Latest Update 1745
Times of Malta says that former minister Konrad Mizzi faced another round of police interrogation on Wednesday, with his former colleague Keith Schembri expected to be called in by police on Thursday.
MaltaToday reports that terminating the Electrogas power station deal would cost Maltese government at least €417 million due to liability clauses stipulated in the contract, parliament’s Public Accounts Committee heard today.
Newsbook reports that Friends of the Earth Malta and Moviment Graffitti said that though government’s proposed long-term waste management plan is ambitious in nature, the main concern is that this plan may not suffice.
TVM reports that
Updated 1240 – Covid-19 Update
Malta registered 138 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday following 2,937 swab tests were carried out over the past 24 hours. The health authorities announced that three more people have lost their lives due to COVID-19 bringing the number of coronavirus victims up to 273.
Also, 190 individuals have made a recovery which means there are 2,610 active cases.
To date, the health authorities have administered 30,252 doses of the vaccine of which 4,891 individuals received their second dose. Separately, in an interview on local media, Health Supertintendent Prof Charmaine Gauci said that Malta has detected 12 new cases of the new COVID variant that has been traced to the UK, taking the tally to 15.
Updated 1130 – NSO figures indicate extent of tourism collapse
NSO figures published today indicate the extent of the impact of the pandemic on the local tourism sector. In 2020, inbound tourist trips totaled to 658,567, a decrease of 76.1 per cent over the same period in 2019.
Total nights spent by inbound tourists decreased by 73.0 per cent, surpassing 5.2 million nights. On the other hand, tourism expenditure was estimated at €455.1 million, a decrease of 79.5 per cent when compared to
the previous year. Total expenditure per capita stood at €691, a decrease of 14.4 per cent when compared to 2019.
Updated 0844 – Newspaper Review
The Times follows the compilation of evidence against Yorgen Fenech and quotes a witness who saw the explosion that killed Daphne Caruana Galizia. Bidnija resident Francis Sant said he heard a bang before the car the journalist was driving blew up.
The Independent says that the infringement procedure by the EU against Malta’s golden passport scheme is ongoing and the Commission is analysing the new residency programme introduced by the government to see if it falls within the same procedure.
L-Orizzont says that the General Workers Union is preparing proposals for new employment laws based on the principles of inclusivity and the living wage. General secretary Josef Bugeja said new legislation needs to focus on green jobs and digitalisation.
In-Nazzjon quotes a letter by the nurses’ union urging the Prime Minister to take action to stem the mass migration of nurses to the UK. Union president Paul Pace said that authorities were alerted to the problem in March last year.
Malta Today reports on a police raid on Monday that seized 21 kilogrammes of cannabis grass, with an estimated value of €420,000. Four men, one Maltese national and two Italian, were arrested in the operation.
The Independent reports that a petition demanding the government to restore Selmun Palace in Mellieħa has garnered 5,700 signatures. The 18th century villa is a Grade 1 scheduled monument.
The Times reports that former Public Broadcasting Services CEO John Bundy won a claim of unfair dismissal and the state broadcaster was ordered by Industrial Tribunal to pay him €226,000 in compensation.
In-Nazzjon says that the government will lean on family doctors to speed up mass vaccination against Covid-19, a strategy, the paper says, that was first proposed by the Nationalist Party.
L-Orizzont tells the story of a 30-year-old nurse in the UK who contracted the Covid-19 virus while pregnant. The woman, who is also a nurse, was administered Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation to beat severe symptoms.
Morning Briefing
AstraZeneca jab to be limited to under 55s
The AstraZeneca vaccine will not be given to over 55s, Health Minister Chris Fearne said, following the decision taken by other countries such as Germany. The vaccine is expected to reach Malta later this month, with Fearne explaining that while the company said it was safe for all ages, there were not enough studies to fully know the efficacy for older people.
Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday evening, Fearne said that information provided by the company showed that their jab’s efficacy was “very good” and the first of 1 million doses will arrive in Malta in the next ten days.
Covid-19 update
The Health Department reported 141 new cases of coronavirus in the previous 24 hours, with 132 recovering.
The number of active cases has reached 2,665. 32,836 swab tests were carried out in the previous 24 hours.
Meanwhile, the number of deaths linked to Covid-19 has reached 261. 29,002 vaccine doses were administered until yesterday, of which 4,476 were second doses.
Four arrested in cannabis bust
Four persons were arrested in connection with the seizure of 21kg of suspected cannabis, which is estimated to have a street value of €420,000.
The Police said that the drug bust was carried out on Monday evening following various weeks of observation, adding that anti-drug squad members assisted by the Rapid Intervention Unit police carried out the anti-drugs operation in Floriana and St Paul’s Bay.
Bundy wins damages in PBS dismissal case
Veteran presenter John Bundy won an unfair dismissal case before the industrial tribunal after his sacking as PBS CEO four years ago. PBS will have to pay Bundy €226,500 in compensation as a result of losing the case.
Bundy was sacked by the PBS board after an audit had concluded that he had breached procurement regulations in a €500,000 car lease deal. The audit had also found that Bundy had “consistently bullied” the senior management.
The tribunal argued that there were significant inconsistencies in the process which led to the termination of his contract. Moreover, while noting that there were indeed issues with regards to the failure to observe procurement regulations, the tribunal noted that other high-ranking officers from PBS were involved in the decision, and therefore it was not acceptable for the broadcaster to put the blame solely on Bundy.
Drone innovation ecosystem launched
Government has announced the launch of the drone innovation ecosystem through the first investment of its kind by the Malta Drone Center which will invest €500,000 and employ a number of professionals.
Over the last few years, Transport Malta, together with Malta Enterprise, have worked together to create an innovative ecosystem when it comes to drones and now Malta is taking the first step to serve as a new destination for this field. This is an opportunity for the Foreign Direct Investment Company as well as for Maltese ones to, among others, give training, test, as well as build drones in our country.
In addition to this investment, a Site Access Agreement was also signed between Malta Enterprise and Hibernians FC so that while it is not being used for football, parts of the Kordin stadium can be used for drone flying. This follows Transport Malta approving this type of activity to be carried out in this stadium. More sites offering a different flight opportunity may be announced later. The Hibs stadium site will also be usable by other companies approved by Malta Enterprise and Transport Malta.
CDE News
