LATEST UPDATE Updated 1745- News Portal Briefing
Times of Malta reports that Malta could receive the Covid-19 vaccine by year’s end
MaltaToday reports that an NAO report found poverty on the edges of society is not captured by official statistics
TVM reports that the Housing Authority offered temporary accommodation to the families who live in the block where a fire broke out this morning in an apartment. The case occurred in Triq Melintone Scerri in Ħamrun.
Newsbook reports that Malta has offered Libya cooperation
Updated 1231 – Covid-19 Update
49 cases of coronavirus were reported on Tuesday, identified from 24,46 swab tests. With 101 persons recovering, the number of active cases now stands at 1,706.
Updated 1158 – Three Covid-19 deaths
Three COVID-19 patients died on Monday at Mater Dei Hospital, meaning the death count has now reached 177. The three victims are two women, aged 99 and 94 respectively, and an 86 year old man.
Updated 1130 – Man assaulted in Birkirkara
A 21-year-old man from the United Kingdom suffered serious injuries after he was allegedly assaulted in Birkirkara late yesterday.
In a statement the Police said that they were informed of the case in Triq l-Għabex at around 10.15pm.
Police reported to the scene and in a garage entrance, a man was found injured.
Initial investigations show that the man was assaulted by some people who managed to escape from the scene by the time the Police arrived.
The victim was given first aid by a medical team and taken to Mater Dei Hospital by ambulance.
Surgeons warn of dire consequences from nurses’ actions
Surgeons have slammed industrial action planned by nurses, saying that this will have “tragic consequences”. The Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses has listed a series of directives to its members in a dispute over salaries although the court limited such actions to those not putting patient health at risk.
However, the court allowed the union to go ahead with a measure that restricts the availability of operating theatres to just four, the minimum allowed by law. The Association of Surgeons of Malta expressed its concern for this directive and expressed strong disagreement over the court’s decision.
“We state our unequivocal support for the inalienable right of the MUMN and all other trade unions to institute industrial action to improve the working conditions of their members,” it said in a statement,
“However, our support and sympathy for the rights of trade unions and their members cannot allow us to ignore our moral, ethical and professional duty to our patients who seek our assistance when they are distressed and most vulnerable.”
Association president Joseph Galea said that any directive that further limited the timely diagnosis and treatment of cancerous conditions, serious heart and lung disease, peripheral vascular disease and brain conditions will lead to tragic consequences.
Updated 0840 – Newspaper Review
The Times follows the testimony by former chief of staff Keith Schembri in the Caruana Galizia public inquiry where he confirmed that he was aware of a data leak from the Electrogas power station in June 2017, four months before the journalist’s assassination.
The Independent reports on the Caruana Galizia public inquiry sitting during which Keith Schembri said that he had informed Joseph Muscat who the owner of 17 Black was, but he was unsure when he had told the former Prime Minister.
L-Orizzont quotes Keith Schembri who told the Caruana Galizia public inquiry board that the offshore companies he opened were not intended for business in Malta. He said that information about trusts held locally had been leaked to the PN.
In-Nazzjon says that the Caruana Galizia public inquiry board is extending the time to assess the proof presented in the testimonies. The inquiry has heard over 100 witnesses in 85 sessions since it was set up last year.
L-Orizzont reports on the inauguration of the second fibre optic cable to Gozo by Prime Minister Robert Abela. The paper says the €4 million project will increase connectivity and business opportunities in Gozo.
The Times quotes a statement by the association of surgeons warning that industrial actions by nurses will have ‘tragic consequences’ for patients. The union of nurses issued directives reducing the number of members in operating theatres.
In-Nazzjon reports that five people aged between 66 and 94 died from Covid-19 on Monday. The victims, two women and three men, were all being treated at Mater Dei hospital.
L-Orizzont says that the number of people at risk of poverty and social exclusion decreased by 5,000 between 2013 and 2019. The permanent secretary at the Ministry for Social Justice said that severe cases of material deprivation declined by 24,000 in the last six years.
The Independent quotes Social Justice Minister Michael Falzon who said that the rate of people in severe material deprivation stood at three percent of the population.
Morning Briefing
New Executive Chairman for Air Malta
Mr David G. Curmi has been appointed as the new Executive Chairperson of Air Malta.
The appointment will be effective from the 1st of January, 2021. In a statement, Minister for Finance and Employment Clyde Caruana said, “Air Malta is facing a number of major challenges which were exacerbated due to Covid-19. I believe Mr Curmi can bring about a fresh impetus to the airline in order to consolidate the areas where it has performed, and improve the areas where it hasn’t. Air Malta is a key strategic asset for our country, it employs hundreds of people and is crucial to our connectivity needs as an island. That is why we want to see it grow stronger, and I believe Mr Curmi can help achieve this aim.”
Mr Curmi is currently the CEO of MAPFRE MSV Life p.l.c. and sits on the boards of a number of companies, including MAPFRE Middlesea p.l.c., MIDI p.l.c., Plaza Centres p.l.c. and Growth Investments Ltd.
Second Malta-Gozo fibre optic cable inaugurated
A second fibre optic cable between Malta and Gozo, which will lead to more efficient telecommunication services for Gozitan residents and a better tool for businesses, was inaugurated yesterday. During the inauguration, Prime Minister Robert Abela, said that the secure connection also provides more opportunities of investment in Gozo. The 13-kilometre second fibre optic cable starts from the Fessej Bay, in Mġarr ix-Xini area, and leads to the tal-Mixquqa Bay in the limits of Mellieħa. Work on the new fibre optic cable started in summer last year. Through the €4 million Malta Enterprise project, telecommunication links between the two islands will no longer depend on a single link, as was the current case with a cable leased from Enemalta.
Keith Schembri reveals another Whatsapp chat
Former Chief of Staff to the Office of the Prime Minister Keith Schembri has revealed the existence of a WhatsApp group chat between himself, his private secretary Kenneth Azzopardi, former chief investigator in the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder case Silvio Valletta, former MFSA CEO Joseph Cuschieri, and alleged murder mastermind Yorgen Fenech.
Schembri was testifying in the public inquiry into the murder of Caruana Galizia. He also revealed that he became aware of a massive data leak from the Electrogas power station, months before journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination in October 2017. This appeared to contradict a statement by the same company which insisted that they learnt about the leak in December of that year.
Covid-19 Update
A total of 101 people tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday, with 150 recovering. These cases, identified from 2,978 swab tests, take the active case tally to 1,761 according to health authorities. A total of 174 people have died after contracting the virus, with the latest five deaths being registered on Sunday.
CDE News
