LOCAL NEWS

Politics: Opposition Leader refuses to resign after another vote of no confidence

PN and Opposition Leader Adrian Delia lost a second vote of confidence in eight days as 47 executive committee members of the Nationalist Party voted against him yesterday. Thirty-five voted in his favour while one abstained.

The 84 members present were asked to vote on the question “Do you have confidence in Adrian Delia as leader of the Nationalist Party?” The motion was put forward by former Birkirkara mayor Michael Asciak. Delia strongly opposed this request, arguing that the vote was not on the agenda and that the party rule book did not allow it.

Adrian Delia shrugged off this result, insisting that he will remain as party leader, stating “Those who forwarded the motion knew that it wouldn’t result in anything.” Once again, Delia insisted that his responsibility was towards paid-up members of the party.

In a lengthy statement, former PN Minister Louis Galea, asked for Delia’s resignation. Galea, who was appointed by Adrian Delia himself to drive reforms in the party, the former Minister laments that the PN leader has ignored the importance of the PN’s Parliamentary Group and Executive Committee.

Galea insisted that “it is absolutely wrong that Adrian Delia is ignoring the vote taken by MPs, who represent thousands of citizens”.

EU welcomes Malta’s rule of law reforms, Vitals report found

The European Commission has welcomed Malta’s plans to reform rule of law provisions, which it described as “very encouraging”. The Commission has been for the past years pressing Malta for important reforms in this area. In a letter signed by President Ursula von der Leyen, the Maltese Government was urged to continue its dialogue with the Venice Commission to ensure recommended reforms were fully implemented.

Von der Leyen said that these reforms were “a positive step and a sign of the commitment of the Maltese Government to strengthening the rule of law and judicial independence”.

Meanwhile, the Office of the Prime Minister has located, passed on a memorandum of understanding for the mysterious Vitals Global Healthcare consortium. For months, the Muscat administration had insisted that the agreement was missing.

Coronavirus cases stable

Malta yesterday registered the fifth consecutive day that no new cases were identified, a feat that has not been achieved since the first case in March. Today, the country re- opens its airport to flights to and from 28 more “safe” countries which include the United Kingdom, Thailand and China.

Newspaper Review

The Times reports that the government has submitted a Memorandum of Understanding that was signed with Vitals Global Healthcare to the Auditor general. The agreement was initially said to have been lost.

Malta Today says that the Office of the Prime Minister has located the missing agreement document with Vitals Global Healthcare and handed it over to the National Auditor Office. The paper says that the MoU was signed by Malta Enterprise.

The Independent says that Prime Minister Robert Abela had ordered an agreement between the Muscat administration and Vitals Global Healthcare to be found after an NAO investigation reported that it had been lost.

In-Nazzjon reports that PN Leader Adrian Delia lost a vote of confidence in the party’s Executive Council on Tuesday night. 47 members voted against his leadership and 36 voted in favour while one member abstained.

L-Orizzont reports on a ‘tense’ PN executive meeting on Tuesday after Adrian Delia was retained as Opposition Leader by the President. The paper says that several people have been engaged to mediate between opposing sides.

The Times follows the PN Executive Committee meeting on Tuesday evening which was also attended by former leader Lawrence Gonzi and deputy leader Tonio Borg. The paper says that Gonzi encouraged Adrian Delia to hold a leadership contest.

The Independent reports that a late-night meeting of the Nationalist Party’s Executive Council on Tuesday debated the future of the party’s leadership after Adrian Delia lost the confidence of the majority in the parliamentary group.

Malta Today quotes PN Leader Adrian Delia ahead of a marathon meeting of the party Executive. He said he expected the discussions to focus on the interests and the political programme of the party.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS (By corporatedispatch.com) 

‘Worst-case’ UK winter could see 120,000 COVID deaths in second wave

Britain faces a potentially more deadly second wave of COVID-19 in the coming winter that could kill up to 120,000 people over nine months in a worst-case scenario, health experts said on Tuesday.

With COVID-19 more likely to spread in winter as people spend more time together in enclosed spaces, a second wave of the pandemic “could be more serious than the one we’ve just been through,” said Stephen Holgate, a professor and co-lead author of a report by Britain‘s Academy of Medical Sciences (AMS).

Turkey, US agree to collaborate on Libya

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed in a phone call to work more closely in Libya to ensure lasting stability in the country, the Turkish presidency said on Tuesday.

EU Corner – by Comuniq.EU

Time is pressing on EU leaders to agree budget, recovery fund -Merkel

Time is pressing on EU member states to reach a deal on proposals for a long-term budget and a stimulus plan, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday, adding that Germany would push for a compromise at a summit of leaders this week.

“It would be desirable to reach a quick result but I don’t know whether there will be success on Friday and Saturday,” Merkel said during a news conference with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. “Time is pressing.”

EU Council President proposes 5 billion euros Brexit emergency fund

European Council President Charles Michel said that EU talks with Britain on their new relationship were “not easy” and countries, regions and industries will face disruptions from 2021 whether there is a new pact or not. Michel said a new Brexit “adjustment reserve” of 5 billion euros (4.4 billion pounds) was also needed to “counter the unforeseen consequences” of Britain’s departure.