Malta News Briefing

Malta: Wage support scheme to continue beyond October

The Independent quotes Prime Minister Robert Abela who announced that the government will extend the Covid-19 wage subsidy beyond the end of October to help the economic sectors worst hit…

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Malta: Sex worker says decriminalisation is not enough

The Independent on Sunday speaks to a sex worker in Malta who said that, although decriminalisation of sex work is a step forward, more safeguards are needed to protect against…

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Malta: First phase of Central Link project complete

Kullħadd reports on the opening of the first lanes in the Central Link project between Mrieħel and Ta’ Qali on Saturday. The paper says that original plans for the road…

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Malta: No applications for State Advocate job

The Sunday Times says that a new call for the role of State Advocate will be launched after no applications were received in the first round that closed on Wednesday.…

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Malta: Almost half of PN members choose their leader

Il-Mument says that nearly half of the PN members have voted in the party’s leadership election. Eligible voters may cast their ballots for Adrian Delia or Bernard Grech between Thursday…

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Malta: OPM security man liaised with Melvin Theuma

Malta Today reveals that Kenneth Camilleri, a former security detail at Castille, acted as a go-between between Keith Schembri and Melvin Theuma, when the self-confessed middleman started pushing for bail…

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Malta: Rise in violence against parents

It-Torċa says that violence by children against their parents has increased during the pandemic, as families are spending more time indoors. The paper speaks to a social worker who said…

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Malta: Junior Minister for the elderly feels the heat

Illum says that the Parliamentary Secretary responsible for the elderly, Silvio Parnis, is under pressure following the surge in Covid-19 cases in nursing homes. Labour MPs told the paper that…

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Malta: Police launch new strategy for corps

The Independent outlines an 11-point plan published by the police to help transform the perception and effectiveness of the force. Police Commissioner Angelo Gafa’ said that the document will translate…

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Malta: Teachers and parents satisfied with back-to-school plans

L-Orizzont says that the teachers’ union and the parents’ association of state school students welcomed the decision by the authorities to make a gradual re-entry into school between the second…

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Malta: Phased return to state and church schools

The Times says that state and church schools have decided to delay the first day of the scholastic year by a week and will now reopen on October 7. Classes…

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Malta: PN leadership election begins

In-Nazzjon says that thousands of PN members cast their votes in the party leadership election as early voting opened on Friday evening. Nearly 21,500 paid-up members are eligible to choose…

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Malta: PN kicks off party leadership election

In-Nazzjon leads with the start of the PN leadership election process, with the opening of early voting today. Just under 21,500 paid-up members are eligible to choose between incumbent Adrian…

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Malta: Junior minister wins two defamation suits

L-Orizzont reports that Parliamentary Secretary Rosianne Cutajar won separate libel suits against Geoffrey Leone Ganado and Rachel Williams. The case was filed over a public comment by Ganado to a…

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Malta: Foreign Affairs Minister cautiously optimistic about migration pact

The Independent questions Foreign Affairs Minister Evarist Bartolo about the newly launched migration pact by the European Commission. The minister that the policy raises a series of issues but is…

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Malta: Financial watchdog snaps at Nexia BT

The Times reports that the Financial Services Authority has ordered two companies, BT International and BT Management, to desist from offering new services to clients. Both companies are wholly owned…

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Malta: Gasan family wants out of Electogras project

The Times quotes a statement by the Gasan group of companies which says the family is seeking to exit the Electrogas consortium because it wants to distance itself from the…

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Malta: Keith Schembri’s lawyer says actions were over the top

The Independent speaks to Keith Schembri’s lawyer Edward Gatt who described the freezing order against his client’s family as draconian. Dr Gatt said that the arrest of the former chief…

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Malta: MFSA slaps unlicensed practitioner with €150,000 fine

Business Today reports that a man has been fined €150,000 by the financial services watchdog for providing investment services without the required license. Another story says that Farsons Group reported…

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Malta: NGOs criticise new EU immigration policy

L-Orizzont says that NGOs working with refugees are not satisfied with the immigration pact announced by the European Commission on Wednesday. They say that there has been no real change…

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Malta: Talks between teachers and government fail

In-Nazzjon says that negotiations collapsed between the Teachers’ Union and the Education Ministry. The two sides have been locked in discussions over the reopening of schools for several weeks. Another…

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Malta: Nexia BT loses IIP licence

The Malta Business Weekly reports that the Malta Individual Investor Programme Agency has suspended Nexia BT’s licence, two days after the courts issued a freezing order. The company is owned…

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Malta: Patients unaware that their medicines were changed

The Independent reveals that a number of patients with chronic illnesses have had their medications changed without their knowledge, only to find out when they turned up for treatment in…

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Malta: PN says safety measures in place for leadership election

In-Nazzjon says the PN electoral commission is taking the necessary precautions to ensure the safety of voters in the leadership election on 3 October. Polling stations will be fumigated, and…

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Malta: Keith Schembri keeps silent during police interrogation

Malta Today says Keith Schembri will refuse to cooperate with the police unless the magisterial inquiry that led to his arrest is published in full. Schembri’s lawyers told the press…

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Malta: PM’s approval rating a third of his deputy

The Times publishes survey findings showing that deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne enjoys a 55 percent trust rating, scoring almost three times higher than Prime Minister Robert Abela at 19…

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Malta: Judge orders probe into court decree leaks

L-Orizzont says that the office of the Attorney General filed a judicial protest to investigate the leaking of the court decree to freeze Keith Schembri’s assets to the press. Madame…

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Malta: Two people die from Covid-19 on Monday

The Independent reports that two people infected with Covid-19 have died on Monday. The Health Ministry announced that a 93-year-old man and an 83-year-old man became the 22nd and the…

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Malta: Archbishop warns against hate speech

L-Orizzont quotes the archbishop’s appeal to restrain hate speech against local and foreign people. Archbishop Scicluna said that the Maltese society is built on reciprocal care and called for compassion…

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Malta: PN welcomes garnishee order on Schembri assets

In-Nazzjon says that the Nationalist Party welcomes the court order to freeze the assets of Keith Schembri, Brian Tonna and Karl Cini. In a statement, the party said it expected…

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Malta: Court orders asset freezing against Keith Schembri

The Times leads with a court order to a long list of institutions to freeze all assets held by former chief of staff Keith Schembri and his accountants Brian Tonna…

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Malta: PN marks Independence Day

In-Nazzjon quotes PN leader Adrian Delia who said that independence from Britain gave Malta a new optimism about the future. The Nationalist Party is celebrating the 56th anniversary since independence.…

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Malta: Robert Abela defends plans to reopen schools

L-Orizzont quotes Prime Minister Robert Abela who said that the reopening of schools is crucial and that the educational development of children remains the government’s priority. He urged everyone to…

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Malta: Transactions by Electrogas stakeholder catch bank’s eye

The Times reveals that transactions by a former minority stakeholder in the Electrogas power station were flagged as ‘suspicious’ by the banks in 2014. Afren Plc had made a total…

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Malta: PM wants Caruana Galizia inquiry to end by December

The Independent leads with comments by Prime Minister Robert Abela who said that prolonging the Caruana Galizia public inquiry further would cause ‘more damage’. Abela said the process should not…

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Malta: Police to create director-general role

The Independent on Sunday reveals plans by the police force to replace the role of CEO with a director general. A call for application is expected to be issued shortly…

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Malta: Most would be prepared to take Covid-19 vaccine

The Sunday Times publishes survey findings which show that 47 percent of people oppose the reopening of schools this month, while 36 percent are in favour. Asked about the Covid-19…

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Malta: Education Minister says return to classrooms is vital

It-Torċa publishes an interview with Education Minister Owen Bonnici who appealed for everyone to play their part in the reopening of schools. The Minister said that the classroom is the…

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Malta: Teachers close ranks against reopening of schools

Il-Mument says that the Union of Teachers and the Union of Professional Educators are both appealing for schools to be kept closed. Teachers said that Education Minister Owen Bonnici is…

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Malta: Record number of coronavirus casualties in 24 hours

Illum reports that three people died from the coronavirus on Saturday, the highest number of casualties in a single day. Another four patients died this week, bringing the number of…

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Malta: US finds bargaining chip in Moneyval report

Malta Today says that multiple Cabinet ministers and regulatory heads admitted that the US is leveraging the upcoming Moneyval test to try and reach a Status of Forces Agreement with…

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Malta: Households are better off than during 2009 crisis

Kullħadd compares the current economic conditions with those during the 2009 financial crisis and says that families are in a better situation now, with unemployment down by almost half and…

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Malta: Health Minister backs reopening of schools

L-Orizzont says that the government is committed to helping workers and businesses that have been negatively affected by pandemic. Finance Minister Edward Scicluna said that state support will continue for…

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Malta: Private security guard arrested for shooting at migrant

The Times reports that a security officer for a private firm was arrested by the police after shooting at a migrant during a riot in the Safi detention centre on…

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Malta: Owen Bonnici calls Konrad Mizzi naïve over Panama company

The Independent follows the testimony of Minister Owen Bonnici in the Caruana Galizia public inquiry on Friday who said that Konrad Mizzi was ‘naïve’ to have opened an offshore account…

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Malta: Adrian Delia officially a PN leadership candidate

In-Nazzjon leads with the formal nomination of Adrian Delia for PN leader, which was accepted by the Electoral Commission on Friday. The incumbent urged the party’s paid-up members to vote…

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Malta: Parliamentary Secretary calls for shared responsibility of Covid-19 measures

L-Orizzont quotes Parliamentary Secretary for active ageing Silvio Parnis who reacts to new protocols introduced in homes for the elderly. Parnis said that it cannot only be the elderly who…

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Malta: Chamber of Commerce wants temporary measures to slow virus spread

The Independent quotes a statement by the Chamber of Commerce proposing a short period of stricter containment measures to rein in the spike in Covid-19 cases. The Chamber is calling…

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Malta: Contact tracing app introduced today

The Times reports that a contact tracing app will launch in Malta today, alerting users whether they have been in proximity to an infected person. Authorities said that the COVID…

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Malta: PN publishes due diligence reports on leadership candidates

In-Nazzjon says that the Nationalist Party published the due diligence reports into the two contenders for the party leadership, incumbent Adrian Delia and challenger Bernard Grech. The Administrative Council voted…

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Malta: Chris Fearne said Schembri’s position was not up for discussion

The Times follows the testimony of Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne in the Caruana Galizia public inquiry on Wednesday who said that, as Prime Minister, Joseph Muscat had refused to…

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Malta: Teachers demand delay in opening of schools

L-Orizzont says that the teachers’ union is calling for the postponement of the reopening of schools following a surge in coronavirus cases. Union president Marco Bonnici is demanding talks with…

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Malta: BOV and MDB scheme disburses over €190 to businesses:

Business Today reports that a joint project between Bank of Valletta and the Malta Development Bank to support the liquidity needs of businesses has approved over €190 million for 265…

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Malta: Rise in labour costs lower than the EU average

The Malta Business Weekly says that Malta reported the second-lowest increase in hourly labour costs in the EU in between April and June. Compared to Q2 2019, labour costs rose…

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Malta: New record in number of daily Covid-19 cases

The Independent says that Malta registered a record number of 106 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, 24 of which were discovered in a Fgura home for the elderly. There were…

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Malta: Increase in virus infections worrying vulnerable people

In-Nazzjon says that the surge in Covid-19 cases in nursing homes for the elderly is causing alarm among vulnerable people who have already been through a difficult experience of isolation…

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Malta: Faculty dean demands end to solitary confinement

The Independent publishes an interview with the Faculty of Social Wellbeing Dean, Andrew Azzopardi who called for the abolition of solitary confinement in prison. Prof Azzopardi said that a new,…

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