Your morning briefing brings you a review of the latest headlines and news from Malta and around the world:
The Latest
UPDATE: 19 patients were treated on site in Gzira for smoke inhalation and 1 other being seen at MDH casualty after Rue D’Argens fire. (One News)
Hundreds of people have been searching debris-strewn beaches for more victims from a deadly tsunami that smashed into houses, hotels and other buildings along an Indonesian strait.
Theresa May has cut short her cabinet ministers’ Christmas break, summoning them to a meeting to discuss a no-deal Brexit on January 2, as the UK prime minister tries to ramp up pressure on her critics, the FT reports.
The US president accelerated the departure of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis by two months to Jan 1., effectively firing a man who had already quit. New York Times
US President Donald Trump late Sunday said his Turkish counterpart assured him that any remaining Islamic State group fighters in Syria will be eliminated, after Trump abruptly ordered US troops in Syria to leave.
Detectives are examining a damaged drone found close to the last reported sighting at Gatwick Airport after two people held over the disruption were released without charge. CD/British Media
The offshore exploration work of an Exxon Mobil vessel has inflamed tensions between Venezuela and its eastern neighbor Guyana. The South American nations have been locked in a century-old territorial dispute. – DW
The Review
The Times reports that court experts have ruled that the mother who this summer was found to have abandoned her new-born on a porch in Buġibba, did so to give him a better future. Magistrate Joe Mifsud, who had named the boy Cristiano, said that no criminal steps would be taken against the mother.
The Malta Independent says that Infrastructure Malta will await the conclusions of a series of studies before any permits for a Gozo-Malta tunnel are issued. Replying to questions by the newspaper, the Authority said that archaeological, ecological, landscape, and agricultural surveys are being carried out.
The Times reports on a study by MISCO which says that half of the employers find it difficult to meet the salary expectations of their employees, while 60 percent say that their main challenge is lack of experience and qualifications in the jobs market.
The Malta Independent carries an interview with Malcolm Cutajar whose son Nick, aged two, has undergone two surgeries and several treatments. Cutajar speaks of the challenges facing the family but says he and his wife Marylin have found support in the Malta Community Chest Fund Foundation.
L-Orizzont reveals plans to develop two large hangars of the ‘highest standards’ at the Malta International Airport. The paper says that the project will continue to expand the aviation sector in Malta.
In-Nazzjon quotes PN Leader Adrian Delia who said in a radio interview on Sunday that the wealth gap emerges more clearly during the festive season. Delia insisted that the countr’s economic success needs to reach all pockets of society.
In another story, L-Orizzont carries an interview with the mother of six-year-old Emma who has been undergoing treating for Drug Resistant Epilepsy since the age of two. Her mother says is grateful to the Malta Community Chest Fund Foundation for meeting the family’s needs.
