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PN’s Grech promises courageous decisions after re-election /Malta News Briefing – Sunday 29 May 2022

Morning Briefing Grech promises strong and courageous decisions after re-election Following his re-election as PN party leader, Bernard Grech said that he will be taking strong decisions in the interest of the country and the party.PN General Secretary Michael Piccinino described Bernard Grec...

Bernard Grech re-elected PN leader / News Briefing – Saturday 28 May 2022

Updated 1900 Bernard Grech was re-elected Nationalist Party leader on Saturday evening after garnering around 81% of the vote. Grech was uncontested in this election, which he was bound to call after an electoral defeat. Some 90% of the 1,564 party councillors turned up to vote. The President...

Three men denied bail on trafficking, prostitution charges / Malta News Briefing – Friday 27 May 2022

Updated 1745 - Newsportal Review The Times of Malta reports that a commuter was hit by a bus shortly after getting off another one in Sliema, in an incident that has been caught on camera. The video, which has been doing the rounds on social media, shows the 25-year-old coming down off the bus, ...

Being on Daphne inquiry board was ‘traumatic’ – former chief justice: / Malta News Briefing – Thursday 26 May 2022

Updated 1700 - Newsportal Review The Times of Malta leads with the story that a former senior gaming authority official and his wife have appeared in court charged with money laundering in connection to his work at the regulator. They were jointly charged with money laundering while Farrugia was...

Fisheries Parl Sec rejects conflict of interest claims /Malta News Briefing – Wednesday 25 May 2022

1745- Latest News update Times of Malta says The owner of a pitbull who is currently accused of involuntary homicide after his dogs mauled his elderly grandmother to death at her Msida home, has been cleared over separate charges of animal cruelty. MaltaToday says Malta’s indebted p...

Malta’s finances €388 million in the red after four months

By the end of April 2022, Government has already accumulated a deficit exceeding 388 million euro, data released by the NSO has shown. In the first four months of 2022, Recurrent Revenue amounted to €1,595.3 million, 16.5 per cent higher than the €1,369.7 million reported a year earlier. The lar...

Malta: Unemployment levels drop below 1,000

In April, the number of persons registering for work stood at 963 decreasing by 1,285 when compared to the corresponding month in 2021, the NSO said today. Data provided by Jobsplus for April 2022 indicate a year-on-year decrease of 1,200 persons registering under Part I, and an additional drop ...

Malta: Early school leavers drop by a half over a decade

The share of 'early school leavers,’ a term that refers to early leavers from education and training (aged 18-24), has steadily decreased in the EU over the last 10 years, from 13% in 2011 to 10% in 2021. Malta's early school leaving rate has practically been halved in this period, dropping from 21...

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: 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...

The Queen to take the salute from Buckingham Palace balcony for the first time in her 70 years of Trooping the Colour

The Queen is to take a salute from the balcony of Buckingham Palace for the first time in her 70 years of Trooping the Colour, in a compromise that will allow her to fulfil her Jubilee duties in comfort. The military event, which will open the Platinum Jubilee celebrations on Thursday, will ...

Fears of Iran-Israel escalation after assassination of Revolutionary Guard officer

The brazen daylight assassination of an Iranian military officer in Tehran a week ago has prompted calls for revenge and shined a spotlight on the ongoing shadow war being fought between the Islamic Republic and Israel. Col Hassan Sayyad Khodai was an officer in the Revolutionary Guard corps...

UPDATED: Clashes at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque before contested Israeli flag march

JERUSALEM, May 29 (Reuters) - Israeli police faced off with Palestinians holed up inside Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque on Sunday as hundreds of Jews visited the holy compound ahead of a contentious Jewish nationalist march through the heart of the Old City. The annual Jerusalem procession celeb...

UPDATED: Nepal plane missing with 22 people on board – officials

KATHMANDU, May 29 (Reuters) - A 43-year-old plane operated by a private airline in mountainous Nepal went missing on Sunday with 22 people on board, and officials said cloudy weather was preventing search helicopters from flying into the area of the flight's last known location. The Tara Air...

Sievierodonetsk under assault as Russian forces advance in east Ukraine

KYIV, May 29 (Reuters) - Russian forces have stepped up their assault on the Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk after claiming to have captured the nearby rail hub of Lyman, as Kyiv intensified calls for longer-range weapons from the West. Slow, solid Russian gains in recent days in...

27th May 2022

Malta’s finances €388 million in the red after four months

26th May 2022

National Lottery plc Unveils New Brand Identity To Replace Maltco Lotteries

National Lottery plc a subsidiary of the IZI Group today unveiled its corporate brand that will replace Maltco Lotteries. In a symbolic event organised at the Mdina Ditch, the company unveiled its plans to launch a lottery brand that is truly national and that above all a truly represents the Maltese and their deep-rooted connection with the N...

25th May 2022

Malta: Unemployment levels drop below 1,000

24th May 2022

Malta: Early school leavers drop by a half over a decade

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

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 tourists for business purposes. The largest share of...

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

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 being the major contributors to the overall level ...

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

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 cent do not afford to keep the home adequately warm i...

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...