Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister must present evidence which disproves allegations made by PN MP Jason Azzopardi concerning the 2010 failed HSBC heist himself, a court ruled on Wednesday.The ruling came in the second hearing on a libe...

Malta should adopt a wait-and-see approach to determine if the Covid-19 vaccine works on the Indian variant before deciding whether or not to bar travel to the United Kingdom, the Medical Association of Malta (MAM) has said. Given the ever-rising num...

The suspension of sport activities has put the Maltese national team at a “total disadvantage” when facing foreign opposition, given that in all the rest of Europe football events continued unabated, albeit with no spectators or just a sm...

The Malta Developers Association said this morning it is holding intense discussions with government on the pending issue of dumping of construction and demolition waste which is causing a major stalling of progress in the construction industry acros...

Former Minister and Labour Party Deputy Leader Chris Cardona and sitting minister Carmelo Abela have been named in a letter which sees two suspects in the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia claiming a conflict of interest.Both Cardona and Abela are rej...

A 54-year-old man was arrested by police on Wednesday in connection with a mugging on a 75-year-old man last month.Police said in a statement that the arrest was in connection with an incident which happened on 7 May, when an elderly man was found sp...

Tourism in Cyprus got a shot in the arm Tuesday after Europe’s environmental watchdog ranked the country first among the European Union's 27 nations for having the cleanest swimming waters.According to the European Environment Agency’s ra...

Greece, Germany and five other European Union nations introduced a vaccination certificate system for travelers on Tuesday, weeks ahead of the July 1 rollout of the program across the 27-nation bloc.The other countries starting early were Bulgaria, t...

A terminal at London's Heathrow Airport that was mothballed because of the coronavirus pandemic reopened Tuesday to serve passengers arriving from high-risk countries — an action that critics said was long overdue.Britain has barred travellers ...

A man was grievously injured after he was hit by a car in Marsa on Tuesday, the police said.The accident took place in December 13 Road at 9.15pm.The man, aged 27, of Valletta, was hit by an Otokar Vectio bus driven by a 48-year-old man of Hamrun.The...

As from yesterday, a certificate is available to all those who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19. Fourteen days after the second dose of Moderna, Pfizer and Astra Zeneca, or the single Johnson & Johnson jab, people can download this cer...

Malta has the potential to make it on to the United Kingdom’s green travel list in its next review on 3 June, two UK media houses have reported. The Independent has listed Malta as a “prime candidate” to make it on the UK green trav...

A man who was accused of grievous bodily harm on his partner was granted bail after the woman forgave him – leading to the prosecuting inspector to suspect that there was “foul play” in the matter.The man, a 38-year-old from Luqa wh...

8 new cases of Covid-19 were reported by health authorities on Tuesday.Four people meanwhile have recovered from the virus, while no new deaths were reported for another day. This means that the number of active cases currently stands at 70.2,026 swa...

The government has its hands tied when it comes to curbing development in Malta, Prime Minister Robert Abela said on Tuesday, shifting the blame for the current situation on local plans introduced 15 years ago by aNationalist Party government.Many Ma...

Proposed reforms in how fines are dished out by regulatory authorities should be implemented through a constitutional amendment, rather than an amendment to the Interpretation Act, the Venice Commission told the Maltese government on Tuesday.In a rea...

Prime Minister Robert Abela was present to inaugurate the new fast ferry service which will operate between Valletta’s Grand Harbour and the Mġarr Port in Gozo on Tuesday. The service will be using terminal facilities in Mġarr an...

A dead sea turtle has washed up ashore in Balluta Bay, Sliema local council has said.Sharing the news via Facebook, the Sliema Local Council confirmed that the turtle was found with a large fishing hook stuck in its mouth.“Unfortunately, the tu...

Minister for the Environment Aaron Farrugia revealed that 126,403 trees and shrubs have been planted by Ambjent Malta since 2008.Ambjent Malta evolved from what was previously known as the Parks unit.This includes 8,249 trees planted this year up unt...

Elderly residents in private and public homes will receive a €100 contribution if they do not apply for the government vouchers, Minister for the Economy and Industry Silvio Schembri announced.Applications for the digital €100 gov...

The Planning Authority is set to decide on an outline development application proposing a controversial warehouse complex in Hal-Farrug, Luqa, this Thursday.The application proposes the demolition of an existing disused farm, the excavation of part o...

Real Madrid picked an experienced former coach instead of another former player to try to put the team back on track after a disappointing season.Madrid hired Carlo Ancelotti on Tuesday to replace Zinedine Zidane, who quit last week after the team&rs...

The bodies of three children who apparently were among Europe-bound migrants drowned in the Mediterranean Sea off Libya washed ashore in the North African country, the U.N. children agency said Monday.The bodies were found last week near the coastal ...

Photos uploaded on Facebook by Transport Minister Ian Borg show the way the Ta’ Liesse area in Valletta has been transformed in the past six weeks.The area will be used as the terminal for the Gozo fast ferry services, which start as from today...

Pope Francis has changed church law to explicitly criminalize the sexual abuse of adults by priests who abuse their authority and to say that laypeople who hold church office can be sanctioned for similar sex crimes.The new provisions, released Tuesd...

Malta’s Covid-19 vaccine certificate will become available from tomorrow – Tuesday 1 June – Prime Minister Robert Abela announced on Monday.People will be able to apply for their vaccine certificate from certifikatvaccine.gov.mt and...

On Sunday, this newsroom revealed a shocking statistic. The police said that over 200 people fell victim to SMS or email scams in the past month.As the world becomes more and more digital, scammers are getting better and better at fooling the public....

A number of “limited and controlled” activities and events will be allowed throughout the months of July and August, Health Minister Chris Fearne announced on Monday.The news comes as the government announced how Malta’s Covid-19 va...

The Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), have said that over half of the recommendations on preventing corruption in members of parliament and members of the judiciary remain partly implemented.GRECO, which is the Council of Europe’s ant...

Health Minister Chris Fearne has said that 36,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine arrived in Malta on Monday after a delayed shipment led to a number of vaccine appointments to be postponed in the past few days.The Malta Independent reported on both...

A man was grievously injured after he fell through a glass roof in Ta’ Qali on Tuesday morning.The accident took place in the limits of Ta’ Qali at around 7:15am, the police said.The man, 37, from Zurrieq, was carrying out some works on t...

A man was grievously injured in a car accident early on Tuesday morning.The accident took place in Hal Far, limits of Birzebbuga, at around 3am, the police said.The man, 57, from Cospicua, lost control of his Hyundai Accent and crashed into an electr...

Two new cases of Covid-19 were reported by health authorities on Monday.Four people meanwhile have recovered, while no new deaths were reported, meaning that the number of active cases has decreased by two to 66.1,722 swab tests were done on Sunday, ...

920 people were fined in relation to breaches of Covid-19 regulations in the past week, authorities said on Monday.685 people – the majority – were fined for breaching rules in relation to the wearing of face-masks.  The wearing of f...

102 people live in homeless shelters in Malta, Minister for Social Justice and Solidarity, the Family and Children's Rights revealed in an answer to a parliamentary question.The minister remarked that more than 75% of them are men, (77), while 25 are...

Plans to replace a disused snack bar along the Marsalforn promenade with a seven-storey building have been submitted to the Planning Authority for consideration.The planning application, filed earlier this year, proposes the demolition and reconstruc...

The vast majority of lessees in Malta, at 83%, are of foreign nationality, while only 14% of lessees of in Malta are of Maltese nationality status, The Annual Malta Residential Rental Study has found.The study, which was presented on Monday and obser...

Events with 25% capacity, with a maximum of 300 people, should start to be held by 14 June, with the intention to gradually open up to full capacity by September, campaigners under the name of Restart said in a Facebook post announcing their proposal...

1,106 new graves have been constructed in the Addolorata cemetery, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health Chris Fearne said in Parliament on Monday.Fearne was answering a parliamentary question posed by PN MP Claudette Buttigieg.This is part o...

Attard Football Club will start their season with nine points docked after a former committee member pleaded guilty to trying to fix one of the team’s matches.Rudgear Scerri, a 21-year-old from Qormi, pleaded guilty last January to match fixing...

The Qolla l-Bajda coastal battery in Marsalforn, Gozo, is set to be restored to its original state by the NGO Din l-Art Ħelwa.The Executive President of Din l-Art Ħelwa, Alex Torpiano said that the plan they are working on is to restore the...

Digging for an underpass at the Birkirkara end of the Mriehel by-pass is set to start in yet another multi-million project aimed to ease the traffic flow.Infranstrucure Minister Ian Borg announced this morning on Facebook that the underpass will prec...

The compilation of evidence against Yorgen Fenech, the man alleged to have masterminded the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder, was postponed today after Fenech's lawyer informed the court that Fenech was unwell.The prosecution and the parte civile both o...

The Nationalist Party has struck out at the government over an Ombudsman report condemning the appointment process for an Assistant Police Commissioner back in 2016.The Times of Malta had reported that the report showed that former police commissione...

Couples or individuals who would like to adopt a child from Malta will be eligible to a maximum grant of €1,000, Family Minister Michael Falzon said on Monday. Addressing journalists, Falzon said the grant is lower than that given to parent...

The three suspects in Italy’s cable car disaster that killed 14 people were allowed to leave prison Sunday after a judge indicated that for now blame fell on just one: a service technician who intentionally disabled the car's emergency brake be...

When the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed its guidelines about mask-wearing on May 13, 2021, plenty of Americans were left a little confused. Now anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor ac...

Ħondoq ir-Rummien on the outskirts of Qala is one of Gozo’s most scenic and picturesque beauty spots.  A secluded swimming spot almost like no other, it’s almost difficult to believe the level of threat it is under.It is under t...

Ħondoq ir-Rummien remains one of Gozo’s most picturesque bays, with tourists, Maltese and Gozitans alike all flocking to the quiet beauty spot on the outskirts of the village of Qala throughout summer.The bay, however, remains under the th...

Four new cases of Covid-19 were reported on Sunday by health authorities.Three people meanwhile have recovered, while no new deaths related to the virus were recorded.  This means that Malta currently has 68 active cases of the virus.2,279 swab ...

People have had their vaccination appointments delayed by a few days, as Malta’s vaccination drive slowed somewhat in the past couple of days.Readers who spoke to The Malta Independent said that they had their appointment for their second dose ...

Marsaskala residents have been left fearing a proposed regeneration of their locality, with a saga involving a so-called Regeneration Committee set up by the local council initially as a transport and infrastructure sub-committee and made up by busin...

Some defensive errors by the Malta boys helped Northern Ireland to an easy win over Malta in a friendly international in Klagenfurt Austria, were the Maltese are staging a training camp.This was the first match for the Maltese players after an almost...

Over 200 people fell victim to SMS or email scams in the past month, police said, as they warned against different types of these scams.Police said in a statement on Sunday that they have been receiving reports of such scams from the end of April, an...

Gozo is eager and yearning for an active summer season for tourism but does not expect tourist intake to match that from before the pandemic, Gozo Tourism Authority (GTA) President Joe Muscat told The Malta Independent on Sunday. Sources told this ne...

We want our privacy, but then post all that we do on social media for everyone to see.We are living this contradiction these days. At least, many of us are.This is because while, on the one hand, we get angry when our mobile phone number is given to ...

Prime Minister Robert Abela said that he is “optimistic” about the country’s upcoming reopening for tourism next week.Tourism is set to reopen as from 1 June – this coming Tuesday – and Abela said on Sunday in a discussi...

Throngs of students are expected to return to summer schools across Malta in the next few weeks, indicating that parents are less fearful of Covid-19 affecting their children, a number of summer schools have told The Malta Independent on Sunday.With ...

The travel ban on tourists coming to Malta without a vaccine certificate or a negative PCR test has been put into effect too late, Opposition Leader Bernard Grech said on Sunday.Grech was asked by journalist Mark Laurence Zammit if he is pleased that...

Swiss motorcycle rider Jason Dupasquier has died following a crash during Moto3 qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix, the Careggi Hospital in Florence announced Sunday. He was 19.“Despite the best efforts of circuit medical staff and all those...

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has married his fiancée, Carrie Symonds, in a small private ceremony that came at the end of a tumultuous week during which a former top aide said he was unfit for office.The couple wed Saturday at the Roma...

One of the major landmarks located towards the tip of the Valletta peninsula is the Mediterranean Conference Centre. This 16th century structure, enjoying magnificent views across the Grand Harbour, today offers state-of-the-art conference facilities...

Valletta Culture Agency (VCA) Chairman Jason Micallef has spoken out against Malta Entertainment Industry and Arts Association (MEIA) President Howard Keith Debono, saying that he has “absolutely no credibility” after new reports emerged ...

As Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta cradled the European Cup before thrusting it into the air to the backdrop of fireworks, Pep Guardiola and his distraught Manchester City players stood way behind the winner’s rostrum and looked on in anguish...

When the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) was split into two separate entities – the Planning Authority (PA) and the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) – we were told that the environment was being given a stronger v...

Gavin MacLeod, the veteran supporting actor who achieved fame as sardonic TV news writer Murray Slaughter on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and stardom playing cheerful Capt. Stubing on “The Love Boat,” has died. He was 90.MacLeo...

Vietnam has discovered a new coronavirus variant that’s a hybrid of strains first found in India and the U.K., the Vietnamese health minister said Saturday.Nguyen Thanh Long said scientists examined the genetic makeup of the virus that had infe...

The Coronavirus reproduction rate in Malta has decreased further to 0.25, statistician Vincent Marmara said. In his weekly blog for The Malta Independent on Sunday, Marmara said that the rate of vaccines being administered is a very positive one whic...

Johanna Grech was born on Workers’ Day, 1 May 1967. She is the daughter of the late Pius Grech and Helen née Alden.From a young age she showed straight away signs of sport orientation. “Looking back at my childhood days these were ...

Adrian Hillman, the former Allied Newspapers managing director, was charged in court this morning with money laundering, fraud and other financial crimes.He was granted bail after a sitting which lasted more than three hours.Hillman arrived back in M...

Valletta: Chemimart City Gate Pharmacy, City Gate; Ħamrun: Chemimart International Pharmacy, 650, St Joseph High Road; Qormi: Pinto Pharmacy, 43, St Sebastian Street; Birkirkara (Ta' Paris): Mackie's Pharmacy, L. Casolani Street; Gżira: D'A...

When Italy won the Eurovision Song Contest with an over-the-top glam-rock performance, the victory signaled more than just a psychological boost for one of the countries hardest hit by COVID-19: Held before a live, indoor audience of 3,500, the annua...

Three new cases of CVovid-19 were recorded in Malta on Saturday, with two patients recovering.Health authorities said that no deaths were registered, leaving the total number of victims at 419.The number of swab tests carried out was 2,010, for a tot...

Hundreds of people turned up at the PN headquarters on Saturday as the Nationalist party seeks to address the “unjust way” in which water and electricity bills are being formulated.The Nationalist Party on Thursday called on the public to...

A man was grievously injured when his hand was trapped in a lift this morning, the police said.The accident happened in Pietru Pawl Saydon Street, Zurrieq, at noon.The man, a 50-year-old from St Julian’s, was taken to hospital with grievous inj...

An interactive, informative centre in Buskett will act as a reference point on falconry in our islands and host a rehabilitation and reintroduction programme for birds of prey.Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Planning Aaron Farrugia e...

The Malta Entertainment Industry and Arts Association (MEIA) hopes that from July, the country will see the “safe and gradual” resumption of events, but not at full capacity, President of the association Howard Keith Debono told The Malta...

The number of new coronavirus infections in the U.K. hit a near two-month high Friday as British regulators authorized the use of the single-dose vaccine from Johnson & Johnson.The latest authorization, which takes the number of vaccines in the U...

A man from Rabat is expected to be arraigned in court as he is held suspect by the Police after Customs seized 98,600 smuggled cigarettes and over two kilos of tabacco on which €21,050 were evaded in duty and other taxes.Searches were done by Cu...

This truly does feel like the umpteenth editorial that we are writing about the government’s apparent spite against trees.Yet once again, here we are, with yet another situation of mature trees suddenly getting the chop.  This time, it was...

A Libyan man today was charged in the Gozo courts with threatening another person and breaching bail conditions.The police said the 29-year-old resident of Victoria was charged with threatening another person in Zebbug, Gozo, on 28 May at around 10.3...

Looming over Liberdade Square, the giant European Cup replica that supporters of Chelsea and Manchester City crane their necks to photograph is a reminder of the prize being sought in Saturday's Champions League final.And the footballing heritage the...

The Eco-School committee presented an action plan on the Auberge de Castille to Prime Minister Robert Abela after an environmental audit was carried out by students of St Ignatius of Ħandaq College.The committee began its work in January 2021 by...

As fear of repression rises among Belarusians following the arrest of a dissident journalist whose plane was forcibly diverted to Minsk, those who want to leave the country are feeling increasingly cornered.Its land borders already were under tight r...

A man was injured on Friday evening after the bike he was riding crashed into a tree.The accident took place in Triq ix-Xatt in Pieta at 7pm.The biker, a Hungarian man aged 31 who resides in San Gwann, lost control of the Benelli he was riding and cr...

Securing Libya's southern borders is a priority for the country's transitional government as it aims to stem the flow of illegal migrants setting off from its shores, Libya’s interim foreign minister said Friday.Najla al-Manqoush made the state...

The United States and Britain are stepping up calls for the World Health Organization to take a deeper look into the possible origins of COVID-19, including a new visit to China where the first human infections were detected.WHO and Chinese experts i...

A copy of a biography about former Prime Minister Dom Mintoff has been presented to the current incumbent Robert Abela.“It is not a coincidence that Manwel Dimech’s foremost biographer is also Dom Mintoff’s, for the ideological and ...

Former Allied Group managing director Adrian Hillman is set to be charged with financial crimes this morning.Hillman was extradited to Malta on Friday.He is expected to be charged with money laundering, fraud and other crimes in front of magistrate D...

The health authorities will send out Pfizer Covid-19 vaccination appointment invites to youths aged 12-15 after the school exam period, Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne said on social media on Friday.The vaccine was the first one granted authorizat...

Six new cases of Covid-19 were found as five people recovered from the virus on Friday.It means that Malta currently has 66 active cases of the virus.Addressing her weekly briefing, health chief Charmaine Gauci said 2,288 swab tests were carried out ...

Aleksandar Stojanovic was supplied with a shotgun, a getaway car and promised €5,000 to murder Walid Salah Abdel Moteleb Mohamed, a court in Gozo heard.Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech presided over the compilation of evidence against Stojanov...

Following strong booking demand coming from the German market, this summer Air Malta will be adding twice weekly direct services to Berlin and Dusseldorf, it said in a statement.Air Malta will start operating to Berlin on the 28th June every Monday a...

The Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) has come upmin defence of the chopping down of trees in Attard, saying it was all part of the Central Link Project.In a statement on Friday, ERA said it received an application for a variation to the exis...

Movement Graffitti has claimed that the ERA has rewarded Fortina after it "illegally" started works on their catamaran pontoon in Balluta Bay last Saturday.The NGO said that the oermit conditions were being "secretly changed", allowing Fortina to car...

The Government’s Consolidated Fund reported a deficit of €614 million in the first quarter of this year, while GDP decreased by 0.5%, according to data published on Friday by the National Statistics Office.Between January and April 2021, R...

The European Union must strengthen its focus on SMEs, micro-enterprises and economic sectors such as tourism and aviation if it is to propoerly address the impact of COVID-19, Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Sustainable Development Miriam Dalli t...

Former Allied Newspapers managing director Adrian Hillman has been extradited to Malta.Hillman is wanted in Malta on charges of money laundering and graft, related to the purchase of a printing press in a deal involving former OPM chief of staff Keit...

Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects Ian Borg and Minister for Tourism and Consumer Protection Clayton Bartolo have announced a regeneration project to embellish the Għadira Bay promenade and create a 1.2 kilometre pedestr...