Recovery is a lifelong journey, Luke says. “Drugs are a giant, a monster that we need to cast aside and fight against every single day”.His first drug was cannabis at age 14. “It was exciting at first. Even the thought of doing...

With Malta having already surpassed the 70% summer quota set by the EU, the Maltese government has set a new target and aims to have vaccinated 80% of the eligible population in the coming days.Malta reached the 70% target last week. With the number ...

Over 60 people, most of them foreign nationals, have applied for the financial regulator’s top job, The Malta Independent on Sunday has been informed.Last month, the Malta Financial Services Authority issued a call for applications for the post...

Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri has told The Malta Independent on Sunday that he is against any form of development in the Ħondoq ir-Rummien area, noting that he and the Labour Party are committed to protecting both this zone and Qala’s natu...

We are now officially in the final year of the Labour government’s second consecutive term.Four years have passed since the last election was held on 3 June, 2017, and Robert Abela is now considering his options to choose the best possible date...

Malta’s Covid-19 reproduction rate – also known as the r-factor – has remained low at 0.26, statistician Vince Marmara said in his weekly video blog for The Malta Independent on Sunday.The reproduction number of the virus is one of ...

The Labour Party has strengthened its lead to almost 48,000 votes, as the Nationalist slump continued into its worst result since last September, a MaltaToday survey showed on Sunday.The survey – which is carried out every month – showed ...

In a small Normandy town where paratroopers landed in the early hours of D-Day, applause broke the silence to honor Charles Shay. He was the only veteran attending a ceremony in Carentan commemorating the 77th anniversary of the assault that helped b...

The survey carried out as part of the State of the Nation conference has painted a very clear picture of Maltese society, although most of the findings came as no surprise. We knew about them all along, but now they have been confirmed in black on wh...

A 60-year-old man was seriously injured after riding on a sofa boat ride on Saturday evening, police said.In a statement, the police said that at around 6:45pm it was informed that a man had been taken to Mater Dei Hospital after he was injured while...

A 16-year-old boy was grievously injured after he was hit by a car in Marsa on Saturday night, police said.In a statement, police said that they were informed of the accident at 8:45pm at Triq Dicembru Tlettax in Marsa.Preliminary investigations show...

A migrant rescue ship operated by a German charity has been detained in Sicily by the Italian Coast Guard, which found the vessel in alleged violation of safety rules and environmental regulations.A Coast Guard statement on Saturday said inspectors i...

Illegal ‘beach parties’ continue to take place in Sliema on an almost daily basis, despite laws banning gatherings of more than four people.New photos uploaded on social media show two large gatherings of people near Exiles and Independen...

Nine new cases of Covid-19 were found overnight and no deaths related to Covid-19 were registered.The number of active cases is now 76 and the total number of cases so far is 30,568.There were no deaths in the last 24 hours related to Covid-19. The d...

A 59-year-old man was grievously injured on Saturday after he fell a height of two and a half storeys.The accident took place at around 11am in Triq il-President Anton Buttigieg, Żejtun, the police said.The man was carrying out some works inside...

Valletta: Chemimart, 20/21, Republic Street; Ħamrun: Brown's Pharmacy, 706, St Joseph High Road; Santa Venera: Collis Williams Sta Venera Pharmacy, 532, St Joseph High Road; Birkirkara: Pharmaplus, Ganu  Street; Msida: Remedies Pharmacy, 5,...

Fortina has agreed to suspend works in Balluta Bay pending discussions with the St Julian’s Local Council, residents and activists.Earlier this week, activists had blocked works on a controversial new pontoon in Balluta Bay to be used by the co...

The first cruise ship leaving Venice since the pandemic is set to depart Saturday amid protests by activists demanding that the enormous ships be permanently rerouted out the fragile lagoon, especially Giudecca Canal through the city’s historic...

A 65-year old man today was accused of sexually abusing a 12-year old girl in his garage in Żejtun.The man was charged with performing sexual acts with the girl and with defiling her. His name cannot be published as per court order.The girl spok...

The Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) has given its thumbs up for plans to develop Manoel Island, after assessing the environmental impacts of construction on the island.In a statement released on Saturday, the regulator said that action need...

A new environmental pressure group aims to save Gozo “from being lost forever.”Din l-Art Ħelwa Għawdex (DLĦGħ), a new Gozo dedicated branch of the Din l-Art Ħelwa National Trust, was ...

Malta's credit rating has been confirmed at A+ by Fitch ratings. The agency said Malta's credit rating is supported by high per capita income levels, by a large net external creditor position and thea pre-pandemic track record of strong growth and si...

The Nationalist Party will be filing a private members bill in Parliament to ensure that the Government does not facilitate unnecessary construction in Malta, PN Spokesperson for the Environment and Climate Change Robert Cutajar announced.Sharing the...

Over 200 trees and shrubs are being planted at Inwadar Park, as the Arts in the Park event kicked off this morning. The event was launched by the Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Sustainable Development Miriam Dalli.Located in the south ...

The European Championship is the first major international soccer tournament to take place since the coronavirus outbreak and arrives at the end of the most condensed club season in history.Many players will be exhausted. Injuries are a big...

Friends of the Earth Malta condemned the unfounded harsh criticism on environmental activists, including of one of its Board members, in the latest tirade by Valletta Cultural Agency's head Jason Micallef and called on the Prime Minister and the Mini...

Charles Leclerc has his own recipe for pole position in Formula One this season. A street circuit, an unexpectedly fast Ferrari and a crash.Leclerc won the pole for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix when a crash stopped qualifying for the second round in a r...

The number of persons on the social housing waiting list has decreased by almost half, Minister for Social Accommodation Roderick Galdes said on Saturday.Addressing a press conference, he said that back in 2017, there were 3,288 people on the waiting...

Whatever or whoever they are, they’re still out there. U.S. intelligence is after them, but its upcoming report won't deliver any full or final truth about UFOs.The tantalizing prospect of top government intel finally weighing in — after ...

A number of environmental organisations and pressure groups have questioned the point of public consultation after db Group’s Pembroke project was recommended for approval by the PA’s case officer.The organisations expressed their indigna...

President George Vella said that he is pleased that 60% of the Maltese population are happy with their lives, but noted there are many sectors in Malta’s public consciousness that need work and investigation.In his closing address for the State...

Prime Minister Robert Abela and Opposition Leader Bernard Grech presented very different views on what the nation needs, with Grech saying that the nation needs political transparency, and Abela saying that the nation needs economic prosperity.The St...

Malta has found its first case of the Indian ‘Delta’ variant of Covid-19, health chief Charmaine Gauci announced on Friday.In her weekly briefing, Gauci said that the first case of the Indian variant – which is now known as the &lsq...

At risk of sounding like a broken record, it’s obvious for us to point out that the environment – more specifically over-development – is currently one of the chief concerns in the country.With every planning application in agricult...

PN MP Therese Comodini Cachia will not be contesting the next general election, hence bringing to a close a relatively short stint in politics. “Partisan polarised parliamentary politics is not the best outfit for me to wear to be able to ...

The Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations said it is investigating complaints regarding "exorbitant" fees charged by the Malta Business Registry to Voluntary Organisations.It said that, in the past days, a number of voluntary organisations have co...

Two new cases of Covid-19 were reported by health authorities on Friday.Four people have recovered, while no new deaths were recorded in the past 24 hours, meaning that the country currently has 74 active cases of the virus.Health chief Charmaine Gau...

55.8% of Malta’s population would not consider voting for a different political party in the future, a survey as part of the State of the Nation conference held on Friday showed.The results showed that only 27.3% of those sampled said that they...

After the defeat against North Ireland, Malta yesterday suffered another defeat, thuis time against Kosovo by the odd goal in three.This was the second and last game by the national team led by Devis Mangia, as the training camp in Austria was cut sh...

Valletta Cultural Agency chairman Jason Micallef has once again found himself in a Facebook spat, this time branding environmental activist Claire Bonello as a “traitor and enemy of Malta” for featuring in a documentary which exposed Malt...

Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo said today that the expenditure of marketing exercises in the UK will “be published in the audit accounts report of the year”.Asked by The Malta Independent about Malta’s expenditure in marketing for...

A documentary by French television station ARTE has shone a light on Malta’s concrete-infested landscape.The 10-minute documentary sees the TV crew come to Malta – the most concreted-over country in Europe.Buildings cover over a quarter o...

Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo and Economy Minister Silvio Schembri today announced a new scheme for foreign students who choose to study English in Malta.Launching the scheme in a press conference, Bartolo said that like every person and business ...

Britain said Thursday that it is removing Portugal from its list of COVID-safe travel destinations, meaning thousands of U.K. residents currently on vacation there face the prospect of 10 days' quarantine on return.Transport Secretary Grant Shapps sa...

Text messages extracted from Yorgen Fenech’s phone have been added to evidence submitted in the public inquiry into the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia.The inquiry board has now finished hearing witnesses. It will now be working on its report ...

Sixty per cent of the Maltese population say they are happy with their lives, while only 17.3% of people sometimes voted for different parties, a survey carried out shows. The overwhelming majority of Maltese (92.7%) think that events taking place ov...

Veteran MP and Foreign Minister Evaris Bartolo said today that he will throw his hat in to be re-elected to Parliament.Bartolo, who was elected for the first time in 1992 and will turn 70 next year, said on Facebook that he will leave it up to the pe...

Embattled OPM Minister Carmelo Abela insists that the claims being levelled against him by different individuals, linking him to the failed 2010 HSBC heist, are nothing but “orchestrated lies.” He uses this argument to justify his refusal...

Health authorities are trying to determine whether heart inflammation that can occur along with many types of infections could also be a rare side effect in teens and young adults after the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine.An article on seven U.S. tee...

Malta was not added to the UK's travel green list on Thursday, as the UK unveiled its latest update on its traffic light travel system.In its latest announcement, the UK government said that Portugal was moved from the UK's green list to its amber li...

A passenger was grievously injured as two cars collided in Marsaskala on Thursday, the police said.The accident took place in Qaliet Street at 4.30pm.It involved an Isuzu Trooper, driven by a 48-year-old man, and a Toyota Vitz, driven by a 37-year-ol...

The compilation of evidence against Yorgen Fenech, the alleged mastermind of the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder, continued Thursday morning with a tense and emotion testimony from Melvin Theuma.Recordings were played of conversations between Theuma an...

New magistrates Elaine Mercieca, Leonard Caruana, Noel Bartolo and Lara Lanfranco took the oath of office in a ceremony at San Anton Palace on Thursday.In a speech delivered on the occasion, President of Malta George Vella congratulated the new magis...

Adrian Hillman received more than €1 million in backhanders through complex money transfers involving offshore companies belonging to Keith Schembri, a court heard today.In today’s first sitting of the compilation of evidence against him, ...

The PN's Bill requesting more transparency from the ERA is insufficient to current needs and includes "a lot of hullabaloo", Minister for the Environment Aaron Farrugia said, as the Government voted against the bill.The government then proceeded to i...

Principal Permanent Secretary Mario Cutajar said that a new policy on remote working will be introduced by the government in the coming weeks.While commending the way public officers have kept the country going during the pandemic through flexibility...

The Public Broadcasting Services (PBS)’s refusal to give airtime to Opposition Leader Bernard Grech’s recent statement, calling for Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister Carmelo Abela’s resignation, is unacceptable, the N...

Four new cases of Covid-19 were reported on health authorities, along with four new recoveries.No new deaths were reported for another day, meaning that the number of active cases has remained fixed at 76.2,799 swab tests were carried out on Wednesda...

The Council of Europe Gardens, one of Gzira’s last remaining green lungs, are under threat again, this time as state entity is planning to build one-storey office building, including a retail outlet and a restaurant, right inside the confines o...

The lawyer representing Keith Schembri claimed in court that his client is facing an all-round breach of his rights, saying that the police spoke to witnesses after issuing charges.Dr Edward Gatt said his client had not been granted bail because &lsq...

The death of Daphne Caruana Galizia has served as a turning point to devise an anti-Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP) directive, a myriad of speakers said at the European Parliament on Thursday.The European Parliament's Committee...

The Environment & Resources Authority (ERA) has to work more transparently, and not as if it is “keeping secrets”, PN MP and spokesperson for the Environment Robert Cutajar told parliament in a discussion on a private member’s b...

Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar is strongly objecting to plans by Transport Malta for the building of marina offices and a commercial outlet in Gzira Gardens. The plans would see 500 square metres of the Council of Europe Gardens, one...

When it comes to selecting the people on the board of PBS, it has remained the same as it was under a PN Government, Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister Carmelo Abela said in response to accusations by the PN that the PBS is spewing prop...

Representatives of various banks today presented documents to the court in the case involving Nexia BT partners.The compilation of evidence against Nexia BT partners Brian Tonna, Karl Cini, Manuel Castagna and their financial controller Katrin B...

Speaking to the Malta Business Weekly, Sergeant Joseph Louis Xerri from the Police Cyber Crime Unit urged caution regarding a spate of scams, which has seen over 200 victims in the last three weeks.“Unfortunately, it is a crime on the rise, esp...

The Association of Judges and Magistrates of Malta has welcomed the appointment of four new Magistrates but said the number still falls short of requirements.“As stated in our previous statements, the number of new Magistrates appointed today f...

Three-quarters of Britain's adult population has received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, the government said Wednesday, as it warned that “deadly” misinformation was undermining the global inoculation effort.The Department of...

Scientists have found clues that the world’s leading COVID-19 vaccines offer lasting protection that could diminish the need for frequent booster shots, but they caution that more research is needed and that virus mutations are still a wild car...

The bodies of two migrants have been recovered from the Mediterranean Sea and another 20 remain missing a day after two Europe-bound boats foundered off the coast of Tunisia, officials said Wednesday.Tunisian naval units rescued a total 109 people, t...

Technology advancement has made things easier, but also more frustrating.There was a time when companies offered real customer care. When clients called for assistance, they found a human being at the other end. “How can I help you?” were...

The Nationalist Party has pledged to buy the area around Ħondoq ir-Rummien back from its private landowners and turn it into a national park if it is elected to government, The Malta Independent can reveal.The party was answering questions sent ...

The plan for Melvin Theuma’s arrest had to be changed after hitman Vince Muscat, il-Koħħu, was denied a presidential pardon in 2019, a judge has heard today.The Chief investigator into the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, Superintend...

Embattled OPM Minister Carmelo Abela has ignored questions on whether he has offered his resignation to the Prime Minister after claims linking him to the failed 2010 HSBC heist.During a stormy Parliamentary sitting, Abela also said he has sought adv...

A number of people were involved in a violent brawl in Msida on Wednesday, as can be seen in shocking footage uploaded on social media.The video shows a group of men and women attacking a van driver.The incident took place near the local council offi...

Former Electrogas director Paul Apap Bologna and Yorgen Fenech had attended a wedding of Turab Musayev, one of the SOCAR representatives, in Baku, Azerbaijan, but couldn't recall if there were other Maltese people present at the wedding.The Public Ac...

10 new cases of Covid-19 were reported by health authorities; the first time that daily case numbers have gone into double digits since 10 May.Four people meanwhile have recovered from the virus, while no new deaths were recorded in the past 24 hours...

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...

The government needs to consider what local plans are needed in the next 50 years and see if the Nationalist Party’s local plans can be amended, Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Planning Aaron Farrugia has said.Prime Minister Ro...

Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Chris Fearne said that a process is ongoing with Identity Malta to ensure that the vaccine certificates are deemed safe and reliable.“Our priority is to keep our community as safe as possible. We need t...

The European Commission is still analysing the replies sent by the Maltese government over the country’s golden visa scheme, Parliamentary Secretary Alex Muscat said.This comes following the news earlier this year that the European Commission l...

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...

A group of landowners, farmers, and residents from Luqa have written to the Prime Minister in a last ditch effort to protest against the widening of a main thoroughfare into agricultural land.The group is opposing a road widening project at Triq il-K...

Prime Minister Robert Abela remains undecided when he should be removing Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister Carmelo Abela from cabinet until investigations are concluded, Opposition and PN leader Bernard Grech said in a statement. Forme...

Prime Minister Robert Abela has said that during a European Council meeting, EU leaders called for the revision on travel within the EU, which is expected to take place by mid-June.Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, Abela said that the EU’s w...

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...

Debenhams Malta will close its doors as a result of of the withdrawal of the franchise internationally.This was announced in a statement by Debenhams Malta’s operators – United Finance and United Department Stores.Following the announceme...

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...

Additional lessons will be provided to primary and secondary students who found it more difficult to follow lessons during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was announced on Wednesday.The revision lessons, described by Education Minister Justyne Caruana as a...

Santu Rokku Centre, a historic building dating to the 1800s in Valletta, has been restored with the aid of the Development Planning Fund (DPF) to house youths, Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Planning Aaron Farrugia said today. The proje...

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...

The government today launched a new residence permit aimed at attracting remote workers to the country, parliamentary secretary for citizenship Alex Muscat announced. During a press conference on Wednesday addressed by Muscat, together with Residency...

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...