Singer Freddie Portelli, best known as Malta's Elvis but also well known for songs such as Viva Malta and Mur u Ħallini was awarded the Medal for Service to the Republic this morning.

Archbishop emeritus Paul Cremona.

The top honour of the Ġieħ ir-Repubblika awards – the National Order of Merit - was awarded to retired Archbishop Paul Cremona.

Judge Emeritus Philip Sciberras was made an Officer of the Order of Merit while the new Honorary Officers are former US Ambassador Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, Sandro Gozi (Italian under secretary of foreign affairs), Lord Mandelson (former UK Cabinet minister and EU commissioner) and Rachid Marif, the ambassador of Algeria.

The new Members are Ambassador Clifford Borg Marks, Maria Camilleri, head of the Muslim school, Fr Anthony Edmond Caruana (Editorial Director of the Vatican Publishing House), Dr David Mifsud (an expert in biological sciences particularly in the field of entomology and the preservation of honeybees) the late Karmen Mikallef Buhagiar (publisher of Dun Karm’s poems), lecturer Dr Godfrey A Pirotta, and businessman Joseph Zammit Tabona.

Stephen Drewes (Lufthansa Technik CEO) and industrialist Alexander Piltz are honourary members

The Medal for Service to the Republic is also being awarded to the late band marches composer Mro Anthony Aquilina, the Hospice Movement, the Franciscan Sisters who care for Maltese patients in London, national waterpolo coach Karl Izzo, referee Esther Azzopardi and broadcaster Peter Paul Ciantar.

The award was also given to dancer Alison White Micallef, Nicolina Farrugia, former director of the nursing service, Dr Christopher Micallef, a University lecturer who has studied the Mnajdra Temples and Dr Alan Ralph Curry, founder of the Lifecycle team.