Shipping Diplomacy: Greece, Cyprus, Malta and Italy signed a common declaration in Limassol to push a stronger joint voice in European and international shipping talks, focusing on competitiveness, decarbonisation and measures that can realistically pass at IMO and EU level. Malta Jobs & Governance: The Shift reports Malta’s Office of the Prime Minister seconded Katrina Cuschieri to manage Malta Vision 2050 work, with an annual package up to €52,000, while protecting her substantive Infrastructure Malta role. Employment Snapshot: Eurostat data shows Cyprus kept one of the EU’s highest employment rates (82.3% for ages 20–64 in Q2 2026), with Malta among the countries recording the biggest employment gains. Betting Sector Shock: bet365 confirmed plans to cut about 340 jobs across the UK, Malta and Gibraltar, citing higher remote gaming duty and regulatory/tax costs. Travel Rules: The US says ESTA applications take an average of 23 minutes and published the full list of 42 ESTA-eligible countries; Malta is included. EU Economy: Eurostat also reported the EU employment rate edged up to 76.4% in Q2 2026, with labour market slack steady at 11.0%.