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Malta News Briefing – Sunday 22 May 2022

Morning Briefing PM sees bank account grow by €45kDespite taking a significant income reduction when he left his legal profession to become prime minister, Robert Abela's bank accounts increased by €45,000 last year, The Times of Malta revealed. If Abela's €63,000 salary as prime minister is his...

Govt announces 500k scheme to support printed newspapers / Malta News Briefing – Saturday 21 May 2022

Updated 1215 Govt announces 500k scheme to support printed newspapersPrinted newspapers will be benefiting from a €500,000 government to cushion the impact of a hike in printing and paper prices due to the war in Ukraine.In a statement, the government said Maltese printed journalism had been “im...

Russians top Malta’s new citizens list / Malta News Briefing – Friday 20 May 2022

1745- Latest News update Times of Malta says the victim of a Gozo murder went to the Marsalforn apartment where he was killed to fight and settle a long-standing issue with the man accused of stabbing him to death, a police inspector said on Friday. MaltaToday says Agriculture minister Anton ...

Malta News Briefing – Thursday 19 May 2022

1745- Latest News update Times of Malta says Agriculture Minister Anton Refalo could not give a timeline on a long-promised zoo legislation, even as a new national strategy for animal welfare was opened for consultation on Thursday. MaltaToday says the Maltese government will be dep...

Major parties reveal no major donations / Malta News Briefing – Wednesday 18 May 2022

Updated 1230 Inflation edges further up In April 2022, the annual rate of inflation as measured by the HICP edged up further, reaching 5.4%, up from 4.5% March. As a result, the 12-month moving average rate for April stood at 2.1%. The highest annual inflation rates in April 2022 were record...

Malta: Domestic demand fuel economic growth, exports’ contribution marginal – CBM

Domestic demand was the main driver behind GDP growth during the last three months of 2021, the CBM has found. In its quarterly review, it said that the contribution of net exports, while positive, was marginal. Sector data show that the expansion was primarily driven by the services sector, esp...

Malta: Food prices drive inflation levels above 5%

In April 2022, the annual rate of inflation as measured by the HICP edged up further, reaching 5.4%, up from 4.5% March, the NSO said. As a result, the 12-month moving average rate for April stood at 2.1%. The highest annual inflation rates in April 2022 were recorded in Food and non-alcoholic ...

Malta: French, German and Italian tourists push tourism upwards in March

Total inbound tourists for March 2022 were estimated at 110,938, while total nights spent amounted to 739,194, the NSO said today, signalling the best March in three years. During the month under review, a total of 95,395 inbound tourists visited Malta for holiday purposes, followed by 8,562 touris...

Unemployment: Jobless rate stable at 3% in March

The unemployment rate for March 2022 stood at 3.0 per cent, declining by 0.1 percentage points when compared with the previous month and by 0.8 percentage points from March 2021. During March 2022, the number of unemployed persons was 8,660, with the unemployed males and the 25 to 74 age group ...

33% of Maltese households cant afford one-week annual holidays

33.1 per cent of the surveyed population stated that their household could not afford to pay for a one-week annual holiday away from home. Furthermore, 15.7 per cent declared that their household would not be able to settle an unexpected financial expense of €770 and over. Moreover, 7.8 per cen...

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...

In Japan, Biden to launch economic plan for region sceptical on benefits

TOKYO, May 22 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden headed to Japan on Sunday to launch a plan for greater U.S. economic engagement with the Indo-Pacific, facing criticism even before the programme is announced that it will offer scant benefit to countries in the region. On the second leg of his first...

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine enters fourth month

(Reuters) - Russia heads into the fourth month of its invasion of Ukraine on Tuesday with no end in sight to the fighting that has killed thousands, uprooted millions and reduced cities to rubble. After abandoning its assault on the capital, Kyiv, Russia is pressing on in the east and south in t...

As Russia intensifies push for Donbas, Ukraine rules out ceasefire

KYIV/OSLO, May 21 (Reuters) - Ukraine ruled out a ceasefire or concessions to Moscow on Saturday as Russia intensified an offensive in the eastern Donbas region and stopped providing gas to Finland. After ending weeks of resistance by the last Ukrainian fighters in the strategic southe...

As Italy marks 30th anniversary of anti-Mafia magistrate’s murder, two-thirds of Italians consider Falcone a hero

Two-thirds of Italian people consider Giovanni Falcone a hero who went above and beyond his duties as a servant to the State, according to an IPSOS poll released ahead of the 30th anniversary of the anti-mafia prosecutor's murder by Cosa Nostra in the the Capaci bomb attack in 1992. Over hal...

WHO working on more monkeypox guidance as cases rise – senior adviser

LONDON, May 21 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization is working on further guidance for countries on how to mitigate the spread of monkeypox, amid concerns cases could spike further in the summer months, a senior adviser for the U.N. agency told Reuters. The WHO's working theory ba...

19th May 2022

MDB launches first support measure as part of a package in response to Ukraine crisis

First measure seeks to ensure security of supply of grains – further measures to be introduced in the coming weeks The Malta Development Bank has launched the MDB Subsidised Loans Scheme following the approval of the European Commission under the Temporary Crisis Framework for State Aid. This support measure is intended to ensure the security o...

19th May 2022

EU to take Malta to court on higher taxes on imported cars

The European Commission has today decided to refer Malta to the Court of Justice of the European Union for taxing used cars imported from other Member States more heavily than used cars purchased on the Maltese market. In the absence of harmonisation of car taxes, each Member State can arrange its tax measures in accordance with its own assessm...

18th May 2022

Malta: Domestic demand fuel economic growth, exports’ contribution marginal – CBM

18th May 2022

GO plc Announces Appointment Of New Chairman

GO plc today announced the appointment of Mr Lassaad Ben Dhiab as Chairman of the Company with immediate effect. Mr Ben Dhiab has been an active Board Member of GO plc since May 2019. Commenting on his appointment, Mr Ben Dhiab said, “I am very proud to assume this new position at GO plc. I have worked alongside the Board for the past three...

18th May 2022

Malta: Food prices drive inflation levels above 5%

18th May 2022

IZI Finance plc celebrates bond listing with MSE bell ringing ceremony, €30 million bond issue fully subscribed

IZI Finance plc celebrated the listing of its €30,000,000, 4.25% unsecured bond listing, with the traditional bell ringing ceremony event held at the Malta Stock Exchange. In his welcome speech, Malta Stock Exchange Executive Chairman, Joseph Portelli, congratulated IZI Finance plc on their success of their bond issue noting how a string of...

14th May 2022

3.7 magnitude earthquake recorded near Malta

A 3.7 magnitude earthquake was registered in the Central Mediterranean region on the west to Malta. The earthquake was also recorded by the Maltese University's Seismic Monitoring and Research centre. The was recorded at 12.40pm.

14th May 2022

Fitch affirms Malta at ‘A+’; outlook stable

Fitch Ratings - Frankfurt am Main - FitchRatings has affirmed Malta's Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) at 'A+' with a Stable Outlook. Malta's rating is supported by high per-capita income levels, a large net external creditor position and a pre-pandemic record of strong growth and sizeable debt reduction. These strengths are ...

13th May 2022

Blue Skills Brought to the Fore in Conference held by Malta Maritime Forum and Westmed National Hub for Malta on European Maritime Day

Today, the Malta Maritime Forum in collaboration with the organised an event entitled “Blue Skills: Bridging the Skills Gap through Education and Ocean Literacy”. Through the partnership between the MMF and the Westmed initiative, the event was successful in bringing together the views of the captains of industry and academia who identified ski...

13th May 2022

Malta retains top spot for ‘Rainbow Europe’ rights

A new dynamic has emerged in protecting the rights of the LGBTQ+ communities across Europe, but significant difficulties remain and youngsters are particularly vulnerable, activists said. Malta retained its top spot on the "Rainbow Europe" for 2022 for respect of human rights and full equality, while Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia and Armenia w...

10th May 2022

McDonald’s becomes Malta’s first Autism Friendly Restaurant

McDonald’s becomes the first restaurant in Malta to be accredited with the Autism Friendly Label with its new Quiet Space @ McDonald’s, a room at its Malta International Airport restaurant designed to meet the sensory needs of people on the Spectrum. The room’s design is a collaboration with Prisms Malta and the Autism Parents Association, and ...

10th May 2022

More than 700 firms secure financial backing through the Malta Development Bank

Since the inception of the Malta Development Bank (MDB), more than 700 firms in Malta and Gozo, across the economic spectrum, have secured over €600 million in guarantees and loans backed by the MDB, a significant figure reflecting almost 14% of all outstanding business loans in Malta. These figures were disclosed in MDB’s 2021 Annual Report, tabl...

6th May 2022

Malta: French, German and Italian tourists push tourism upwards in March

3rd May 2022

EP greenlights George Hyzler’s Court of Auditors Nomination

The European Parliament has endorsed the nominations of George Hyzler for Malta Lefteris Christoforou for Cyprus and to the European Court of Auditors. Mr Hyzler was supported by 551 votes to 45 and 33 abstentions, Mr Christoforou by 549 votes to 69 and 11 abstentions. Nationalist MEP David Casa expressed his satisfaction for the strong vote...

30th April 2022

MDB supporting SMEs through new schemes

Following the European Commission’s announcement of the approval of MDB’s Guaranteed Co-Lending Scheme (GCLS) under the COVID-19 Temporary Framework for State Aid, the MDB has also received a positive opinion by the State Aid Monitoring Board on the GCLS under the De Minimis and GBER state aid regimes. Multiple state aid regimes allow additional f...

28th April 2022

Unemployment: Jobless rate stable at 3% in March

28th April 2022

EBO, KPMG Cyprus Announce Strategic Partnership

EBO, a leader in customer engagement automation that empowers enterprises through AI technology enters into a strategic partnership with KPMG Cyprus, a leader in Management Consulting & Technology Advisory services offering assistance to organisations by identifying and solving the challenges that stand in the way of their growth and excellenc...

28th April 2022

87.5% of Maltese Use Internet, 85% Access Social Networks At Least Once A Day

As the usage of internet nudges further upwards in Malta, reaching 87.5% according to data published by the National Statistics Office, usage of online social networks increases as well. Of those that have access to internet, 95% browse the internet and 85% access online social networks at least once a day. Misco has just published the results ...

26th April 2022

33% of Maltese households cant afford one-week annual holidays

22nd April 2022

Malta: Government deficit reaches 8% in 2021

In 2021, the General Government registered a deficit of €1,161.7 million, equivalent to 8.0 per cent of GDP. The General Government debt amounted to €8,284.4 million or 57.0 per cent of GDP, the NSO said today. The deficit of General Government for 2021 amounted to €1,161.7 million, an improvement of €76.0 million over the deficit recorded in t...

20th April 2022

Malta registers increase in FDI in 2021

As at the end of 2021, the Maltese economy recorded a net international investment position of €7.7 billion, the NSO reported today. When compared to the figures recorded at the end of 2020, total foreign assets increased by €10.4 billion in 2021 while total foreign liabilities increased by €10.6 billion, resulting in an overall decrease in the...

16th April 2022

UPDATE – Merchant fuel ship heading to Malta sinks off Tunisia

TUNIS (Reuters/AFP) - A merchant fuel ship heading from Equatorial Guinea to Malta sank off the coast of Gabes in Tunisia on Friday, two security sources told Reuters, adding that the navy rescued all seven crew members. The ship carried one thousand tons of fuel and sent a distress call seven miles away from Gabes to which the Tunisian navy re...

13th April 2022

More than 1m people travel between Malta and Gozo in first three months of 2022

During the first quarter of 2022, sea transport between Malta and Gozo registered increases in trips, passengers and vehicles when compared to the corresponding quarter of 2021, the NSO said today. Between January and March 2022, a total of 9,402 trips were carried out, carrying a total of 1,029,237 passengers. March was the busiest month recor...

11th April 2022

Malta: Slight increase in property sales in first three months of 2022, but promises of sale collapse

In the first quarter of 2022, 3,373 final deeds of sale were registered, an annual increase of 2.9 per cent, the NSO said today. The value of the deeds registered during this period rose by 8.9 per cent over the same quarter of the previous year and amounted to €736.1 million. With regard to the region the property is situated in, the highest n...

9th April 2022

Connecting With The Pope, Also Thanks To GO’s TrueFibre; GO network supported complex security and surveillance requirements

Pope Francis’ visit required complex and detailed planning to meet the high security expectations and connectivity requirements in the multiple sites that he visited, as well as to support the data-heavy TV and online broadcasts necessitated by media houses. GO who was in fact entrusted with the deployment of TrueFibre services to suppo...

6th April 2022

UPDATED: EU steps up legal action against Malta over passport scheme

Malta rebuffed EU calls to stop selling citizenship on Wednesday, telling the European Commission that the granting of citizenship falls within the national competence of a member state "and it should remain as such". The Mediterranean island's reaction came after the European Commission said it had issued a "reasoned opinion" spelling out ...

6th April 2022

Ship with possible Malta link hit by missile in Mariupol

A foreign-flagged merchant ship was hit by a Russian navy missile in the besieged southern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol with one crew member needing medical care, a Ukrainian official said. Ukraine said it was bracing for about 60,000 Russian reservists to be called in to reinforce Moscow’s offensive in the east, where Russia’s main targ...

5th April 2022

Malta: Significant drop in unemployment in pre-election month

In February, the number of persons registering for work stood at 1,125, the NSO said today. This figure means that persons looking for work decreased by 1,460 when compared to the corresponding month in 2021. Data provided by Jobsplus for February 2022 indicate a year-on-year decrease of 1,386 persons registering under Part I, and an additional...

3rd April 2022

Ship fuel suppliers stop serving Russian vessels in the Mediterranean, Malta not allowing any Russian ships to come to its ports

Marine fuel sellers have stopped serving vessels flying the Russian flag at major European hubs including Spain and Malta in another blow to Moscow's exports, five industry sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. Losing access to refuelling points in the Mediterranean Sea poses major logistical problems for Russian oil tankers go...

3rd April 2022

Update: In Malta, Pope Francis condemns sacrilegious war in Ukraine

Update: Pope Francis met with migrants at the ''John XXIII Peace Lab'' Centre for Migrants in Hal Far, Malta. In his speech, the Pope urged the faithful to “respond to the challenge of migrants and refugees with kindness and humanity,” expressing the hope that Malta will always offer safe harbour to those who land on its shores. Pope Francis also ...

2nd April 2022

Update – You are a treasure to the Church – Pope Francis in Maltese island of Gozo

EPA / Reuters / Vatican News / CDE News - Pope Francis led a prayer meeting outside the Ta' Pinu shrine in Gozo. During the session the Pope highlighted the importance of faith during difficult times. He also referred to the witness of faith in Gozo stating that it is a treasure of the Church. He said that we need to go back to the core of the ch...

30th March 2022

Malta: Government ends 2021 with €1.24bn deficit

The public purse has ended the year 2021 with a deficit of 1.24 billion euro, the NSO reported today. Compared to the same period in 2020, there was a decrease in deficit of €225.7 million. This difference mirrors an increase in total Recurrent Revenue (€1,005.2 million), partially offset by a rise in total expenditure, consisting of Recurrent...

28th March 2022

Malta: Unemployment stable in February

Unemployment remained stable in February, at 3.1%, on par with January. This figure reflects some 8,874 persons looking for work, the NSO said today. Young people continue to constitute a signfificant chunk of this figure, with 2,841 of the above being younger than 25 years. In its Winter forecast, the EU is forecasting unemployment this yea...

25th March 2022

Malta: Deficit narrows as pandemic assistance is scaled back

Malta's deficit narrowed in the first two months of the year, as assistance related to the pandemic was scaled back. The difference between total revenue and expenditure resulted in a deficit of €80.7 million being reported in the Government’s Consolidated Fund at the end of February 2022. Compared to the same period in 2021, there was a decrease ...

25th March 2022

160 million euro seized from illegal betting ring in Catania with Maltese links

Italian anti-mafia police on Thursday seized 160 million euros in assets from an alleged illegal betting ring based in Catania that operated internationally, police said.The assets were seized from two people in the operation code named Doppio Gioco (Double Cross) led by the Italian Guardia di Finanza .The men, Francesco Catacchio and Antonio ...

22nd March 2022

BOV announces €80m profit but no dividend for shareholders

The Bank of Valletta Group reported a profit before tax of €80.7 million for the financial year ending 31 December 2021. The Group’s results were announced by BOV Chairman Dr Gordon Cordina and Chief Executive Officer Rick Hunkin through an online press conference. In a statement, BOV said that the underlying operating performance of the Ban...

19th March 2022

UPDATE – Rescue operation on as chemical tanker is dragged across the waves off Malta’s coast

Chemical tanker Chem P was caught in very rough seas and dragged across the waves on Malta’s eastern coast off Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq coast in Malta on Saturday morning. Transport Malta officers at the scene explained that the two tug boats would be used to pull the tanker further offshore, away from coastal rocks that could cause it to run aground.&...

18th March 2022

GO Takes IoT to new Heights With leap Into Green Technology

GO announced its acquisition of a majority shareholding in Sens Innovation Group Limited (SENS) for an initial €1 million investment, with the potential to increase to approximately €3 million. SENS is an energy management company that leverages proprietary IOT based technology to reduce energy consumption and associated costs for comme...

17th March 2022

Malta: Food inflation hits 8.4% in February

Inflation continued to edge up in February, moving to 4.2% up from 4.1 per cent in January 2022. A monthly comparison of inflationary components shows that the largest upward impact on annual inflation was measured in the Food and non-alcoholic beverages Index, with a 1.5% increase, NSO data shows. When such analysis considers yearly differ...

16th March 2022

EU tourism surges back in December, Malta and Hungary were the most impacted by the pandemic – Eurostat

Tourists in the European Union more than tripled the nights they spent in short-stay accommodation in December compared with a year earlier, the EU's statistics office said on Monday, though levels remained well below pre-pandemic norms. The nights spent in EU short-stay tourist accommodation surged 237% to 102.2 million nights in December ...

AC Milan win first Serie A title in 11 years after final-day victory at Sassuolo

SASSUOLO, Italy (Reuters) -AC Milan clinched their first Italian Serie A title in 11 years after ea...
Man City fight back to beat Villa and win Premier League title

Manchester City won their fourth Premier League title in five years on Sunday but nearly let the tr...
Verstappen takes F1 lead with win in Spain, agony for Leclerc

BARCELONA (Reuters) – Formula One world champion Max Verstappen won the Spanish Grand Prix in a Red...
New French foreign minister Catherine Colonna was French Ambassador to Britain

Catherine Colonna, France's ambassador to Britain and former spokesperson for President Jacques...
Post-infection vaccination may reduce long COVID

Vaccination after infection with SARS-CoV-2 may contribute to a reduction in the burden of long...