Malta News Briefing

Malta: SMEs Chamber CEP calls out illegal flower vendors

It-Torċa quotes the CEO of the SME Chamber, Abigail Mamo, who said that illegal flower vendors are a blatant abuse of the system and that plans to quash the activity…

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Malta: Government announces €5 million courts upgrade

Kullħadd says that the government is investing €5 million in new courtrooms, offices for the judiciary and the digitalisation of the court systems. Meanwhile, another four judges will be appointed…

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Malta: Junior minister pocketed €9,000 from property sale brokerage

The Sunday Times claims that parliamentary secretary Rosianne Cutajar took a €9,000 cut on a deal by Yorgen Fenech to purchase a property in Mdina. The parliamentary secretary was also…

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Malta: Air Malta losing €170,000 daily

Illum carries an interview with Finance Minister Clyde Caruana who said that Air Malta is making losses of €170,00 every day. The government is preparing a technical plan on the…

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Malta: Former finance minister awarded second compensation package

The Independent on Sunday says that former Finance Minister Edward Scicluna will be paid €12,000 as a board member of the financial services authority, on top of a €138,000 salary…

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Malta: Junior Minister skirts question about pre-1995 rentals

In-Nazzjon says that the junior minister for housing, Roderick Galdes, did not reply to questions about the number of people living in properties under the pre-1995 rentals system, quoting instead…

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Malta: Foster parents of smuggled child heard nothing four months on

L-Orizzont speaks with the foster parents of a child who was smuggled out of Malta four months ago. They said that there has been no news since the disappearance, and…

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Malta: Police investigating explicit video leak

The Times reports that the police are investigating the leak of an explicit video of a woman who was being circulated without her consent. The coach of the Siġġiewi football…

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Malta: 38 cases of UK variant discovered

The Independent says that the Public Health Superintendent has confirmed 38 cases of the Covid-19 variant first found in the UK. Professor Gauci said the number of patients with this…

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Malta: Yorgen Fenech denied bail again

In-Nazzjon says that the court turned down a bail request by Yorgen Fenech, arguing that the risk of the businessman escaping the island is still present. The compilation of evidence…

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Malta: GWU negotiates new agreement for Water Services Corporation employees

L-Orizzont reports on a new collective agreement negotiated by the General Workers Union for employees at the Water Services Corporation. Union secretary general Josef Bugeja said the new agreement strikes…

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Malta: Opposition MP reports death threat to police

The Independent speaks to Opposition MP Karol Aquilina after he published a Facebook comment suggesting he ‘should be hanged’. The House member said he will not be stopped by attacks…

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Malta: Teenager outed as member of international hacking cell

The Times reports that a 17-year-old Maltese teenager formed part of an international ring that has stolen over €100 million in cryptocurrencies from thousands of victims around the world. The…

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Malta: Solar panel owners angered by electricity prices

In-Nazzjon says that various property owners who installed solar panels are complaining about electricity bills by ARMS, arguing that they are being charged at least the same amount as before.…

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Malta: Gozo holiday bookings feel sting of Covid-19 rules

The Times quotes a statement by the Gozo Tourism Authority which said that holiday accommodation bookings have dropped significantly following the introduction of stricter fines to avoid overcrowding during Carnival…

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Malta: Bill proposes tougher AML punishments

L-Orizzont reports that amendments to anti-money laundering legislation seek to apply harsher penalties if fraudulent activities are linked to criminal organisations. The first reading of the Bill was presented in…

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Malta: Sliema and St Paul’s Bay produce most mixed waste

The Independent quotes figures by WasteServ showing that Sliema and St Paul’s Bay generated the highest volume of mixed waste in 2020. Birkirkara, Mosta, and Qormi, the next three biggest…

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Malta: Bond applications held up by changes to MFSA board

Business Today quotes a report by Moody’s which gave Malta a positive assessment on governance. The credit rating agency said that the country enjoys a ‘strong institutional environment’ and a…

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Malta: Tourism Minister says wage supplement scheme may be extended further

The Malta Business Weekly quotes Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo who said that the government is prepared to extend the wage supplement scheme beyond March to help the industry get back…

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Malta: Senior Enemalta officer testifies before parliament committee

In-Nazzjon follows a sitting of the Parliamentary Accounts Committee on Tuesday during which a senior Enemalta official testified that a number of people who attended a PL technical meeting in…

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Malta: Concerns over backdoor to encrypted messaging services

L-Orizzont speaks to an activist who warns that a document published by the European Commission last year proposes access to messages sent over end-on-end encryption services, putting privacy at risk.…

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Malta: Legal notice targeting overcrowding at properties comes into force

The Times reports that a new legal notice published on Tuesday empowers tourism authority officials to inspect holiday rentals properties during the Carnival week and eject tenants in cases of…

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Malta: PL energy advisors sat on power station selection board

Malta Today says that consultants who advised the Labour Party on its energy policy before the 2013 election were later appointed to the evaluation committees which selected the gas power…

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Malta: Vaccination of teachers within six weeks

The Independent says that teachers and school staff are expected to start receiving the Covid-19 jab towards the end of March, when the current cohort of vulnerable people is fully…

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Malta: Public Health Superintendent confirms cases of new Covid-19 strain

L-Orizzont quotes Public Health Superintendent Charmaine Gauci who confirmed 31 cases of the Covid-19 variant first discovered in the UK. Asked about the variant found in South Africa, Prof. Gauci…

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Malta: Yorgen Fenech’s lawyers sought campaign to discredit Melvin Theuma

The Independent follows the testimony of journalist Ivan Martin against Yorgen Fenech’s lawyers Gianluca Caruana Curran and Charles Mercieca. He said that they wanted a press campaign to ‘undermine the…

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Malta: Konrad Mizzi refuses to answer questions in court

The Times follows the case in court about the privatisation of the three state hospitals. Former minister Konrad Mizzi was the main witness, but he refused to answer questions on…

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Malta: UĦM wants government to overturn Gozo ferry directive

In-Nazzjon says that the UĦM is urging the government to reverse a directive demanding that motorists aboard the Gozo Channel ferry during Carnival weekend stay in their cars throughout the…

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Malta: PN leader promises revised energy-buying rates

In-Nazzjon quotes PN Leader Bernard Grech who said that the party has a strategy for clean energy generation and pledged that a Nationalist government would buy power produced by households…

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Malta: Enemalta inquiry flags shortcomings in wind farm deal

The Times reveals that an internal audit by Enemalta on the Montenegro wind farm found a series of due diligence omissions and a lack of professional scepticism by the members…

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Malta: Commissioner speaks out on abandoned animals

L-Orizzont speaks with Animal Welfare Commissioner Alison Bezzina about stray animals abandoned by their keepers. Bezzina said that people should not underestimate the costs involved in keeping domestic animals. Another…

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Malta: PM says government intends to carry out full term

The Independent quotes Prime Minister Robert Abela who said that it would be a mistake to focus on a general election at this time. He said the government has a…

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Malta: PM approval ratings decline from last month

Malta Today publishes survey results showing the Prime Minister’s approval ratings drop by 0.4 percentage points from January, falling to Robert Abela’s lowest ever score of 41.7 percent. Opposition Leader…

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Malta: Eddie Fenech Adami turns 87

Il-Mument marks the birthday of President Emeritus Eddie Fenech Adami who turns 87 today. Fenech Adami served as PN Leader and Prime Minister in a political career that spanned half…

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Malta: PN leader’s aide meets former party advisor

Kullħadd says that the right-hand man of PN Leader Bernard Grech, Ray Bezzina, held talks with Richard Caruana Curran, main advisor to the former party leader Eddie Fenech Adami. Keep…

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Malta: Government MP says social justice needs equality

It-Torċa publishes an interview with Labour MP Anthony Agius Decelis who defended the gender quota Bill and warned that there is no social justice without equality. The veteran MP said…

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Malta: Joseph Muscat introduced Yorgen Fenech to potential investor in 2019

The Sunday Times says that former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat introduced businessman Yorgen Fenech to the former CEO of Italian oil giant Eni, Paolo Scaroni, about a possible investment in…

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Malta: Dar tal-Providenza rejects Catco donation

Illum says that if-Dar tal-Providenza turned down a donation of €500,000 presented by former opposition leader Adrian Delia on behalf of Catco Group, after the company refused to cooperate with…

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Malta: Steward hit by a multimillion garnishee order

The Independent on Sunday reports that the courts have handed Steward Health Care a €5.5 million garnishee order following a lawsuit filed in London by one of the investors in…

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Malta: Plans for new anti-financial crime body abandoned

The Times says that plans to establish a new government agency to combat financial crime have been shelved with a spokesperson for the Finance Ministry describing efforts by the current…

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Malta: Lower overall score on the Democracy Index in 2020

The Independent says that Malta scored a total 7.68 on the 2020 Democracy Index, lower than that in 2019 and thus remaining in the category of ‘flawed democracy’ for the…

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Malta: PN deplores attacks against MP with disability

In-Nazzjon carries a PN statement condemning social media attacks on party MP Kevin Cutajar. The representative from Gozo said that “stupid comments” he received about his disability only serve to…

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Malta: Caritas calls for rethink of COLA mechanism

L-Orizzont quotes a study by Caritas which found that a medium family of four needs a minimum €13,950 annually to get by and an elderly couple needs €8,150. The agency…

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Malta: PN Leader discusses economic regeneration with Chamber of Commerce

In-Nazzjon reports on a meeting between PN Leader Bernard Grech and the Chamber of Commerce. Grech said that Malta’s economy needs to start preparing now for life after the pandemic.…

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Malta: Dutch inmate summoned in connection to multiple cases

The Independent reveals that Malta has issued a European Investigation Order for the temporary transfer of Dutchman Julian Hofstra from an Amsterdam prison. The man is summoned to witness in…

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Malta: Police investigation into Keith Schembri ongoing

The Times reports that former chief of staff Keith Schembri was interrogated by the police for two hours on Thursday. His lawyers said afterwards that he was no longer on…

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Malta: Daily administration of Covid-19 vaccine reaches 2,000

L-Orizzont says that vulnerable persons will start receiving the coronavirus jab from next week, earlier than originally planned. Health Minister Chris Fearne announced that around 2,000 vaccines are being administered…

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Malta: Wage supplement scheme is top business enquiry

The Malta Business Weekly speaks with Business 1st CEO Marika Tonna who said that three-fourths of business enquiries in the past months were related to Covid-19 and the wage supplement…

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Malta: Four business in ten worried about the next six months

Business Today leads with a survey by the Chamber of SMEs which finds that four in ten businesses may not survive the next six months if the economic situation does…

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Malta: PN Leader wants more powers for the Auditor General

In-Nazzjon reports on a visit by PN Leader Bernard Grech to the General Auditor. Grech said that the National Audit Office is instrumental to the country’s democracy and said that…

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Malta: Former Xagħra archpriest taken off church duties

The Times reports that the police investigated a former Xagħra archpriest over allegations of sexually abusing a teenage boy, but no criminal steps were taken because the case was time-barred.…

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Malta: 26 years since dockyard explosion that killed nine people

L-Orizzont publishes an interview with the daughter of former Dockyard Council Director Lino Gatt on the 26th anniversary of the Um El Faroud tragedy which killed nine workers. Marika Camilleri…

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Malta: Melvin Theuma says Yorgen Fenech was fed information by Keith Schembri

The Independent quotes Melvin Theuma in the compilation of evidence against the three alleged hitmen in the Caruana Galizia murder. The middleman said that Yorgen Fenech received information about the…

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Malta: Union raises concerns over departing nurses

In-Nazzjon quotes a letter by the nurses’ union urging the Prime Minister to take action to stem the mass migration of nurses to the UK. Union president Paul Pace said…

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Malta: EU Commission studying new residency scheme

The Independent says that the infringement procedure by the EU against Malta’s golden passport scheme is ongoing and the Commission is analysing the new residency programme introduced by the government…

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Malta: Four man arrested in €420,000 drug haul operation

Malta Today reports on a police raid on Monday that seized 21 kilogrammes of cannabis grass, with an estimated value of €420,000. Four men, one Maltese national and two Italian,…

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Malta: GWU to submit proposals for new employment laws

L-Orizzont says that the General Workers Union is preparing proposals for new employment laws based on the principles of inclusivity and the living wage. General secretary Josef Bugeja said new…

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