Morning Briefing

Malta: Yorgen Fenech faces money laundering charges

The Independent reports that Yorgen Fenech has been charged with money laundering and misappropriation of property from a gaming company, Glimmer Ltd. The businessman is the majority shareholder of the…

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Malta: Central Bank employees take industrial action

L-Orizzont reports that the General Workers Union has ordered industrial actions at the Central Bank after negotiations about a new collective agreement failed. The courts struck down a mandate of…

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Malta: PM confident about economic recovery

L-Orizzont quotes Prime Minister Robert Abela that the upcoming budget will give a clear vision of the new prosperity that the government wants to achieve. Abela said that the economy…

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Malta: PN Leader says country is ready for change

In-Nazzjon quotes PN Leader Bernard Grech that the public is expressing a need for change and urged supporters to work together to achieve that goal. He was reacting to survey…

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Malta: Tax specialists targeting corporate tax loopholes

The Times says that a team of experts has been set up to review Malta’s corporate tax regime and is working on a series of measures to close loopholes in…

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Malta: Budget speech set for October 11

The Independent says that the 2022 Budget will be submitted in parliament on October 11. Speaking on One Radio, Prime Minister Robert Abela said on Sunday that the government has…

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Malta: Registered unemployment reaches record low

Kullħadd says that registered unemployment last month fell to its lowest historical numbers. At 1,1542, there were 74 fewer people on the unemployment register than in the previous lowest month…

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Malta: Union demands more appreciation of early school educators

It-Torċa quotes a statement by the education section within General Workers Union calling for equal recognition of educators in early schooling years. The union called out salary gaps between professionals…

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Malta: Government MP says PL does not support Marsascala marina

Illum speaks with government MP Jean Claude Micallef who criticised the proposed yacht marina project in Marsascala. He said that the concept was neither endorsed by the Labour Party nor…

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Malta: Preparations underway for November election

Il-Mument says that the general election is being planned for the second half of November. The paper says that ministries are relaying instructions to government departments to impose a stop-leave…

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Malta: Roads agency dished out 95 direct orders in six months

The Independent on Sunday says that Infrastructure Malta awarded 95 direct orders with a combined value of €10.4 million in the first half of this year. By contrast, the agency…

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Malta: Inquiry finds systemic favouritism at MCAST

Malta Today reveals that an unpublished ministerial inquiry completed in 2018 warned about a culture of clientelism for teaching staff at MCAST. The president of the board of governors at…

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Malta: Gap between parties narrows by six points

The Sunday Times leads with survey results showing that the PL’s lead over the PN fell from 15 percentage points in July to 9 points this month. Meanwhile, Robert Abela…

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Malta: Airline ordered to compensate passengers for delay

L-Orizzont reports that the European Court ordered Ryanair to compensate passengers travelling from Malta to Poznan after a four-hour delay in departure. A decision by the Tribunal said that the…

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Malta: Baby of six months dies from incident at private residence

The Times reports that a six-month-old baby died after being found unconscious in a bath in a private residence. Medics rushed to the site and performed CPR on the girl…

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Malta: Former inmate blames director for uneasy environment at Corradino

In-Nazzjon carries an interview with a former inmate who accused prison director Alexander Dalli of managing by fear. The unidentified man said that several prisoners were driven to desperation because…

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Malta: E-scooter accidents prompt insurance firms to consider raising premiums

The Independent says that insurers are mulling a hike in policy premiums to cover for increased accidents involving e-kickscooters. A statement by the insurance association said that members have registered…

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Malta: Teachers sceptical of Chamber proposals for school system

L-Orizzont says that the union of teachers is warning against changes to the educational system to accommodate businesses. The union was reacting to a proposal by the chamber of commerce…

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Malta: PN promises a flat rate for EV charging

In-Nazzjon says that the Nationalist Party is pledging a flat rate of 10.5c per unit for the charging of electric vehicles. Party spokesperson for Energy Ryan Callus said that the…

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Malta: Fake emails try to dupe newsrooms

The Independent reports that newsrooms were copied into an email thread pretending to be an exchange between opposition MP Jason Azzopardi and journalist Manuel Delia. The paper tracked the source…

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Malta: Yorgen Fenech charged with purchasing weapons from dark web

The Times says that Yorgen Fenech has been charged with buying weapons and ammunition from the dark web. Investigators believe the businessman paid for the equipment using cryptocurrency, but it…

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Malta: Speaker says he is powerless to remove MP from parliamentary committee

The Independent asks Speaker Angelo Farrugia whether he will advise Minister Edward Zammit Lewis to recuse himself from the upcoming sittings of the parliamentary ethics committee. Farrugia said that the…

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Malta: Teachers say they were not informed of plans about return to school

In-Nazzjon speaks with the Union of Teachers and the Union of Professional Educators who said they were not involved in any consultation about plans for the new scholastic year. Education…

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Malta: Government opens application for disputed bird trapping scheme

The Times reports that bird trappers are being invited to apply for a catch-and-release scheme that the EU had warned Malta not to pursue. The government launched a similar initiative…

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Malta: EV charging policy rolled out

L-Orizzont leads with the launch of a national policy for public charging points, paving the way for an increase in electric vehicle ownership. Energy Minister Miriam Dalli said the policy…

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Malta: Government updating employment rules to address shortages in hospitality

The Malta Business Weekly says that the government is reviewing the employment policy to address staff shortages in the hospitality industry. Public entities are seeking ways to fast-track applicants into…

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Malta: Yorgen Fenech wants Manuel Delia and Jason Azzopardi investigated

Malta Today reports that Yorgen Fenech filed a judicial protest demanding an investigation into blogger Manuel Delia and lawyer Jason Azzopardi for allegedly piling pressure on a Judge while he…

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Malta: Nurse exodus from Mater Dei

In-Nazzjon says that at least 230 nurses have resigned from Mater Dei since January, leaving wars understaffed. The nurses’ union said it is prepared to take industrial action if recruitment…

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Malta: Employees ditching private companies for the public sector

The Times quotes the director-general of the Employers’ Association, Joseph Farrugia, that employees are prepared to accept lower pay to move from the private to the public sector. Farrugia said…

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Malta: Covid-19 booster jabs to start in three weeks

L-Orizzont says that booster shots of the Covid-19 vaccine will start being administered to immunocompromised persons and residents of nursing homes from mid-September. Health Minister Chris Fearne said that the…

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Malta: Government says back-to-school plan imminent

The Independent questions the education minister about the re-opening of schools in September. Justyne Caruana said that a plan is in place and the government will present a finalised version…

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Malta: Increase in annual retail price index

In-Nazzjon says that the retail price index rose from 1.47 in July 2020 to 1.81 in July this year. Figures by the National Statistics office show an increase in food…

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Malta: Keith Schembri directed investigators to confidential FIAU report

The Times says that Keith Schembri admitted that he had knowledge of the contents of a confidential FIAU report. The former chief of staff referred to the report to back…

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Malta: Elderly woman dies in Tarxien house fire

L-Orizzont reports the death of 81-year-old Lonza Busuttil when a fire broke out in her Tarxien home on Monday morning. Neighbours mourned the tragic incident and said that the elderly…

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Malta: Employers launch pre-budget proposals

The Independent leads with a proposals document by the Malta Employers’ Association urging the government to address structural flaws in the economic system in the upcoming Budget rather than promising…

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Malta: Bernard Grech warns about rising cost of living

In-Nazzjon quotes PN Leader Bernard Grech that the rising cost of living is impacting all generations. He said that a PN government would change its focus from the national economy…

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Malta: Prime Minister says energy policy improved emission levels

L-Orizzont quotes Prime Minister Robert Abela that Malta reports the lowest rate of pollution per capita in the EU, pointing to shifts in the energy policy with the interconnector and…

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Malta: Yorgen Fenech made job offers to minister’s entourage

The Times says that businessman Yorgen Fenech offered entry-level jobs within the Tumas empire to people around Edward Zammit Lewis soon after he was appointed minister in September 2019. Read…

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Malta: Organic farmers seek government support

The Independent reports that organic farmers are calling on the government to revise policies and offer incentives for this system of growing crops. Among other proposals, organic farmers are recommending…

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Malta: Construction of Gozo aquatic complex at advanced stage

Kullħadd says that the Gozo pool complex is nearing completion and is expected to be inaugurated shortly. Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri said that the €16 million project will be the…

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Malta: PN insist on removal of prison director

Il-Mument quotes PN spokesperson for Home Affairs Beppe Fenech Adami calling for the removal of prison director Alexander Dalli. He said that the latest suicide attempt indicates systemic failure at…

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Malta: Nearly one in ten children has SEBD

It-Torċa reports on study findings showing that the rate of children displaying Social Emotional Behavioural Disorders in Malta stands at 9.7 per cent. Research author Maria Josephine Grech attributes the…

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Malta: Academic warns 2030 emissions targets could be missed

The Independent on Sunday quotes Professor Maria Attard that Malta could miss the 2030 emissions target unless effective steps are taken immediately. She urged action by both policymakers and citizens…

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Malta: Marsascala mayor suggests referendum on marina project

Illum quotes Marsascala mayor Mario Calleja that plans for a marina in the seaside town should be decided by a referendum among residents. Calleja said that most people are against…

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Malta: Joseph Muscat says he was unaware of chief of staff’s actions

The Sunday Times leads with an interview with former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat who said that he was never aware that his chief of staff Keith Schembri was passing on…

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Malta: Yorgen Fenech sought to open bank accounts in Monaco

Malta Today says that Yorgen Fenech was seeking to deposit €1.5 million in Monaco in early 2019 after a bank in the UAE closed down his accounts related to 17…

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Malta: Bernard Grech challenges Prime Minister to eject Muscat from PL

In-Nazzjon quotes PN Leader Bernard Grech that Prime Minister Robert Abela is under the thumb of his predecessor Joseph Muscat. The opposition leader called on Abela to oust the former…

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Malta: Text messages suggest Yorgen Fenech was planning escape

The Times follows the testimony in court of investigator Keith Arnaud who presented evidence that Yorgen Fenech planned to escape from Malta before he was arrested. Text exchanges with his…

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Malta: ECDC returns islands to Covid-19 amber list

L-Orizzont reports that Malta has been taken off the red list of the European Centre for Disease Protection as the rate of active cases declines. Classified as an amber-list country,…

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Malta: More than 500 grassfires since June

The Independent says that over 500 grassfires have been reported around Malta so far this summer. The most heavily affected localities were Nadur and Xagħra in Gozo, and Rabat and…

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Malta: Court throws out bail request by Yorgen Fenech

The Independent says that Judge Giovanni Grixti rejected claims by Yorgen Fenech’s legal team that the accused has been in custody for over 20 months, noting that the arrest period…

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Malta: Police pull off biggest drug bust of the year

L-Orizzont reports on a police raid in Burmarrad seizing over 130 kilograms of cannabis with a street value of €2.5 million, making it the largest anti-drug operation this year. Four…

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Malta: Ex-convict lashes out at prison director

In-Nazzjon carries an interview with a former inmate who criticised the prison system and its management. He said that facility director Alexander Dalli carries a revolver around and shoots at…

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Malta: Joseph Muscat teases return to politics

The Times leads with an interview with former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat who admitted some regrets but defended his record at the helm of government. He said he will not…

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Malta: Judge deliberating on Yorgen Fenech’s bail request

L-Orizzont says that Judge Giovanni Grixti is hearing arguments for and against granting Yorgen Fenech bail. The defence says that there is no chance of the suspect escaping while the…

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Malta: Prosecution seeking life sentence for Yorgen Fenech

The Independent reports that the Attorney General has filed a bill of indictment against Yorgen Fenech, accusing him with complicity in the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia and or criminal…

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Malta: PN calls for sacking of prison top management

In-Nazzjon says that the PN is calling for the removal of the Corradino Correctional Facility senior management after another inmate committed suicide. Party spokesperson Peter Agius said that prison has…

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