Secretly recorded conversations between Melvin Theuma and a Dutchman, in which the pardoned middleman made statements that “contradict” some of the evidence he gave in court are being sought by both Yorgen Fenech’s lawyers and the p...

After the end of March, the government is planning to implement measures which encourage economic growth and operational improvement, rather than being limited to cost minimisation for businesses, Economy Minister Silvio Schembri told this newspaper ...

Co-options have always been a part of our electoral system. Parties co-opt MPs when they are replacing others who resign after the latter were elected via casual elections. Or else when casual elections organised by the Electoral Commission are shunn...

Covid-19 has taken its toll on Carnival companies this year, but plans are already underway for 2022 and it is expected to be one of the best yet, Festival Malta Carnival Artistic Director Jason Busuttil told this newsroom.For the first time since WW...

The number of new Covid-19 cases registered this past week again supersedes the number of patients who have recovered, but the two statistics are now getting closer, statistician Vincent Marmara said.In his weekly vlog for The Malta Independent on Su...

A year ago, a notice sent to smartphones in Wuhan at 2 a.m. announced the world's first coronavirus lockdown, bringing the bustling central Chinese industrial and transport center to a virtual standstill almost overnight. It would last 76 days.Early ...

Norway says its capital, Oslo, and nine municipalities have been placed under strict restrictions to contain the spread of the new variant of the coronavirus first detected in Britain.The Norwegian government said shopping centers and other non-essen...

A man was grievously injured in a fight in St Paul’s Bay on Saturday night, the police said.The police were informed that a person was lying injured on the street at 11.30pm.Officers turned up in Xtut Street but the victim was not there.The pol...

Aaron Ciantar was born on the 3rd March, 1980 and he hails from Marsa.  ‘Back to the Eighties’, he recalls when speaking about his early days on this planet.  “When I was still very young my father had a farm and also some...

When Joe Biden took the oath of office as the 46th president, he became not only the oldest newly inaugurated U.S. chief executive in history but also the oldest sitting president ever.Biden was born Nov. 20, 1942, in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He was 7...

There were 119 new Covid-19 cases reported today, but 211 patients have recovered, the health authorities said.Two more deaths were reported, bringing the total to 250. The last two victims are an 89-year-old woman and a 77-year-old man, who died at ...

For the fourth consecutive year, Malta has seen a decrease in reports of criminal offences. Criminality in Malta decreased by 16% in 2020 when compared to the previous year, Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri announced on Saturday.Minister Camille...

Valletta: Royal Pharmacy, 271, Republic Street; Marsa: Trinity Pharmacy, 32 Marsa Road; Qormi: Evans Pharmacy, 96/98, St Sebastian Street; Birkirkara: Marrit Pharmacy, 1st of May Street, Fleur-de-Lys; Gżira: St Matthew's Pharmacy, Promenade Stre...

Health chief Charmaine Gauci was vaccinated against Covid-19 this morning.The government started a vaccination campaign on 27 December, with frontliners among the first to get the first and, later, the second dose.It is understood that although she w...

Operators found in breach of construction regulations can face a fine of up to half a million euro, according to a draft Bill that is currently being debated in Parliament. Speaking in the House on Wednesday, Prime Minister Robert Abela pledged en en...

Labour MEP Alex Agius Saliba announced that if employers took action against employees who exercise their right to disconnect, it will not be the employee who will have to justify any actions taken, but it will be in the hands of the employer.On Thur...

Larry King, the suspenders-sporting everyman whose broadcast interviews with world leaders, movie stars and ordinary Joes helped define American conversation for a half-century, died Saturday. He was 87.King died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los...

The police said that it has received 1,416 reports of alleged domestic violence cases between March 2020 and December 2020.The numbers provided by the police to The Malta Independent show a rise in the number of reports since the Covid-19 pandemic st...

Hibernians and Floriana figured out a 1-1 draw with the Paolites missing the chance to take sole leadership. It was a balanced affair with Hiberians dominating the first half with the Greens responding well in the second half. This result neither ple...

Last season’s FA Cup winner Arsenal was eliminated from the competition in the fourth round on Saturday thanks to Gabriel’s own-goal in a 1-0 loss to Southampton, while Manchester City survived a scare to beat fourth-tier Cheltenham 3-1.I...

After a week marked by the highly anticipated arrivals of former Juventus forward Mario Mand?ukić and Chelsea defender Fikayo Tomori, AC Milan was expected to celebrate winning Serie A's halfway title in style.Instead, the Rossoneri were handed ...

There is some evidence that a new coronavirus variant first identified in southeast England carries a higher risk of death .than the original strain, the British government’s chief scientific adviser said Friday -- though he stressed that the d...

A teenager was grievously hurt this morning after falling off a ladder on a construction site, thepolice said.The accident took place at Hal-Farrug at 9am.The teenager, a 17-year-old Syrian man, was taken to hospital with grievous injuries.

Patients at Karin Grech Hospital who are aged 85 years or older, and others over 60 who are long-term patients are receiving the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccination, the government said today.This excludes patients who are positive to the virus or...

WasteServ will be opening four Reuse Centres to enhance its Civic Amenity Site experience and to further widen the concept of a circular economy.These centres, which are expected to be opened by the end of the year, will offer used and ‘pre-lov...

Malta Enterprise invites businesses and self-employed operating from Malta to take a Brexit Impact Check through the newly launched Brexit website: brexit.maltaenterprise.com.The website aims to serve as repository of information for businesses ...

NGOs and individuals contesting the Ahrax and Mizieb deal signed between the Lands Authority and FKNK, intend to appeal a ruling of the Tribunal for Administrative Review, as they were denied legal standing in the case being heard before the Tribunal...

Nearly a year to the day after the Chinese city of Wuhan went into lockdown to contain a virus that had already escaped, President Joe Biden began putting into effect a new war plan for fighting the outbreak in the U.S., Germany topped 50,000 deaths,...

Labour MEP Alfred Sant has expressed disagreement with a European Parliament resolution that seeks to override the tax sovereignty that EU member states have under the treaties.Sant said that the resolution supports Europe-wide minimum tax rates that...

A report drafted after the tragedy that claimed the life of Miriam Pace last year was finally published this week. The report confirmed what we already knew – that very dangerous building practices were being used in a bid to cut time and costs...

It's a club Donald Trump was never really interested in joining and certainly not so soon: the cadre of former commanders in chief who revere the presidency enough to put aside often bitter political differences and even join together in common cause...

143 new cases of Covid-19 were registered on Friday, as the total number of active cases dropped to 2,740, statistics published by the health authorities show.The number of active cases dropped as 201 people recovered from the virus. A total of 16,53...

The Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA) has come out against the idea of a curfew, arguing that such a measure is draconian, unnecessary, and counterproductive if enforcement is adequately applied to all the industry.The Medical Associati...

The Commissioner for Standards in Public Life has concluded that there was no breach of ethics by Justice Minister Edward Zammit Lewis in the engagement of Cheryl Azzopardi as a legal advisor in his ministry. The Standards Commissioner arrived at thi...

Rebecca Caruana, a Maltese medicine and surgery student, has taken her locally published articles to the international scale, co-authoring a Covid-19 e-book with renowned professionals from across the globe.On 25 March, when Covid-19 was still in its...

Brothers Alfred and George Degiorgio, two of the three men accused of carrying out the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, have demanded that the compilation of evidence against them be restarted, claiming that the Magistrate presiding their compilatio...

Gzira United continued with their positive streak when in the first match played on Friday at the Centenary Stadium they beat Tarxien Rainbows by two second half goals.A win which kept the momentum for the Maroons and instilled more confidence in Dar...

The second Covid-19 vaccine dose has been administered to the first elderly woman who had taken the vaccine, the government said in a statement. The woman resides in St Vincent de Paul.Minister for the Elderly Michael Farrugia said: "Now that every r...

The Financial Intelligence and Analysis Unit (FIAU) has said that it was never directed by the Law Courts to "cut fines" on sanctions already imposed by the Unit.The FIAU was reacting to an article which appeared in the Times of Malta, which read tha...

MAM said today it is seriously preoccupied with persistent high daily numbers of Covid patients which average above 150 a day.  While the increasing number of daily vaccinations is encouraging, this should not lure the authorites into a false se...

Today, the international community is celebrating the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). Malta ratified the Treaty on 21 September 2020, and was among the first fifty states to do so, thereby enabling its ent...

Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri and Police Commissioner Angelo Gafa on Friday inaugurated a new police station at the Malta International Airport.The new station offers more security and privacy for all those seeking police services there, the ...

Wider Reforms are needed to create a more level playing field for women to enter politics, The Malta Women's Lobby (MWL) said.MWL said that it supports the reforms that address the low female representation in our national parliament, but wants more ...

A 25-year-old man has been arrested through a European Arrest Warrant (EAW), the police said in a statement. The man is from Cameroon.The EAW was issued by Germany, and the man is wanted over armed robbery and organised crime charges. The man is curr...

European Union leaders agreed that borders should remain open and assessed more measures to counter the spread of coronavirus variants during a video summit Thursday as the bloc's top disease control official said urgent action was needed to stave of...

The Ministry for Social Justice and Solidarity, the Family and Children's Rights has already reached a 90% implementation rate of the Electoral Manifesto promises for this sector presented back in 2017, it said in a statement."This Ministry is set to...

Minister for the National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government Jose Herrera and Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, Food and Animal Rights Anton Refalo revealed that 50 local councils' applications were accepted through which they will receive fi...

President Joe Biden’s nominee for secretary of transportation, Pete Buttigieg, was headed down a smooth path to quick confirmation, pledging to senators on Thursday to work with them to carry out the administration’s ambitious agenda to r...

When, nearly one year ago, the Covid-19 pandemic started and, as a consequence, there was so much alarm in the country, the health authorities made it a point to be constantly present in the media to explain what was happening.We soon started having ...

A recommendation to approve the conversion of two villas in Wied Ghomor into a hotel was rejected by the Planning Commission.The commission argued that it would run counter to ODZ policies. The Planning Directorate had previously recommended tha...

Edward Scicluna bumped up the salary of the governor of the Central Bank of Malta by €11,000 shortly before he took up the same role, the Nationalist Party said on Friday.The news was first reported by The Shift, which published a letter Sciclun...

Two people were arrested by the police after drugs were found in a vehicle, a statement read.At 6pm yesterday, a 35-year-old man from Sliema and a 38-year-old woman from Santa Venera were arrested near the Cirkewwa terminal. Their vehicle was search...

Around 400 to 500 people have received the second dose of the vaccine, Health Minister Chris Fearne said while answering to questions for this newsroom. The first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine started being rolled out in Malta on 28 December 2020 whil...

SMEs across a number of different economic sectors have undertaken new investment in 96 projects worth more than €29 million, with the support of the Malta Development Bank's (MDB) Loan Guarantee Scheme for SMEs. This investment is intermediated...

A committee that was entrusted with the evaluation of the construction sector has found that a particular practice used within the industry is 'nothing short of playing Russian roulette with the lives of third parties'.The committee was appointed by ...

The death toll from the coronavirus in Germany has passed 50,000, a number that has risen swiftly over recent weeks even as infection figures are finally declining.The country's disease control center, the Robert Koch Institute, said Friday that anot...

The number of new Covid-19 patients is 151 as the total active cases remain above 2,800, statistics published by the health authorities show.One patient died, an 82-year-old woman, bringing the total of victims to 245.The number of cases registered s...

Ten new vaccination hubs will open in February as the vaccination effort intensifies, Health Minister Chris Fearne said on Thursday.Speaking at a press conference, Fearne said that by today the first dose of the vaccine will have been administered to...

The compilation of evidence against the three men accused of planting and triggering the bomb which killed journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia continues on Thursday.George Degiorgio 55, known as Ic-Ciniz, Alfred Degiorgio, 53, known as il-Fulu and Vinc...

Labour MEP Alex Agius Saliba's report on the Right to Disconnect has been approved by the great majority of the Members of the European Parliament.The Right to Disconnect is a worker's right to be able to disconnect from work and refrain from engagin...

A study conducted by the University of Malta on patients who are diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) revealed that ALS in Maltese patients affects genes which are rarely damaged in other Europeans with ALS. ALS is “a progressive ...

Liverpool's 68-match unbeaten streak at Anfield in the Premier League ended with a 1-0 loss to Burnley on Thursday in the latest setback of a fading title defense.Ashley Barnes scored from the penalty spot in the 83rd minute after the forward was bro...

A late own goal by Parma goalkeeper Simone Colombi sent Lazio to the Italian Cup quarterfinals with a 2-1 win on Thursday.Lazio will next play Atalanta in Bergamo on Jan. 27.The match appeared to be heading for extra time when, in the final minute, V...

Innovative online casino operator Rootz LTD is celebrating the launch of its third online casino. Wheelz Casino follows hot on the heels of breakout brand, Wildz and last year’s eagerly awaited release, Caxino, building on the roaring succ...

Construction magnate Charles Polidano has been fined €20,000 by a court for breaches of animal welfare laws at his Montekristo Estate.He had been charged, in 2015, of having kept animals in inadequate quarters, causing them to suffer needlessly,...

Works are underway on the Primary Healthcare Centre in Poala, which will be dedicated to former Health Minister Vincant Moran, and it should open by April 2022On Thursday, Health Minister Chris Fearne, alongside Parliamentary Secretary for EU Funds S...

The Church shools associated has condemned what it said was “irresponsible” behaviour by a teacher’s union over its reporting of Covid-19 cases.It is understood that the association was referring to a Facebook post by UPE – Vo...

An application for a block of 72 apartments has been sent back to the drawing board after the Planning Authority's (PA) board members were concerned that it could have a negative impact on the Urban Conservation Area (UCA) of Naxxar.The block of apar...

Infrastructure Malta is launching the first works of the Kirkop Tunnels and Airport Intersection Project (KTAIP), an €18 million investment to upgrade the Gudja roundabout with a new underpass to Birzebbuga and a flyover to the Kirkop tunnels.IM...

Labour MEP Alfred Sant has questioned the implementation of the EU global strategy on Covid-19 vaccinations and said that many questions remain over the transparency of the whole deployment process of vaccines.Under the EU Vaccines Strategy launched ...

While a vaccine certificate will help resume confidence in people to travel, it’s only one aspect of a highly multifaced issue in regaining the steps to normality and opening borders. Tony Zahra, President of the Malta Hotels and Restaurants As...

When the government first announced that Covid-19 vaccinations were going to start being administered, concerns were raised that elderly residents from Mellieħa, St. Paul’s Bay and Naxxar were being given appointments to go to the Mosta He...

Total cruise passenger traffic during the fourth quarter of 2020 amounted to 11,825, a decrease of 92.9 per cent over the corresponding period in 2019, the NSO said. There were 16 cruise liner calls during the fourth quarter of 2020, 70 less than the...

On 28 December of last year, 50-year-old Marcel Pisani was reported missing by the police after failing to respond to numerous calls from his family and friends. Almost a month later, the police have not seen any developments in them across the ...

The Government and Public Entities Section within the GWU registered an industrial dispute in favor of its members within the Public Service Works Division.The GWU had met with management to ensure that workers performing high-risk work were paid in ...

The Nationalist Party have announced its new shadow cabinet, with a number of MPs retaining their previous portfolios and, notably, with former PN leader Adrian Delia refusing to take on a shadow role.Robert Arrigo and Stephen Spiteri amongst others ...

A 28-year-old man was grievously injured this morning in a traffic accident in St. Paul’s Bay, police said.Police said that the man, who is Italian, was riding a Honda motorcycle was in a traffic crash with a Hyundai i20 being driven by a 53-ye...

A recent survey by the European Investment Bank has revealed some very interesting and at the same time worrying results, particularly with regard to youths and their thoughts on the ecomomy and their finances.In fact, youths aged between 20 and 29 a...

Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects Ian Borg addressed the first Transport Foundation board meeting during which prospective plans for the transport sector were discussed.Minister Ian Borg congratulated each one of the members...

Joe Biden became the 46th President of the United States on Wednesday, declaring that "democracy has prevailed." He swore the oath of office to take the helm of a deeply divided nation and inheriting a confluence of crises arguably greater than any f...

A biker was seriously injured on Wednesday afternoon when he was involved in a collision with a car in Cospicua, the police said.The accident took place at 6pm in St Paul’s Street.The biker, aged 62 of Senglea, was involved in a collision with ...

Prime Minister Robert Abela said Wednesday that the investigations into Miriam Pace’s death are currently underway and moving at a satisfactory pace.Abela was speaking in Parliament after the government presented a draft bill on the new constru...

In reply to a letter sent by Arnold Cassola regarding Ian Borg swearing on live TV, Standards Commissioner George Hyzler said that although he does not agree with Borg’s version of the events, he does not believe an investigation into the case ...

Youths are more concerned about potential financial crises than they are about migration – which is the direct opposite of what adults said they are more concerned about between the two subjects, a new survey shows.The survey commissioned by th...

187 new cases of Covid-19 were reported by health authorities on Wednesday as another 1,274 people were vaccinated.189 people meanwhile have recovered from the virus, while two more patients passed away in the last 24 hours.It means that the number o...

The Malta Chamber of Commerce is calling for the government and financial entities to implement stricter enforcement with regards to public procurement in order to better regulate its processes, make them more transparent, and ensure that the law is ...

It wasn't long after Paul Pogba chased back 40 meters to regain possession and thwart a dangerous-looking counterattack that the Manchester United midfielder collected the ball just outside the penalty area, with three Fulham players near him.Pogba t...

Cristiano Ronaldo scored to help Juventus win a record-extending ninth Italian Super Cup by beating Napoli 2-0 on Wednesday.Napoli missed the chance to take the match to extra time when captain Lorenzo Insigne missed a late penalty and Álvaro ...

Several Nationalist Party MPs who are angered about a reshuffle of portfolios by leader Bernard Grech were absent for a three-hour parliamentary group meeting held on Tuesday, The Malta Independent is informed.Grech has been holding one-to-one meetin...

Malta International Airport ended what was initially set to be another year of traffic growth with 1,748,050 passenger movements, translating in a drop of 76.1 per cent over 2019.This is the lowest traffic result to be reported by Malta Internat...

Birdlife Malta said on Wednesday it was disappointed by how the environment has fared in Bernard Grech’s shadow cabinet reshuffle.It said that the only two major changes were related to the removal of portfolios from two people who were vocifer...

Former minister Joe Cassar has been named new president of the Cana Movement, a non-governmental organisation run within the structures of the Church.The Curia said in a statement that Cassar will replace Arthur Galea Salomone, who held the post for ...

Infrastructure Malta invested over €15 million in the reconstruction and upgrading of 102 countryside roads in 2020, a statement by the agency revealed.The Government of Malta financed €12 million of this infrastructural investment, whilst ...

A number of shortcomings by LESA – the Local Enforcement System Agency – have been highlighted in a report drafted by the National Audit Office.These range from the authority’s reliance on traffic fines to generate revenue, to a lac...

Samantha Pace Gasan has been appointed Commissioner for Persons with Disability, replacing Oliver Scicluna who was co-opted to Parliament as an MP last Monday.Pace Gasan, 27, graduated in political science in 2017 and obtained a Masters in creativity...

Claudio Grech will likely be in charge of the Nationalist Party’s policy transformation, innovation, and the electoral programme as PN leader Bernard Grech continues managing his reshuffle of his party’s parliament bench.The reshuffle pro...

Sixty-two tickets were handed out to drivers due to excessive noise from their cars in 2020, Home Affairs Minister said.He was answering a Parliamentary Question by PN MP Ryan Callus.The 2020 figure is the lowest in 8 years; less than one third of th...

The Maltese are the people most in favour of stricter government measures which would force citizens to change their behaviour to tackle climate change in the European Union, a new bloc-wide survey has shown.Results from a survey on climate change ca...

A loud explosion apparently caused by a gas leak has partially destroyed a residential building in the center of Spain's capital on Wednesday, killing two people and injuring at least two more, according to officials.The first images and footage shar...

Donald Trump pumped his fist and waved as he departed the White House on Marine One Wednesday for the last time as president, leaving behind a legacy of chaos and tumult and a nation bitterly divided.Four years after standing on stage at his own inau...