[WATCH] Malta's 23 moments in 2023

MaltaToday decided to flip the script this year, opting to serve up a quirky twist on the traditional year-end reflections. Forget the standard year in review and watch Malta's 23 key moments of 2023, all packed into a snappy 2 minutes and 30 seconds.

Prime Minister announces public inquiry into Jean Paul Sofia death

Prime Minister Robert Abela announced a public inquiry into the death of construction site victim Jean Paul Sofia on July 17.

The U-turn came today after the magistrate investigating the Sofia death extended the inquiry by another 60 days, a move that angered the Prime Minister, who has been pressuring the magistrate to conclude her job.

The news broke only a few hours ahead of a vigil organised by Sofia's relatives and friends for which there was wide support. The vigil went ahead regardless.

Judge annuls hospitals deal, slams Vitals, Steward and government in damning ruling

On February 24, Mr. Justice Francesco Depasquale did not mince his words in his scathing judgement on the Government’s privatisation deal with Vitals Global Healthcare and subsequently Steward Healthcare.

The deal was originally struck in 2015, when government granted a concession for the running of three hospitals to Vitals Global Healthcare (VGH).  The hospitals’ concession had been negotiated by Konrad Mizzi, who was health minister at the time.

Under that agreement, Vitals was handed St Luke’s Hospital, Karin Grech Hospital and the Gozo General Hospital. The deal with VGH, a relatively known consortium at the time, had caused many a raised eyebrow. Less than two years after being granted the concession, Vitals sold it to Steward Healthcare together with €55 million in debts accrued by VGH, for the nominal price of €1.

Malta takes seat on UN security council, pledges to prioritise peace and sustainability

Malta has officially taken its seat on the United Nations (UN) Security Council, its most powerful body, as Ambassador to the UN Vanessa Frazier raised the Maltese flag outside the council chamber at the official ceremony.

Frazier promised during the ceremony that Malta will operate under the three principles of security, sustainability, and solidarity, while continuing to advocate for peace, security, stability, dialogue, de-escalation, and respect of international law.

EuroPride 2023: Pride March kicks off in Floriana

Malta hosted EuroPride 2023, a 10-day celebration of LGBTIQ+ rights across Europe. EuroPride is a pan-European international LGBTI event featuring a Pride parade, hosted by a different European city each year.

Malta got the green light to host EuroPride in October 2020 when the bid by the Allied Rainbow Communities (ARC) – a local NGO for the LGBTIQ+ community – won the support of the European Pride organisers.

The country has become a pioneer of LGBTIQ+ rights, following a series of legal reforms in the past decade.

Nation's League: The ladies make Maltese football history with promotion to Group B

Malta's women's national football team made history with its promotion to Group B in the UEFA Nations League, securing the top spot in their group with a 2-1 comeback victory against Latvia.

The match, on December 5, witnessed by a record-breaking crowd for a women’s match of 1,008 at the Centenary Stadium, marked a significant moment for Maltese women's football.

Despite dominating throughout the League C campaign, the Maltese team conceded their first goal of the season in that game.

With the victory, Malta became one of the top 32-ranked European teams and will participate in the Women's Euro 2025 qualifications.

Inflation’s hard bite: 121,000 struggling to make ends meet

A MaltaToday survey this year showed inflation leaving its toll with 121,000 people not making it to the end of the month or struggling to do so.

The survey found that 13%, or 58,000 people, are not making it till the end of the month and a further 14%, or 63,000 people, are struggling to make ends meet.

A further 139,000 people (31%) said they are managing to live comfortably and making ends meet but are unable to save any money.

During the holidays, another survey by this newspaper showed inflation may well be the new Grinch, stealing the magic of Christmas.

When respondents were asked to compare their present personal budget for Christmas gifts with last year’s, four in 10 replied they will be spending less. 

New national airline announced

Malta’s new national airline, KM Malta Airlines, was announced after Air Malta met its end.

The Maltese government will shut down Air Malta in March, 2024. The national carrier will immediately be replaced by a successor going by the name KM Malta Airlines and using the same aircraft.

The new airline will operate eight aircraft and eventually, three of these will be fully owned by the company rather than leased. The airline will operate on 17 routes.

The new company will re-employ the 390 people currently on Air Malta’s books and the recruitment process will start in December this year.

'This is our square': Activists, locals share why they're protesting the Mosta trees uprooting

On 3 October, the council unanimously agreed with the removal of the 12 ficus trees next to the church and their transplanting to another area in Mosta.

The council applied for an environmental permit with ERA, indicating which trees were to be uprooted, where they would be transplanted and what trees would replace them in the square. The authority granted permission on 6 November.

Activists and residents of Mosta convened early on Constitution Street outside the Mosta Dome on November 14, in protest at the wholesale pruning of the majestic trees that overhung the main bus stop.

After a day of protest and a night in tents, activists were given the news that the iconic Ficus trees at the Rotunda Square will remain at their original location.

Team Malta dominates 2023 GSSE, wins over 95 medals

Team Malta achieved an extraordinary feat at the 2023 GSSE, emerging as the top-performing nation in the medals table.

This remarkable accomplishment marks a historic moment for Malta, as never before has it surpassed all other small European nations.

The best finish had been fourth place in 1993, 2003, and 2011. However, this time, the Maltese team has far exceeded expectations, securing a staggering 38 gold medals, 30 silver medals, and 29 bronze medals, resulting in a total of 96 medals.

Thousands protest in Valletta against environmental rape, demand planning reform

A national protest in Valletta on May 27 drawn thousands of people demanding planning reform and an end to environmental destruction.

The protest was organised by multiple environmental organisations and started off at Triton square.

Chants of “xebbajtuna” (we’ve had enough), which was also the official slogan of the protests, echoed around the streets of Valletta, as the crowd made its way to Castille square and eventually in front of the law courts.

The warm and clear weather attracted thousands of people, but also activists, and also politicians from both sides of the aisle.

The protest was called by Moviment Graffitti, Din l-Art Ħelwa, Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar, BirdLife Malta, Għawdix, Ramblers Association Malta, Nature Trust – FEE Malta and Friends of the Earth Malta.

Pro-Palestine demonstration in Msida: 'Let us live in our country first and then talk about peace'

Malta recently witnessed several protests expressing unwavering support for the people of Gaza. Mostly in Valletta and Imsida diverse groups of citizens came together to denounce violence and call for a peaceful resolution to the ongoing crisis.

These demonstrations, fueled by a shared desire for justice, transcended political and cultural divides.

Social media played a pivotal role, with live videos amplifying the impact of the protests. The collective message emphasised empathy and a shared responsibility to contribute to the global dialogue on peace and justice.

‘The system failed us’, family of Sion Grech say in protest

A jury returned resounding not guilty verdicts in the trial of two men who were accused of murdering 20-year-old Sion Grech in 2005.

52-year-old Ismael Habesh from Libya and 55-year-old Faical Mahouachi from Tunisia were indicted for Grech’s murder in 2005.

Grech’s body had been found, dumped in a field after she was stabbed 17 times.

The family of Sion Grech called out the institutional failures which led to her death in a protest held outside the courts in Valletta on February 13.

The family said proceedings were riddled with mistakes from the prosecution, with over 50 witnesses contradicting each other and lost evidence amongst other errors.

Thousands left fuming after nights of power cuts

Thousands were left fuming after spending nights without any electricity.

A number of localities experienced night-long power outages after several faults were recorded in different zones.

Enemalta had said most of the faults developed in underground cables, stating repair works include fault location and trench digging before workers can actually start working on the damaged cable.

MaltaToday had gone to Naxxar, one of the worst localities effected, and spoke to residents and business owners.

Sleepless nights, businesses refusing customers and people throwing away food were among the experiences witnessed in Malta during that week.

Speaking to MaltaToday journalist Matthew Farrugia, many people described similar experiences, more than a week after power cuts started hitting residences and businesses hard.

Ħondoq project is dead, as environmentalists celebrate court judgement

The Court of Appeal confirmed the rejection of an appeal by the developers in the ongoing saga at Ħondoq ir-Rummien in Gozo in August.

After 22 years, the Appeals Court upheld the Environment and Planning Review Tribunal’s reconfirmed rejection from the Planning Authority board of the Ħondoq ir-Rummien project.

The environmental tussle pitted environmentalists and locality mayor Paul Buttigieg against developers who wanted to turn a disused quarry into a mega development – a veritable new village located outside development zones.

The Appeals Court also confirmed that Buttigieg’s inclusion in the planning appeal had not constituted a conflict of interest.

Pelin Kaya is victim of fatal Gżira car crash

Pelin Kaya from Istanbul was identified as the woman who died in the early hours of January 18 after being run over by a car in Gżira.

Kaya, 30, worked as an interior designer and had been living in Malta for at least a year. She lived in Gżira, not far from where she was run over while walking near the Paul & Rocco petrol station.

Kaya was flung several metres away. She was given medical assistance on site but died shortly after at Mater Dei Hospital.

She was celebrating her 30th birthday today.

Kaya was hit by a black BMW driven by 33-year-old Jeremie Camilleri, who then smashed his car into the KFC restaurant.

Abortion for health reasons only if woman risks death in new government proposal

Doctors will be able to terminate a pregnancy if a woman’s health is in grave jeopardy but only if the medical condition could lead to her death.

This is the gist of a government proposal to amend its own Bill 28 introduced in parliament last year to allow abortion if a woman’s life and health is in danger.

The new proposal was unveiled on June 23 by Health Minister Chris Fearne and Justice Minister Jonathan Attard.

But while government claimed some form of consensus was reached to allay fears that the original proposal would have led to abuse, for those in the pro-choice camp the new proposals represented a climb down from what had already been considered the bare minimum necessary to soften Malta’s strict anti-abortion law.

Malta is still the only EU country to have an outright ban on abortion with no exceptions. A woman who has an abortion and doctors risk prison if convicted. The changes will for the first time introduce exceptions related to the woman’s life and health.

Maltese festa now on UNESCO’s world heritage list

Maltese festa enthusiasts can now claim the village feasts they labour for every year are a world heritage and require preservation after UNESCO approved Malta’s bid.

The decision was taken by the UN body during its annual meeting in Botswana, on December 6.

The bid had already received positive reviews from a technical committee that recommended the traditional festa be inscribed on the list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

Mayors at 16: New law receives unanimous parliamentary approval

Parliament unanimously approved legislation allowing youths under the age of 18 to serve as mayors and deputy mayors.  

The Bill, which allows 16 and 17 year-olds to serve as mayors, was tabled in October, garnering support from both sides of the house.

The Bill now makes Malta the first EU country where a person aged 16 can both vote and contest Local Elections. If this person receives the highest number of votes from the party with the majority, they are also allowed to be elected Mayor.

Changes also allow 16-year-old mayors to sign contracts when acting in their capacity as public officials.

MaltaToday survey: Labour strengthens lead despite record abstentions

A survey carried out by MaltaToday in December shows the Labour Party consolidating its lead over the PN.  

Based on a turnout of 69.8% this would translate to a numerical advantage of 10,352 votes up from 8,827 votes last month. The turnout here refers to valid votes cast as a percentage of all eligible voters. 

The survey shows that the highest percentage of respondents who trust neither of the two leaders is found among those earning between €2,000 and €3,000 a month. In this category a remarkable 56.2% trust neither of the two leaders.

These are followed by those earning a monthly income of between €1,000 and €2,000, among which 44.5% trust neither leader. Lower levels of distrust are registered by those earning less than €1,000 a month (34.9%), those earning between €3,000 and €4,000 a month (36.2%) and those earning more than €4,000 a month (39.6%).

Love Island finale watched by 240,000 people in new record for Maltese TV

Love Island made waves in Malta this summer, delivering a sizzling season of sun-soaked romance against the backdrop of azure waters and stunning landscapes.

The irresistible charm of contestants fueled steamy encounters and inspired a flood of hilarious memes.

Despite being dubbed "trash TV" by some, Love Island Malta captivated audiences with its unique blend of drama, laughter, and love.

Viewers, unable to resist the allure, found themselves glued to their devices, indulging in the guilty pleasure of this captivating Maltese love affair.

Joseph Azzopardi is new standards czar, Joseph Zammit McKeon appointed Ombudsman

Former Chief Justice Emeritus Joseph Azzopardi was appointed new commissioner for standards in public life, while Judge Emeritus Joseph Zammit McKeon was appointed Ombudsman, on March 6.

Zammit McKeon was appointed following unanimous approval by the House, while Azzopardi was appointed by simple majority, after failing to garner a two thirds majority after two rounds of parliamentary voting.

The two roles’ appointments have been largely dominated by controversy surrounding an anti-deadlock mechanism in the appointment of the standards commissioner.

While agreeing with McKeon’s appointment as Ombudsman, the Opposition has expressed its disagreement with former chief justice Joseph Azzopardi’s appointment as Standards Commissioner.

Talks between Prime Minister Robert Abela and Opposition leader Bernard Grech failed to reach consensus on former standards czar George Hyzler’s replacement.

With the new anti-deadlock mechanism, the standards commissioner could only be appointed by parliament through a simple majority vote if the nomination fails to garner a two-thirds majority in two previous voting rounds.

President George Vella en route to attend King Charles coronation

The Coronation took place on 6 May at Westminster Abbey and was conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Charles III was crowned King alongside his wife, who was crowned Queen Consort.

They headed to Westminster Abbey in a procession from Buckingham Palace. This is known as ‘The King’s Procession’.

After this, they returned to Buckingham Palace in ‘The Coronation Procession’, where they were joined by members of the Royal Family.

President of Malta George Vella and his wife Miriam Vella attended the event with heads of Commonwealth states, organised by the Secretary General of the Commonwealth.

Bill of indictment filed against El Hiblu 3

The Attorney General chose to indict three young men from the Ivory Coast and Guinea on terrorism charges, accusing them of hijacking the oil tanker that rescued them at sea after they fled Libya.

The decision came more than a year after the last witness was heard, in September 2022.

Koni Tiemoko Abdoul Khader, Amara Kromah and Abdalla Bari were 15, 16, and 19 years old when they were charged with hijacking the El Hiblu 1, the oil tanker that had rescued them and 108 other people fleeing Libya from the sea. 

International human rights bodies, including Amnesty International and Sea Watch, have also repeatedly called upon the Maltese authorities to drop the charges.