Morning Briefing

Malta: Auditor General flags irregularities in St Vincent de Paul contract

The Times quotes a report by the National Audit Office highlighting a series of shortcomings in the €274 million contract for upgrades at St Vincent de Paul Residence. The NAO…

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Malta: Brian Tonna says government refused to do business with Nexia BT

The Independent follows the appearance of Brian Tonna before the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee who said that the government has actively avoided engaging his company Nexia BT in the past…

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Malta: Language schools demand direction on reopening

In-Nazzjon quotes a statement by the federation of English language schools criticising the decision by authorities to keep the industry closed. The federation said that the situation is putting Malta…

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Malta: PM suggests Standards Commissioner should not be a former MP

The Independent asks the Prime Minister about the ongoing debate regarding the Commissioner for Standards in Public Life following criticism by MPs on the government benches. Robert Abela questioned whether…

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Malta: €455 million in business assistance since start of pandemic

The Times follows a press conference addressed by the Prime Minister who said that, by the end of April, the government will have issued around €455 million in Covid-related financial…

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Malta: Wastserv told to redo incinerator impact assessment report

Malta Today reveals that Wasteserv has been ordered by the Environment and Resources Authority to submit a new Environmental Impact Assessment report for its incinerator project following concerns raised by…

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Malta: Government announces new aid scheme for businesses

L-Orizzont leads with the announcement by Prime Minister Robert Abela of a €20 million aid package for businesses. The fund is structured into assistance for rent and electricity bills as…

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Malta: Some restaurants to delay return to business

In-Nazzjon reports that some restaurants owners have chosen to remain closed until the limit on opening hours is lifted. Measures announced by the Prime Minister said table service is being…

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Malta: Suspected killers request pardon for a second time

The Independent says that brothers Alfred and George Degiorgio have filed a second request for a presidential pardon, a week after Cabinet turned down their original plea. In their letter,…

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Malta: Government to disburse €10 million for past grievances

L-Orizzont leads with an announcement by Social Justice Minister Michael Falzon that the government is allocating €10 million to redress ‘injustices’ suffered by public sector workers that served in the…

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Malta: Ombudsman flags illegal Comino works

The Times quotes a report by the Ombudsman condemning recent infrastructural works at Comino. The investigation found that construction of a service culvert to the Blue Lagoon was conducted without…

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Malta: PN Leader calls for greater maturity in politics

In-Nazzjon follows an interview with PN Leader Bernard Grech who said that politicians are elected to protect workers and investors, not their friends. He appealed for seriousness in politics to…

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Malta: Restaurants to open with some restrictions on May 10

The Independent says that from May 10 restaurants and snack bars will be allowed to serve customers at the table until 5:00pm, after which they may continue offering take away…

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Malta: Domestic tourism to reopen in May

L-Orizzont announces easing of a number of restrictions from May 10 including training and contact sports. Open markets will also be allowed to reopen and the ban on travel to…

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Malta: Non-essential shops open for business

The Times leads with the reopening of non-essential shops from today after seven weeks of shutdown. People can gather in public in groups of four, up from a limit of…

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Malta: Tourism sector welcomes PN strategy

Il-Mument speaks with representatives of stakeholders in the tourism industry about the PN strategy for the sector unveiled this week, who described the plan as positive, serious, and well-studied. Another…

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Malta: Aviation sector attracts 16 new airlines

Kullħadd announces that the Civil Aviation Directorate is processing applications by 16 airlines for Air Operator Certificates while four aviation training companies are also seeking to register in Malta. View…

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Malta: Minister Carmelo Abela rejects calls for resignation

It-Torċa publishes an interview with OPM Minister Carmelo Abela who said that he will not resign following claims of wrongdoing. He insisted that allegations against him are ‘pure invention’ without…

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Malta: IIP clients encouraged to donate to Marigold Foundation

The Sunday Times reports that Henley & Partners advised golden passport buyers to donate to Marigold Foundation to satisfy their link with Malta. The charity was chaired by Michelle Muscat,…

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Malta: Cinema tickets and pastizzi receipts submitted as residence proof by golden passport applicants

Malta Today reveals that passport buyers presented receipts for low-value items such as cinema tickets, parking tickets, and traditional pastizzi to prove their residence in Malta. On average, the customers…

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Malta: Tourism expected to pick up in late summer

Illum says that Malta is expected to be among the first to join the UK’s green travel list. Sources in the tourism industry are expecting a slow start to the…

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Malta: Junior minister was OPM contact person for passport buyers

The Independent on Sunday says that IIP concessionaires Henley & Partners named Alex Muscat as their reference person at the OPM to help ease the applications of clients, including minimising…

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Malta: Keith Schembri awarded €300 for breach of rights

The Independent reports on a court decision ruling that a garnishee order on commercial assets owned by Keith Schembri caused moral damages to the former chief of staff and company…

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Malta: English language schools welcome PN proposals

In-Nazzjon quotes the CEO of the federation of English language schools, Caroline Tissot, who expressed satisfaction that the industry was recognised in the newly-launched strategy for tourism launched by the…

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Malta: Over 96,000 received second dose

L-Orizzont says that 96,631 people have been administered the full dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. Public Health Superintendent said that nearly 60 percent of people in the 50-59 age group…

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Malta: Chamber of SMEs demands urgent help for the retail sector

The Times quotes Chamber of SMEs president Abigail Mamo who advised government to prioritise a voucher scheme for the retail sector over bars and restaurants. Mamo said that shops need…

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Malta: Opposition demands action against persons involved in citizenship scheme

In-Nazzjon quotes Opposition spokesperson for citizenship, Beppe Fenech Adami, who demanded steps by Prime Minister Robert Abela against the architects of the passports scheme within the Labour Party. Another story…

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Malta: Fast ferry fares have yet to be set

The Independent says that the two companies which announced a fast ferry service between Malta and Gozo from June are still structuring their prices and cannot yet say whether they…

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Malta: AFM found mainly responsible for death of soldier

The Times reports that the family of late gunner Matthew Psaila was awarded €175,000 in compensation after a court ruled that the Armed Forces was largely to blame for the…

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Malta: Government launches support services for victims of crime

L-Orizzont leads with the inauguration of a Support Agency for Victims of Criminality by Interior Minister Byron Camilleri. The body will provide a care plan that includes psychological therapy for…

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Malta: People over 40 may register for vaccine

L-Orizzont says that 46 per cent of the population has now received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. Health Minister Chris Fearne announced that people aged 40 and…

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Malta: New employers association president sees opportunities in pandemic

The Malta Business Weekly publishes an interview with the new president of the Malta Employers Association, Joanne Bondin, who said that the pandemic provides important lessons for the business community…

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Malta: Hotels lobby welcomes PN tourism proposals

Business Today speaks with Hotels and Restaurants Association Tony Zahra who welcomed proposals by the PN for a 10-year strategy for tourism. He said the association would hold talks with…

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Malta: PN launches strategy for tourism sector

In-Nazzjon leads with the unveiling of a strategy for the tourism sector by PN Leader Bernard Grech. The party is proposing a range of incentives including financial incentives and infrastructural…

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Malta: Saudi Prince requested secrecy from IIP list

The Independent publishes an email by Saudi Prince Bander Al Saud reminding IIP officials that Identity Malta CEO Jonathan Cardona had promised that he would not publish his name in…

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Malta: New citizens spent an average of two weeks in the country

The Times reveals that buyers of the IIP passports scheme spent an average of 16 days in Malta during their mandatory one-year residency period. An investigation found multiple instances when…

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Degiorgio brothers object to Cabinet decision

The Independent reveals that Alfred and George Degiorgio have filed a judicial protest challenging the decision by the Cabinet to reject their request for pardon in exchange for information on…

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Malta: Restaurant owners welcome PN VAT proposal

In-Nazzjon quotes the president of the Association of Catering Establishments, Reuben Buttigieg, who welcomed proposals by the PN to reduce the VAT rate on tourism sector services to seven per…

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Malta: Pandemic costing government €5 every day

L-Orizzont says that public spending on Covid-19 assistance schemes for business and families rose to €3 million a day. Finance Minister Clyde Caruana said that government income from economic activity…

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Malta: PN suffers ransomware attack

Malta Today says that a magisterial inquiry has been launched into a cyber-attack that stole sensitive information from the PN’s servers. The hackers behind the Avaddon ransomware published employee data…

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Malta: Restaurants promised second helping of voucher scheme

The Times reports a meeting between the government and the Association of Catering Establishments. Restaurant and café owners were told that a voucher scheme will be issued shortly after the…

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Malta: Doctor warns about Covid-19 risks to children

L-Orizzont speaks to a paediatrician who cautions that the perception that children do not contract Covid-19 is misguided. An eleven-year-old boy recently died in Italy after a long battle with…

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Malta: Speaker rules that committee witnesses have the right to silence

In-Nazzjon quotes a ruling by the House Speaker who said that witnesses summoned by the Parliamentary Accounts Committee are obliged to testify but have the right to silence. The opposition…

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Malta: Minister recuses himself from Cabinet pardon decision

The Independent says that Minister Carmelo Abela has recused himself from the Cabinet’s decision to pardon the Degiorgio brothers, following allegations that he was connected to a botched bank heist…

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Malta: Cabinet rejects pardon request by Degiorgio brothers

The Times reports that the Cabinet has advised the President against granting a pardon to brothers Alfred and George Degiorgio. The alleged hitmen in the Caruana Galizia murder volunteered information…

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Malta: PN Leader says national restoration relies on party renewal

In-Nazzjon follows an interview with PN Leader Bernard Grech by the editor-in-chief of The Malta Independent. Grech said that transformation of the country must begin with the renewal of the…

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Malta: Karting site to be converted into garden centre

The Independent reports that the Planning Authority gas approved the conversion of the Badger go-karting track in Ta’ Qali into a garden centre. The new site is expected to have…

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Malta: Disability helpline receives hundreds of calls every month

L-Orizzont speaks with Aġenzija Sapport CEO Ruth Sciberras who said that the national helpline for persons with disability, 153, received nearly 1,700 since it was launched in November last year.…

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Malta: Prime Minister warns against Covid-19 complacency

The Times quotes Prime Minister Robert Abela who appealed for caution as the authorities started easing Covid-19 restrictions. Abela said that the fight against the pandemic has not been won…

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Malta: Tourism sector calling for national plan

Il-Mument says that social partners are urging the government to draw a comprehensive plan for tourism. The president of the Association of Travel Agents said that the body has presented…

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Malta: Rate of Covid-19 fatalities lower than in other countries

It-Torċa carries an interview with Health Minister Chris Fearne who said that the rate of deaths caused by the coronavirus in Malta is lower than in other countries where the…

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Malta: PM hails Marsa Junction project

Kullħadd leads with the official inauguration of the Marsa Junction project this week. Prime Minister Robert Abela described the flyover complex as a reflection of the ambition and perseverance of…

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Malta: Majority disagree with introducing new Covid-19 restrictions

Illum quotes survey findings showing that 55 percent of the population is against further restrictions. Two-thirds of in the 18-35 age bracket disagree with more restrictions while 60 percent of…

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Malta: PN urging long-time politicians to take a step back – Updated

The Independent on Sunday says that the PN is spearheading an effort to open its structures, including the parliamentary group, to new people. Veteran MPs are being asked to move…

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Malta: Government mulling replacing jail time with electronic tagging

Malta Today reveals that the government is considering electronic tags for people convicted of minor crimes with sentences of less than a year. The system is intended to ease population…

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Malta: FIAU investigating hundreds of local businesspeople

The Sunday Times reports that around 300 people from the business community are under investigation by the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit. Money laundering probes have increased by 200 percent in…

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Malta: Parliament passes gender parity reform

L-Orizzont reports on the vote in parliament to amend the Constitution to widen the participation of women in the Chamber. The reform guarantees that a minimum 40 percent of MPs…

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