A young man has died and a teenaged girl is critical after the car they were in crashed into a wall in Luqa, the police said.The man, aged 21, of St Julian's, lost control of the BMW 320 CD Sport he was driving, with the vehicle crashing into the wal...

Parliament has become an instrument of impunity, an institution that does not observe its own decisions, NGO Repubblika said.It was referring to a story published in The Times today which says that MP Rosianne Cutajar was not reprimanded for a breach...

Environment Minister Aaron Farrugia fell back onto blaming the 2006 changes to Malta and Gozo’s local plans by a PN government when challenged over concerns about excessive levels of development in Gozo.Asked by The Malta Independent about crit...

Fitch Ratings has affirmed Malta's long-term foreign-currency issuer default rating (IDR) at 'A+' with a stable outlook.Malta's rating is supported by high per-capita income levels, a large net external creditor position and a pre-pandemic record of ...

How many times have we heard people with a certain level of standing and power speak about how Malta needs to get past its affinity and love for tribalism, and how not everything is a matter of partisan interest?If ever there was an exercise in futil...

Two local councils and eight organisations today expressed their indignation at what they said was Fortina’s latest attempt to take over Balluta Bay through their application for a pontoon that would service their 33-meter tourist catamaran goi...

Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects Ian Borg inaugurated the reconstruction of Għeriexem road and its promenade which will be creating a safer pedestrian route between Mdina, Rabat and Mtarfa.Minister Ian Borg mentioned h...

The Ministry for the Environment, Climate Change and Planning and the Ministry for Education are entering into an agreement to carry out greening projects in government schools, in order to create ecological school environments, the government said i...

Hili Properties plc, the strategic real estate investment subsidiary of Hili Ventures, has signed a sale and purchase agreement with YIT Lietuva, a subsidiary of the Finnish urban developer YIT, for a production plant in Lithuania. YIT is one of the ...

Some of the world's most famous tennis players, distraught by the disappearance of colleague Peng Shuai, are challenging China's Communist Party to get answers.So far it's a standoff with little visible impact as tennis players like Naomi Osaka, Sere...

The Constitutional Court has upheld a request to have Keith Schembri’s mobile phone data presented in a case opened by Yorgen Fenech for the removal of Superintendent Keith Arnaud from investigations into the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia.Ju...

Firefighters have extinguished a fire that broke out in a building in Portomaso.The fire broke out on Friday afternoon in a building adjacent to Portomaso tower. The blaze broke out on the eight floor. No one was injured.Several Civil Protection Depa...

Shocking comments were directed to a man who climbed on the bastion of Hastings Garden in Valletta on Friday morning, as reported by the Times of Malta.In a video posted on the Times, several of the onlookers passed disturbing comments encouraging th...

A woman has been fined a total of €1,500 together with a six-month prison sentence, suspended for four years, after a ruthless comment she made on Facebook against PN activist and head of youth branch Team Start Eve Borg Bonello. Eve Borg B...

A group of Marsascala residents, including the local council minority leader John Baptist Camilleri, have been acquitted by the Court of all charges brought against them in a sitting held this morning, Moviment Graffitti has saidNGO Moviment Graffitt...

Due to a recent spike in Covid-19 cases, Malta has officially been put back on the orange travel list by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) after being on the ECDC green list for two months.Cases have gone up from 250 to ov...

Two men have been hospitalised after being involved in a car accident in Żebbuġ on Friday afternoon.The accident which was a collision between a car and a truck happened on Mdina Road at around 12.30 p.m., with the car enduring the most ext...

A unanimous not guilty verdict has cleared Okolo Innocent Okwudili of the murder of his friend and fellow Nigerian Joseph Ezechi, who died of a single stab wound inflicted by Okwudili in an Qawra apartment in 2020.The jury heard how Ezechi had come t...

79 new cases of Covid-19 were reported by health authorities, as the high number of daily cases continued to increase.30 people have recovered, placing the number of active cases at 753.13 patients are currently being treated at Mater Dei Hospital, t...

The President of Malta and Mrs Vella ended their visit to London where they met with the Maltese patients currently receiving treatment in London.Presently, 25 Maltese patients are receiving treatment in various hospitals in London.The President and ...

A new €2 million scheme which will see some 2,300 low-income families be able to get a laptop and €300 worth of internet was launched on Friday by Economy Minister Silvio Schembri and Social justice Minister Michael Falzon.The Digital Conne...

The standards committee case surrounding Rosianne Cutajar and the money she pocketed from 17 Black owner Yorgen Fenech came to a close this week, but the outcome will do nothing to raise political standards in Malta. Over the past months, the committ...

Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said Friday that the country will go into a national lockdown to contain a fourth wave of coronavirus cases.Schallenberg said the lockdown will start Monday and initially last for 10 days. Most stores will c...

People travelling to EU countries, including Malta, will soon have another piece of admin to face. This is completely unrelated to Covid documentations. Non-EU citizens, including Americans, Australians, Brits and other travellers from outside the Sc...

A former Corradino Correctional Facility inmate who had committed suicide was bullied by other inmates in front of the guards, according to a manuscript written by a recently released inmate who has remained anonymous.The 41-page manuscript details t...

Parks Malta will be organising the first edition of Christmas in the Park at the Marsaskala Family Park. The park will be turned into a Christmas Village, welcoming adults and children to enjoy Christmas in the Park with a difference.The event will r...

Despite some important efforts in the last years, the progress for gender equality and women’s rights in the EU is going far too slowly, Member of the European Parliament Heléne Fritzon said. She was speaking as the Socialists &...

Germany approved new measures Thursday to rein in record coronavirus infections as Chancellor Angela Merkel called the pandemic situation in the country “very serious” and said it was “high time” to contain the spread of the v...

The Planning Board has expressed its intention to vote against a proposal that would see 10 tourism bungalows constructed on the site of the Pulvic explosives factory.The proposal is for the construction of “boutique accommodation”, cater...

The first Reverse Osmosis plant in Gozo, at Ħondoq ir-Rummien, was inaugurated today.The project, which saw €11 million invested, was co-financed through EU funds.The plant, which will improve the access, quality and supply of water for res...

A party held as part of the SiGMA Europe Summit in Malta on Wednesday evening was shut down by the police over a lack of Covid-19 mitigation measures. The event was being held at Paceville’s Sky Club. Sources said the police shut down the party...

UHM Voice of the Workers has filed a judicial protest before the First Hall of the Civil Court against the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health and the Chief Executive of the Foundation for Medical Services (FMS).This course of action was ta...

The Prime Minister, Home Affairs Minister and the State Advocate denied allegations that migrants’ rights were breached when they were held on tourist boats out at sea for weeks in 2020.Thirty-two irregular migrants who were held aboard Captain...

66 new cases of Covid-19 were reported by health authorities on Thursday, as the number of active cases continued its rise.32 people have recovered, meaning that the number of active cases is now at 704.It is the first time since 15 September, when t...

The Privatisation Unit (PU) publicly announced the results of the financial offers for the concession for the rights of the National Lottery of Malta, with a company owned by the IZI Group being the 'preferred proponent'.It will likely take over from...

Seven persons have been arrested by the police in three drug raids in 24 hours, the police said in a statement.Heroin and cocaine ready to be trafficked were seized in the three operations.After days of observation, two men and two women aged between...

The new greening project for the urban areas in Żabbar will be one of the many initiatives to rejuvenate several areas around the island, particularly in the South of Malta, as announced by the Minister for Environment Aaron Farrugia. The projec...

European Commisioner Helena Dalli today revealed that there are plans for a second framework to extend the coverage of what is currently considered as hate speech. Addressing a conference about Combatting and Preventing Hate Speech, Dalli stated that...

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...

The last two games that the national football team played at Ta’ Qali stadium in the past days threw away all the good feeling that had been created since Italian manager Devis Mangia took over the reins.Malta first lost 1-7 against Croatia and...

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...