This is his second Budget reaction since being appointed leader of the Nationalist Party, and he is expected to outline his gripes with the Budget announced last Monday and to offer several proposals for the country’s economy

Follow his speech live below:

In a statement endorsed by several civil society organisations, the association said the acquittal had revived the fear experienced by Black people following Cisse's killing in April 2019.

Cisse, a 42-year-old Ivorian father of two, was shot dead while walking home in Malta on April 6, 2019. Two other African men were shot and injured during the same evening.

The association said Cisse had not known his attackers and had done nothing to provoke them. The arrest of two Armed Forces of Malta soldiers weeks later had raised the possibility that he had been killed because of his skin colour.

It recalled the condemnation expressed by Malta's political leaders at the time, including then Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and President George Vella, who had warned against hatred, racism and xenophobia.

"Seven years later, that fear has returned," the statement said.

On November 1, 2026, a jury acquitted Scicluna of Cisse's murder and the attempted murders of three other African men. He was convicted of grievously injuring one of them and driving without registration plates.

The association said it respected the independence of the judiciary and the principle that guilt must be proven beyond reasonable doubt, while noting that separate proceedings against Francesco Fenech remain pending.

However, it highlighted testimony in which Scicluna admitted that he and his companions used to drive around Hal Far looking for Black people to harass.

The association said the evidence pointed to a pattern of intimidation and violence against people who had done nothing to their attackers, raising concerns extending beyond the trial's outcome.

It also questioned the effectiveness of measures introduced following Cisse's murder.

In October 2019, a dedicated Hate Crime and Speech Unit was established to support victims of racially motivated offences and other forms of hatred.

One of the association's members had supported survivors Mohammed Jallow, Ibrahim Bah and May Malimi, accompanying them to the unit in Valletta.

The statement noted that the unit was subsequently absorbed into the Victim Support Agency. It also referred to the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance's 2026 report on Malta, which expressed concern that the reorganisation had removed the unit's explicit responsibility for collecting hate-crime data.

The association called for a dedicated mechanism to be restored and for hate-crime statistics to be regularly published.

It further questioned the transparency of an internal AFM inquiry launched in 2019 to examine whether the alleged conduct of the soldiers reflected wider racism within the military.

The inquiry, based on interviews with nearly 300 personnel, reportedly found no evidence of racial hatred or intolerance. However, its full report was never made public.

The association asked whether recommendations for additional screening, education and specialised training had been fully implemented.

"We are not asking for special protection. We are asking for the same protection, dignity and security that every other person in Malta is entitled to expect," it said.

It called on political leaders, law enforcement agencies and public authorities to address racist violence with seriousness and transparency, while ensuring that Cisse's memory does not fade.

"Lassan Cisse was a human being. A father. A member of our community. His death must never become just another closed chapter in Malta's history," the statement said.

The statement was endorsed by organisations including Aditus Foundation, the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation, Kopin, Moviment Graffitti, Repubblika, the Migrants Commission of the Archdiocese of Malta, the Institute of Maltese Journalists and the Women's Rights Foundation, among others.

Inspector Kurt Colombo Zahra continued testifying in the compilation of evidence against Cassar on Monday.

Cassar, 47, stands accused of murdering his mother, Mary Grace Cassar, and attempting to murder his 74-year-old father at their Mqabba residence. He faces nine charges, including grievously injuring his father, threats and violence, heroin possession and breaching court orders. He is pleading not guilty.

Cassar was formally interrogated on 17 October at 1:11pm in the police audiovisual room by Zahra, Inspector Colin Sheldon and police officer André Mifsud. Before questioning, Cassar was again informed of his legal rights but declined legal representation, signing a declaration confirming his refusal.

Cassar repeatedly claimed that he could not remember details of the alleged killings. He told investigators that he had been under the influence of cocaine and insisted that he was "not the kind of person who would do such a thing".

Although he indicated that he had much to say, Cassar was reluctant to discuss what had happened to his parents.

Instead, he spoke about how his parents had allegedly ruined his life over the previous 14 years, before repeatedly turning the conversation towards the €7,000 he claimed had been stolen by a woman he had been dating.

Cassar told investigators that he had given mother €2,000, not €7,000.

Investigators also referred to a Facebook post published by Cassar in which he threatened to attack the woman with a chaser. When questioned about the post, Cassar told investigators: "If I wanted to find her, I knew where to find her."

Investigators also confronted him with a voice message sent to partner, warning her not to go to the family residence because his mother was dead. Cassar acknowledged sending messages to several people, including relatives, but continued to maintain that he could not recall the alleged attack.

The inspector said Cassar did not express remorse during the questioning.

Defence questions accused's mental state during negotiations

During cross-examination, defence lawyer Matthew Xuereb questioned Inspector Kurt Colombo Zahra extensively about Cassar's behaviour during the crisis negotiations preceding his arrest.

Zahra confirmed that Cassar had been highly agitated, was not behaving rationally and frequently shifted between unrelated subjects, making it difficult to maintain a coherent conversation.

The defence also questioned whether Cassar appeared emotionally distressed. Zahra replied that he had detected more anger than hurt in his behaviour.

Zahra confirmed that during the negotiations, Cassar had voluntarily declared that he had killed both his mother and father. However, the inspector insisted that his role at that stage was to stabilise the situation and secure a peaceful surrender, rather than conduct an interrogation. He maintained that he had deliberately refrained from asking potentially incriminating questions and that Cassar's statements about the alleged killings had been made voluntarily.

Zahra also established that approximately three video calls had taken place between the police and Cassar on the night of his arrest. He confirmed that the calls had not been formally recorded and said he did not know whether police body cameras had captured them.

Defence raises doubts on accused's mental state during interrogation

Xuereb also questioned whether Cassar had been medically fit to undergo interrogation following his hospitalisation. The defence referred to a psychiatric certificate describing Cassar as being in a stable mental state, not agitated and free from psychotic symptoms.

However, the certificate expressly stated that it was not a fitness-to-plead certificate.

Zahra explained that the certificate did not determine whether Cassar was fit to plead, an issue which could become relevant if an insanity plea were raised.

A separate certificate issued by Anthony Falzon stated also that Cassar was fit to remain in police custody.

The inspector said he had relied on the two medical assessments in concluding that Cassar could be interrogated.

Xuereb questioned whether investigators had established what medication or treatment Cassar had received while hospitalised. Zahra acknowledged that he did not know exactly what medication had been administered.

Asked whether Cassar could have been sedated or in a state of shock, Zahra said he could not rule out sedation but did not personally believe the accused had been in shock. He maintained that medical doctors would be better placed to determine his condition.

The defence also questioned Zahra about items recovered during a search at Cassar's residence. Asked whether police had found medication, Zahra said they found foil and other items associated with drug use.

Zahra confirmed that Cassar eventually emerged voluntarily from the property where he had barricaded himself, raising his hands and lowering his shorts to demonstrate that he was not carrying a weapon.

Although he cooperated with his arrest, the inspector said Cassar remained agitated and repeatedly requested a cigarette. Zahra placed a cigarette in his mouth, which another officer lit for him.

The inspector explained that Cassar was subsequently taken to Mater Dei Hospital after emergency doctors expressed concern about the possibility of a heart attack.

Police had been searching for Cassar before alleged killings

During cross-examination, Xuereb questioned Zahra about a domestic violence report filed by Cassar's estranged wife, Rosalie Cassar, on 14 October. Zahra confirmed that police had been actively searching for Cassar and had attempted to locate him on the morning of 15 October.

However, Attorney General lawyer Kaylie Bonett objected to the line of questioning, arguing that the proceedings concerned the homicide rather than the separate domestic violence report. Zahra clarified that he was not responsible for that investigation. Asked whether Cassar had been aware of the domestic violence report before the alleged killings, Zahra confirmed that the accused had learned of it when he contacted Rosalie using his mother's mobile phone.

The prosecution is being led by Inspectors Colin Sheldon and Kurt Colombo Zahra, assisted by Attorney General lawyer Kaylie Bonett.

Defence lawyer Matthew Xuereb is representing Cassar.

Magistrate Ingrid Bianco is presiding over the case.

In an interview with this newspaper, Zarb, the mother of a son with Down syndrome, was asked how she reconciles her support for IVF expansion with her advocacy for disability rights, after the Malta Federation of Organisations of Persons with Disability warned that extending pre-implantation genetic testing for monogenic disorders (PGT-M) to 17 additional conditions risks sending the message that some lives are more valuable than others.

"I don't see them as different," Zarb said. She framed PGT-M as an opportunity for parents who had been confronted with serious hereditary conditions and who had previously been denied it. She said she respected the federation and understood its concern, describing it as an effort to bring the voices of people with disability forward.

She stressed that PGT-M is offered only to people who are already going through IVF and who have serious hereditary conditions. It is not handed out freely, she said, and parents are given information, with the choice always remaining theirs. Some of those parents may already have been pregnant and lost a baby, she said, while others carry a genetic or hereditary condition and do not want to pass it on because they have seen at first-hand what it can mean. The list of conditions, she added, is not completely open.

Zarb said she would never go against the rights of people born with a disability. Therapies, benefits and forms of assistance would remain in place, she said, and every life carries the same dignity and deserves the same respect. As the parent of a child with Down syndrome, she said, if anyone suggested she change him, her answer would be no.

The subject is a painful one for her, she said, and she is hurt by some of the arguments raised in the debate, including those about the "perfect baby". She said she speaks about PGT-M because she knows some people would otherwise go abroad, and she would rather they did so in Malta, where they are safeguarded.

While respecting the federation's position, she said the progress being made could not be withheld from the families it affects. The two conversations should run in parallel, she said, with the aim of a fruitful outcome. Scientific progress and moral values should not be in conflict, she added, because the focus is on the person.

On the government's pledge, announced during the election campaign at an event at which she also spoke, to provide a €1,000 annual allowance for disabled persons aged 18 to 23 to cover therapy costs, Zarb rejected the suggestion that it is merely symbolic. She called it support. Whether it was enough, she said, was a different matter, because no matter how much is done in this sector it will never be enough. When the scheme began there was nothing, she said, and the amount has grown considerably over time. She added that people with disabilities also receive other benefits alongside the allowance.

Asked where Malta is still falling short, whether on housing, transport or employment, Zarb did not single out any of the three. She pointed instead to the personal autonomy reform, which came into force earlier this year and which she said gives people with disabilities the chance to take decisions for themselves and to be more included in society. That, she said, is where the work should now focus, and it is the change she most wants to see when it comes to human rights. She said parents tell her a great deal has been done and that they appreciate it.

She identified a further challenge where work-life balance and disability intersect. Parents who must fit their children's therapies around their jobs face one set of pressures, she said, while workers with disabilities who must attend their own therapies face another, and the government needs to push further on both.

Asked whether government services were enough, Zarb said they were not. Services have grown and the government has added to them, she said, but families always need something extra. She pointed to the development of Sapport and its programmes, as well as to job-coaching to help young people with disabilities enter the workforce and incentives to companies that employ them.

She distinguished between equality and equity. Inclusion, she said, means removing the obstacles that stand in people's way. Where Malta once spoke in terms of equality, it now needs to focus on equity, so that everyone is given the same opportunity and, if they meet a hurdle because of a disability, a way is found to remove it.

Zarb said she believes her strength in Parliament lies in being relatable as a mother of a child with a disability. She spoke about the fear parents experience when a child is born with a disability, describing it as a fear of the unknown. She said she wished someone had been able to show her, even for a split second, what life would look like two years later, as it would have made those two years much easier to navigate. The professionals who surround families, she said, become friends who point them in a direction that removes the fear.

She called for greater peer support for parents of children with disabilities. While some support is already available, including through the Down Syndrome Association, which allows parents to share their experiences, she said joining such groups can take time and that more support is needed.

She also cited free childcare as an example of policy aimed at work-life balance. Reading an online comment that childcare should not be free, she said, her immediate reaction was "no way": it was a Labour government that introduced it, she said, and kept it going at considerable cost.

Asked whether the government's record on minorities has been consistent, as she has framed IVF and the extension of adoption rights to same-sex couples as being about not leaving a minority invisible, Zarb said she saw a consistent thread. The government had always recognised minorities, she said, citing the extension of the medicines formulary, and where she saw shortcomings she tried to find a solution. Malta, she added, had also moved forward in areas such as LGBTQ+ rights.

"So we're facing 2027 where we have much higher oil prices... I think they're going to get passed on in significantly higher airfares," CEO Michael O'Leary said in a Monday interview on CNBC.

The price of jet fuel has been extremely volatile after the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran.

Jet fuel has risen even faster than oil during the war, reflecting both higher crude prices and tight supplies of the refined fuel that is one of the largest operating expenses for airlines. Carriers have cut some less profitable flights and raised fares and baggage fees, although major U.S. airlines said higher passenger revenue initially covered only part of their soaring fuel costs.

Globally, jet fuel averaged about $99 a barrel on Feb. 27, the day before the war began, according to the International Air Transport Association's Jet Fuel Price Monitor. Prices more than doubled to $209 by early April, fell for nearly three months and reached $195 a barrel in mid-September following their renewed ascent, IATA said, citing data from S&P Global Energy Platts. The global average jet fuel price is currently hovering around $196 a barrel.

Since diesel and jet fuel are closely related products that compete for space at refineries, shortages of one can put additional pressure on the price and availability of the other.

The IATA expects fuel to account for nearly one-third of airline operating expenses this year, up from about a quarter in 2025.

Ryanair said Monday that it doesn't expect European short haul airfares to fully offset anticipated increases in its fuel bill for next year, so it is reviewing its costs and may have to impose temporary pay freezes, lower crew ratios and use more artificial intelligence to get further productivity for back office and support functions.

In a separate statement, the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation said the acquittal of Lorin Scicluna in a jury trial for Lassana Cisse's murder has shown, once again, that the justice system is rubber-stamping murder.

Scicluna's lawyers secured a 30-year plea deal before he was acquitted. No one needs a plea deal if they are innocent, just as no one asks for a pardon if they are not guilty - as Yorgen Fenech did five times for the murder of the journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, the foundation said.

The 8-1 jury vote acquitting Scicluna echoes the jurors' vote to acquit Yorgen Fenech on 2nd September, failing to deliver justice for Daphne despite Fenech's self-incriminating statement to the police and testimony in his trial for murder.

Malta's jury system is no longer fit to ensure that justice is served, the foundation said. It is a system where perpetrators can get away with murder and have their crime legitimised by an acquittal.

The jury system has not been significantly reformed since it was set up nearly 200 years ago. It is vulnerable to abuse that is now normalised by the persons exploiting its weaknesses. Jurors present their verdicts without providing a rationale, declaring the accused guilty or not guilty without explaining either their legal or their factual reasoning.

This undermines transparency, leaves both the prosecution and the defence without clarity, and severely limits the possibility of filing effective appeals, the statement aded. Moreover, jurors are inherently susceptible to public campaigns, psychological distress, media coverage, prejudice and bias, and intimidation and influence.

All of these factors jeopardise the guarantee of an impartial trial. Jurors do not typically have specialised knowledge and training, unlike members of the judiciary who are familiar with the law and trained to discern the facts before them impartially.

As in Yorgen Fenech's trial the jurors' questions showed they did not understand the basic legal concept of complicity in murder. The jurors ignored what matters, which is that two people went out armed with a gun with the intention to kill black people, and that that made them both complicit in murder, the foundation said. Malta's choice is stark: immediate and drastic reform to ensure justice is delivered swiftly and effectively, or continue to allow killers to get away with murder 

Momentum also expressed its deep concern at the outcome of the trial over the killing of Lassana Cisse.

Seven years ago, a father of two was shot dead while walking home in Ħal Far. Three other men were attacked. Today, nobody has been held responsible.

The accused told the court he drove the car that night, that the car's number plates were removed and that their phones were left behind on purpose. He told the court that he and his companion had previously driven around Ħal Far "looking for black people" to harass.

A jury has given its verdict, but Maltese citizens have every right to ask how a case with these admissions ended with no one answering for a man's murder, the party said.

What is the punishment in Malta for deliberately running someone over? Is removing a number plate treated more seriously than one life lost and three more put at risk? The jury was told that shared intent could amount to complicity.

Why was the prosecution unable to prove it? The Attorney General owes the public an explanation of how this case was built and presented.

The acquittal of Lorin Scicluna inevitably brings back memories of the Yorgen Fenech case. Both cases raise important questions about the ability of our institutions to establish the full chain of responsibility, particularly when defendants acknowledge significant connections to the people and circumstances surrounding the crimes but deny responsibility for the murders, the party added.

"We must also ask the question many are already asking. Why did it take seven years for this case to reach a jury? Over seven years, memories fade, evidence weakens and families are left waiting. Justice delayed this long is justice denied."

Gabriella Huhn Privitera was handed a two-year prison sentence suspended for four years after admitting to the involuntary homicide of Joseph Camilleri, who died when her Skoda Yeti collided with the back of a horse-drawn sulky on 11 March 2022.

The collision also injured Luciano Attard, who was travelling on the sulky alongside Camilleri.

Magistrate Nadine Sant Lia acquitted Privitera of three other charges, including causing grievous injuries to Attard, involuntary damage to property and reckless or dangerous driving.

Van obstructed driver's view before fatal collision

The court heard that Privitera was driving towards Rabat on the morning of the collision when she found herself following a large van that obstructed her view of the road ahead. The van moved into the opposite lane to overtake and Privitera suddenly found herself behind a slow-moving horse-drawn sulky.

She told the court she attempted to brake and manoeuvre around the sulky but was unable to avoid the collision.

The force of the collision threw both men from the sulky, while the two horses broke free and fled the scene.

Camilleri, who had been holding the reins, was thrown backwards, striking his head against Privitera's vehicle. Medico-legal expert Mario Scerri reported spinal injuries consistent with violent blunt-force trauma, which could have occurred when Camilleri fell from the sulky. He was pronounced dead at Mater Dei Hospital despite extensive attempts to resuscitate him.

Attard was also thrown from the sulky, sustaining injuries to his head and finger, extensive bruising to his back and abrasions. He told the court that he continued to experience numbness on the left side of his body following the accident, although the medical expert concluded that his injuries were not expected to leave lasting consequences.

Police officers described Privitera as being in a state of shock, crying and panicking immediately after the accident.

Driver was travelling within speed limit

Technical expert Mario Buttigieg estimated that Privitera had been travelling at approximately 35km/h, well within the road's 60km/h speed limit.

Although police initially suspected that she might have been using her mobile phone, subsequent investigations ruled this out. There was also no evidence that she had been driving under the influence of alcohol or other substances.

Position of sulky contributed to danger, court finds

Both Camilleri and Attard were travelling on the sulky, with Camilleri driving it while Attard held a second horse by a rope alongside it. The magistrate concluded that this arrangement meant the sulky was positioned further towards the centre of the carriageway, rather than closer to the roadside wall, restricting the space available for motorists to overtake safely.

The court found that the sulky's position had significantly contributed to creating the dangerous situation that ultimately resulted in the collision. It observed that the likelihood of an accident would have been substantially lower had only one person been using the sulky, allowing it to travel closer to the roadside.

However, the magistrate stressed that contributory negligence by another road user does not automatically absolve a driver of criminal responsibility.

The court also heard evidence from a Transport Malta representative that Camilleri held a permit to ride a horse but did not have the separate authorisation required to drive a horse-drawn sulky on public roads.

Two-year sentence suspended for four years

During proceedings, Privitera admitted to negligently causing Camilleri's death while contesting the remaining charges against her.

Regarding the charge of grievously injuring Attard, the court found that although he had sustained injuries in the collision, the medical evidence did not establish that they qualified as grievous under the law. The magistrate also considered the contribution of the sulky's position to the accident, ultimately acquitting Privitera of that charge.

She was also cleared of causing involuntary property damage because the prosecution had failed to adequately establish ownership of the damaged sulky or the value of the damage caused.

In assessing the dangerous driving charge, the magistrate concluded that the collision resulted from a moment of indecision when confronted with an unexpected situation, rather than conduct that met the legal threshold for reckless or dangerous driving. The court considered that Privitera had been following a large vehicle obstructing her visibility and had attempted to avoid the collision when the sulky appeared ahead of her.

When determining punishment, the court considered the seriousness of the offence, Privitera's relatively clean criminal record and her guilty plea, although the admission had been made at an advanced stage of proceedings.

The magistrate concluded that a custodial sentence was appropriate but that sufficient grounds existed to suspend its execution.

Privitera was consequently sentenced to two years' imprisonment suspended for four years. She was also disqualified from driving for one year and ordered to pay €6,186.45 in court expert expenses within two years.

Inspector Godwin Scerri prosecuted, while lawyer Gianella De Marco represented the accused.

Sergeant Jean Paul Formosa was cleared of all charges on Monday 2 November, just four weeks after fellow officers Alessio Spiteri and Fabian Caruana.

The three acquittals follow a wider investigation into overtime abuse within the police Traffic Section, which saw more than 30 officers come under scrutiny.

Several traffic police officers were charged July 2020, with complicity in the racket in which illicit financial gains were allegedly made at the expense of the police corps, Infrastructure Malta and/or Transport Malta.

Investigators alleged that officers assigned to manage traffic during the Marsa Junction project were being paid despite failing to attend their designated duties, with colleagues covering their work.

Formosa had been charged with complicity in fraud and false declarations over allegations that he received €3,807.13 for extra duties he had not performed during 2019.

The prosecution relied heavily on mobile-phone location data suggesting that Formosa was elsewhere, including in Qawra, when he was supposedly assigned to duties around Marsa.

The court identified serious shortcomings in the evidence, particularly the investigators' reliance on duty rosters that did not necessarily reflect officers' actual assignments.

Evidence showed that the original rosters sent to the police control room were frequently amended by hand to accommodate emergencies, changing traffic conditions or requests for assistance elsewhere.

The updated rosters were never even presented in court, raising doubts about whether investigators had compared Formosa's location against the correct assignments.

The magistrate also criticised a document containing the prosecution's comparison of duty rosters and location data, describing it as almost illegible and of little assistance in establishing the truth.

Further weaknesses emerged from the motorcycle tracking system. Of the 27 motorcycles examined, only four consistently transmitted location data, while Formosa's motorcycle had its tracker disconnected.

Also, no evidence was found that Formosa had communicated with Sergeant Norman Xuereb, identified by investigators as the mastermind behind the scheme, or that he had knowingly participated in arrangements to obtain fraudulent payments. Nor had prosecutors established that Formosa had personally submitted false information or requested payments for duties he had not performed.

In June, Norman Xuereb was jailed for five years after being found guilty of fraud and related offences connected to the overtime racket.  

Infrastructure Malta suffered no financial loss

Former Infrastructure Malta CEO Frederick Azzopardi testified that the agency had received the traffic-management services it paid for, despite occasional instances where officers were not stationed at their expected locations. The court therefore found that the prosecution had failed to establish the financial damage necessary to sustain the fraud charges.

In her ruling, Magistrate Frendo Dimech also identified serious deficiencies in supervision and monitoring within the Traffic Section, warning that these may have created a laissez-faire (let people do as they choose) environment in which officers felt free to rearrange their duties without informing those responsible.

The magistrate also warned prosecutors to carefully assess evidence before bringing criminal charges, highlighting the lasting consequences proceedings can have on accused individuals, even when they are eventually acquitted.

The ruling follows the October acquittals of Alessio Spiteri and Fabian Caruana as well as those of Anthony Dimech and Alexander Sellar in May 2025. Matthew Azzopardi and Francis Larry Sciberras were also acquitted in January 2024, bringing the number of confirmed acquittals in the overtime fraud scandal to at least seven.

Defence lawyer Nicholas Mifsud assisted Formosa.

Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech presided over the case.

Inspector Andy Rotin assisted the prosecution. 

The newspaper reported that Scicluna's defence team had secured the proposed agreement just days before the trial was due to begin, but Scicluna rejected the offer and instructed his lawyers to proceed with the jury trial.

Scicluna was subsequently acquitted by a nine-person jury of murdering Cisse and the attempted murders of Mohammed Jallow, Ibrahim Bah and May Malimi.

However, jurors found him guilty of causing grievous bodily harm to Malimi, with the offence aggravated by racial hatred. He was also convicted of using a vehicle without registration plates.

According to the bill of indictment, the Attorney General had requested a prison sentence ranging from 18 months to nine years for the charge of grievous bodily harm aggravated by racial hatred.

Article 216 of the Criminal Code provides for a maximum prison sentence of seven years for grievous bodily harm, although Article 83 allows for increased punishment where an offence is motivated by racial hatred.

The sentence is expected to be handed down by the judge on Wednesday at 12.30pm.

Cisse was shot dead on 6 April 2019 while walking home after watching a football match along Triq il-Ġebel, which connects Ħal Far and Birżebbuġa.

During the trial, Scicluna maintained that it was his friend Francesco Fenech who had fired the shots that killed Cisse and injured the other men.

Fenech is facing separate criminal proceedings in connection with the same killing.

The jury's verdict has sparked criticism and outrage among civil society activists, with several individuals and organisations questioning the outcome and raising broader concerns about racism in Malta.

The problems follow a case last month in which attackers remotely took control of refrigeration systems in hundreds of supermarkets and independent stores across France, sending temperatures soaring.

In Sweden, ICA Group supermarket chain spokesperson Gustaf Nilsson told news agency TT that "a limited number" of stores were affected overnight by an incident that affected refrigeration and freezing systems. He declined to give a specific number.

The ICA Kvantum branch in Sjöbo in southern Sweden wrote on its Facebook page that its fridges and freezers had been hacked and set to 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit). It said it was working to discard the affected items.

The Coop chain said that six of its stores in central Sweden had problems with their fridges and freezers, TT reported, though it didn't immediately have details.

The Delhaize chain said that an "IT incident" had affected refrigeration systems in several dozen of its stores, mostly in Belgium but also a few in neighboring Luxembourg.

"In the affected stores, the range of fresh and frozen products is temporarily somewhat limited. Our distribution centers are operating normally, and there has been no disruption to deliveries to our stores," spokesperson Sarah De Meester said.

The Carrefour supermarket chain in Belgium said a "cyberattack targeting refrigeration installations only had an extremely limited impact," affecting 15 of its more than 700 stores.

In Estonia, a company that makes the affected technology said that one of its clients had been hit by a cyberattack in which attackers accessed a computer controlling refrigeration and turned up the temperature to 50 degrees Celsius, public broadcaster ERR reported.

Jann Mutso, the CEO of Kitman Coldtech, declined to say which store's cooling system had been affected but said that the attack was responded to within minutes and there was no significant damage. The Selver chain said one of its outlets was affected.

The cyberattacks in France appeared to target old systems.

Minister Bedingfield shared a video clip of him divulging this information with the media on Monday morning, through his Facebook page.

Lilu King's potential deportation has been a topic of discussion between Maltese and Libyan authorities since at least May this year. He was stripped of his refugee status in September.

The Home Affairs Minister said that he discussed Lilu King's extradition with the Attorney General of the Libyan government in Tripoli, during his ministerial visit in September a few weeks ago. The Libyan government wants Lilu King to face justice in its own courts.

Minister Bedingfield said that while the Maltese government evaluates every such request it receives, he made clear with the Libyan Attorney General that, with respect to Maltese laws and the European Convention for Human Rights, the Maltese government requires certain "guarantees" before it can make a decision in this regard.

Lilu King faces several charges in his home country of Libya, including drug trafficking and homicide.

Bedingfield added that Lilu King is the only Libyan citizen in the Maltese islands who has an extradition request made against him by the Libyan state.

The accident occurred at 1:15pm, at Qormi Road in Luqa between four different cars.

Police informed this newsroom that four people were involved, and that only one of them required medical treatment at Mater Dei Hospital.

The traffic accident was between a Peugeot 107, driven by a 66-year-old male from Luqa, a Toyota Corolla driven by a 67-year-old man from Żebbuġ, a Honda Fit driven by a 38-year-old German woman from Siġġiewi, and a 48-year-old Żabbar resident driving a Dacia.

Police said that the German woman's medical condition is currently unknown.

Burton Azzopardi had been charged with driving without a licence, driving without third-party insurance and using a vehicle without its owner's consent following a police road check in Żabbar on 16 October 2021.

Magistrate Victor G. Axiak ruled that the prosecution had failed to establish beyond reasonable doubt that Azzopardi was driving the Toyota stopped by police that evening.

One digit, reasonable doubt

The case hinged on an affidavit submitted by Police Sergeant Stefanie Zammit, who identified the driver as Burton Azzopardi but recorded an identification number that differed from the accused's by one digit. Although the name matched, the court refused to assume that the discrepancy was simply a clerical error.

Crucially, prosecutors had neither summoned the officer to clarify the mistake in person nor called any of the three other officers identified in the police incident report.

The court also noted that more than 30 vehicles had been stopped during the same operation, making reliable identification particularly important.

While Transport Malta records confirmed that Azzopardi did not hold a driving licence at the time, this did not prove he had been driving the vehicle that night.

The court also identified lack of evidence supporting the charges of driving without insurance and using a vehicle without permission.

According to the affidavit, the driver had admitted that he was using the vehicle without its owner's consent. However, the affidavit made no mention of whether the driver had been informed of his right to remain silent or consult a lawyer before making the statement. The court consequently refused to give the alleged admission evidential weight.

Meanwhile, a representative of No Deposit Cars Limited, summoned to testify in connection with the allegation that the vehicle was driven without its owner's consent, exercised his right against self-incrimination. With no other evidence establishing the lack of permission, the court found that the charge could not be proven.

Prosecutors had also failed to produce evidence showing that the Toyota was uninsured on the date of the alleged offences.

Magistrate Axiak concluded that the uncertainty surrounding the driver's identity was sufficient to undermine all three charges. The insurance and unauthorised-use charges also failed independently because of the lack of supporting evidence.

Azzopardi was consequently cleared of all charges.

Defence lawyer Adreana Zammit represented Azzopardi. Magistrate Victor G. Axiak presided over the case.

Speaking during a seminar with workers at the Agency for the Welfare of Asylum Seekers (AWAS) seminar, a week after Finance Minister Clyde Caruana announced the measures in the Budget, Bedingfield clarified that people with subsidiary protection and temporary humanitarian protection (THP) would be exempt from the new measures.

"We received a lot of questions about whether asylum seekers, whether persons who have subsidiary protection and THPs will continue to enjoy the benefits that they have been enjoying," he said.

"I can say that persons who have subsidiary protection and THPs will be excluded from the Budget announcement that my colleague, the Finance Minister, made last Monday. Therefore, they can continue to benefit from free public transport and free childcare," Bedingfield added.

The clarification followed widespread discussion over the changes announced in Budget 2027, under which third-country nationals will no longer be entitled to free public transport and childcare.

The measures also introduce a €400 annual infrastructure contribution for non-EU nationals applying for or renewing work permits.

The government has defended the changes as targeting employers it believes are exploiting the system, while civil society organisations have warned that they could place additional financial pressure on foreign workers and contribute to discrimination.

Bedingfield defends police over questions on investigative errors

During the same exchange with journalists, Bedingfield was also asked about police investigations and a number of cases in which questions have been raised over investigative errors.

Earlier, Bedingfield was asked about the acquittal of Lorin Scicluna in connection with the murder of Lassana Cisse. While refraining from commenting directly on the case, he acknowledged that verdicts of this nature "leave a bad taste" but stressed that the police were only one part of a wider judicial system.

Asked about the Yorgen Fenech case, the minister said that, as far as he knew, there had been no mistakes by the police.

When journalists referred to the search at the home of former OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri, during which investigators were reportedly instructed to seize only items identified by Schembri, Bedingfield rejected the suggestion that this was a mistake.

"I suggest you check the facts. It wasn't a mistake. I don't think it was intentional. The time to speak about that case will come," he said, reiterating his confidence in the police force.

He acknowledged that mistakes could happen, but said that nobody was perfect and that errors should not be intentional.

Police Commissioner Angelo Gafà, who was also questioned by journalists, said every mistake needed to be examined carefully, noting that some cases involved differences in judicial interpretation.

He said the Professional Standards Office was asked to investigate whenever possible mistakes or wrongdoing where identified, and that disciplinary action would follow if wrongdoing was established.

Magistrate Joseph Cassar died on 2 May 2017 aged 70 after suffering extensive internal bleeding caused by a tear in an artery during a procedure intended to restore blood circulation to his left leg.

His widow, Mary Cassar, and their children, Marisa and Stephen Cassar, subsequently sued the Chief Medical Officer and the Superintendent of Mater Dei Hospital, alleging that medical negligence had caused his death.

However, Judge Rachel Montebello dismissed their compensation claim, finding that the medical team had followed accepted professional standards and could not reasonably have detected the fatal bleeding before Cassar's sudden deterioration.

'The operation was a success'

In their court application, the family recalled a particularly distressing incident in which a senior member of the medical team approached them, announcing that the operation had been successful, despite already knowing that Cassar had died.

The procedure had technically succeeded in reopening the blocked artery and restoring blood flow. However, a tear sustained during the intervention had caused internal bleeding, which was only identified during the post-mortem examination.

The family maintained that what was supposed to have been a relatively straightforward procedure had unexpectedly ended in death. The hospital authorities denied negligence, insisting that Cassar had received appropriate treatment and that his death resulted from a recognised risk associated with the intervention.

A successful procedure followed by a fatal complication

Joseph Cassar had been suffering from poor circulation in his left leg, which caused pain and made walking difficult. Medical investigations revealed a severely narrowed and blocked artery, prompting doctors to recommend an angioplasty involving the insertion of a stent to restore blood flow.

The procedure was carried out by consultant radiologist Kenneth Saliba, assisted by other medical professionals. Saliba initially attempted to access the blocked artery from the left side but severe calcification prevented the necessary instruments from advancing.

He therefore approached the blockage from the right side, using a longer route to reach the affected artery.

The intervention successfully reopened the blockage, with medical imaging confirming that blood was once again flowing through the artery.

Shortly after the procedure was completed, Cassar complained of feeling unwell and nauseous before losing consciousness. Medical personnel immediately began resuscitation.

Although he briefly regained consciousness and was able to speak, his heart rhythm subsequently deteriorated and he died at approximately 1:35pm.

A post-mortem examination revealed a tear measuring approximately two centimetres in his left femoral artery, together with extensive internal bleeding in the pelvic region.

The family argued that medical personnel should have detected the tear and resulting haemorrhage earlier, potentially allowing doctors to intervene before his condition became critical.

Court finds bleeding could not reasonably have been detected

Judge Montebello found that Cassar's blood pressure, pulse and oxygen levels had been continuously monitored throughout the procedure and had remained stable. Nurses testified that he was conscious and speaking during the intervention, with one recalling that he was still joking with members of the medical team shortly before his condition deteriorated.

The court also examined the final angiogram, an imaging test performed before the procedure ended, which confirmed that the artery had reopened successfully without showing any signs of bleeding.

Medical evidence established that internal bleeding can initially go undetected because the body compensates for blood loss, with vital signs deteriorating rapidly only when the bleeding becomes extensive.

The judge concluded that the failure to identify the haemorrhage before Cassar collapsed did not, in itself, establish negligence.

The court also rejected allegations that Saliba had acted negligently by leaving the operating suite, noting that Cassar's vital signs were stable and other medical professionals remained present.

Medical experts confirmed that resuscitation began promptly and that accepted emergency procedures were followed. 

Cassar had also signed a consent form after being informed of the risks associated with the procedure. An information leaflet provided to him specifically warned of the rare possibility of fatal bleeding.

Pre-existing heart condition contributed to death

The court also examined Cassar's medical history, including his longstanding smoking habit and pre-existing ischaemic heart disease.

Although the arterial rupture and resulting blood loss were the principal causes of his fatal collapse, the judge found that his underlying heart condition had also contributed.

The family argued that further cardiac screening should have been carried out before the procedure. However, the court accepted expert evidence that additional cardiac tests had not been shown to improve outcomes in comparable circumstances.

Family's compensation claim dismissed

The judge stressed that an unsuccessful medical outcome does not automatically establish negligence, particularly where doctors have followed accepted medical standards.

Although the procedure ended tragically, the evidence did not establish that Cassar's death resulted from negligence, incompetence or a failure to follow appropriate medical practices.

The family was consequently ordered to bear the legal costs of the proceedings.

Lawyer Rodianne Sciberras represented Cassar's family, while lawyers Andrew Grima and Sheldon Micallef appeared for the health authorities.

Judge Rachel Montebello presided over the First Hall Civil Court.

With all the votes counted on Monday, the Central Election Commission said Yotova secured 57.6%, while the candidate of the liberal, pro-Western opposition, Andrey Gyurov, received 39.5%.

Gyurov conceded defeat, saying that "this is how the Bulgarian citizens have voted," and added that the results had to be accepted as they stood.

"I voted for national consensus through dialogue, for institutions that work for citizens, for a strong state with its own foreign policy in a strong Europe," Yotova said after the vote.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Yotova and looked forward to continuing cooperation with her on security and defense, competitiveness, and energy independence. "For a strong Bulgaria in a strong Europe," von der Leyen wrote in a post on X.

The vote was the first major test for Prime Minister Rumen Radev's Moscow-friendly Progressive Bulgaria party, which endorsed Yotova. In April's parliamentary vote, the party won 131 of the 240 seats in Parliament, securing an outright majority.

Observers note that a victory for Yotova will keep the presidency in the hands of the governing majority. Such a concentration of power could prevent the effective maintenance of checks and balances on policy decisions by institutions, they say.

Both Yotova and Radev have called for a diplomatic solution to end the war in Ukraine but remain evasive about possible Russian involvement in drone attacks in the Black Sea region.

Yotova has opposed further Bulgarian military assistance to Ukraine, repeatedly arguing that the conflict has no military solution and calling for a "coalition for peace" focused on diplomacy.

Yotova, 62, took over the presidency in January, when Radev stepped down to run for parliament, and was seeking her own elected mandate. She's expected to continue Radev's policy of keeping Bulgaria on its European path while also supporting better relations with Russia and the lifting of sanctions.

Yotova's professional career began as a TV journalist in the 1990s. Later, she entered politics and was elected to the national Parliament, and later the European Parliament, on the ticket of the Socialist party. In 2016 and 2021 she was elected as Radev's vice president.

Yotova shared her victory with Kiril Valchev, whom she had picked as vice president. Valchev, a 53-year-old lawyer and journalist, had been at the helm of the official Bulgarian News Agency since 2021.

The Balkan country joined NATO in 2004 and the European Union in 2007. While there is a broad consensus among the parties in parliament on the country's pro-Western path, widespread pro-Russia sentiment based on traditional historical and cultural ties with Russia has divided society, particularly since the start of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Bulgaria's presidency is primarily ceremonial. Although the head of state has no executive powers and all major policies must be approved by parliament, direct election gives the president greater political authority. The president leads the armed forces and can veto legislation, signs international treaties and appoints ambassadors.

Presidents in Bulgaria are elected for a five-year term and can serve no more than two terms. Yotova is expected to be inaugurated on 22 January.

A specialized team is currently setting up the framework for these services. While government options will be available directly, families will also have the flexibility to access private sector therapy sessions at no cost whenever specific criteria are met. The transition to this new framework, managed by Aġenzija Sapport, will roll out seamlessly over the coming year.

Support for older youth will continue with financial assistance for individuals between 18 and 23 years old. In addition, major boosts are being introduced for family caregivers. The annual Carer's Grant for parents caring for children with severe disabilities will see a significant increase of nearly 40 percent, reaching €7,500 annually.

To provide financial stability while keeping parents connected to the workforce, eligible parents who work part-time up to 20 hours a week will now also benefit from the grant at a rate equal to half the net National Minimum Wage, the minister said

Further assistance includes weekly rate increases across disability benefits and social support programs, helping around 15,000 individuals and carers. Looking ahead, beneficiaries who transition to contributory pensions will receive an increased percentage of their former disability allowances.

To top off these expansions, plans are underway to open two new respite centres, providing quality care for individuals with disabilities and offering well-deserved relief to their families, Farrugia said.

Video recorded by people inside their cars captured the terrifying moment the Bahamas-bound aircraft plunged from the sky before striking near the Palm Beach County roadway and exploding. Flames flickered around chunks of pavement lining a crater as people milled about, expressing shock that it landed only feet from homes and inches from passing vehicles. Thick black smoke engulfed the crash site.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy posted on X that the Learjet 60 crashed in Palm Beach County at 12:50 p.m. and called it a "horrific tragedy." The Federal Aviation Administration is sending a team to support the National Transportation Safety Board's investigation, he said.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said there were no immediate reports of anyone on the ground injured or killed.

"It was a cataclysmic plane crash," DeSantis told reporters at the scene. "It looked like a missile going down and left a big crater on the side of the road."

Rain pounded the region on Sunday. A flood watch due to excessive rainfall was in effect through Monday afternoon, the National Weather Service said.

The aircraft had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was headed to the Bahamas, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Authorities did not immediately say what caused the jet to go down or who was on it.

The plane was heading east at 35,000 feet (about 11 kilometres) when pilots reported turbulence, icing and precipitation and requested to climb another 2,000 feet (about 610 meters).

Moments later, the plane entered a steep dive, first 10,000 feet per minute, then 20,000 feet per minute and up to 30,000 feet per minute, speeding the plane beyond its design limits, according to air traffic control recordings and flight tracking data.

A pilot declared an emergency and issued distress calls. The plane banked sharply to the right before it smashed into the ground.

Minutes before the crash, the pilot reported ice accumulating on the jet and turbulence that was jolting it by as much as 700 feet (213 meters), according to air traffic control recordings captured by LiveATC.net.

"We have light, clear ice that is manageable and moderate turbulence," the pilot told controllers.

But the situation rapidly deteriorated. After encountering precipitation and requesting to climb, the pilot declared an emergency as the aircraft began losing altitude at an alarming rate.

"We're descending 8,000 - mayday, mayday - we're descending 10,000 feet per minute," the pilot radioed.

"We are in an overspeed condition descending 20,000 feet per minute," the pilot radioed, before delivering a devastating acknowledgment of what was about to happen. "We're going to crash into the ground."

Jim Reynolds, a spokesperson for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, said the jet was a private aircraft. He could not immediately provide details about who was on the flight.

Steve Arroyo, an aviation safety expert, said icing and turbulence could have been factors in the crash and may have caused the plane to stall while it was cruising at 34,000 feet (10,363 meters).

There are many potential factors and the NTSB will consider all of them, including how the pilot responded to the icing and turbulence reported over the radio. But investigators won't rule anything out at this early stage, he said.

The NTSB said investigators were expected to arrive at the crash site on Sunday and Monday. A media briefing is scheduled for Monday in West Palm Beach.

Palm Beach County authorities were evacuating about 600 people from a nearby mobile home community while federal officials investigate the crash. The road will be closed until further notice, county officials said.

The crash occurred in Greenacres, Florida, according to Palm Beach County sheriff's officials. The city of 45,000 people is about 7 miles (11 kilometres) southwest of West Palm Beach.

De Wever, a conservative Flemish nationalist, took office determined to tackle heavily indebted Belgium's budget problems but failed to win the support of the other members of his five-party government for his proposals.

Belgium's Royal Palace confirmed that De Wever had resigned "following the failure of budget negotiations within his government." The King, who oversees the formation of national governments, is "withholding his decision" on whether to approve.

"The King regrets the lack of an agreement that would provide the country with a credible budget capable of addressing the challenges it currently faces," said a statement from the palace, following a meeting of about an hour between the two men.

King Philippe intends to consult with party group leaders from Tuesday, before receiving De Wever at the palace again on Friday.

De Wever, who took office in February 2025, is now struggling to clinch a deal on the 2027 budget before Dec. 31.

Belgium is one of the most heavily indebted countries in the 27-nation European Union, along with France and Italy. Its debt load has been mounting for years, but the COVID pandemic and an energy crisis made things worse.

The European Commission has forecast Belgium's debt to rise to 110% of its gross domestic product this year. The interest accumulating on that debt also poses a major challenge at a time when the government wants to boost defense spending.

The government crisis comes against a backdrop of growing student protests in the country and frequent strikes, including several "national action days" led by unions.

Last Thursday's inaugural international flight between Copenhagen, Denmark, and Ilulissat, Greenland, was part of the island government's efforts to grow its tourism industry to boost and diversify an economy still reliant on fishing.

Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen described the new airport as "one of the biggest investments" in the island's history. Nielsen was one of 169 passengers on Thursday's 4.5-hour flight on an Airbus A330neo. An Associated Press journalist also took the flight, operated by government-owned Air Greenland, as part of a trip organized by tourism agency Visit Greenland, for this story.

"If Greenland wants to be independent, we need to have a strong foundation, both economically and in terms of industry and business," Nielsen told the AP before the plane departed.

The strategic island, home to roughly 56,000 people, has been a focus of U.S. President Donald Trump since his first term, when he initially expressed his desire to acquire Greenland. His repeated threats to seize the territory from Denmark, a NATO ally, during his second term prompted months of tensions with other NATO allies. In September, Trump signed an agreement with the leaders of Denmark and Greenland to strengthen security in the Arctic and North Atlantic.

"There's no doubt that it has been a shadow over the entire Kingdom of Denmark, but especially Greenland," said Danish Finance Minister Peter Hummelgaard, who also took the inaugural flight. "The opening of this new international airport marks, I think, hope and optimism."

New international airports seek to lure new visitors

Ilulissat, known as the "City of Icebergs," sits along the island's western coast and is home to some 5,000 people. Greenland's third-largest city is also one of the island's most-visited destinations. More than 550 kilometers (342 miles) north of the capital, Nuuk, its tourism offerings range from sled dog tours to icefjord cruises in picturesque Disko Bay, known for its towering icebergs.

Previously, travelers reaching Ilulissat had to arrive by cruise ship, take a small plane from Iceland or fly to one of Greenland's international hubs and connect to smaller aircraft. There are no road connections from other big towns.

For decades, Greenland's main international aviation gateways were former U.S. military air bases, distant echoes of World War II, in Kangerlussuaq and Narsarsuaq. Locals and international visitors had to land there before catching smaller aircraft to the island's major towns, including Ilulissat and Nuuk. That changed in late 2024, when an international airport opened in Nuuk.

United Airlines last year began a new seasonal route between Nuuk and Newark, New Jersey. The inaugural flight was the first direct from the U.S. to Greenland by an American airline.

The Ilulissat airport, meanwhile, has a 5,000-square-meter (53,820 square feet) terminal and a new 2,200-meter (1.37-mile) runway, long enough to accommodate larger passenger aircraft. Air Greenland has committed to as many as six weekly flights between Copenhagen and Ilulissat during next year's peak summer months, and Icelandair will also fly large jets from its Keflavik hub. Jens R. Lauridsen, CEO of Greenland Airports, said the company is also hoping to lure airlines in the U.S. and mainland Europe to serve Ilulissat.

"It's quite wonderful that you can go directly right now," said Kirsten Berthelsen, a 35-year-old Ilulissat resident and student who booked a ticket for Thursday's flight without realizing it was the inaugural service. "Sometimes it's quite difficult to travel from Nuuk and to other countries."

Tourism boom remains elusive

While the number of international visitors to Greenland has grown by at least 65% since 2018, reaching almost 150,000 in 2024, the expected travel boom has yet to materialize. In 2024, tourism accounted for less than 5% of the territory's GDP. Infrastructure, including hotel capacity, remains limited.

Aalborg University associate professor Carina Ren, who specializes in Arctic tourism, said some U.S. tourists were even deterred from visiting the island because of the recent Trump standoff, with a few canceling their flights.

"I've heard of people canceling their bookings, but also others canceling because they were afraid that perhaps they would not be welcomed," she said, adding that many Americans still visit, particularly on cruise ships.

Even so, there are some local concerns about mass tourism and potential damage to Greenland's fragile nature.

Palle Jerimiassen, a former regional mayor, said he fears the city's environment, population and infrastructure may be overwhelmed by too many visitors.

"How many can we invite?" he said. "We are welcoming all the tourists, it's a possibility to earn some new money."

He added: "But we have to be careful."

The initiative was discussed during a conference entitled "Youth Conductors of Change," organised by Aġenzija Żgħażagħ in collaboration with the Band Clubs Association, a government statement said.

The conference, which was attended by officials from the agency, focused on creating further opportunities for young people involved in Maltese band clubs, including personal development, cultural exchanges with other youths from Malta and abroad, and greater participation in their communities.

As part of the initiative, Aġenzija Żgħażagħ has begun discussions with EYCA and the Band Clubs Association on the possible introduction of an EYCA x Band Clubs Card.

Through the proposed card, young band club members would be introduced to opportunities available through Erasmus+ Youth and the European Solidarity Corps, the statement said.

During the conference, representatives of feast organisations were also provided with information about various local and European funding schemes and programmes, including Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps.

Discussions also focused on the role of Maltese feasts and their associated youth groups in strengthening communities and encouraging greater youth involvement in towns and villages.

Minister for Youth, Wellbeing and the Implementation of the Electoral Programme Omar Farrugia spoke of the importance of supporting young people who contribute to Malta's cultural traditions.

"While Maltese feasts and culture are truly close to our hearts, closer still are the youths who take part in these organisations and societies, and whose participation makes a real difference to their respective communities," Farrugia said.

He added that the government's objective was to continue providing young people with the necessary tools and opportunities to improve their wellbeing, strengthen their organisations and contribute towards building stronger communities.

Maria Borg, Aġenzija Żgħażagħ manager responsible for the conference, said the event provided an opportunity for the agency to engage directly with band clubs from across Malta and Gozo.

She said that the conference was intended not only to listen to the needs of these organisations but also to guide them towards available opportunities, including European initiatives such as Eurodesk, Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps.

The development comes hours after the jurors retired at 11:45am to consider nine charges against Scicluna, including the murder of Lassana Cisse Souleymane, who was shot dead in Ħal Far, on the outskirts of Birżebbuġa, on 6 April 2019.

The jury returned an 8-1 not guilty verdict over the murder of the 42-year-old man, and the attempted murder of three other men: Mohammed Jallow from The Gambia, Ibrahim Bah from Guinea, and May Malimi from Chad.

Scicluna was however found guilty of causing grievous injuries to Malimi by a 6-3 majority, and found guilty by a 9-0 unanimous verdict of using a vehicle without registration plates.

He was found not guilty of causing grievous injuries using a firearm to Jallow and Bah by a 6-3 majority.  Likewise, he was found not guilty of being in possession of a firearm during the carrying out of a murder by a 6-3 majority.

At least six out of the nine jurors had to agree on a verdict for each charge.  An 8-1 verdict, as was reached by the jury, is taken as an effective unanimous verdict in the practice of Maltese law.

The acquittal is the second major one in a jury trial in the last few months after a jury acquitted businessman Yorgen Fenech of complicity and conspiracy in the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

The case had been described as Malta's first alleged racially motivated murder. Francesco Fenech, 28, is also expected to stand trial separately in connection with the case.

The verdict came after almost two weeks of hearing evidence about the killing and the police investigations that followed.

Scicluna maintained throughout the trial that it was Fenech, who was also an AFM soldier at the time, who fired the shots that killed Cisse and injured two others.

Fenech is facing separate proceedings and is still yet to face trial.

Scicluna took to the witness stand himself during the two-week trial, admitting that he and Fenech had previously gone around Ħal Far looking for Black people to pick on. 

He admitted to being present in an incident where a Black man – Malimi – was hit by a car, but said that it had been Fenech who was driving. 

On the day Cisse was murdered, meanwhile, Scicluna said that the initial intention was to shoot cats, but Fenech suddenly opened fire on three men, including Cisse, and then threatened to shoot him when he protested.

The prosecution countered by pointing out that Scicluna had changed his versions while being questioned, and pointed out that the gun used in the shooting was found under his bed and that they were using his car.

The defence however insisted that this alone was not enough to establish Scicluna’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Earlier in the day, Madam Justice Galea Sciberras completed her final directions to the jury after reviewing the testimony presented during the trial.

She reminded jurors that Scicluna could still be found guilty of murder as an accomplice if there had been an intention to kill, even if he had not personally pulled the trigger himself.

She also stressed that Scicluna remained presumed innocent and that any finding of guilt had to be established beyond reasonable doubt.

Upon receiving the verdict just before 8pm, Scicluna could be seen crying, while there were mixed emotions on the basis that he had been cleared or murder but found guilty of two other charges.

Judge Galea Sciberras thanked the jurors for their services and exempted them from jury duty for five years.

Scicluna will remain remanded in custody until at least Wednesday 4 November, when the court will hear submissions from the prosecution and defence for sentencing on the two charges that Scicluna has been found guilty of.

Around 4.5 million tourists are projected to be visiting Malta by the end of 2026 - a number which is so staggering that the government's own Vision 2050 which was published at the start of this year only predicted that it would be reached in 2025.

While the numbers have undeniably contributed to economic growth, they have also been detrimental to several facets of life in Malta.  There is significant pressure on the country's infrastructure due to increase in people in the country, but more so the sector has ended up being detrimental to the quality of life of residents who live in areas which are known to be tourist hot spots.

A lot has been said about making a shift from quantity to quality in many sectors, not least in tourism, and the Budget speech last week highlighted how the government is intending to start that transformation.

Finance Minister Clyde Caruana announced that the eco-contribution would be increased to €8 per person per night for people staying in a hotel and €10 per person per night for people staying in short-lets such as apartments or farmhouses.

It is a hefty increase: Malta's tourist eco-contribution tax initially sat at €1.50 per person per night, with no distinction made on whether the person is staying at a hotel or a short-let apartment.

An analysis by The Malta Independent on Sunday shows that the newly revised rates will be among the highest across the whole European Union once they are implemented, with only The Netherlands, and high standard accommodation in peak-season Greece, and the cities of Paris, Milan and Barcelona having higher tourist taxes.

This fact has been used as an argument by some - especially by those who operate short-let apartments - to argue that the increases are disproportionately high.

However, when one considers the negatives that the industry has brought - the noise, the partygoers, the detriment to residents' quality of life, the detriment to the environment - it is only fair that an increased tax is placed to make up for it.

The increase is significant, but at the same time, if a tourist does not wish to travel to Malta due to an additional expense of €6.50 or €8.50 per night (keeping in mind that they would have already paid €1.50 per night) then they are not the quality tourist that Malta should be aspiring to attract.

There will be those who complain, no doubt, but this is a shift that even the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association has in the past said must happen.

Those operating short-lets may feel the impact more, but at the same time the proliferation of short-let apartments in residential areas has been one of the biggest detriments to residents' peace and quality of life in many years - not to mention how it has contributed to the continuous rise in property prices which is locking more and more young couples out of the housing market.

The Chamber of Commerce President William Spiteri Bailey did make a good point on the money that is going to be generated though when speaking to The Malta Independent on Sunday this weekend, saying that it is important that the increased income is invested into improving Malta's touristic product.

Increasing the levy alone will not magically transform Malta into a quality tourist destination: the experience and product that the country offers must improve along with it.

So, while the increases to this contribution can be welcomed, a plan as to how the money will be used and whether it will be re-invested in the tourism sector would be welcomed even more - otherwise this increase is an isolated measure which will only have, at best, a negligible impact in the direction that Malta wants to aspire to achieve.

Archbishop Scicluna organised a mass for the annual commemoration of all souls, on Monday morning, at the Chapel of the Resurrection inside the Qormi cemetery.

The archpriests of Qormi's two parishes, Fr. Mario Mangion and Fr. Karist Zammit, concelebrated with him.

The Archbishop spoke about the great importance that lies in praying for the dead, for their souls, particularly during this time when the Church invites all people to remember them and visit their graves.

He said that while we can find the remains of those who have left this world inside cemeteries, "the true encounter with them takes place in faith and prayer, especially when we gather together for the Eucharist."

While reflecting on St. Paul's writings, Scicluna said that God's love is not based on one's merits, but on the fact that all people are his children.

He mentioned that praying for the dead has great significance that goes beyond our concept of time, since to God there is no past or future - "everything is present."

He recalled that while the Church believes in divine judgement through heaven and hell, Jesus Christ wants everyone to be saved and join him in eternal life.

Hence, he encouraged everyone to pray for their loved ones and ask God for grace so that they do not separate themselves from him.

Scicluna appealed for everyone to live in love towards God and to be kind to themselves and their neighbours, while stating that God's judgement at the end of one's life on Earth will be made on love.

After the mass, Archbishop Scicluna blessed the graves at the Qormi cemetery.

Malta's tourist eco-contribution tax initially sat at €1.50 per person per night, with no distinction made on whether the person is staying at a hotel or a short-let apartment.

In his Budget speech last Monday however Finance Minister Clyde Caruana announced that the eco-contribution would be increased to €8 per person per night for people staying in a hotel and €10 per person per night for people staying in short-lets such as apartments or farmhouses.

Research by The Malta Independent on Sunday shows that Malta previously ranked as having one of the lowest tourist taxes in the EU, but will now rank among the highest across the bloc.

Tourist taxes come in various forms, have varying names, but intrinsically are backed by the same principle: that a levy is imposed on someone making us of touristic accommodation in order to make up for the impact that they have on the place.

Some countries - like Malta - charge a flat rate, others have a rate which is dependent on the quality of accommodation that a person stays in, and others impose a percentage of the value of the room as the tax rather than setting out a fixed fee.

Ireland and Sweden both do not have any form of tourist tax.  Estonia and Finland join that list, but there have been thus far unsuccessful discussions in both countries for a tourist tax to be introduced.

Denmark also currently has no tourist tax, but this may not be the case for much longer, as a 20 kronor (around €2.60) per night tax may be introduced in Copenhagen and Aarhus.

Cyprus theoretically does not have a tourist tax, but a €2.50 per person per night 'Green Tax' effectively serves as such.

A host of other countries then do impose tourist taxes along roughly similar lines.

Poland has is the most recent country to join the tax club: a tourist tax of a maximum of 5 zloty (around €1.15) per person per night will come into force at the start of 2027, having been signed into law last week.

The tourist tax in Bulgaria ranges from as little as €0.10 up to €1.50, depending on the municipality; Latvia has a €1 per night tax in its capital city Riga, although that is set to increase to €2; Lithuanian cities Vilnius, Kaunas, and Palanga charge a €2 per night tourist tax; and Romania has a 10 Leu (around €1.90) tax for staying in the capital city Bucharest.

The tax in Slovenia ranges between €2 and €3.13 per person per night, while in Slovakia's capital Bratislava it is slightly higher at €3.50 per night.  Luxembourg's tourist tax varies between €1 and €2 per night, but a couple of areas instead charge a 3% tax based on the hotel fee as the tax.

In Croatia, the fee varies by season: for instance visitors to the tourist hotspot of Dubrovnik would pay €2.65 per person per night between 1 April and 30 September, but that would fall to €1.85 per person per night at any other point of the year.

Visitors to the Czech Republic pay 50 Czech Koruna (around €2.05) per night in major cities, Portugal has a €3 tourist tax in Porto and a €4 tourist tax in the capital Lisbon, and Hungary charges a tax of 4% per person on the cost of the room.

In other countries which are perhaps more known for attracting tourists, the taxes are higher.

In Austria, the tax in most cities varies between €2.50 and €4.50 per person per night, but in the capital Vienna as of next year the tax will increase from 5% of the hotel fee to 8% - which is noteworthy since the average hotel price is, per Eurostat hotel price index, above the EU average.

Greece is one of the great Mediterranean tourist hotspots and its tax, which is officially known as the Climate Resilience Tax, varies based on the standard and size of the accommodation and on whether it is high season or low season.

Between November and March, the tourist tax on hotels ranges between €0.50 per night in 1 and 2 star hotels and €4 for 5 star hotels.  Between April and October though, the tax is considerably higher, starting at €2 per night for 1 and 2 star hotels and rising to €15 per night for 5 star hotels.

The key difference with other tourist taxes is that the tax is calculated on a per room per night basis, rather than on a per person per night basis.  This means that if a group of four people book a single night in a 5 star hotel and stay in the same room, the tax would still be €15, even though it is split between four people.

Belgium's capital city Brussels has a similar per room per night system, with tourists paying a tourist tax of €5 per night.  The city of Ghent is also one of the few where, like in Malta, there is a differentiation between hotels and short-lets in favour of the former: tourists pay €4.40 per night if they stay in a hotel and €7.40 per night if they stay in a short-let. 

Like Greece, France's tourist taxes are pegged to the standard of the hotel.  The capital Paris has the most expensive tourist tax in the country, but it ranges from €2.60 per person per night at a 1-star hotel or a hostel right up to €15.93 per person per night for a Palace. 

The tax for a 4-star hotel (€8.45) and a 5-star hotel (€11.70) in Paris are both more expensive than the €8 hotel tourist tax that Malta will charge, but lower standard hotels in Paris have a cheaper tax than there will be in Malta.

In no other French city, even if you stay in a Palace, would you have to pay a tourist tax that is more expensive than Malta's. Bordeaux is the city with the second highest tourist tax, and that ranges from €1.15 for a 1-star hotel to €7.06 for a palace.

Italy too has differing tourist taxes across different cites which are pegged according to hotel standards:  in Milan for instance you would pay a €3 per person per night tax if you stay at a 1-star hotel, rising up to €9.50 if you stay at a short-let, and €12 if you stay at a 5-star hotel. The rates are slightly cheaper in shoulder months, but only by a couple of euros.

€10 per person per night is also the upper end for Roma, Venice, and Cortina d'Ampezzo - but the tax is lower for hotels which are not 5-star.

Regional variance is a theme in other countries too. In Germany there is no tourist tax whatsoever in Munich, but visitors to the cities of Berlin, Dortmund, Flensburg, and Potsdam would have to pay a 7.5% tax on the room cost - no small figure when you consider that, per Eurostat, the average hotel price in Germany is the 8^th highest in the EU.

Spain also has similarly wide variances: there is no tourist tax in the capital Madrid, but tourists in Barcelona can expect to pay between €6 and €12 per person per night.  The cheapest rate is for youth hostels and the most expensive is for a 5-star hotel. 

People staying in short-lets in Barcelona would pay a tourist tax of €9.50 per person per night - €0.50 cheaper than the tax set out for Malta, in a city which has taken short-lets as such an affront that it has banned them.  All short-lets in Barcelona are expected to be phased out by November 2028.

However, and perhaps surprisingly, far and away the most expensive tourist tax can be found in the Netherlands, specifically in Amsterdam.  Here, the tax is set at 12.5% of the roommate but there are plans to increase it incrementally every year until it reaches a whopping 20% by 2031.

Couple this with the fact that, per Eurostat data, the Netherlands has the 4^th highest hotel prices in the EU, and it means that this is where you would expect to pay the most in tourist taxes.

The trend across Europe is that the vast majority of countries have some form of tourist tax, and many cities are increasing those tourist taxes much like Malta has done.

However, taking into consideration the tourist taxes across the EU, Malta has evidently gone from being one of the countries with the lowest tourist tax to having one of the highest.

Speaking to The Malta Independent on Sunday, Industrial Relations and Human Resources Consultant Gejtu Vella and Sociology Professor Michael Briguglio offered their perspectives on the economic and social implications of the government's approach.

Asked what Malta would look like if TCNs were to leave tomorrow, Vella said that essential sectors including hospitality, construction, healthcare, cleaning, transport and retail rely heavily on TCNs. The sudden departure of TCNs could delay construction projects, disrupt services and force some businesses to reduce opening hours or close. Subsequently, labour shortages and disruption to businesses could lead to higher prices for goods and services.

Moreover, the impact would extend beyond the economy. TCNs are also parents, students, friends and neighbours who have established lives and become part of Maltese communities. The departure of TCNs might reduce pressure on housing and infrastructure, but these potential benefits would need to be weighed against the economic and social consequences. The central question is whether Malta could replace the labour and skills currently provided by TCNs. Vella said that policies should consider Malta's infrastructure and social needs while recognising the contribution of foreign workers to the country's economic and social development.

Briguglio agreed that Malta's economy and society rely heavily on TCNs, with their contribution extending beyond the labour market to everyday social life. Many Maltese families depend on third-country nationals to provide assistance and care. TCNs also provide essential services and participate in Malta's social life. Their departure could affect families relying on them for care and assistance, alongside the wider economy. That being said, Briguglio emphasised that the prospect of a mass exodus remains purely hypothetical, and cautioned against assuming that a substantial number of TCNs would leave Malta as a result of the Budget measures.

Vella said that restricting public benefits based on nationality or immigration status raises questions about which residents are considered deserving of support and inclusion. Withdrawing benefits could reinforce the perception that migrants are temporary residents whose place in Malta is conditional, despite their contributions to the country. Policies that prioritise citizens over migrants risk increasing feelings of exclusion, insecurity and unequal treatment among migrant communities. Furthermore, restricting benefits according to nationality may reinforce the idea that access to social support should depend on citizenship rather than wider social participation and contribution. The issue concerns integration, fairness, social cohesion and the relationship between migrants and public institutions. Vella highlighted a tension between recognising migrants as members of the communities they help sustain and valuing them primarily for their labour.

According to Briguglio, Finance Minister Clyde Caruana has argued for an economic model that relies less on increasing the number of workers and more on capital-intensive activity. The government also argued that users should contribute towards the costs they generate. These include infrastructure, traffic congestion, hospital queues and other public services. This argument has also been applied to tourism. The withdrawal of benefits could also help the government meet rising expenditure and its fiscal targets, including those relating to the EU's deficit and public debt rules. That being said, Briguglio questioned whether the intended outcomes will be achieved and stressed the need to assess the policy's wider consequences, not just its financial effects.

Vella argued that public policy should recognise that many TCNs are becoming long-term members of Maltese society. Many spend years living and working in Malta rather than being temporary workers. TCNs pay taxes and social security contributions, rent or buy homes, raise families and establish social connections within their communities. Their role in society goes beyond filling labour shortages and contributing to the economy. Vella argued that policies should reflect the reality that people who contribute to Malta over many years also need stability, well-being and opportunities to participate in community life. Treating long-term residents as temporary workers can create exclusion, Vella said, and this could undermine their sense of belonging and make integration more difficult. On the contrary, policies that support integration and inclusion could help build a society in which migrants have a fair opportunity to participate.

Briguglio identified an "integration trap" as a major weakness in the Budget policies. TCNs who have lived in Malta for several years but have not yet qualified for long-term residence could find themselves excluded from certain benefits despite already having established lives on the island. Moreover, some migrants want to settle permanently in Malta but remain ineligible for long-term residence. They may have been living here for two years, for example, and already have plans to raise families, send their children to Maltese schools or build relationships with Maltese citizens. Some TCNs are not simply passing through Malta but want to contribute more and become long-term members of the community.

Asked who stand to win and lose from these measures, Vella said that some Maltese workers could benefit from reduced competition for jobs. Limiting the inflow of TCNs could ease competition in certain sectors and potentially improve employment opportunities for local workers. On the contrary, some businesses could face labour shortages. Employers who rely on foreign workers may struggle to fill vacancies, potentially affecting their operations and productivity. Moreover, TCNs could lose employment opportunities and income. Reduced incentives to come to Malta could limit opportunities for foreign workers seeking employment and a better livelihood. Vella noted that the government's approach has attracted criticism from several stakeholders. These include trade unions, employers' organisations, NGOs, the Church Commission and the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality (NCPE).

Similarly, Briguglio also pointed out that some organisations, including Moviment Graffitti, the Church and the General Workers' Union, have raised concerns based on social justice, human dignity and workers' rights. However, he said that some employers criticising the policy may have conflicting interests. Briguglio questioned the position of businesses that have profited from recruiting TCNs, renting them accommodation and employing them at low wages, while now expressing concern about the measures. Briguglio argued that certain employers could be concerned about losing profits rather than solely about migrants' welfare. Regarding who stands to lose from this policy, Briguglio said the biggest losers could be low-paid TCNs who cannot afford the additional costs. Those who are already struggling financially and working in precarious conditions could be disproportionately affected. 

Spiteri Bailey was speaking in an interview with this newspaper days after the announcement of the Budget for 2027, which will increase fees for the hiring of Third Country Nationals (TCNs) and also remove certain free services for them such as public transport and childcare.

Asked about these measures, Spiteri Bailey said that the Malta Chamber has for years consistently argued that Malta needs to move away from its current economic model which he said relies excessively on increasing the number of workers rather than on increasing productivity, innovation, and higher value sectors.

"We recognise and support the economic transformation that the government may be seeking to achieve [with these measures]. But agreeing with the destination does not mean that we are automatically agreeing with the route taken to get there," he said.

Spiteri Bailey said that economic transformation cannot happen overnight and requires planning, consultation, investment, and realistic transitional periods while understanding the realities around it.

He said that while the government appears to be recognising the need to change the economic model, the measures announced in the Budget, particularly those concerning TCNs, "do not appear sufficiently calibrated to achieve this transformation without planning additional pressure on businesses and the TCNs themselves."

Spiteri Bailey said that the Chamber welcomes the Budget's social measures, but added that the economic transformation needs to be "carefully planned and also take other areas into consideration."

He said that there was a total absence of prior stakeholder consultation and social economic impact assessments about the proposals relating to TCNs.  Asked to confirm that these measures were not brought up in any of the government's pre-Budget meetings, Spiteri Bailey said that "it was not discussed with us at any point in time."

"We expected that we and all other social partners would have been approached like in the consultative process for the Malta Labour Migration Policy.  It wasn't the same situation," he said.

Spiteri Bailey said that the Chamber is not opposing reducing dependency on TCNs, but said that this practice which has been happening for years cannot be changed without properly assessing how it will affect businesses, services, consumers, and a host of industries and sectors.

Such measures, he said, must go hand in hand with incentives for companies to use technology to digitise and transform themselves. "In last year's Budget there was the mention of a €100 million fund towards digital transformation, but most of it went unused because the necessary criteria weren't issued," he said.

"Let's be realistic: not all companies are doing well," he said.  "There are some companies which are struggling with labour shortages and rising costs due to the geopolitical situation.  There are transportation costs and logistical costs which are hitting companies, and this will be another core cost which, as the Prime Minister said, businesses are being asked to absorb," he said.

The measures, he said, may also lead to fewer TCNs coming to Malta, even in sectors where they are needed.  He estimated that the costs for a TCN will increase by between €1,500 and €2,000 per year which is enough that it may make some think twice about coming to the country.

"We might have problems in certain sectors where we need them like in the care sector, and at the same time it's going to create problems for businesses.  Some might not be able to find workers, some might not be able to carry this cost, and others working in the export industry might find problems in competing with other countries," he said.

He said that there is a possibility that certain businesses might decide to increase their prices, therefore causing an inflationary aspect as well.

Asked whether he thinks that this is a distinct possibility, Spiteri Bailey said that it is.

"Yes, it depends on the industry and the particular company.  There are companies which can increase the prices, but there are others which cannot and they will have to absorb the costs.  Why?  Either because they are competing with others on export, or because they have a contractual agreement which must be honoured, or because their prices may be fixed from abroad," he said.

Those who might increase their prices, he said, could be minimal, but he warned that there may be companies which cannot carry the added costs and end up in financial difficulties.

The costs for some companies will run into the tens of thousands of euros, he said.

A key measure which is also not being done by the government is an audit on its own operations, particularly in terms of its workforce.  Spiteri Bailey said that where there is excess, a system needs to be created to pass it on to the private industry.  That way, the private sector would not need to bring in as many TCNs and be able to use more Maltese workers.

"The problem is that this is not being done either, and we know that this needs to be done, and needs to be done in conjunction with several other measures," he said.

Eco-contribution increase can bring about quality tourism, but only if income is re-invested into improving country's product - Spiteri Bailey

The Budget for next year will also bring about major increases to Malta's tourist eco-contribution - a tax that each tourist pays for every night they are in the country.

The eco-contribution will increase from €1.50 per person per night to €8 per person per night if a person stays in a hotel, and €10 per person per night if a person stays in a short-let accommodation.

Asked about the proposed increase to the country's tourist eco-contribution - an increase which the Chamber has expressed its agreement with - Spiteri Bailey said that the shift from quantity to quality in this sector is something that the Chamber has been advocating for since at least 2021.

"The Chamber supports this eco-contribution and other tourism-related fees [that are to be introduced], provided though - and this is very important - that the revenue that these increases generate are directed towards improving the tourism product and the localities affected by the sector," he said.

"It's only in that manner that we can actually start elevating the quality of the tourism sector," he said.

"We need to look at our localities, the maintenance, public cleanliness, improved infrastructure, and creating what is overall a better visitor experience," he said.  "If this income is directed to ultimately create a better visiting experience for tourists, then we can start moving in that direction," he said.

Asked whether he thinks that these increases can have a tangible impact in this regard, he said that if the millions of euros that will be collected is re-invested in this manner, then it will.

He also noted that the increased fee may also make tourists who leave less value in Malta to think twice about coming due to the increased cost.

"On the whole I would say yes, it would [have a tangible impact], as long as it is re-invested in the right manner," he said.

Vision 2050 went unmentioned in the Budget speech, Spiteri Bailey notes

Finance Minister Clyde Caruana's Budget speech was far shorter than usual, coming in at just over 90 minutes, as he glossed over several sectors - and many questioned that it was a more short-term budget than a long-term one.

Asked whether he felt that the Budget outlined a long-term blueprint for the country, Spiteri Bailey noted that the government's Vision 2050 - launched earlier this year - was not mentioned even once.

"There was no mention of Vision 2050 and how what is being proposed will fit in with it," he said.

The current economic model, he said, has created pressures on various infrastructure and sectors and on the quality of life of citizens as well : "But everyone wants to change the direction now and we should have a plan - and that plan may be Vision 2050; but nowhere in that document or in any discussions were these initiatives ever thought of."

"They are going to be introduced just the same, so I would say probably yes, there is a lack of this long-term vision especially in comparison with Vision 2050," he said.

"It's more like 'we listened to the people and we've decided to do something about it'," he said of the Budget.

"But the long-term vision, I think, requires more in-depth analysis, more in-depth discussions with the relevant partners, and understanding where these changes will take us not just in the short-term but also in the long-term," he said.

He said that in the short-term these measures "are going to hurt" and in the medium term "we'll have to see what the effect on TCNs will be" particularly in certain sectors.

"One would have wanted to see or understand what the vision is, as it could be that we don't know what it is because we weren't consulted.  But we need to know what the vision going forward in the short, medium, and long-term is," he said.

"We know what the short-term is; we aren't sure what the medium-term is; the long-term should be Vision 2050, but we aren't sure whether there is alignment with that either," he said.

During last Monday’s Budget speech, Finance Minister Clyde Caruana announced measures which will increase fees for the hiring of Third Country Nationals (TCNs) and also remove certain free services for them such as public transport and childcare.

The measures attracted criticism from business lobbies, NGOs and foreign communities living in Malta, but speaking on Sunday in a political activity in Marsaxlokk, Abela disagreed with his critics.

“These measures strengthen the concept of the Labour Migration Policy introduced two years ago as they aim to reduce the turnover among workers,” he told a hall of supporters.

He said that the debate about foreign workers must be handled with maturity and without descending into the trading of derogatory discourse. “We are speaking about people, and people who I must ensure have the dignity that they deserve,” Abela said.

“But, their participation in our labour market must be strictly in accordance to the needs of certain sectors, and not in excess,” he said.

Abela called on everyone – including businesses – to contribute their share to the country.  “Are we asking a lot?”, he questioned while saying this.

The Prime Minister dedicated his speech to the Budget, as he reaffirmed that a Labour Government will continue to stand firmly behind everyone, whatever challenges may arise abroad.

He contrasted with this with the Nationalist Party, whom he said were irresponsible, indecisive, and incompetent in their behaviour.

Indeed, Abela dedicated a significant chunk to criticising his political counterpart, saying that it continues to believe in the politics of austerity and that had the PN been in government it would have found “1,000 excuses” to fail to implement what it promised.

“They remain the party which believes in austerity; that believes that the country’s financial solutions are to increase burdens; that as long as they are comfortable, everyone is comfortable,” he said.

Abela said that a PL government will guarantee that the energy subsidies will remain in force, no matter how big the storm clouds elsewhere in the world may be.

He contrasted this with the PN, saying that prior to the general election last May, PN leader Alex Borg had said that the party was in favour of maintaining the subsidies – but more recently the party’s Shadow Finance Minister Adrian Delia – whom Abela described as the PN’s “unofficial leader” – wrote twice in newspapers that it was time to review the subsidies.

“If Adrian Delia read out the Budget last Monday instead of Clyde Caruana, do you think he’d have kept those subsidies? That he’d have given a clear guarantee? Or do you think that they’d have destroyed the economy?  They’d have found a thousand excuses to remove the subsidies because they do not believe in them,” Abela said.

He also described the PN’s lack of a pre-budget document as incompetence but also irresponsibility, particularly given the geopolitical context and the fact that the party is aspiring to be in government. Even smaller political parties recognised the importance of the moment and issued such documents, Abela said.

Abela said that in his Budget reaction on Monday, PN Leader Alex Borg will no doubt speak about his usual predictable tropes: “On Tuesday, I will answer… I can almost answer him now actually because they will be playing from the same tune,” he said.

Turning to the Budget itself, Abela highlighted that this Budget sets a new record for social investment, with the largest-ever capital expenditure allocation, representing an increase of 25% compared with this year. He added that the Budget will also deliver an updated Artificial Intelligence strategy, reforms and changes in education, stronger electricity generation and distribution, new projects in healthcare and green infrastructure, greater access to IVF, and an extension of the first-time buyer scheme to people going through separation and older people looking to downsize. It will also extend fast ferry operating hours and expand sea transport services.

Abela reiterated that the Government's ambitions remain high. Having consistently delivered on its commitments in the past, the next step is to deliver even faster, he said. While the previous three legislatures focused on achieving the country's economic targets, the Government will now place an even greater emphasis on improving people's quality of life, he added.

The Prime Minister went on to explain that this Budget demonstrates how strong economic growth generates the financial resources a country needs to withstand major external shocks, such as a pandemic, wars and the global surge in inflation. He added that Malta has continued moving forward thanks, in no small part, to the confidence and support of its people, who entrusted the PL with a fourth historic electoral mandate. This, he said, places an even greater responsibility on the Labour Government.

Abela concluded by pledging to continue working for everyone, driven by the people who have backed a Labour Government and its progressive economic policies. Whether someone is just starting out in life, striving to achieve their ambitions or looking forward to enjoying the rewards after years of hard work, Malta be there for them. The Labour Party in Government, he said, remains a guarantee of a better future for our country.

Borg was speaking during a Nationalist Party political activity at his new Opposition Leader’s office in Valletta, where he said the premises was intended to bring the party closer to the public and provide a space where people could share ideas and contribute to the party’s work.

He said the party had yet to make full use of its potential, including through its network of local clubs, and that opening the new office had allowed him to meet people who wanted to contribute not only to the party but also to the country. He said he welcomed both criticism and positive feedback.

Turning to the Budget, Borg argued that Malta’s economic model had increasingly become dependent on population growth following Labour’s election in 2013. He said infrastructure had not expanded at the same rate as the population and was struggling to cope with the demands being placed on it.

He referred to comments by Finance Minister Clyde Caruana that sustaining economic growth of 4% would require an additional 14,000 people every year, questioning the long-term sustainability of a model that continued to rely on population expansion.

Citing a report by the Malta Chamber of Commerce entitled Reset and Lead, Borg said around two-thirds of economic growth came from the contribution of foreign workers, while increases in productivity accounted for only around 3% of the growth. He argued that the government was placing too much responsibility on businesses instead of taking the lead in improving productivity.

He called for greater investment in digitalisation, automation, skills development and education, saying businesses should be able to increase their output without continually needing to employ more people. He also criticised the Budget for failing to set out a stronger investment plan for education.

Borg also referred to the latest EY Malta Attractiveness Survey, saying 67% of the companies surveyed identified difficulties in attracting international businesses because of the shortage of skills required. He said this highlighted the need for greater investment in education and training.

He criticised the government’s measures concerning third-country nationals, arguing that they had been introduced without clear projections, targets or a timeframe for managing population growth. He warned that additional costs imposed on employers could eventually be passed on to consumers through higher prices, reducing their purchasing power.

On tourism, Borg questioned how the increased eco-contribution would be used, saying the government had not specified which projects, roads or open spaces would benefit from the additional revenue. He suggested increasing the contribution during peak tourist months while avoiding increases during the shoulder season.

Borg also questioned the lack of a clear vision for developing new economic sectors, saying the government had failed to build on the direction set out in Vision 2050.

Turning to infrastructure, he said the Budget had not presented a plan to prevent a repeat of the power cuts experienced last summer. He also criticised the lack of progress in addressing traffic congestion, which he said cost the economy around €77 million annually, and questioned why there had been no update on the Malta in Motion initiative.

Borg said the Nationalist Party would continue presenting its proposals and setting out its vision for how Malta and Gozo could move forward.

The activity also heard contributions from Shadow Minister for Active Ageing Paula Mifsud Bonnici and Shadow Minister for Justice, Research and Innovation Joe Giglio.

Although the 20-year-old Mercedes driver finished third in the Mexican capital on Sunday, he became the youngest champion in the history of Formula 1.

"I'm still trying to realize and understand what just happened, when you work so hard and then you finally achieve it is truly special," said Antonelli, who was joined by his parents and younger sister. "All the emotions come, to be able to witness this moment with my family is a moment I will always remember."

Antonelli, who secured the title with four races remaining, said the final lap was complicated by the excitement of what he had achieved - he began to savor it even before crossing the finish line.

"I think I lost two seconds because I could not see ahead, I think I saw two Ferraris," he said with a smile. "It was very special, a lot of memories went through my mind at that moment, and I let it all out after achieving one of my biggest dreams.

Antonelli, the first Italian to win the title since Alberto Ascari in 1953, took an unassailable lead in the standings over teammate George Russell and Ferrari's Hamilton.

Sebastian Vettel was the previous youngest champion at age 23 in 2010.

Although the Italian driver knew, after winning the United States Grand Prix, that the title was firmly within his grasp, his first few days in Mexico were not easy; he fell ill, even though he claimed on Sunday to be in his best physical shape.

But the greatest challenge was the mental battle that came with having the achievement so close within reach.

"The weekend has not been easy; I kept hearing the same thing over and over again. It is not easy to hear congratulations on a win when the job is not yet done. But hearing it repeatedly made me realize that I could actually achieve it."

Verstappen, meanwhile, claimed his sixth victory at the Mexico City Grand Prix, further cementing his affinity with the circuit.

"The 'Max-ico' Grand Prix will be a great name to call it," Verstappen said with a laugh. "To be honest I love the city and the fans, but I have no idea why I have won it six years, it just happened. It always comes together for me here."

A new Italian champion

"For 73 years, our country has waited for this moment, and today an entire nation will celebrate one of its own reaching the very pinnacle of our sport," said Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali.

"Today, his name joins the legends of our sport. A new chapter in Formula 1 history has been written, and I firmly believe this is only the beginning of an extraordinary legacy."

Race stopped

The race was stopped on lap 46 with a red flag after Valtteri Bottas crashed into the wall at the first corner, following issues with his right-side suspension.

Cadillac reported that the driver was given "further medical assessments as a precaution." Bottas had got out of the car unaided and waved to the fans before leaving the track.

At the restart, Verstappen was first - followed by Charles Leclerc, Hamilton, Antonelli, Lando Norris and Russell - and the Red Bull driver did not let the win slip away.

After Mexico, F1 will head to Brazil and then to Las Vegas. It remains uncertain whether the final two scheduled Grands Prix - in Qatar and Abu Dhabi - will take place, given instability in the region.

Ferrari's unhappy teammates

Hamilton, who had secured pole position on Saturday, lost it on the fourth lap while battling for the lead with Leclerc. Hamilton briefly went off track, dropping back to third place.

The maneuver between the two Ferrari drivers was investigated, resulting in a five-second penalty for Leclerc - a decision that left seven-time world champion Hamilton fuming.

"The stewards are basically handing Charles this win. We agreed in the drivers' briefing," Hamilton said. "The problem with a 5-second penalty is that he's got clean air and doesn't have to manage (the car) like the rest of us. He should have just given the position back."

Shortly before the red flag caused by Bottas' crash, Hamilton radioed, "We've got problems ... big, big problems." On pulling into the garage, he appeared visibly frustrated with his team.

Leclerc said after the race that he wanted to give the position back to Hamilton, but Verstappen got between them.

"At that point it did not matter because Max passed us and the race was done," Hamilton said. "I am happy, but we lost valuable points we could have easily been 1-2 today, but your teammate works against you, we just have to figure it out and something needs to change for sure."

In an interview with The Malta Independent on Sunday, Zarb stressed that she was not announcing a bill or a change of policy. As a backbencher, she said, she does not implement changes, and the government remains bound by the mandate it received at the ballot box. What she is asking for, she said, is that the subject be heard.

"I said let's not sweep this subject under the carpet, let's listen," she said, referring to her contribution on surrogacy in Parliament. "It doesn't mean we will agree on everything, and it doesn't mean we will get to the point of implementing it. But somebody has to start the discussion."

Zarb added that the debate need not be confined to the Chamber. It could take place among stakeholders, non-governmental organisations, medical and ethics professionals, and through newspapers and public opinion, she said, so that no sector with a view to offer is left out. Lobbies had already made their comments, she noted, which meant the discussion did not have to happen in Parliament, and she said she was not looking to frighten anyone on the issue.

She described surrogacy as a controversial subject and one that demands care. Any framework, she said, would have to safeguard the rights and welfare of the child being carried, protect the woman carrying the pregnancy, and ensure that she is not exploited.

Zarb distinguished between voluntary surrogacy, an arrangement in which a woman carries a pregnancy for intended parents without financial compensation or profit, and the commercial kind. The voluntary model was the one she had addressed in Parliament. She said she personally did not feel inclined towards the commercial model, but added that several people who had approached her had expressed that wish, and had asked whether she expected them to go abroad.

That question, she suggested, is already being asked in practice. In the last legislature, she said, the government recognised that some people were travelling abroad for surrogacy, and noticed an anomaly: a second parent was entitled to paternity leave, but a mother who had not carried the pregnancy was not entitled to maternity leave. Legislative changes were made so that she could benefit from maternity leave.

The concept of surrogacy itself, however, had not entered the agenda. "Every time we hold back, I believe that out there people are waiting on surrogacy and we are turning them away," she said.

Zarb drew a parallel with how IVF reached the statute book. Even when the concept was first pushed, some people disagreed with it, she recalled, and others did not agree with the government when it amended the law to allow pre-implantation genetic testing for monogenic disorders (PGT-M). Surrogacy was now at a comparable stage, she said, which called for discussion first and caution throughout. Before any conversation begins, she said, there has to be careful listening and analysis to make sure no sector is left out.

The comments came as Zarb defended the government's record on in vitro fertilisation (IVF), an issue she has pressed repeatedly through parliamentary questions to the Health Minister. She said it was the numbers emerging from those questions that kept drawing her back, because they showed the opportunity being given to Maltese families.

The Health Minister has told her that the take-home baby rate rose from 18% in 2013 to 45% in 2025, while the number of annual users climbed from 100 to 774. Zarb explained that the take-home baby rate measures how many IVF procedures actually end with parents bringing a baby home, and she acknowledged that some people who go through the procedures have not yet managed to become parents.

She said that since 2013 some 4,757 prospective parents had come forward and that more than 1,100 babies had been born, among them some through PGT-M, a procedure used alongside IVF to check embryos for specific inherited genetic conditions before transfer to the uterus. State investment had grown from €75,000 in 2013 to €6.7 million this year, she said. IVF is provided free in Malta, and the refund of IVF medicines amounts to around €4.6 million, with almost every application benefiting by around €2,000.

The age limits have also been widened, she said. Egg retrieval is now possible up to the age of 45, while an already fertilised embryo can be implanted before the woman turns 48.

On the cap on funded cycles, Zarb said the definition of a cycle changed in 2022. Previously each embryo implantation counted as a cycle. Now a cycle is a full round of IVF, from which the fertilised eggs yield a number of embryos. The limit was set at three cycles in 2022 and later raised to five, after the Prime Minister was approached during the election campaign earlier this year by a woman who had exhausted three cycles without becoming a parent.

Asked whether five remains the right number, Zarb did not say whether it still applied. She said, however, that she would not rule out a need to increase it in future, describing it as "living politics" to keep listening to people. Discussions on IVF in Parliament are continuing, she said, and the question is whether access can be widened further.

She rejected the idea that IVF still carries a stigma that deters couples. She acknowledged that the procedure was once seen by some in a Christian country as not "natural", and said some people still keep it hidden, but she did not think anyone dreaming of becoming a parent would see that as a limiting factor. Reluctance to speak about it, she said, usually comes from people not wanting to reopen a wound.

The process is physically and mentally demanding, she said, pointing to women who have to inject themselves daily and to the wait of several days after implantation before a pregnancy test can be taken. She did not believe people abuse the system.

The expansion of PGT-M to 17 additional conditions has drawn criticism from the Malta Federation of Organisations of Persons with Disability, which warned it risks sending the message that some lives are more valuable than others. Zarb said she did not see the two positions as different. PGT-M, she said, is offered only to couples going through IVF who have serious hereditary conditions, and was not about "perfect babies" but about giving those parents an opportunity they were previously denied. She said she respected the federation's views and that the decision would always rest with the parents.

In a parliamentary question submitted by Opposition MP Paula Mifsud Bonnici, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health, Ian Borg was asked to present a list of all recommendations that the Commissioner for Older Persons has made to the government from 2022 to mid-October 2026. She also requested him to state how many of these recommendations are still waiting to be implemented.

In response, Borg said that "no recommendations have been made by the Commissioner for Older Persons" during this entire period.

Between 2022 and now, three people have held this Commissioner post. Mary Vella was appointed in 2019 and stayed on till her successor, Godfrey La Ferla, was appointed in June 2022. La Ferla was Commissioner for a year and a half, until Attard succeeded him in December 2023.

In August 2025, in an interview with The Malta Independent on Sunday, Attard had urged for Malta to stop sidelining elderly people. He stated that Maltese society was failing its older citizens and that despite being a growing demographic, given Malta's ageing population, "elderly persons are too often ignored, underserved, and treated as if they have vanished from public life."

A separate PQ - also submitted by Mifsud Bonnici and answered by Borg - showed that between 2022 and 7 October 2026, 28 official complaints or alleged human rights breaches were made to the Commissioner for Older Persons. 26 of these formal complaints have been handled and their cases have thus been closed, leaving two still pending (as of 7 October 2026).

This newsroom reached out to Commissioner Attard and his Office and asked him why he, for as long as he has been in this role, has not yet issued a single recommendation to help people over 60 years old, as well as what his Office is prioritising to enhance quality of life for older persons across the Maltese islands.

Commissioner Attard responded that none of the 26 cases closed since 2022 met the criteria under which he is permitted to issue a formal recommendation, as stated under Article 17 of the Commissioner for Older Persons Act.

"Each [case] was resolved through the competent entity, mainly the Older Persons Standards Authority and Active Ageing and Community Care," Commissioner Attard said.

According to the Office of the Commissioner for Older Persons' last three annual reports, some of the cases it received related to support for older persons in care homes and their alleged abuse by relatives or carers.

This Office also continues to receive a number of requests asking for advice or guidance on issues relating to this demographic. Several complaints it receives each year do not fall under its remit, according to recent annual reports.

Article 17 of the Commissioner for Older Persons Act states that the Older Persons Commissioner may issue official recommendations in the form of a compliance notice should a person/body be non-compliant to the United Nation's Principles for Older Persons, which was adopted in 1991.

This UN instrument features 18 principles centred around ensuring older persons' independence, participation in society, care, self-fulfilment, and dignity. Examples of these principles include that "older persons should be able to reside at home for as long as possible" and that "older persons should be able to live in dignity and security and be free of exploitation and physical or mental abuse."

Commissioner Attard said that his office "has nonetheless acted directly on pressing issues such as cybercrime, vaccination and extreme heat, including by initiating the national SMS heat warnings in 2025 and 2026." His office's current priority is a "comprehensive, data-based study on the state of older persons in Malta," he said. The Commissioner added that this study is expected to be published "in the coming months and will guide where resources are directed."

In January, the Parliamentary Ombudsman issued a position paper on "Ensuring safe and unobstructed mobility on public pavements and in public places" after this matter was raised to it by the Commissioner for Older Persons. In this position paper, the Parliamentary Ombudsman mentioned how this issue especially affects "vulnerable people, including families with young children, older persons and persons with disabilities."

Not since 2012 - when current manager Mikel Arteta was commanding the team's midfield - had Arsenal won at Liverpool's intimidating home ground.

The curse was broken by Havertz, who slotted home a close-range finish at the back post after a low center across the face of goal by all-action midfielder Declan Rice in the 16th minute.

Arsenal then defended doggedly, especially in the first half when the visitors were pinned back by Liverpool, to keep its sixth clean sheet in nine games of a title defense that is going according to plan.

"In the end, that defensive line, the way we stick together, that togetherness we have, is undefeated," Rice said. "It's nothing I've ever seen before."

With this eighth victory of the campaign, the Gunners leapfrogged Manchester City into top spot and holds a three-point lead.

Perhaps more presciently, given the uncertainty surrounding City's future following its guilty verdict for large-scale financial rule-breaking, Arsenal is now five points ahead of third-place Brighton - the only team to defeat the defending champions so far.

The loss breaks a run of five straight wins by Liverpool since its only previous defeat this season - by Man City, also at Anfield on Oct. 11.

During the furious onslaught in the final 25 minutes of the first half, Florian Wirtz struck the crossbar with a free kick, Alexis Mac Allister headed over the bar when unmarked and Liverpool had a number of penalty appeals waved away.

Ultimately, though, the hosts didn't have a shot on target all match and stayed in fifth place, already nine points behind Arsenal.

"Some days it feels like we are at the top," said Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai, "and some days it feels like we are not even close. It takes time to get to the top."

Alisson mistake punished by Arsenal

The only goal was avoidable on Liverpool's part.

Goalkeeper Alisson Becker attempted a short pass out from the back at a goal kick but it got intercepted by Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, setting up a counterattack.

The ball was fed to the right, where Rice - on the overlap - threaded a cross between Alisson and Liverpool's defenders, teeing up Havertz for an easy finish to become the all-time leading German scorer in the Premier League. He has 46 goals, one more than former Man City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan.

Alisson might have produced a world-class save late on to tip aside a curling shot by Christos Tzolis but it is his early error that will be remembered.

Forgetting about Fleetwood

In the space of five days, Arsenal has been eliminated by fourth-tier opposition in the English League Cup and won at arguably the toughest ground to visit in England.

Getting beaten by plucky Fleetwood Town in a penalty shootout was one of the Gunners' most embarrassing results in their history, even if it was a largely second-string team deployed by Arteta on Tuesday.

He restored all of his regulars to the lineup on Sunday and they toughed out a huge win in the hardest examination so far in their title defense.

"This is the magical thing about football," Arteta said. "It's so unpredictable, the next result."

Arsenal will gain confidence from this and from the sight of Man City losing back-to-back games in the league, against Aston Villa last weekend and Brighton on Saturday.

Arsenal beat Liverpool 1-0 in a rare win at Anfield to go top of the Premier League.

Lazio took full advantage of defending champion Inter Milan's loss to city rival AC Milan on Saturday but needed a late winner from striker Andrea Pinamonti.

Moment of silence in Spain

The Spanish league held a moment of silence before every match this weekend to remember the victims of the deadly train crash in Spain.

Mbappé scored his 12th league goal this season to put Madrid ahead with an 11th-minute penalty, having been fouled himself. He was involved in Jude Bellingham's goal - the England midfielder's 50th goal with Madrid - midway through the first half.

"We played very well. It was very important to win after the victory at Camp Nou, so we are very happy," Bellingham said. "Reaching 50 goals with Real Madrid is very special. Not only for me and my dreams but also for the team."

Madrid was coming off a 2-1 win at Barcelona in the previous round.

Summer signing Yan Diomandé's powerful strike made it 3-0 before halftime.

"We are improving," Madrid coach José Mourinho said. "We've been together for less than four months, and it's a short time. But we've been progressively improving."

Madrid is in third place, one point behind Atletico Madrid and three behind free-scoring Barcelona.

On Tuesday, Mbappé apologized for comments in which he apparently referred to Mao Zedong, the founding leader of Communist China, as a dictator, after facing backlash and losing brand deals with Chinese companies.

That came a day after he finished second behind Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane in the men's Ballon d'Or award.

Athletic Bilbao overcame Real Sociedad 2-1 in the Basque Country derby, with Iñaki Williams and Alex Berenguer scoring in the first half.

Also in Spain, struggling Getafe rallied to beat Sevilla 3-1 with forward Martín Satriano setting up the equalizer for striker Enes Ünal and then scoring himself. Orel Mangala netted a late third.

Valencia won 1-0 at Elche.

Tchouaméni's shot hits kid

Real Madrid midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni struck a young fan in the stands with a shot early in the second half.

The kid did not appear to be seriously hurt but started crying immediately.

After the game, Tchouaméni met with the child and his father and gave them an autographed jersey.

Mbappé also briefly talked to them, joking that Tchouaméni doesn't know how to shoot.

Teen Iličević matches Bundesliga record

Niko Iličević made his debut in Frankfurt's 3-1 win over Hamburg at 16 years, 1 day old, matching Youssoufa Moukoko (for Borussia Dortmund in 2020) as the youngest player in Bundesliga history.

Iličević came into the game in stoppage time.

Frankfurt also beat Hamburg 3-1 in the German Cup on Tuesday.

In another cup game rematch, Cologne and Union Berlin drew 1-1. Cologne had routed Union Berlin 5-0 in the German Cup.

Lazio's best start

Pinamonti came on as a second-half substitute and ripped off his sky-blue Lazio jersey in celebration after netting the winner in the 83rd.

Gustav Isaksen equalized for Lazio late in the first half after Cagliari striker M'Bala Nzola had put the Sardinian side in the lead in the 21st.

The win gave Lazio its best start in club history, with nine wins and one draw in its opening 10 league games.

Elsewhere, France midfielder Lucas Da Cunha's penalty late in the first half helped fourth-place Como to a 1-0 home win against rock-bottom Venezia.

Seventh-place Juventus scored second-half goals to beat eighth-place Napoli 2-0 at home. Napoli finished with 10 men.

Kerim Alajbegovic and Jeremie Boga scored for Juventus in the 70th and 87th minutes. Napoli's Luca Marianucci was sent off in the 75th.

Frosinone consolidated sixth spot with a 2-0 win over Torino.

Lyon climbs to third in France

Lyon moved into third place and stayed ahead of Paris FC on goal difference after both sides won.

Goals from Ghana forward Ernest Nuamah and veteran midfielder Corentin Tolisso gave Lyon a 2-0 home win against Angers, while Mali striker Lassine Sinayoko's brace helped Paris FC beat Monaco 3-1 at home.

United States forward Folarin Balogun scored for Monaco.

Strasbourg routed Auxerre 5-1 at home with striker Gessime Yassine scoring twice, while Marseille beat Toulouse 2-0 for its fourth straight league win.

Defending champion PSG won on Friday.

Twente wins big and Celtic loses

In the Netherlands, FC Twente routed Excelsior 9-0 with Wout Weghorst scoring four goals and Sondre Orjasaeter adding five assists.

In Scotland, Falkirk beat Celtic 2-0 for its first win over the Glasgow club in 19 years.

In its reaction to the Budget, the forum said it was particularly concerned about restrictions affecting third-country nationals who do not meet the relevant long-term residence requirements, alongside increased work permit fees and additional charges.

It argued that the measures could reinforce hostility towards foreign workers and migrants, particularly in a society where racism remains prevalent in certain sectors.

The forum said shifting responsibility for Malta's housing difficulties, traffic congestion and pressure on public infrastructure onto migrant workers and their families would not resolve the structural causes of these problems.

It described the measures as short-sighted, warning that they risk deepening existing hardships while leaving the country's underlying challenges unresolved.

The forum stressed that third-country nationals were workers, parents and members of local communities who contributed to the economy and sustained essential services. It said their dignity and well-being should remain central to decisions affecting them, adding that children should not have to bear the consequences of such policies.

The Anti-Poverty Forum said it recognised the need to review Malta's economic model and plan responsibly for population growth. It called for coordinated policies addressing labour demand, recruitment practices, affordable housing, public transport, infrastructure investment and environmental impact.

It also warned that workers recruited to sustain the country's economic model should not be made to bear a disproportionate share of the consequences of inadequate planning.

The forum called on the government to reconsider the measures before they are implemented and carry out a transparent assessment of their combined impact on low-income workers, families and children. It said this should involve meaningful consultation with affected communities, civil society organisations, employers and trade unions.

The forum also welcomed several measures in Budget 2027 intended to support people at risk of poverty and social exclusion, including the increased cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), COLA Plus for people on low incomes and the rise in the minimum wage.

It said the minimum wage increase provided direct assistance to people living below the poverty line, as well as those whose incomes placed them just above it.

The forum also welcomed the continued support for pensioners through measures intended to improve their quality of life. However, it said it would have preferred the introduction of a scheme allowing pensioners to continue working while receiving their pension, arguing that this would provide additional income while helping older people remain active and productive.

It further acknowledged the continuation of energy support schemes but raised concerns that, because these apply to both lower-income and wealthier households, they could disproportionately benefit those who are better off rather than adequately reaching those most in need.

The forum concluded that Malta needed long-term solutions to the pressures on housing, transport and infrastructure, warning that policies which differentiate access to essential support according to nationality and residence status risk deepening social divisions and pushing vulnerable people further into hardship.

Speaking in a Labour Party activity on Sunday, Caruana blasted businesses who think only about profit and then leave the burdens that their profit creates onto the rest of the country to deal with.

Caruana said that he does not remember a Budget which people have interacted with in such a manner as they have this week. “The Budget touched a nerve,” he said.

He said that the people have been sending clear messages that they want to see some things done differently for a while, and the reaction came because people are seeing that their priorities are starting to be given attention.

“This Budget gave a clear sign: we have listened, and we will act,” he said.

Caruana said that the Budget did not favour one class or another: on the one hand, he said, workers got less taxes and the Super Bonus, and on the other hand employers have €400 million in energy subsidies offering stability and small enterprises will see a reduction in corporate taxation.

“Support to businesses must go hand in hand with the responsibility to ensure that the wealth generated is spread to everyone,” he however said.

“Everyone must enjoy the profits, but businesses must shoulder some part of the burden of the wealth that is being created.  The salaries we offer, how we attract workers, how we treat them, and our economic model all work hand-in-hand,” he said.

Caruana said that many people had asked the government to do something about over-population, but said that “now a lot of masks have dropped.”

“Now that the government has done something, suddenly population isn’t a problem anymore.  It’s like the world is going to end because we took action. The message I take from this is ‘don’t touch our pockets, and let workers and families shoulder the burden’,” he said on the government’s critics.

He also criticised the Nationalist Party for being indecisive in its beliefs, saying that the country needs politics of substance, not just words up in the air.

“This isn’t a conflict between races or colours, or between employees and employers – and we should never devolve into hate or into belittling the worker.  The problem isn’t people: it’s when certain businesses build their economy on low wages and do not care about the effect it may have on the community around them,” Caruana said.

His scathing remarks continued: “They take the profit and expect the country to shoulder the rest,” he said, before adding that this government is the most which has helped businesses grow, but also expects that businesses shoulder some of the expenses.

“This is part of our social justice. This has started to address the imbalance created by the greed of a few who have placed the burden on the rest,” he said.

“We aren’t against profit – we are against profit which is to the detriment of workers and the environment,” he added.

Caruana said that it will be the Labour Party which again writes a new chapter for Malta with social justice as a foundation part of its work, and that the path to the party’s fifth electoral victory starts now. 

Police said that the drug find is being investigated with the support of officials from the Customs Department.

Police said that the MSC Firenze arrived at the Freeport in Malta on Friday night, and the captain soon after informed Maltese authorities that during a routine inspection on 21 October, crew members had noticed a black bag wrapped in some netting in one of the compartments near the ship’s engines.

Due to the suspicion that that bag may contain something illegal, the crew members sealed it and passed it onto the police as soon as it arrived in Malta.

When opened, the bag revealed 14 packets of cocaine, each weighing around a kilogram.

The ship is registered in Liberia and left Panama on 17 October.  It was destined for the port of Gioia Tauro in Italy after its stop at the Freeport in Malta.

Magistrate Philip Galea Farrugia is leading an inquiry.

The first budget of a legislature is invariably a difficult one. A government has four years ahead of it to recover from unpopular decisions and correct its course. But this budget also suggests that the government is finally acknowledging that its economic model is becoming unsustainable, a situation that has been highlighted by constituted bodies for years but which the government always refused to accept.

The problem is that the government appears to have no idea about what should replace it.

For years, the government has encouraged an ever-expanding tourism industry and opened Malta's doors to thousands of foreign workers, particularly third-country nationals (TCNs).  Yet the consequences of this model have become increasingly difficult to ignore. Traffic congestion, pressure on infrastructure, energy interruptions, overdevelopment, and a growing sense of suffocation have fuelled public frustration. Bur rather than presenting a credible strategy to diversify the economy and improve productivity, the government has decided to extract more money from the very sectors it has always encouraged to expand.

Tourists are now being asked to contribute more, while TCNs face the withdrawal of free transport and free childcare, alongside higher costs such as increased driving licence fees. These measures will generate additional revenue and appeal to citizens who believe Malta has become overcrowded. But they do not constitute an economic strategy.

They are, instead, a response to the political consequences of the government's own policies, not to say failures.

There is a fundamental difference between managing tourism responsibly and treating tourists as a convenient source of additional revenue. There is equally a difference between regulating the employment of foreign workers and making their lives more expensive after encouraging businesses to recruit them in the first place.

Whether the measures announced in the budget will achieve their intended objectives remains uncertain. Higher costs could affect tourism demand, while TCNs may decide that better conditions elsewhere make Malta a less attractive place to work. A significant decline in tourist numbers, without a corresponding increase in spending by those who continue to visit, would hurt businesses. A substantial departure of foreign workers - or a higher turnover of such employees with the resultant challenges regarding adaptation, language and learning process - could create serious difficulties for healthcare, catering, transport and construction.

Critics have described the measures as discriminatory, arguing that they risk reinforcing a "go back to your country" mentality. The government may describe them as fiscal protectionism, but the political, social, and economic implications should not be dismissed. Measures that distinguish between people according to nationality or origin inevitably raise questions about fairness, particularly when those affected have been actively recruited to support the economy.

Added to this, there is yet another contradiction between the government's professed socialist credentials and the budget it presented although, this time, Caruana did not mention his socialist credo in his speech. Probably because the measures he announced are hardly a demonstration of social solidarity. They sit more comfortably with a right-wing emphasis on national distinctions and restricting benefits according to origin. They are, however, consistent with a government whose definition of prosperity has too often been reduced to the number of people who can afford boats, while tens of thousands continue to struggle below the poverty line.

There is another reason for this sudden "attack" on tourism and TCNs. Under Abela, in just six years, Malta's national debt has doubled to approximately €12 billion. The inclusion of the €1,000 super bonus - more or less at a cost of €300 million in total - was not part of the government's plan for 2027. Yet, Caruana's pre-budget dithering when asked about the implementation of Labour's main electoral pledge led to so much the negative feedback that it forced the government to change its mind. The money to sustain the financial consequences of maintaining its election promise has to come from somewhere, and the government chose to increase tax on tourists and TCNs who, remember, do not have a vote.

The most glaring omission from this budget is what it does not offer. There was no convincing plan to tackle traffic congestion, no decisive commitment to mass transport, little of substance on Gozo and no clear roadmap for reducing Malta's dependence on construction and labour-intensive industries. Renewable energy, education, skills, innovation and the reduction of bureaucracy also require far more than general promises.

Let us remember that traffic congestion alone was estimated to have cost the economy €770 million in 2025. Such a figure should demand a serious response, not another year of indecision.

On the whole, Budget 2027 offers no convincing answer to Malta's most important economic question: what comes after growth through more people, more tourists and more construction?

A government cannot keep expanding an economic model until the country begins to buckle under the pressure, then turn against the very people and industries sustaining it. If tourism and foreign labour are indispensable today, the responsibility lies with the government to manage that dependence intelligently and build alternatives.

For now, Malta has been given a budget that asks more from the existing model without explaining how the country intends to escape it. That is not economic transformation. It is an admission that the government has no other economic model in mind other than the one it created and is now attacking.

About 70,000 police and gendarmes were deployed across the country, and Paris marches were rerouted to the capital's edge. Youth-led demonstrations were also reported in Germany and Italy.

France's government estimated that 320,000 people protested nationwide Saturday, fewer than in previous protests but still a significant turnout. Mass protests on Oct. 17 that deteriorated into some of France's worst rioting in years drew more than 500,000 people around France, and demonstrations on Oct. 24 drew 410,000, according to government estimates. Organizers' turnout estimates are much higher.

French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez warned of a "very high risk" of disorder, especially after dark on Halloween. Police had arrested thousands of people following riots and looting that marred the largely peaceful protest marches the previous two Saturdays.

At Porte de Bagnolet, on the eastern edge of Paris, thousands gathered behind a line of students who led the march hand in hand. Security agents from the CGT, one of France's largest labor unions, were keeping watch at the front of the gathering, while police were massed on side streets.

The Interior Ministry told reporters that of the 320,000 protesting Saturday, 70,000 people are estimated to have turned out for the main protest in Paris, which police moved outside the city center to reduce the risk of unrest around government buildings and tourist sites after a last-minute court battle.

The marchers' grievances are diverse.

Each group carried its own banner: high school students, climate activists and people angry about the cost of living.

A few Halloween costumes stood out in the crowd, including a zombie Michael Jackson from "Thriller," a pirate and a Spider-Man. Protesters waited calmly, chanting and singing through megaphones.

Corentin Cabreux, a 21-year-old student, said that he lives in a state-run student residence where "there are damp stains all along the bottom of my walls, whole sections peeling off, cockroaches everywhere, rats."

He said that he hoped Saturday's protest would be festive in honor of Halloween, to counter the image of violence that has attached itself to France's protests.

Police impose curfew and other measures

The rallies started last month as a movement of high school students protesting neglected buildings, teacher shortages and a university admissions system seen as unfair to disadvantaged students. Labor unions and others angry at President Emmanuel Macron joined in with a variety of demands.

While the vast majority of protesters have been peaceful, groups of troublemakers routinely target police with fireworks and projectiles. Some protests have degenerated into rioting and looting - including unrest on Oct. 17 that appeared to take the government by surprise. Police have responded with tear gas, dispersion grenades, water cannons and other tactics that have resulted in severe injuries.

Macron said that Saturday's marches would stay out of city centers to protect shops. Police also barred people from entering Place de la Republique and Les Halles from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Unaccompanied minors face a separate 9 p.m. curfew around the Champs-Elysees. A Paris court on Wednesday suspended an earlier curfew on minors as a serious and illegal infringement of freedom of movement.

Protests are also taking place in Germany, Italy and Spain

In Germany, a youth initiative called "Gen Z regelt" - roughly "Gen Z's got this" - rallied in many cities "for education, health, climate protection and an affordable life," and against any return of military conscription. Organizers said that more than 180,000 people had signed up online, but as of Saturday afternoon only several thousand marched in various cities across the country.

Young protesters also gathered at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate on Saturday afternoon, demanding more investments in education and housing.

"We call for more money to be invested in social services and education, as well as in climate protection - in short, in our future - because we are the ones who will be affected by this the longest and who will have to live with it," high school student Lara Breitenbach said.

Janelle Schulz, another high school student from Berlin, also said that the authorities had to invest more money in education.

"At my school, the ceiling is collapsing because of water damage, nothing is being done about it, we have a shortage of teachers, the toilets are broken," she said.

Some shops on the Kurfuerstendamm boulevard had boarded up their windows on Friday, although authorities said they were unaware of specific threats of violence. An additional 1,500 police officers were deployed to the German capital to quench possible riots.

In The Hague, Netherlands, there was a strong police presence in and around the downtown shopping area on Saturday afternoon after online appeals for protests, and fears of rioting and looting. However, there was little sign of protests and no major disturbances by midafternoon. Police frisked some groups of black-clad youngsters, and checked their identities, local media reported.

Many stores in the city were also boarded up as a precaution.

In Barcelona, Spain, regional police planned to activate their highest-level alert after an anonymous TikTok network called Blocus urged new gatherings. Rioting there on Oct. 24 led to about 130 arrests, mostly of minors.

Italian police were on alert after clashes in Milan, Turin and Bologna, and calls to protest circulated on TikTok in Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland and Portugal.

The tender, MIEA/02/2026, calls for a master plan for land reclamation on the Bengħajsa shoal, with the aim of expanding maritime industrial space in Marsaxlokk Harbour.

In a joint statement, the organisations said the shoal was an important fishing area for generations of local fishers and described it as the daily bread of many small-scale artisanal fishers.

They warned that industrial development in the harbour had already made it almost impossible for fishers to operate there, leaving Bengħajsa and its surrounding waters among the few remaining areas where those with small boats could earn a living.

Turning the shoal into industrial land would deal a "death blow" to the community of small-scale artisanal fishers, they said.

The organisations also highlighted the historical, cultural and environmental importance of Marsaxlokk Harbour, arguing that reclamation outside the harbour would cause irreversible damage to its landscape and views from Delimara, Bengħajsa and Għar Ħasan.

They warned that the project could lead to increased sedimentation and pollution, the permanent loss of seabed, greater artificial lighting and damage to surrounding ecosystems.

Particular concern was expressed over the impact on Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows on the shoal, which are protected under the EU Habitats Directive, as well as the integrity of nearby Natura 2000 protected areas.

Changes to sea currents could also affect the circulation of water in the harbour, potentially compromising its cleanliness and suitability for swimming.

The groups further warned that Wied ix-Xaqqa could be lost, undermining plans recently proposed by Ambjent Malta, Project Green and the Environment and Resources Authority for the regeneration of the valley.

They questioned why the quality of life of residents in the south-east of Malta continued to be sacrificed in the name of industrial development, pointing to the existing impact of the Freeport, the power station and the Ħal Far industrial zone on communities in Birżebbuġa and Marsaxlokk.

The statement also criticised the timing of the tender, noting that Bengħajsa public park and Fort Bengħajsa had been presented as spaces for public enjoyment, only for the latest proposal to appear a few months later.

The organisations also questioned the lack of consultation before the tender was issued, saying they were unaware of any engagement with local fishers, residents, local councils or associations.

"Genuine consultation takes place before decisions are taken, not after," they said.

They argued that development in and around Marsaxlokk Harbour had already reached its limit and that no further expansion should take place either within or outside the harbour.

The statement was endorsed by BirdLife Malta, EcoMarine Malta, Federazzjoni tal-Għaqdiet tas-Sajjieda Dilettanti Malta, Għaqda Sajjieda Attivi, Għaqda Sajjieda Dilettanti B'Buġa, Għaqda Storja u Kultura Birżebbuġa, Moviment Graffitti and Nature Trust - FEE Malta.

Deputy Editor Semira Abbas Shalan won the Award for Journalism that Promotes the Rights of People with Disability for her story "Left on the dark: Parents of children with severe disabilities slam silence over school transition". It is the second time that Semira has won this particular category.

This interview tells the story of Andrea Waltzing and her 15-year-old son Max, who is non-verbal and was due to leave the Guardian Angels Resource Centre without his family knowing where he would continue his education. It raised concerns about whether the education system is adequately meeting these students' needs and protecting their right to appropriate education, support and inclusion, while giving visibility to families who felt they had been left without answers about their children's future.

Kyle Patrick Camilleri won the Most Promising Journalist Award. Camilleri, 25 years of age, joined The Malta Independent as a journalist in July, 2023. For the award, Camilleri submitted a string of news stories that showed his "dedication, commitment and a strong work ethic". 

The Malta Independent congratulates both Semira and Kyle for their achievement.

Meanwhile, members of The Malta Independent newsroom were finalists in three other award categories.

Yasmin Mifsud's investigative story titled 'From nail salons to TikTok: Malta's underground trade in an unapproved weight-loss jab exposed' exposing the underground trade in a new weight-loss drug called Retatrutide ended in 3rd place in the prestigious Scoop of the Year Award.

News Editor Albert Galea also placed 3rd in the Interviewer of the Year Award for his interview with former PN MP Mario de Marco soon after he retired from politics, titled Mario de Marco: 23 years as an MP, health challenges, and when 'nobody was a hero' in the PN.

Finally, Kyle Patrick Camilleri placed 3rd in the Sports Journalism Award for his story titled Malta must strengthen homegrown player quota to improve local football, says football coach.

In a statement published on social media, Marmara said he was making the full conclusions of the report public, following an earlier confirmation by the competent authorities that no laws had been breached in the professional work carried out by his company.

The report by Valenzia examined accusations made by Cassola against Marmara, including a request for the University of Malta to investigate him over alleged breaches of professional ethics. This morning, Momentum party, led by Cassola, published the 22 questions asked in a survey commissioned by the uncle of Yorgen Fenech, who was acquitted on conspiracy and complicity charges related to the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia.

According to Marmara, the retired judge concluded that there was no factual basis to warrant such an investigation and that the accusations levelled against him were not supported by facts or evidence.

Marmara also said that Valenzia criticised what he described as serious and offensive personal allegations made against him. The retired judge reportedly argued that the least Cassola should do was withdraw the offending statements and apologise for the damage caused, using the same channels through which the accusations had been made.

Marmara said the conclusions reinforced the position he had maintained from the outset: that the accusations against him were unfounded and that the personal attacks had no factual justification.

"Professional work should always be judged on facts and evidence, not on allegations and personal attacks," he said.

The accident happened at around 3am in Triq Nazzjonali, when the woman was struck by a Ford Tourneo driven by a 47-year-old man from Eritrea who lives in Ħal Tarxien, police said.

The woman received medical assistance at the scene before being taken to Mater Dei Hospital by ambulance, where she was certified as having suffered grievous injuries.

Police investigations are ongoing.

The 22-question survey was conducted by pollster Vincent Marmara's company, Sagalytics, and published by Momentum on Saturday morning. The questionnaire gathered demographic details - such as age, locality, education, employment status, and income tax bracket - while also probing respondents' political beliefs, trust in the judicial system, and ability to disregard media coverage when evaluating evidence presented in court.

The publication of the survey follows earlier concerns that it could have been used to gauge potential jurors' attitudes toward Fenech, who was subsequently acquitted of involvement in Caruana Galizia's murder.

Drafted in July 2021, the questionnaire asked respondents if they had already formed an opinion about who ordered the murder and specifically whether they believed Fenech was responsible. Question nine asked whether politicians should be shielded from responsibility in connection with the case, while another question asked whether criminals who provide information about other cases should receive a presidential pardon for serious offenses. 

Additionally, respondents were asked to rate, on a scale of one to five, how confident they were in their ability to ignore media coverage and reach a decision based solely on courtroom evidence. Further questions explored perceptions of the police investigation as well as opinions regarding both Fenech and Caruana Galizia.

According to Momentum, the contract signed between Raymond Fenech and Marmara included a provision allowing the identities of both the commissioner and the polling company to remain undisclosed to respondents. Under this agreement, callers were instructed to introduce themselves as representatives of "a survey company in Malta acting on behalf of an independent client."

Questioning the propriety of the arrangement, Momentum Leader Arnold Cassola asked whether it is ethical for serious polling companies to hide their identity behind such generic phrasing when contacting the public.

The accident happened in Mdina Road at around 5am, when the Toyota Vitz hit a street lamp, overturned and subsequently caught fire.

The driver, who lives in Qormi, and an 18-year-old female passenger from Swieqi managed to get out of the vehicle before it was engulfed in flames.

Both were assisted by a medical team and taken to Mater Dei Hospital by ambulance.

The man was later certified as suffering from grievous injuries, while the young woman sustained slight injuries.

Members of the Civil Protection Department were also called to the scene to assist.

Police investigations into the accident are ongoing.

Gozo

Victoria Palm Pharmacy, 2, Triq il-Palma; Xewkija Gozo Chemists, Triq l-Imġarr;

Writing in the Guardian on Saturday, Burnham said Britain needed to acknowledge its "complicated history" in order to protect the Commonwealth, an association of 56 independent nations that grew out of the British Empire.

Burnham travels to Antigua and Barbuda in the Caribbean next week for a meeting of Commonwealth leaders, which he hopes will bolster the U.K.'s relations with nations in Africa and the Caribbean, many of which were former colonies.

"For years, those members of the Commonwealth affected by the slave trade have asked for an honest conversation about the legacies of slavery," Burnham said. "By sticking our heads in the sand, we have damaged the ability of the Commonwealth to function."

Burnham said his government is offering to begin a "structured dialogue" with those affected by slavery and will listen to calls for a formal apology by the British state, which benefited hugely from the slave trade before it was outlawed in 1833 - the British Empire was arguably founded on it.

"I do not think that British people today can be held liable for historical wrongs, however heinous, that happened in a different age under different laws and in which they played no personal part," Burnham said.

Burnham gets former prime minister Brown on board to focus on debt

Instead, the prime minister said, he wants to address the issues that face the Commonwealth and other nations today, including high levels of debt faced by many developing countries.

Burnham said he would work with other wealthy nations and investors to help vulnerable countries pay off their debts over a longer period and at lower interest rates.

To help move this initiative forward, former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, a champion of debt relief for developing nations, will attend the Commonwealth meeting, he said.

The king has been in a bind as to what he can say

King Charles III faced calls for Britain to apologize and pay reparations during the first phase of a nine-day trip to the Caribbean that will end with the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting Sunday through Wednesday in St. John's, the capital of Antigua and Barbuda.

Speaking in Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas, on Tuesday, Charles acknowledged "the great suffering and injustices of the past" but stopped short of an apology.

The king, whose forebears directly benefited from the slave trade, has been prevented from going further because it was government policy not to apologize for the country's role in the slave trade and Britain's constitutional monarch speaks on behalf of the elected government.

Britain seeks to shore up relations with former colonies

Burnham's comments come as Britain seeks to shore up relations with its traditional allies in the Commonwealth in the face of economic, environmental and military challenges around the world.

A change in the government's position could also respond to younger, more liberal voters at home, where activists have called for Britain to reexamine the legacy of its colonial history. It involved the transfer of several million people from Africa to work, often in the most arduous conditions, on plantations in the Caribbean, North America and elsewhere.

In 2020, anti-racism protesters in Bristol tore down the statue of Edward Colston, an English merchant and politician, saying the city should no longer glorify the life of a slave trader. Colston was a deputy governor of the Royal African Company, which shipped thousands of enslaved people to English colonies in the Americas.

The descendants of some British people who profited from the slave trade have already apologized and offered compensation. They include the owner of the Guardian, a liberal newspaper where leaders of Burnham's Labour Party often lay out policy initiatives.

U.K. politicians have traditionally focused on the country's role in banning the slave trade in 1807 and outlawing slavery throughout the British Empire in 1833.

But Burnham said it is now time for the country to acknowledge the other side of the story as well.

"We are a country where brave people led the way in abolishing slavery, but we are also a country that participated in the trade in human lives," he said.

"The trans-Atlantic slave trade was a brutal and barbaric violation of those people," Burnham said. "I want to express my sorrow and regret for the pain and suffering of so many millions of people, and to recognize the way it still shapes our world today."

Change of tack receives modest welcome

Barbados' prime minister, Mia Mottley, welcomed Burnham's acknowledgment of the "brutality of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, his openness to a formal apology and his offer of structured dialogue" but said there were differences on the issue of reparations.

"Those differences should not prevent progress on health, education, tackling poverty and inequality, and fairer debt terms for vulnerable states," she said on X.

Gaston Browne, Prime Minister of nearby Antigua and Barbuda, echoed Mottley's response, calling Burnham's comments a "significant and welcome development."

"The Caribbean's longstanding position on reparatory justice remains unchanged," he wrote on Facebook. "Differences over financial compensation should be addressed through dialogue, but they need not prevent progress in areas where agreement is possible."

The controversy surrounds planning application PC/00053/26, which proposes constructing residential buildings reaching up to 17.5 meters high on a vacant plot of land located off Triq Dun Nerik Mahoney and Triq San Nikola.

Residents warned that the proposed project would permanently alter Qrendi's traditional skyline and lead to the irreversible loss of vital agricultural land. The site represents one of the few remaining undeveloped rural spaces on the outskirts of the village and sits in close proximity to a historic tower and a protected garden.

Speaking directly to the crowd, Minister Dalli acknowledged the community's growing concerns regarding excessive development in Malta's rural areas. She noted that she had previously raised the issue both within parliament and during private discussions.

However, she emphasized that her ministerial role does not grant her the legal power to directly intervene in decisions made by the Planning Authority. Despite her explanation, residents remain steadfast in their opposition, urging authorities to halt the destruction of their natural and historic environment before the damage becomes permanent.

In a decision delivered on Friday, Magistrate Marse-Ann Farrugia upheld a habeas corpus application filed on behalf of 61-year-old Blazenko Djuran, finding that a misunderstanding over the English word "charges" had resulted in his guilty plea being incorrectly recorded as not guilty.

Djuran had been remanded in custody on 23 October after a Magistrate refused to accept his admission of guilt, expressing concerns that he did not understand the charges against him or the consequences of pleading guilty.

However, after hearing testimony from the lawyer and interpreter who assisted Djuran during his arraignment, Magistrate Farrugia concluded that the accused had understood the substance of the charges but had been confused by the English terminology used in court.

The court found that although the original magistrate had acted out of caution to safeguard the accused's right to a fair defence, the decision to reject his guilty plea had been disproportionate in the circumstances.

It consequently declared his continued detention unlawful under Article 412B of the Criminal Code and ordered his immediate release.

Confusion over the word 'charges'

During Friday's hearing, lawyer Nadya Fiott, who had represented Djuran as legal aid counsel during his arraignment, confirmed that he had intended to plead guilty from the outset.

Fiott testified that she had informed the court of his intention to admit the charges, but that difficulties arose when the magistrate questioned him about whether he understood the implications of his plea.

When asked whether he understood what pleading guilty to the charges entailed, Djuran replied that he did not know what the word "charges" meant.

According to Fiott, his response referred specifically to his unfamiliarity with the English term rather than a lack of understanding of the accusations or his intention to admit guilt.

Despite his attempts to clarify his position, the magistrate declined to accept the guilty plea and recorded a plea of not guilty instead.

Djuran was subsequently remanded in custody. No bail request was made because he was a tourist with no fixed address or established ties to Malta.

Interpreter Imelda Fede, who had assisted during the original proceedings, corroborated Fiott's account.

She explained that before the arraignment, the defence had held discussions with the prosecution concerning the possibility of a conditional discharge.

However, confusion arose when the magistrate questioned Djuran about his understanding of the charges.

Fede testified that, after the magistrate indicated she would not accept the guilty plea, Djuran repeatedly sought an explanation of what had happened.

"What charges? What charges? I'm guilty. I'm guilty," he insisted, according to the interpreter.

Fede explained that Djuran's lawyer subsequently showed him the charges and clarified their meaning, but that he continued to insist on admitting guilt.

She maintained that the accused's confusion concerned the meaning of the English word "charges", not the consequences of pleading guilty.

Tourist came to Malta for two-day visit

Lawyer José Herrera, appearing for Djuran, emphasised that his client had travelled to Malta simply to visit the country for two days.

The criminal proceedings arose from an incident at Malta International Airport, where Djuran became involved in a disagreement with Ryanair staff over his hand luggage.

According to the original court proceedings, airline employees had informed him that his bag did not comply with the airline's permitted baggage dimensions.

During the disagreement, Djuran allegedly made a sarcastic remark referring to a bomb inside his luggage.

Herrera argued that the tourist had been prepared to accept responsibility for what amounted to an ill-judged remark, but had been prevented from doing so by the court's refusal to register his guilty plea.

The defence maintained that Djuran should have been allowed to admit the charges and receive a sentence during his original arraignment, rather than remaining in preventive custody.

In the habeas corpus application, filed by lawyers José Herrera, Martina Herrera and Matthew Xuereb, the defence argued that the rejection of his guilty plea had directly resulted in his unlawful detention.

Prosecution contests legality of application

The Attorney General opposed the application, arguing that the defence had failed to identify a specific breach of law capable of rendering Djuran's detention illegal.

The prosecution maintained that habeas corpus proceedings required the court to establish whether a person's continued detention was contrary to law.

It argued that the original magistrate had merely exercised a power available to her under the Criminal Code when she declined to accept the accused's guilty plea.

The fact that the magistrate had refused to register an admission of guilt did not, in itself, make the resulting detention unlawful, the prosecution submitted.

Court finds original record did not reflect what happened

In her judgment, Magistrate Farrugia accepted the testimony of Fiott and Fede, noting that their evidence had not been contradicted.

She found that Djuran had consulted his lawyer in the presence of the interpreter before the arraignment and had decided to admit all the charges brought against him.

The magistrate observed that the misunderstanding arose because English was not the Croatian national's first language.

Although Djuran understood the substance of the accusations, he had not understood the meaning of the word "charges."

Once the term was explained to him, he continued to insist that he was guilty.

The court took issue with the record of the original proceedings, which stated that Djuran had declared himself not guilty after saying he did not know what the charges were.

Magistrate Farrugia found that the accused had never actually made such a declaration.

While acknowledging that the other Magistrate had been motivated by a desire to protect the accused's rights, she ruled that the court should not have recorded a not guilty plea when he had never expressly entered one.

The judgment noted that the Criminal Code empowered a magistrate to proceed with a case as though an accused had pleaded not guilty where there were valid reasons to doubt an admission of guilt.

However, the court found that the record of the original proceedings and the evidence presented did not establish that this power had been exercised.

Instead, the accused had been recorded as pleading not guilty, despite never having made that declaration.

The magistrate said that if the original court had concerns about whether Djuran understood the consequences of admitting guilt, it should have explained the accusations and possible penalties to him in simple language.

It could then have suspended the proceedings to allow him to consult his lawyer again and reconsider his position.

Continued detention deemed disproportionate

Magistrate Farrugia also considered the application in light of Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects the right to liberty and security.

Referring to European human rights jurisprudence, the court emphasised that the legality of detention must be assessed not only according to domestic law but also against principles of proportionality, legal certainty and protection against arbitrariness.

The magistrate concluded that the original court's approach had deprived Djuran of the opportunity to register his guilty plea and had resulted in his continued detention.

She considered the measure disproportionate, particularly given that the misunderstanding had resulted from a language barrier, the charges carried relatively low maximum prison sentences, and Djuran was a tourist without a fixed address in Malta.

Although the original magistrate had sought to safeguard his right to a fair defence, the consequences of her decision went beyond what was necessary in the circumstances, the court found.

Upholding the habeas corpus application, Magistrate Farrugia declared Djuran's continued detention illegal and ordered that he be released with immediate effect.

The decision concerned the legality of his detention and did not determine his guilt or innocence in the underlying criminal proceedings.

The man was represented by lawyers Jose Herrera, Martina Herrera, and Matthew Xuereb.

After scoring 73 times for club and country in the 2025-26 season and his "magical" award win, Kane switched focus back to soccer but had a rare off-day which left Bayern and Dortmund level on points at the top of the Bundesliga.

"It's something you have to deal with when you're at the top, deal with the emotions, deal with everything that comes with it," Kane said. "I felt like I handled it well. Of course not the best day today, but that's life, you move on."

Elsewhere in Europe, Christian Pulisic's goal set AC Milan on course for a 3-1 win against Inter Milan in the latest edition of their city rivalry, there were losses for both Manchester teams, and Barcelona bounced back from two bruising losses by dismantling Alaves 6-1.

Lots of ceremony for Kane but no goal

Bayern honored Kane ahead of kickoff as he showed off the trophy with his family on the field to cheers from the crowd. "The support you've shown me since I arrived has been incredible," he told the fans.

Kane hit a penalty against the crossbar and hit the post on another chance, but did set up Bayern's second goal with a smart header that left Dayot Upamecano an easy finish. Fabio Silva canceled that out with an 89th-minute leveler for Dortmund.

There were injury concerns, too, for Bayern as Michael Olise, Ismael Saibari and Serge Gnabry all went off hurt.

Bayern was without coach Vincent Kompany, who was resting after he was released from hospital following a sudden collapse last week.

Pulisic and Moreira shine in AC Milan derby win

Diego Moreira weighed in with two assists and a goal in an impressive first half for the Belgium international as Milan inflicted the first defeat of the season on Inter.

Moreira whipped in a cross for Pulisic to head Milan into the lead in the fourth minute and delivered the corner from which Adrien Rabiot doubled the Rossoneri's advantage just six minutes later.

Bastoni pulled one back for Inter but Moreira got on the scoresheet himself with a free kick shortly before halftime.

Milan moved up to fourth, four points behind joint leaders Inter and Lazio, which can move clear atop Serie A at home to Cagliari on Sunday.

Pulisic penned a five-year contract extension with the club on Friday through 2031. Third-placed Roma beat struggling Udinese 5-2. Bologna beat Monza 2-1.

Barcelona takes back top spot from Atletico

Lamine Yamal and Raphinha scored twice each as Barcelona cruised to a 6-1 win over Alaves and took back top spot in La Liga from Atletico Madrid.

Barcelona was coming off losses to Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid but victory never seemed in doubt against an overmatched Alaves. Raphinha moved to 15 goals from 10 La Liga games, four ahead of Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe. Anthony Gordon and Fermín López also scored for Barcelona.

Atletico was on top for only a few hours after beating Levante 2-0 earlier.

Left back Alejandro Grimaldo seized on a missed interception in the Levante defense to get Atletico started with a goal in the 36th minute, then Giuliano Simeone finished off an incisive team move for the second. Barcelona faces Atletico next week.

High-flying Freiburg wins again

In the Bundesliga, last season's Europa League finalist Freiburg beat Augsburg 2-1 on Cyriaque Irie's 85th-minute goal to stay third and cut the gap to one point behind leading duo Dortmund and Bayern ahead of their Klassiker.

Leipzig was close behind in fourth after beating Schalke 2-0.

League top scorer Niclas Füllkrug added his ninth goal as Werder Bremen beat Hoffenheim 2-0 to move up to fifth.

Bayer Leverkusen's strong early form hit another setback in a 4-2 loss at home to Stuttgart for back-to-back defeats. Borussia Moenchengladbach and Paderborn drew 0-0.

In France, Troyes beat Le Mans 2-0 in the only Ligue 1 game of the day after three others were moved because of protests across the country.

It was a bad day for the other Manchester club, too, as first-placed City fell at home to Brighton 1-0 for a second straight league loss, having opened the campaign with seven wins in a row.

Carrick was already under huge pressure - and seemingly operating on a match-by-match basis - heading into the game at Stamford Bridge, for which he restored Bruno Fernandes to the starting lineup after dropping the captain last week.

It has gotten worse for Carrick, with United now on a nine-match winless run in all competitions - its longest streak without a victory since 1988, according to the BBC - after second-half goals by Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer.

"Things have gone against us, and gone against us in a big way," Carrick said. "It unraveled quickly."

Palmer converted a 64th-minute penalty awarded after Martinez jumped with a raised elbow toward Wesley Fofana at a corner and struck the Chelsea defender in the face. A video review confirmed the offense and the Argentina defender, already in the spotlight for criticizing United's hierarchy recently, was given a second yellow card in a four-minute span.

As Martinez walked off the field and down the tunnel, Carrick didn't even acknowledge the player.

"It has a major importance on the game," Carrick said of the red card. "A huge moment."

United plunging toward relegation zone

United stayed on just one win in the league after nine games, and was one point and one place above the relegation zone.

With its next two league games against Aston Villa and Liverpool, there's a good chance the 20-time English champion could be in the bottom three soon - a desperate situation for a club widely regarded as the biggest in the country.

United's only two victories from 13 matches in all competitions this season were against promoted Ipswich in the Premier League and tournament newcomer Sabah in the Champions League.

United's next match is at home to Roma in the Champions League on Tuesday and Carrick said he expected to still be in charge.

"I'm just looking forward to getting the boys ready for midweek," he said.

"I thought it was as good as we'd played for some time in the first half. We looked dangerous, we looked fluid, we looked like a good team."

Haaland scoring run ends in City loss

Man City striker Erling Haaland had scored in his previous seven league games - leaving him four off Leicester great Jamie Vardy's record of netting in consecutive matches - but that run ended against Brighton in a rematch after their English League Cup meeting on Wednesday, won by City on penalties.

Yasin Ayari, one of the Brighton players to miss the team's shootout loss, made amends with an 11th-minute winner at Etihad Stadium.

With City also losing at Aston Villa 2-1 last weekend, Arsenal - which is tied on points in second place - can move into first with a win or a draw at Liverpool on Sunday.

"We were aware that we weren't going to win all the games," City manager Enzo Maresca said. He was the first ever manager to win his first seven Premier League games in charge of a club. "So this kind of moment has arrived ... we need to move on and win games as soon as possible."

City's future continues to be shrouded in doubt after the club was found guilty of large-scale financial rule-breaking in an explosive verdict last month. City is awaiting a sanction, having also lodged an appeal.

Brighton, one of the league's surprise packages this season, moved into third place - two points off the lead - and has now beaten Arsenal and City without conceding.

Bournemouth and Tottenham win again

Another win and another clean sheet for in-form Bournemouth.

By beating Leeds 2-0 thanks to goals by Evanilson and Amine Adli, Bournemouth made it six straight victories in all competitions without conceding a single goal and moved up to seventh place.

Tottenham was one place lower but on the same points after beating 10-man Crystal Palace 2-0 for a third consecutive victory.

Palace stayed a man down from the 13th minute because of a straight red card to Jean-Philippe Mateta for a studs-up tackle on Micky van de Ven, after which defenders Archie Gray and Jan Paul van Hecke scored.

Aston Villa squandered a lead and drew with Fulham 1-1 after goalkeeper Zion Suzuki dropped an inswinging corner over his own goal line. Nicolas Jackson had put Villa in front.

Sunderland stayed in last place after losing at Coventry 3-1, next-to-last Nottingham Forest lost at Brentford 2-0, while promoted teams Hull and Ipswich drew 2-2.

The first procedures, performed by the hospital's strong cardiac team, were carried out at Saint James Hospital's new €2.5 million Prof. Albert Fenech Cardiac Suite in Żejtun.

"It is a very proud and rewarding moment for our cardiac team to be part of this important milestone in the development of interventional cardiology and the introduction of advanced technology within the private health sector in Malta," Saint James Hospitals CEO Jean Claude Muscat said.

"Ultimately, milestones like these are not just about new facilities or technology, but about creating opportunities to provide patients with high-quality, modern cardiac care."

Saint James is currently the only private hospital in Malta equipped with a cardiac catheterisation laboratory, commonly known as a Cath Lab, which enables specialists to carry out procedures that previously required patients to rely on the public health service or seek treatment abroad.

The interventions on the first three patients included a coronary angiogram to identify blockages, and a Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO), which closes a small opening between the heart's upper chamber closure to reduce strokes.

Muscat said the opening of the cardiac suite, named after the late Prof. Albert Fenech, a pioneer in interventional cardiology procedures in Malta, marked an important change in the options available to patients.

"Until now, patients who needed these procedures had no private hospital option in Malta. That changes today with our €2.5 million investment, which gives patients greater choice when it comes to specialised cardiac care, and allows us to play a bigger role in supporting the national healthcare system," he said.

The hospital's cardiac suite is equipped with the latest Philips Azurion angiography system, and Muscat said the longer-term ambition was to continue developing the service while gradually introducing further advanced procedures.

Perhaps his assertion is not entirely off the mark.

The seven-time world champion Hamilton rebounded from a wretched Friday practice to capture pole position on Saturday. Hamilton edged out Mercedes' George Russell and Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc.

"I feel great, that feels good, I am at a loss of words," Hamilton said. "We did a pretty good job with the setup in the weekend. It feels special for me in Mexico, my first pole for Ferrari here."

He has extended his own record for Formula 1 pole positions to 105.

"Wow, to have pole here, I mean, I don't even know if I've had a pole here before,"said Hamilton, who had pole position in Mexico in 2016. "It feels special to be in Mexico and get that. My first, I think this is my first pole with Ferrari. And 105... I like that number."

Furthermore, at 41 years and some months Hamilton was the fifth oldest driver to secure an F1 pole position and the oldest since Mario Andretti did it in 1982 at age 42. Nino Farina holds the record at 47 years, two months.

"When there's a will, there's a way, I think it's all in the mind. For sure, you might feel aches and pains but I do all those different things that you can do to try and keep yourself young and fit," Hamilton said. "But I love what I do. And that love is not gone. I wake up every day thinking about it. I dream about it."

This marks the Italian team's first pole position since Hungary last year, 30 races ago.

Hamilton, who has crowned himself world champion twice in Mexico, will aim to become the first Ferrari driver to win a race from pole position since Carlos Sainz in Mexico in 2024.

On Friday during the second practice, he suffered a loss of power that forced him to retire.

"Embarking on this journey with Ferrari, and all the challenges and ups and downs we've had. Even yesterday was challenging, when the car stopped on track and we lost the long runs that everyone got to do." Hamilton said. "I didn't get to do a long run. But we've really done a good job with the set-up over the weekend."

Kimi Antonelli could become the youngest world champion in F1 history. He qualified fifth, demonstrating his car's setup was optimal.

The 20-year-old Italian, who missed Thursday's media session because of a viral infection, said he was still recovering but hoped to be at his best for what could be a special Sunday.

"I'm going to bombard myself with melatonin, so I hope I can sleep about 10 hours, with any luck," said Antonelli, who will start fourth after Red Bull's Max Verstappen received a one-place grid penalty Saturday for an incident involving Liam Lawson.

"It's a new one, that penalty, but yeah, we'll keep inventing new ones, I guess," Verstappen said.

Antonelli, who won the United States Grand Prix last week from pole, can finish as low as ninth on Sunday at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez to surpass the record set by Sebastian Vettel, who became world champion the first time at 23.

Russell began the season as Mercedes' No. 1 driver and won the first race of the year in Australia, but Antonelli has since won nine grands prix.

Antonelli can also become the first Italian driver to win the title since Alberto Ascari in 1953. while Mercedes can clinch the constructors' title on Sunday for the first time since 2021.

Alonso's Mexico curse

Fernando Alonso, who arrived in Mexico amid controversy after claiming that the bottom third of F1 drivers lack quality, was eliminated after completing just four laps in the first qualifying session.

The Spanish Aston Martin driver was instructed to stop shortly before reaching the pit lane, and he made no secret of his annoyance.

"I'm only a hundred meters from the pit lane entrance," the two-time world champion said over the radio, while striking the steering wheel with his hands in frustration.

The Mexico City GP does not hold fond memories for Alonso, as he has failed to finish the last four races.

No home comforts for Pérez

Cadillac driver Sergio Pérez will mark his 300th Formula 1 Grand Prix on home soil, but if he wants to give his millions of fans something to cheer about, he will have an uphill battle ahead of him.

Pérez was eliminated in the first qualifying session (Q1) and will start from the second-to-last position on the grid, ahead only of his teammate, Valtteri Bottas.

Earlier this week, the 36-year-old driver signed a contract extension that will keep him with Cadillac through 2029.

The Vatican confirmed Friday that the Chicago-born pontiff had submitted a mail-in ballot in the city ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections, citing his long-standing belief in civic participation.

Leo, formerly Robert Prevost, "has exercised his right to vote as a United States citizen" as he has done "whenever he was eligible to do so," the Holy See press office said.

The statement said he had also voted while living in Peru, where he lived as a missionary priest and bishop for over 20 years.

"The Holy Father expresses his belief in the right and the duty of citizens to participate in democratic processes," it added.

Leo holds U.S. and Peruvian citizenship, and is also the head of state of a foreign country, the Holy See. The city-state is an absolute monarchy with no political elections.

U.S. federal law allows citizens living abroad, even those working for foreign governments, to vote via absentee ballot. Americans working for foreign governments aren't automatically at risk of forfeiting their U.S. citizenship, though the U.S. State Department says on its website that it may "actively review" the citizenship status of Americans who "serve as a foreign head of state, foreign head of government, or foreign minister."

This election, Illinois voters are deciding whether to elect Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker to his third term, and they're also filling an open U.S. Senate seat after longtime Catholic Democrat Dick Durbin's retirement. There are no statewide issues on the Illinois ballot. President Donald Trump is not on the ballot, but he has campaigned hard to try to preserve Republican control of the U.S. House and Senate for the final two years of his second term.

The pope, registered at a New Lenox, Illinois, address, requested a mail-in ballot on Oct. 3, said Kim Fladhammer, chief of staff to the Will County clerk, on Friday. The Chicago Sun-Times first reported the request.

The request was made just 10 days before Leo underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his right lung. Leo has been slowly resuming his activities at the Vatican after being released from the hospital Oct. 17.

It is unclear how Leo returned the ballot. The pope's older brother, John Prevost, was in Rome this week accompanying parishioners from St. Jude's, an Augustinian-run parish in New Lenox, Illinois. The elder Prevost attends Mass there, and Leo gave a talk at the parish in 2024 while still a cardinal.

Prevost's past votes have gone Democratic and Republican

Since 2000, Robert Prevost has voted in five primary elections, requesting Democratic ballots twice and Republican ballots three times, according to records held by the Illinois State Board of Elections.

The records do not show which candidates he supported. Illinois voters must declare a party preference to receive a primary ballot. No such declaration is required in general elections.

While registered in heavily Democratic Cook County, Prevost requested Democratic primary ballots in 2008 and 2010. After moving to the more conservative suburban Will County, he requested Republican primary ballots in 2012, 2014 and 2016.

The records also show that he submitted ballots in every general election since 2000 except those in 2020 and 2022.

Clashes with Trump

Since becoming pope, Leo has drawn criticism from Trump for repeatedly condemning the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran and calling for dignified treatment of immigrants, following the Trump administration's crackdown and mass deportation program.

Earlier this year, Trump called Leo "weak" and captive to the "radical left," kicking off a remarkable back-and-forth public argument that dominated Leo's April trip to Africa.

Responding to Trump, Leo told reporters en route to Algeria: "I'm not afraid of the Trump administration or of speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel, which is what the church works for."

The public dispute has subsided in recent months.

"We try to let things pass if there are misunderstandings," the Vatican foreign minister, Archbishop Richard Paul Gallagher, told reporters this week. "With anybody, we would be looking to approach it and say, 'OK, there may be a misunderstanding, let's move on and try to rebuild trust and confidence.'"

Leo and Trump have not spoken by phone since the pope's May 2025 election. Last week, however, Leo spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about the humanitarian crisis in the Ukrainian city of Oleshky.

Asked why Trump and Leo haven't spoken, Gallagher said the Holy See has found a capable conduit in the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, Brian Burch, and hadn't needed to elevate any issue higher.

A pope who follows US politics closely

Leo has made clear on several occasions that he follows local and national U.S. politics closely and is not afraid to intervene.

Recently, Leo reiterated official church teaching declaring the death penalty "inadmissible." He made the pronouncement in a social media post on the World Day Against the Death Penalty, which came as the U.S. announced plans to livestream an execution by firing squad. The plans were later scrapped.

In 2025, Leo intervened in a debate over abortion, after Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich announced plans to give a lifetime achievement award to Sen. Durbin. The plans drew objection from some conservative U.S. bishops given the powerful Democratic senator's support for abortion rights. Leo called for respect for both sides, but he also pointed out the contradiction between people who call themselves "pro-life" but also support the death penalty.

Also in 2025, Leo said he was "very disappointed" that his home state of Illinois approved a law allowing medically assisted dying, which is condemned by the Catholic Church.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, in a note commenting on the confirmation of Leo's midterm vote, urged Catholics to put "our faith before our politics" and uphold human dignity and the common good.

"As Catholics and Americans, we are blessed to be able to participate in our nation's political and public life," said the conference's director of public affairs, Chieko Noguchi. "In voting, our Holy Father sets the example that encourages each citizen to exercise their civic responsibility."

The 1400 medical helpline is a sensible initiative that can help achieve this objective. By allowing people to speak to doctors and nurses who can assess their symptoms and advise them on the most appropriate course of action, the service can prevent unnecessary visits to Mater Dei while directing patients towards healthcare facilities closer to their homes.

Yet a good service is only effective if people know about it, remember it and use it when necessary. This is where the government needs to do more.

Since July 2025, the helpline has assisted more than 59,418 people, an average of 124 patients a day. These figures demonstrate that there is a demand for the service and that it is already making a contribution. But the government should not assume that the public will automatically remember to call 1400 whenever a medical problem arises.

For many people, the instinctive response to a health concern is to go straight to Mater Dei Hospital. It is the country's main public hospital, and people naturally associate it with receiving medical attention. Unless they are regularly reminded that an alternative exists, they may continue to turn up at its emergency department even when their condition could be dealt with elsewhere.

The government should therefore promote 1400 much more frequently through public information campaigns, health centres, pharmacies, community organisations and the media. The message must be straightforward: call 112 in a genuine emergency, but contact 1400 when experiencing a minor medical problem or when uncertain about where to seek treatment. Repeated reminders can help make this the normal response rather than an option people remember only occasionally.

There is, however, another complication that cannot be ignored. The traditional relationship between patients and their family doctors has changed considerably over the decades, making it more difficult for people to find the personal medical service that was once commonplace.

There was a time when a family doctor knew several generations of the same family, understood their medical histories and could often be contacted when someone was unwell at home. The doctor was not simply someone consulted during an appointment, but a familiar professional who understood the patient's circumstances and could provide continuity of care.

That relationship is much less common today. Finding a doctor willing and available to make house calls is increasingly difficult, while visiting a private clinic does not necessarily mean seeing the same doctor who treated the patient previously. Patients may find themselves explaining their medical history repeatedly to different practitioners.

This makes the idea of directing people away from Mater Dei more complicated. People need to know not only where they should go, but also that they can obtain reliable medical attention without having to navigate an unfamiliar system every time they become ill.

Strengthening primary healthcare must therefore involve more than improving infrastructure, introducing digital systems and expanding diagnostic tests. These measures are important, but patients must also have confidence in the accessibility and continuity of the services being offered.

The planned improvements to health centres, including more efficient appointments for non-urgent cases and real-time information about waiting times, are welcome. They can make community healthcare more practical and reduce the temptation to head straight to hospital.

Ultimately, the 1400 service should become an established first point of contact for people who are unsure where to seek medical assistance. That will require investment, effective organisation and, above all, consistent public communication.

Reducing avoidable pressure on Mater Dei is in everyone's interest. But the public cannot be expected to change its habits simply because a useful service exists. The government must ensure that people remember it is there, understand how it works and trust that it will help them receive the care they need.

During a press conference in Valletta on Saturday, party representatives accused the government of prioritising electoral votes over human dignity and pandering to the more egoistic and racist elements among its supporters. They described its approach as an attempt to paper over the cracks, leaving chronic problems unresolved while blaming others for the consequences.

ADPD chairperson Sandra Gauci said the government's concept of social justice depended on whether people had a vote. Finance Minister Clyde Caruana, she argued, was keeping the economic wheel turning by targeting vulnerable people and squeezing more out of the foreign workers who help sustain the economy.

Gauci said third-country nationals were treated as disposable economic tools rather than equals, despite being particularly vulnerable to exploitation. Less than 2% earn what is considered the national average wage, while many also face high rents and poor working conditions.

She described the growing hostility towards these workers as overtly racist, adding that the government's family-friendly policies were also placing additional pressure on vulnerable families who need childcare. Meanwhile, employers' abuses were being overlooked as long as the economy continued to function.

Gauci said Caruana was now struggling to manage an economic model he had himself introduced without adequate long-term planning or control. She also pointed out that third-country nationals earning decent wages contribute through taxation, helping finance pensions, contradicting recent remarks by Prime Minister Robert Abela which suggested they make no contribution.

Party spokesperson Mario Mallia said the Budget exploited vulnerable people while distracting attention from decisions undermining economic sustainability and social wellbeing.

He argued that the government was squeezing people without voting rights to finance irresponsible electoral promises, including a super bonus benefiting millionaires rather than those most in need.

Mallia also criticised the lack of meaningful measures to address traffic, saying the proposed tax on foreign workers' driving licences unfairly singled them out instead of addressing successive governments' failure to tackle the problem.

He further condemned what he described as government ministers' performative approach towards migrants, including taking people to court for sleeping outdoors because they could not afford accommodation.

Mallia warned that such rhetoric was fragmenting society and demonising particular groups. Referring to the murder of Lassana Cisse and the attempted murder of two others because of their skin colour, he said these crimes should serve as a warning about the consequences of divisive politics.

"The rhetoric of hate kills," he said.

Located in Mqabba, on the border with Qrendi, the park was inaugurated during an event attended by residents, local organisations and representatives of neighbouring Local Councils.

Park tal-Mitħna was designed to provide visitors, particularly children, with a safe environment that brings them closer to nature. The park features a bug and bee hotel, a table tennis area, natural play areas for children, cycling paths and sanitary facilities.

The dedicated dog park is divided into two separate areas for smaller and larger dogs, allowing them to run and play in a safe and suitable environment.

These facilities provide families with different opportunities to spend quality time together outdoors, whether through play, physical activity or relaxation, the statement said.

Environmental improvements were central to the site's transformation. In place of the former construction waste, 300 trees and more than 3,200 shrubs have been planted. A reservoir has also been constructed to collect rainwater, which will be reused to irrigate the park.

Noteworthy are the increases in pensions and the minimum wage, support for persons with disabilities, the coverage of social security contributions for young people who require long-term rehabilitation programmes, and further assistance to families in need, the NGO said in a statement. Energy subsidies continue to be a significant measure in containing increases in the cost of daily living. The same applies to the updated tax brackets aimed at encouraging families to bear children.

The government approach for continued collaboration with various socially oriented NGOs on ongoing and new public service agreements is noteworthy. Government support to NGOs, directly contributes to the wider engagement of volunteering and pro-social behaviour in our society.

Caritas Malta also acknowledges the reference to the Low Wage Commission and its work to further evaluate the minimum wage. Increasing tariffs in relation to the registration of pleasure boats appears to be an equitable measure in view of the significant fuel subsidies. One also hopes that the increase in the eco-tax in order to contain the economic, social and environmental ill-effects of high-volume, low-yield tourism will also have the desired effect.

On the other hand, Caritas Malta expresses concern about the measures which will impact  third-country nationals (TCNs). Measures that impose tariffs and fees for services that were previously offered free of charge risk reinforcing a distinction between those considered fully deserving of dignity and social protection and those whose presence in Malta is viewed primarily through an economic lens or economic exploitation.

Third-country nationals are now an essential part of our economy and society. Unfortunately, they are also a particularly vulnerable group, whereby a large share of migrant workers in Malta have been exposed to precarious employment arrangements, exploitation and breaches of their employment rights. These include practices that continue to persist, such as significantly lower wages and the failure to provide the legally required double pay for work on Sundays and public holidays. Therefore, increasing economic pressures on third-country nationals amplifies the strain that many already experience, particularly when one also considers the costs of rental accommodation and the high cost of daily living.

Measures relating to third-country nationals that appear to inadvertently fuel perceptions that they are lesser human beings risk damaging the core values of solidarity, justice and compassion that have historically shaped Maltese society. Such measures risk deepening divisions and exposing third-country nationals to an increased risk of discriminatory attitudes and labour practices by those who seek to exploit them.

Malta has been a leader in economic growth and has presented consecutive socially sensitive budgets, the NGO said. This should not be dampened by measures where third-country nationals are expected to bear a greater share of the costs of social measures from which they themselves may not fully benefit while at the same time risk fuelling resentment or discrimination toward them. One also hopes for increased and effective enforcement to curtail those employers who continue to exploit third-country nationals.

In conclusion, Caritas Malta acknowledged the need to address the very real challenges arising from population growth. This requires measures to manage population growth, including the adoption of fair and balanced labour migration policies regulating the employment of third-country nationals. However, it is essential that the burden of addressing these challenges does not fall disproportionately on those who are already among the most vulnerable in our society.

In parallel our society needs to continuously strive to maintain and improve the level of social protection, safeguarding the physical and social environment, addressing significant issues related to affordable housing, reducing waste and instilling a culture of responsible use of resources, accountability and responsibility. Caritas Malta advocates for the collective responsibility to achieve this and for the government to always set the example.

Real, lasting progress requires moving up the value chain through strategic investments, workforce upskilling, and enterprise modernisation. This demands a comprehensive, long-term plan underpinned by carefully calibrated policy decisions that give enterprise the ability, certainty and stability required to restructure.

The measures announced in Budget 2027 for Third-Country Nationals (TCNs) fall short of the careful planning and calibration required, the employer bodies said. We have consistently supported rigorous, evidence-based initiatives, notably the national Labour Migration Policy, developed through months of constructive social consultation to better manage labour migration. We are therefore concerned that these measures were announced without prior stakeholder consultation or a comprehensive socio-economic impact assessment. While recognising the need for a well-regulated labour market, decisions affecting business costs, labour availability and competitiveness should be evidence-informed and developed through genuine social dialogue before they are introduced.

While we stand fully prepared to endorse balanced and well-considered measures that guide Malta towards a higher-productivity economy, we cannot support rushed policy decisions, introduced overnight without any consultation, that will bring significant instability to the business community and ultimately affect consumers and the general public.

Introducing substantial cost increases, covering increased permitting & renewal fees, public transport and childcare charges, without accounting for practical operational challenges, risks seriously undermining business continuity across several sectors. These measures will inevitably raise operating costs and fuel inflation in the domestic market, leaving businesses to either absorb the additional expense and restricting capital investment in productivity transformation, or pass it on to consumers.

These measures give the impression of a Government urgently seeking fresh revenue to honour its electoral commitments, the employers said.

Meaningful economic transformation requires a carefully calibrated balance between incentives and disincentives. There must be readily accessible support that enables businesses to digitalise, automate routine tasks and substantially enhance workplace productivity. Tangible initiatives to improve productivity and efficiency, incentives supporting digitalisation, automation, and workforce upskilling are essential to facilitate the transition towards a less labour-intensive economic model. These supporting measures need to be rolled out very quickly and not just presented, whilst targeting the wider pool of companies, to achieve a well calibrated and balanced approach to better align cost increases with effective and timely support for productivity.

Equally important is the need for Government to lead by example. Government should seek to improve the efficiency of public services rather than employing additional people, thereby creating a greater strain on the resources that can be taken up by private enterprise. A comprehensive review of processes across ministries, departments and public entities aimed at eliminating duplication, reducing bureaucracy, containing recurrent expenditure and improving efficiency is required. Such an exercise would also identify opportunities for the redeployment of human resources towards the private sector.

The four organisations therefore encouraged the government to engage constructively with social partners, reconsider the implementation of the proposed measures and work towards a coordinated approach that provides businesses with the certainty and support required to adapt.

A successful economic transformation requires shared responsibility, effective social dialogue and a long-term commitment to sustainable growth, the statement said.

Speaking at a press conference, Shadow Minister for the Self-Employed, Small Enterprises and Cooperatives Michael Piccinino, Shadow Minister for Youth, Wellbeing and Implementation of the Electoral Programme Eve Borg Bonello, and PN Spokesperson for Quality of Life Ian Vassallo said the Budget failed to address Malta's underlying challenges.

The PN said that, just months after the Labour Party promised to tackle the country's problems, the government had presented a Budget that offered no new direction.

The party also accused the government of shifting the financial burden of its own mistakes onto businesses that had invested their money and time responsibly and taken risks.

Addressing measures concerning foreign workers, the PN spokespersons questioned the government's objectives, arguing that ministers' failure to explain the reasoning behind the measures suggested that no studies had been carried out before they were announced.

The party also expressed concern over the absence of a clear plan to improve the Wellbeing Index, which it said had featured prominently in the run-up to the election. Labour had pledged to increase the index by 25%.

According to the PN, wellbeing should not be measured in financial terms alone, but through factors such as mental health, properly functioning public services and infrastructure that meets people's needs.

The spokespersons argued that the Budget offered no reassurance that the government was taking meaningful action to tackle issues affecting quality of life, including traffic-related stress, a shortage of affordable housing, limited family time, environmental concerns and a lack of open spaces.

They also highlighted shortcomings in health and education services as areas requiring greater attention.

The PN called on the government to provide a clearer explanation of the objectives behind its announced measures, the targets it intends to achieve and the studies supporting its decisions.

The party said that, without these explanations, the Budget failed to provide the vision and direction needed to address the country's challenges.

Daniel Spiteri, a clerk in the emergency department at Mater Dei Hospital, appeared under arrest before the Court of Magistrates on Friday where he pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The prosecution alleges that Spiteri was involved in offences relating to terrorist recruitment, training, travel and the dissemination of material intended to encourage terrorist activities.

Investigation began with confidential information received in May

The court heard that the police counterterrorism unit received information around May 2026 concerning a Maltese individual suspected of having travelled to Syria in connection with terrorist activities.

Investigators subsequently identified Spiteri as a person of interest.

As the investigation progressed, police also identified other individuals considered relevant to their inquiries.

A search warrant concerning Spiteri was obtained on 23 October.

Four days later, on 27 October, officers carried out a series of arrests in the early hours of the morning, including Spiteri's arrest at approximately 4.45am in Żabbar.

Investigators questioned Spiteri on the day of his arrest and took an initial statement from him.

The prosecution explained that police later sought an extension of his detention to allow further investigative work.

That request was granted, extending his detention by a further 48 hours.

During the sitting, defence lawyers questioned the investigating inspector about the arrests and the evidence gathered.

They initially asked how many individuals had been arrested as part of the operation.

The inspector declined to answer, maintaining that the question was not relevant to the proceedings against Spiteri.

The defence then sought information about what investigators had collected specifically in connection with the accused.

The inspector again objected on grounds of relevance.

The exchanges led to a tense disagreement in the courtroom, with defence counsel arguing that the questions were important because Spiteri had remained under arrest beyond the initial 48-hour period.

The lawyers maintained that the circumstances surrounding the extension of his detention warranted scrutiny.

Further questioning established that Spiteri had given two statements to investigators.

The inspector also confirmed that the accused had cooperated during questioning and had not caused difficulties when asked to answer questions.

Four terrorism-related charges

According to the charge sheet presented in court, Spiteri faces four counts under Malta's Criminal Code.

The first concerns allegedly recruiting or encouraging another person to engage in terrorist activities or travel for terrorism-related purposes.

The second relates to allegedly providing or receiving training involving explosives, firearms, other weapons, dangerous substances or specialised methods intended for use in terrorist activities.

A third charge concerns allegedly travelling, or attempting to travel, within or outside the European Union for purposes connected with terrorism, including preparation, participation or training.

The fourth alleges involvement in producing, distributing, supplying or making available material intended to encourage or assist terrorist activities.

The charges refer to alleged offences committed during October 2026 or in preceding years, potentially on different occasions.

The prosecution has also requested the confiscation of any objects or instruments connected with the alleged offences should Spiteri be convicted.

It is additionally seeking an order requiring him to pay applicable court-appointed experts' expenses in the event of a conviction.

No bail request

Spiteri pleaded not guilty to the charges. No application for bail was made during the sitting.

The prosecution is being conducted by Attorney General lawyers Dejan Darmanin and Mauro Abela, together with Police Inspectors Zachary Zammit and Mohammed Shurrab.

Spiteri is represented by defence lawyers Ismael Psaila and Amadeus Cachia.

Madam Justice Edwina Grima found Zach Latif criminally responsible for his actions at the Plus One nightclub in November 2015, when the release of pepper spray triggered panic among clubgoers and a rush towards the exits.

The resulting crush left numerous people injured, including minors, as those inside attempted to escape the premises.

Although the court concluded that Latif's actions had set the incident in motion, it also identified substantial shortcomings in the nightclub's management and emergency arrangements, which aggravated the consequences.

Latif was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment suspended for two years, fined €800 and ordered to contribute towards the expenses incurred by court-appointed experts.

Appeal centres on statement given to police

Latif had originally been acquitted by the Magistrates' Court of charges arising from the incident.

These included negligently causing grievous bodily harm to several individuals, unlawfully carrying a weapon in an entertainment establishment, public order offences and possession of pepper spray.

The Attorney General subsequently challenged the acquittal, arguing that the first court had failed to give proper consideration to a statement Latif made in 2015.

The statement had been recorded under oath in the presence of a legal aid lawyer.

In her judgment, Madam Justice Grima determined that the statement was legally admissible and could be relied upon when assessing the evidence.

During that statement, Latif acknowledged obtaining a 40ml canister of pepper spray from an Italian man for €30.

He also admitted using it during an altercation inside the nightclub, explaining that he had directed the spray towards the ground while attempting to protect a friend.

The Court of Appeal considered those admissions significant in establishing his involvement.

Self-defence argument rejected

The defence had sought to justify Latif's conduct on the basis that he was intervening to assist someone else during a confrontation.

However, the appellate court was not persuaded that the circumstances warranted the use of pepper spray.

Madam Justice Grima concluded that releasing a chemical irritant inside an enclosed venue filled with people created an obvious and serious risk.

The judge considered the response excessive when measured against the situation Latif claimed to have been facing.

Rather than treating his intervention as a legitimate act of protection, the court found that his decision to deploy the spray was reckless and contributed directly to the panic that followed.

The incident occurred at approximately 1am, when the nightclub was heavily occupied.

As people struggled to leave, the sudden movement of the crowd placed enormous pressure on the building's exit routes.

A handrail along a staircase gave way during the evacuation, while several people were knocked down and trampled.

Club operating beyond safe capacity

While establishing Latif's responsibility, the court also examined the conditions inside Plus One on the night of the incident.

Evidence presented during the proceedings indicated that the premises were accommodating substantially more people than they could safely hold.

Court-appointed experts calculated that the nightclub's main floor had a safe occupancy limit of approximately 200 people.

However, the number of patrons present that night exceeded that figure considerably.

The evidence also revealed that management did not have a reliable system for monitoring attendance.

Instead, crowd numbers were estimated visually, without accurate checks to ensure that capacity limits were respected.

The court considered this overcrowding an important factor in explaining why the situation deteriorated so quickly once panic spread.

Emergency exits and security arrangements criticised

The judgment also highlighted deficiencies in the nightclub's emergency infrastructure.

Some emergency doors were secured with keys, while others were not accompanied by adequately illuminated exit signs.

Certain routes led into adjoining entertainment establishments, including Havana 808 and Hugo Passion, rather than providing a direct passage outdoors.

These arrangements raised serious concerns about the ability of patrons to evacuate safely in an emergency.

The court also heard evidence about practices involving underage customers.

Witnesses described how minors were regularly admitted to the premises and permitted to consume alcohol without proper identity checks.

Questions were also raised about the preparedness of security personnel and other employees to respond to an emergency.

According to the evidence, staff had not received appropriate training in evacuation procedures or crowd management.

When the pepper spray caused panic, the nightclub's music continued playing, the lighting remained off and employees did not provide effective assistance to those trying to escape.

The court considered these failures to have intensified an already dangerous situation.

Safety failures considered in sentencing

Madam Justice Grima distinguished between the act that initially caused the disturbance and the circumstances that allowed it to develop into a serious incident involving multiple injuries.

Although Latif's decision to use pepper spray was found to have triggered the sequence of events, the judge concluded that the nightclub's inadequate safety arrangements had materially worsened the outcome.

The combination of excessive crowd numbers, unsuitable emergency exits and insufficiently trained personnel left patrons particularly vulnerable once panic broke out.

These contributing factors were taken into account when the court determined the appropriate punishment.

The appeal therefore resulted in Latif's acquittal being overturned and a sentence of one year's imprisonment, suspended for two years.

He was also ordered to pay an €800 fine and part of the court experts' expenses.

The prosecution was conducted by lawyers Miriayah Borg and Justine Brincat from the Office of the Attorney General.

Resuming her closing address to jurors on Friday morning, prosecutor Abigail Caruana Vella, from the Office of the Attorney General, challenged Scicluna's credibility and questioned whether his conduct before and after the shooting was consistent with that of someone who had no knowledge of what was about to happen.

She argued that the evidence pointed towards Scicluna's involvement, whether as the person who fired the shots or as an accomplice who knowingly participated in the crime.

The prosecutor also scrutinised CCTV footage showing the movements of Scicluna's vehicle and the victim, raising questions about the time the car took to travel between two nearby locations.

Jurors urged to consider complicity if they cannot identify the shooter

Caruana Vella began by addressing why Scicluna and Fenech were being tried separately.

She acknowledged that conducting a single trial involving both men would have been easier for the prosecution, but maintained that the decision to proceed separately was intended to ensure justice.

The prosecutor explained that both men had been charged as principal offenders. However, she argued that the law also allowed jurors to consider whether Scicluna was guilty as an accomplice if they were not satisfied that he personally fired the shots.

She maintained that uncertainty over which man pulled the trigger did not necessarily require an acquittal.

Instead, jurors were urged to examine whether the evidence established criminal participation, even if the precise role played by each accused remained disputed.

Caruana Vella also addressed the distinction between a principal offender and an accomplice, arguing that the law provided an alternative route to a guilty verdict where the evidence supported complicity.

CCTV footage raises questions about movements before the shooting

The prosecutor then turned to footage captured by security cameras installed at two residences near the scene of the shooting.

She explained that the recordings, which had been examined by a court-appointed expert, showed Cisse, Scicluna's vehicle and other pedestrians travelling through the area.

According to the timings presented by Caruana Vella, Cisse took five minutes and nine seconds to walk between the two camera locations.

Scicluna's vehicle, meanwhile, took approximately four minutes to travel between the same points.

The prosecutor questioned what Scicluna and Fenech had been doing during that period, particularly given the proximity of the two residences.

She pointed out that Scicluna had not claimed to have stopped the vehicle.

Caruana Vella asked jurors to consider why the journey had taken that amount of time and whether the timeline was consistent with the accused's explanation of events.

She maintained that the recordings should be assessed alongside the other evidence presented during the trial.

Prosecution addresses absence of fingerprint evidence

Caruana Vella also responded to questions surrounding the absence of fingerprint evidence from the firearm.

She explained that approximately a month had passed before investigators were in a position to examine the weapon in connection with the case.

Had the accused been apprehended in the vehicle immediately after the shooting, she argued, collecting fingerprints would have been a different matter.

However, the passage of time had to be considered when assessing why such evidence was unavailable.

The prosecutor urged jurors to base their conclusions on the evidence actually presented rather than speculate about investigative steps that might have been possible under different circumstances.

'If Scicluna knew Fenech hated immigrants, why give him a gun?'

Caruana Vella rejected the suggestion that the prosecution was overlooking Francesco Fenech's alleged involvement.

She acknowledged that Fenech was far from blameless, arguing that he would not have been charged had the prosecution believed otherwise.

Nevertheless, she accused Scicluna of attempting to use Fenech as a scapegoat.

The prosecutor questioned why Scicluna would have allowed Fenech access to a firearm if, as he claimed, he knew that Fenech harboured hostility towards immigrants.

She argued that this raised serious questions about Scicluna's awareness of what might happen.

According to the prosecution, blaming Fenech for firing the weapon did not adequately explain Scicluna's own decisions and conduct.

Changing accounts undermine Scicluna's credibility, prosecutor argues

A significant part of Friday's submissions focused on discrepancies between Scicluna's police statements and the evidence he gave during the trial.

Caruana Vella alleged that Scicluna had initially lied to investigators following his arrest.

She recalled that, during his second police interrogation, he acknowledged that the vehicle belonged to him, that he owned the firearm and that he had been driving.

However, the prosecutor argued that his testimony in court this week introduced details that had not appeared in his earlier accounts.

Among them was Scicluna's claim that Fenech had pointed the pistol at him and threatened him.

Caruana Vella noted that this allegation had not been mentioned in his police statement.

She also referred to Scicluna's account that Fenech had held onto the car door, extended his arm outside the vehicle and fired.

The prosecutor maintained that this differed from the version previously given to investigators.

She accused Scicluna of repeatedly changing his account to shift responsibility onto Fenech.

Caruana Vella asked jurors to consider whether the accused was telling the truth or attempting to conceal his own involvement.

Prosecution questions Scicluna's conduct after the shooting

The prosecutor argued that Scicluna's behaviour immediately after the shots were fired was another important factor.

She maintained that either Scicluna had fired the weapon himself or Fenech had done so with Scicluna's knowledge and approval.

According to Caruana Vella, if Fenech had fired from the vehicle while Scicluna was driving, the jury had to consider whether the accused knew what was about to happen.

She argued that someone genuinely surprised by an unexpected shooting would have reacted differently.Instead, she pointed out, Scicluna continued driving.

The prosecution presented this as evidence that his conduct was inconsistent with the claim that he had been an unwitting participant.

Caruana Vella maintained that Scicluna's actions could not be considered in isolation from the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

Jurors reminded of burden of proof

As she continued her closing submissions, Caruana Vella reminded jurors that their responsibility was to evaluate the evidence in its entirety.

She acknowledged that the prosecution bore the burden of proving its case beyond reasonable doubt.

The prosecutor urged jurors to reach a verdict with a clear conscience, taking into account the interests of the victim, his family, society and the accused.

Her address follows closing submissions by defence lawyer Edward Gatt, who maintained that Scicluna was innocent and that Francesco Fenech was responsible for the shooting.

Gatt had argued that his client should not be held accountable for Fenech's actions and accused the prosecution of failing to undermine Scicluna's version of events.

The prosecution, however, maintains that the evidence must be considered collectively and that the jury should examine Scicluna's possible criminal responsibility regardless of which man physically discharged the firearm.

The jurors must ultimately decide whether the prosecution has proved the charges against Scicluna beyond reasonable doubt.

This announcement was made by Minister for Sustainable Mobility, Chris Bonett, following official confirmation by the US authorities that Malta has been included in its list of countries eligible for these licences.

Through this development, Maltese-flagged pleasure yachts granted a cruising licence may sail between US ports without being subject to certain customs entry and clearance procedures, while benefitting from exemptions on various fees and administrative charges. The licence may be issued for a maximum period of one year, with the possibility for renewal.

The Ministry for Sustainable Mobility said in a statement that "this achievement removes a longstanding competitive disadvantage that had affected Maltese-registered yachts for several years compared to those flying other flags."

The decision was officially published on 29 October 2026, in the United States Federal Register, through an amendment to the regulations of US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The privileges associated with this decision have been applicable to Malta since 10 June 2026.

Minister Bonett said that, through this decision, "This achievement further strengthens the competitiveness of the Maltese flag and makes the Maltese Ship Registry more attractive to owners of yachts exceeding 24 metres in length."

He pledged that the Maltese government shall keep working "to attract more registrations, create new opportunities for the industry, and reinforce Malta's reputation in the maritime sector."

This development, achieved following years of sustained efforts and diplomatic engagement with the US authorities, represents another important step in strengthening maritime relations between Malta and the United States, while further consolidating the position of the Maltese flag in the international yachting market, the Ministry concluded.

Total tourist expenditure was estimated at €3,450.5 million, 13.9 per cent higher than that recorded for the same period in 2025. Total expenditure per capita decreased to €959 from €985 in 2025.

A total of 179,957 tourists stayed overnight in Gozo and Comino, equivalent to 5.0 per cent of all tourists. Overall, 2,067,290 tourists visited Gozo and Comino, including both same day and overnight visitors, representing 57.4 per cent of total tourists.

Total inbound tourists for September 2026 were estimated at 438,519, an increase of 11.3 per cent when compared to the corresponding month in 2025.

During the month under review, a total of 412,848 inbound tourists visited Malta for holiday purposes, and 16,615 tourists came for business purposes. The largest share of inbound tourists consisted of persons aged between 25 and 44 (36.5 per cent), followed by the 45-64 age bracket (32.1 per cent). British, Italian and Polish residents made up 47.4 per cent of total inbound tourists.

Total nights spent went up by 1.5 per cent when compared to September 2025, reaching 2.7 million nights. The largest share of guest nights (86.7 per cent) was spent in rented accommodation establishments. The average length of stay of total inbound tourists stood at 6.2 nights.

Total tourist expenditure stood at €487.2 million, an increase of 4.6 per cent over the corresponding month in 2025. The average expenditure per night was estimated at €178.6.

A total of 30,607 tourists stayed overnight in Gozo and Comino, equivalent to 7.0 per cent of all tourists. Overall, 272,910 tourists visited Gozo and Comino, including both same day and overnight visitors, representing 62.2 per cent of total tourists.

Speaking on Friday, Camilleri said Malta had scored below the OECD average in mathematics, science and reading, but stressed that the results reflected a longstanding problem rather than a recent development.

The 2025 PISA assessment, involving 91 countries, found that only 52% of Maltese students achieved at least baseline proficiency in reading, compared with the OECD average of 69%. In mathematics, the figure stood at 56%, against 65% across the OECD, while in science it was 63%, compared with 74%.

Malta's performance also deteriorated compared with 2022 in all three subjects, with reading and science scores falling below those recorded in any assessment before 2022.

Camilleri said improving the country's reading culture would be one of the government's priorities, arguing that efforts should extend beyond schools and involve society as a whole.

Reading programmes for children up to 12 and their parents will continue in public gardens, libraries, schools and local council facilities. The National Literacy Agency will also establish around 20 additional open-air libraries, while the Aqra d-Dar service, which provides free book loans delivered to homes or workplaces, will be strengthened and made available to families with children up to 17.

One of the largest investments announced concerns air-conditioning in State schools, with around €6 million earmarked for installations and related infrastructure.

Currently, slightly more than 30 schools have air-conditioning. Ten additional schools have been identified for installations, including those in Baħrija, Pembroke, Ħal Luqa, l-Imġarr, ix-Xagħra, Żebbuġ in Gozo, Naxxar and Qormi. Some projects could be completed by summer, although the programme will extend over a full year.

The ministry intends to have 20 more schools equipped by the 2027/2028 scholastic year, before repeating the exercise in subsequent years until all schools are covered.

Camilleri explained that the work involves more than installing air-conditioning units, since electricity systems often need upgrading and some schools require new substations. These additional works can cost more than the units themselves.

The investment will be supported through three initiatives: air-conditioning in every new or renovated school, direct installations in 10 schools, and a call for private investors to install photovoltaic panels on unused school roofs. Part of the investors' payment will go towards funding air-conditioning in other schools.

The ministry is also considering holding examinations, particularly September resits, in existing air-conditioned halls.

On school infrastructure, Camilleri highlighted several ongoing projects. The first phase of the €15 million San Ġorġ school in Qormi is expected to open next scholastic year, with the second phase following a year later. The €21.5 million reconstruction of Naxxar primary school, which retained its original façade, is scheduled for 2027/2028.

Work has also started on the €4 million Żebbuġ primary school in Gozo, while excavation for the new Mellieħa primary school has been completed. The main planning permit is expected in the coming months. Preparatory work has also begun on the Guardian Angel school in Ħamrun.

The Kerċem school in Gozo has been completed and is due to be inaugurated shortly. Students have already moved into the new Valletta school, while the San Miguel primary school is expected to complete its hydropool this year.

The separate Edu Infrastructure programme, which upgrades existing schools, will see its budget increase from €6 million to €8 million. Projects include improvements at Blata l-Bajda Middle School, Birkirkara and Sliema primary schools, the second phase of the Valletta school and the Żurrieq primary school hall.

On educators' conditions, Camilleri said negotiations were guided by the need to balance fairness towards employees with responsibility towards taxpayers. The Junior College collective agreement has been signed, while an agreement has also been reached with a group of MCAST employees. Talks covering MCAST administrative staff are advanced, with negotiations continuing with other groups.

Learning support educators will receive additional training from next year. The government will also recruit more professionals to assess and support students with specific learning difficulties and introduce a rapid-response psychosocial service to assist schools following incidents requiring immediate intervention.

Student stipends will increase in line with the cost-of-living adjustment. A new stipend for maritime students and those training for pilot licences will also be introduced during 2027.

Other measures include calming spaces in schools, noise-cancelling headphones for neurodivergent students sensitive to their surroundings, and an extension of the free gym scheme.

Camilleri identified new schools, air-conditioning, improved conditions for educators, additional training and increased student support through stipends as his five main priorities.

He also pointed to the government's decision to increase student stipends, contrasting it with protests by students in other countries over their financial conditions.

Higher debt was also reported under Treasury Bills (€288.2 million) and Euro coins issued in the name of the Treasury (€4.8 million). This increase in debt was partially offset by a drop in Foreign Loans (€80.1 million) and in the 62+ Malta Government Savings Bond (€5.4 million). Moreover, higher holdings by government funds in Malta Government Stocks resulted in a decrease in debt of €20.0 million.

By the end of September 2026, the Government's Consolidated Fund reported a deficit of €484.8 million.

Between January and September 2026, Recurrent Revenue amounted to €6,368.3 million, €704.2 million higher than the figure reported a year earlier. The largest increases were recorded under Income Tax (€349.7 million), Value Added Tax (€224.7 million) and Social Security (€84.6 million). On the other hand, lower revenue was recorded under Fees of Office (€45.1 million), Miscellaneous receipts (€4.6m) and Reimbursements (€3.8 million).

Total expenditure by the close of September 2026 stood at €6,853.1 million, €935.8 million higher than the previous year.

During the reference period, Recurrent Expenditure totalled €5,866.8 million, an increase of €754.5 million compared to the €5,112.4 million reported the year prior. The main contributor to this increase was a €422.8 million rise reported under Programmes and Initiatives. Further increases were also recorded under Personal Emoluments (€124.7 million), Operational and Maintenance Expenses (€117.5 million), and Contributions to Government Entities (€89.4 million).

The main developments in the Programmes and Initiatives category involved higher outlays towards Social security benefits (€120.8 million), Energy support measures (€63.4 million) and EU own resources (€43.6 million).

The interest component of the public debt servicing costs totalled €246.8 million, an increase of €25.4 million when compared to the previous year.

By the end of September 2026, Government's capital spending amounted to €739.5 million, €156.0 million higher than the comparative period in 2025. Higher outlay was, among others, reported towards projects under the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) (€71.0 million), Acquisition of property for public purposes (€43.5 million) and Property, plant and equipment (€18.4 million).

The difference between total revenue and expenditure resulted in a deficit of €484.8 million being reported in the Government's Consolidated Fund at the end of September 2026, in comparison to the €253.1 million deficit registered the year prior. This difference mirrors an increase in total Recurrent Revenue (€704.2 million), offset by a higher rise in total expenditure, which consists of Recurrent Expenditure (€754.5 million), Interest (€25.4 million) and Capital Expenditure (€156.0 million).

The campaign will offer vaccination against seasonal influenza, COVID-19 and pneumococcal disease, free of charge to eligible individuals. Vaccination remains one of the most effective ways to reduce the risk of serious illness and complications from respiratory infections, particularly during the winter months, the health ministry said.

The Deputy Prime Minister was among the first to receive the vaccine and encouraged people across Malta and Gozo to do the same. He thanked all Ministry staff and healthcare professionals who worked to ensure that vaccines were available on time despite international challenges, and to deliver the vaccination service as effectively as possible.

"From next Monday, the Ministry for Health will begin administering seasonal vaccinations. I encourage everyone who usually gets vaccinated to do so again, because it is important for them and for those around them. I also encourage those considering vaccination for the first time to seek information, make their decision and come forward to be vaccinated," said Borg.

This year, vaccination will be available through Health Centres in Malta and Gozo, National Immunisation Service clinics for children, adolescents and pregnant women, participating Local Councils, and private-sector doctors who obtain government-procured vaccines. Members of the public are encouraged to use the vaccination service most convenient to them.

The Government is offering these vaccines free of charge as follows:

Seasonal influenza vaccine: available to all persons aged six months and over;

COVID-19 vaccine: available to all persons aged six months and over; and

PCV20 pneumococcal vaccine: available to adults aged 60 and over, as well as people under 60 with chronic medical conditions that make them eligible. The PCV20 vaccine is administered only once, so those who have already received it should not receive it again.

All three vaccines may be administered during the same visit, depending on the individual's clinical eligibility and the assessment of the healthcare professional administering the vaccines.

From 2 November 2026, adults and adolescents aged 13 and over may attend Health Centre treatment rooms without an appointment at the times and locations listed below.

Open Sunday to Friday, including public holidays but excluding Saturdays, vaccination will be available between 1pm and 7pm at:

Cospicua Health Centre;

Birkirkara Health Centre;

Qormi Health Centre; and

Rabat Health Centre.

From Monday to Sunday, including Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, vaccination will be available between 1pm and 7pm at:

Mosta Health Centre;

Paola Hub;

Floriana Health Centre;

Gżira Health Centre;

Kirkop Health Centre; and

Victoria Health Centre, Gozo.

Everyone attending for vaccination must present a valid identity card. Pneumococcal vaccination is routinely available to adults aged 60 and over. Vulnerable adults under 60 require a medical certificate confirming their eligibility for this vaccination.

Dedicated vaccination sessions for infants, children and adolescents aged six months to 12 years, as well as pregnant women, will be held at:

The National Immunisation Service Clinic in Floriana, for Malta; and

The National Immunisation Service Clinic in Rabat, for Gozo.

No appointment is required for these sessions. Vaccination will be available between 7:30am and 2pm on the following dates:

Saturday, 7 and Sunday, 8 November 2026;

Saturday, 14 and Sunday, 15 November 2026;

Saturday, 21 and Sunday, 22 November 2026;

Saturday, 28 and Sunday, 29 November 2026;

Saturday, 5 and Sunday, 6 December 2026;

Saturday, 12 and Sunday, 13 December 2026; and

Sunday, 27, Monday, 28, Tuesday, 29 and Wednesday, 30 December 2026.

Parents or legal guardians accompanying children are asked to bring:

The parent's or legal guardian's identity card; and

The child's health record booklet, known as the Baby Booklet.

This year, seasonal vaccination sessions will also be organised through participating Local Councils to make vaccination more accessible within communities.

As arrangements and dates may vary between localities, members of the public are encouraged to contact their Local Council directly to confirm whether it is participating and obtain details of the date, time and location of the vaccination session in their locality.

Private-sector doctors may also obtain supplies of government-procured influenza, COVID-19 and pneumococcal (PCV20) vaccines to administer to eligible patients in their private practices. Patients who prefer to receive their seasonal vaccinations from their family doctor or another private-sector doctor may contact their doctor directly to check whether they are offering this service.

Influenza, COVID-19 and pneumococcal infections can lead to serious complications, particularly among older people, children aged six months to five years, people with chronic medical conditions, pregnant women, healthcare workers and other vulnerable individuals.

Current surveillance in Malta indicates an increase in cases of influenza-like illness as the respiratory infection season begins, although levels remain broadly similar to those recorded during the same period in previous seasons. No associated increase in hospital admissions has been observed so far. The epidemiological situation will continue to be monitored throughout autumn and winter.

The Health Authorities encourage the public not to postpone vaccination until respiratory infections become more widespread. Getting vaccinated before these infections circulate more widely in winter gives the body time to develop protection and helps reduce the risk of serious illness.

The incident happened at around 10:20 am along the busy pedestrianised thoroughfare, an area popular for its shops, restaurants, and heavy foot traffic.

Thankfully, no injuries were reported. A medical team from Mater Dei Hospital attended the scene as a standard precautionary measure.

Officers from the Malta Police Force, personnel from the Civil Protection Department (CPD), and officials from the Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OHSA) quickly cordoned off the area. The street was temporarily closed to pedestrian traffic to allow emergency teams to secure the building and ensure public safety.

OHSA has since launched a formal investigation to determine the cause of the collapse.

The opposition accused Netanyahu of demonizing the Arab population after a historic showing by Arab-led parties in an attempt to delegitimize the election. If the rest of the opposition teams up with Arab parties, a rare and politically risky move, they could potentially form a majority government in parliament, the Knesset.

Results released by election officials on Thursday showed Netanyahu's bloc winning 53 seats in the 120-member assembly, well below the 68 seats it had controlled at its peak in the previous parliament. His main opposition won 48 seats and Arab-led parties secured the other 19.

The count is complete, but the results still need to be certified and submitted to the country's president next Wednesday.

Commission to look into possible foreign interference

Netanyahu's party, Likud, has been spreading claims of malfeasance by Arab-led parties since exit polls indicated the prime minister had suffered a setback in Tuesday's vote. But it ramped up the rhetoric after the head of Israel's election committee, Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, said that "serious suspicions" of foreign interference had been brought before him.

In a letter to the Shin Bet security agency, Sohlberg said he could not verify the claims. But given their serious nature, he asked the agency to investigate.

Netanyahu's party responded with an inflammatory statement: "The elections in Israel have been stolen!" it said, claiming - without evidence - that the alleged election interference was "aimed at facilitating a foreign takeover of the Knesset, the Islamization of Israel and toppling of the right wing government."

Israeli media reported that members of Netanyahu's party were accusing Qatar - a country that many Israelis view as a patron of Hamas, the Gaza-based militant group.

Qatar issued a quick denial, calling the allegations "ridiculous and dangerous."

As it announced its results early Friday, the election commission said the investigation was based on classified intelligence. In a video statement, the commission's acting director general, Dean Livne, did not elaborate, but warned that reports about the probe had been "entirely unfounded."

"It does not affect the final results that will be submitted to the president, nor does it concern any particular sector of the population," he said.

Netanyahu's opponents accuse him of undermining vote

Netanyahu's main rival, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, said Likud was trying to delegitimize the results. "They are doing this because they lost," he said.

Eisenkot ridiculed the accusation of foreign interference with a tongue-in-cheek statement, saying: "I welcome the fact that Netanyahu is finally condemning Qatari involvement in the State of Israel."

Netanyahu has long faced accusations that former top aides of his accepted money from Qatar.

By casting doubt on the vote, Netanyahu appeared to be positioning himself to block any potential alliance between his opponents and the Arab parties. Netanyahu has suggested that it would be treasonous for Eisenkot to join with Arab parties, who could potentially give Eisenkot the backing he needs to oust Netanyahu.

The Shin Bet, seeking to calm tensions, said its investigation was not meant to "cast aspersions" on an entire section of the population that "exercised its right to vote in a democratic and lawful manner."

The elections committee also sounded a note of caution in a letter written to a concerned member of parliament. It said that even though an investigation was taking place, "allegations of systematic violations of electoral integrity are baseless."

The committee wants findings from the Shin Bet within a week.

Netanyahu campaigned on anti-Arab sentiment

Even ahead of the vote, Netanyahu and Likud painted the Arab-led parties as a danger to Israel, which critics called an attempt to further marginalize Arab citizens. Arab citizens of Palestinian descent make up 20% of the population but are often viewed with suspicion because of their sympathies with other Palestinians.

Those campaign attacks, along with anger over the divisive Netanyahu and his far-right government, brought outraged Arabs to the polls like never before.

On Thursday, Yair Golan, head of the Democrats party, accused Netanyahu of "attempting to undermine the election results through an ugly delegitimization campaign directed against the will of the public - and against the Arab public in particular."

"Netanyahu is working to steal the election," the Arab-led Joint List party asserted Thursday.

The head of the Arab-led Ra'am party, Mansour Abbas, welcomed the investigation into election interference and said his party had nothing to do with the case, while accusing Netanyahu of a campaign of incitement.

President Isaac Herzog called it a "sensitive moment" and called for a full investigation. He warned that "we must not tarnish an entire community that sought to exercise its right to vote and take an active part in democracy."

Difficult decisions are ahead as parties seek coalitions

The developments amplified the difficult decisions for the weeks ahead. Those include whether some Jewish and Arab parties would team up in a historic alliance, or whether some parties that campaigned on ousting Netanyahu would toss that aside and join forces with him.

While the race for a 61-seat majority needed to control the 120-seat Knesset plays out, Netanyahu remains in charge.

If Netanyahu loses office, that would set off a cascade of events that critics say he has desperately sought to avoid. He would be taken to account over yearslong corruption allegations, and an inquiry almost certainly would begin into the security failures that led to the devastating Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack.

Eisenkot has left door open to cooperation with Arab-led parties

Even without a role in a coalition, Arab-led parties could assert their growing power by supporting other Netanyahu opponents in the next parliament. That could include electing a new speaker, giving them control of the agenda and potentially allowing them to advance and pass legislation before a new government is formed.

Eisenkot has indicated he is open, with conditions, to joining forces with the Arab-led parties. Ahmad Tibi, second on the Arab-led Joint List, told Army Radio the opposition bloc reached out to him to discuss replacing the Knesset speaker, and he told them the party would support the bloc's candidate.

There were small rallies overnight in Tel Aviv, and in far more conservative Jerusalem, in support of a coalition that includes Arab-led parties. Until 2021, no Arab party had joined a coalition government, and that was brief.

If a new government cannot be formed after multiple attempts, Israel would face a new election early next year. On Wednesday, Herzog signaled he wanted to avoid that step - something Eisenkot has said as well.

New elections bring new questions, including whether Arab citizens would again go to the polls in large numbers and whether the tens of thousands of Israelis who flew home to vote would do it again. Many had said they took that step to save the country from Netanyahu.

There is no denying that Malta faces serious challenges arising from population growth, overstretched infrastructure and increasing pressure on public services.

However, the question is whether making life more expensive for foreign workers, many of whom are already among the lowest-paid members of society, is a fair or effective way of addressing these problems.

The government has every right to review its policies and manage migration responsibly.

But there is a fundamental difference between regulating the number of people entering the country and penalising those who are already here, working legally and contributing to the economy.

The removal of free public transport and restrictions on childcare benefits, coupled with other high fees, have prompted objections from trade unions, employers, civil society organisations and the Church.

Concerns have also been raised among members of the general public, reflecting unease that extends beyond those directly affected.

The breadth of these reactions deserves attention. These are organisations representing different interests, yet many have arrived at a similar conclusion: the measures risk placing disproportionate pressure on workers who can least afford it.

The General Workers' Union has raised concerns about the additional transport costs facing lower-paid workers, even approaching recruitment companies to explore whether employers could absorb some of the burden.

Malta Employers and the Malta Chamber of SMEs have similarly warned that increased costs could aggravate existing labour shortages, while the Malta Chamber of Commerce questioned the higher work permit fees, warning that they appeared more focused on generating government revenue than encouraging productivity.

Meanwhile, TCN Alliance described the Budget as a "slap in the face" to workers already struggling financially, while Repubblika questioned the fairness of withdrawing benefits from people who pay taxes but have no electoral voice.

Perhaps the most powerful intervention came from the Church's Interdiocesan Commission for the Promotion of Integral Human Development, which reminded the country that "human dignity has no passport".

Twenty-four organisations went further, warning that the Budget represented a troubling move towards dividing residents according to nationality.

For years, Malta's economic expansion has depended heavily on foreign labour.

Workers were recruited to fill vacancies in healthcare, hospitality, construction, transport and other essential sectors. It is therefore difficult to justify welcoming their contribution while subsequently making the conditions under which they live considerably less favourable.

Of particular concern is the withdrawal of free childcare. Making childcare less accessible risks placing additional strain on working families and undermining the stability that integration policies should encourage.

Nor will charging foreign workers for public transport resolve traffic congestion, overcrowding or inadequate infrastructure.

Those problems require serious investment, better planning and decisions about the country's economic direction, not measures that single out one category of residents.

This does not mean every benefit must remain unchanged indefinitely.

Public finances require responsible management, and eligibility rules can legitimately be reviewed, but changes should be proportionate, properly justified and assessed for their consequences, particularly for vulnerable families.

The government should listen carefully to the broad coalition questioning these decisions and reconsider their impact before implementation.

Malta cannot build a stronger society by allowing the distinction between those who can vote and those who cannot to determine who bears the heaviest burden.

Economic progress should improve people's lives, not create deeper divisions among those who help sustain it.

Delivering his closing arguments on Thursday morning, Gatt reminded the jury that Scicluna must be presumed innocent and called on its members to set aside any prejudice or fear arising from the timing of the proceedings.

Referring to recent controversy surrounding the Fenech trial, Gatt questioned the message being sent to jurors by allegations that some members of previous juries had failed to perform their duties properly.

"What message are we sending out there? Does this mean, 'are we going to make it difficult to find an acquittal?'" he asked.

Gatt described the allegations and public discussion surrounding other juries as gossip, insisting that they must not influence the jury's assessment of the evidence against Scicluna.

"I insist that you do not allow anyone or anything to influence your decision," he told the jurors.

Scicluna is accused of shooting dead Lassana Cisse, an Ivorian man who was walking along a road in Ħal Far, and shooting and injuring two other men, Ibrahim Bah and Mohammed Jallow, on the night of April 6. He is also charged with injuring May Malimi in a hit-and-run incident on the same road two months earlier.

He denies all nine charges and, if convicted, could face life imprisonment.

Turning to the prosecution's case, Gatt argued that the allegations had repeatedly been framed around the claim that "they shot", insisting that the evidence pointed to Francesco Fenech as the person who fired the shots.

"Let us not allow the weakness of the Attorney General's allegation to sway you. It was Francesco Fenech who fired the shot," the lawyer maintained.

Fenech is due to face separate legal proceedings over the same crimes.

Gatt also argued that Scicluna's decision not to speak during police questioning should not be held against him, urging jurors to base their verdict exclusively on the evidence and facts presented in court.

The lawyer described his client's behaviour as ignorance rather than stupidity and criticised the prosecution's questioning during cross-examination, arguing that prosecutors had struggled to establish their case.

The defence began its closing arguments a day after Scicluna took the witness stand to give his account of the events.

Scicluna testified that Fenech, his friend and fellow soldier, was driving the car when it veered towards Malimi during the earlier hit-and-run incident. He claimed that he had been adjusting the car radio at the time.

He also maintained that Fenech was responsible for shooting Cisse, Bah and Jallow. According to Scicluna, the pair had initially intended to shoot stray cats in the area, but Fenech acted independently of their original plan.

The trial is being presided over by Judge Natasha Galea Sciberras.

In a Facebook post, Abela said he had just been informed that the garnishee order against Silvio had been withdrawn, hours after the mayor revealed that his personal bank accounts had been frozen following the council's appeal against a development proposal.

The Prime Minister said he understood how much the development meant to Silvio and his family, adding that the Mayor could now continue carrying out his duties with greater peace of mind.

Abela also said that the government would protect Silvio in the pending court case, making clear that the withdrawal of the order did not mean the legal proceedings had come to an end.

"A government led by me will continue to support and provide peace of mind to those who carry out public functions in the best interests of the country and its communities," Abela said.

He concluded by encouraging Silvio to continue working for the benefit of Paola residents.

Silvio had his personal bank accounts seized following legal action by a developer after the local council appealed a Planning Authority decision concerning a development in an Urban Conservation Area (UCA).

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Silvio said his accounts had been sequestered after the council appealed the decision in a bid to protect the locality's UCA area.

The mayor thanked fellow councillors who had supported him in continuing to defend Paola and expressed hope that he would receive assistance in seeking justice.

The issue also led to the abrupt end of the Paola Local Council's 32nd meeting, held on Wednesday, October 28.

According to a statement issued in the council's name, Silvio informed those present that he would be leaving the meeting after learning earlier that day that his personal bank accounts had been sequestered in connection with the council's appeal against the Planning Authority's decision on the proposed development.

The other councillors present subsequently left the meeting in a unanimous show of solidarity with the mayor.

The council said the action was intended to defend its right to appeal Planning Authority decisions without individual councillors facing repercussions for doing so.

The case raises questions about the potential consequences for local representatives who challenge planning decisions in the interest of their communities. Urban Conservation Areas are designated to protect the historic character of localities, making development proposals in such areas particularly significant for residents and local authorities.

However, further details about the legal proceedings, the developer's identity, the development concerned and the grounds on which the bank accounts were sequestered were not provided in the council's statement.

The circumstances surrounding the sequestration, including the legal basis for the action and whether it relates directly to the council's appeal or to other proceedings, could not be independently established from the information available.

The council's response highlights its concern that legal action against individual representatives could discourage local authorities from exercising their right to challenge planning decisions.

Silvio has appealed for help in seeking justice, while the councillors' collective walkout underlined their support for the mayor and their determination to defend the council's ability to contest planning decisions.

On Thursday morning, Prime Minister Abela had said that when the government carried out a reform to protect people who serve in a public function it had situations such as the one pertaining to the Paola mayor.

Through this reform, the government has the legal tool to protect Jason Silvio, the PM said. Abela said he had spoken to the mayor to tell him the State will be protecting him, both regarding the freezing of his assets as well as the court case filed against him.

Among those who showed support was Planning Minister Jonathan Attard, who described the situation as unacceptable.

"We express our full solidarity with the Mayor of Paola, who informed us that he is facing legal action after using the remedies provided by law-in the exercise of his duties and on behalf of the Local Council-regarding a development in the locality," the minister wrote on Facebook. "This is unacceptable in a democratic society that respects the rule of law and public participation in the planning process.

"We are following the case closely and providing the necessary support. This comes at a time when Parliament is working to further strengthen the right of appeal in the planning sector, and if necessary, further legislative interventions will also be considered.

"It is worth recalling that this Government has already introduced legislation providing greater protection to persons holding public office who face civil legal actions related to the performance of their duties."

Labour Party in support of mayor

In a separate statement, the Labour Party expressed its full solidarity with  Silvio, who has been personally served with a garnishee order for carrying out his duties in the interests of his locality.

It is never acceptable for anyone to resort to bullying tactics against others, including those who dedicate themselves to serving their communities and our country. We will continue to give him our full support.

"Just as we have introduced changes to provide greater protection to public office holders facing civil proceedings related to the performance of their duties, we will be legislating a reform that introduces the right of appeal in planning matters, the party said.

This reform follows a clear political commitment by a Labour Government to ensure greater fairness in planning, a commitment that has also been discussed in Parliament.

No act of intimidation should undermine anyone's right to work for the good of their community. The PL said it will continue to defend every citizen's right to act in the interests of the common good.

Nationalist Party solidarity

For its part, the Nationalist Party also expressed solidarity with Paola Mayor Jason Silvio and all the locality's councillors, and condemns any act of intimidation against those working in the interests of their community.

Local councils have not only a right, but a duty towards their residents, to appeal against Planning Authority decisions when they believe their locality is under threat. No mayor or councillor should suffer personally, in this case through a garnishee order against his personal bank accounts, for a decision taken collectively by the council in the interests of the locality, the PN said.

"This is unacceptable. A local council is a separate legal entity, and a mayor or councillor who speaks on behalf of residents and defends their locality should never be personally targeted," the PN added.

What has happened sets a dangerous precedent, exposing any elected councillor who fulfils their duty towards their locality to personal consequences. Such action is intended to instil fear in anyone who dares to lodge an appeal or take a stand against development that threatens the character of our towns and villages.

Local councils have already been weakened by a Government that has stripped them of most of their powers and starved them of resources. The last thing they need is to face intimidation tactics, the PN added.

Instead, they need to be strengthened once again so they can better serve their localities and residents.Anyone who chooses to serve their locality as a councillor does so at a personal sacrifice, giving up their time, and certainly not for the money. Behaviour of this kind further discourages those who wish to serve their community.

The government has a duty to provide every possible protection to Jason Silvio and to all mayors and councillors, enabling them to continue carrying out their duties without fear or favour, as they swore to do when elected, the party said.

Developers' bullying will not succeed - NGOs

What happened to Jason Silvio, the Mayor of Paola, who was hit with a garnishee order by developer Johann Montfort, is the latest act of vindictive bullying by developers against those who defend the rights of residents, the environment and our quality of life.

The Mayor of Paola had his bank accounts frozen after the Paola Local Council appealed a decision by the Planning Authority (PA) to approve a multi-storey apartment development in the locality's Urban Conservation Area (UCA).

It must be underlined that planning appeals, such as the one filed by the Paola Local Council, are a right enshrined in law, and no one should be penalised for exercising their legal rights. Thus, this garnishee order, filed by the developer, is a procedural manoeuvre that should soon have to be dropped. 

However, the fact that the developer resorted to such a blatant bullying tactic sends a chilling message to all those who seek to challenge harmful development projects and their approval by subservient authorities such as the PA. We believe that the Government should put an end to this abuse of garnishee orders.

While expressing solidarity with the Mayor of Paola, the NGOs urge everyone to resist this bullying by developers and to continue defending their quality of life and the environment. We stand ready to fight alongside all those whom developers seek to bully into submission.

The statement was signed by BirdLife Malta, Din l-Art Ħelwa, Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar, Friends of the Earth, Moviment Graffitti, Nature Trust Malta, Ramblers Association Malta, Wirt Għawdex

Stewart died Wednesday in Los Angeles, following "a brief and poignant journey" with Alzheimer's disease and Lewy Body Dementia, spokesperson Kelly Bush Novak said. Stewart's diagnoses had not been previously disclosed.

"We lost one of the greats of stage and screen today," Hugh Jackman, a frequent Stewart co-star in the "X-Men" universe, said on social media. "And, in my book, a tremendous friend and man. I learned so much from him. I will miss you, Patrick Stewart, all of my days."

While best known as Professor Charles Xavier and Captain Jean-Luc Picard from the "X-Men" and "Star Trek: The Next Generation" series and films, respectively, Stewart spent more of his career onstage than in the X-Mansion or on the USS Enterprise.

Besides playing everyone from Claudius to Macbeth, he often performed a one-man rendition of "A Christmas Carol" and did West End and Broadway runs of Harold Pinter's "No Man's Land" and Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot" in repertory with buddy Ian McKellen.

"He wore his heart on his sleeve, which made him a man to rely on, to admire and in my case, love," McKellen posted on social media.

He won three Olivier Awards, including one for playing Claudius in "Hamlet" opposite David Tennant. And he had a Grammy - in 1996 for best spoken word album for his recording of "Peter and the Wolf."

He achieved some of the best reviews of his career when he finally tackled Macbeth for the first time. The production, under the direction of Rupert Goold, debuted in May 2007 at England's Chichester Festival Theatre, switched to London's West End and then moved to the Brooklyn Academy of Music before transferring to Broadway in 2008.

Stewart's performance earned him his sole Tony Award nomination. The Times of London said his Macbeth was "an enthralling creation of frailty, appetite, egotism and grim humor." The Daily Telegraph said he had turned in "a truly great performance" and The New York Times said it was "a must-see."

"Nearly 50 years I've waited," Stewart told The Associated Press in 2008. "I learned it when I was 14. I memorized all the soliloquies just because I thought they were great. And they stuck, so I didn't have to learn those bits of the play, which is a blessing, because learning lines has now become the one curse of this job."

Starship commander grew up without a toilet

Raised in Mirfield in Yorkshire, a working-class corner of northern England, the future 24th-century commander of a starship grew up without a bathroom in his house.

Stewart joined an amateur drama group at 12 and memorized Shakespeare for fun as a teen. He won a scholarship to the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, launching a career as a character actor.

He had been bald since he was 19 - alopecia runs in his family.

His father, a former regimental sergeant major in the British Army, was prone to outbursts of "repeated violence against my mother," as Stewart wrote in a newspaper piece. "Violence is always a choice a man makes and he alone is responsible for it."

In his memoir, "Making It So," Stewart wrote about how he and his older brother Trevor braced for the nights when their dad came home drunk and angry, and attacked their mother. "Sometimes it was with an open hand, other times a closed fist. Always he aimed for her head."

The son would later become a patron for Refuge, an organization that provides shelter for domestic abuse victims.

Loving Shakespeare proved fruitful as Capt. Picard

"The stage would prove to be a safe space, a refuge from real life in which I could inhabit another person, living in another place and time," he would write.

Stewart was accepted into the Royal Shakespeare Company and stayed for 14 years, playing everything from Mark Antony to Henry IV to Shylock to Oberon. "People who were not in the company would say to me, 'Give it a break. Why don't you go somewhere else?' And I would say, 'To do what?'" he told the AP. "Telly?"

Stewart eventually left to look for more varied work, including the 1981 film "Excalibur." He had just done a production of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" in 1987 when an interesting offer came along. "I found myself in Hollywood shooting a syndicated science fiction series, which I was assured would fail."

It didn't, of course. Thanks to Stewart's rich baritone and noble bearing, the "Star Trek" franchise ran for seven years, 178 episodes and produced four feature films. He was known for his slogan "Make it so."

His adoration for Shakespeare would serve him well when he began to play Jean-Luc Picard, a 24th century starship commander.

"There is a formality to the way they speak and comport themselves that remind me of numerous Shakespearean situations I'd been in onstage. I should play Jean Luc, I realized, as if he were a character in 'Henry IV,' which is about brave men," Stewart wrote in his memoir.

Despite the Borg and Klingons, Stewart still managed to make room for blank verse. He established the Paramount Shakespeare Company, a workshop on Saturday and Sunday mornings for any actor interested. (Stewart revisited Picard in the TV series "Star Trek: Picard.")

Stewart died just a few days after Walter Koenig, another "Star Trek" icon, who played Ensign Pavel Chekov on the original NBC TV show from 1966 to 1969.

"What a heartbreaking week it has been," William Shatner, who played Captain James T. Kirk in the franchise, wrote on Instagram. "Sir Patrick Stewart was a friend, a colleague, and a magnificent actor. From the stage to the bridge of the Enterprise, he brought intelligence, grace, and a deep sense of humanity to everything he did."

"Star Trek: The Next Generation" gave him higher visibility, which led to more work, including roles in the films "Conspiracy Theory," "L.A. Story" and on Broadway, where he starred in "The Tempest," "The Caretaker" and David Mamet's "A Life in the Theater." He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in June 2010. Stewart was also an ambassador for the International Rescue Committee.

A brave and commanding persona. But sexy?

In July 1992, he and supermodel Cindy Crawford were on the cover of TV Guide's "Top Turn-Ons," based on a readers' poll. In his memoir, Stewart wrote: "Absurd."

Stewart was first introduced as the character Xavier in the original X-Men trilogy, appearing in three films from 2000 to 2006. He later returned in four more movies before Professor X's death in 2017's "Logan." He reappeared in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" in 2022 and reprised the role in the upcoming "Avengers: Doomsday."

He also showed off his comedic chops aboard Seth MacFarlane's Starz show "Blunt Talk" for two series and voiced Poop in "The Emoji Movie." He made appearances on "Robot Chicken," "Futurama" and "The Simpsons" (in one episode, Homer loses his hair, and Stewart tells him it's great to be bald.) One of his last credits was with Jackman in 2026's "The Sheep Detectives."

Later in life, he proved internet-savvy and found new fans with his humor, posing in a bath in a lobster suit and triggering memes when he posted a photo of him picking apples. When he was mistakenly outed as gay by a British newspaper, he said it was a nice change. "At least I didn't wake up to the internet telling me I was dead again," he tweeted.

He married Brooklyn songwriter and singer Sunny Ozell in 2013, with the actor's "X-Men" co-star McKellen officiating. Stewart later tweeted a photo of the newlyweds in a ball pit.

He is also survived by two children, a daughter, Sophia, and a son, Daniel.

The proposal aims to demonstrate just how deeply Malta relies on these individuals following recent budget decisions that impacted foreign staff.

Writing on LinkedIn, Spiteri Gingell criticised political rhetoric that frames foreign workers as dispensable, a strain on public services, and scapegoats for wider governance failures. He argued that Malta must confront its economic reality, especially given an aging population and low birth rates that make foreign labor essential.

He warned that a seven-day walkout could severely disrupt crucial sectors including healthcare, public transport, retail, elderly care, construction, and hospitality.

The measures, presented following Monday's Budget, aim to strengthen productivity, attract quality foreign investment, reduce bureaucracy and encourage innovation, in line with Malta Vision 2050, a statement said.

The initiatives cover taxation, digital transformation, artificial intelligence (AI), industrial development, energy efficiency and economic diversification.

From next year, small companies with an annual turnover not exceeding €1 million will be eligible for a reduced tax rate of 25%, down from 35%, on profits retained or reinvested in their businesses. This was already announced by Finance Minister Clyde Caruana in his Budget 2027 speech.

However, profits distributed as dividends will remain subject to the 35% tax rate, with the measure designed to encourage companies to reinvest earnings in business expansion and development.

More than €100 million for digitalisation

The government plans to allocate more than €100 million to the digital sector next year, alongside a separate scheme worth €120 million that is expected to become operational by the end of this year.

The scheme will offer a 60% tax credit on eligible investments in automation, AI and digitalisation, with the aim of helping businesses modernise their operations and improve productivity.

An additional €20 million in European funding will also be allocated next year to support business transformation, including technological upgrades, digitalisation and investments aimed at improving efficiency and international competitiveness.

New AI strategy targets 40% business adoption

Government will launch an updated national AI strategy next month, setting out more than 80 measures through to 2030.

One of its main ambitions is for 40% of businesses to be using AI within five years.

The strategy builds on the government's existing AI initiatives, including the AI for All programme, which has attracted almost 50,000 registrations. Of these, 32,000 participants have successfully completed the course.

The updated strategy is intended to strengthen the adoption of AI across the economy while developing the skills needed to support technological change.

Malta Enterprise to target foreign investors directly

The government will strengthen and restructure the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Unit within Malta Enterprise, with a more direct approach to identifying investment opportunities and engaging with investors and chief executives.

The first visit under this initiative is scheduled to take place in London in the coming weeks.

The move is intended to improve Malta's efforts to attract quality investment and identify opportunities that can contribute greater economic value.

€20 million in European funding for business transformation

An additional €20 million in European funding will be allocated next year to further support business investment, digitalisation and technological upgrades, with a focus on productivity, efficiency and international competitiveness.

Business Wallet to expand

The Business Wallet platform, designed to simplify interactions between companies and public entities, will be expanded as part of efforts to reduce administrative burdens, government said.

The platform has connected seven entities in its first few months of operation, with six more expected to join by the first quarter of next year.

The government also intends to eventually open the platform to the private sector, potentially broadening the range of services businesses can access through the system.

New funding for video games and emerging industries

Economic diversification will also feature in the package, with an initial €2 million fund for companies developing video games and interactive entertainment.

Further schemes will seek to attract international accelerator programmes in emerging fields, including educational technology (EdTech) and chip design.

The initiatives are intended to support innovative businesses and help Malta develop economic activity beyond established sectors.

Solar panels and energy efficiency in industrial areas

A forthcoming policy will encourage greater use of solar panels and improvements in energy efficiency across industrial areas.

The government intends to integrate energy and sustainability considerations more closely into industrial development plans, while taking into account businesses' operational requirements and technical constraints.

The initiative forms part of the wider effort to improve efficiency and support more sustainable economic growth.

First national industrial policy planned

The government will issue a call for the formulation of Malta's first industrial policy, intended to provide long-term direction for investment, infrastructure, technology and skills.

A bill to strengthen the operational framework of Malta Enterprise and INDIS Malta will also be tabled in Parliament in the coming days.

The measures are intended to establish a stronger framework for industrial development and help businesses respond to changing economic and technological demands.

Study into possible land reclamation at Bengħajsa

The final initiative concerns the possibility of land reclamation near the Malta Freeport at Bengħajsa to create an area dedicated to maritime activity.

A call has been issued for a detailed study, accompanied by broad consultation, to assess the proposal.

The process will examine its economic feasibility, environmental impacts, connectivity and infrastructure requirements before any decision is taken on whether the project should proceed.

"These initiatives give concrete form to our ambition for Malta Vision 2050. We are investing in our businesses' ability to compete, in people's skills and in the sectors that can create tomorrow's opportunities," Schembri said.

Spain's network of high-speed rail has been considered one of the nation's crowning achievements. It ranks second to China in track mileage in the world. Until this year, it had not endured a deadly crash since coming into service over three decades ago.

The collision Wednesday that turned a sleepy stretch of rail lined by olive groves into a scene of carnage came just four weeks before the country votes in a national election.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the crash site in the central province of Toledo after regional authorities confirmed that more than 60 people had died and dozens more were being treated at hospitals.

Only in January, 46 people had died when one train jumped the track and slammed into the side of another going the opposite way in southern Spain.

Sánchez pledged an investigation into the latest collision and improvements to prevent another tragedy like the two that have shaken trust in a rail system that carried 45 million travellers last year, including millions of tourists.

"It is clear that we need to reinforce the safety of our train service to rebuild the trust in our high-speed rail," Sánchez said. "It is not acceptable for a country like Spain to endure two high-speed train accidents in the same year."

Sánchez's government declared three days of mourning starting Thursday.

Both deadly crashes this year involved a train operated by the state-owned RENFE company and one from the privately owned IRYO. Spain only liberalized its high-speed rail service in 2021, with the Italian IRYO starting service the following year.

Political implications for Sánchez ahead of election

Sánchez has weathered many crises since taking power in 2018, staying in power and winning reelection after the COVID-19 pandemic and the global rise in inflation.

But polls show he faces another uphill battle when voters cast ballots in Spain's first national election since 2023. The new rail disaster can't help the prospects of his Socialist party.

Sánchez and other progressive parties had hoped to leverage a wave of discontent over housing costs and high rents when he called for early elections earlier this month.

About an hour before news of Wednesday's crash spread, Sánchez had posted on X a message that "There are lots of reasons to be optimistic about this country."

Now it appears he will have to handle concerns over the state of Spain's rail service along with attacks from right-wing parties over his liberal migration policies and accusations of corruption against his party and his wife, which both he and his wife deny.

His transport minister, Óscar Puente, had to handle media questions over whether he would resign following a second major train wreck under his watch. His response was that he was fully focused on dealing with the collision, not his future.

Sánchez's main rival, Popular Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo, demanded a full investigation of the crash. The conservative leader said that in respect for the victims his party canceled its campaign events for the day.

"This is the moment to respect the dead, the injured and their families," Núñez Feijóo said. "That does not mean we will ignore the fact that Spaniards are asking tough questions that demand answers."

The far-right Vox leader, Santiago Abascal, who is likely hoping to enter a coalition government with the conservatives, did not show the same restraint.

"More dead. Another tragedy. More rage over being left to fend for ourselves, the despair and the betrayal that Spaniards are enduring," Abascal said just hours after the crash.

"I promise to work tirelessly until this government, which is a criminal organization, is sitting in a courtroom to answer for its crimes," he said.

Human error was behind the crash

Puente said that the crash was caused by what he called the "inexplicable" order from a central command center for Spain's trains after a security system had failed. He said the train engineers were not to blame.

Puente said that at 8:30 a.m. the security system on a stretch of 63 kilometers (39 miles) stopped working due to a computer malfunction, causing all trains on that stretch to stop. At that point the IRYO train was stopped near the town of Urda, while the RENFE train was 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) behind it.

But a few minutes later the central command told the RENFE train to start running again without any speed restrictions, and it ended up colliding with the stationary IRYO train at 8:53 a.m.

Puente said that the train should never have been told to start moving again since there was still a "stop signal" active on that line. And if it had, at least it should have been told to go at reduced speed.

Workers started to use cranes to move parts of the damaged trains late on Wednesday after a hectic day involving hundreds of emergency workers, firefighters, police and soldiers all pitching in to rescue survivors and recover bodies.

Lagarde, 70, will leave Feb. 7, the ECB said Thursday. Her eight-year term was to end Oct. 31, 2027.

The resignation opens the way for complex political horse trading over her successor and replacements for two other top officials who are leaving next year. The ECB president leads the bank's governing council, which sets interest rates for the 21 countries that use the euro currency, affecting borrowing costs for everything from house purchases to new factories and serving as the European Union's chief crisis fighter in times of economic and financial turbulence.

"It has been a great pride and a huge privilege to serve this institution," Lagarde said in a video message posted on X. "I think that I leave this institution with a sense of good work done and an ECB that is fit for the future."

The announcement was expected following speculation that Lagarde would leave early to enable EU leaders to choose a successor while pro-EU French President Emmanuel Macron is still in office. That would guard against the possibility that right-wing presidential candidate Marine Le Pen might win the election and influence the choice.

"That she leaves early is no surprise and does not change the outlook for ECB policies," said Holger Schmieding, chief economist at Berenberg bank.

European Council President Antonio Costa said that the selection process "will be initiated today and will proceed without delay."

The term of another top ECB official - chief economist Philip Lane - is to end May 31, while another member of the ECB's executive board, Isabel Schnabel, is resigning Jan. 3 to move to the International Monetary Fund. European leaders are expected to work out a package deal to apportion the three vacancies among member countries in a complex round of political bargaining.

EU leaders would likely seek to reach agreement on all three posts before a summit meeting on Dec. 17-18, said Holger Schmieding, chief economist at Berenberg bank.

He said that leading candidates for Lagarde's job appeared to be former Netherlands central bank head Klaas Knot and Spain's Pablo Hernandez de Cos, the general manager of the Bank for International Settlements. The BIS is an international organization of central banks.

"The European Union is trying to guard itself at least somewhat against the risk that right-wing Marine Le Pen may win the French presidential election in April-May 2027," Schmieding wrote in an email. "Lagarde's successor will still be appointed while the staunchly pro-European centrist Emmanuel Macron still resides in the Elysee Palace."

Lagarde, the former head of the International Monetary Fund, was appointed in 2011 to succeed Mario Draghi. A key decision during her tenure came in 2020, when the bank deployed 1.35 trillion euros ($1.5 trillion) in emergency stimulus in the form of bond purchases to keep the COVID-19 pandemic from drying up credit for the economy.

The bank's ability to act swiftly - in contrast to the often drawn-out negotiations among the 27 European Union national governments - has given it a leading role in combating Europe-wide crises such as the pandemic and the peak period of the eurozone's debt crisis in 2010-2012. Most notably, Draghi's promise in 2012 to "do whatever it takes to preserve the euro" calmed bond market turmoil that raised fears the eurozone would break up.

Lagarde's announcement overshadowed the bank's decision Thursday to leave its interest rate benchmark unchanged at 2.5% despite annual inflation of 3.8% fed by high oil prices caused by the US-Iran war. High rates restrain inflation, which is above the bank's target of 2%. However rising bond market rates are already tightening credit independent of the ECB, in effect doing the central bank's job for it, analysts say.

Martin John Azzopardi, 52, is the founder and CEO of Legacy Ventures Limited, a private construction, property development and project management firm based in St Julian's. The company also previously headed project management at J Portelli Projects until 2022. The company currently rents offices on the ground floor of Mercury Towers.

The court heard that the incident unfolded on 27 October at around 2 pm, when Azzopardi was dining at a restaurant opposite Mercury Towers in St Julian's. While at the restaurant, Azzopardi reportedly expressed his liking for the steak knife on the table. Being a regular customer, restaurant staff allowed him to take the knife with him. He had reportedly drunk a whole bottle of wine while dining there.

Rather than returning to his own office, which he rented on the ground floor of Mercury Towers, Azzopardi proceeded directly to the upper floors of the building, where Portelli and members of his family work. The prosecution explained that Azzopardi persuaded the receptionist to allow him upstairs before heading towards the glass entrance to Portelli's offices.

An employee who recognised Azzopardi from his presence in the building approached him and noticed that he appeared visibly agitated, with his face flushed. The employee attempted to calm him down, eventually persuading him to sit down.

At this stage, Azzopardi was still carrying the knife.

Portelli, who was reportedly concerned about the unexpected visit, nevertheless agreed to meet Azzopardi since he had already made his way to the offices. Upon learning that Portelli was willing to speak to him, Azzopardi went into a nearby bathroom, where he left the knife wrapped in a napkin near the toilet.

He then returned to meet the businessman, leaving the knife just a few doors away from where their conversation took place. Their meeting was reportedly brief and appeared to end on a more positive note, with Azzopardi leaving soon after. 

However, after Azzopardi had left, the same employee became suspicious of the amount of time he had spent inside the bathroom and decided to investigate.

Upon entering, the employee discovered the steak knife wrapped in a napkin. Following the discovery of the knife, a police report was filed and Azzopardi was arrested later that evening at his home. The police explained that the accused had been cooperative with officers but was heavily intoxicated when police attempted to question him. Consequently, investigators decided to postpone his formal questioning until the following morning.

Azzopardi spent the night at the police depot and provided his first statement the next day.

However, during questioning, he began complaining of chest pains and was subsequently taken to hospital for medical attention. He was discharged on Thursday morning, allowing police to proceed with his arraignment.

The accused denied the charges.

The defence requested bail, but the prosecution objected on the grounds that witnesses had yet to testify. The defence countered that the incident had been captured on CCTV footage, arguing that the accused had never actually physically approached and met with Portelli while carrying the knife. The court was told that Azzopardi had left the knife in the toilet at the offices before meeting Portelli, meaning that he was not in possession of the weapon during their encounter.

Requesting a protection order covering Portelli's residence and workplace, parte civile lawyer Giannella De Marco argued that the accused's conduct demonstrated a clear intention. "The intention is clear when someone brings a knife with them," she insisted. "I don't know if he was coked up or not," De Marco remarked, prompting the accused to shake his head.

A further exchange arose over the location of Azzopardi's office. When the court was told that he had an office on the ground floor of Mercury Towers, the accused interjected, clarifying that his office was actually situated across the street from the complex.

"Well, you're going to have to scrap it," De Marco replied.

Duty magistrate Gabriella Vella eventually granted bail to the accused against a €800 deposit and €10,00 personal guarantee. The court banned Azzopardi from approaching Mercury towers, PenderGardens, Nadur and Rabat, Gozo.

A three-year protection order was issued in favour of Portelli and his family.

Azzopardi was also placed under an electronic monitoring order for the three-year duration of the protection order, requiring him to wear an electronic ankle bracelet. Should he enter any of the locations covered by the protection order ,LESA would be notified and the police alerted.

The defence was led by lawyer Dominic Micallef.

The prosecution was led by police inspectors Pierguido Saliba and Christian Xuereb. Lawyer Gianella de Marco represented the parte civile. 
Magistrate Gabriella Vella presided over the arraignment.

In a statement, the party said the government had built an economic model dependent on unchecked population growth and was now proposing measures that would shift the resulting costs onto employers.

The PN warned that additional costs imposed on businesses could eventually be passed on to consumers, placing further pressure on households.

It said the government should take responsibility for its economic policies rather than continue to make businesses and families pay for what it described as its mistakes.

The party called for an economic model based on productivity, investment and quality jobs, rather than continued population growth and the additional burdens it brings.

It also argued that, if the government wanted to increase revenue, it should address what it described as wasteful public spending on consultancy contracts awarded to "friends of friends", instead of placing further costs on businesses.

The statement was signed by Michael Piccinino, the PN's Shadow Minister for the Self-Employed, Small Enterprises and Cooperatives, and Darren Carabott, shadow Minister for the Economy, Technology and Strategic Projects.

In a statement following the October 2026 ECB Governing Council monetary policy meeting, the Governor of the Central Bank of Malta endorsed the decision, citing heightened uncertainty over the inflation outlook and the need for a more comprehensive assessment of economic developments.

Headline inflation in September was higher than anticipated in the ECB's projections, largely because energy prices remained well above the levels assumed in the September projections. This is expected to prompt an upward revision to the inflation outlook.

The risks to inflation remain tilted to the upside, with the increased scale and duration of the energy price shock, together with the prospect of higher food inflation, raising concerns about indirect price pressures and possible second-round effects.

However, underlying inflation indicators suggest that these indirect effects remain limited and broadly in line with previous expectations. Wage developments across the euro area have also evolved largely as projected, with no visible signs so far of the second-round effects that are particularly important for monetary policy decisions.

At the same time, financing conditions have tightened somewhat since the previous Governing Council meeting. They could tighten further as earlier interest rate increases feed through to bank lending rates, while fiscal risks, particularly in member states facing upcoming elections, could add to the pressure.

Tighter financing conditions, as also reflected in the latest Bank Lending Survey, are expected to weigh on demand, potentially dampening both economic growth and inflation.

Against this backdrop, the Governor said it was appropriate to reassess the situation in December, when a more comprehensive analysis of the inflation outlook would be available.

The ECB will continue to adopt a data-dependent, meeting-by-meeting approach to monetary policy, with decisions guided by incoming economic and financial data.

The Governing Council remains committed to ensuring that inflation stabilises at its 2% medium-term target.

The training is based on 'Addressing Anti-Rights Discourse in Education,' developed as part of the Inclusive Education Toolkit by the Council of Europe and IGLYO - the International LGBTQI Youth and Student Organisation.

It is designed using a participatory approach and adapted to the Maltese educational context, featuring practical exercises, discussions, and scenarios based on situations that may arise within educational communities.

During the meeting with the participants, the Minister emphasised the importance of continuous professional development for educators and school leadership teams, particularly in light of the new realities facing children and young people.

"I am well aware that education is constantly evolving. The realities in which our students live are always changing; therefore, it is essential that our educators continue to be provided with the opportunities, tools, and support necessary to evolve alongside them," Cutajar said.

The Minister also noted that children and young people today are exposed to a world of information far broader than what they encounter in the classroom or at home.

Access to international media, social media, and digital platforms means that their perspectives can be shaped by a constant stream of information and narratives, as well as by the algorithms that influence the content appearing on their screens.

"We cannot attempt to combat or control every piece of information that reaches young people from every corner of the globe. Much of it lies beyond our control. Therefore, we must equip them with the tools to navigate this reality in a critical, responsible, and informed manner," Cutajar said.

In this context, the training explored practical, evidence-based approaches for handling difficult conversations, as well as the role of school leadership in supporting educators, protecting students and staff, and strengthening institutional preparedness, safeguarding, and communication.

The training aimed to enhance participants' ability to recognise how disinformation, anti-rights narratives, and polarisation can emerge and spread within school communities; explored practical and evidence-based ways to address difficult conversations; and identified concrete steps that can strengthen preparation, communication, safeguarding, and shared responsibility within educational institutions.

This year’s event focused on the Foundation’s support for Malta’s artistic heritage, highlighting conservation projects involving medieval frescoes at Ħal Millieri and historic Stations of the Cross paintings in Valletta.

The event opened with a presentation by Prof. JoAnn Cassar and Dr Jennifer Porter from the University of Malta’s Department of Conservation and Built Heritage, who outlined ongoing conservation work on the medieval frescoes inside the Chapel of the Annunciation at Ħal Millieri.

The speakers thanked Din l-Art Ħelwa, which acts as guardian of the chapel, for entrusting the department with the project, as well as the Malta Airport Foundation for its financial support.

Cassar noted that projects of this kind serve a purpose beyond safeguarding historic works, providing aspiring conservators with valuable practical experience and learning opportunities that may otherwise be difficult to access.

Claudette Buttigieg, chief executive officer of the University of Malta’s Research, Innovation and Development Trust (RIDT), which is partnering in the Ħal Millieri conservation and research project, also addressed the event. She thanked the organisations and individuals involved, highlighting the expertise and work required to carry out such initiatives.

The programme continued with a presentation by Valentina Lupo of Atelier del Restauro, who explored the origins and development of the Via Crucis tradition in churches before turning to the 14 Stations of the Cross housed at the Church of Saint Mary of Jesus in Valletta.

The historic paintings underwent restoration between 2023 and 2024 with the support of the Malta Airport Foundation.

Lupo explained that the 14 paintings forming a Via Sagra were often commissioned separately by patrons who funded individual stations or groups of works. As a result, collections frequently brought together paintings by different artists.

Six of the paintings in the Valletta church’s collection are attributed to Francesco Zahra, one of Malta’s prominent 18th-century Baroque artists.

The event also highlighted the Foundation’s collaboration with Heritage Malta, with attendees given the opportunity to register for a complimentary Heritage Malta membership or a Heritage Malta Senior Passport. The initiative aims to encourage greater public engagement with the island’s cultural heritage.

Established in 2014, the Malta Airport Foundation invests in projects dedicated to safeguarding Malta’s cultural, artistic and environmental heritage, particularly its marine heritage.

Dalli made the appeal during a meeting of the EU Energy Council in Luxembourg, where she stressed the need for a common European approach to energy security without imposing identical solutions on every country.

Against a backdrop of uncertainty in international energy markets, Dalli said EU Member States should act collectively where cooperation can deliver better results, particularly in negotiations and efforts to safeguard the security of energy supplies.

However, she warned that a common approach should not prevent individual countries from adopting measures suited to their specific circumstances.

"Faced with another energy crisis, we need a Europe that acts together while giving Member States the flexibility to take decisions that reflect their own realities," Dalli said.

"When we negotiate together, we have greater bargaining power. However, every country faces different challenges, and we cannot have a one-size-fits-all solution," she added.

Dalli said flexibility was particularly important for Malta, allowing the government to respond to pressures in the energy sector while keeping consumer costs manageable and strengthening the country's energy infrastructure.

She said that maintaining affordable energy tariffs for Maltese and Gozitan households and businesses remained a priority, alongside efforts to improve the country's resilience against future challenges.

"Our priority remains clear: to keep energy tariffs affordable for Maltese and Gozitan families and businesses," the Minister said.

She added that European energy policy must recognise the different circumstances faced by Member States, particularly island nations such as Malta.

The Minister's remarks highlight Malta's position that EU-wide energy policies should account for differences in national infrastructure, energy security needs and the economic pressures faced by consumers.

Dalli also emphasised the importance of strengthening the resilience of strategic energy infrastructure, particularly cross-border connections linking Member States to energy networks beyond their borders.

Such infrastructure is an important consideration in European efforts to improve energy security and prepare for potential disruptions in international energy markets.

Dalli said the EU must strike a balance between collective action and the ability of individual Member States to make timely decisions in response to their own energy needs.

She said that European energy policy should ultimately protect consumers' interests while safeguarding the security of energy supplies.

It was a practical arrangement that served both the government and the media. It enabled journalists to familiarise themselves with the principal measures, organise their reporting and prepare informed analysis of what is arguably the most important policy document published by the government each year. It also ensured that newsrooms were operating on an equal footing, with the same information available to everyone at the same time.

That is why the decision to abandon this established practice for Budget 2027 is so disappointing.

Instead of bringing all media houses together for a single briefing, the Office of the Prime Minister opted for individual meetings with selected newsrooms at different times. Some media organisations were invited, while others were left out altogether. The Institute of Maltese Journalists (IĠM) has rightly expressed its disappointment at this departure from the usual procedure, questioning why a system that had worked for years was replaced without any apparent justification.

The new arrangement raises legitimate questions. Why should some newsrooms receive information before others? What purpose is served by briefing journalists individually when a single meeting could provide everyone with the same information under the same conditions? And why were certain media organisations excluded, including the Nationalist Party's media?

Even if the intention was not to favour one newsroom over another, the outcome risks creating precisely that perception. Those briefed first have more time to prepare their coverage, while those called later are placed at an unnecessary disadvantage. Those not invited are left without the same opportunity to prepare before the budget is delivered.

Was this an attempt to stagger information and give different newsrooms different insights into the budget? Or was it simply a case of disorganisation? Neither possibility reflects well on the government. If the change was deliberate, an explanation is warranted. If it was the result of poor planning, then the obvious solution is to return to a procedure that had already proved effective.

The conclave was not a favour granted to journalists. It was a sensible working arrangement that recognised the practical demands of covering a complex and lengthy budget speech. There was no evident reason why this year's budget required a different approach.

The episode also comes against a broader backdrop in which reaching ministers through official channels has become increasingly difficult, while requests for interviews continue to be ignored. Effective communication between government and the media is not merely a convenience for journalists. It is part of the process through which the public receives information about decisions that affect its daily life.

We hope this year's departure proves to be an isolated incident and that the traditional collective briefing returns next year. The government should work with the IĠM to restore an arrangement that is transparent, practical and fair to all newsrooms.

A system that served successive governments for decades should not have been discarded without good reason. If it was not broken, there was little justification for fixing it.

The Gozo court cleared Joseph Cutajar, Vicky Xuereb and Joseph Xuereb of charges including involuntary homicide and multiple breaches of occupational health and safety regulations, after concluding that the demolition work which led to Carmel Attard's death had never been authorised.

The court found that although several safety measures required for demolition work had not been implemented, the prosecution had failed to establish that the three accused bore criminal responsibility for those shortcomings.

Attard lost his life on 18 March 2021, when part of the concrete roof of the public toilets in Dwejra, San Lawrenz, collapsed while renovation works were underway. Officers responding to the incident found Attard trapped beneath the rubble. Emergency services were called to the scene, but he was certified dead shortly afterwards.

At the time, Attard was employed by the Community Work Scheme Enterprise Foundation and had been assigned to carry out maintenance works for the Gozo Ministry.

The three accused held different positions within the ministry. Cutajar was director of EcoGozo, Vicky Xuereb was director general within the ministry's Strategy and Support Division, while Joseph Xuereb was responsible for the day-to-day management of the maintenance workers.

Following a magisterial inquiry and investigations by the Occupational Health and Safety Authority, criminal proceedings were instituted against all three.

Roof demolition had not been authorised

The court heard that the workers had originally been assigned to carry out internal renovation works, including removing tiles and flooring from the public toilets. However, the scope of the works changed when concerns arose about the condition of the roof.

Architect Matthew Casha had inspected the building and concluded that the roof needed replacing. Nevertheless, he had not issued instructions for demolition to begin. The court heard that the architect was still preparing a bill of quantities to establish the costs of the proposed works before the necessary administrative decisions could be taken.

Despite this, work on dismantling the roof began before formal authorisation had been granted.

Evidence showed that Joseph Xuereb, the workers' foreman, had reprimanded Attard after learning that demolition work had started without permission. He instructed the workers to stop dismantling the roof and to concentrate on clearing the rubble the following day.
The court accepted that these instructions had been given and that the demolition work was not part of the tasks originally assigned to the maintenance team.

In its judgment, the court concluded that the demolition had begun on Attard's own initiative, without the necessary authorisation.

Court examines responsibility for workplace safety

A central issue in the proceedings concerned who was legally responsible for ensuring the workers' health and safety. Although Attard and his colleagues were carrying out works for the Gozo Ministry, they were formally employed by the Community Work Scheme Enterprise Foundation.

A 2017 agreement between the foundation and the ministry stipulated that the ministry was responsible for compliance with occupational health and safety requirements and for providing necessary protective equipment. However, the court observed that the actual working arrangements presented a different picture.

The foundation selected and assigned workers according to their skills, provided basic health and safety training and paid their wages. The court consequently concluded that the Gozo Ministry could not be considered their employer for the purposes of the criminal responsibilities under examination.

The court assessed the individual involvement of each accused.

In Vicky Xuereb's case, the court found no evidence that she had selected the workers, issued operational instructions or supervised the renovation works. Her responsibilities were administrative, involving general coordination and financing rather than direct management of the worksite. The court also accepted her testimony that she had not been aware of the works before the fatal accident.

Regarding Joseph Cutajar, the court acknowledged that he had been more directly involved in the project. He had accompanied the architect during a site visit and was awaiting the bill of quantities before proceeding with the necessary administrative arrangements.

However, the court found no evidence that he had ordered the roof's demolition, selected the workers or assumed responsibility for supervising their activities. The judgment also noted that the architect's contractual responsibilities included acting as project manager.

The court examined Joseph Xuereb's position separately, recognising that his responsibilities brought him into closer contact with the workers. As foreman, he allocated tasks, coordinated maintenance activities and ensured that protective equipment was available. The court heard that workers had been provided with gloves, protective glasses, high-visibility vests and safety footwear.

When complaints were raised that the gloves were unsuitable for removing tiles, Xuereb arranged for additional equipment to be purchased. The court acknowledged that the protective equipment available was insufficient for roof demolition, particularly because such work required additional protection against falls and other hazards. However, it emphasised that the demolition had not been authorised and was not supposed to be carried out by that maintenance team.

It was also recognised that no demolition-specific risk assessment, method statement, health and safety plan or project supervisor had been put in place.

Nonetheless, the court therefore concluded that these omissions could not automatically be attributed to Joseph Xuereb, who had neither ordered nor authorised the demolition. The court further accepted that once he discovered what the workers had been doing, he instructed them to stop. It therefore found no basis for holding him criminally responsible for the unauthorised works.

All three cleared of criminal responsibility

In considering the remaining occupational health and safety charges, the court found that the obligations relating to demolition planning and supervision arose when the roof demolition began.

Since that work had not been authorised, and given the architect's contractual responsibilities for the project's technical planning and management, the court expressed doubts about attributing those obligations to the accused.

The existence of workplace safety shortcomings and the criminal responsibility of the particular individuals charged was also distinguished by the court and it was ultimately concluded that the evidence did not establish the necessary responsibility on the part of any of the three accused.

The court consequently acquitted Joseph Xuereb, Vicky Xuereb and Joseph Cutajar of all charges brought against them. It also rejected the prosecution's request to order the accused to pay the expenses associated with the appointment of court experts.

Defence lawyers Joe Giglio, Michaela Giglio, and Joseph Xuereb represented the accused. 

Magistrate Jean Paul Grech presided over the sitting.

The Malta Catholic Youth Network organised the event in preparation for the Diocesan Assembly in November, the statement said.

The gathering brought together young people and youth ministry leaders from parishes and ecclesial movements across the diocese for two hours of prayer and discernment.

Young representatives shared presentations centred on themes linked to the pillars of the Pastoral Plan now being implemented across the diocese.

These prompted discussions on how communion, participation and mission can be better identified and strengthened in the daily life of their communities, while bearing witness to the values and message of the Gospel to society at large, the statement said.

Archbishop Charles Scicluna and Bishop Joseph Galea-Curmi attended the event and listened to the young people's contributions.

In a message of encouragement, hope and empowerment, the bishops invited everyone present to keep promoting safe spaces where every person of goodwill can grow.

They also emphasised the importance of offering honest companionship and simple initiatives that build healthy relationships, which Archbishop Scicluna described as a much-needed antidote to the culture of dehumanisation often portrayed as prevalent in the world around us.

The bishops were also presented with a letter from participants in the Plexus Seminar, held at the beginning of October under the theme 'Rethinking Spaces'.

The seminar explored neurodivergence and the indispensable role of neurodivergent persons within the Catholic community, the statement said.

The meeting concluded with a moment of prayer led by Archbishop Scicluna.

In his opening address, the Speaker of the House of Representatives emphasised that mental health is fundamental to individual and societal well-being, calling for greater awareness, accessible support services and stronger collaboration among public institutions, healthcare professionals, families and communities.

He stressed that stigma and prejudice remain significant barriers to seeking help, underlining the importance of open conversations and a culture that treats mental health with the same seriousness as physical health. He also highlighted the importance of prevention and early intervention, alongside an integrated, person-centred approach to care that safeguards the rights, dignity and well-being of those experiencing mental health difficulties.

The Speaker further drew attention to the challenges faced by people in public life, including Members of Parliament and healthcare professionals, emphasising that everyone deserves understanding, compassion and appropriate support. He also addressed wider factors affecting mental health, including workplace pressures, technological developments, gaming and gambling, and environmental conditions.

The keynote and thematic contributions by Dr Adrian James, Dr Sarah Wollaston, Professor Anton Grech, Baroness Professor Clare Gerada and Raymond Galea explored the importance of prevention, early intervention and person-centred mental healthcare.

Dr James highlighted the need to reduce stigma, improve access to talking therapies and strengthen early support, particularly in schools, while ensuring appropriate diagnosis and psychological assistance, including for people with ADHD and autism. He also referred to the open dialogue approach to treating psychosis.

Dr Wollaston stressed the value of data in shaping preventive policies, including interventions that begin during pregnancy, and discussed the potential role of taxation.

Professor Grech emphasised Malta's cultural diversity and the need to sustain investment in community mental health services, moving from isolation towards inclusion.

Baroness Professor Gerada highlighted the importance of human interaction in an increasingly digital healthcare environment and the challenges posed by growing specialisation and costs.

The Commissioner for Health, Professor Raymond Galea, also contributed to the discussion on mental health and the challenges facing services.

In his thematic lecture, Professor Sir Simon Wessely addressed rising anxiety among younger generations, increasingly pessimistic views of the future and the difficulties countries face in regulating social media and the digital world.

The Parliamentary Ombudsman, Judge Joseph Zammit McKeon reinforced the importance of placing individuals at the centre of mental healthcare, stating that the system must be designed around the person, rather than requiring the person to adapt to the convenience and priorities of the system. He added that society needs to move on from awareness to caring behaviour and responsibility.

The contributions highlighted the need to translate awareness into meaningful action and ensure that mental health services respond effectively to people's needs.

Emphasising Parliament's role as a platform for constructive dialogue on issues affecting citizens' lives and well-being, the Speaker concluded by stressing the need for stronger prevention, early intervention, continuity of care and sustained efforts to reduce stigma.

“It was supposed to be a cat. It ended up being three people,” Scicluna told the court during an emotional testimony in which he repeatedly maintained that Fenech was responsible for the fatal shooting.

Scicluna, a former Armed Forces of Malta soldier, stands accused of murdering Cisse in an allegedly racially motivated shooting on 6 April 2019. Cisse, an Ivorian national, was killed while walking home from watching a football match in Birżebbuġa. Two other migrants were injured in the shooting.

Wednesday's proceedings began with jurors visiting several locations connected to the case, including the road where Cisse was killed. Scicluna was seen crying and holding his head as he stood near the location where the victim's body had been found.

Following the site inspections, the prosecution formally closed its case, paving the way for Scicluna to take the witness stand in his own defence.

During his testimony, Scicluna admitted that he and his friends had regularly driven around Ħal Far deliberately provoking migrants. He described their behaviour as foolish and expressing regret.

He explained that he had become friends with Fenech while undergoing military training in 2018, with the two sharing an interest in firearms and occasionally going shooting together.

Scicluna also admitted that he and his friends had previously killed cats during outings, describing the practice as a mistake.
He recounted an incident involving a migrant cyclist whom he and his companions had harassed, admitting that they deliberately sought to provoke reactions from migrants.

“We used to pass from there to pick on them,” he told jurors, although he insisted that he never intended to cause anyone serious harm.
The accused also described an earlier incident on 1 February 2019, claiming that Fenech had grabbed the steering wheel of his Toyota Starlet and deliberately struck a migrant walking towards Ħal Far.

Scicluna maintained that he had no prior knowledge of Fenech's intentions and had subsequently returned to the area in his mother's vehicle to check whether the pedestrian had been injured.

Despite the incident, he admitted that he continued associating with Fenech and that they returned to the area on several occasions.
Turning to the night of Cisse's murder, Scicluna explained that Fenech had suggested going out shooting cats after the two met following his shift at a pastizzi shop.

He said they collected his pistol and two magazines containing 15 rounds each before removing the Toyota Starlet's number plates and leaving their mobile phones at his garage.

According to Scicluna, they travelled towards Ħal Far looking for cats, with Fenech eventually loading the firearm while seated in the passenger seat.

As they approached a migrant walking along the road, Scicluna claimed that Fenech suddenly leaned across him and fired two shots.
“When he fired the first shot, he missed. I saw the man crouch down in fright at the sound of the gunshot. The second shot hit him,” he recalled.

Scicluna said he immediately confronted Fenech, shouting at him and demanding to know why he had done that. He claimed that Fenech threatened to shoot him too, prompting him to accelerate in an attempt to leave the area.

However, he alleged that Fenech subsequently spotted two other migrants and fired several more shots towards them. Scicluna maintained that he attempted to restrain Fenech but was unable to prevent the shooting.

He became visibly emotional while describing the aftermath, telling jurors that he feared being implicated because the firearm and vehicle belonged to him.

The accused admitted that he subsequently altered parts of his Toyota Starlet, including replacing a door and disposing of a mirror casing.
He also acknowledged fabricating his initial statement to police, claiming that he had been too frightened to reveal Fenech's alleged involvement.

“I didn't have the courage to say what Francesco Fenech did,” he said, explaining that he eventually changed his account because of his conscience.

During cross-examination, prosecutor Darlene Grima challenged Scicluna's version of events, particularly his claim that he had been unaware of Fenech's intentions.

Grima questioned why the pair had removed their vehicle's number plates, left their phones behind and travelled with a loaded firearm if they had merely intended to shoot cats.

The prosecution suggested that these precautions indicated premeditation and were intended to prevent the pair from being identified or traced.

Scicluna rejected the suggestion, maintaining that removing number plates was something they routinely did when going shooting. “If I had known what Francesco was going to do, I wouldn't have gone with him,” he insisted.

The prosecution also confronted Scicluna with testimony from surviving victims Mohammed Jallow and Ibrahim Bah, whose descriptions of the vehicle's movements differed from his account. Scicluna denied reversing or stopping the vehicle during the shooting, maintaining that he had accelerated after the first shots were fired.

Grima further questioned why he had continued associating with Fenech despite the earlier incident involving the migrant pedestrian.

The accused acknowledged that Fenech had expressed negative views about migrants, including fears that they would invade Malta, but insisted that he had never indicated an intention to kill anyone. When questioned about his failure to report the murder, Scicluna claimed that he had considered approaching a superior officer in the Armed Forces but had been too frightened.

“I kept thinking about finding an officer at work and telling him what happened. But I was scared,” he told jurors.

The prosecutor also challenged his claim of being traumatised by the shooting, referring to evidence from his former girlfriend that he had appeared to behave normally later that evening.

“In reality, I was never normal again after what happened,” Scicluna replied. Before concluding her cross-examination, Grima questioned Scicluna about his changing language when referring to migrants, pointing out that he had repeatedly described them by their skin colour during police interrogations.

Scicluna said he preferred using the term “immigrants” because referring to people by their skin colour sounded harsher. Jurors subsequently questioned the accused about Fenech's position during the shooting, the removal of the vehicle's number plates, the decision to leave mobile phones behind and his relationship with Fenech's cousin, Dylan German.

Scicluna maintained that removing the number plates had been Fenech's idea and that he had never previously removed them from his vehicle while still at home.

The sitting was adjourned following the jurors' questions, with the trial expected to continue on Thursday morning.

Attorney General Lawyers Darlene Grima, Abigail Caruana Vella and Michaela Aquilina are prosecuting. Scicluna is being represented by Edward Gatt, Kris Busietta and Alessandro Farrugia.

18:29: One juror asks whether Scicluna had ever worked alongside people with dark skin. He replies that he had, adding that disagreements occasionally arose with people of darker complexions, just as they did with Maltese individuals.

Another juror questions whether Scicluna knew that Fenech had switched off his mobile phone on the night of 6 April 2019.

Scicluna confirms that he knew Fenech had left his phone at the garage but says he cannot remember whether Fenech had specifically suggested switching off their devices.

A further question concerns Fenech's position inside the vehicle when he allegedly fired the shots. Asked whether Fenech's face was outside the car window during the shooting, Scicluna maintains that his head was certainly facing towards the window.

Jurors also seek clarification about Scicluna's relationship with Dylan German, Fenech's cousin, questioning whether the two had only become acquainted after the shooting.

Scicluna explains that he would regularly pass German's garage when visiting Fenech's residence, but says their first proper conversation took place after the 6 April incident, when the wrong fuel was accidentally put into Fenech's vehicle.

Another juror questions Scicluna about the removal of his Toyota Starlet's number plates, asking whether he had ever removed them from the vehicle while still at home before 6 April.

Scicluna denies doing so, explaining that they had never previously gone out carrying the pistol. Asked whose idea it was to remove the number plates on the night of the shooting, Scicluna identifies Fenech.

With no further questions, proceedings are adjourned for the day. The trial is set to continue tomorrow morning.

We will publish a summary of today's sitting shortly - thank you for following.

18:11: Prosecutor Darlene Grima concludes her cross-examination by questioning Scicluna about his choice of language when referring to migrants.

Grima asks why he now refers to them as "immigrants", pointing out that during his police statements he had repeatedly described them as "black people".

Scicluna maintains that he had also used the term "immigrants" previously, adding that referring to people by their skin colour sounded harsher.

"Saying 'black people' sounds more rude, in a way," he tells jurors. The prosecution then formally concludes its cross-examination. The jurors have some questions.

18:04: The prosecution then returns to the Toyota Starlet, questioning Lorin Scicluna about the vehicle's age and its stereo system.

Scicluna says he cannot recall the car's year of manufacture but confirms that it was an older vehicle.

Asked whether the car had a stereo capable of playing music through a USB drive, Scicluna points out that stereo systems can be replaced.

Grima questions whether he had personally modified the system, but Scicluna denies doing so.

"I bought it like that. It had a CD player and a USB connection," he tells the court.

In every moment of silence, Scicluna is seen turning his head to his lawyers, he seems to have a look of despair on his face.

17:57: The prosecutor then asks whether Scicluna returned to the scene after the shootings on 6 April to check on the three victims.

Scicluna admits that he did not, claiming he was too frightened. "I was terrified," he tells jurors.

Grima challenges this account by referring to testimony from his ex-girlfriend, who had described him as behaving normally when he met her later that evening.

"In reality, I was never normal again after what happened," Scicluna replies. The prosecution subsequently turns to Scicluna's earlier testimony about the death of his close friend, Neil Zammit, questioning why he had never mentioned the loss during previous proceedings.

Scicluna becomes emotional as he explains that he still struggles to come to terms with his friend's death.

"I cannot accept what happened," he says. Grima then questions Scicluna about his responsibilities as a member of the Armed Forces of Malta, asking whether he believes the military uniform he wore should command respect.

Scicluna agrees but adds that doing the right thing is not always easy.

The prosecutor also challenges him over his knowledge of firearms regulations, questioning why, as a licensed firearm holder, he had decided to travel with a loaded weapon.

Scicluna responds that Francesco Fenech had repeatedly suggested bringing the pistol. Grima then returns to the day after the murder, when Scicluna claims he met Fenech and discussed the possibility of reporting the shooting to police.

When asked why he had not reported the incident himself after Fenech refused to do so, Scicluna admits that he was afraid.

He tells jurors that he considered approaching a superior officer at work to explain what had happened but ultimately could not bring himself to do so.

"I kept thinking about finding an officer at work and telling him what happened. But I was scared," he says.

He looks back at his lawyers during a moment of silence.

17:53: The prosecution then questions Scicluna about the precautions taken before the shooting, particularly the removal of the Toyota Starlet's number plates and the decision to leave their mobile phones at the garage.

Scicluna confirms that they removed the plates while still at the garage, explaining that they routinely did so when going shooting.

He adds that they were carrying a pistol rather than an airgun, pointing out that a pistol produces considerably more noise.

Grima suggests that the pair deliberately left their mobile phones behind to avoid being traced.

Scicluna rejects the suggestion, reiterating that he had no knowledge of Fenech's alleged intentions.
"I don't agree with you. If I had known what Francesco was going to do, I wouldn't have gone with him," he insists.

17:45 Prosecutor Darlene Grima continues challenging Scicluna over his decision to bring a firearm on the night of the shooting, asking whether anyone had forced him to take the weapon.

Scicluna denies being threatened into bringing the pistol, explaining that Fenech had merely suggested it. He maintains that the only threat came later, when Fenech allegedly threatened to shoot him.

He also insists that he had never previously taken the firearm outside his home except when visiting a shooting range.

Grima questions why he had left the pistol accessible to Fenech rather than securing it beneath his own seat.

Scicluna argues that placing the weapon beneath the driver's seat would have been dangerous, as sudden braking could have caused it to slide beneath the pedals.

The prosecutor suggests that he deliberately left the firearm within Fenech's reach so that he could shoot when they encountered a target.

"Francesco was going to shoot, but at cats," Scicluna replies. Grima then confronts him about Fenech's alleged hostility towards black people, suggesting that Scicluna was well aware of his friend's hatred towards migrants.

Scicluna disputes this characterisation, claiming that Fenech was irritated by migrants rather than motivated by hatred. "He used to tell me they were going to invade Malta," he admits.

The prosecution presses him on why he felt comfortable driving with Fenech while a loaded firearm was within his reach, particularly following the earlier incident in which Fenech allegedly grabbed the steering wheel and struck a migrant.

Scicluna insists that Fenech had never indicated any intention to shoot migrants and claims that Fenech had told him the February collision was accidental.

Although Grima points out that Fenech had already betrayed his trust on that occasion, Scicluna maintains that nothing similar had happened during the following two months.

"I don't think I would have gone with him if I knew he was going to shoot at immigrants. Obviously not," he tells jurors.

The prosecutor also questions why the pair had removed the Toyota Starlet's number plates before heading to Ħal Far.

Scicluna claims that removing the plates was something they routinely did when going out shooting birds, rather than a precaution specifically taken before the shooting.

17:38: Prosecutor Darlene Grima challenges Scicluna's account of the shooting by referring to earlier testimony given by survivors Mohammed Jallow and Ibrahim Bah.

Grima cites Jallow's testimony that the vehicle had braked and reversed after the first two shots were fired, while Bah had testified that the car passed them slowly and that shots were fired after it had already driven past.

The prosecutor also refers to evidence given by the ballistics expert concerning a shot fired near the vehicle's door.

When asked whether he had reversed the vehicle following the initial shots, Scicluna firmly denies doing so. "That doesn't make sense. What I'm telling you is that the car never stopped," he insists.

Grima then questions him about the pattern in which spent cartridge casings would fall from a moving vehicle, prompting defence lawyer Edward Gatt to object that the prosecution could not put hypothetical questions to the accused.

The prosecutor subsequently challenges Scicluna's claim that he and Fenech had travelled to the area intending to shoot cats, suggesting that he knew where they were heading despite being aware that few cats were usually found along that road.

Grima also confronts him with his earlier account of Fenech's conduct, telling him that Fenech had already betrayed him.

Scicluna maintains that he had told Fenech he was in a hurry that evening.

17:34 The prosecution turns to the events of 6 April 2019, questioning Lorin Scicluna about the speed at which he was driving when Lassane Cisse was shot.

"I was scared I was going to get blamed. I saw everything Francesco did. Three people were shot from my car with my weapon," Scicluna tells jurors.

"My life was never the same after this incident. I was then arrested," he says.

With the defence having no further questions for the accused, the court briefly adjourns proceedings.

"I don't remember how I got there. I just remember arriving in Paola," he says.

He explains that the pair retrieved their mobile phones before Fenech left in his Volkswagen.
Scicluna admits that he did not tell anyone about what had happened that night, including his then-girlfriend.

"I told no one what happened, not even my girlfriend," he tells the court.

He recalls subsequently contacting Fenech by phone and arranging to meet him in Fgura, where they learned through news reports that the victim had been found.

Scicluna insists that although he and Fenech had previously harassed migrants, he had never intended for anyone to be seriously harmed.

"It's true we used to pick on them, but I never wanted to hurt them in this way," he says. The accused breaks down in tears as he recalls confronting Fenech over Lassane's death.

"I told him he died because you (Fenech) shot him, and because he crouched down in fright at the sound," Scicluna says through tears.

He tells jurors that he feared being implicated in the killing because the shootings had been carried out using his firearm and vehicle.

"I'm not getting out of this. We did this with my gun and my car," he recalls telling Fenech.
Scicluna says the two continued arguing over what had happened that night.

"When he fired the first shot, he missed. I saw the man crouch down in fright at the sound of the gunshot. The second shot hit him," he tells jurors.

He recalls immediately shouting at Fenech in disbelief, repeatedly asking him what he had done.

"Are you serious? Are you serious?" he recalls screaming, adding that he began hitting Fenech while demanding an explanation for his actions.

According to Scicluna, Fenech responded by threatening to shoot him too. "He told me, 'Stop it, because I'll shoot you as well,'" the accused claims.

Scicluna says he immediately accelerated, driving away from the scene at high speed in an attempt to escape the area. "I wanted to get off that road," he tells the court.

However, he claims that as they continued driving, Fenech spotted two other migrants walking along the road and suddenly opened fire again. "I hadn't even seen them," Scicluna says, explaining that he attempted to physically restrain Fenech and stop him from shooting.

He claims Fenech had leaned almost his entire upper body out of the passenger-side window while firing at the two men.

Scicluna recalls that Fenech fired two shots while their vehicle was approaching the pedestrians, followed by another two after they had driven past them.

He tells jurors that he believes at least one of the men was struck, recalling that he looked in his rear-view mirror and saw them on the ground.

"One was definitely shot. I looked in the mirror and saw them on the floor," he says.

"It was supposed to be a cat. It ended up being three people," Scicluna tells the court.

He insists that the firearm remained in Fenech's possession throughout the incident and that he repeatedly demanded that Fenech unload the weapon.

Scicluna says an argument broke out between them, during which he confronted Fenech over the shootings.

"I told him they had done nothing to him. He had no reason to do this," he recalls.

He claims Fenech began fighting back as the confrontation between the two escalated.
his voice continues being very shaky, he cries a little as he speaks

He admits that they would deliberately seek out a migrant to "pick on", explaining that their intention was to provoke a reaction and "see him get angry."

"I had invented it. I was afraid to explain what really happened," he tells jurors.

Recounting the day of his arrest, he explains that police first escorted him to where his car was parked and asked him to hand over the keys. Officers then took him to his home, a garage and the police lock-up, before transferring him to the police headquarters, where he gave his first statement.

He claims that investigators did not believe his initial account, adding that he lacked the courage to disclose what he alleges Fenech had done.

"I didn't have the courage to say what Francesco Fenech did," he says.

The accused tells jurors that he knew Fenech had fired the shots and that this had weighed on his conscience.
"It was Fenech who shot," he maintains.

He explains that when he was questioned the following day again, he admitted to investigators that his first statement had been fabricated. He says his conscience had compelled him to reveal what he claims Fenech had done, prompting him to change his account during his second statement at police headquarters.

15:52 The accused tells jurors that he made several new friends after joining the Armed Forces of Malta's recruitment programme in 2018, including Francesco Fenech, whom he met during his training.

He recalls losing his best friend around that time, describing the loss as particularly difficult. He says he subsequently grew closer to Fenech, whom he considered a good friend and who shared his interest in firearms.

He explains that he began his military training on 13 October 2018 and remained in the recruitment programme for approximately six months. On 28 March 2019, he took up a role as a military mechanic, which he continued until his arrest on 17 May 2019.

The accused adds that during the summer months, his military duties would sometimes continue until 7:30pm. He also worked part-time at a pastizzi shop on weekends.

The accused goes on to speak about his longstanding friendship with Jason Green, whom he says he had known for several years. He explains that the two would frequently go hunting together in Siġġiewi or Pembroke, adding that they began meeting more regularly after he obtained his driving licence.

He admits that they had also killed cats together, telling jurors, "That was a mistake."

He says Francesco Fenech would occasionally accompany them on these outings, which took place in various locations across Malta and would often end with the group going out for dinner.

15:36   The prosecution formally closes its case , having concluded the presentation of its evidence.

The defence subsequently confirms that the accused will take the witness stand to testify in his own defence.

15:41 The accused takes the witness stand and is sworn in before beginning his testimony

He tells the court that he is now 29 years old and was around 21 or 22 at the time of the incident. He says he currently lives with his parents and sibling in Raħal Ġdid, where he was also residing at the time.

He explains that he had been in a relationship for approximately two years and would frequently spend the night at his girlfriend's home.

Speaking calmly, the accused tells jurors that he served as a director of arms and training within the Armed Forces of Malta, while also carrying out work involving vehicles.

He confirms that he held the necessary licences for the firearms he kept at home, adding that he stored them beneath his bed.

"Which country on Earth gives all services for free to everyone who just landed in their country?" Abela asked when questioned  about the measures announced in the 2027 Budget.

The prime minister insisted that the government remained committed to treating foreign workers with dignity and respect, but argued that this did not mean the State should provide every service free of charge.

The budget, presented on Monday, introduced several measures affecting TCNs living and working in Malta, including the removal of free public transport and increases in driving licence fees.

Abela also defended the wages earned by foreign workers, arguing that many TCNs are well-paid and that salaries depend on the sector in which they work rather than their nationality.

However, research by the Central Bank of Malta and figures presented in Parliament by Finance Minister Clyde Caruana paint a less favourable picture of the earnings of TCNs.

A Central Bank study conducted last April found that the median annual employment income of TCNs who worked throughout 2024 stood at €18,200, around 38% below the national average.

Meanwhile, figures tabled by Caruana showed that TCNs are disproportionately represented in lower-income brackets.

Asked about the disparity, Abela argued that foreign workers should not be treated as a single category, pointing to the thousands of foreign doctors, engineers and other highly skilled professionals employed in Malta.

He maintained that their earnings differ considerably from those of workers employed in lower-paying sectors.

"Any worker, regardless of their nationality, is paid for the work they are doing. They are not being paid based on their nationality," he insisted.

While acknowledging the Central Bank's findings, Abela argued that the data needed to be considered in the context of differences in employment sectors and skill levels.

"The Central Bank's study needs to be weighed in with this, but you can't put everyone in one box," he said.

The prime minister explained that the new measures were based on the principle that foreign nationals should spend a certain period working in Malta before becoming entitled to certain benefits.

He nevertheless stressed that TCNs would retain access to free healthcare and education, which he described as basic services.

"They will keep having access to these basic services," he told journalists, adding that other countries did not provide the same benefits.

In comments given to The Times of Malta on Wednesday, Cutajar said she understood the economic reasoning behind the measures introduced by Finance Minister Clyde Caruana but was not "personally comfortable" with them.

She said she had communicated her concerns to Caruana, while acknowledging that Malta was facing wider global economic pressures and that the decisions had been taken in the "interest of the country".

"The comments on social media hurt me and, in no way, do I want this to lead to a bigger division between people," she told Times of Malta, referring to online reactions to the measures.

Cutajar also expressed sympathy for those affected, saying she viewed the changes with concern from a human perspective. She suggested, however, that the measures could encourage more foreign workers to seek long-term residency in Malta, potentially helping them integrate into society rather than leave after a relatively short period.

"We have to keep supporting Maltese families and not burden them further," she said

Under the measures announced in Budget 2027, several costs for non-EU workers who do not hold long-term resident status will increase from next year.

The initial work permit application fee will rise from €600 to €800, while the annual renewal fee will increase from €150 to €400.

Third-country nationals will also have to pay for childcare when registering for the service for the first time. In addition, they will face a monthly charge of €83 to use a car in Malta or €33 to use buses and the ferry service.

The changes have prompted concerns about the additional financial burden on foreign workers and the implications for those living and working in Malta.

Speaking at a press conference, PN Deputy Leader and Shadow Minister for Tourism Alex Perici Calascione and Shadow Minister for Planning Rebekah Borg argued that the higher charges were not sufficient, in themselves, to address the challenges facing Malta’s tourism sector and the growing demands on the country’s infrastructure and public services.

They said the government should provide a detailed account of the studies carried out to assess the impact of the increases, as well as clarify where, how and when the revenue generated would be spent.

Addressing the increase in the eco-contribution charged to tourists visiting Malta, Perici Calascione and Borg said the measure alone could not guarantee a higher-quality tourism product.

They called on the government to explain how the additional revenue would be used to improve the tourism offering and attract what they described as quality tourists.

The PN argued that any increase in charges should be accompanied by a clear strategy for improving the sector, rather than being treated as a standalone measure.

The Opposition also raised concerns about the higher costs imposed on foreign workers, warning that businesses could pass on the additional expenses to consumers.

According to the PN, a number of businesses employing foreign workers had already indicated that they would have to absorb the new costs. This, the party argued, could ultimately lead to higher prices for goods and services as employers seek to cover the additional expenditure.

Perici Calascione and Borg said that increasing fees for foreign workers was not a solution in itself, insisting that the government needed to explain how the additional revenue would address the demands placed on public services and infrastructure.

They called for greater clarity on planned investment in infrastructure, transport, hospitals and social services, as well as measures to support the meaningful integration of foreign workers into Maltese society.

The PN said the government needed to move beyond imposing additional charges and demonstrate how the measures would translate into tangible improvements.

It argued that the challenges facing Malta were already well known, but that addressing them required a long-term plan backed by studies, clear investment priorities and defined timelines.

Speaking at the inauguration, the Prime Minister commended Maltese investors for their confidence in the local economy and their commitment to elevating Malta's hospitality standards. He noted that the project aligns directly with the government's strategic shift toward higher quality, increased productivity, and enhanced added value across economic sectors.

"For me, quality must be felt in every detail - in how guests are welcomed, the expertise of the staff, the consistency of the food, and the overall professionalism of the service," Abela stated. He highlighted that this ambition needs to be adopted industry-wide to turn investment into elevated experiences for visitors and superior career prospects for workers.

Featuring seating for around 250 guests, Buddha-Bar Malta offers a blend of Asian-inspired dining, signature ambient music, and world-class entertainment under one roof. Originally founded in Paris in 1996, the Buddha-Bar brand is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year with a footprint in global destinations such as Dubai, Monte-Carlo, Prague, Marrakech, and Mykonos.

The Prime Minister underscored the role of such high-end investments in driving skills development and specialized training within culinary arts, hospitality management, and entertainment.

In a joint statement issued Wednesday, the organisations said the Budget was characterised by both measures and discourse that unfairly target foreign workers, often an extremely vulnerable and least wealthy group.

They said that TCNs are among those most at risk of poverty and social exclusion, employment abuse, and even injury and death at the workplace.

The organisations described the measures as "socially unjust" and "anti-worker," and called on the government to reverse measures that discriminate against foreign workers and place additional financial burdens on some of Malta's most vulnerable residents.

As organisations working in the social and cultural fields, they said they were already painfully aware of the inequality and discrimination experienced by foreign workers in Malta.

"Yet, this Budget represents a shocking leap towards a country that officially segregates people on the basis of their nationality. Forcing third-country nationals (TCNs) to pay for basic services that are free for others, placing a particularly heavy burden on families with children, while also denying them employment rights enjoyed by other workers, is deeply unjust and simply unjustifiable," the statement said.

"This is an affront to social justice that inflicts pain on the targeted workers, as well as on their Maltese friends, partners and colleagues. We also question the legality of such measures in terms of conformity with the Constitution and relevant EU law on non-discrimination and rights of workers," the organisations said.

The organisations said the situation was all the more "absurd" considering that it was the same government that built an economic model based on the labour of foreign workers, bringing in thousands of workers to fill mostly low-paid jobs created by its policy of unsustainable economic growth.

"In effect, the anti-worker measures unveiled in the Budget will do nothing to reduce the rate at which our country requires an ever-increasing number of workers to satisfy the demands of an ever-growing economy. They will simply force the least wealthy in our society to pay much more," the statement said.

"After years of giving the impression that money was no problem thanks to a strong economy, the government is now squeezing those who can least afford it, while pandering to racist and xenophobic sentiments, simply because these workers have no vote and little political or social power."

The organisations said the impact of such policies went beyond the material hardship inflicted on migrant workers.

"These measures also entrench and take to an extreme a social model based on division and exploitation, in which a large class of workers is treated as little more than a resource to be exploited, with their rights and dignity disregarded at will. This will lead to even greater marginalisation of foreign workers and the uglification of Maltese society," they said.

"We strongly urge the government to reverse these unfair, anti-worker measures and instead start working towards a just and sustainable economic model in which workers' rights and dignity come before the insatiable pursuit of profits," the statement concluded.

The joint statement was signed by Aditus Foundation, African Media Association Malta, Association for Justice, Equality and Peace, Blue Door Education, Dance Beyond Borders, Dar Merħba Bik Foundation, Dean - Faculty of Education, Fondazzjoni Sebħ, Friends of the Earth Malta, Ġustizzja għall-Palestina, Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Malta, Kopin, LGBTI+ Gozo, Malta Entertainment Industry and Arts Association (MEIA), Malta LGBTIQ Rights Movement (MGRM), Maltese Association of Social Workers, Migrant Women Association Malta, Moviment Graffitti, PEN Malta, Solidarjetà, SOS Malta, TCN Alliance, Victim Support Malta and Women's Rights Foundation.

The deadline for submissions closed on Tuesday, with CareLink Medical Group submitting the lowest bid at €1.74 billion, followed by Custodia Care JV at €1.79 billion and Proxima JV at €1.87 billion.

CareLink Medical Group comprises Saint James Operations Ltd, which operates St James Hospital, as its lead partner, together with CPHCL Co. Ltd, a company within the Corinthia Group.

Custodia Care JV consists of CareMalta Ltd as its lead partner and Carerise Ltd as a partner, both of which are linked to the Vassallo Group.

Proxima JV, meanwhile, is made up of Malta Healthcare Caterers Ltd as its lead partner and James Caterers Ltd, both forming part of the James Caterers Group.

The tender for the new hospital, which will be named Sir Temi Zammit, was issued in April this year, although the government subsequently extended the submission deadline from July to October following a substantial number of requests for clarification received by the health authorities.

The 300-bed public hospital is planned to be built within the grounds of St Vincent de Paul residence for the elderly in Luqa, with the project intended to ease pressure on Mater Dei Hospital by providing medical care to elderly patients who no longer require treatment in an acute general hospital but whose needs cannot be adequately met in a residential care home.

Under the terms of the tender, the successful bidder will be responsible for constructing the facility and operating it under a concession lasting 27 years and six months, recovering the capital investment through payments made by the government for services provided throughout the concession period.

The facility will include an admissions area consisting of 12 cubicles, which will remain under government management and administration, alongside 12 wards containing a minimum of 24 beds each, which will be operated and managed by the private concessionaire.

The successful consortium will be required to complete construction and begin operating the hospital wards within 30 months of obtaining all the necessary permits.

Tender documentation also specifies that bidders must incorporate capital expenditure incurred during the initial phase of the project into their overall financial offers.

In a press conference on the budget proposals tied to the health and active ageing sectors, Minister Borg and the Parliamentary Secretary for Active Ageing, Deo Debattista, the two officials said that this year's budget will give authorities' ongoing work a big boost in ensuring that patients receive the care they need in a timely manner and closer to them.

Besides making healthcare more accessible, Deputy Prime Minister Borg stated that the Maltese government will be investing in medical institutions across the country and within communities, as well as in medicines and in healthcare professionals.

"Our priority is to implement these measures, so that patients and their families feel the difference in their daily lives," Minister Borg said.

Budget 2027 also aims to raise hospital capacities, while investing in more care in the community and in providing "concrete support" for patients and the elderly.

The expansion of Mater Dei Hospital is one of the major investments in this programme. With this project looking to cost €120 million to complete, it will be Mater Dei Hospital's largest expansion since its inauguration.

This project, which began in August, will see the number of treatment spaces inside the hospital's Emergency Department double - from 35 to 70. It will also introduce improved facilities for paediatric emergencies and for hospital workers. Part of this project's plans is a 135-bed space dedicated for acute mental health care with a therapeutic garden alongside it.

Two regional centres and an additional investment in Mount Carmel Hospital are two other mental health related projects set to be completed in 2027.

In this Wednesday press conference, Minister Borg mentioned the plans to develop a new Medical Imaging Department at Mater Dei Hospital through a building of its own, as well as the planned investments at Gozo General Hospital that will include nine more outpatient clinics and the expansion of its operating theatres to allow for more Gozitans to receive treatment in Gozo itself.

The Minister for Health said that the investments at Gozo General Hospital will coincide with the new helipad there that was inaugurated just a few days ago. He also referenced the preparations being done towards the regeneration "masterplan" of St. Luke's Hospital and Karin Grech Hospital.

The officials noted that more medicines will be added to the Government Formulary and access to services will also improve as the government looks to continue building on the progress it has made. This includes bolstering the role of private family doctors as announced some months ago.

Borg added that from 2027 onwards, the government will begin covering the costs for any persons accompanying an adult patient sent for treatment abroad to reduce the financial burden to this side of healthcare for families.

Parliamentary Secretary Deo Debattista stressed that Budget 2027 will continue improving services for the elderly. For instance, he mentioned the strengthening of the Carer at Home scheme from €9,000 a year to €9,800 annually.

"We want our elderly to live with dignity, with independence, and with the support they deserve. That is why we are improving services in their homes and in the community, while increasing capacity and specialised care in residences," PS Debattista said.

Debattista added that to reduce the size of waiting lists in nursing homes, more beds will be placed at these locations. In addition, specialised facilities for people with dementia, and support for their families, will be strengthened, he said.

The Parliamentary Secretary for Active Ageing said that investment in community care shall continue as a means of helping more elderly people to continue living in their homes independently, with the necessary assistance.

Both Borg and Debattista thanked all health and elderly care professionals and workers for their daily work during this press conference.

Following an agreement between the Parliament’s House Business Committee, Wednesday’s plenary was suspended for a few minutes to allow MPs from both sides of the House to commemorate 105 years of the Maltese Parliament.

Aside from Wednesday’s commemoration, MPs will be convening for an event to mark this occasion on Thursday evening on the actual anniversary of the first legislative assembly among elected Maltese officials.

Speaker Carmelo Abela gave a speech during Wednesday’s plenary session to mark this special occasion. He mentioned some of the big changes that occurred throughout this time, such as Malta’s journey to become an independent and sovereign nation, and gave credit to MPs’ predecessors.

“For the first time, the people’s representatives had a forum where they could discuss topics of national importance and have a greater say in how to run their country,” Speaker Carmelo Abela said.

The plaque installed inside the Parliament building goes back to the Parliament of Malta’s inaugural Speaker, Edgar Arrigo. The plaque will be a permanent fixture right outside the Parliament Chamber, where plenaries are held.

Abela said that Arrigo deserves special recognition for his work as this national institution’s first Speaker. Abela observed that Arrigo had the duty of installing the necessary procedures for Parliament’s work to be done in an orderly manner – foundations that still matter today.

Speaker Abela said that while commemorating 105 years of parliamentary life in Malta, it’s important to look back at the representatives, clerks who have given their service to this assembly, and all Speakers who have contributed to Malta’s political journey.

The Speaker stated that while a lot has changed since the first organised assembly in 1921, one principle has remained consistent throughout: that Parliament exists to serve the people and foster democracy.

He advocated that both sides of the House continue to enshrine the values that this institution was founded upon, like responsible debate, accountability, and being of service to the people.

During his speech, Abela said that the Parliament can achieve more for the people it represents, and that while MPs must be grateful towards their predecessors on this anniversary, they must not forget to keep looking forwards.

He said that responsible debate is positive and must be safeguarded, while needless back-and-forth are not and only “deter us from what we are trying to accomplish.”

Prime Minister Robert Abela shared a few words on Parliament celebrating 105 years since its first autonomous government. He labelled this occasion as a constitutional achievement.

In a message to both parliamentary groups, the Prime Minister said that despite both sides’ diverging beliefs, they have the responsibility of ensuring that debate remains serious, that arguments are allowed to be heard, and that political differences are accompanies with respect towards one another as well as to the Parliament itself. He said that MPs’ behaviour within the Chamber’s walls has consequences, including how young people view political life.

Opposition leader Alex Borg said that every political achievement like this one places great responsibility on elected officials to take care of the country’s legislative institution, and its values, so that it can be passed down to future generations.

Borg said that when looking back to 1921, beyond the setbacks and advances made along the way, “we remember the leaders who worked for this change, as well as the Maltese and Gozitan workers who fought for us to have a better country.”

Borg stated that good conscience must accompany every decision made inside the Parliament building and that the general public deserves clear answers to all its questions. He added that as the elected majority has the duty to govern and lead discussions, the elected minority’s duty to scrutinise ensures that lawmakers are held accountable.

Following these speeches, Wednesday’s plenary was momentarily suspended for this plaque to be inaugurated outside the Chamber’s entrance.

Camilleri said the Wild Birds Regulation Unit (WBRU) had been notified of seven cases involving the suspension or revocation of hunting licences during the four-month period.

The Minister explained that the police notify the WBRU when a court suspends or revokes a person's licence, allowing the unit to initiate the administrative procedures required to collect the licence. However, he cautioned that other court judgments may not yet have been communicated to the unit because they remain within the appeal period.

In a separate reply, Camilleri confirmed that four administrative fines were issued during the same period for offences listed under Schedule VIII of the Conservation of Wild Birds Regulations.

However, the Minister could not provide comprehensive figures on the number of people prosecuted in court for hunting-related offences. He explained that the WBRU is sometimes asked by the police to provide technical assistance during prosecutions but is not the authority responsible for prosecuting such cases.

Similarly, the WBRU could not provide a complete account of the number of reported cases involving alleged illegal hunting or breaches of hunting licence conditions between February and May.

The unit also does not hold comprehensive information on the total number of hunting-related inspections and enforcement checks carried out by the authorities, as it is not involved in every case. Its role includes providing technical assistance to the Malta Police Force when requested to help inspect certain cases.

Camilleri also clarified the rules governing hunting licences held by individuals facing pending court proceedings over alleged breaches of hunting laws.

According to the Minister, licences may continue to be renewed while judicial proceedings are ongoing, without prejudice to any eventual court decision.

Once a definitive court decision is delivered, the necessary administrative action is taken, including the suspension or revocation of the relevant licence, as required by the court.

Regarding special permits or derogations issued during the period, Camilleri said that the only hunting-related derogations issued were those covering the spring hunting seasons for quail and turtle dove.

The quail hunting season ran from 13 April to 3 May, while the turtle dove season ran from 20 April to 3 May.

Borg provided the figure in response to Parliamentary Question 3952, tabled by Nationalist Party MP Ian Vassallo on October 21, 2026.

Asked how many people in Malta were living with the condition, Borg said he was informed that 45,551 people had diabetes.

The reply did not include a breakdown by age or type of diabetes, nor did it provide figures on new diagnoses.

Inter's victory moved it level on points at the top with Lazio, heading into its derby against Milan on Saturday. Lazio and Inter have the same goal difference, but Inter has scored more.

Juventus failed to take advantage of Milan's slip when it lost 2-0 at Genoa and four-time champion Napoli won at Monza to leapfrog Juve in the standings.

Elsewhere, Ballon D'Or winner Harry Kane received a guard of honor from his Bayern Munich teammates before a German Cup game but stayed on the bench. Title holder Manchester City and Liverpool both needed penalties at home to reach the League Cup quarterfinals.

City beat Brighton following a 2-2 draw and Liverpool ousted Premier League rival Chelsea after they drew 1-1 at Anfield.

Inter leaves it late

Matías Moreno put the ball into his own net in the 80th minute and fellow defender Redouane Halhal did the same two minutes later. Venezia's defeat was its eighth in nine games.

Belgian winger Samuel Mbangula, who started his career at Juventus, grabbed a hat trick against Milan, which scored two early goals from Alphadjo Cissé.

Fifth-place Milan will have to defend better against Inter on Saturday, having led Bologna 2-1 up until the hour mark.

After Mbangula put the visitors ahead in the eighth minute, Cissé's brace put Milan up at the break. But Bartesaghi's own goal made it 2-2 and Mbangula did the rest.

Napoli was without suspended coach Massimiliano Allegri and moved level on points with Juve, but climbed above its rival and into sixth place on goal difference.

Denmark striker Rasmus Højlund, forward Matteo Politano, defender Rafa Marin, and former City standout Kevin De Bruyne each scored.

Genoa got first-half goals from defender Kingsley Ehizibue and forward Tommaso Baldanzi against Juve, which dropped to eighth spot.

Parma drew 0-0 with Udinese in a basement battle.

Guard of honor

Kane waved to the crowd as he walked onto the field at Allianz Arena for the match against second-division Magdeburg.

Bayern won 6-1 with France star Michael Olise scoring twice.

Bayer Leverkusen rallied from two goals down to beat second-tier Nürnberg 5-2 at home with defender Edmond Tapsoba netting twice.

All-Bundesliga games saw Freiburg beat Wolfsburg 3-2 thanks to a stoppage-time goal from Keisuke Goto and Germany forward Deniz Undav's 90th-minute winner earn Stuttgart a 1-0 win at Paderborn.

Spain in mourning

The Spanish soccer federation postponed all 24 Copa del Rey games scheduled Wednesday because of a deadly train accident in central Spain.