Looking back at 2014

The disappearance of Flight MH370  (March 9)

Despite 21st century satellite and tracking systems, a jet aircraft with 227 passengers and 12 crew disappeared off the face of the earth.

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 was flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing when it went off air traffic controllers’ radars without the aircraft or its crew having relayed a distress call and without any indications of bad weather.

What followed was the largest and most costly search mission in aviation history, with the United Kingdom, the United States, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Korea, China, Japan and Australia all sending out their own ships and aircraft to find it.

Satellite company DigitalGlobe repositioned two of its satellites over the plane’s last known location in the Gulf of Thailand, allowing almost 2.3 million people to scan 24,000 square kilometres of satellite imagery on the Tomnod website.

However, no flight debris or bodies of the missing people have yet been found, spawning a range of conspiracy theories ranging from the plane’s abduction by aliens to its hijacking by jihadists.

Death of a comic (August 11)

The suicide of much-loved actor and comic Robin Williams stunned the world and prompted a global debate on the elusive nature of depression.

Williams, winner of an Academy Award for his role as a psychologist in ‘Good Will Hunting’, hanged himself with a belt in his stepson’s bedroom soon after reading online forums discussing anti-seizure medications.

It was later revealed that Williams had recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and that he had been suffering from immense depression and paranoia. Williams was the most searched topic on Google in 2014. 

The Suarez bite incident (June 24)

Germany fans may disagree but the 2014 World Cup will not only be remembered for the country’s 7-1 thrashing of hosts Brazil but also for Uruguay striker Luis Suarez’s infamous bite on Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini.

FIFA did not buy Suarez’s excuse that he had tripped and landed mouth-first on Chiellini’s shoulder and suspended the Uruguayan striker from all football-related activity for four months and from nine international football games, the longest ban in World Cup history.

Notwithstanding this, Barcelona soon splashed out around €94 million to sign him from Liverpool, making Suarez the Spanish club’s most expensive signing as well as the third most expensive transfer in football history. 

Scotland’s failed independence referendum (September 18) 

The future of the United Kingdom hung in the balance as Scottish voters took to the polls to decide whether Scotland should become an independent country. Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond led a charge of revitalised Scottish nationalism, saying that a Scottish government would be more representative of the Scottish people. The Conservative Party, the Labour Party, the Liberal Democrat Party and the United Kingdom Independence Party put aside their differences and campaigned in favour of a united United Kingdom. After weeks of contradictory poll indications, the ‘No’ vote ended up winning quite comfortably, with around 55% voting against an independent Scotland and 45% voting in favour of it. Following the results, Salmond resigned after seven years in office. 

Rosetta comet landing (November 12)

2014 was not all doom and gloom. Space probe ‘Rosetta’ made history when it became the first spacecraft to orbit a comet back in August, following a space mission that was launched in 2004. In November, its robotic space lander ‘Philae’ successfully performed the first-ever soft landing on a comet. Initial results relayed to earth via Philae and Rosetta showed that the comet’s water composition is significantly denser to water on Earth, casting serious scientific doubts as to whether water, and therefore life, on Earth originated from comet bombardments.

Muscat’s first Cabinet reshuffle (April 2)

A major Cabinet reshuffle became necessary following the sacking of then Health Minister Godfrey Farrugia, the resignation of Franco Mercieca and the nominations of Marie Louise Coleiro Preca and Karmenu Vella as President and EU Commissioner respectively. Konrad Mizzi’s portfolio expanded to include health, Michael Farrugia became social solidarity minister, Edward Zammit Lewis became tourism minister and Owen Bonnici became justice and culture minister. Chris Fearne, Michael Falzon, Justyne Caruana and Chris Agius were promoted from the backbench to become parliamentary secretaries for health, planning, active ageing, and sport and youth respectively. 

Marie Louise Coleiro Preca appointed President (April 4) 

Marie Louise Coleiro Preca gave up her Cabinet duty as social solidarity minister to accept Muscat’s nomination of her as Malta’s youngest-ever President and only its second woman President. Parliament voted unanimously in favour of her appointment, the first time an Opposition has voted in favour of a President from the government’s party. Her husband Edgar Preca also became Malta’s first First Gentleman. Last Friday, President Coleiro Preca presided over the most successful Strina charity fund-raising telethon campaign that raised over €3.6 million. 

Civil unions law passes (April 14) 

A bill that granted homosexual couples the legal rights, protections and obligations that were previously only applicable to married heterosexual couples was passed in Parliament, with all government MPs voting in favour of it and all Opposition MPs abstaining. Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said that his party had qualms with the bill’s clause that gave homosexual couples the right to adopt children jointly and that Malta was ‘not ready’ for gay adoptions. Recent records show that 24 gay couples have entered into civil unions since the law was passed and that a further 11 gay couples who had married or entered into civil unions outside of Malta have now registered their marriages and unions in Malta. 

Another huge win for Labour in European Parliament elections (May 28)

Just over a year after thrashing the Nationalist Party in the general elections, the Labour Party came up trumps again, its candidates for the European Parliament winning 53% of votes compared with the Nationalist Party’s 40%. Alfred Sant, Miriam Dalli, and Marlene Mizzi were elected to the EP on behalf of Labour while Roberta Metsola, David Casa, and Therese Comodini Cachia were elected on behalf of the PN. For the first time in a Maltese election, the majority of the elected candidates were women. 

50 years of Independence (September 21) 

2014 was truly a year of national anniversaries. Most notably, Malta celebrated 50 years of independence from British rule by inviting Prince William over as a guest of honour. The Duke of Cambridge spent a packed 24 hours on the island, visiting the National Library, the Upper Barrakka Gardens, St John’s Co-Cathedral and the Vittoriosa Access Centre. The trip to Malta was originally supposed to be William’s wife Kate’s first official solo overseas visit as a royal, but the Duchess of Cambridge had to withdraw because of severe morning sickness due to her second pregnancy. Malta also celebrated 40 years since becoming a republic and 10 years since joining the European Union. 

Paul Cremona resigns as Archbishop (October 17) 

Archbishop Paul Cremona stunned the Maltese Catholic body by asking the Vatican to accept his resignation from the headship of the Maltese church, following months of speculation over his leadership abilities. Cremona, a Dominican, was heavily criticised by members of the clergy for keeping the Church out of public discussions, such as the civil unions debate. In one of his homilies, Gozo Bishop Mario Grech brashly said that the Church was in dire need of a blood transfusion to eradicate the feeling of sloth, which was so bad that it was accompanied by the smell of death. When the Vatican accepted his request, Cremona became the first Maltese Archbishop to resign from his post. He later said that he had succumbed to exhaustion following the Church’s much-criticised anti-divorce campaign in 2011. 

Lino Spiteri passes away (November 14) 

Former Labour minister and author Lino Spiteri passed away, aged 76, after a long battle with terminal illness. Spiteri was elected to the House at 23, and served as a Labour MP for the next 21 years. He resigned as finance minister in 1998 due to his disagreement with the Sant administration’s stance on VAT and the European Union. 

Malta hosts Junior Eurovision Song Contest (November 15)

It’s been a long, long wait but Malta finally got to host a Eurovision Song Contest, the Junior version, after Gaia Cauchi’s victory last year. The Malta Shipbuilding in Marsa was transformed into a theatre that accommodated around 4,500 people. Italy’s Vincenzo Cantiello emerged victorious, with Malta’s young opera queen Federica Falzon finishing in 4th place with her song ‘Diamonds’. PBS took advantage of the Shipbuilding stage and organised the Malta Eurovision Song Contest a week after the Junior Eurovision. Amber comfortably won with her song ‘Warrior’ and will represent Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna next year. 

Malliagate (November 19) 

Joseph Muscat was faced with his toughest challenge as Prime Minister yet after PC Paul Sheehan, the driver of Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia fired his gun at the car of Scotsman Stephen Smith. Police arrested Smith and Smith’s car was placed on a low-loader before the magisterial inquiry had begun. 

Despite the available photo evidence, the government released a statement saying that Sheehan had fired warning shots in the air following a hit and run incident. The Opposition presented a no-confidence motion in Mallia over allegations of a political cover-up and ‘Malliagate’ quickly went viral on social media. Leaked phone-calls later revealed that Sheehan had repeatedly told Acting Police Commissioner Ray Zammit that he had shot at Smith but that Zammit had told OPM communications chief Kurt Farrugia that Sheehan had fired warning shots. Faced with this information and increasing public pressure, Muscat asked Mallia to resign. Mallia refused to do so, leaving Muscat with no option but to sack him the next day.

Over 1,200 MEPA enforcements deleted (January 26)

Over 1,200 MEPA enforcement orders were deleted from a computer server before the 2013 general elections. MEPA is estimated to have lost hundreds of thousands of euros in the collection of enforcement-related fines.

Farrugia Sacco saved from impeachment (January 29) 

Speaker Anglu Farrugia killed an impeachment motion against Judge Lino Farrugia Sacco presented by Lawrence Gonzi in 2012 on the grounds that the former Prime Minister was no longer an MP and that the motion hadn’t been discussed before parliament dissolved under the previous administration. A second impeachment motion was filed but Farrugia Sacco avoided it when he reached retirement age in August. 

Enemalta employees suspended over smart meter tampering (12 February)

Three Enemalta employees were suspended after they were suspected of tampering 1,000 electricity smart meters. A highly sophisticated system installed in the smart meters enabled the meters to record less energy units than what was actually being consumed.

Café Premier owners awarded €4.2 million ‘bailout’ (2 March)

MaltaToday revealed that the government had allowed the Lands Department to spend €4.2 million to buy back the 65-year lease for Café Premier, a closed-down cafeteria in Valletta. The café owners were facing a crippling €2.6 million bank loan and the Lands Department had charged them in court over €200,000 in unpaid arrears. 

SEP purchases BWSC plant (11 March)

Chinese state-owned company Shanghai Electric Power purchased the Delimara power station extension – the BWSC plant – from Enemalta for €220 million, a deal that included the conversion of the plant to gas. SEP also agreed to directly inject €100 million into Enemalta, easing its crippling debt problems. The deal was finalised this month, effectively giving SEP a 33% stake in Enemalta.

Mosta cat killer arraigned (March 20)

Enemalta engineer Nicholas Grech was arraigned in court for having crucified a number of cats and dogs in his hometown Mosta over a span of more than two years. Grech was later sent to Mount Carmel Hospital for an indefinite period. 

Conservation order for Ta’ Hagrat temple (27 April) 

Joseph Muscat said that he was considering an emergency conservation order so as to revoke MEPA-sanctioned development of an apartment complex a few metres away from the Ta’ Hagrat Neolithic temple in Mgarr, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Biker boss stranded in Malta (16 June) 

Alex Vella, the Maltese president of the Rebels Motorcycles Club in Australia, found himself stranded in Malta after the Australian government cancelled his visa while he was holidaying on the island. The Australian government considers Vella’s biker gang to be one of the country’s highest criminal threats.   

Divers die in Gozo (17 June)

A British couple and an Austrian man lost their lives in two separate scuba-diving incidents in Gozo. The British couple were diving in the vicinity of Dwejra, while the Austrian was diving in Xwejni, limits of Zebbug. 

Parties owe €2.5 million in water and energy bills (22 June)

MaltaToday revealed that the Nationalist Party had unpaid water and electricity bills of €1.9 million while the Labour Party owed €600,000 to the Automated Revenue Management Service. ARMS had denied MaltaToday’s Freedom of Information request to disclose information on the monies owed by the political parties to Enemalta and the Water Services Corporation.

Abductee reveals brutal treatment at the hands of Libyan captors (31 July)

Martin Galea, a former Armed Forces captain, claimed that Libyan militias had kept him in captivity for 10 days and that they had forced him to attack himself using a stick with rusty nails in it. However, a Libyan militia leader told MaltaToday that Galea was not abducted but that militias had taken him in after fighting had broken out on the road he was travelling. 

Newspapers take joint stance against spring hunting (28 September) 

MaltaToday joined the Times of Malta and the Malta Independent in taking an unprecedented joint stance against spring hunting. The three independent newspapers pledged to support the holding of a referendum in 2015 to abolish the spring hunting season. 

Amnesty blames Malta and Italy for death of 200 migrants (30 September)

Around 200 migrants presumed to have died in the 2013 Lampedusa shipwreck could have been saved had the Maltese and Italian authorities not dithered over rescue operations, Amnesty International claimed. The AFM twice turned down MaltaToday’s Freedom of Information requests for a detailed chronology of events on the day of the rescue mission. In December, the Information and Data Protection Commissioner upheld the army’s refusal on the grounds that the information’s disclosure could affect Malta’s national security and its relations with Italy. 

LNG plant deadline delayed (12 October)

The Prime Minister confirmed that the government would miss the original March 2015 deadline for the construction of a new gas power station in Delimara. Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi later said that the new gas power station, which would be built by the Electrogas consortium, would start delivering gas-generated electricity to homes by June 2016.

Karmenu Vella approved as EU Commissioner (22 October)

Karmenu Vella was officially approved as the EU Commissioner for the environment, maritime affairs and fisheries. Greenpeace EU had criticised Vella’s performance during his grilling by MEPs, claiming that he did not fully understand the complexity of environmental issues. 

Air Malta registers €16.2 million loss (29 October)

Audited figures showed that the national airline posted a €16.2 million loss for the year ending March 2014, compared to the €31 million loss for the year ending March 2013. It therefore failed to meet the original targets for a €15 million loss in 2013 and a profit in 2014.

MaltaToday reveals miserly wages paid to foreigners (9 November)

MaltaToday revealed that foreign workers are being made to work over 62 hours a week for a miserly hourly net wage of just over €3.60. Apart from working for longer hours without being paid overtime according to the law, some of these workers were threatened and warned not to report the matter. 

Kamara death inquiry report (10 December) 

Joseph Muscat published the report of a government inquiry into the 2012 death of Malian asylum seeker Mamadou Kamara while in the custody of Detention Services and AFM personnel. The report revealed that former Home Affairs Minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici had prevented former Detention Services head Col. Brian Gatt from taking disciplinary action against detention services officers involved in the death of another asylum seeker. The report also revealed that soldiers refused by the army were sent to work as detention service officers and that a sergeant had sexually preyed on migrant women.