€60 million less for Malta in EU recovery funds due to economic growth

Jun 15 2022

Malta will be receiving around €60 million less from European funds which are set to help member states recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Parliamentary Secretary for EU Funds Chris Bonett told a press conference on Wednesday that this is because the country achieved positive economic growth during the last year.

This follows an economic assessment by the European Commission in June, leading to the amount of funds allocated to Malta to be revised. Malta was initially set to receive a whopping €316 million through the ‘Next Generation EU Funding Program.’

Bonett explained how Malta had the third largest economic growth in the EU, and in the first quarter of this year, we achieved the exceptional growth rate of 7.6%.

Following the announcement, he went on to assure that none of the projects drawn up in Malta’s recovery plan will be discarded and that the government was current looking into alternative means of funding for these projects.

With the government not intending of setting aside any of the projects, they will be implemented through the €2.2 billion which will be set in motion through the new funding framework, he explained.

The recovery and resilience plan by Malta was approved by the EU Council of Ministers for Economic and Financial Affairs in October last year. 17 investment projects and 30 reforms make up the plan and concern everything from setting up a carbon-neutral school and a new ITS campus.

€41 million in pre-financing is going towards 17 reform and two investment milestones achieved last year. Malta’s government is allegedly currently preparing to submit a first payment request of around €60 million in the coming weeks.

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Malta in second place for top health and life expectancy in EU

Jun 15 2022

Malta has ranked in second place in an index which ranks countries by the number of years people are expected to live without a disability or activity limitation.

The Eurostar ranking placed Malta right behind Sweden, taking into consideration a person’s healthy life years. The data, shared by Health Minister Chris Fearne, was collected in 2020 and gave the island an average score of 70.45.

Malta managed to outrank Italy, Bulgaria and Ireland respectively, with these countries not managing to hit the 70s, instead settling for 60s.

The Deputy Prime Minister took to social media to share the news, captioning it: ‘The facts that count: Malta at the top end for Healthy Life Expectancy in Europe. Well done to our healthcare professionals.’

The bottom of the list was filled by Switzerland at 60.7, followed by Norway and Latvia. On EU average, women had a 64.5 year average (70.7 in Malta) whereas men had 63.5 (70.2 in Malta).

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Netflix confirms a second season of ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ is coming

Jun 15 2022

Netflix has confirmed that popular show ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ will be back for an exciting second season.

The streaming giant confirmed the news on Twitter on Tuesday 14th June, tweeting out: ‘LA’s finest lawyer is back. The Lincoln Lawyer will return for Season 2 on Netflix.’

The show’s first season only hit Netflix last month, but it did not take long for Twitter to start receiving praising reviews. With an impressive score of 79% on Rotten Tomatoes, it has been watched for over 260 million hours worldwide.

LA’s finest lawyer is back. The Lincoln Lawyer will return for Season 2 on Netflix. pic.twitter.com/9VRKONBzmX

— Netflix (@netflix) June 14, 2022

Based on Michael Connelly’s 2008 novel ‘The Brass Verdict’, the synopsis reads: ‘Sidelined after an accident, hotshot Los Angeles lawyer Mickey Haller restarts his career — and his trademark Lincoln — when he takes on a murder case.’

Starring Manuel Garcia-Rulfo and Maggie McPherson, fans of this show were yearning for information about the second season. While the release date is yet to be confirmed, it is likely we’ll be able to watch it next year.

Season 2 will focus on book four in the series, ‘The Fifth Witness’. Season one focused on the second book, whereas 2011 film piloted by Matthew McConaughey took inspiration from the first.

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PN to motion against notice extending music hours in Valletta

Jun 15 2022

In a press release, the Nationalist Party has revealed that they will be presenting a parliamentary motion this afternoon to call on the government to reverse legal notices which extends the time that establishments in certain streets in the capital city.

The legal notice was introduced in the past week, and will allow bars, restaurants and other entertainment establishments in Valletta streets to play until 1am.

A list of nine streets was presented as the areas exempt from the ban on late-night music which comes into force after 11pm, unless the condition of keeping the music at moderate level is met.

‘The parliamentary group declared that it believes that the notice does not recognise the unique characteristics of Valletta as our capital. The Nationalist Party believes that it is a mistake to keep music playing until 1am instead of 11pm’ read the statement.

The streets in question are: Merchant Street, Old Bakery Street, Old Theatre Street, Republic Street, South Street, St Lucy Street, Strait Street, Archbishop Street and Saint Ursula Street.

The motion was also discussed by PN MP Darren Carabott on social media, who explained that many residents, as well as deputy colleagues Mario de Marco and Paula Mifsud Bonnici, spoke to him about the issue.

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