Corporate Dispatch Morning Briefing

Good morning,

Your daily morning briefing gives you a quick overview of the news reported in Malta, Europe and the world.

The morning briefing is brought to you by CI Consulta’s media monitoring service Be Informed. Contact us if you require specific media monitoring service for your business, to make informed business decisions.

Brexit: British finance minister Philip Hammond said it is very likely that the idea of a second Brexit referendum can be put before Britain’s parliament again although the government remains opposed to such a vote.

Sudan: The head of Sudan’s military council has stood down a day after leading a coup that toppled long-time leader Omar al-Bashir amid a wave of protests.

North Korea – USA North Korean state media KCNA said that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un warned the breakdown in talks with the United States has raised the risks of reviving tensions, and he is only interested in meeting President Donald Trump again if the United States comes with the right attitude.

Brussels Once more, on Friday night the airspace above Belgium was closed again, for at least three hours, because of a lack of air traffic controllers.

These are the stories from Malta’s newspaper front pages.

The Malta Independent quotes francophone newspaper Le Monde which names Prime Minister Joseph Muscat among five European leaders against a delayed Brexit. Together with the President of France and the Prime Ministers of Spain, Belgium, and Luxembourg, Muscat was pushing for a 21 June deadline for Brexit.

The Times carries a story about a University of Malta research developing an Artificial Intelligent system to pilot airplanes. Researchers said that the project envisages an AI system that assist on-board pilots.

The Times says that some 1,100 motorists have been stopped for drink-driving by the police between 2009 and 2016, with just over 700 failing the breathalyser test. Of the remaining cases, 99 are still pending.

The Malta Independent speaks to Franco Mercieca about the Gozo-Malta tunnel. The chair of the project’s steering committee said that the lack of a permanent link meant that only 0.04 percent of foreign direct investment in Malta went to Gozo.

L-Orizzont announces that the General Workers Union has elected a news head for its section dealing with Government and Public Entities. Addressing an extraordinary general conference. Kendrin Bondin said that the union is going through a process of renewal.

In-Nazzjon asks Prime Minister Joseph Muscat about the revised agreement between the government and the Corinthia Group and says that he is unwilling to publish it. The paper says that the government wants to postpone the debate in parliament until after the MEP elections and before summer recess.

In-Nazzjon says that applications are open for drivers to claim refunds on added tax paid on vehicle registration in 2008. In another story, the paper quotes Speaker Angelo Farrugia that the church should speak up about why Bishop Mario Grech did not attend President George Vella’s ceremony at St John’s co-cathedral.

L-Orizzont says that thousands to devotees participated in the various processions held on the feast of the Lady of Sorrows on Friday. The paper says that the Catholic Holy Week leading to Easter starts on Palm Sunday, tomorrow.

Our news headline selection:

Albania: Prosecutors have confiscated public land on the western Albanian coast that was illegally sold or owned by a former lawmaker and other officials. The land is estimated to be worth some 40 million euro.

Huawei MPs from two of the four Dutch coalition parties – Christen-Democratisch Appèl (CDA) and Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie (VVD) – have said they do not want Chinese telecoms company Huawei to be involved in rolling out 5G networks in the Netherlands.

Aviation : Jet Airways, India’s largest private airline, suspended all its international flights, raising fresh fears about its survival. The airline, saddled with more than $1bn of debt, is seeking a financial lifeline to avoid collapse.

Celebrity News In the motion filed in a court in Virginia,in the United States, Amber Heard describes in extraordinary new detail how actor Johnny Depp repeatedly slapped, shoved, choked and pulled her hair before and during their two-year marriage.

Music 50 years ago “My Way” made it to the UK Top 40

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