The head of Germany's disease control agency has warned that the country faces a “really terrible Christmas” unless steps are taken to counter the sharp rise in coronavirus infections.German lawmakers are debating measures Thursday that w...

Ten people were found dead at the bottom of an overcrowded wooden boat packed with 99 surviving migrants and refugees who were rescued off Libya, the aid group Doctors Without Borders said.The victims suffocated while the packed boat listed at sea fo...

The organisers of the SiGMA Europe Summit which is currently taking place at MFCC complex in Ta’ Qali are failing to follow the Covid-19 protocols set out by health authorities for major events.The Malta Independent has received information fro...

390 workers employed with the Correctional Services Agency have submitted a petition through the Disciplined Forces branch of the General Workers Union for the reinstatement Colonel Alex Dalli as director of the prison. The GWU stated that the w...

People are receiving fake appointments telling them to go and get their vaccine booster shot, with the result of confusion being created at vaccination hubs.The messages (an example of which is below), which are being sent from a Maltese number advis...

Minister for Foreign and European Affairs Evarist Bartolo took part in a meeting in Brussels on aid to Palestinian refugees, convened by Jordan and Sweden. During the meeting, Minister Bartolo said that Malta will continue to assist the United Nation...

The Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST) launched its strategic direction for the next six years in an event presided by Minister for Education Justyne Caruana.This document, formulated in the overarching context of the College's Str...

Independent MP Konrad Mizzi is in hospital and was unable to attend today's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meeting.Media reports read that Mizzi is in hospital with a case of peritonitis, and might need to spend a few days there. Peritonitis is a re...

Ponte Ferries is today kick-starting its service between Malta and Sicily, offering exceptional introductory prices for a one-month Christmas shopping bonanza in Sicily, the company said.Ticket sales for its fast ferry, catamaran service to the port ...

Fitch Ratings has placed certain ratings of four EMEA banks Under Criteria Observation (UCO), following the publication of its updated Bank Rating Criteria on 12 November 2021.The banks are Bank of Valletta, Credit Europe Bank (Russia) Ltd, ProCredit...

Labour Party MEP Alex Agius Saliba has said that he will back his PN counterpart Roberta Metsola in her bid to become Malta’s first ever European Parliament President.Agius Saliba said on social media that while he and Metsola had many politica...

A marsh harrier released by BirdLife was found dead two days later off Gozo, the NGO said on its Facebook page.The illegal hunting situation is beyond remarkable, the NGO said.On 5 November 2021 Birdlife said it was contacted by a kayaker who found t...

For the second day running, 64 new cases of Covid-19 were reported by health authorities on Wednesday.30 people have recovered from the virus, taking the number of active cases up to 670.15 patients are currently being treated at Mater Dei Hospital &...

The government has launched a scheme to help fishermen cope with the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Anton Refalo said.He said that this is the second consecutive year in which the government and the Fisheries and...

Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects Ian Borg presented to European Commissioner Adina Vălean with studies which were commissioned for the Maltese Government regarding mass transport.Minister Ian Borg explained that in rec...

The Nationalist Party has demanded the withdrawal of Legal Notice 419 published on 5 November entitled “Exemption from Tax on Property Transfers (Set-Off of Tax Arrears) Rules,” after having raised numerous questions and concerns over the...

The Standards Committee has voted to admonish PL MP Rosianne Cutajar after adopting a report that found her in breach of ethics, however a proposal by PN MPs to suspend her from Parliament for a month was shot down.The Standards Committee had, on 9 N...

Two Turkish and one Italian company along with three other Italian individuals make up one of the joint ventures bidding for the proposed Marsascala yacht marina, information tabled in Parliament reveals.Harbour Management JV is one of four bidders f...

The focus of the bill to reform cannabis laws is on decriminalisation and harm reduction, Minister Owen Bonnici has said.Parliament yesterday began discussing the 'Authority on the Responsible Use of Cannabis Bill', which has been the topic of public...

A Maltese court has been told that Steward Healthcare admitted in a UK court that Ambrish Gupta, an early investor in the formerly Vitals’ hospital privatisation concession, was involved in irregular and collusive practice with the Muscat admin...

At least three institutions have criticised the government for a legal notice regarding the payment of tax, all saying that what the government is doing amounts to discrimination against law-abiding people while benefiting defaulters.The institutions...

22 entities presented a position paper on the recreational cannabis bill to members of parliament, expressing serious concern about the short and long term effects on society of the proposed legislation and calling for a serious, mature and researche...

The Netherlands will be back at the World Cup after an eight-year gap, forcing Norway star Erling Haaland to wait until at least 2026 to make his debut on the biggest stage.The Dutch did just enough Tuesday with late goals in a 2-0 win in Rotterdam t...

In its judgement delivered on the 1 November 2021 in the names of Joseph Vella v. Mary Helen sive Mariella Strout, the Court of Magistrates, presided over by Magistrate Rachel Montebello, considered the mechanics of slander under Maltese law. In...

64 new cases of Covid-19 were reported by health authorities on Tuesday as the current spike in cases has continued to persist.31 people meanwhile have recovered, taking the number of active cases up to 636.16 patients – three more than Monday ...

Moviment Graffitti has described the recommended approval of an application to convert a disused explosives factory in Dingli into ten bungalows as another planning travesty. The Planning Authority is set to decide on the controversial developme...

A controversial planning application proposing the demolition of the existing Pulvic explosives factory and the construction of “boutique accommodation”, catering for a total of 14 guest bedrooms built within 10 separate one floor blocks,...

MGC Pharma has chosen Malta to start producing medicine related to Covid-19 treatment, it was announced during the inauguration of a €4 million investment by the company.The investment was carried out at Ħal Far, where the company will be p...

Next month, a court is to decide on a request for a variation of a freezing order issued on former Progress Press Chairman Vincent Buhagiar.Buhagiar stands accused of money laundering after allegedly receiving hundreds of thousands of euros under a &...

Transport Malta has withdrawn a controversial application for offices and a restaurant on the Council of Europe Gardens, one of Gzira’s last remaining green lungs.The planning application had been filed in April, wherein state agency Transport ...

Twelve persons were arrested in Sicily in a police raid on a drug trafficking ring which included the transport of cocaine and marijuana to Malta, Italian news agency ANSA reported.The 12 are to be charged with offences including drug trafficking and...

Malta will soon obtain a cancer drug which was approved by the European medicines Agency in October, the government said Tuesday.The process to import Pembrolizumab, to be made available to breast cancer patients, started immediat...

Virtu Ferries has announced what it described as a “robust schedule and special fares” for the Easter and Summer 2022 periods.Virtu Ferries said that it will be operating two vessels, M/V Saint John Paul II and M/V Jean de la Valette on t...

Roberta Metsola will be running for the post of President of the European Parliament.MEPs are vying over the Parliament's Presidency as David Sassoli's term soon comes to an end. Reports have read that Sassoli may seek a second term, but a number of ...

The total teaching and non-teaching staff working in formal education during the 2019-20 academic year amounted to 18,214 – an increase of 4.5% when compared to the previous academic year, data published by the National Statistics Office showed...

Michael Spiteri Bailey has been appointed as the controller of Nemea Bank by the Malta Financial Services Authority to oversee the winding up of the bank.The liquidation of the bank, which had its license withdrawn by the European Central Bank in 201...

Employees at Air Malta, Enemalta and Telemalta as well as other Maltese entities have suffered some type of injustice under a Labour government, Nationalist Party Deputy Leader David Agius said today.There have been numerous injustices affecting work...

Prime Minister Robert Abela urged the public to stick to vaccine appointments “since the road back to normality depends on the actions of everyone.”Speaking in Parliament on the financial estimates of the Office of the Prime Minister, Abe...

The European Parliament sent a strong message last week, that something needs to be done against Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs).This newsroom has written many-a-time about the threat of SLAPP lawsuits and the chilling effect...

The Head of the Malta Security Services has filed his reply to an appeal filed by murder suspect George Degiorgio against a judgment which declared that the use of phone taps breached his rights, by insisting that the intercepts were not illegal and ...

Opposition Leader Bernard Grech scrutinised the Prime Minister and other members of the government on their shortcomings which have affected the Maltese public, when speaking in Parliament on Monday.Taking part in a debate on the financial estimates ...

A key witness in the Dalligate affair has been fined €53,000 by the Malta Financial Services Authority and told to cease providing Company Services Provider (CSP) services.In a notice issued on its website, the financial services watchdog said i...

A court has prohibited a girls’ football team coach from sports coaching as part of his bail conditions after he was charged on October 25 with defiling a 15-year-old female footballer in his care. The man, who is in his 70s and who cannot...

Italy is facing another detour to get to a World Cup final.The playoffs beckon for the Azzurri — just like four years ago — after stumbling to 0-0 at Northern Ireland on Monday, plunging the recently crowned European champion to a second-...

The situation in the Western Balkans, the Sahel, the Belarusian and Ukrainian borders, were the main focus of the Foreign Affairs Council meeting, which was convened today in Brussels. EU Foreign Ministers exchanged views on the Western Balkans as pa...

10 prisoners are staging a hunger strike calling for the reinstatement of self-suspended prisons chief Alex Dalli to his role.The prisoners are being monitored by Corradino’s medical team as per standard procedure, LovinMalta reports.The hunger...

Malta is already suffering financial repercussions as the Financial Action Task Force’s decision to grey-list the country, PN MP Mario De Marco said on Monday. Although the FATF found Malta to be technically compliant with regards to laws ...

A code on demolition, excavation and construction will be issued for public consultation in the coming weeks, the minister resonsible for planning, Aaron Farrugia, told Parliament on Monday.He was answering a parliamentary question by Labour MP Olive...

55 new cases of Covid-19 were reported by health authorities on Monday, as active cases continued to increase.17 people have, meanwhile, recovered from the virus.  The number of active cases stands at 603.  It’s the first time since 1...

New regulations for voluntary organisations and charity shops have been published, easing restrictions and procedures related to public collections which had initially drawn wide criticism from VOs.The Office of the Commissioner for Voluntary Organis...

Austria took what its leader called the “dramatic" step Monday of implementing a nationwide lockdown for unvaccinated people who haven't recently had COVID-19, perhaps the most drastic of a string of measures being taken by European governments...

A woman died when she was hit by a car on Sunday evening, the police said.The woman, a 30-year-old Tunisian, was hit by a Mercedes Benz C350 driven by a 42-year-old man of Mellieha, at Xemxija Hill, limits of St Paul's Bay, just after 8pm on Sunday.T...

Promises for the roofing of the Santa Venera tunnels continue to be ignored by the PL, said the PN's chief spokesperson Peter Agius, joined by PN candidate and Minority Leader of Santa Venera’s local council, Darren Carabott. Speaking on the br...

The situation in the Western Balkans, the Sahel, as well as the Belarusian and Ukrainian borders were the main focus of the Foreign Affairs Council meeting, which was convened today in Brussels. EU Foreign Ministers exchanged views on the Western Bal...

The Nationalist Party’s working group dedicated to discussing the legalisation of cannabis was rendered largely “futile” after it became impossible for a decision on what the party’s position should be, sources have told The M...

A toddler has been rushed to hospital after falling two storeys out of a balcony in Msida on Monday morning.Police confirmed that the incident took place at around 8am in Triq Santa Venera in Msida, where the one-year-old girl fell off of a balcony.T...

Journalist Maria Muscat, known more by her stage name La Barokka, has spoken out about what she described as discrimination, having been prevented from reading news bulletins on TV because of her weight.During last Sunday’s airing of ‘Ta&...

Pete Buttigieg, the transportation secretary who holds the purse strings to much of President Joe Biden’s $1 trillion infrastructure package, was holding forth with reporters on its impact — the promise of more electric cars, interci...

The weekend saw the – perhaps surprising – continuation of a debate which will likely be one of the more talked about social factors in the run up to the general election, as the Nationalist Party (finally) gave its opinion on the proposa...

As from today, the influenza vaccine is available to the general public from the ages of 12 and above from all health centres in Malta and Gozo. As said today on a post by the Ministry for Health’s official Facebook page, Saħħa, vacci...

A 23-year-old woman suffered grievous injuries after she fell off a cliff-edge while walking in Ghajn Tuffieha, police said.In a statement, the police said that their assistance had been requested at around 5pm on Sunday in the area known as tal-Qarr...

Heritage Malta said today it is releasing another audio-visual production entitled Malta Oskura: il-Mewt, which will air on 30 November at 8.30pm.This production is the third of its kind, in a series entitled Malta Oskura. The first two productions i...

British police arrested three men under terrorism laws Sunday after a car exploded outside a hospital in Liverpool, killing one man and injuring another.Counter-terrorism police said the three men, whose ages ranged from 21 to 29, were detained in th...

The Malta Financial Services Authority today issued warnings against clone companies which are not registered to operate in Malta. The MFSA has brought light to two entities using the names of registered and licensed Maltese companies, PGB Limited an...

The Labour Party’s list of candidates for the general election does not include Konrad Mizzi, but the Party avoided saying whether the MP is still a member.In June 2020, Mizzi was expelled from the PL’s Parliamentary Group after a decisio...

Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna used his Remembrance Day homily to call on politicians to take a stand in favour of life “from beginning to end”.“Politicians’ choices need to be in favour of life from the beginning to end, beca...

Corradino Correctional Facility chief Colonel Alex Dalli is currently receiving half his salary as part of the terms of his self-suspension.Asked by The Malta Independent, a spokesperson for the Ministry for Home Affairs said that Dalli, who suspende...

Nearly two years after his resignation, Joseph Muscat remains in the thick of things.He is not a closed chapter, as his successor Robert Abela wants us to believe. We should forget all about him and move on, we were told.But Muscat still has so much ...

Spain, Serbia and Croatia are heading to next year's World Cup. Sweden, Portugal and Russia aren't — not yet, anyway.Aleksandar Mitrovic's 90th-minute header left Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal stunned in a 2-1 win for Serbia in Lisbon, which g...

32 new cases of Covid-19 were reported on Sunday as the number of people in hospital and in intensive care decreased.19 people have recovered from the virus, meaning that Malta currently has 565 active cases of Covid-19.12 patients – three less...

The son and one-time heir apparent of late Libyan dictator Moammar Gaddafi announced Sunday his candidacy for the country's presidential election next month, Libya's election agency said.Seif al-Islam, who is wanted by the International Criminal Cour...

Malta succumbed to a second heavy defeat in the last game of the Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifying group, losing 0-6 to Slovakia at Ta' Qali Stadium.On Friday, Malta had lost 1-7 to Croatia. These two heavy defeats meant Malta finished last in the grou...

The Italian Coast Guard on Sunday safely brought to shore more than 550 migrants, many of them young men or boys from Egypt, from storm-tossed waters off the southern “toe” of Italy’s mainland, as human traffickers increasingly use ...

Scores of residents and citizens participated in a cultural walk around Marsascala Bay on Sunday morning.The walk was organised in the context of plans by Transport Malta to turn Marsascala Bay into a Yacht Marina that will take over the sea and the ...

The Nationalist Party parliamentary group did not discuss its stand on the cannabis bill with the party’s executive committee before issuing a statement criticising the proposals as they “would normalise and increase drug abuse in Malta&r...

Munxar mayor Damien Spiteri is concerned about the “excessive level of development” in Xlendi and has called for reflection over how this will affect the locality in the long-term.Xlendi falls under the Munxar local council."We, as a coun...

The Tunnel Rehabilitation Project will be finished in the “coming weeks”, a spokesperson for Infrastructure Malta (IM) told The Malta Independent, as works in the tunnels continue months beyond their initial targeted dates of completion.T...

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton ended “the hardest weekend I’ve had” with a stunning victory at the Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday, and gained momentum in his Formula One title fight with Red Bull driver Max Verstappen.Hamilton, a se...

Remembrance Day was commemorated in Malta on Sunday morning, with the country’s top officials leading the tributes in the traditional wreath-laying ceremony in Floriana.President George Vella led proceedings at the ceremony, which took place at...

After years of waiting and countless calls on the police force to arraign John Dalli over his alleged involvement in a bribery case, the former European Commissioner was finally taken to court on Friday. Only the case was immediately put off because ...

TVM journalist and presenter Mario Xuereb tells us about his love for Floriana FC and history.He remembers his childhood days fondly, from riding bikes to kicking ball and playing hide and seek. Like many, he enjoys pizza and takes exception to ...

The change in excavation and demolition times won't really help residents without proper enforcement, St Julian's mayor Albert Buttigieg has said.The mayor fears that if enforcement isn’t taken seriously, the change won’t really have an e...

A teenaged girl was grievously injured when a racing car crashed into a wall and Hal Far, with stones hitting the girl who was watching in the vicinity, the police said.The accident happened on Saturday at 4pm.The car was being driven by a 29-year-ol...

Queen Elizabeth II missed out on the Remembrance Sunday service in London to pay tribute to Britain's war dead because she sprained her back, Buckingham Palace said Sunday.The service, one of the most important on the 95-year-old monarch's calendar, ...

A man suffered serious injuries after he was hit by a car in Marsa early on Sunday morning, the police said.The man, an Eritrean aged 25, was hit by a Toyota Double Cabin being driven by a 35-year-old man of Santa Venera.The pedestrian was taken to h...

Carmel Vella was born in 1946 to Joseph and Antonia Bonnici. He is married to Lydia née Caruana and father of two boys, Kenneth and Marvin.His early days were passed in Zabbar. “Yes I was brought up in Zabbar with my aunt till the age of...

Almost 200 nations accepted a compromise deal Saturday aimed at keeping a key global warming target alive, but it contained a last-minute change that watered down crucial language about coal.Several countries, including small island states, said they...

The Malta Employers’ Association stated Saturday that the Cannabis Reform Bill which is presented in the House of Representatives falls short of addressing numerous issues connected to consumption of cannabis.It provides no assurances to employ...

Police Commissioner Angelo Gafa refrained from giving comments on the case against former EU Commissioner John Dalli, saying that he is precluded at law to publicly discuss individual cases and will say what he needs to say in court.John Dalli has be...

Activists on Saturday held a vigil in remembrance of the prisoners who lost their lives at Corradino Correctional Facility (CCF).“The reign of terror instituted by former prison director Alex Dalli is a clear factor leading to this loss of life...

The Malta Institute of Accountants noted with disapproval the introduction of Legal Notice 419 of 2021, which allows taxpayers to offset tax payable on property transfers against their existing tax arrears.This measure is tantamount to a tax amnesty ...

The number of active Covid-19 cases continues to climb sharply as 51 new cases were found on Saturday, with only 12 recoveries, health authorities said.There are now 552 active cases on the islands, the highest number since 21 September, when we had ...

Police chief Angelo Gafa’ has the duty to open an investigation on former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat following a news article in which it was revealed that Muscat pockets €60,000 from a company which had links to another which took over ...

Floriana: Vilhena Pharmacy, 3, St Anne Street; Marsa: Trinity Pharmacy, 32, Marsa Road; Qormi: Evans Pharmacy, 96/98, St Sebastian Street; Swatar: Collis Williams – St Mark's Pharmacy, P. Borg Olivier Street c/w Gianni Vella Street; Pietà...

The Malta Developers Association (MDA) disassociates itself from what it described as a discriminatory measure of tax collection.The association was referring to Legal Notice 419 of 2021 which allows taxpayers to offset tax payable on prope...

The Dingli local council has unanimously voted to object against an application for the development of a tourist complex on the site of a fireworks factory in a Natura 2000 site.The application would see the disused Pulvic fireworks factory turned in...

Geologist Peter Gatt said that geologists are the most competent persons to make geological assessments.He was replying to an article titled Peter Gatt 'not competent' to determine if a civil engineering intervention is adequate (Independen...

The Federation for Hunting and Conservation (FKNK) has filed a judicial protest against Birdlife Malta over the eNGOs call to end a derogation to allow finch trapping for scientific research.Birdlife Malta had filed a judicial protest against the Min...

While Kylian Mbappe’s four goals in an 8-0 rout of Kazakhstan ensured defending champion France reached next year’s World Cup along with victorious Belgium, the Netherlands failed to join them Saturday after conceding two late goals.Belgi...