Good morning,
Start your day informed with your morning briefing reviewing the front pages from Malta’s newspapers and the main news portals from around the world.
The Review
- The Malta Business Weekly follows up on the MFSA actions against Satabank and says that the worst hit are employees of iGaming companies who are currently blocked out of their funds. The newspaper questions the intentions behind the MFSA decision and warns of consequences for the iGaming sector, which is worth €1.2 billion.
- The Malta Independent carries a story published in a World Bank report which ranks Malta 84th in a global scale of bureaucratic processes. The Ease of Doing Business Survey studies the days and methods used by 190 countries to open a new business. The newspaper says that Malta places last in the EU.
- The Times reports that a direct order worth €300,000 monthly to a cleaning company keeps being renewed after the original term of the tender expired more than two years ago. The original tender for cleaning services at St Vincent de Paul Residence was awarded to X-Clean in 2015, weeks after the company was founded.
- The Times reveals that plans for a new fuel station on ODZ land in Żebbuġ have been submitted to the Planning Authority. The application seeks to relocate a fuel station from Ta’ Xbiex to a 3,000 square meter area in Żebbuġ.
- Another story in The Malta Independent says that 366 parliamentary questions remain unanswered this legislature, and another 636 defaulted to another session. Justice and Culture Minister Owen Bonnici and Economy Minister Chris Cardona have the highest shares of unanswered questions.
- In-Nazzjon quotes Opposition Leader Adrian Delia who accuses the government of weakening the foundations of democracy. In a wide-ranging speech in parliament Adrian Delia said that justice must be seen, not only done.
- In-Nazzjon reports that a man was shot in Dingli yesterday after a heated argument with another person spiraled out of control. The shot man is in critical condition at the Mater Dei Hospital Intensive Care Unit.
- L-Orizzont quotes GWU’s Secretary General Josef Bugeja saying that the forthcoming discussion for the possibility of having all workers form part of a trade union of their choice is the start of another revolution which will be benefit workers.
- L-Orizzont reports that in the first day of collection organic waste resulted in a collection of 100 tonnes of waste.
The Latest
- Divers on Thursday recovered a flight recorder from the crashed Lion Air jet on the seafloor, a crucial development in the investigation into what caused the two-month-old plane to plunge into Indonesian seas earlier this week, killing all 189 people on board.
- The Pittsburgh synagogue shooting suspect could face more than 500 years in prison based on new charges. A federal grand jury on Wednesday indicted Robert Bowers on a slew of hate crime charges in connection with the massacre at a Pittsburgh synagogue during services Saturday morning, which killed 11 people.
- A magnitude 3.2 earthquake occurred in the stretch of sea between the north-eastern Sicilian coast (province of Messina) and Lipari. The Ingv, National Center for Earthquakes, reports this.
- The Italian President has approved the submission of a revised budget document for discussion to the two chambers.
- The government of Austria, which currently holds the EU council’s rotating presidency, will follow the US and Hungary and will back out of a United Nations migration pact.
- The Libyan situation was highlighted at a meeting between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Tunisian president, Beji Caid Essebsi on Wednesday.
- Women in North Korea are routinely subjected to sexual violence by government officials, prison guards, interrogators, police, prosecutors, and soldiers, according to a new report, with groping and unwanted advances a part of daily life for women working in the country’s burgeoning black markets.
- US President Donald Trump has launched a fresh attack on the US media, saying he has “forcefully condemned hatred and bigotry” but this goes unreported.
- Troubled Italian carrier Alitalia has received three takeover offers as part of its latest rescue efforts, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.
- The latest changes to Ryanair’s baggage policies take effect today, meaning passengers who want to take anything more than a small bag on board must pay for the privilege. Meanwhile Italy’s antitrust authority ordered the suspension of these changes.
- People who believe the myths spread by anti-vaccine campaigners “are absolutely wrong”, England’s top doctor has said.
- Three paralysed men, who were told they would spend the rest of their lives in a wheelchair, are able to walk again thanks to doctors in Switzerland.
