5000BCÂ Â Â The Ghar Dalam cave near the harbor of
Marsaxlokk revealed bones of domesticated animals and potsherds.
   (AM, Jul/Aug ‘97 p.42)
4500-4200BCÂ Â Â The Skorba phase on Malta was marked
by a growing population, with increased forest clearance for
agriculture and grazing that may have led to erosion. Obsidian on
Malta from the islands of Lipari and Panteleria indicate links to
the outside world.
   (AM, Jul/Aug ‘97 p.40)
4200-3800BCÂ Â Â The Zebbug phase indicated evidence of
collective burials.
   (AM, Jul/Aug ‘97 p.40)
c4000BCÂ Â Â The Hypogeum, a complex of rock-cut
chamber tombs, dated to this time. They were discovered in 1902.
   (SFEC, 9/17/00, p.T3)
3600-3000BCÂ Â Â The Gantija phase saw the construction
of the first megalithic temples.
   (AM, Jul/Aug ‘97 p.43)
3600-2500BC Â Â Â The Late Neolithic in Malta.
   (AM, 7/04, p.43)
c3,000BCÂ Â Â A Neolithic temple at Mnajdra dates to
this time.
   (AM, 7/01, p.15)
3000-2500BCÂ Â Â The Tarxien phase is marked by the
collapse of the temple culture.
   (AM, Jul/Aug ‘97 p.44)
2500BCÂ Â Â By about his time the megalithic temples
were no longer in use.
   (AM, Jul/Aug ‘97 p.47)
700BCÂ Â Â A ship carrying Phoenician cargo sank about
this time near the Maltese island of Gozo. Divers in 2014 discovered
its remains, which included 20 grinding stones and 50 amphorae.
   (SFC, 8/26/14, p.A2)
60CEÂ Â Â Â Â Â Feb 10, St. Paul is
believed to have been shipwrecked near Malta while enroute to Rome
for trial for practicing Catholicism. The story is told in the
Bible’s New Testament Acts of the Apostles, chapter 27. The event is
marked in Malta every February 10. St. Paul lived for two months in
Rabat, when he was among 75 people shipwrecked.
   (WSJ, 6/21/08, p.W8)(Reuters, 4/3/22)
1522Â Â Â Â Â Â Suleiman I captured Rhodes
from the Knights Hospitallers of St. John. The knights surrendered
after a 6-month siege. In 1530 the knights were resettled on Malta
by Charles V.
   (WSJ, 7/21/08, p.A11)
1530Â Â Â Â Â Â The Holy Roman Emperor,
Charles V, offered the Knights Hospitallers of St. John the Isle of
Malta. In exchange for a perpetual lease the Knights undertook to
send the emperor a falcon (made famous in the mystery novel, The
Maltese Falcon, and the movie of the same name) once every year as a
token of their fealty. They remained there until the time of
Napoleon, and became known as the Knights of Malta.
   (WSJ, 12/30/94, A-6)(WSJ, 7/21/08, p.A11)
1530Â Â Â Â Â Â Feb 24, Charles V was
crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Clement V in the 1st imperial
coronation by a Pope. Charles restored the Medici to power after
capturing Florence and ceded Malta to the landless religious order
of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem.
   (TL-MB, p.14)(MC, 2/24/02)
1551Â Â Â Â Â Â Turkish forces captured
Tripoli but failed to take Malta.
   (TL-MB, p.18)
1565Â Â Â Â Â Â May 19-Sep 8, In Malta the
Great Siege lasted over this period as Suleyman the Magnificent
sought to add the island to his conquests. The Turkish army of
40,000 men besieged the Knights of Malta, led by Grand Master Jean
de la Valette, at their garrison, St. Elmo. The defenders numbered
540 knights, 400 Spanish troops, and Maltese gentry. In the initial
attack 200 of 260 defenders lay dead at the end of the day but the
garrison held out. The Turks continued their efforts for four months
when reinforcements arrived and saved them. The arrival of a fleet
from Spain, the “Gran Soccorso,” turned the tide. This halted the
westward advance of Islam in the Mediterranean. St. Elmo was later
transformed into Valletta, the capital of Malta. The Order of St.
John continues to thrive to today.
   (HNQ, 4/8/99)(WSJ, 12/30/94, p.A-6)(AM, Jul/Aug
‘97 p.40)(WSJ, 7/21/08, p.A11)
1571Â Â Â Â Â Â The Palace of the Grand
Masters was begun.
   (AM, Jul/Aug ‘97 p.40)
1573-1577Â Â Â The Cathedral of St. John was built.
   (AM, Jul/Aug ‘97 p.40)
1647Â Â Â Â Â Â Gian Francesca Abela,
vice-chancellor of the Knights of St. John and the father of Maltese
historiography, authored “Descrittione di Malta.” His antiquities,
willed to the College of Jesuit Fathers in Valetta, later formed the
nucleus of Malta’s National Museum of Archeology.
   (AM, 7/97, p.48)
1693Â Â Â Â Â Â Jan 11, An earthquake
struck parts of southern Italy near Sicily, Calabria and Malta. It
destroyed at least 70 towns and cities, seriously affecting an area
of 5,600 square km (2,200 sq. miles) and causing the death of about
60,000 people.
  Â
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1693_Sicily_earthquake)
1724Â Â Â Â Â Â Malta passed a law that
would send women, who procure an abortion, to prison for up to three
years.
   (Econ, 7/27/19, p.44)
1731Â Â Â Â Â Â The Manoel Theater was
constructed.
   (AM, Jul/Aug ‘97 p.40)
1733-1740Â Â Â The Cathedral Museum in Mdina was built
as a seminary opposite the Mdina Cathedral. Traces of the classical
city of Melite were later found beneath it.
   (AM, 7/97, p.48)
1798Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, The Maltese people
revolted against the French occupation, forcing the French troops to
take refuge in the citadel of Valetta in Malta.
   (HN, 9/2/98)
1798Â Â Â Â Â Â Napoleon expelled the
Knights of Malta from their base in Malta. The Sovereign Military
Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem (SMOM), without citizens
or territory, became a permanent observer at the UN in 1994.
   (WSJ, 6/28/01, p.A1)
1800Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 5, Malta surrendered
to British after they blockaded French troops.
   (MC, 9/5/01)
1804Â Â Â Â Â Â Samuel Taylor Coleridge
(32), poet, fled to Malta and worked as an assistant to the civilian
governor. He returned to England in 1806.
   (WSJ, 4/15/99, p.A20)
1902Â Â Â Â Â Â The 6,000 year-old
Hypogeum, a complex of rock-cut chamber tombs, was discovered.
   (SFEC, 9/17/00, p.T3)
1915-1919Â Â Â Themistocles Zammit, father of Maltese
prehistory, excavated the Tarxien temples.
   (AM, 7/97, p.48)
1940Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 11, The Italian Air
Force bombed the British fortress at Malta in the Mediterranean.
   (HN, 6/11/98)
1942Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 7, 15 Mk-VB Spitfires
reached Malta.
   (MC, 3/7/02)
1942Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 20-22, There was a
major German assault on Malta.
   (MC, 3/20/02)(MC, 3/21/02)(MC, 3/22/02)
1942Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 7, There was a heavy
German assault on Malta.
   (MC, 4/7/02)
1942Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 15, George VI awarded
the George Cross to the citizens of Malta.
   (HN, 4/15/98)
1942Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 16, Britain’s King
George V awarded the Island of Malta the George Cross in recognition
for heroism under constant German air attack. It was the first such
award given to any part of the British Commonwealth.
   (HN, 4/16/99)(HNQ, 7/8/01)
1942Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 20, Heavy German
assault on Malta.
   (MC, 4/20/02)
1942Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 11-Oct 20, In Malta
the German and Italian air blockade and repeated bombing failed to
break the people-who lived in caves and catacombs through the worst.
Hitler’s planned airborne invasion-Operation Hercules-was finally
called off.
   (HNQ, 4/8/99)
1945Â Â Â Â Â Â Feb 2, President Roosevelt
and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill departed Malta for the
Yalta summit with Soviet leader Josef Stalin.
   (AP, 2/2/97)
1964Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, Malta gained
independence from Britain and joined the UN.
   (SFC, 7/1/97, p.A9)(AP, 9/21/97)
1958Â Â Â Â Â Â The National Museum of
Archeology was established by British authorities in Valetta.
   (AM, 7/97, p.49)
1964Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, Malta became an
independent member of the British Commonwealth.
   (AP, 9/21/97)(Econ, 7/14/07,
p.57)(www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5382.htm)
1967Â Â Â Â Â Â Arvid Pardo (d.1999 at
85), Maltese delegate to the UN, proposed that the bounty of the sea
should be considered "the common heritage of mankind" and asked that
some of the sea's wealth be used to bankroll a fund to help close
the gap between rich and poor nations. The Law of the Sea was
ratified in 1993 and took effect on Nov 16, 1994.
   (SFC, 7/19/99, p.A22)
1971Â Â Â Â Â Â John Evans (b.1925),
English archeologist, published the comprehensive survey: "The
Prehistoric Antiquities of the Maltese Islands."
   (AM, 7/97,
p.48)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Davies_Evans)
1977Â Â Â Â Â Â Arvid Pardo published "The
New International Order and the Law of the Sea with Elisabeth Mann
Borgese.
   (SFC, 7/19/99, p.A22)
1980Â Â Â Â Â Â The film “Popeye,”
directed by Robert Altman, was made in Malta. A replica of the town
of Sweethaven was built at Anchor Bay and remained as a tourist
attraction.
   (WSJ, 9/11/00, p.A1)
1985Â Â Â Â Â Â Nov 23, Egypt Air flight
648 was hijacked to Malta by Palestinian militant Omar Mohammed Ali
Rezaq, a member of the Abu Nidal terrorist group. Â
   (SFC, 7/20/96, p.A6)(SFEC, 10/8/96,
D1)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EgyptAir_Flight_648)
1985Â Â Â Â Â Â Nov 24, The hijacking of
an EgyptAir jetliner parked on the ground in Malta ended violently
as Egyptian commandos stormed the plane. Fifty-eight people died in
the raid, in addition to two others killed by the hijackers. Ali
Rezaq of the Abu Nidal terrorist group was imprisoned in Malta for 7
years and then released. The US FBI apprehended him in Nigeria in
1993 and he was convicted by a US federal jury in 1996 and sentenced
to life in prison.
   (SFC, 7/20/96, p.A6)(SFEC, 10/8/96, D1)(AP,
11/24/97)
1988Â Â Â Â Â Â The Grand Master of The
Order of St. John (Knights of Malta) died. Fidel Castro declared a
national day of mourning in Cuba.
   (WSJ, 12/30/94, p.A6)
1989Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 4, Censu Tabone
(1913-2012) began serving as the 4th president of Malta and
continued to 1994.
   (AP,
3/14/12)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%8Aensu_Tabone)
1989Â Â Â Â Â Â Dec 3, Presidents George
Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev, in Malta, announced the official
end to the Cold War.
   (SSFC, 12/2/18, p.A13)
1994Â Â Â Â Â Â Nov 16, The UN Law of the
Sea, ratified in 1993, took effect. Arvid Pardo (d.1999 at 85),
Maltese delegate to the UN, proposed in 1967 that the bounty of the
sea should be considered "the common heritage of mankind" and asked
that some of the sea's wealth be used to bankroll a fund to help
close the gap between rich and poor nations. The International
Seabed Authority came into existence as the law took effect. The
first Secretary-General of the Authority, Satya Nandan (Fiji) was
elected in March 1996, and the Authority became fully operational as
an autonomous international organization in June 1996, when it took
over the premises and facilities in Kingston, Jamaica. The UN Law of
the Sea treaty, which extended internationally recognized
territorial waters to 200 miles offshore, came into force one year
after the sixtieth state, Guyana, signed it.
   (http://tinyurl.com/2wsq9p)(SFC, 7/19/99, p.A22)
1995Â Â Â Â Â Â Oct 26, Islamic Jihad
leader Fathi Shakaki was shot to death on the Mediterranean island
of Malta in a killing his supporters blamed on Israel.
   (LVRJ, 11/1/97, p.17A)(AP, 10/26/05)
1996Â Â Â Â Â Â Oct 27, The opposition
socialist leader, Alfred Sant, won elections that could return his
Labor Party back to power after 16 years. His party has opposed the
push to join the European Union. He was sworn in as prime minister
by Pres. Ugo Mifsud Bonnici, a former minister of the defeated
Nationalist Party.
   (SFC, 10/28/96, p.A10)(SFC, 10/29/96, p.A8)
1999Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 4, Guido De Marco
(1931-2010) began serving as president of Malta and continued to
2004. He helped the island nation win European Union membership in
2004.
   (AP,
8/13/10)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guido_de_Marco)
1999Â Â Â Â Â Â Dec 10, The EU granted
preliminary consideration for membership to Bulgaria, Latvia,
Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Malta.
   (SFC, 12/11/99, p.A16)
1999Â Â Â Â Â Â Dec 12, The Erika, a
Maltese registered oil tanker, broke in two during a storm off the
coast of Brest, France, with 8 million gallons of diesel oil. Half
the ship was towed to deeper waters and 3 million gallons were
spilled. In 2008 a French court found Total SA guilty of maritime
pollution and fined it the maximum penalty of $560,000. It also
ordered Total and three other defendants to pay total damages of
$285 million.
   (SFC, 12/13/99, p.A13)(WSJ, 12/13/99, p.A1)(SFC,
11/20/02, p.A14)(AP, 1/16/08)
2001Â Â Â Â Â Â May 8, In Malta Pope John
Paul II was welcomed on the final stop of his 6-day pilgrimage to
retrace the steps of the Apostle Paul.
   (WSJ, 5/9/01, p.A1)
2002Â Â Â Â Â Â Oct 9, The European
Union's executive Commission declared Bulgaria, the Czech Republic,
Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania,
Slovenia, and Slovakia nearly ready for EU membership and
recommended they be invited to join in 2004. Romania and Bulgaria
likely will be delayed until 2007 because of weak economies, the
Commission said, adding Turkey was the weakest link among
candidates.
   (AP, 10/9/02)
2002Â Â Â Â Â Â Dec 13, The EU reached
agreement to accept 10 new countries in 2004. These included Czech
Republic, Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta,
Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia.
   (SFC, 12/14/02, p.A3)
2003Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 8, Malta became
the first of 10 countries to vote on whether to join the European
Union, which is luring new members with a $40 billion aid package.
The referendum was approved 53.65 to 46.35%.
   (AP, 3/8/03)(SFC, 3/10/03, p.A3)
2003Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 12, Malta held
parliamentary elections. PM Eddie Fenech Adami won and said his
nation will go ahead with European Union membership.
   (AP, 4/13/03)
2004Â Â Â Â Â Â May 1, Revelers across
ex-communist eastern Europe celebrated their historic entry to the
European Union. 10 new members (Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia,
Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia)
joined. Malta joined with 70 exemptions to EU rules. Poland had 43
exemptions. Latvia had 32. The Turkish occupied area of Cyprus was
suspended from entry.
   (AP, 5/1/04)(Econ, 2/28/04, p.50)(Econ, 4/16/05,
p.16)
2004Â Â Â Â Â Â The equity index of the
Maltese Stock Exchange (MSE) rose 40%.
   (Econ, 2/11/06, p.71)
2005Â Â Â Â Â Â Dec 29, Britain’s tax
authorities recognized the Maltese Stock Exchange (MSE). The equity
index of the MSE rose 60% this year.
  Â
(http://business.timesofmalta.com/article.php?id=3721)(Econ,
2/11/06, p.71)
2006Â Â Â Â Â Â Malta’s population was
about 392,000.
   (Econ, 2/11/06, p.71)
2007Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 3, Pope Benedict XVI
named four new saints from France, Malta, the Netherlands and Poland
at a ceremony in St. Peter's Square. Among those honored was Sister
Marie Eugenie de Jesus Milleret, a French nun who in 1839 founded
the Religious of the Assumption to educate young girls; the Rev.
George Preca of Malta, who founded the Society of Christian Doctrine
in 1932 as a group of lay people who teach the faith to others; the
Rev. Szymon z Lipnicy of Poland, a Franciscan monk who comforted
Poles afflicted by the plague that broke out in Krakow from 1482-83
and died of it himself; and the Rev. Charles of St. Andrew (Dublin),
who was born Karel Van Sint Andries Houben in the Netherlands in
1821.
   (AP, 6/3/07)
2007Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 25, Frontex, the EU's
external border agency, kicked off a new series of patrols in the
Mediterranean coastal area, known as operation Nautilus, in order to
halt the influx of illegal immigrants, crossing over from North
Africa to Europe. Many migrants aimed to reach Malta as a stepping
stone to Italy and Europe.
   (www.eubusiness.com/Malta/1181678401.8/)(Econ,
6/23/07, p.59)
2007Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, Cyprus and Malta
received approval from EU finance ministers to join the euro.
   (Econ, 7/14/07, p.57)
2007Â Â Â Â Â Â Maltese company Nude
Estates bought the Ausra shopping center in Utena, Lithuania. In
2017 it was revealed that U2 frontman Bono had used Nude Estates to
buy a share in the shopping mall. U2 was heavily criticized in 2006
for moving its corporate base from Ireland to the Netherlands, where
royalties on music incur virtually no tax.
   (AP, 11/6/17)
2007Â Â Â Â Â Â Malta’s population was
about 400,000.
   (Econ, 6/23/07, p.59)
2008Â Â Â Â Â Â Jan 1, The Maltese lira
was scheduled to give way to the EU euro.
   (Econ, 10/6/07, p.78)
2007Â Â Â Â Â Â Dec 20, Estonia, Hungary,
Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia and the Czech
Republic halted land and sea border controls at midnight in a wave
of new members of Europe's passport-free Schengen zone. They all
joined the EU on May 1, 2004.
   (AFP, 12/20/07)(WSJ, 12/21/07, p.A1)
2008Â Â Â Â Â Â Jan 1, EU newcomers Cyprus
and Malta adopted the euro, bringing to fifteen the number of
countries using the currency with increasing clout over the slumping
US dollar.
   (AP, 1/1/08)
2008Â Â Â Â Â Â Jan 18, It was reported
that the EU’s environment commissioner has threatened to take Malta
to the European Court of Justice to force an end spring shooting of
turtledoves and quail. Bird hunting and trapping is a traditional
pastime in Malta where migrating stop twice every year. Numerous
protected birds have been killed.
   (WSJ, 1/18/08, p.A1)
2008Â Â Â Â Â Â Jan 31, It was reported
that the EU is suing Malta for permitting residents to hunt 2
species of birds in the spring. The Maltese government said it
qualifies for an exemption under EU rules.
   (WSJ, 2/1/08, p.A6)
2008Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 4, An undetermined
amount of fuel oil was released after the Greece-registered Syros
slammed against the Malta-registered Sea Bird near Montevideo,
Uruguay.
   (AP, 6/5/08)
2008Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, A Maltese fishing
trawler rescued the migrants. Authorities said the survivors first
told the fishermen that 10 people were missing, but later said as
many as 70 people from Somalia, Eritrea and Sudan made the sea
voyage with them.
   (AP, 8/28/08)
2008Â Â Â Â Â Â Oct 30, Scientists
reported that 1 in 17 men living on the coasts of North Africa and
southern europe may have a Phoenician direct male line ancestor.
Evidence was based on Y-chromosomes collected in Cyprus, Malta,
Morocco, the West Bank, Syria and Tunisia.
   (SFC, 10/31/08, p.A14)
2009Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 18, About 140 migrants
remained stranded aboard a Turkish cargo ship for a third day as
Malta and Italy argued about which country should accept them.
   (AP, 4/18/09)
2009Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 19, Italy agreed to
accept 140 migrants stranded aboard a Turkish cargo ship that
rescued them in the Mediterranean, ending a four-day standoff with
Malta about who would take them in.
   (AP, 4/20/09)
2009Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, A sharply divided
EU failed to protect the threatened bluefin tuna, as the bloc's
Mediterranean nations refused to back even a temporary a ban on
catching the fish prized by sushi aficionados. Greece, Cyprus,
Malta, Spain, France and Italy, with strong fishermen's lobbies at
home, insisted on continuing the hunt despite the precarious state
of the species. Conservation groups had earlier criticized the EU
for not pushing to list the bluefin tuna under the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species.
   (AP, 9/22/09)
2010Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 18, Pope Benedict XVI
met in Malta with a group of clerical sex-abuse victims and promised
them with tears in his eyes that the Catholic Church would seek
justice for pedophile priests and implement "effective measures" to
protect young people from abuse. 10 Maltese men came forward earlier
this month saying they wanted to meet with the pope to tell him
their stories and to request an apology. They said they were abused
by 4 priests at a Catholic orphanage.
   (AP, 4/18/10)
2010Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, Guido De Marco
(79), former president of Malta (1999-2004), died. He helped the
island nation win European Union membership (2004).
   (AP, 8/13/10)
2010Â Â Â Â Â Â Dec 17, Maltese Foreign
Minister Tonio Borg promised during a visit to the Gaza Strip to
donate funds to the United Nations agency caring for Palestinian
refugees.
   (AFP, 12/17/10)
2011Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 1, Malta said it was
refusing to return two Libyan fighter jets that landed on the island
last week after their pilots defected.
   (AP, 3/1/11)
2011Â Â Â Â Â Â May 28, Malta, a staunchly
Catholic Mediterranean island, voted in favor of introducing divorce
in a referendum. Malta was the last remaining European nation to ban
divorce. Some 95 percent of the 400,000 population calls itself
Roman Catholic.
   (AP, 5/29/11)
2011Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, Maltese lawmakers
have approved a law allowing citizens of this heavily Catholic
Mediterranean island to divorce in their own country. The law takes
effect in October, after Malta's president signs it. The ruling
Nationalist Party had opposed divorce.
   (AP, 7/25/11)
2011Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, Malta sentenced
Rev. Charles Pulis and Rev. Godwin Scerri to 5 and 6 years in prison
after they were convicted of sexually abusing boys under their care
in St Joseph's Home for children more than 20 years ago.
   (AP, 8/2/11)
2011Â Â Â Â Â Â Oct 31, A Tunisian court
was reported to have issued an international arrest warrant against
Suha Arafat (48), the widow of the late Palestinian leader Yasser
Arafat over alleged corruption. The case appeared to be connected to
a school she founded in 2006 with the wife of the ousted Pres. Ben
Ali. She was stripped of her Tunisian citizenship in 2007 following
a dispute with the former ruling family and currently lives in
Malta.
   (AFP, 11/1/11)(SFC, 11/1/11, p.A2)
2012Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 14, Censu Tabone
(b.1913), former Malta President (1989-1994), died. In 1989 he
hosted a US-Soviet summit that declared an end to the Cold War.
   (AP,
3/14/12)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%8Aensu_Tabone)
2012Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, Malta said its
navy has recovered two bodies and rescued around 160 Eritrean and
Somali migrants from two boats which got into trouble on the
Mediterranean Sea.
   (AFP, 8/16/12)
2012Â Â Â Â Â Â Oct 5, Ten European and
North African leaders meet in Malta for the first such summit of
Mediterranean neighbors in a decade, with the agenda focused on
fighting terrorism and lawlessness, and strengthening political and
economic cooperation in the aftermath of the Arab Spring.
   (AP, 10/5/12)
2013Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 10, Malta’s PM
Lawrence Gonzi of the Nationalist Party conceded defeat as ballots
were still being counted in the island nation and eurozone member.
Labor leader Joseph Muscat will be sworn in as the new prime
minister on March 11. Muscat swept to office with an implausible
pledge to cut the island’s sky-high energy tariffs by 25%.
   (AP, 3/11/13)(Econ, 11/14/15, p.55)
2013Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, Malta's PM Joseph
Muscat called for a regional approach to tackle the flood of African
immigrants landing on the shores on the tiny island after meeting EU
and Libyan officials.
   (Reuters, 7/11/13)
2013Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, The EU said the
Maltese government, which has refused entry to a tanker carrying 102
African migrants, had a "humanitarian duty" to allow them to land as
soon as possible. Malta faced a record influx of African migrants,
with 1,000 arriving in the past month.
   (Reuters, 8/6/13)
2013Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, Italy allowed 102
migrants who were stranded on a tanker in the Mediterranean to
disembark on the Sicilian coast after Malta refused them entry for
three days despite European Union calls for it to help on
humanitarian grounds.
   (Reuters, 8/7/13)
2013Â Â Â Â Â Â Oct 11, An overloaded
migrant boat went down off Malta. The next day about 200 shocked
survivors were plucked from the sea. Over 30 lives were lost in the
latest deadly migrant tragedy to hit the Mediterranean.
   (AFP, 10/12/13)
2014Â Â Â Â Â Â Malta introduced Civil
unions.
   (AP, 6/24/17)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 11, Malta voted in a
referendum to decide whether to overturn a law that allows the
hunting of breeding birds in spring, a centuries-old tradition that
is not allowed anywhere else in the European Union.
   (Reuters, 4/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Nov 27, Queen Elizabeth
openeed 24th biennial Commonwealth Summit in Malta. Leaders of 53
countries -- around a quarter of the world's countries and a third
of its population, gathered to discuss global issues.
   (AFP, 11/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Nov 28, In Malta heads of
government from the Commonwealth family, which represents around a
third of the world's population, pledged to demand an "ambitious"
and legally-binding outcome from the world climate change summit in
Paris, which officially starts on Nov 30.
   (AFP, 11/29/15)
2016Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 3, Professor Tony
Dyson (68), the British creator of the "Star Wars" droid R2-D2, was
found dead at his home on the Maltese island of Gozo.
   (AFP, 3/4/16)
2016Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr, At a London meeting
Maltese academic Joseph Mifsud told an adviser to Republican
presidential candidate Donald Trump that the Kremlin had "thousands
of emails" about his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton.
   (AP, 10/22/18)
2016Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, A Malta-based
Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) rescue ship recovered the bodies
of four migrants and rescued around 400 survivors from an
overcrowded wooden boat in the Mediterranean between Italy and
Libya.
   (Reuters, 7/12/16)
2016Â Â Â Â Â Â Dec 23, An Airbus A320 on
an internal flight in Libya was diverted to Malta. Hijackers forced
the airliner to land in Malta then freed all their hostages unharmed
and surrendered after declaring their loyalty to Libya's late leader
Muammar Gaddafi.
   (Reuters, 12/24/16)
2016Â Â Â Â Â Â The population of Malta
was about 450,000.
   (Econ, 4/23/16, p.73)
2017Â Â Â Â Â Â Jan 1, Malta took up the
rotating presidency of the EU Council of Ministers.
   (Econ, 1/14/17, p.49)
2017Â Â Â Â Â Â Jan 24, Pope Francis
demanded the obedience of the Grand Master of the Knights of Malta
and his resignation. The next day Vatican said that it is taking
over the embattled Knights of Malta after its leader Mathew Festing
(67) defied Pope Francis in a dispute over condoms.
   (SFC, 1/26/17, p.A2)(Econ, 3/18/17, p.63)
2017Â Â Â Â Â Â Feb 3, EU leaders met in
Malta to discuss how to slow migration and recommit to their union
following Britain’s decision to leave and a perceived threat to the
bloc from US Pres. Donald Trump.
   (SFC, 2/4/17, p.A3)
2017Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 3, Malta held
elections. PM Joseph Muscat won a second term in office after
calling a snap parliamentary election last month to counter
allegations of corruption against his wife and some of his political
allies. Muscat's Labour Party won 55 percent of votes.
   (AFP, 6/3/17)(Reuters, 6/4/17)
2017Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 5, Joseph Muscat was
sworn in for a second term as Malta's prime minister, pledging to
introduce a gay marriage law when Parliament convenes in the next
few weeks.
   (AP, 6/5/17)
2017Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 24, Malta's President
Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca said the new government is pledging to
push quickly for the legalization of gay marriage.
   (AP, 6/24/17)
2017Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 4, EU chief executive
Jean-Claude Juncker called European lawmakers "ridiculous" for
failing to turn up to an address by Malta's PM Joseph Muscat, saying
they should show more respect for smaller members of the bloc. Malta
had has just completed a stint running the bloc's presidency.
   (Reuters, 7/4/17)
2017Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, Malta legalized
same-sex marriages, joining much of Western Europe by replacing the
traditional "you are now husband and wife" declaration in civil
ceremonies with "you are now spouses," despite church protests.
   (AP, 7/12/17)
2017Â Â Â Â Â Â Oct 6, The Our Ocean
conference concluded in the Maltese capital of Valletta. The global
conference organized by the European Union aimed at better
protecting marine life raised more than $7 billion.
   (AP, 10/6/17)
2017Â Â Â Â Â Â Oct 16, Maltese journalist
Caruana Galizia was killed by a car bomb near her home. Her death
came four months after PM Joseph Muscat won a landslide victory in
elections that were called early after she accused his wife of
taking kickbacks from Azerbaijan's ruling family and hiding the cash
in a secret Panama bank account.
   (AFP, 10/17/17)
2017Â Â Â Â Â Â Oct 21, Malta's government
offered a 1-million ($1.18 million) reward and full protection for
anyone with information on the Oct. 16 car bomb killing of
investigative reporter Daphne Caruana Galizia.
   (AP, 10/21/17)
2017Â Â Â Â Â Â Dec 4, Ten Maltese
suspects were arrested over the Oct. 16 car bomb murder of
investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
   (AP, 12/4/17)
2017Â Â Â Â Â Â Dec 21, Three Maltese men
believed to have triggered a powerful car bomb that killed
investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia were ordered to
stand trial for murder. Mobile data and DNA results presented during
the preliminary hearing were enough to support charges against
Alfred and George Degiorgio and Vincent Muscat for the Oct. 16
murder.
   (AP, 12/21/17)
2017Â Â Â Â Â Â In Malta online gambling
represented 11% of the nation’s gross domestic product and employed
8,000 people.
   (SFC, 5/5/17, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 7, The EU’s executive
branch pointed the finger at Belgium, Cyprus, Hungary, Ireland,
Luxembourg, Malta and the Netherlands for "aggressive" tax policies
designed to undercut others to attract multinational companies.
   (AP, 3/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 30, A Greek lawyer
representing Maria Efimova, a Russian woman who blew the whistle on
alleged wrongdoing at Malta-based Pilatus Bank, said his client
fears for her life if she is extradited to Malta. Efimova was
identified by slain investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia
as one of her sources. Galizia, killed in a car-bomb attack in Oct.
2017, had reported that the Maltese prime minister's wife was the
ultimate beneficiary of funds in a secret company in Panama,
including funds from Azerbaijan transferred through Pilatus Bank.
   (Reuters, 3/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 14, Greece's Supreme
Court ruled against the extradition of Maria Efimova. a Russian
whistleblower at the center of a Maltese corruption scandal. Efimova
was employed for three months in 2016 by Pilatus Bank and is accused
by the bank of embezzlement. She denies the charges.
   (Reuters, 6/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 27, Malta's PM Joseph
Muscat said a rescue boat stranded in the Mediterranean with 233
migrants will dock in Malta later today, after a deal was struck
between a group of EU states to take them in. Italy, Luxembourg, the
Netherlands, Portugal, Ireland, Belgium and France had agreed to
take some of the migrants.
   (AFP, 6/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 4, Malta's government
passed three laws so companies can easily issue cryptocurrencies and
trade existing ones.
   (SFC, 7/31/18, p.D1)Â
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, Malta's PM Joseph
Muscat said his country will take in 19 migrants rescued after their
boat capsized in the Mediterranean overnight.
   (AFP, 7/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, Malta said it
agreed to let the Aquarius humanitarian ship dock in one of its
ports. The European Commission said France, Spain, Germany, Portugal
and Luxembourg have agreed to take some of the 141 migrants on the
humanitarian ship.
   (Reuters, 8/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, Malta's PM Joseph
Muscat signaled unexpected support from EU leaders for a second
referendum on Brexit in Britain, boosting a growing campaign for a
new poll despite the British government's trenchant opposition.
   (AFP, 9/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 30, The Maltese
authorities finally took 58 migrants from the Aquarius to Valletta
after they had waited for days in rough seas on the rescue ship that
can no longer go to port after its flag was pulled. The UN refugee
agency UNHCR said that it had not yet been decided where which of
the migrants.
   (AFP, 9/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Oct 20, The German group
Sea-Watch said that the vessel, Sea-Watch 3, has been cleared to
leave Malta for repairs. It had been "blocked" from leaving Malta
since July 2 amid an investigation into Dutch-registered rescue
ships.
   (AP, 10/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Nov 18, The Sunday Times
of Malta reported that investigators have identified a group of at
least three Maltese nationals who they believe masterminded the
killing of anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia 13
months ago.
   (Reuters, 11/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Dec 2, Eleven migrants who
were stranded on a Spanish fishing boat for more than a week after
being rescued off Libya were brought to Malta, which had agreed with
Madrid that this was only a temporary solution dictated by
"humanitarian reasons", and they would be taken to Spain in due
course.
   (Reuters, 12/2/18)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Jan 9, Forty-nine migrants
disembarked in Malta after spending more than two weeks stranded on
board rescue ships, ending a standoff in which European Union
countries had refused to offer them a safe port. An agreement
brokered by the European Commission calls for a total of some 300
migrants who have reached Malta in recent weeks to be redistributed
between eight EU countries, including Italy.
   (Reuters, 1/9/19)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Feb 17, A Maltese court
said it had granted bail to Soko Moussa Shaha Ali, one of two men
arrested for hijacking in 2016 after a passenger plane was forced to
land in Malta, saying he had spent the maximum time allowed in
prison without being tried.
   (Reuters, 2/17/19)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 27, The cargo ship El
Hiblu 1 picked up 108 migrants stranded at sea. Some of them then
hijacked the vessel when it became clear that it planned to take
them back to Libya. The small tanker docked in Malta's port of
Valletta the next day after Maltese special forces took control of
the vessel. Three migrant teenagers were soon charged in a Maltese
court with hijacking the small tanker. They pleaded not guilty.
   (Reuters, 3/28/19)(Reuters, 3/30/19)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 6, In Malta Ivorian
Lassana Cisse was killed in a fatal drive-by shooting that injured
two other men from Guinea and Gambia. On May 19 Maltese soldiers
Lorin Scicluna and Francesco Fenech were charged with murder and
attempted murder.
   (AP, 5/19/19)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 13, Malta announced a
deal to distribute 64 migrants rescued at sea off Libya 10 days ago
among four European Union nations: Germany, France, Portugal and
Luxembourg. The German-flagged aid ship carrying them, the Alan
Kurdi, will still not be allowed to enter its ports and none of the
migrants will remain in Malta.
   (AP, 4/13/19)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Nov 10, It was reported
that Malta's armed forces have started cooperating with Libya's
coastguard to turn back migrant boats heading into Malta's search
and rescue zone.
   (Reuters, 11/10/19)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Nov 19, Maltese PM Joseph
Muscat said he has offered an official pardon to a suspect if his
evidence leads to the arrest of the mastermind behind the Oct. 16,
2017, assassination of journalist Caruana Galizia.
   (SFC, 11/20/19, p.A2)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Nov 20, Malta police
arrested one of the country's most prominent businessmen as part of
an investigation into the 2017 murder of journalist Daphne Caruana
Galizia. Yorgen Fenech was detained by armed forces as he tried to
leave the Mediterranean island before dawn aboard his luxury yacht.
   (Reuters, 11/20/19)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Nov 25, Maltese police
sources said Melvin Theuma, suspected of being the middleman in the
murder of anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, has
been granted a presidential pardon in return for information about
the case.
   (Reuters, 11/25/19)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Nov 26, Malta was in
political turmoil after the government’s chief of staff abruptly
resigned amid the continuing investigation into the car bombing
murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Keith Schembri had been
under pressure to resign for days because of his alleged financial
links to Yorgen Fenech, a business tycoon who was arrested last week
on his luxury motor yacht.
   (The Telegraph, 11/26/19)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Nov 29, Malta’s government
turned down a request by a prominent businessman for immunity from
prosecution in connection with the 2017 killing of investigative
reporter Daphne Caruana Galizia. Yorgen Fenech was arrested just
over a week ago as he tried to leave the Mediterranean island aboard
his luxury yacht and is considered to be a person of interest in the
investigation.
   (Reuters, 11/29/19)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Nov 30, In Malta
businessman Yorgen Fenech (38) was taken to a Valletta court late
and charged with complicity in the 2017 murder of journalist Daphne
Caruana Galizia. He pleaded not guilty to that and other charges.
   (Reuters, 12/1/19)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Dec 12, The European
Parliament told EU leaders that Malta's PM Joseph Muscat should
resign immediately to avoid risks of political interference with the
investigation into the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
   (Reuters, 12/12/19)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Jan 11, Robert Abela was
set to become Malta’s prime minister after being elected leader of
the ruling party. He is seen as a continuity leader in the wake of a
scandal over the murder of an investigative journalist.
   (The Telegraph, 1/12/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 7, Malta reported its
first case of coronavirus.
   (Bloomberg, 3/7/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 11, Malta banned
travel with Germany, France, Spain and Switzerland to try to prevent
the spread of the coronavirus. Malta so far had six confirmed virus
cases, all involving people who had visited Italy.
   (Reuters, 3/11/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 22, Malta said it is
closing all non-essential shops and services to stop the spread of
coronavirus. The number of confirmed virus cases in the country rose
to 90 with 17 cases reported overnight.
   (Reuters, 3/22/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 6, Malta said it would
allow hunters to hunt quail from April 10 until the end of the
month, despite health authorities urging everyone to stay indoors to
stop the spread of the coronavirus. Malta has so far reported 227
COVID-19 cases but no deaths.
   (Reuters, 4/6/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 10, Malta brought to
its shores 70 migrants who had been stranded at sea for five days,
but said further rescues would be suspended due to the coronavirus.
Malta has recorded 350 infections since March 7.
   (SFC, 4/11/20, p.A2)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 26, Malta said it has
had no new case of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours for the first time
since the crisis began, and will start rolling back some of the
restrictions imposed to contain the coronavirus in the coming days.
   (Reuters, 4/26/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â May 1, PM Robert Abela
said Malta plans to keep 57 rescued migrants aboard a private ship
anchored just outside territorial waters until the EU finds a way to
rehouse them.
   (Reuters, 5/1/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, The chemical tanker
Etienne rescued a group of 27 would-be refugees at the request of
Maltese authorities as the migrants’ fishing boat sank. Malta,
however, refused to let the migrants disembark and the Etienne has
been stuck in international waters 17 miles off the small European
Union island nation as food and water supplies are running low.
   (AP, 9/6/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, In Malta Keith
Schembri, a key figure in the investigation into the murder of
crusading Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, was arrested on
charges of accepting bribes for the sale of passports to foreigners.
   (The Telegraph, 9/22/20)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Feb 10, The EU police
agency Europol said police have arrested 10 people in the UK,
Belgium and Malta for allegedly hijacking mobile phones belonging to
US celebrities including internet influencers, sports stars and
musicians to steal personal information and millions in
cryptocurrency.
   (AP, 2/10/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 4, Malta ordered
restaurants and all other catering establishments to close again, in
response to a surge in COVID-19 cases. The island saw a record 362
new COVID-19 cases, with authorities blaming the so-called UK
variant of the virus for the surge.
   (Reuters, 3/4/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â May 24, Malta said it has
vaccinated 70% of its adult population with at least one COVID-19
shot, becoming the first EU country to achieve so-called herd
immunity.
   (Reuters, 5/24/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 29, Malta said it will
introduce tighter COVID-19 rules on June 30, banning British
visitors who are not fully vaccinated in an effort to prevent the
spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus.
   (Reuters, 6/29/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, An independent
inquiry into the 2017 murder of investigative journalist Daphne
Caruana Galizia released today found that the Maltese state “has to
bear responsibility” for the assassination due the culture of
impunity emanating from the highest levels of government.
   (AP, 7/29/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 18, Malta’s attorney
general indicted Yorgen Fenech, a leading Maltese businessman, in
the murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia nearly
four years ago. The murder triggered an international outcry against
attempts to silence reporters.
   (AP, 8/18/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 18, It was reported
that Malta has donated 40,000 AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses to
Libya.
   (https://tinyurl.com/xkxfjbw)(SFC, 8/19/21, p.A4)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Feb 10, The EU police
agency Europol said police have arrested 10 people in the UK,
Belgium and Malta for allegedly hijacking mobile phones belonging to
US celebrities including internet influencers, sports stars and
musicians to steal personal information and millions in
cryptocurrency.
   (AP, 2/10/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Oct 19, The Maltese
government responded to a critical European human rights evaluation
by vowing to soon propose new legislation to better protect
journalists in the wake of the 2017 assassination of investigative
reporter Daphne Caruana Galizia.
   (AP, 10/19/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Dec 16, It was reported
that Malta has become the first EU country to agree to formally
legalize the use and growing of marijuana for recreational purposes.
   (SFC, 12/16/21, p.A4)
2022Â Â Â Â Â Â Jan 16, Malta saw its
biggest protest yet against COVID rules, with hundreds of people
marching in the capital Valletta against new measures requiring
production of a COVID certificate for entry to most venues including
restaurants, gyms and bars.
   (Reuters, 1/16/22)
2022Â Â Â Â Â Â Jan 18, Maltese lawmaker
Roberta Metsola (43) secured overwhelming support to become
president of the European Parliament, making her the 3rd woman to
hold the post.
   (Reuters, 1/18/22)
2022Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 26, Malta held
elections. The ruling Labor Party of PM Robert Abela won a third
successive five-year term in an election to the 65-seat parliament.
   (Reuters, 3/26/22)(Reuters, 3/27/22)
2022Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 3, Pope Francis,
struggling with leg pain, said countries should always help those
trying to survive "amidst the waves of the sea" as he wrapped up a
trip to Malta, one of the Mediterranean countries at the heart of
Europe's migration debate.
   (Reuters, 4/3/22)