Sanctions on Russia will have little impact on Malta – PM /Malta News Briefing – Saturday 26 February 2022

Updated 1400

Former PM joins campaign trail

Former PM Joseph Muscat joined Labour whip Glenn Bedingfield in Vittoriosa in campaigning on Saturday, but would not say whether he would be attending or addressing an official Labour Party rally, despite campaigning for other candidates on the sidelines. Muscat insisted this was simply “meant to be a short walk with [my] friend Glenn” and that he had no idea so many people would turn up. “Whatever you do, you will never create divisions between the Prime Minister and myself. I will do what is necessary to help the Labour Party,” he insisted” (Times of Malta)

50-year-old dies after being hit by car
A 50-year-old male lost his life after being hit by a car in Mrieħel on Saturday morning. The victim, a Balzan resident was hit by a car driven by a 34-year-old woman from Valletta, at Triq L-Imdina at around 9:30am. A medical team assisted the man on scene but he was certified dead on site. (Maltatoday)

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.

Morning Briefing

No major commercial impact of Russian sanctions on Malta

Prime Minister Robert Abela said that he did not expect the economic sanctions on Russia to have a substantial commercial impact on Malta. During a Labour Party event on Friday, Abela remarked that there are some investors who invest in Russia who might be impacted, but “we are being careful to ensure that we would protect these investors as much as possible.” Abela also said that the majority of humanitarian aid Malta will send to Ukraine consists of medicines. [The Malta Independent]

Stop selling passports to Russians – Bernard Grech
PN leader Bernard Grech has appealed to Prime Minister Robert Abela to stop selling passports to Russian citizens, arguing that they could potentially be a threat to Malta’s security. Speaking on Net TV, Grech said: “We are worried about the current situation in Ukraine and we cannot remain neutral when Russia is invading another country. We cannot remain idle and we are obliged to take a stand like when we did during the Libyan crisis”. The Opposition Leader added that a PN government would be suspending the citizenship scheme for Russian people, unless certain guarantees are provided. [Maltatoday]

Covid-19 Update: 80 new cases were reported on Friday, while 88 patients recovered. There are currently 725 active cases, three of whom in ITU.