Latest News update
Times of Malta says staff at the St Vincent de Paul care home failed to follow basic procedures, resulting in an elderly resident walking out of the facility, never to be seen again, an internal inquiry has found.
MaltaToday says Melvin Theuma, the self-confessed middleman in the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder, has told a court how one of the men accused of murdering journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, George Degiorgio, had once delivered a chilling message, via his brother Mario, telling him, to fear those “on the inside.”
Newsbook says over the past century, Malta has seen its population more than double, with the number of inhabitants exceeding 519,000 according to the latest population and housing census held last year.
TVM says the Government is dedicating funds to NGOs to continue working abroad and have the chance to collaborate with foreign NGOs. A scheme of €125,000 has been launched in the Civil Society Fund.
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Caruana Galizia killer repeats claims of payment by politician for aborted murder attempt: Self-confessed killer George Degiorgio has claimed that he and his brother were ‘used’, by other persons involved in Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination. In a new podcast, Degiorgio alleges to have been paid a deposit in 2015 by a top Maltese political figure for a separate aborted contract to kill Caruana Galizia. The eventual killing was priced at €150,000. Degiorgio insisted that other persons are involved, while accusing the police of wanting to protect the people he is willing to implicate. Previously, Degiorgio said he is prepared to testify against others he alleges are involved in the murder, in exchange for a 15-year prison sentence “or maybe less”.
Census reveals significant population growth: Malta’s population has increased by a quarter over the past decade, according to the preliminary report of the 2021 Census of Population and Housing. The official country’s headcount now stands at 519,562 after the highest change ever recorded to date between two censuses. The report, issued by the NSO, shows that increases in the population count were recorded in every district since 2011, with the most being in the Northern District, recording a 47% increase, or 30,000 persons. The Southern Harbour District recorded the lowest increase, with 8.3%.
Further decline in registered unemployed: In June 2022, the number of persons registering for work stood at 954 decreasing by 757 when compared to the corresponding month in 2021, NSO data shows. Data provided by Jobsplus for June 2022 indicate a year-on-year decrease of 725 persons registering under Part I, and an additional drop of 32 persons registering under Part II of the unemployment register. The largest share of males and females on the unemployment register sought occupations as Clerical support workers, with 22.0% and 38.3% respectively.
Morning Briefing
Wealth is not a measure of the quality of life – Archbishop
Archbishop Charles Scicluna said on Sunday that one’s material wealth was no measure of quality of life, least of all when its pursuit becomes an obsession that comes at the expense of everything else. Scicluna warned of the futility of believing that the pursuit of material wealth is the path to happiness. The Archbishop acknowledged that his message was being made at a time when many parents felt burdened by bills and loans that must be paid, but even so, a sense of perspective remained important to ensure good quality of life. “Are we making as much time as we can for each other, for our children, for God? What quality of life are we living? A race to reach the end of the month,” he asked. Because if so, we are not leading a good quality of life” he added. (Newsbook)
NGO claims authorities refusing rescue to 45 people in distress
Authorities have continued to refuse to rescue 45 people who have been in distress at sea for six days, an NGO has claimed.
Alarm Phone said that that 62 hours after it alerted Maltese and Greek authorities, 45 people are still out at sea in Malta’s search and rescue area. “They survived another night, but after 6 days in a small boat their situation is critical,” it said, adding that the boat is moving a a very slow pace and asking whether the Armed Forces of Malta is using this as an excuse for its refusal to rescue the people in distress. On Saturday, Alarm Phone had flagged another boat in distress as it urged Malta to rescue 40 asylum seekers in the country’s search and rescue area. (Maltatoday)
Covid-19 Update
58 new cases of Covid-19 were found by the health authorities on Sunday, while one more patient has died. Meanwhile, the number of active cases has dwindled to 1,775 as 222 more people recovered. The total number of cases now stands at 112,828, while total recoveries amount to 109,863. The death toll is 794. (Independent)
