Malta closes airspace to Russian airlines / Malta News Briefing – Sunday 27 February 2022
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NewsUpdate
Maltese airspace will be closed to Russian airlines in response to the invasion of Ukraine, Prime Minister Robert Abela announced on Sunday. The Prime Minister made this announcement, which was communicated via Twitter.
Maltese airspace will be closed to Russian airlines. @Maltagov is taking this action in full solidarity with Ukraine. 🇲🇹 🇪🇺🇺🇦#StandWithUkraine – RA
The Labour Party would win an election by some 44,500 votes if an election were held tomorrow, though a fifth of the electorate remains non-committal, a survey commissioned by Times of Malta has found. A total of 56.2% of the electorate would vote for Labour while 42.4% would opt for the Nationalist Party, according to survey results by market research firm Esprimi.
MaltaToday’s, survey showed that if an election is held now will see the Labour Party winning with 52.5% and an advantage of almost 23,000 votes over the Nationalist Party, MaltaToday’s first survey for the election shows. The PN’s support stands at 44.9%, while that for the small parties collectively stands at 2.6%. The share of valid votes cast (not turn out) is expected to be 84%, a considerable drop from the 90.9% it was in the last general election.
Covid-19 Update
Two people died while Covid positive, the health authorities said on Sunday. The latest victims are a man aged 76 and a woman aged 86. This has taken the total number of Covid related deaths in the country up to 604. The number of new cases reported on Sunday was 56, while 65 people recovered from the virus. There are currently 714 active cases in the country. 35 patients in Mater Dei Hospital currently have Covid, three of whom are in the ITU. Malta Independent
Morning Briefing
Calls for IIP suspension irresponsible – Abela
PM Robert Abela called PN leader Bernard Grech “irresponsible” for calling for the ban on Russian citizens from obtaining Maltese citizenship through the golden passports scheme. “Grech is practically saying that those of a Russian origin, are bad people. This type of discourse is highly irresponsible and breeds division. He has no competence to lead the country,” Abela argued. During an interview in Gozo, Abela said that the Labour party was proposed that all incentives established for Malta will be topped up by 10% for Gozitans. (Maltatoday)
Govt is indifferent to Ukrainian plight
Bernard Grech lambasted government for remaining indifferent to the plight of the Ukrainian people, despite the fact the country is under siege from neighbouring Russia. “We have to feel the pain that other Europeans are suffering. We have an obligation to send an international signal that the Maltese are supporting a country in distress,” the Nationalist Party leader said. Grech was speaking in Gozo as part of the PN’s political campaigning. Grech re-iterated calls for a suspension of Russian applications for Malta’s IIP scheme. (Times of Malta)
Ukrainians in Malta ask for support
The Ukrainian community in Malta organised a peaceful gathering at the Triton Fountain, in a show of unity, support and solidarity. They demanded any kind of financial or political support, particularly exempting the country from the dark red list. Malta will be sending humanitarian assistance to the Ukrainian people through the Civil Protection mechanism, the home affairs ministry announced on Friday. (Newsbook.com.mt)
Covid-19 Update: 96 new cases were reported on Saturday, while 95 recovered. During the last 24 hours, a man aged 65 died while Covid positive.
