Latest Update- News Portal Briefing
Times of Malta says a third of fines by the environmental watchdog in the past two years were issued for the uprooting of trees, official figures show.
MaltaToday reports that Opposition efforts to take action against Konrad Mizzi and Edward Zammit Lewis were repeatedly shot down by government in parliament
Newsbook reports a 45-year-old Sudanese man from Birżebbuġa was arrested on Wednesday over an attempted mugging in Marsa.
TVM says that a couple who lost a child 33 years ago because of a mistake in a blood test result has been awarded nearly 64,000 euro in compensation by the Court of Appeal
Mid-Day Briefing
Covid-19 Update: 15 new coronavirus cases were reported on Wednesday, while 19 patients recovered. Active cases declined to 218, with 11 patients in hospital, four of whom in intensive care.
EU Chief Prosecutor laments low level of EU budget crime in Malta: Only two of 2,200 reports submitted to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office came from Malta, according to the European Chief Prosecutor Laura Kovesi, who raised the alarm on the low level of crime-detection in Malta related to the EU budget. Ironically, the submitted reports fell beyond the remit of the authority. “We cannot just rely on investigative journalists to detect crimes, so the help of national authorities is crucial. National authorities have a duty to inform us of any criminal conduct affecting the EU funds. As from 1 June, we have started receiving complaints from individuals, entities and companies related to such abuse,” Kovesi said.
Speaking to the press after visits to the National Audit Office, the Commissioner of Police, the Attorney General as well as the FIAU, she added that “white-collar crimes are underreported, underestimated and often tolerated. We are not a foreign institution and are at the service of the citizen. We are here for you and we want to earn your trust. If the Maltese citizens have any knowledge of any crimes and abuse, they can report it on the EPPO website”, she concluded.
Up to €11 billion in Satabank suspicious transactions: In a report tabled in Parliament by Finance Minister Clyde Caruana, EY said that nearly €11 billion in transactions that flowed through the now-shut Satabank have been labelled as suspicious. The report reveals that more than 800 customers were eventually given access to their funds after a lengthy due diligence process. However, some 778 so-called Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs) against 1,385 of the bank’s customers which were suspected of potential money laundering or other financial crimes. (Via Times of Malta)
Morning Briefing
Malta will continue working to protect consumers and businesses during the energy crisis
Speaking during the Extraordinary Energy Council meeting in Luxembourg, Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Sustainable Development Miriam Dalli urged the European Commission to support member states in addressing their different realities during the current energy crisis in Europe. Minister Miriam Dalli emphasised the Maltese government’s commitment to continue protecting consumers and businesses in this energy crisis. EU Energy Ministers met in Luxembourg to discuss the measures that need to be implemented urgently. The meeting followed on the conclusions of the European Council held last week, which Prime Minister Robert Abela attended. Minister Dalli argued that Malta has always been vigilant to protect its competitiveness and always managed to protect families and businesses from disproportionate costs associated with ensuring security of supply. As a matter of fact, Malta currently has amongst the lowest energy tariffs in the EU.
The Energy and Enterprise Minister remarked that the current toolbox as proposed by the Commission does not take into consideration certain variables, such as global market dynamics which can result in price fluctuations. Minister Dalli highlighted the importance of renewables for Malta and reiterated the country’s commitment to cleaner energy. In this regard, she called for stronger financial support through EU financial tools to attract investment in offshore energy in the Mediterranean.
Covid-19 Update: 16 new COVID cases were reported by health authorities who on Tuesday said a further 13 people recovered. 14 people are hospitalised, four of whom are in the ITU.
Access to international services through Maltese e-ID to be made available
Maltese e-ID users will be able to make use of international online services made available in EU countries after Malta’s e-ID system achieved the highest level of security assurance recognised by the EU. Parliamentary Secretary Alex Muscat said that the final evaluation process, which is ongoing, will take up to six months. Maltese e-ID users will then be able to access EU online systems to manage their health, education and tax services.
“People are increasingly choosing to spend some time living and working in EU countries, and this will benefit them greatly. Most importantly, the system is secure. Identity theft crimes are surging everywhere and this is a step forward to ensure that Maltese e-ID users have their information stored safely.”
Maltese e-ID users will be able to access these services in 14 out of 27 EU countries – the Czech Republic, Estonia, Italy, Holland, Denmark, Spain, Latvia, Germany, Slovakia, Croatia, Belgium, Luxembourg, Lithuania, and Portugal.
CDE News
