Multi-million losses for Maltese retail groups in year of COVID shut-down
Property and food sales in COVID kept business going, but retail groups suffered between 70-80% drops in sales
6 May 2021, 8:04am
by Matthew Vella
Millions were lost in sales by some of Malta’s largest companies and bond issuers, a raft of end-of-year financials posted in the last weeks show.
A selection of some of the more prolific organisations shows the varying fortunes of businesses who suffered the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic’s lockdown and public health restrictions. Others granted a ‘pass’ to proceed with their economic activity retained positives figures, with dampened sales but never straying away from a minor profit.
Digital arts: Ennead showcase at Spazju Kreattiv this June
Nine artists sitting for their Masters of Fine Arts in Digital Arts present their work at Spazju Kreattiv this coming June
5 May 2021, 7:13am
by Laura Calleja
Organised by a group of nine artists, ‘Ennead’ will be presented at Spazju Kreattiv this coming June. Sitting for their Masters of Fine Arts in Digital Arts, provided by the Department of Digital Arts at the University of Malta, the artworks are based on their practice-led research. The works are multidisciplinary and conceptual, ranging from animation to abstract paintings, photography to telemedicine, audiovisual installations to illustration.
World Press Freedom Day: Council of Europe platform highlights threats to media in Malta
14 hours ago
Malta has a total of nine alerts on the Council of Europe’s platform to promote the protection of journalism and safety of journalists, only one of which is marked as “resolved” and another of which is marked as a case of “impunity for murder,” according to its annual report.
As the world marks Press Freedom Day, the report, written up by a coalition of press freedom NGOs, journalists federations and media alliances, found that “in 2020, extraordinary damage was inflicted on the practice of free and independent journalism” as a result of COVID-19 emergency regulations as well as an entrenching of the culture of impunity; increased threats and physical violence; judicial harassment and State-led media capture as methods to undermine independent journalism.
The Nationalist Party is heading into election mode with the launch of a thematic document that will guide its electoral manifesto in the coming general election.
The document, titled, An Alternative Government with Vision: with the Common Good at its Centre, is based on three horizontal themes that will define the party’s work over the coming years.
The document was unveiled on Monday at Manoel Island by party leader Bernard Grech and MP Claudio Grech, who is coordinating the process.
The three themes are the socio-economic vision, with a plan running until 2030; human values in a modern world; and good governance.
The Nationalist Party on Monday unveiled the three themes that it will be using as a basis when drafting its manifesto for the upcoming general election.
The document, titled ‘An alternative government with vision: the common good at its centre’, is based on three horizontal themes covering 14 sectors and with a list of 128 priority areas that will define the party’s vision over the coming years.
Those themes are:
2. Human values in a modern society
3. Good governance
PN leader Bernard Grech said the report will lead to a more detailed document that will show how the PN is an alternative government that the country needs.