Wednesday Morning Briefing

Good morning,

From the recent controversy, in the already controversial dbgroup 38-storey tower, to the ideological clashes between globalism and isolationism, from the latest twist in the ‘Brexit’ saga to the report into the collapse of the Genoa bridge, today’s morning briefing brings you the latest from Malta, Europe and the World based on a digest of over 50 news sources from around the globe.

The Latest

• The Planning Authority has confirmed that a board member was flown to and from Malta on a private jet on Thursday last week to be present for a vote that approved the controversial dbgroup 38-storey tower.  In a reaction late on Tuesday, a government spokesman said the Planning Authority took the decision without informing the government.  “The government disagrees with the line of action,” spokesman Kurt Farrugia told Times of Malta.

• President Donald Trump poured scorn on the “ideology of globalism” and heaped praise on his own administration’s achievements Tuesday in a speech to the U.N. General Assembly that drew head-shakes and even mocking laughter from his audience of fellow world leaders.

• Britain’s main opposition Labour party on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly in favour of its Brexit motion, which keeps open the option of a second referendum.

• In his speech to the UN General Assembly this Tuesday, French president Emmanuel Macron said that his country will only make trade agreements with other countries who are participating in the Paris Climate Agreement.

• Oil prices rose Tuesday on global supply concerns following U.S. sanctions on Iran’s oil exports, with benchmark Brent surging to a four-year high, then retraced gains to settle just slightly higher after U.S. President Donald Trump called again on OPEC to boost crude output.

• The European Union’s plans for a “special purpose vehicle” (SPV) designed to circumvent U.S. sanctions against Iran’s oil exports is deeply counterproductive, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday.

• Pope Francis defended on Tuesday a landmark deal between the Vatican and China on the appointment of bishops, saying he, not the Beijing government, would have the final say on who was named.

• Italy published a report on Tuesday into road operator Autostrade per l’Italia’s role in last month’s deadly bridge collapse, laying out evidence that Rome is expected to use to strip the company of its concessions to run Italian motorways. The report said Autostrade had failed to assess the safety of the Genoa bridge, where a viaduct collapsed on August 14, killing 43 people.

• More than 30,000 passengers in six European countries, including Germany, will be affected by Ryanair cabin crew strikes on Friday. The cancellations came as Ryanair secured a new contract with its cabin crew in Italy.

  Sweden’s prime minister has lost a vote of confidence in parliament, meaning he will have to step down though not immediately.

• The Maltese news portals are dominated by the story which refers to the death of a 16-month-old baby has died after falling four stories. In another story, we read the latest developments related to the saga of the MV Aquarius, where the 58 persons on board will be disembarked in Malta and will be distributed to other countries. Another story refers to the db Group’s controversial project on the former ITS site in Pembroke, where we learnt that a member of the PA board was flown into Malta aboard a private jet to secure her vote. Read more in our Evening Roundup

The Newspaper Review

• A 17-month-old baby girl died yesterday after falling a height of five storeys into the stairwell of a block of apartments where her grandparents live in Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq. The Times / Malta Today / In-Nazzjon

• The Malta Independent  reports that the government yesterday launched a White Paper seeking to establish the Malta Construction and Building Authority (MCBA), which will consolidate existing entities and regulations, and provide reforms intended to “bring a much-desired paradigm shift” to the industry.

• The Attorney General has told a court that he had emailed a copy of the full Egrant inquiry to justice minister Owen Bonnici, despite refusing to give a copy to the Leader of the Opposition. The Malta Independent / Malta Today / In-Nazzjon

• The Times of Malta also reports that around €200 million in previously lost taxes in Malta are now being collected by the taxman thanks to legislative reforms and a crackdown on evaders, the European Commission has said.

• Environment and Resources Authority Chairman Victor Axiak insists that he went in the planning board meeting “with an open mind” and only voted in favour of the 38-storey tower proposed by the db Group because all the conditions imposed by the Environment and Resources Authority were included in the permit. Malta Today

• New legal developments were announced for family businesses in Malta are covered through an interview with Minister Chris Cardona by the newspaper L-Orizzont. 

• Following the call by Judge Edwina Grima, to regulate ‘gentleman clubs’, L-Orizzont reports on views from a number of organisations, some of which are against, while others are in doubt on the ‘how’.

• L-Orizzont also reports that the President of the Band Clubs in Malta, Noel Camilleri, said that a meeting is to be held with the Marsa Band club to discuss the situation which led to the refusal of people with dark skin into the club. The issue is dealt with also in the Editorial of Maltatoday which praises the Archbishop’s stance in going personally in the club to discuss this case of race based discrimination.