Bank of Valletta will bring BOV Club closer to students during this year’s Freshers’ Week, offering practical financial information, career conversations and interactive campus activities designed around students’ academic and financial journey.

BOV will be present at ITS, Junior College, Sir M. A. Refalo Sixth Form, Giovanni Curmi Higher Secondary School, MCAST and the University of Malta, where representatives will meet students, discuss their needs and introduce BOV Club products and services relevant to their studies and wider financial journey. Students will also be able to explore career opportunities with the Bank, including its Graduates Programme, through direct conversations with representatives from BOV’s People and Culture function.

Students visiting the BOV Club stand will be able to take part in a quiz focused on the features and benefits of BOV Club, while also being invited to share feedback on the package and their broader student experience. The feedback gathered will help the Bank continue shaping its student proposition around students’ evolving needs. Three participants will be in chance to win one iPhone 17 each. Students taking part in the quiz will also receive a Scratch & Win card, with every card revealing an item of BOV promotional merchandise that can be redeemed immediately at the stand.

This year’s activity will also introduce a new Reflex Challenge at Giovanni Curmi Higher Secondary School, the University of Malta and MCAST Paola. Participants will have 30 seconds to touch as many illuminated sensors as possible, with the highest-scoring participant at each institution receiving a €150 One4All voucher, the student placing second will get €100 One4All voucher and student placing third a €50 One4All voucher. Previous stand-based challenges attracted more than 2,000 participants across two years.

In addition, to continue raising awareness about scams, students will have the opportunity to participate in a scam-awareness quiz. Three participants will be in with a chance of winning a gaming package consisting of an ASUS TUF A16″ FHD Gaming Laptop and JBL Tune 670NC Noise-Cancelling Headphones.

The Bank will also be collaborating with Andrew’s Snack Bar to officially launch the BOV Club Ftira during the Freshers’ Week period. The BOV Club Ftira will also be available as part of Andrew’s menu throughout this period.

Also part of this year’s initiative, the Bank will be offering a limited number of complimentary six-month Times of Malta subscription to help students stay informed about current affairs throughout their academic year. Students can access the offer on a first-come-first-served basis by scanning a QR code at the BOV stand and completing a short registration form, after which they will receive redemption instructions.

Through BOV Club, the Bank continues to invest in long-term relationships with Malta’s student community, combining day-to-day banking support with access to information, digital tools and opportunities that can help young people take confident steps into the next stage of their lives.

BOV Club is designed for eligible students aged between 16 and 30, offering banking products, digital services and financing options that support them through their studies and beyond. Further information about the package, including eligibility criteria and applicable terms and conditions, is available at www.bov.com/bov-club.

As an Apple Authorised Reseller of the new iPhone devices in Malta, Melita opened its stores at midnight today to coincide with the launch. This enabled customers eager to purchase the new devices to get their hands on them from the moment they became officially available in Malta.

Simon Poljsak, Head of Marketing at Melita, said: “The launch of a new iPhone is always eagerly anticipated, and we wanted to make sure our customers could get their hands on the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max from the moment they became available in Malta. Opening stores at midnight was part of that commitment, and we are delighted to now be offering both models to customers across Malta.”

The new iPhone 18 Pro range brings Apple’s latest advances in smartphone performance, photography and battery life. Combined with high-speed 5G connectivity, the devices are designed to support everything from streaming and remote working to gaming, content creation and everyday communication.

Melita is offering both the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max alongside its mobile plans. This complements Melita’s continued focus on offering customers a wide choice of the latest smartphones alongside flexible mobile packages and high speed connectivity. Full details, including available models and purchasing options, can be found on the Melita website (www.melita.com).

It is clear that we need more than just street protests to shake this government from its complacency and its smug assumption that people will simply forget about the blatant corruption and move on. A protest will be “tolerated”, and afterwards those who made the effort to show up will go home and, no matter how angry they still are, they inevitably have to resume their lives.

I can imagine that the conversation at Castille goes something like this.

“Have they packed up their signs and left?

“Yes, boss”

“Good, you see? We let them vent, they get it out of their system, give it a couple of days and we can alienate the masses with some positive announcement soon. Any ideas?”

“I’ve got it Chief! It’s the perfect time to announce that Mariah Carey is coming to Malta.”

And just in case you think the government has “nothing to do with it”, think again. The fact that promotors can afford to bring over these international stars is only possible thanks to heavy funding through the Large Scale Events Support Scheme administered by Festivals Malta. In other words, we are subsidising the costs to hold these events through our taxes, while the income from the hefty ticket prices to actually attend the concert is pocketed by the organisers. It’s safe to say you won’t be seeing them at any protests.

What we need are more visibly disruptive actions such as the one staged by Moviment Graffitti and Friends of the Art. It was a brilliant move. When a conference was announced where Planning Authority CEO Johann Buttigieg would be one of the speakers, they were ready. But first, can we take a minute to analyse just how brazen the very idea behind this conference was?

The venue: The Hard Rock hotel, built on the site of the former ITS, despite thousands of objections by Pembroke residents that the hotel and accompanying high rise towers were going to ruin their once peaceful town. This was public land which was transferred for a relative pittance to the developers, DB group. If the choice of venue was not a deliberately provocative insult, a nice FU to the citizen, I don’t know what is.

The theme: The Citizen, the Environment and Development 2026. My first thought on seeing this was that they were taking the piss, only to realise they were serious. This preposterous choice of topic for a conference was coming from an administration which has shown time and again that it does not care about the citizen or the environment, because it is being held in the tight, vice-like grip of powerful developers.

The speakers: This is where it began to sound like a farce. I know we are approaching Panto season but really, you cannot make this shit up for a script if you tried. Architects, representatives from Government entities, an economist and the secretary general of the GWU. Where were the citizens themselves who could only be truly represented by environmental activists? They, apparently, were not significant enough to be invited, despite their name being in the title.

The cherry on the cake, of course, was the presence of Mr Buttigieg himself, the very same person who was so casual in his What’s App chats with the notorious Yorgen Fenech about the inner workings of the Planning Authority. Graffitti burst into the conference armed with masks depicting pigs and placards reading “out with the corrupt” and stood behind Mr Buttigieg as well as Planning Minister Jonathan Attard. The visual impact was perfect.

To quote the statement issued by Moviment Graffitti and FOE “It is unacceptable that Buttigieg, against whom clear evidence of corruption and murky ties with powerful developers and business interests has emerged, remains at the helm of an authority so crucial to our country…in a farcical parody of reality, Buttigieg himself was allowed to lead a discussion on citizens’ rights in development…We made it clear that Buttigieg has no legitimacy to speak on behalf of citizens or the environment, much less to continue leading the Planning Authority. His loyalties clearly lie not with citizens, but with powerful business interests and criminals. The rot within our institutions has reached alarming levels. Not only has the Government failed to remove Buttigieg despite the incriminating evidence against him, but he is being allowed to present himself as a champion of integrity in planning.”

As the whole thing was being broadcast live on FB, sharp-eyed observers took a screenshot when the notification came up that “Robert Abela is watching”.

It’s good to know that the disruption got the PM’s attention, but now he needs to stop standing on the sidelines and force Buttigieg to resign. 34 entities have already called on the government to remove the PA CEO from his post. But it’s no surprise that the Malta Development Association is not one of them.

On Friday, the MDA hit out at the Nationalist Party over its insistence that Johann Buttigieg should be removed and the association even had the cheek to defend the man. We should not really be surprised, should we, since it has become very obvious that developers and the PA are all on the same side.

Instead of your run-of-the-mill press coverage which is usually reported verbatim, the reporters present at the conference took the opportunity to corner Johann Buttigieg and ask him some questions. When pressed about those infamous chats with Yorgen Fenech about doing business together, Buttigieg replied that “in hindsight” he wouldn’t speak like that to developers again.

The usual saying is that “hindsight is 20/20”, in other words it is easy to be wise after the event. In this case, however, hindsight is pointless and cannot excuse Buttigieg’s lack of ethics and discretion as head of the authority which approves development permits. If you do not understand that there are strict boundaries when you are in that position, and that crossing those boundaries means you are trading in influence, then it just further underlines why you should not be in that role in the first place. Again and again we keep seeing people in high positions exposing themselves to allegations of corruption (which turn out to be true) and the only reason they keep doing it is because they keep getting away with it. No one is kicked out, or if they are, the PM just waits until the whole thing blows over and hands them another juicy position. We are being played at every turn.

If Abela can tear himself away from munching on his slice of New York pizza long enough, he needs to stop merely “watching” as his propaganda exercises, such as that conference, are disrupted. He needs to wake up and realise that public anger is not going away but instead, it is mounting. The PA makes life hell for the ordinary citizen, forcing them to pay thousands for relatively minor infringements discovered in 60-year-old properties which were there before certain planning laws were enacted. As many have found to their dismay, if you do not pay up and get these infringements sanctioned, you cannot sell your property. Meanwhile, the head of the PA cosies up to millionaires who have torn through the Maltese landscape with their bulldozers to build their butt ugly projects and keeps giving them the stamp of approval to destroy our country even more.

Moviment Graffitti not only should be congratulated for its actions at that conference, but it should continue to be supported by all those who truly love Malta. The gloves have to come off and we cannot just sit back and shrug helplessly as the authorities organise these pseudo discussions while laughing in our face.

The officers received certification or an Award in Child-Friendly Community Policing in Today’s Online World, an MQF level 4 course, during a ceremony attended by Home Affairs Minister Glenn Bedingfield and Police Commissioner Angelo Gafà.

The accredited course was delivered under POP-Up, a project forming part of the Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society, which is licensed as a Further and Higher Education Institution by the Malta Further and Higher Education Authority (MFHEA).

MFWS chair Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca said the graduation ceremony celebrated the officers’ dedication and reflected the Foundation’s commitment to placing children’s wellbeing, safety and rights at the heart of policing.

“In an increasingly digital world, police officers play a vital role in protecting and supporting children and families. Through this training, they have strengthened their ability to respond with professionalism, empathy and understanding to the challenges facing young people online.

“I congratulate all graduates and thank the Police Commissioner and the Malta Police Force for their collaboration. Together, we are building safer communities and a more child-centred society,” Ms Coleiro Preca said.

Dr Bedingfield said the course had equipped officers with the knowledge and tools needed to better understand the realities children face online and the risks that come with them.

“We want a police force that protects, listens and remains close to the community, both in the real world and online. With 148 officers having completed this training, we are strengthening the Force’s ability to create an environment where children feel safe speaking up and seeking help,” he said.

POP-Up project coordinator Antonella Gatt said that having completed the course, officers were now better equipped to handle reports involving online risks, promote safer internet use, communicate digital safety to children, and better understand the rapidly changing digital landscape.

The skills covered are also crucial to building trust with children. Officers have been trained to identify risky online behaviours, respond with empathy, and interview children in a child-friendly manner, while adopting a preventive approach and using the tools gained to promote safer digital practices in the schools and communities they visit.

The Police Commissioner said the partnership with the Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society and its POP-Up Project provided community officers with the right training to engage with children sensitively, recognise signs of vulnerability and intervene before harm escalates.

“Protecting children today requires us to understand both their physical and online worlds. The trust built through everyday contact in schools and communities can determine whether a child feels able to speak when something is wrong.

“This initiative strengthens our shared commitment to child-centred policing and reflects our conviction that safeguarding children depends on prevention, early intervention and effective partnership,” Mr Gafà said.

Student representative PS Abigail Sciberras, who gained the highest marks during the course, said the training had strengthened her understanding of how to engage with children and young people in today’s digital world.

“This course helped me focus on active listening, empathy, online safety and trust-building. The knowledge gained will support my duties in prevention and community engagement, helping young people feel safe and confident in approaching the police.”

Further information on the courses is available on https://mfws.org.mt/courses/

Set on the last remaining undeveloped beachfront parcel on this prime stretch of Grace Bay, the project is being led by Corinthia Real Estate Ventures (C-REV) – the Group’s real estate investment and development arm under Managing Partners Marcus Pisani and Alex Chazkel – and the completed resort will be managed by Corinthia Hotels.

The development will comprise a ultra-luxury Corinthia branded hotel and a limited collection of fully serviced branded residences, including beachfront villas, casitas, and condominiums.

Karen Cummings, a managing member of Carolina Partners Ltd, first visited Turks and Caicos more than 25 years ago and was overwhelmed by its natural beauty and the kindness of its people. Her vision for the opportunity led to the acquisition of the first parcel of land at that time and the acquisition of additional parcels over the next 25 years. 

The site is the premier location on Grace Bay, which has been rated as the best and most beautiful beach in the world.  Karen’s dream was to bring something very special to Turks & Caicos to add to its unique beauty. After discussions with many potential partners, it was clear that Corinthia was the group that could fulfill that dream. Their culture, standards of design, and service are unmatched and their growing portfolio of luxury 5-Star hotels and residences throughout Europe, North America and the Middle East will bring something unique to Grace Bay. 

Simon Naudi, CEO of Corinthia Group, said, “The Cummings family has held an extraordinary piece of Grace Bay for more than 25 years and we are delighted to be partnering with them to realise its potential. This project is another important step in Corinthia’s international growth, bringing together exceptional real estate, aligned capital partners, and our development and hotel management expertise.”

Marcus Pisani, Managing Partner of Corinthia Real Estate Ventures, adds, “This partnership brings together the Cummings family’s deep connection to Turks & Caicos with C-REV’s development and investment capabilities. Grace Bay is a truly exceptional setting, and we look forward to creating a landmark project that reflects the quality of the site and the Corinthia brand.”

Alex Chazkel, Managing Partner of Corinthia Real Estate Ventures, said, “This is a rare opportunity to develop a world-class hotel and branded residential destination in one of the Caribbean’s most sought-after locations. We are excited to be working with the Cummings family and to be launching this as the first in a series of high-profile projects that C-REV is bringing forward in North America. This project will be added to our existing portfolio of hotel/residence properties in Europe, North America, and the Middle East. The portfolio is growing rapidly with recently opened or announced projects in Malta, Italy (Rome, Lake Como, Tuscany), Maldives, North America and the Middle East.”

The resort has been meticulously planned to maximise the value of its exceptional beachfront position while integrating architecture, landscape, and the natural coastal environment. In addition to the hotel and branded residences, amenities will include a spa and wellness centre, multiple swimming pools, a beach club, signature restaurants, retail, padel courts, and curated lifestyle experiences.

The architectural vision draws inspiration from the calm, shallow waters of the Caicos Banks, with an emphasis on understated design, natural ventilation, and a strong connection between indoor and outdoor living.

The project is proceeding towards formal planning approval, with construction currently expected to commence in 2027. The Turks & Caicos development marks C-REV’s entry into North America and represents a significant addition to Corinthia’s growing global portfolio of luxury hotels, resorts, and residences.

The public webinar, titled Being Human at Work: The Value of Authenticity and Vulnerability, will explore the importance of remaining connected to what makes us human as the world of work continues to evolve, and in the context of an increasingly AI-dominated landscape. It will consider how emotional intelligence, empathy and authentic communication can strengthen workplace relationships and help create positive cultures where people and organisations can thrive. The webinar will take place on Tuesday, 6 October, from 3:30pm to 4:30pm. Participation is free and open to the public, with registration available at https://bit.ly/3UVStHQ

Delivered in collaboration with Lyra Wellbeing, the initiatives form part of Atlas’s wider commitment to creating a workplace where people feel supported, valued and able to thrive. This reflects the company’s belief in empowering people and fostering an environment built on trust, openness and connection.

Catherine Calleja, Managing Director of Atlas Healthcare, commented: “Being human at work means recognising that none of us leaves who we are at the door when we start our working day. In an increasingly AI-dominated working world, genuine human interactions have a huge value in maintaining a positive working environment. This webinar will encourage participants to see vulnerability not as something that diminishes us professionally, but as part of what allows us to understand, support and learn from one another.”

Atlas Insurance is the local representative of Lyra Wellbeing Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs). Lyra Wellbeing provides employee assistance services designed to support corporate wellness programmes and the mental and physical wellbeing of employees.

Employers interested in offering Lyra Wellbeing’s Employee Assistance Programmes can visit the Atlas Healthcare stand at the FHRD conference on 23 October or visit https://www.atlas.com.mt/lyra-wellbeing/ to learn more.

The Lyra Wellbeing Employee Assistance Programme is not an insurance product. It is an assistance service exclusively provided by Lyra Health International Limited and Atlas Healthcare has no direct or indirect involvement in the provision of the service.

The grueling journey tested 18 dedicated cyclists through immense distances and challenging terrain across Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. While 11 riders successfully completed the rigorous physical challenge, those who were forced to drop out demonstrated unwavering team spirit, prioritizing the collective mission over personal milestones.

A defining moment of the expedition unfolded on the final 3-kilometer climb outside the iconic Hotel Rwanda – Hôtel des Mille Collines.

This year’s ambitious “Wish list” target of €60,000 net has been successfully reached and surpassed, ensuring that local patients and hospital staff will receive the essential support they requested. Our fundraising efforts shall progress through to December 2026.

The Lifecycle Challenge is a true, meticulously planned endurance challenge requiring months of preparation, heavy participant dedication, media backing, and vital sponsor support. Beyond the numbers, the journey serves as a powerful catalyst for personal growth, shaping resilient individuals who return home stronger human beings.

With Lifecycle 2026 successfully in the books, the organization extends its deepest gratitude to its sponsors, supporters, and participants, and immediately turns its sights toward planning for the 2027 campaign.

We would like to thank all our generous sponsors who are helping in making all this possible including Hili Ventures, Visit Malta, Eurofreight Services Ltd, Maypole, Prohealth Ltd, Charles de Giorgio Ltd, Zaar Crowdfunding Malta, Vistage Malta, Laferla, Tri-MerServices, Social Causes Fund, APS Bank, Bond’s, The Web Alley, EJ Busutill, National Lottery (MT), Ragusa Xpress, Smart Technologies Limited, Watt Garage, Vivian, Unicare Ltd, Salvo Grima Group, Salvo Grima Foundation, The Point, Shadow of the Masai and more.

Your support is vital in helping us reach our goal in aid of Renal Failure Patients in Malta and Gozo.

#LCC #LifeCycleChallenge #EndureForRenal

People wishing to contribute to our efforts can visit here:

When people put a laughing emoji or a derogatory comment every time the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder is mentioned, I take a look at their profile.

Most of the time, they look quite harmless. Your ordinary people next door, if you will; people you might even know. Some even display photos of patron saints and talk about how religious they are. So it makes me wonder what compels them to be so heartless and casually cruel in their reactions and how they can write with such hate on such a very public platform. They themselves see no dichotomy, of course, between the teachings of Christ and their entrenched political beliefs which lead to their online “banter”.

It also doesn’t take a special unit of the cyber police to figure out that they are very diehard Labour supporters, or that the ones who insult them back by using equally derogatory language are diehard Nationalists. 40 years ago, who you voted for was something you kept to yourself, but no one shies away from declaring their political opinion on Facebook any more.

We are never at a loss for controversy in this country and social media just seems to have exacerbated the situation now that the hotheads have been unleashed all over FB. It has become exhausting and toxic every time one logs on, because the viciousness is so visceral it leaps off the screen.

Why do we do this? The conclusion I come to is always the same: it seems that for certain segments of the population, this whole case stopped being about justice being served a long time ago. It is about who will “win” in the political stakes. After generations of brainwashing by political parties, it is tragic that we still cannot agree on issues which (shorn of political allegiance) should be a no brainer. You would think that everyone would be on the same page when it comes to a murder victim, and that whoever was behind the plot to kill Daphne should be behind bars. Leave the admittedly divisive figure of Daphne herself out of it and think about it rationally: let’s say an anonymous Jane Doe had been killed, shouldn’t the culprits who paid for the assassination go to jail, no matter how powerful they are? Doesn’t the fact that there were those in power who mingled so nonchalantly with criminals send shivers down your spine? Shouldn’t it worry every single citizen that there was a possible obstruction of justice?

When people try to mock and belittle those who keep asking glaringly obvious questions about the bizarre verdict, it makes me wonder whether their hatred of the murdered journalist runs so deep that they are perversely glad that those behind it “got away with it.” The legitimate protest on Wednesday was likewise the target of yet another exercise in lashing out with puerile phrases like “oqogħdu hemm ja indannati” (sit there and take it you frustrated lot), “għalhekk qatt ma tirbħu (that’s why you never win an election). The protest attracted a wide spectrum of society and yet for many these demonstrations continue to personify Daphne/PN, a faction which is accused of being out to topple the Labour government by any means possible. Those at home bashing away at their keyboards are the hardcore PL supporters whose main goal in life is to stick up for their party and ward off any attempts to bring it down. My party, über alles.

Somewhere along the line we have lost the ability to wrench ourselves away from the line drawn in the sand of partisan allegiance and start thinking for ourselves. Even those who are openly left-wing and attended the protest to support what is right and denounce what is blatantly wrong in this country have been branded and labelled. You are either PN or PL, you cannot be anything else. I am always reminded of the simple yet powerful phrase first coined by Dom Mintoff which stills ring loud and clear in many people’s ears: ‘Min mhux magħna kontra tagħna” (those who are not with us are against us). Any hope of taking a stand out of sound moral conviction has been completely lost in translation because political blinkers get in the way.

The murder, the trial, the acquittal, the protests – it is always about jeering at those who “lost” while gloating about the fact that “we won”. My football team, my village feast, my political party – underlying them all is the same sense of schadenfreude. The thrill of satisfaction that you have humiliated your rival is the fuel which keeps too many people crowing with triumph…and that mindset is also what keeps propping up those who should be made to pay for how they have disgraced our seat of government and our country.

Meanwhile the new revelations which came out on Thursday afternoon have added another twist in the tale, and by the time this column is published we might know more about why several of the jurors were arrested and questioned. Despite a police statement asking the public and the media to refrain from speculation, it hasn’t stopped anyone from doing just that. This news has launched a fresh onslaught of bickering and verbal abuse which is both wearying and disheartening. Social media has continued to confirm what Xarabank exposed all those years ago – that we are incapable of disagreeing without becoming hostile and antagonistic towards those who don’t agree with us. It has also shown that the loudest, rudest and most obnoxious voices, especially those who have discovered FB reels, get the most attention because they use rage bait to stir the pot.

Whereas pre-social media you might have your own circle of friends and relatives who agree with you, now it’s very easy to congregate through sharing and tagging, until there is a whole slew of people baying for blood, emboldened by the ease with which ugly things can be said online to people who have lost their loved ones in tragic circumstances. Online commentary removes our ability to be humane; we are not staring into the person’s face and feeling their pain when we taunt them or shrug it all off very glibly: “U iva, it’s not the first person who has died.” Should protecting the party you voted for out of blind loyalty come at the expense of human life?

In this tense political climate, we are back to the age-old mantra where one is insulted and accused of always being “kontra l-gvern” simply for pointing out what is patently wrong. We have been here before, because PN supporters pre-2013 used to say exactly the same thing if anyone dared to criticise the Nationalist Government. I should know.

I also don’t see the point of highlighting aggressive comments, “look what this guy told me”, unless it is to gain sympathy and get more traction on your page. Will drawing attention to it make these people change their viewpoint? No. Will it make them nicer? No. Will it make them stop? No. In fact, I think by giving them prominence you are simply fanning the flames even more, which will get us nowhere.

Anyone who writes about politics has been at the receiving end of insults, and as unsettling and disturbing as this can be, unfortunately, it comes with the territory. For too many people, politics is a trigger, they just cannot see clearly and they lose it – I concluded long ago that trying to reason with them is a lost cause. There is a lot to be said for the art of ignoring; we are not obliged to engage with every single comment unless we wake up every morning, grab our phones and are ready to pounce, just spoiling for a fight (which is what it often feels like).

As Malta continues to grapple with the fallout of this notorious trial and verdict, and as we continue to lose sight of what it means to be compassionate human beings, more people need to learn that the only way to extinguish the vitriol is to not give it more oxygen, and to just keep on scrolling.

Rooted in a shared focus on understanding the needs, ambitions, and challenges faced by students today, the collaboration reflects RSM Malta’s continued focus on engaging with future professionals in a way that is practical, relevant, and human-centred.

The Association of Students of Commercial Studies (ASCS) is a non-profit student organisation representing students within the Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy (FEMA) at the University of Malta, comprising a community of approximately 2,000 students. Founded in the early 1980s, ASCS emerged from a clear need to provide students with a collective voice during the formative years of the Faculty. While its scope and initiatives have evolved over time, the organisation continues to be guided by its core values of representation, advocacy, and community.

Through this collaboration, RSM Malta will be actively involved across a range of student-focused initiatives aimed at helping students better understand the transition from academic life to the workplace. This includes contributing to engagements that provide practical insight into the realities of the business environment, creating space for open dialogue, and offering students a clearer understanding of the expectations and opportunities within the profession.

The emphasis of the partnership is on direct and meaningful interaction, creating opportunities for students to ask questions, gain perspective, and engage directly with professionals. This extends to career-focused initiatives, internships, and recruitment opportunities, allowing students to connect their academic experience with real-world application.

Commenting on the collaboration, Karen Spiteri Bailey, Managing Partner at RSM Malta, said: “At RSM Malta, we place strong importance on listening and understanding, whether it is our clients, our people, or the professionals of tomorrow. Through this collaboration with ASCS, we aim to create opportunities for students to engage with the profession in a way that is open, practical, and grounded in real experiences, helping them feel more confident in the decisions they take moving forward.”

Also commenting, Nicole Azzopardi, ASCS President, said: “Our collaboration with RSM Malta allows us to give students greater visibility into the professional world, while creating opportunities that go beyond the classroom. It supports our aim of helping students grow not only academically, but also in how they prepare for their future careers.”

The IAM is also calling for the reactivation of the Road Safety Council, which has remained dormant for the past seven months after its chairperson resigned citing personal commitments.

Set up to advise on measures to improve road safety, while promoting awareness, best practice and policy recommendations, the Council cannot function until the Sustainable Mobility Ministry nominates a new chair.

“At a time when road safety is once again in the spotlight, the country should not be without a functioning body specifically tasked with advising on these issues,” IAM said in a statement.

The Association said the Council’s continued absence was all the more concerning at a time when questions were also being raised over the enforcement of measures introduced to make Malta’s roads safer.

Six months after amendments allowing random roadside drug testing came into force, IAM is urging the police to publish how many such tests have been carried out, how many returned positive results and how many led to prosecutions.

When the law was introduced at the end of March, the police had said four drivers had tested positive in the first days, including one during routine road checks, and had committed to carrying out such tests “regularly” in the coming days and weeks.

IAM said the time had now come for the results of that enforcement to be made public and reported regularly, allowing trends to be monitored and the impact of the new measures to be assessed.

“We need to know how many motorists are being tested to establish whether there is any evidence that behaviour is changing,” it said.

The Association said the need for effective enforcement was further underlined by the recent run of serious motorcycle accidents.

At least 15 serious motorcycle accidents have been reported over the past months, while the latest National Statistics Office figures show motorcyclists accounted for 40.7 per cent of all road casualties between April and June, despite representing a fraction of vehicles on Maltese roads.

IAM said that as government continued to promote alternative forms of transport, particularly among younger people, road safety policy must keep pace. 

“This means better education on safe riding, including overtaking, greater awareness among all road users of how to share the road safely with motorcyclists, cyclists and scooter users, and better road design, with segregation wherever this is feasible,” it said.

It added that reports of speeding and aggressive driving continued to surface, while recent court cases involving motorists allegedly driving without a valid licence or insurance further highlight the need for consistent enforcement.

It called on the authorities to consider greater use of technology such as Automatic Number Plate Recognition, both at fixed points and in police vehicles, to help detect uninsured vehicles and other offences more quickly.

IAM said the answer was not necessarily about introducing more laws, but ensuring  that existing laws were enforced consistently and that the public could see what that enforcement was achieving.

“Road safety cannot be measured by legislation alone. It is enforcement that changes behaviour, and transparency that allows us to judge whether that enforcement is working. Every life saved on our roads is a major success.”