Relevant Domestic and International Affair in Malta

The Daphne Caruana case causes the downfall of the Prime Minister of Malta

Joseph Muscat will resign in January after social and international pressure two years after the
murder of the journalist

Joseph Muscat, leader of the Labor Party and Prime Minister of Malta, announced today that
he will leave his charge in January due to strong pressure on his Government, following the
murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in 2017. A case that has shocked the
Public opinion has splashed his cabinet and suffered the resignation and police detention of his
former chief of staff and close friend, Keith Schembri, although he is currently on bail.

They have not been the only casualties, they have also resigned the head of Tourism, Konrad
Mizzi, and that of Economy, Chris Cardona, rehabilitated today, for his alleged financial links
with businessman Yorgen Fenech, accused of being the instigator of the crime. A political
earthquake that broke out on October 16, 2017 with the murder in a car bomb of the
journalist Caruana Galizia, who at the time of the attack kept track of possible corruption cases
in the Maltese Government and the ties that drug trafficking has extended on the
islandDemographics

Population

Valletta, the capital of Malta island

Malta is the most densely populated country in the European Union and one of the most
densely populated countries in the world, with about 1,265 inhabitants per square kilometer
(3,000 per square mile). This compares with about 32 per square kilometer (85 per square
mile) for the United States.

Inhabited since prehistoric times, Malta was first colonized by the Phoenicians. Subsequently,
Arabs, Italians, Spanish, French and the British and Irish have influenced Maltese life and
culture to varying degrees. Most of the foreign community in Malta, predominantly active or
retired British nationals and their dependents, is centered on Sliema and surrounding modern
suburbs.

Malta has seen emigration of a large portion of their people to live elsewhere, and Maltese
communities exist throughout Europe (esp. Maltese laborers who relocated in Italy, Spain,
Germany, France, Sweden, the Netherlands, Greece and the United Kingdom), while larger
Maltese immigrant communities are in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Brazil, the United
States and to a smaller extent, Puerto Rico.

Languages

Malta has two official languages—Maltese (a Semitic language derived from Arabic and heavily
influenced by Sicilian) and English. Both languages are compulsory subjects in Maltese primary
and secondary schools. A large portion of the population is also fluent in Italian, which was,
until 1936, the national language of Malta. The literacy rate has reached 93 percent, compared
to 63 percent in 1946. Schooling is compulsory until age 16.

Religion

The Constitution of Malta provides for freedom of religion but establishes Roman Catholicism
as the state religion. 98 percent of the population is Roman Catholic, making the nation one of
the most Catholic countries in the world. However reports that only 52.6 percent of the
population attends regular religious services.[9] Although comments by Archbishop Charles
Scicluna in March 2015 indicated that attendance had dropped further to around 40 percent, it
remains among the highest rates of attendance in Europe.[10]

Around 22 percent of the population is reported to be active in a church group, Movement or

Community.

Migration

Maltese laws for immigration generally follow European Union legislation. Therefore EU
nationals require neither a visa nor a passport (to enter the country. Citizens of a number of
other countries are also not required to apply for a visa and require only a valid passport when
residing in Malta for up to three months. Visas for other nationalities are valid for one month.
Immigrants are required to apply for a work permit.

Since the late twentieth century, Malta has become a transit country for migration routes from
Africa towards Europe. As a member of the EU and of the Schengen agreement, Malta is
bound by the Dublin Regulation to process all claims for asylum by those asylum seekers that
enter EU territory for the first time in Malta.

Most of the foreign community in Malta, predominantly active or retired British nationals and
their dependents, is centered on Sliema and surrounding modern suburbs. Other smaller
foreign groups include Italians, Libyans, and Serbians, many of whom have assimilated into the
Maltese nation over the decades.

Culture

The culture of Malta is a reflection of various cultures that have come into contact with the
Maltese Islands throughout the centuries, including neighboring Mediterranean cultures, and
the cultures of the nations that ruled Malta for long periods of time prior to its independence
in 1964.

Maltese cuisine is the result of a long relationship between the Islanders and the many
foreigners who made Malta their home over the centuries. This marriage of tastes has given
Malta an eclectic mix of Mediterranean cooking. Many popular Maltese specialties are
Italian/Sicilian or Moorish in origin.

While Maltese music today is largely western, traditional Maltese music includes what is
known as għana. This consists of background folk guitar music, while a few people take it in
turns to argue a point in a singsong voice. The aim of the lyrics, which are improvised, are to
create a friendly yet challenging atmosphere, and takes a number of years of practice to be
able to combine the required artistic qualities with the ability to debate effectively.