morning headlines

Malta: 200 migrants stranded off Malta

Il-Mument reports that the government has received new calls for the disembarkation of migrants stranded at sea. A boat and a rescue ship are carrying more than 200 migrants between…

Read More Here

Malta: Health Ministry is managing postponed hospital appointments

The Independent on Sunday publishes an interview with Health Minister Chris Fearne who said that a transition team has been set up to oversee the rescheduling of hospital appointments that…

Read More Here

Malta: Real estate agents request aid

Illum says that property market has ground to a halt amid the Covid-19 emergency and reports that real estate agents are requesting support. The paper speaks to Agents Association chief…

Read More Here

Malta: Medical cannabis company ready to launch first product

Kullħadd says that a Malta-based Israeli company in the medicinal cannabis field is nearing the launch of its first product aimed at the European market. The product has been developed…

Read More Here

Malta: Clash at sea between AFM and migrant boat

The Times quotes migrant rescue support NGO Alarm Phone which said that AFM officers clashed with migrants stranded at sea on Thursday. A spokesperson for the army said she had…

Read More Here

Malta: Finance Minister says government prepared to help private sector

L-Orizzont speaks to Finance Minister Edward Scicluna following an EU summit that reached an agreement over a €500 billion aid package. Scicluna said that Malta now has the “go-ahead” by…

Read More Here

Malta: Confirmed cases rise to 350

The Independent reports 13 new cases of Covid-19 on Friday, now having reached 350 since the start of the spread. The paper says that most of the latest identified patients…

Read More Here

Malta: Maltese Covid-19 survivor shares experience

In-Nazzjon picks a public Facebook message posted by a patient who recovered from Covid-19 after battling it for more than a month. Martin Attard declared that he won over the…

Read More Here

Malta: Elderly woman dies of Covid-19

The Times leads with the death of a 92-year-old woman in Gozo on Wednesday afternoon, the first casualty linked to Covid-19. Health Minister Chris Fearne announced the loss and confirmed…

Read More Here

Malta: Air Malta to shed 108 pilots

The Malta Business Weekly announces that 108 Air Malta pilots have been made redundant after offers to accept a pay cut were rejected by the union representing them. Similar offers…

Read More Here

Malta: New-born among latest coronavirus patients

The Independent reports that a baby of one month has become the youngest Covid-19 patient in Malta. Six new cases were confirmed on Thursday by the Superintendent for Public Health,…

Read More Here

Malta: AFM officers to be paid for extra hours

L-Orizzont says that an agreement has been reached assuring Armed Forces officers that they will be remunerated for the added hours on duty during the coronavirus emergency. Negotiations were held…

Read More Here

Malta: Adrian Delia regrets death of first Covid-19 victim

In-Nazzjon says that PN Leader Adrian Delia expressed his condolences to the family of the first coronavirus victim who died in Gozo on Wednesday. Health authorities are appealing for people…

Read More Here

Malta: Air Malta cabin crew clash over salary offer

Malta Today says that members of the Union of Cabin Crew disagree over proposals by Air Malt to offer reduced salaries of €1,200. A section of employees is petitioning for…

Read More Here

Malta: Highest jump in Covid-19 cases in 24 hours

The Independent reports that the number of Covid-19 cases rose to 293 after the highest daily increase was registered on Tuesday with 52 confirmed patients. Health Minister Chris Fearne said…

Read More Here

Malta: Children told to leave country by Identity Malta

The Times reveals that Identity Malta is urging families with children on eviction notice to leave the country and continue their appeals from abroad. In December the agency wrote to…

Read More Here

Malta: Chamber of Commerce proposes new stimulus package

In-Nazzjon reports on a series of proposals by the Chamber of Commerce recommending a ‘stronger’ stimulus by the government to counter the socio-economic effects of the virus. The Chamber said…

Read More Here

Malta: New jobs found for redundant employees

L-Orizzont reports on a joint initiative by the General Workers Union, the government and the private sector that offered alternative occupation to 53 employees who were made redundant in the…

Read More Here

Malta: Gaming sector hit by the outbreak

The Independent speaks to the chairman of the iGaming European Network Enrico Bradamante who said that the outbreak will impact how the gaming sector will operate in the future. He…

Read More Here

Malta: 241 confirmed cases by Monday

In-Nazzjon says that the number of Covid-19 cases rose to 241 after another 14 people were registered with the disease on Monday. The paper says that authorities are looking for…

Read More Here

Malta: Maltese woman dies of Covid-19 in London

The Times leads with the death of a Maltese woman in London after she contracted the Covid-19 disease. The 77-year-old suffered from high blood pressure but was otherwise healthy and…

Read More Here

Malta: Birżebbuġa mayor supports open centre quarantine

L-Orizzont quotes Birżebbuġa mayor Joseph Farrugia who backed the government’s decision to quarantine the residents at the Ħal Far migrants’ centre after several cases of coronavirus were reported. L-Orizzont picks…

Read More Here

Malta: Migrants centre under quarantine

The Times says that the migrants’ open centre in Ħal Far has been placed under quarantine following eight reported cases of Covid-19 in that last days. Patients who tested positive…

Read More Here

Malta: Three people recover from Covid-19

L-Orizzont quotes Public Health Superintendent Charmaine Gauci who announced that another three Covid-19 patients recovered fully. This brings the number of recoveries to five since the start of the pandemic.…

Read More Here

Malta: Hunting season decision not discussed by Cabinet

The Independent says that the decision to open the hunting season on April 10 was not taken at a Cabinet meeting, which was scheduled to discuss the recommendation by the…

Read More Here

Malta: PN Leader says party is ready for future challenges

In-Nazzjon quotes PN Leader Adrian Delia who said that the reshuffle of the parliamentary group will allow the party to use all its resources to overcome the coronavirus situation and…

Read More Here

Malta: Air Malta qualifies for state aid

The Independent on Sunday quotes Economy Minister Silvio Schembri who said that the EU gave its approval to allow Malta to support the national airline directly, after relaxing state aid…

Read More Here

Malta: ALPA rejects pilots’ pay cuts until talks are held

Malta Today reveals that the Air Malta pilots’ union shot down offers to cut salaries to €1,200 every month. The union said that it is not prepared to discuss pay…

Read More Here

Malta: Nine in ten approve of health authorities’ crisis management

The Sunday Times publishes survey results showing an 89 percent approval rate of the handling of the Covis-19 situation by the health authorities. Just under 70 percent agree with the…

Read More Here

Malta: PN announces parliamentary group reshuffle

Il-Mument announces a reshuffle of the PN’s parliamentary group. Party Leader Adrian Delia said that new responsibilities for opposition MPs address both current and future challenges in Malta. Il-Mument reports…

Read More Here

Malta: Third-biggest coronavirus relief plan compared to GDP

Kullħadd says that Malta’s rescue package for business is the third-biggest in the EU in proportion to national GDP. The paper says that the European Commission accepted the government’s proposal…

Read More Here

Malta: Cabinet approves Venice Commission reform proposals

Illum says that the Cabinet approved a technical letter to the Venice Commission discussing seven reform proposals for the justice system. The government is expected to hold talks with the…

Read More Here

Malta: University professor says disease is most violent on the vulnerable

It-Torċa carries an interview with Professor Carmel Borg from the Education Faculty at the University of Malta. He says that the pandemic “has no social soul” and attacks the vulnerable…

Read More Here

Malta: Pre-fab hospital bidding to resume

The Times leads with a decision by the board overseeing the supply of a pre-fabricated hospital to go ahead with the bidding process after an investigation rejected claims that there…

Read More Here

Malta: Economy Minister issues warning on pricing abuse

The Independent speaks to Economy Minister Silvio Schembri who said that the government is prepared to intervene if price abuse persists. The minister said that “isolated cases” reported so far…

Read More Here

Malta: PN calls for government price fixing on basics

In-Nazzjon quotes a statement by the Nationalist Party condemning the ‘exploitation’ in rising food prices during the virus emergency. The party is urging the government to fix prices for basic…

Read More Here

Malta: Octogenarian says she survived catastrophe all her life

L-Orizzont carries the story of an 86-year-old woman who has survived tragic events such as the War War 2 bombings, several surgeries and, now, has successfully recovered from the Covid-19…

Read More Here

Malta: 34th in the world for virus cases

The Independent speaks to statistician Vincent Marmara who said that Malta currently ranks 34th in the world in the rate of coronavirus reproduction, with 444 cases per million registered by…

Read More Here

Malta: Second data leak by IT company in a week

The Times reports a second data leak by the same hosting company in a week. This time confidential details of clients of the law firm set up by parliamentary secretary…

Read More Here

Malta: PN requests urgent summit to discuss Hungary’s Orban

In-Nazzjon says that the Nationalist Party called for an urgent summit of the European People’s Party to discuss Hungarian member Fidesz after the country’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban imposed rule…

Read More Here

Malta: Lidl Safi customers take Covid-19 tests

L-Orizzont says that several customers who shopped at the Lidl supermarket in Safi around the days when an employee displayed symptoms have come forward to be tested, following appeals by…

Read More Here

Malta: Gaming sector under pressure

Business Today speaks to a Malta Gaming Authority representative who said that some companies in the gaming sector are facing severe challenges following the closure of land-based casinos and suspension…

Read More Here

Malta: Vodafone Malta acquisition completed

The Malta Business Weekly leads with the completion of the acquisition process of Vodafone Malta by Monaco Telecom for €250 million. The company said it will focus on driving network…

Read More Here

Malta: Massive voter-list leak

The Times says that a major data breach has been reported after a list of more than 330,000 voters and personal details that was originally compiled by the Labour Party…

Read More Here

Malta: Parliament agreement over new Chief Justice

In-Nazzjon says that the government and opposition reached an “historic” agreement in parliament over the next Chief Justice, Judge Mark Chetcuti. Opposition Leader Adrian Delia said that a similar accord…

Read More Here

Malta: Meat prices go up by 7 percent

L-Orizzont says that prices for meat products have increased by almost seven percent in the wake of the pandemic. The paper says that new international pressures on producers are driving…

Read More Here

Malta: Covid-19 cases increase to 188

The Independent reports that 19 new Covid-19 cases were registered on Wednesday, the joint-highest number with March 25. There have now been 188 cases, two patients have recovered while another…

Read More Here

Malta: Curbs on travel between Gozo and Malta

The Times says that travel between Malta and Gozo will be restricted to essential commutes from Friday. Gozo Minister Clin Caruana said that only people with a valid reason for…

Read More Here

Malta: Agriculture, fisheries adversely affected by the spread

The Independent speaks to Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Anton Refalo who said that the virus spread is having a negative impact on the sectors. Farmers and fishermen are feeling the…

Read More Here

Malta: Some hospital services to relocate to university

Malta Today reveals that Mater Dei hospital is mulling transferring some medical services such as physiotherapy to the University of Malta campus to make room for more COvid-19 patients in…

Read More Here

Malta: Caritas director worried about surge homelessness

L-Orizzont speaks to Caritas director Anthony Gatt who warned that the disease may increase the number of homeless people, particularly foreign workers whose job permits have not been renewed. The…

Read More Here

Malta: Consumer’s Authority warns about rising prices

In-Nazzjon says that the Consumers’ Authority noted an increase in prices across different products in the wake of the virus spread. The paper quotes Chamber of Commerce president David Xuereb…

Read More Here

Malta: Over 2,000 employers apply for aid on first day

The Times says that Malta Enterprise received some 2,200 applications for aid on the first day of the Covid-19 rescue scheme. The first applications cover around 6,600 employees and self-employed.…

Read More Here

Malta: Police call in the cavalry

In-Nazzjon says that mounted police will start patrolling busy areas from today to disperse people in groups of more than three. Exceptions are made for people queueing at public spaces…

Read More Here

Malta: Prof. Gauci warns that the curve is just starting to rise

The Independent quotes Public Health Superintendent Charmaine Gauci who warned that Malta is still at the beginning of the curve. She appealed to people who take the test to stay…

Read More Here

Malta: More than 9,000 repatriation requests received

L-Orizzont quotes Foreign Affairs Minister Evarist Bartolo who said that the government received over 9,000 requests for help with repatriation. Bartolo describes the current situation as the most difficult the…

Read More Here

Malta: 22 bids for pre-fab hospital

The Independent reports that 22 companies and consortia have shown interest in bidding for the government call for a pre-fabricated hospital. The highest bid is €29 million and the lowest…

Read More Here