The health authorities will wait for direction by the European Medicines Authority before they start administering the Pfizer vaccine to children under the age of 12, a health ministry spokesperson has told The Malta Independent on Sunday. Pfizer sai...

The Nationalist Party has given further details on its ODZ protection proposal, which it says starts with the creation of a ‘holistic rural plan’.It is changes to said rural plan that would require a 2/3rds Parliamentary majority approval...

September has ushered in the last potential year of this administration.“Potential” is the key word here, because it is likely that we will be voting much earlier than that.A general election in Malta must be held by the end of five years...

Malta’s footballing season has now kicked off across the whole of the country’s pyramid, with the professional players in the Premier League and the amateurs in the country’s bottom tier all having tasted the action for the 2021/22 ...

Author and researcher Sergio Grech tells The Malta Independent on Sunday what he likes and dislikes by answering a set of questions aimed to let us know more about him.He tells us who his favourite singer is, who also happens to be one of the four pe...

Opposition Leader Bernard Grech delivered a rousing speech at the Granaries on Monday evening, but the PN’s Independence Day activity was marred by an unfortunate incident involving his predecessor, Adrian Delia. While many were congratulating ...

German voters are choosing a new parliament in an election that will determine who succeeds Chancellor Angela Merkel after her 16 years at the helm of Europe's biggest economy.Polls point to a very close race Sunday between Merkel's center-right Unio...

The Taliban hanged a dead body from a crane parked in a city square in Afghanistan on Saturday in a gruesome display that signaled the hard-line movement’s return to some of its brutal tactics of the past.Taliban officials initially brought fou...

The European Commission Representation in Malta teamed up with the swimming record breaker Neil Agius and the NGO Wave of Change to launch the EU Green Deal Campaign. On Saturday 25 September several divers and other volunteers turned up for a sea cl...

Rome has been invaded by Gauls, Visigoths and vandals over the centuries, but the Eternal City is now grappling with a rampaging force of an entirely different sort: rubbish-seeking wild boars.Entire families of wild boars have become a daily sight i...

In a U-turn, Britain said Saturday it will issue thousands of emergency visas to foreign truck drivers to help fix supply-chain problems that have caused empty supermarket shelves, long lines at gas stations and shuttered pumps.Prime Minister Boris J...

All State schools are ready to welcome students for the start of the academic year on Wednesday, the Education Ministry said in a statement.All protocols are in place and they have been verified independently by assessors appointed by the ministry.La...

A staggering 51% of participants in a pilot project carried out recently said that they had experienced hearing problems, a government statement said.The research was carried out by the Inclusion and Quality of Life Ministry with Labour MEP Alex Agiu...

The British Red Arrows gave a splendid display of precision today over Malta’s skies as part of the Malta International Air show.The Red Arrows had flown almost 5,000 displays in 57 countries, by the beginning of 2021.This is the Reds’ 9t...

Malta must shift away from its dependency on construction, Finance Minister Clyde Caruana said on Friday.The Labour government’s credibility in the field of employment and in the economy is recognized by the majority of people, but “we mu...

Construction should not be considered as an enemy, the Malta Developers Association said.It was replying to comments made by Finance Minister Clyde Caruana who said that Malta’s economy should shift away from dependency on the construction indu...

Ħamrun Spartans returned to winning ways when they defeated Floriana by the odd goal in three. For the Greens this was their first seasonal defeat.Floriana went into this match still unbeaten following three draws with Santa Lucia, Sliema Wander...

Like grandfather, like father, like son.There was a third generation of the Maldini family to score in Serie A on Saturday as Daniel Maldini helped AC Milan to a 2-1 win at Spezia.Daniel Maldini scored his first Serie A goal 13 years, 179 days after ...

Manchester City reasserted its Premier League title credentials on a day all of its big rivals dropped points.City delivered a statement performance in a 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge on Saturday to move second in the league standings, level on points w...

As of next week, voluntary organisations can apply in a third call for solar panels, the government said.With an investment of €160,000, eligible applicants can apply to benefit from the free installation of 12 or 24 PV panels on their property....

Floriana: Chemimart Pharmacy, 14, St Anne Street; Marsa: San Raffael Pharmacy, 247, Qormi Road; Qormi :Tal-Ħlas Pharmacy, Ħelsien Street; Birkirkara: Rational Pharmacy, 74/75, Valley Road; Msida: Remedies Pharmacy, 5, Tagliaferro Mansions, ...

A boy was injured when the bike he was riding was hit by a car on Saturday afternoon, the police said.The accident took place in Flora Street, Qormi, at 4.30pm.The boy was hit by a Hyundai Getz being driven by a Filipino man, aged 27, who resides in ...

Sixteen new cases of Covid-19 were registered on Saturday, while 44 recovered.The number of people receiving treatment in hospital is now 17, four of whom are in intensive care, health authorities said.In all, there are now 443 active cases, while th...

Prime Minister Robert Abela said that multilateralism is the key to a strong and sustainable future, urging world leaders to come together and forge ahead with plans that demonstrate determination and commitment to a strong recovery from the COVID-19...

Many leaders saying many things about many topics that matter to them, to their regions, to the world: That's what the U.N. General Assembly invariably produces each year. And each year, certain voices dominate. Here, The Associated Press takes the o...

The Nationalist Party said that in the last month and a half PBS aired 109 comments from the government side against zero from the opposition.In a statement, the PN said it will continue to insist for balance and impartiality on the national broadcas...

South-westerly winds yesterday favoured a peak in observed migration of birds of prey, with BirdLife Malta and Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) teams witnessing rampant illegal hunting across various locations on Malta and Gozo. Several birds ...

Ambjent Malta (AM) will be conducting interventions to restore the landmark structure of the Vaulted Grotto in Buskett, Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Planning Aaron Farrugia said.This landmark, left by the Grandmasters of the ...

Lando Norris took pole position for the first time in a rain-hit qualifying session for the Russian Grand Prix on Saturday after timing his final fast lap to perfection on a drying track.The McLaren driver set the pace with a time of 1 minute, 41.993...

Third-country nationals can now apply online for their temporary residence permit, the government said.With the launch of this new digital platform, the Identity Malta Agency will further simplify its processes. Following the successful digitalisatio...

When Hungary and Poland joined the European Union in 2004, after decades of Communist domination, their citizens thirsted for Western democratic standards and prosperity.Yet 17 years later, as the EU ramps up efforts to rein in democratic backsliding...

Minister  for Foreign and European Affairs Evarist Bartolo told Maltese and Gozitans living in New York that Malta is better than half of the countries of the European Union and better than 160 other countries in a world of 193 countries, when h...

The Union of Professional Educations will be issuing directives to its members after registering a trade dispute with the Education Ministry.This comes as no surprise, the union said in a statement. Anyone who has followed this saga knows that many p...

Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects Ian Borg was in Monaco participating at the Monaco Yacht Show, the world’s leading superyacht event. During the visit the Minister held a number of meetings with key industry players t...

The Local Councils Association has come up with a proposal to gradually eliminate door-to-door waste collection. Instead, what it is suggesting is having a network of public waste containers, above and below ground, where waste could be disposed of.I...

Former Prime Minister and Head of the Labour Party Delegation at the Socialist and Democratic Group (S&D) at the European Parliament Alfred Sant described the US withdrawal from Afghanistan as equivalent to “a second Vietnam” because ...

The victim of a shooting has told the court compiling evidence against the man accused of firing at him that he hadn’t seen anyone with a shotgun and didn’t know where the gunshot came from.Ryan Sultana, 24, of Iklin stands charged w...

The government should start giving Continuous Blood Glucose Monitors free of charge to Type 1 diabetes patients who are 16 or older, the Nationalist Party said.The PN was backing a call made by the Malta Diabetes Association.It said that, after it st...

Thirteen new Covid-19 cases were recorded today as one more patient died, the health authorities said today.The latest victim is a 94-year-old woman, with the toll now reaching 457.Twenty-nine people have recovered, which means that the number of act...

Main photo shows the updated design (left), vs the original one (right) The St Julian’s Local Council has “listened to the people” and has published a new design for the controversial Balluta stairs project which was previously...

A court hearing evidence against a woman accused of murdering her partner has been told that she had been suspecting an affair.44-year-old Mayumi Santos Patacsil from the Philippines stands accused of the murder of Marcelino Montalban Saraza, her par...

The Valletta Cultural Agency has proposed that by 2030, only electric vehicles would be permitted to enter Valletta.This is one of a number of proposals the agency has made to the government and other authorities."Following the success of Valletta's ...

The Health and Tourism Authorities said that. as from today, 24 September 2021, Malta will officially recognise the digital Covid-19 vaccine certificate of Kuwait and Singapore. The vaccine certificates will be recognised by vaccines approved by...

A magisterial inquiry into Pilatus Bank’s operations identified several instances where suspicious activity was not reported to authorities, the court heard on Friday.The compilation of evidence against Pilatus Bank and its former MLRO Claude-A...

The Nationalist Party is considering taking legal action against Public Broadcasting Services if propaganda favouring the government continues, David Agius, Nationalist Party deputy leader, said on Friday.In a press conference, Agius called out PBS f...

On Saturday 25 September, Misraħ San Filep and Sciortino Road in Zebbug will be closed off between 5pm and 11pm as the Zebbug town square becomes pedestrianised for an evening.Parking vehicles on these roads after 2pm on Saturday will be prohibi...

A public consultation document concerning investments amounting to €29 million, which Malta will benefit from through the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund, has been launched.This is another document in a series of public consult...

Prime Minister Robert Abela has said that the tourism sector in Malta will continue being supported by the Maltese government following the Covid-19 pandemic. During a consultation meeting held on Friday, on the 2022 Budget with the Malta Hotels and ...

Earlier this month, Gozo Police assisted by Wild Birds Regulation Unit (WBRU) officers confiscated around 300 wild finches from a Gozo property after these were possibly smuggled into the country from Italy to be used as live decoys for illegal bird ...

Tiny San Marino is one of the last countries in Europe which forbids abortion in any circumstance — a ban that dates from 1865. On Sunday, its citizens can vote in a referendum calling for abortion to be made legal in the first 12 weeks of preg...

A 10-year-old girl was seriously injured in a traffic accident in Paola on Friday morning, the police said.The accident took place in Triq Ħal Tarxien, at around 9:30am.Preliminary investigations revealed that the girl was hit by a Mazda Demio, ...

By the end of August 2021, the Government’s Consolidated Fund reported a deficit of €753.2 million, a statement by the National Statistics Office read.In the first eight months of 2021, the recurrent revenue amounted to €3,221.5 milli...

Last week, The Malta Independent carried a short story about how Malta’s Permanent Representative at the United Nations was watching a football game while she was attending a meeting on Malta’s behalf.She had posted a photo showing her mo...

The Nationalist Party has proposed lowering the VAT rate for hotels and restaurants to seven from 18%.The existing rate of 7% on accommodation only would be extended to all other hotel services and, most importantly to restaurants which now purchase ...

British energy firms are rationing supplies of gasoline and closing some petrol pumps — the latest in a string of shortages that have seen McDonald’s take milkshakes off the menu, KFC run short of chicken and gaps appear on supermarket sh...

The European Commission has presented a legislative proposal to establish a single charger for smartphones, tablets, and other devices in two years.The proposal will require all manufacturers to harmonize the charging points on devices — using ...

Corinthia Golden Sands Resort Limited will need to pay €10.3 million in order for its contract with government to change and allow part of the site to be used for residential use.The Parliamentary National Audit Office Accounts Committee met tod...

Maltese vaccine certificates are being sold for €150 on the black market, according to a new report issued by a cyber-security firm.Check Point Research reported that the black market for fake vaccine certificates has expanded globally, now sell...

A court has jailed a man from Floriana for eight years after convicting him of repeatedly raping, stalking and violently attacking a woman who wanted to end their secret, abusive, relationship.David Xuereb, 48, had been charged in September 2017, aft...

The Office of the Prime Minister contacted the Office of the Police Commissioner this morning in order to ensure that the necessary measures relative to Manuel Delia and his family's safety are taken, a spokesperson for the Office of the Prime Minist...

Continuing University students will physically return to Msida campus on Monday 27 September as the academic year 2021-22 commences, the University of Malta confirmed in a statement.Meanwhile, new students will enjoy the traditional Freshers’ W...

12 new cases of Covid-19 have been reported by health authorities in their daily update on the pandemic, as hospital numbers have continued to decline.47 people have recovered, and with no new deaths reported in the last 24 hours, the number of activ...

Offices for the Commission on Gender-Based Violence and Domestic Violence at the Zentrum Business Centre in Qormi were inaugurated today by Minister for Equality, Research and Innovation, Owen Bonnici.These offices which are set to enable local resea...

PN Leader Bernard grech has described Adrian Delia's show of force at the Independence Day rally on the Floriana Granaries as 'unacceptable'.Over 25 Delia supporters had arrived at the granaries wearing 'Team Adrian' T-shirts at the granaries, and De...

A 31-year-old Chinese woman suffered grievous injuries after she was hit by a car in Triq Sant Anna in Floriana, police said.Police said in a statement that the incident happened at around 3:30pm close to Portes des Bombes – or Bieb il-Bombi as...

Five matches. Five wins.Victor Osimhen scored twice, Hirving Lozano helped set up three goals and Napoli impressed in a 4-0 win at Sampdoria on Thursday to extend its perfect start to Serie A.Chasing its first Italian league title since Diego Maradon...

Malta Public Transport and the Malta Police Force signed a collaboration agreement with the aim to improve public safety and security on public transport through an increase of police presence. This collaboration will allow all police officers to tra...

The European Union unveiled plans Thursday that would require smartphone makers to adopt a single charging method for mobile devices.The EU Commission proposed legislation Thursday that would mandate USB-C cables for charging, technology that many de...

The Institute of Maltese Journalists (IĠM) has called on the police to investigate the threats made against Manuel Delia.Manuel Delia said that he will be leaving Malta as he feared for his safety, having received threats. The news was first rep...

The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation has launched the Public Interest Litigation Network (PILN), Malta’s first non-governmental access-to-justice initiative.The purpose of the Public Interest Litigation Network is to promote awareness of polic...

The European Central Bank's first climate stress test shows higher risks of loan defaults for banks in fire-plagued southern Europe, including Malta, and argues that an earlier and orderly shift to greener energy may have costs — but pay off fo...

The iconic British Red Arrows display team has arrived in Malta ahead of the return of the Malta International Airshow.Based at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire, the Red Arrows had flown almost 5,000 displays in 57 countries, by the beginning of 2021 &md...

A Turkish warship issued a warning to a Greek research vessel to prevent it entering what Turkey considers its territorial waters, Turkey's Defense Ministry said Wednesday. The showdown came a year after tensions in the eastern Mediterranean threaten...

There was a time when the Labour Party shunned Independence Day and all that was associated with it.It had even gone as far as to deem it to be so insignificant that it removed 21 September from the list of national feasts.For Labour, first Republic ...

An elderly man was grievously injured on Thursday morning after he fell off a ladder, police said in a statement.Police said that at around 9am on Thursday, the 71-year-old man from Hamrun fell off a ladder in Triq id-Duluri in Zejtun.The man was giv...

The executive committee of the Malta Police Union officially wrote to the Commissioner of Police to repeal a Circular imposing that non-uniformed members are obliged to shave their beard, under the threat of disciplinary action for non-compliance.The...

One of the major challenges the Responsible Gaming Foundation faces is getting individuals to see that they have a problem, the foundation's General Manager Kevin O'Neill told The Malta Business Weekly."Sadly, many understand that they have a problem...

The inequity of COVID-19 vaccine distribution will come into sharper focus Thursday as many of the African countries whose populations have little to no access to the life-saving shots step to the podium to speak at the U.N.'s annual meeting of world...

The bungalows on Comino, which are to be redeveloped as part of a wider planning application, are intended to be sold, an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report tied to the project reads.The whole project proposal is to redevelop the existing 100...

A group of local architects and engineers have released an afforestation proposal for the Maltese Islands. The proposal ‘Help Malta Breathe’, which was released in the form of a video on social media, outlines the concept of planting of i...

Education Minister Justyne Caruana has said that discussions are on-going to ensure that all University of Malta students can physically return to lectures on campus. Caruana was asked by The Malta Independent on controversy surrounding the retu...

Education Minister Justyne Caruana has said that “as soon as the health authorities inform us that there is no longer the need for students to wear masks in class, we will follow that directive.” “Although I understand that thi...

A total of 19 countries have been moved from Malta’s dark red travel list to its red list which allows quarantine-free travel for those who are in possession of a recognised vaccine certificate.The changes were announced in a legal notice on Mo...

18 new cases of Covid-19 cases were reported by health authorities on Monday.49 people meanwhile have recovered from the virus, and with no new deaths reported in the last 24 hours, the number of active cases is now down to 523.23 patients are curren...

Critics had been demanding that Juventus use its younger players more during a horrendous start to Serie A, and they had to be appeased after Moise Kean, Federico Chiesa and Matthijs De Ligt each scored in a 3-2 win at Spezia for the Bianconeri&rsquo...

The Court of Criminal Appeal has partially upheld an appeal filed by brothers George and Alfred Degiorgio against the rejection of their preliminary pleas to the bill of indictment filed against them.The men are indicted for committing the murder of ...

One route to a first trophy since 2017 is already over for Manchester United.Ole Gunnar Solskjær's team was knocked out of the League Cup in the third round by West Ham on Wednesday.Manuel Lanzini clinched a 1-0 victory after sweeping in from R...

A debate over whether former Nationalist Party leader Adrian Delia should contest on the 7th electoral district or on a district somewhere in the south of the island for the next general election is ongoing within the PN’s internal structures.S...

Malta must fix its reputation by changing it, Opposition Leader Bernard Grech said Wednesday.He was addressing the Malta Institute of Accounting’s Biennale, ‘REUSE, REDUCE, REPORT’, discussing sustainable accounting.“Malta fac...

Hospice Malta has launched its annual Sunflower Campaign fundraiser for 2021The NGO reports that in 2020 more than 1,300 patients and their families benefitted from Hospice services. Hospice offers tailor made care plans designed around each patient'...

Minister for Justice and Governance Edward Zammit Lewis launched the second phase of the Public Consultation for the Digital Justice Strategy and Action Plan. The aim of the strategy is to strengthen the use of technology in the justice sector, in or...

Three Romanian men have been charged with organised crime and money laundering, as police said that they had broken up an international pickpocketing ring.In a statement on Monday, police said that three Romanian men – Teodor Dumitrescu, 54, a ...

Transport Malta is “quite confident” that the number of yearly public transport passengers will start to increase again as of 2022, a Transport Malta spokesperson told The Malta Independent.The Covid-19 pandemic has had a clear impact on ...

Pope Francis is set to visit Malta in the early days of December.The news of the pontiff's visit to Malta has long made the headlines, but although no official date has been announced, it is envisaged that the head of the Catholic Church will come ov...

The government’s “substantial investment” in the quality of education across the country must result in a further reduction in the number of early school leavers, Education Minister Justyne Caruana said today.Caruana noted the impor...

Socialist MEPs will meet in Malta between 27 and 30 September in what is the first external meeting for the S&D group since the pandemic.The Labour Party said that it would be hosting the MEPs in Malta and that Prime Minister Robert Abela would b...

An elderly woman riding as a passenger was grievously injured when the car she was in crashed into a bollard.The car, a Toyota Passo, was being driven by a man aged 78 and resident in Luqa.The woman, aged 76, also of Luqa, was taken to hospital with ...

Racism, the climate crisis and the world’s worsening divisions will take center stage at the United Nations on Wednesday, a day after the U.N. chief issued a grim warning that “we are on the edge of an abyss.”For the first time sinc...

A man was injured after a fall on a construction site, the police said.The accident took place in Sir Paul Boffa Street, Marsascala, at 2pm on Tuesday.The man, who fell one storey, did not immediately go to hospital.But later he was in pain, called f...