: Jeremie Camilleri, a 33-year-old Maltese-French national, will be charged with murder this afternoon after allegedly killing a pedestrian in Gżira yesterday morning. The man, who lives in Lija, will be charged with killing Pelin Kaya, a 30-year-old Turkish woman, who was walking on Testeferrata Street at 1am on Wednesday. Pelin Kaya, a Turkish interior designer, was described as a “wonderful person” by friends and colleagues, was pronounced dead at Mater Dei Hospital after being rushed there by an ambulance crew.
MIA announces major airport expansion: Malta International Airport has announced €175 million investment over the next five years, which will see an expansion of the arrivals terminal and the start of the Skyparks 2 project. These projects had been announced back in 2015 but had been scaled back particularly during the pandemic. The project will see the doubling the footprint of the non-Schengen arrivals area while expanding the customs area. The immigration desk will adopt a two-stop process so that the biometrics and fingerprints of arrivals can be taken. The airport will also undergo a resurfacing of the secondary runway, which will pave the way for a resurfacing of the main runway. Care home closes door to visitors after Covid outbreak: A home for the elderly in Naxxar has closed its doors to visitors after detecting several cases of COVID-19 among residents The Simblija private residential home told families on Tuesday that it will ban visitors for seven days to prevent the spread of the virus. It is not known how many residents have tested positive for COVID-19, but reports indicate that only residents showing symptoms are being tested.
Morning Briefing
Turkish national identified as victim of Gżira car hit
Turkish national Pelin Kaya has been identified as the woman who died on Wednesday morning after being hit by a car and then allegedly assaulted by its driver. Her family was expected in Malta last night. The 30-year-old, who was originally from Istanbul, worked at high-end furniture store Onepercent in Birkirkara. Tributes flowed in by her colleagues after identity was made known. Jeremie Camilleri was tasered and arrested by the police. Reports suggested that the man was under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Camilleri, a French-Maltese national was on probation for theft. (Times of Malta)
Anti-deadlock mechanism clears second Parliamentary hurdle
An anti-deadlock legal mechanism to appoint a standards commissioner has cleared the second parliamentary hurdle. Government wants a simple majority vote for the appointment of standards commissioner if a two-thirds majority cannot be reached after two voting rounds. It passed through parliament with 39 votes in favour and 33 against. The post of standards commissioner has been vacant since the end of September when George Hyzler resigned to take up his post at the European Court of Auditors.In parlament, PN leader Bernard Grech argued that Hyzler was offered the ECA opportunity to make space for an appointee which was prefered by PM Robert Abela. (Maltatoday)
Six tremors record in one day
Six tremors were recorded close to Malta in less than 24 hours, with the latest being recorded at 4.55pm on Wednesday. All the quakes had epicentres in the Central Mediterranean Sea. Their magnitude varied between 3.9 and 5.1 on the Richer scale. (Newsbook)
