President George Vella has told The Malta Independent that his position on the subject of abortion “remains unchanged.”Vella had previously stated that, should a law introducing abortion end up on his desk, he would have “no other o...

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson voiced anxiety Thursday about a rise in the U.K. of the coronavirus variant first identified in India, after a closely-monitored study of infections in England found it becoming more prevalent — just ahead o...

Authorities say 17 migrants drowned and two were rescued Thursday after a boat trying to carry them to Europe sank off the Tunisian coast.A naval mission saved two women from Nigeria off the coastal town of Zarzis who said their inflatable boat had s...

While most of the Maltese population is currently busy debating a pink Eurovision outfit, a masturbating priest and now a bombshell Private Member’s Bill to decriminalise abortion, a new migration crisis is brewing a few miles off our coast.Whi...

Village feasts will not be allowed this summer for the second consecutive year due to the COVID pandemic, health authorities have decided.The government and the Church authorities will be discussing the matter in the coming days but it is clear that ...

The Labour Party will pronounce itself on Marlene Farrugia’s Bill on the decriminalisation of abortion after it holds a discussion within its Parliamentary Group. Farrugia presented the Private Member’s Bill in Parliament on Wednesday eve...

There should be no more hiding, no more stigma, no more contempt, Independent MP Marlene Farrugia said about women’s issues, a day after presenting a bill in Parliament proposing the decriminalisation of abortion. Instead, she said, there shoul...

A court hearing the case of a police inspector accused of divulging confidential information to a lawyer has been told that the information supposedly leaked consisted of information available on the electoral register.Police Inspector Elton Taliana,...

Archbishop Charles Scicluna delivered an indirect response to independent MP Marlene Farrugia's bill proposing the decriminalisation of abortion, stating that the womb is a sacred place.During his homily in mass, the Archbishop said: "The womb is a s...

Four new Covid-19 cases were registered on Thursday, the health authorities said, while seven people recovered from the virus.The number of active cases has dropped to 189.In total, there have been 30,473 positive cases since the virus reached Malta,...

The National Statistics Office (NSO) is planning to hold the 18th national census since 1842 in October and November this year, 10 years after the last one, Finance Minister Clyde Caruana said.It will be compiling data through questions that wil...

The Planning Board today approved the sanctioning of various works which were carried out at a brick plant site and an adjacent site located in Ħal Farruġ limits of Siġġiewi. Both sites have a history of a significant number of ap...

The beefed-up defense outside Old Trafford was more robust than Manchester United's on the pitch inside.While United supporters again protested against the owning Glazer family — facing riot police and new steel barriers to guard the entrances ...

The European Consortium responsible for the management of the European Union Prize for Literature has written to Labour member of the European Parliament Alfred Sant claiming that the ‘apolitical positioning of the prize was indispensable&rsquo...

During the pandemic people learned to cope, in the post pandemic world, "we need to learn to thrive," The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry's Chief Executive Officer Marthese Portelli told the Malta Business Weekly."We must remain fo...

The European Parliament’s much awaited ratification of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) between the European Union and the United Kingdom on 28/04/2021 concludes a long and turbulent negotiating saga. The Malta Business Weekly&nbs...

The European Union’s vaccine pass, or the digital green certificate, will not be a passport, MEP Roberta Metsola said.The digital green certificate will act as a certificate showing the bearer's vaccination status or COVID-19 test results. It c...

Malta’s first solar pavement will be installed as part of the Għeriexem project in Rabat, Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg announced on Thursday.This technology is set to power 40% of this road’s lighting with renewable energy. The 4...

€433,333 are being awarded to 16 different cultural and creative programmes as part of the RESTART Schemes 2021 managed by Arts Council Malta. The creation of this scheme derived from the additional €1 million special investment by the gove...

Malta's Eurovision Song Contest participant Destiny Chukunyere has changed her outfit for her second Eurovision rehearsal.Posting on instagram, she is seen in a grey dress. She wrote: "Comfortable in my own skin, again. @eurovision rehearsal 2 here w...

Malta yesterday reached the 400,000 vaccine dose mark, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health Chris Fearne said on Facebook.This means that thus far, 400,000 doses (some of which are first doses and others second doses) of the Covid-19 vaccine...

In May of last year, Malta was preparing to what Prime Minister Robert Abela had precociously described as a “return to normality”. You will remember that, at the time, Malta was facing the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic but a drop i...

Throughout 2020, Identity Malta issued 34,157 new e-ID cards, of which 10,697 (31%) were issued in the new card format, the agency said in a statement.Identity Malta had all hands-on deck during the global pandemic, in order to ensure that clients&rs...

The all-English Champions League final will be held in Porto with 12,000 fans from Chelsea and Manchester City, UEFA confirmed Thursday.The May 29 showpiece was moved from Istanbul to the 50,000-capacity Estádio do Dragão due to England...

Independent MP Marlene Farrugia has filed a private member's bill in Parliament proposing the decriminalisation of abortion.As of today, abortion is banned in Malta.Farrugia said that the aim of this bill is "to ensure that no person is discriminated...

A Private Member’s Bill that aims to decriminalise abortion in Malta has been hailed as “historic” by pro-choice groups and described as “shocking” and “deceitful” by the pro-life lobby.The Bill was presented...

The Nationalist Party can never be in favour of decriminalising abortion, Opposition Leader Bernard Grech said this evening.He was reacting to the Private Members Bill presented in Parliament by independent MP Marlene Farrugia.“The Nationalist ...

A driver was injured early this morning after he lost control of the car he was driving and crashed into two parked vehicles, the police said.The driver, a 21-year-old man from Birkirkara, lost control of the Mazda Demion he was driving and crashed i...

BTI Management Ltd funnelled nearly €600,000 through a client account opened by Brian Tonna and Karl Cini for Katrin Bondin Carter, a court has heard, and tens of thousands were transferred into MFSP (now named Zenith) accounts from BVI com...

George Degiorgio had bought the boat from which he detonated the bomb that killed Daphne Caruana Galizia for €30,000 in February 2017, the court heard today.The boat, Maya, was put up for sale by its previous owner, who was called in to testify ...

People aged 16 or more can apply for the Covid-19 vaccination as from next Monday, Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Chris Fearne said today.The number of active cases has fallen under 200 for the first time in 9 months, he added as he addres...

Malta Enterprise would have had to “close both eyes and stretch its imagination” to approve full funding to Progress Press, according to an internal report quoted in court on Wednesday.The former head of relationship unit and the Chief Of...

The Labour Party has lashed out at the Opposition for failing to submit feedback during the public consultation period on cannabis reform.The consultation period ended on Tuesday but the PN told Lovin Malta it will be publishing its own proposals in ...

The number of new Covid-19 cases has dropped to just five today, health authorities said.The number of active cases has now falled to below 200, dipping to 192 after 17 patients recovered.In all, Malta has registered 30,469 Covid-19 cases, with 29,86...

Ante Rebić netted a 12-minute hat trick in the second half to help AC Milan rout Torino 7-0 in Serie A on Wednesday and strengthen its chances to qualify for the Champions League.Theo Hernández also scored twice as Milan remained level on...

Emile Smith Rowe took advantage of a defensive howler to score the winner as Arsenal beat Chelsea 1-0 at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday to stop the hosts from moving third in the Premier League.Italy midfielder Jorginho’s attempted back pass left...

A biker and a pillion rider were grievously injured in a traffic accident in Rabat on Tuesday afternoon, the police said Wednesday.The biker, a man aged 29 of Rabat and the rider, a 17-year-old girl from Santa Venera, were both injured after they fel...

A motorcyclist was grievously hurt on Tuesday following a collision with a car in Fgura, the police said.The accident took place in Hompesch Road at 6.30pm.The biker, a 44-year-old man who was riding a Honda, was involved in a crash with a Peugeot dr...

The government is refusing to discuss the proposed Maghtab incinerator within the Parliamentary Committee for the Environment and Planning, the PN said in a statement, adding that "like many other projects, this one started on the wrong foot.""Over t...

Two people have been charged with importing drugs after the Customs Department intercepted a packet filled with around a kilo of synthetic drugs.The police said that, after days of investigations, they were informed by Customs on Tuesday that a suspi...

UEFA appointed in-house investigators Wednesday for disciplinary cases against European Super League organizers Real Madrid, Juventus and Barcelona.The three clubs could be banned from future Champions League or Europa League competitions and fined f...

Civil society NGO Repubblika has withdrawn a constitutional case it had filed over the appointment of judges and magistrates.In a note filed on Wednesday morning, the group said it recognised that the European Court of Justice had limited itself...

The faster-than expected vaccination rollout, the high rate of vaccination in the UK, and a gradual easing of restrictions in the EU, should put the tourism sector back on the path to recovery in the second half of 2021 and re-invigorate domestic dem...

The International Nurses Day serves as a great reminder of the importance of recruiting more nurses, and to take care of their mental wellbeing, Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Chris Fearne said.In light of the pandemic, when frontliners ha...

The Ministry for Social Accommodation has announced the completion of the regeneration of Binja Buqana in Mtarfa.This regeneration took place after a study commissioned in 2015 certified that the building was not safe for the 80 families wh...

A Maltese author has been disqualified from taking part in this year's European union Prize for Literature because his book was published by a media house with a political affiliation, SKS said in a statement.The prize will be awarded on 15 May to em...

MEP Alex Agius Saliba is involved in the drafting of a new directive to ensure the continuity and delivery of essential services in the EU in crisis situations, pandemics, or any natural or manmade disasters and terrorist attacks, the Labour Party sa...

A potentially worrisome variant of the coronavirus detected in India may spread more easily. But the country is behind in doing the kind of testing needed to track it and understand it better.On Monday, the World Health Organization designated the ne...

The conference on the future of Europe was launched last Sunday, an appropriate date, given that for the past years it has been celebrated as Europe Day.The event will span over several months and end in early 2022, and among other things it will ser...

The newly launched Employment Agencies Business Section within The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry strongly condemns levying fees from candidates looking for employment. Section 8e of the law clearly states that the Director of Lab...

The Accountant General announces the issue of €180,000,000 Malta Government Stock subject to an over-allotment option of an additional amount up to a maximum of €120,000,000 as follows:(i)        &nbs...

Keith Schembri was hospitalised on Monday, and was receiving treatment for a serious medical condition.Schembri was not in court yesterday when the case against him and others concerning financial crimes continued being heard.His lawyer Edward Gatt, ...

A group of around 70 migrants were brought to Malta on Tuesday after being rescued south of the island during the night.A Home Affairs Ministry spokesperson confirmed the news when contacted by The Malta Independent, but gave no further details.The n...

Minister Carmelo Abela gave his side of the story regarding the recent verdict issued by Standards Commissioner George Hyzler, over an advertorial which was published by Abela's ministry"I am not going to go into the details of whose fault it was and...

Manchester United handed the Premier League title to fierce rival Manchester City on Tuesday by losing 2-1 to Leicester, which ignited its bid to qualify for next season’s Champions League.United needed to avoid defeat at Old Trafford to delay ...

Only 6 new Covid-19 cases were reported by health authorities on Tuesday.15 people meanwhile have recovered from the virus, while no new deaths were registered for yet another day.The number of active cases now stands at 204.1,600 swab tests were car...

The Nationalist Party’s ex-spokesperson for justice and electoral reform Karol Aquilina was charged in court on Tuesday charged with dangerous driving in an incident that took place two years ago. The incident in question occurred in December 1...

More therapists and psychotherapists are to be employed in order to look after the mental health of the elderly, Minister for Senior Citizens and Active Ageing Michael Farrugia said.Senior citizens have been, for a good part of the pandemic, liv...

The ruckus that erupted on the dress chosen by Malta’s representative at the Eurovision Song Contest for her first rehearsal has not subsided yet, and the singer’s manager Howard Keith has come up in her defence, saying that “Destin...

The third phase of the relaxation of Covid-19 measures in elderly care homes has been announced and will come into effect on Monday 17 May.Under the new measures, two people from the same household will be allowed to visit elderly relatives for 25 mi...

The Malta Developers Association (MDA) has appealed for the property tax incentives to be extended.In a statement, the MDA said that it is "pleased to note that the timely proposals it made to government last April, at the onset of the COVID-19 pande...

Napoli boosted its chances of qualifying for the Champions League by routing Udinese 5-1 on Tuesday to move into second place in Serie A.Gennaro Gattuso's side moved a point ahead of Atalanta and AC Milan, with Juventus four points further back. Thos...

A 16-year-old girl has been reported missing by police for what is the fifth time in a year and a half.Police said that Luana Borg was last seen wearing a grey jacket and black trousers. They said that the girl wears a burka in order not to be recogn...

The White Paper on Cannabis should not only encourage more education on the use of cannabis, but it should also encourage a stronger formation of character for youths, the Malta Association for the Counselling Profession (MACP) has said.In a press re...

Moviment Graffitti is calling for a full-scale investigation into the expropriation practices carried out by Infrastructure Malta since its creation. Reacting to a story in The Times of Malta about unpaid expropriations and other uncle...

Augustine Grixti found Carmel Chircop face up on the floor with two bullet wounds back in 2015, he testified in court yesterday.Magistrate Caroline Farrugia Frendo was presiding over the compilation of evidence against brothers Adrian and Robert Agiu...

Alfred and George Degiorgio have filed a constitutional case against the Maltese government and the President of the Republic after their request for a presidential pardon fell on deaf ears.The two brothers are accused of having executed the assassin...

The Nationalist Party has appealed for Public Broadcasting Services (PBS) to reflect an unbiased agenda that does not exclusively reflect the political beliefs of the Labour Party.Speaking in front of PBS headquarters, PN Spokesperson for the Green E...

Persecution against someone who makes use of cannabis should stop taking place, and someone who uses the drug should not be labelled as a criminal, ADPD said in reaction to the Government’s White Paper on cannabis-related law reform.The stateme...

Several hundred more migrants reached a tiny Italian island before dawn on Monday, swelling to past 2,100 the number of arrivals in around 24 hours and fueling calls from across the political spectrum for the Italian government to strengthen its migr...

A police statement requesting help to locate a wanted man was withdrawn minutes after it was issued after the man was “no longer being sought”.The media received a statement at 12.12pm from the police communications office about a man who...

Animal Rights Minister Anton Refalo said that he “doesn’t believe in threats, but in dialogue”, when asked about the threat made by the Federation for Hunting and Conservation – Malta (FKNK) to protest in the streets if the go...

As strict lockdowns are loosened across Europe and many EU citizens dream about holidays in the sun, the 27-nation bloc has yet to agree on how to quickly implement a virus certificate scheme to boost summer travel and tourism.European affairs minist...

The Maltese Association of Social Workers (MASW) said it supports the decriminalisation of cannabis use but is against its legalisation. The association said it carried out a survey with its members and also hosted a comprehensive and informative deb...

Twelve Libyan war casualties were each offered €350,000 to waive claims implicating former OPM official Neville Gafa in a medical visas racket back in 2014, a court was told Monday.Two of them testified via video conference in ongoing ...

U.S. regulators on Monday expanded the use of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine to children as young as 12, offering a way to protect the nation's adolescents before they head back to school in the fall and paving the way for them to return to more normal ac...

The European Union's top economy official said Monday that the recovery measures the EU and its 27 member states have in the works to emerge from the pandemic total around $5.85 trillion.EU Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni told a European Parliam...

The newly appointed Director General of the Malta Developers’ Association, Deborah Schembri recently stressed the need for strong enforcement in the construction industry, due to those who breach regulations giving the whole sector a bad name.S...

The Nationalist Party has lost a general election candidate, after she said that she felt disconnected from the party and that she was “shut down” when she tried to pitch ideas on subjects such as women’s rights and health.Tiffany A...

Herd immunity against Covid-19 will be achieved “in the coming weeks”, Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Chris Fearne told Parliament on Monday, before also announcing that invitations for those over the age of 16 to get vaccinate...

Tourism, health, and foreign affairs authorities are working in a “very coordinated manner” to get Malta onto the United Kingdom’s green travel list within the coming weeks, Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo said on Monday.Speaking t...

Restaurants and cafés in Valletta, St Julian’s, Sliema and elsewhere saw many clients return on Monday as catering establishments reopened after a two-month shutdown.Restaurants and cafés were closed down in March amid a spike in ...

Former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has sued Christian Grima, a lawyer, after he claimed on Facebook that the former Prime Minister “blew up” journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.Writing on Facebook, Muscat, who resigned under a cloud of dis...

11 new Covid-19 cases were reported by authorities on Monday as the number of active cases in Malta continues to decrease.23 people have recovered from the virus while no new deaths were registered for yet another day.This means that the number of ac...

Another 1,094 people were fined in the past week for breaching Covid-19 regulations, authorities announced on Monday.779 people were fined for breaching mask-wearing rules.  The wearing of masks remains compulsory at all times when one is outdoo...

Juventus will be kicked out of Serie A if it doesn’t withdraw from the European Super League, Italian soccer federation president Gabriele Gravina said Monday.While AC Milan and Inter Milan backed out of the ill-fated bid to form a breakaway co...

The Planning Authority board will on Thursday meet to decide whether to sanction a host of illegal developments and deviations by Polidano Brothers in Hal-Farrug, over a decade after the PA first opened enforcement proceedings against them.In two sep...

PN leader Bernard Grech spoke of how the Labour government was not “prudent” in its spending before the pandemic, as the government tabled a motion in parliament to increase how much funding it can borrow from the European Union.The gover...

Relegation, promotion, and now relegation again.Fulham's rollercoaster ride between the top two divisions of English soccer has taken the London club back out of the Premier League, its fate sealed by losing to Burnley 2-0 on Monday.Fulham joined She...

The Malta Chamber insists on full transparency in public procurement and on the importance of observing good governance principles as well as providing an equal playing field to for all at all times. It was referring to the conclusions reached b...

Malta’s Eurovision star Destiny has said that she feels confident in her costume, blasting those who took to social media to criticise her wardrobe choice after the first rehearsal in Rotterdam on Sunday.The hot-pink outfit which Destiny sporte...

Playing the all-English Champions League final on home soil at Wembley is proving problematic. Instead, the players and fans of Chelsea and Manchester City could be headed to Portugal.UEFA's hopes of playing its club showpiece in Istanbul have been s...

The Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) and the Malta Police Force have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that provides a formal basis for cooperation between the two entities. The MoU aims to strengthen the relationship between the tw...

In England, it's going to be time to hug again.British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to give the go-ahead for that much-missed human contact when he announces the next round of lockdown easing later Monday in the wake of a sharp fall in ne...

More than 1,200 migrants in several decrepit, overcrowded fishing boats on Sunday reached a tiny Italian island in a span of 12 hours, as human traffickers exploited calm seas and warm weather to launch multiple vessels, the mayor said.The first of t...

Last Friday saw the announcement of Malta being left off the United Kingdom’s green travel list – news which has come as a major shock for tourism stakeholders in the country.The shock is well-founded.  Many, including British-based ...

The mother of a young man who died after inhaling gas in Qormi last March said that “no mother envisages experiencing such a difficult loss and no parent is prepared for their child’s death. No mother gives birth to their children, to the...

The newly appointed Director General of the Malta Developers’ Association, Deborah Schembri, stressed the need for strong enforcement in the construction industry, due to those who ignore regulations giving the whole sector a bad name.In an int...

The next round of economic stimulus vouchers is aimed to be issued on 7 June, Prime Minister Robert Abela revealed on Sunday.Abela was being interviewed virtually on ONE Television on Sunday, where he revealed for the first time that the next round o...

A man whose identity is still unknown was taken to hospital with grievous injuries after fallin two storeys in Floriana.The police said the accident took place in Emvin Cremona Street at 2pm.