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Malta News Briefing – Monday 6 December 2021

Morning Briefing Malta's anti-abortion law saves life - LNF Malta’s anti-abortion law “saves lives,” Life Network Foundation chairperson Miriam Sciberras said during the organisation’s March for Life yesterday afternoon. Addressing an event organised to raise awareness on the importance of pr...

MaltaToday Survey – Support for the Labour Party runs at 45.9% – Malta News Briefing – Sunday 5 December 2021

News Updates Covid Update Sixty-nine new COVID-19 patients were diagnosed in the past 24 hours and there are now 19 virus patients in hospital, down from 21 on Saturday. Three are in intensive care. (Times of Malta) Voluntary Organisations Commissioner launches sector reform The Office ...

Captain Morgan drops Balluta jetty proposal / Malta News Briefing – Saturday 4 December 2021

Mid-Day Briefing Captain Morgan drops Balluta jetty proposal Captain Morgan has dropped plans to build a jetty at Balluta bay, after a wave of protest and opposition from residents. The ferry company, which is owned by the Fortina Group, want to build a jetty to operate a hop-on, hop-off ferr...

Education system not creating critical minds, academics warn government: / Malta News Briefing – Friday 3 December 2021

Latest update 1745 Times of Malta says Fra Matthew Festing, the 79th Grand Master of the Knights of St John was laid to rest at the capital's co-cathedral on Friday. MaltaToday says a constitutional case claiming that COVID-19 restrictions breached human rights sees Public Health Superintende...

Notaries refuse to apply controversial ‘tax arrears’ rate on contracts / Malta News Briefing – Thursday 2 December 2021

Updated 1245 Notaries refuse to apply controversial ‘tax arrears’ rate on contracts: Notaries will not process any property taxes on rates introduced by a controversial legal notice for tax arrears, according to the Malta’s Notarial Council. It announced that it unanimously instructed notaries t...

Malta: Graduates drop 5% in 2020 – NSO

Tertiary-level graduates totalled 4,629 during 2020, equivalent to a decrease of 4.9 per cent over the previous year.The largest share of tertiary graduates (55.5 per cent) attained a qualification at ISCED Level 6 (Bachelor’s or equivalent). This was followed by 35.8 per cent of total tertiary gra...

Malta: Services industry leads recovery in Q3

The Maltese economy experienced a strong recovery over the Summer months, despite growth falling slightly short when compared to the drop experienced during the same timeframe last year. During the third quarter of 2021, Gross Value Added (GVA) rose by 11.6% in nominal terms and by 9.6% in volum...

Malta: Deficit exceeds 1 Billion euro mark by end October

By the end of October 2021, the Government’s Consolidated Fund reported a staggering deficit of €1,064.9 million. Figures released by the NSO today show that recurrent Revenue amounted to €4,017.5 million, 21.1 per cent higher than the€3,318.3 million reported a year earlier. The largest increas...

Malta: Food drags inflation upwards again

Food remained the largest contributor to inflation as measured by the Retail Price Index, the NSO said today. The annual rate of inflation has reached 2.25% in October, up from 2.25% the month before. The 12-month moving average rate for October stood at 1.12% (Table 2). The largest upward impac...

Economy is recovering, but risks remain – Central Bank

Although the economy is recovering, uncertainties surrounding the pandemic remain, posing some downside risks for the financial system, an Interim Financial Stability Report by the Central Bank of Malta found. The Bank noted how the decision by the Financial Action Task Force to place Malta under t...

Malta: Injured migrant testifies from hospital bed

A migrant injured in a two-storey fall and allegedly dumped on the road by his employer is to testify from his hospital bed in the case. Lamin Jaiteh is being treated for spinal and arm injuries at Mater Dei after the incident last week. Source Times of Malta Updated 1745

Malta: Study to see if mask-wearing at school can be scrapped, Chris Fearne says

The health authorities will be conducting a study during October-November in schools to determine whether masks need to be worn in during the second semester, Health Minister Chris Fearne announced on Thursday. Fearne said that although mask-wearing in schools "seems necessary", the he...

Malta: Drug mule lands at MIA with €120,000 worth of cocaine

A 25-year-old woman was arrested at the Malta International Airport upon her arrival from Madrid, Spain. In a statement the police said that a joint operation between the Drugs Squad and Customs Department, the woman from the Dominican Republic was arrested on Monday. Source: Newsbook ...

Malta: Hugo Chetcuti lost around two litres of blood after knife stabbing

One of the doctors that took care of Hugo Chetcuti after he was stabbed explained that the entrepreneur lost around two litres of blood. Doctor Jonathan Joslin was a witness in court as 38-year-old Bojan Cmelik was found accused with the murder of Chetcuti Source TVM Updated 1745

Malta: Man, 25, injures 70-year-old man in violent robbery in Birkirkara

A man of foreign nationality, aged 25, will be arraigned in Court this morning and charged with injuring a 70-year-old man while carrying out a violent robbery on 19 September. The Police said the man was arrested following a joint effort between the Violent Crimes Unit and the Birkirkara Police...

Belarus laments repeated violations of airspace by Ukrainian aircraft

The Belarusian defence ministry said it had summoned Ukraine's military attaché to protest against what it called repeated violations of Belarus' airspace by Ukrainian aircraft. Relations between the two countries have plummeted since last year, when Russia sided with Belarusian President Al...

UPDATED: Myanmar’s ousted leader Suu Kyi gets four-year jail term in trial

Myanmar's deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi was sentenced to four years in prison on charges of incitement and breaching coronavirus restrictions, a source familiar with the proceedings said, in a case her supporters say was politically motivated. President Win Myint was also sentenced to four yea...

Omicron variant found in nearly one-third of U.S. states

WASHINGTON, Dec 5 (Reuters) - The Omicron variant of the coronavirus has spread to about one-third of U.S. states, but the Delta version remains the majority of COVID-19 infections as cases rise nationwide, U.S. health officials said on Sunday. Though the emergence of the new variant has...

Protest against coronavirus restrictions turns violent in Brussels

Police fired teargas and used water cannons on Sunday to disperse protesters pelting officers with cobblestones and fireworks as a demonstration in Brussels over government-imposed COVID-19 restrictions turned violent. A few thousand protesters marched peacefully through the centre of the Be...

New U.S. COVID-19 international travel testing rules take effect Monday

New rules requiring international air travelers arriving in the United States to obtain a negative COVID-19 test within one day of travel will take effect Monday at 12:01 a.m. ET (0501 GMT), according to an order issued this week. Under current rules, vaccinated international air travelers c...

1st December 2021

Health cash plans for employees launched in Malta

HSF health plan (Malta) Ltd is part of a group of Health Cash Plan providers wholly owned by the charity, called The Hospital Saturday Fund. The health plan provided by HSF health plan (Malta) Ltd (“the health plan”) offers flexible and cost-effective health protection to a company’s most important resource: its workforce. Covering a rang...

1st December 2021

Malta: Graduates drop 5% in 2020 – NSO

30th November 2021

The Malta Institute of Accountants welcomes 222 new graduates to its fore

Accountancy leaders highlight need for ethics, integrity and life-long learning among professionals The Malta Institute of Accountants has formally welcomed 222 new accountants as members within its ranks following the completion of their studies through the avenues provided by the University of Malta and the ACCA throughout the 2020-21 academi...

30th November 2021

Good sales required throughout the whole year, Malta Chamber insists

Resilience and Digital Innovation is key to ensure recovery Despite the number of challenges faced by business, The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry said today that this year’s Black Friday, like in the previous years, in general left a positive impact on business particularly since the majority anticipated the challenging env...

30th November 2021

Malta lags behind in R&D as only Romania fares worse in EU scoreboard

In 2020, the Member States of the EU spent around €311 billion on research & development (R&D). This is a decrease of €1 billion compared with 2019 (€312 billion). The R&D intensity, i.e. R&D expenditure as a percentage of GDP, stood at 2.3% in 2020, compared with 2.2% in 2019. However, this small increase is due to a decrease in G...

29th November 2021

Malta expresses strong support for Union for the Mediterranean

Minister for Foreign and European Affairs Evarist Bartolo expressed Malta's strong support for the Union for the Mediterranean as it is the only regional structure that addresses the common challenges of the Mediterranean region. Minister Bartolo attended the sixth regional forum for the Mediterranean, organised by the Union for the Mediterranean ...

29th November 2021

Malta: Services industry leads recovery in Q3

26th November 2021

Malta: Deficit exceeds 1 Billion euro mark by end October

26th November 2021

Joint Malta Chamber and CBM seminar discusses the permanency of the current inflationary trends

Inflation has become extremely topical after many years of price stability within the Euro zone. “The bottlenecks created by the deep recession caused by the pandemic and the relatively quick recovery that followed, coupled with the pursuit of the twin transition of digitalisation and green economy has resulted in an acute concern on infl...

24th November 2021

Roberta Metsola secures EPP candidature for top European Parliament position

Nationalist MEP Roberta Metsola has been chosen among her centre-right EPP peers as the party's sole candidate for the election to the post of European Parliament President. She won the contest against Austrian MEP Othmar Karas, 63, and Dutch MEP Esther de Lange, 46. Metsola's victory was resounding, securing a strong 112 votes, with de Lang...

23rd November 2021

Malta: Food drags inflation upwards again

23rd November 2021

MFSA urges banks to be vigilant once COVID support measures are phased out

The Malta Financial Services Authority said that it was working closely with banks to ensure that they are able to recognise early warning signs of credit deterioration once COVID support measures are phased out. A number of measures were introduced by the Authorities to support the real economy but these could have masked credit risk problems ...

22nd November 2021

Economy is recovering, but risks remain – Central Bank

22nd November 2021

Malta: October brings strong decline in unemployment rate

In October, the number of persons registering for work stood at 1,254, decreasing by 1,860 when compared to the corresponding month in 2020. Data released today by the NSO, and provided by Jobsplus, indicates a year-on-year decrease of 1,750 persons registering under Part I, and an additional drop of 110 persons registering under Part II of the un...

20th November 2021

Fitch Affirms Malta At ‘A+’ Outlook Stable

Global credit rating agency Fitch has affirmed Malta's Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) at 'A+' with a Stable Outlook. The Stable Outlook reflects Fitch's expectation that GDP growth will recover and that debt will stabilise following the fiscal shock caused by the pandemic, supported by a strong revenue recovery. At t...

19th November 2021

12 with links to Maltese betting sites arrested in Sicily for online betting

Italian police on Thursday arrested 12 people in connection to a probe into allegedly illegal online betting in Sicily, judicial sources said. The allegedly illegal operation involved Maltese betting sites which did not have a license to operate in Italy, the sources said.The arrests were made in the provinces of Palermo, Ragusa, Messina, A...

18th November 2021

The Asset Recovery Bureau – a vital cog in Malta’s fight against financial crime

“Ensuring crime does not pay by denying and depriving persons of acquired criminal assets.” As the young team at Malta’s Asset Recovery Bureau’s set off for their working day from their Floriana building, the marble inscription of the ARB’s Vision is a constant reminder of their principal daily objective. This institution has only been set up f...

17th November 2021

Malta: Inflation doubles in one month, but remains lowest in EU

In October 2021, the annual rate of inflation as measured by the HICP was 1.4%, double the increase registered a month before (0.7%), figures published by the NSO today show. Despite this increase, Malta's inflation remained lowest in the euro area, below Portugal (1.8%), Finland and Greece (both 2.8%). The highest annual rates were recorded in Li...

16th November 2021

MGC Pharma to produce medication to treat inflammation caused by Covid-19 in Malta

A multi-million investment by MGC Pharma was inaugurated today during a ceremony to mark the company's decision to develop its facility in Malta. The 4 million investment was carried out at Ħal Far, where the company will be producing medication to treat inflammation caused by Covid-19 and other respiratory problems. Thanks to this 800m2 facili...

16th November 2021

One in five Maltese smokes daily, Eurostat finds

Almost one in five Maltese persons smoked daily, a Eurostat study has found. The prevalence of Maltese smokers is slightly above the European Union average. In 2019, 18.4% of the EU population aged 15 years or more reported that they were daily cigarette smokers. In fact, 12.6% of the EU population consumed fewer than 20 cigarettes per day, while ...

15th November 2021

New Legal Notice for Public Collections reduce burdens on administrators

After months of consultation with the Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector (MCVS) and voluntary organisations, the Office of the Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations (OCVO) have announced that amendments of the Legal Notices regarding PublicCollections and Charity Shops have been approved and published. In the words of the Commissioner f...

14th November 2021

Photo Story – Malta commemorates Remembrance Day

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13th November 2021

Tax amnesty to defaulters puts Malta’s efforts to fight tax crime at risk – MIA

The Malta Institute of Accountants has noted with disapproval the introduction of Legal Notice 419 of 2021, which allows taxpayers to offset tax payable on property transfers against their existing tax arrears. In a statement, the Institute said that this measure is tantamount to a tax amnesty and is a slap in the face to all professionals and ...

12th November 2021

EU sues Malta for incorrectly applying birds directive over finch trapping

BRUSSELS, Nov 12 (Reuters) - The European Commission said on Friday it was referring Malta to the Court of Justice of the European Union for incorrectly applying a derogation regime and authorising the trapping of protected finches for researpurposes. "The Birds Directive requires a general system of protection for wild birds and allows der...

12th November 2021

Businesses that honour their tax obligations are being discriminated against, Chamber says

The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry has expressed its opposition to a government decision to allow those having have tax arrears that were due by January 2021 to pay any tax due on the transfer of property purchased before March 2021 against their arrears and thereby be exempt from tax on property transfers to the extent that th...

12th November 2021

Malta: EC forecasts strong economic growth in 2022

Malta’s economy is set to see a robust recovery in 2021 and to continue on a stable growth path in 2022 and 2023, the European Economic Forecast for Autumn said. Growth is expected to be driven by a recovery in domestic demand with the contribution of net export turning positive in 2022 and 2023. Given the supportive fiscal policy stance, the gene...

10th November 2021

The Malta Chamber launches Rediscover – A New Vision for the Tourism Industry in Malta

Tourism Operators Business Section calls for industry renewal as it puts forth 125 recommendations. Today the Tourism Operators Business Section at The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry with the support of Seed, presented Rediscover, its vision for Malta’s tourism industry. President Ms Marisa Xuereb said, “The Malta Chamber re...

9th November 2021

Exports decline in first nine months of the year

Exports have continued to decline during the first nine months of the year, fresh NSO data revealed. During the first nine months of the year, the total trade in goods deficit widened by €430.7 million, when compared to the corresponding period of 2020, reaching €2,324.3 million. Imports increased by €352.8 million while exports decreased by €77.9...

8th November 2021

Libya and Malta concur on a process to unfreeze Libyans’ funds

The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Murad Hemima, on Friday, announced that an agreement with the Maltese government has been reached on a process to lift the freezing of Libyan citizens’ funds and permit them to transfer the previously frozen monies. Hemima added, in a press statement, that citizens’ frozen accounts are ...

6th November 2021

Photo Story – Russell Crowe re-takes ‘The Gladiator’ Coliseum entry during visit in Malta

Russel Crowe, the star of Ridley Scott’s Roman-era epic, Gladiator, filmed partly in Malta in 1999, is currently in Malta for the filming of Prizefighter, a film about boxer Jem Belcher. Cower was recently filming in Thailand. On Saturday, Crowe visited Malta's Fort Ricasoli, the original site which was used as the Coliseum for the epic '99 mo...

5th November 2021

Malta: Health workers behind increase in full-time employment

In May 2021, registered full-time employment increased by 2.6% while part-time employment as a primary job increased by 2.1% compared to the corresponding month in 2020. Administrative data provided by Jobsplus show that, over a period of one year, the labour supply (excluding part-timers) in May 2021 increased by 1.6%, reaching 239,376. This was ...

3rd November 2021

Protecting jobs and our planet are not conflicting objectives – MEA

SME National Forum 2021 brings together industrial, political and social leaders in discussing SMEs and Green Growth: The Journey Ahead “The protection of jobs and our planet should not be conflicting objectives. Without the planet, we will have no jobs. So we must learn to adapt, find the right balance and think long-term. Awareness, knowl...

3rd November 2021

Shopify plug-In Introduced To eCabs’ FastDrop Platform

As Shopify continues to establish itself as one of the most used eCommerce platforms in Malta by high-volume merchants, eCabs’ FastDrop has plugged the platform into its FastDrop app to make its merchant customers’ last mile deliveries even faster. “Automation is crucial for merchants who want to save time and cost on administration of deli...

2nd November 2021

BOV registers €46.5 million profit in first 9 months of 2021

Profit before Tax for the BOV Group for the third quarter of 2021 amounted to €20.6 million with profit before tax for the first nine months of 2021 totaling €46.5 million. This was announced during an online presentation to the media and leading stockbrokers by BOV Chairman Dr Gordon Cordina, Chief Executive Officer Rick Hunkin and Chief Finance ...

2nd November 2021

Hili Properties plc launches Initial Public Offering of 185 million ordinary shares

Hili Properties plc, the strategic real estate investment subsidiary of Hili Ventures, is launching an Initial Public Offering of more than 185 million ordinary shares having a nominal value of €0.20 per share on November 4. The shares will be listed on the Malta Stock Exchange. This Equity Issue, the proceeds of which are expected to amount to...

2nd November 2021

Council of Europe highlights risk of Maltese MPs holding second jobs

Following a visit to Malta from 25 to 27 October, the co-rapporteurs of the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) for a “periodic review” of the country, George Loukaides (Cyprus, UEL) and Bernard Fournier (France, EPP/CD), have welcomed the reforms implemented by the authorities to strengthen judic...

2nd November 2021

Medavia resumes Malta-Libya flights

Medavia airlines has announced the resumption of flights between Malta International Airport and Mitiga International Airport, as of this week, The Libya Herald reported. A vaccination certificate recognized by the European Medical Agency (EMA), 48 hours before the departure time is required for travel between Mitiga and Malta. The move ...

2nd November 2021

10% of people in Malta live in dark dwellings – Eurostat

Just under 10% of people in Malta, the third highest rate in the European Union, reported not having enough daylight in their dwelling, meaning their dwelling seemed too dark and was viewed as a problem for the household. Data published by Eurostat shows that across the bloc, some 5.9% of people reported similar conditions. The data update...

1st November 2021

High vaccination rates will make Malta and Portugal the safest places in Europe this winter – ECDC Director

Portugal and Malta will be the safest places in Europe this winter, according to the expert leading disease monitoring across the continent. In an interview with The Telegraph, Dr Bruno Ciancio, director of surveillance at the European Centre of Disease Control (ECDC), said most of western Europe will be hit with a new wave of coronav...

30th October 2021

Malta one of three European overachievers in Covid-19 vaccination drive – POLITICO

The fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic is breaking over Europe, with few countries being spared a worrying rise in cases. Comprehensive vaccination, it turns out, is necessary — but not sufficient — to contain the spread of the virus, which thrives in autumn and winter weather. Countries that had widely relaxed social-distancing restrictio...

Photo Story: Snow in Navarra, Spain

A photograph taken with a drone shows Colegiata de Roncesvalles, during a snowfall in Roncesval...
Oil rebounds more than $1/bbl after Saudi price hike

SINGAPORE, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Oil prices rose by more than $1 a barrel on Monday after top expor...
Nehammer to be sworn in as Austrian leader on Monday

Immigration hardliner Karl Nehammer will be sworn in as Austrian chancellor on Monday, the pres...
Outrage after U.S. congressman posts family Christmas picture with guns, days after school shooting

U.S. congressman on Saturday posted a Christmas picture of himself and what appeared to be his ...
Belarus laments repeated violations of airspace by Ukrainian aircraft

The Belarusian defence ministry said it had summoned Ukraine's military attaché to protest agai...