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Malta to celebrate Republic Day with €2 million 50th anniversary event
Malta will celebrate its 50th anniversary as a republic in 2024 with a large-scale event costing at least €2 million, organised by Festivities Malta (FCN). The celebration will include a public contest for designing and producing a major event, along with an educational campaign to foster national pride. The anniversary will feature historical reflections, cultural celebrations, and an official ceremony at St. George’s Square, Valletta. The campaign aims to deepen understanding of Maltese history, promote civic engagement, and highlight the importance of Malta’s transition from monarchy to a democratic republic, emphasizing national identity and democratic principles.
Use pride as an opportunity to help LGBTIQ community, Graffitti urges government
Moviment Graffitti urged the government to use Pride Month as a chance to address unresolved issues facing the LGBTIQ community, beyond symbolic gestures. While Malta has made progress in LGBTIQ rights, challenges remain. The gender wellbeing clinic in Paola has faced long delays due to a lack of psychiatric services, forcing many to seek private care. Additionally, the government has yet to fulfill its promise to provide free PrEP and PEP medication for HIV prevention, despite Malta’s high infection rates. LGBTQ+ migrants and asylum seekers also face unsafe conditions, illegal detention, and difficulty accessing essential services. Graffitti emphasised that true pride comes from protecting the entire LGBTIQ+ community, calling for real action over political symbolism.
Malta’s property sales decline, promise of sale agreements rise
In August 2024, Malta recorded 957 final deeds of sale for residential properties, a 3.4% decrease compared to August 2023, with a total value of €264.4 million, down 5.1%. Of these, 92.6% involved individual buyers, mostly in the Northern Harbour and Northern districts. The most active localities were San Pawl Il-Baħar, Mosta, and Birkirkara. Apartments and garages accounted for the majority of sales. Additionally, 1,000 promise of sale agreements were registered, a 3.3% increase from August 2023. The Northern Harbour district had the highest number of agreements, with San Pawl Il-Baħar, Birkirkara, and Marsaskala leading among localities.
Morning Briefing
SME Chamber calls for corporate tax cut in budget
The Chamber of SMEs has called on the government to honour its 2022 electoral pledge to reduce corporate tax to 25% for local companies in the upcoming budget. This proposal forms part of a broader set of 18 recommendations aimed at boosting business growth, investment, and innovation. The Chamber highlighted that reducing corporate tax from 35% to 25% would encourage compliance and drive economic expansion. While both the Labour Party and the opposition had supported this tax reduction during the last general election, the Chamber expressed concern that, despite bipartisan support, the promise has yet to be fulfilled.
Warmer, wetter Summer reported
Malta’s Meteorological Office has published its report on the summer of 2024, revealing that the season was both warmer and wetter than usual. The summary, covering June, July, and August, sheds light on several significant weather patterns. The Met Office reported that total rainfall during the three-month period reached 17mm, exceeding the seasonal average by 1.4mm. This was mainly due to a particularly rainy day in August, when 13.2mm fell on the 22nd, pushing the month’s total to 3.5mm above the norm and influencing the overall summer figures. June also contributed to the seasonal rainfall, with 3.8mm recorded, offering a brief break from the typically dry summer. (Maltatoday)
Former wide, son of Vitals secret shareholder charged with money laundering
The first wife and a son of Shaukat Ali Chaudhry, the secret major shareholder of Vitals Global Healthcare, on Thursday pleaded not guilty to money laundering and a series of charges over their alleged involvement in the fraudulent hospitals deal. Pakistani-born Fakhra Shaukat Ali, 68, and her son Wajid Shaukat Ali, 38 were charged with money laundering, trading in influence, fraud, bribery and corruption. Prosecutors allege the family profited illegally from the hospitals deal, using Ali-controlled companies Mount Everest FZ LLC and Global Assets Holdings to do so. Last month Magistrate Rachel Montebello ruled there was enough prima facie grounds to commit Shaukat Ali Chaudhry and his current wife Shaukat Aasia Parveen to trial on indictment on similar charges. (Times of Malta)
