Updated 1745 – News Portal Briefing
Times of Malta reports that 40 cabin crew have been made reduntant
MaltaToday reports that Bernard Grech said that PM’s inaction on Rosianne Cutajar shows lack of political strength
TVM reports that a teen was run over
Newsbook reports that Malta Youth in Agriculture (MaYA) expressed its dismay at plans to sacrifice 20 tumoli of irrigated land to make way for a flyover in Mrieħel, urging the government to introduce a “no-tolerance approach to the further loss of agricultural land.”
Updated 1300 – Covid-19 Update
The Health Department reported 108 new cases of coronavirus in the previous 24 hours, with 46 recovering. The number of active cases has reached 1553. 2788 swab tests were carried out in the past 24 hours.
Meanwhile, the number of deaths linked to Covid-19 has reached 196.
Updated 1144 – Tax Commissioner interrogated on Fenech chats
The Times of Malta has revealed this morning that Inland Revenue Commissioner Marvin Gaerty has been questioned by police as part of an investigation into trading in influence involving businessman Yorgen Fenech. The online portal said that investigators are looking into a 2014 message exchange between Gaerty and Fenech, who stands accused of conspiring to murder journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
An analysis of Fenech’s mobile phone has prompted a series of probes by financial crime investigators.
Customs intercepts €2.75 million in undeclared cash
Customs intercepted €2.75 million in cash between 2015 and 2020. In a statement on Tuesday, Customs said that the undeclared cash which was being illicitly moved was intercepted in 128 cases.
In 2019, there were a total of 66 cases with €1,547,116 being seized.
Updated 0816 – Newspaper Review
The Independent reports that the Commissioner for Standards in Public Life is evaluating a request for an investigation into allegations that junior minister Rosianne Cutajar received a cut on a failed property deal involving Yorgen Fenech.
The Times quotes Prime Minister Robert Abela who said that he will refrain from making any decision about Parliamentary Secretary Rosianne Cutajar until an independent jury establishes all the facts in the case.
In-Nazzjon carries a statement by the PN which says that the Prime Minister is weak with Parliamentary Secretary Rosianne Cutajar after failing to condemn reports of her business involvement with Yorgen Fenech.
L-Orizzont says that a new shipment of Pfizer vaccine doses will be delivered every week until the country receives its allocation of 500,000 doses. On Monday, the European Medicines Authority approved the vaccine.
The Independent reveals that a nurse at the Mater Dei infectious diseases unit will be the first person in Malta to receive the Covid-19 vaccine. Health Minister Chris Fearne said that the first batch of 10,000 doses will be delivered on Saturday.
L-Orizzont reports that flights from the UK have been suspended after a new variant of the Covid-19 virus was discovered in Britain. Maltese nationals may still return to Malta, but they will need to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival.
In-Nazzjon quotes PN Leader Bernard Grech who urged the government to impose a travel ban on other countries where the new Covid-19 strain has been detected, beside the UK. Grech said the government does not have a clear vision on how to contain the virus.
The Times asks Health Minister Chris Fearne whether the new Covid-19 strain discovered in the UK has also been found in Malta. The minister said that no cases have been detected with the variant, but test samples are being studied in more detail.
In-Nazzjon says that Covid-19 casualties in Malta have risen to 194 after four more people aged between 72 and 78 died on Monday. The paper says that the total victims are double those register
Morning Briefing
First vaccines to arrive this Saturday
Malta will be receiving up to 10,000 doses of the anti-Covid-19 vaccine by this Saturday after the European medicines authority approved the use of the COVID-19 vaccine jointly developed by U.S. company Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech, putting Europe on course to start inoculations within a week.
This was announced in a press conference this afternoon by Health Minister Chris Fearne. A second batch is expected to arrive on the 28th, taking the tally of shots available to half a million.
Moderna vaccines are expected by January.
Chris Fearne said that a Maltese nurse who works in Mater Dei’s infectious diseases unit will be the first person to receive the vaccine this Sunday. The first persons to receive the jab will be staff at the intensive care units, emergency and COVID-19 wards. At the turn of the new year, persons aged over 85 will be invited to take the vaccine.
Abela to decide on Rosianne Cutajar after Ethics report
Prime Minister Robert Abela said that any decisions on the future of Parliamentary Secretary Rosianne Cutajar will only be taken after the conclusion of an investigation by the Ethics commissioner in a controversial property deal involving Yorgen FEnech. Abela isnisted that he would take a decision on Cutajar once all the facts had been established by an independent body.
Standards Commissioner George Hyzler his investigating a media report on a 2019 property deal which Cutajar allegedly brokered with murder suspect Yorgen Fenech. While it has been reported that the deal fell through Cutajar had allegedly already been paid a €46,500 commission by the property vendor, who is now seeking his money back.
Holidays to fall on weekend to be added to annual leave
Good news for employees around the island, after Cabinet approved a legislative amendment whereby holidays falling on the weekend will start being added to employees’ annual vacation entitlement. The National Holidays and Other Public Holidays Act amendment will reverse a controversial budget measure implemented fifeen years ago.
In recent years, Government had added three days of leave, in a staggered manner, as compensation for public holidays that fall on weekends. The changes need to be approved by Parliament and are expected to apply from 2021.
CDE News
