Evening Roundup
‘No us and them’ say anti-racist activists in Valletta march
Demonstrators danced and shouted, “Enough is enough” and “There is no us and them,” as they marched through the streets of Valletta on Saturday morning. The protest was called following the case of Jaiteh Lamin, the migrant worker who was abandoned by his employer on the side of the road, following a an accident on a construction site. They said that this was not an isolated event and that precarious work is a serious issue in Malta, “Despite our differences, we all want the same thing equality for all.” – MaltaToday
Accidents reported
A 47-year old man walked safely out of a Floriana house on Saturday morning after the roof of the house collapsed while he was there. Police told Times of Malta that the man, who lives in Balzan, did not live at the Triq l-Iljun property and was there to inspect it. He was standing on the roof when part of it collapsed at around 1.20pm on Saturday, following days of heavy rainfall. At no point was he buried under the rubble, police said. Times of Malta
A welder was injured this morning in a workshop accident, the police said. The accident took place at 8.30am in Pieta’. The welder, a man aged 45 from Mosta, suffered burns. He was taken to hospital with grievous injuries. – Malta Independent
Mid-Day Briefing
Abela says election before year end would have hurt business
Calling an election in November before the year was out was not an option, PM Robert Abela said, explaining that this would have hurt business rather than allowing them to enjoy a boost during the festivities. “This is the choice that is in the national interest. We need national unity, especially come Christmas and we also need to let our businesses flourish during the festive season”.
The Labour leader said that a November on the election was never on the cards, but was merely a PN ploy to derail economic activity.
Speaking on ONE Radio, Abela also touched on the recent spike of international energy prices, and insisted that Government would not be pushing such increases on the consumer. He argued that although the Commission tool box was a positive way forward, individual Member States should be allowed the flexibility to adapt its actions accordingly given their circumstances. “At every EU Council we re-iterate our special position and realities, which has been accepted by the EU”.
Covid-19 Update: 19 new COVID-19 cases were reported on Saturday while 15 recovered. 10 persons are currently hospitalised out of 208 active cases.
Morning Briefing
Protesters descend on Valletta to demand action on Konrad Mizzi
Valletta was once again the scene of protest on Friday as activists, urged by NGO Repubblika, called on the police to take action on former Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi.The protest was held after activists from NGO Repubblika completed a 72-hour sit-in outside the police headquarters in Floriana. The protest was held at the end of a 72 hour sit-in by the NGO in front of the Police HQ. “Because of people like Konrad Mizzi, Keith Schembri and a lot of other corrupt people who were around the prime corrupt Joseph Muscat and because of the inaction of those who can and should take action, we all ended up on the grey list”, said Robert Aquilina, Repubblika’s president.
Aquilina also lambasted current Police Commissioner Angelo Gafa, the police commissioner, questioning what is holding him back from investigating the Panama Papers, 17 Black, Electrogas, Vitals, and the Montenegro windfarm scandals. Questions were also raised on the inaction since the publication of the public inquiry into the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia.
Commissioner for Children calls on government, educators to settle differences
The Office of the Commissioner for Children has urged the government and educators to sit down and settled differences which have left hundreds of pupils without a teacher. “The Office appeals to all stakeholders to walk the talk on children’s rights and agree on a way forward that upholds these rights,” the Office said in a statement on Friday. The Malta Union of Teachers (MUT) is at odds with government over the way some 150 support teachers were deployed to primary school classes on the eve of the start of the school year. Government had tried to stop such action through a court procedure. “This goes against Article 3 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Consequently, due to this lack of consideration of the best interests of children by the unions, a number of primary schools classes are still without a teacher as a result of the industrial dispute,” the office said.
Deficit climbs to 900 million euro
By the end of September 2021, the Government’s Consolidated Fund reported a deficit of €906.8 million, the NSO reported yesterday. In the first nine months of 2021, Recurrent Revenue amounted to €3,627.0 million, 23.8 per cent higher than the €2,930.3 million reported a year earlier. The largest increase was recorded under Income Tax (€351.5 million), followed by Value Added Tax (€175.6 million) and Social Security (€140.1 million). On the other hand, total expenditure stood at €4,533.8 million, 11.4 per cent higher than the previous year. During the reference period, Recurrent Expenditure totalled €3,965.1 million, a rise of €644.9 million in comparison to the €3,320.2 million reported by the end of September 2020.
Covid-19 claims 461st victim
Active Covid-19 cases declined to 204 after 23 recoveries and just eight new cases were reported on Friday. However, a 69-year old passed away overnight, becoming Malta’s 461st victim. Four patients remain in ITU.
CDE News
