The new restrictive measure related to the wearing of face masks in all public places has been defended by the health authorities, with them saying that “this measure remains the least disruptive of all public health measures, whilst having bee...

The U.K. recorded the highest number of confirmed new COVID-19 infections Wednesday since the pandemic began, and England’s chief medical officer warned the situation is likely to get worse as the omicron variant drives a new wave of illness du...

Malta, Greece, Italy and a handful of other European Union nations began vaccinating children ages 5-11 against COVID-19 as EU governments braced for the omicron variant to spread quickly during the travel and large gatherings of the holiday season.A...

Seasoned entrepreneur Nazzareno Vassallo has announced that he will be stepping down as Chairman of Vassallo Group after more than half a century at the helm of the group, the group said in a statement. He will turn 70 later on this month.He made thi...

In the same days that the Maltese parliament was enacting a controversial law on the use of cannabis for recreational purposes, at the other end of the world New Zealand was laying down its long-term plan to eliminate smoking.Here in Malta, we are ma...

First Vice-President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola wants a European Parliament that empowers, that is diverse. Speaking to the Malta Independent after David Sassoli dropped out of the race for European Parliament President...

Yorgen Fenech, the businessman indicted for the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, had told a Bangladeshi cabinet minister that he had contact with the Maltese Prime Minister in the course of a Whatsapp chat discussing the Electrogas projec...

The Covid-19 wage supplement for businesses will be extended until the end of January, Prime Minister Robert Abela has announced.He was giving comments to TVM in Brussels, where he is attending an EU Summit.Abela said the government has decided to ex...

Binge on all or some of the impressive thirty-six concerts that feature in this January’s Valletta Baroque Festival. Now in its 10-edition, the prestigious festival boasts an eclectic mix of choir performances, grand orchestral suites, stately ...

168 new cases of Covid-19 were reported by health authorities on Wednesday, as the number of vaccine doses administered so far has now exceeded 1 million.It is the highest number of cases reported in a single day since 24 July, when 171 cases were re...

MPs who voted in favour of the health budget in Parliament this week have betrayed the whole country, PN MP Adrian Delia has said.Speaking during a press conference, Delia said that the framework of the hospitals deal contract was made in favour of V...

Prime Minister Robet Abela cannot continue defending a minister who is being criminally investigaed, Opposition leader Bernard Grech said in a statement today.Reacting to nedia reports, Grech said a criminal investigation against Justyne Caruana has ...

Nationalist MP and lawyer Jason Azzopardi has said that the alleged crimes committed by Education Minister Justyne Caruana could land her up to six years in jail, not six months, as many as saying.Azzopardi used his Facebook account to say that repor...

Tarxien parish priest Fr Chris Ellul has lambasted the health authorities for imposing the use of barriers for the procession of Baby Jesus, a traditional event linked with Christmas festivities.Venting his anger of Facebook, the parish priest p...

A judge has rejected a request made by brothers George and Alfred Degiorgio, who asked for the expunging of all evidence that had been heard by the court after the bill of indictment was issued against them.In a decision handed down this morning, Mad...

A police officer was injured on Wednesday when his foot got stuck between a lorry and a pavement.The accident took place at around 1130am in Triq l-Ewwel Titjira 1915, Kirkop, the police said.The police constable was riding a service motorcycle at th...

Maltese MEP Roberta Metsola is closer to being appointed president of the European Parliament for the second half of the current term as incumbent David Sassoli is not seeking a renewal of his mandate, international media report.Influential Politico ...

Standards Commissioner George Hyzler has told independent candidate Arnold Cassola that he cannot investigate the Naxxar mayor over an alleged conflict of interest since the law does not give him the power to investigate mayors and councillors. Casso...

The MEP Alex Agius Saliba will be one of nine elected vice-presidents of the Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament following a vote taken in Strasbourg on Tuesday evening.The Maltese MEP has been given a strong mandate by his colleagues...

Karin Grech Rehabilitation Hospital now has a shortage of 50 nurses, following a number of resignations over the past two weeks, the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses said in a statement on Wednesday. 14 nurses resigned from the hospital in the...

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday that omicron is expected to be the dominant coronavirus variant in the 27-nation bloc by mid-January, amid concerns that a dramatic rise of in infections will leave Europe sh...

Malta has been given the go-ahead to apply for funding for a proposed gas pipeline, following an agreement between the European Parliament, Commission and Council.The funding, however, is said to ensure a fool-proof system preventing these funds from...

So you have heard of Bitcoin, or maybe even Ethereum. You might be wondering what it is all about, and if cryptocurrencies are the future of money. Cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, are basically virtual or digital tokens. They basicall...

Fighting back tears, Barcelona striker Sergio Aguero announced his immediate retirement on Wednesday for health reasons.The 33-year-old Argentina striker underwent heart tests after leaving the field, holding his chest, during Barcelona's match again...

The Labour Party has noted the outcome of the vote which was taken yesterday in Parliament about the bill for reform of recreational cannabis laws. Through this new law, which was formulated after extensive public consultations, new rules regarding p...

The Police are seeking the public’s assistance for help in locating a Libyan man named Karam Ben Arus.Police said on Facebook that the man is wanted to appear in court.Anybody with information about the man’s whereabouts are asked to mess...

The European Union on Tuesday launched a major revamp of the rules governing the movement of people and goods into and around Europe as coronavirus restrictions and fears over a “hybrid attack” from Belarus using migrants are placing incr...

A teenager suffered grievous injuries early on Wednesday morning when he lost control of the car he was driving, and it plunged into a valley.The accident happened at 12.15am in Victoria Road, Zebbug, Gozo.The 18-year-old man, from Xewkija, was drivi...

Sustainable finance has been added as a supervisory priority for 2022 by the Malta Financial Services Authority, complementing others that remain unchanged since 2021.This year, the supervisory priorities were split into cross-sectorial and horizonta...

Maltese people who go abroad know what it means when they find it hard to communicate with foreigners who do not speak English. Some of us speak a third language such as Italian, French and German, but buying something or asking for directions in a f...

A woman is in hospital with grievous injuries after she was hit by a car on Tuesday afternoon, the police said.The accident took place in Imhalla Street, Naxxar, at 5.15pm.The woman, aged 67 of Mosta, was hit by a Toyota Ractis driven by a 45-year-ol...

The European Court of Auditors (ECA) today published its work programme for 2022 and beyond, listing its strategic areas and audit priorities.These will cover a broad range of issues, reflecting the EU’s main challenges and key concerns, a stat...

Parliament has approved the cannabis reform bill, which will allow the cultivation of cannabis plants and possession of up to 7 grammes of the substance.The PN MPs voted against the bill.Speaking about the Bill, Reforms Minister Owen Bonnici said: "W...

It was the government which “perpetuated” the failure of Vitals Global Healthcare to fulfil its commitments in relation to the takeover of three state hospitals, the National Audit Office has said in a new, scathing report on the awarding...

Commissioner for Standards in Public Life George Hyzler has found that the awarding of a €15,000 contract to Daniel Bogdanovic by Education Minister Justyne Caruana amounted to an “abuse of power” by the Education Minister.In his rep...

The Environment and Planning Review Tribunal (EPRT) has rejected two appeals filed by three local councils, nine organisations and several Pembroke residents against the Planning Board's decision to give the go-ahead to the db Group's project on the ...

Seven goals — even without a recognizable striker. A seventh successive victory. Manchester City is looking ruthless in its Premier League title defense.Kevin De Bruyne struck twice, while Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Riyad Mahrez, John Stones an...

Prof. Richard Muscat has been elected to the International Narcotics Control Board. The first ever Maltese expert elected to this Board, he will be serving as member of the board until 2025.With decades of experience as a neuroscientist with a partic...

On the 30 July 2021, the Court of Appeal (Superior Jurisdiction) (the “Court”), presided over by Chief Justice Mark Chetcuti, Mr. Justice Joseph R. Micallef and Mr. Justice Tonio Mallia considered the applicable prescriptive period of a c...

Prime Minister Robert Abela will wait for the final verdict by Parliament’s Standards Committee before considering any steps against Education Minister Justyne Caruana.The PM will not consider temporary measures as the report by the Standards C...

Former Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi has expressed himself against the cannabis bill which is set to be approved this afternoon, saying that he fails to understand how the government had set aside the advice of experts in the field.Taking to his Face...

100 new Covid-19 cases have been reported by health authorities.90 people have recovered, meaning that the number of active cases has again crept over 1,400 – standing now at 1,406.20 patients are currently receiving treatment at Mater Dei Hosp...

The position of Education Minister Justyne Caruana is not tenable any longer and Prime Minister Robert Abela must remove her from her post immediately, The nationalist Party said. A report compiled by Standards Commissioner George Hyzler confirms a b...

Education Minister Justyne Caruana and the permanent secretary in her ministry Frank Fabri should both resign after the Standards Commissioner ruled there was an abuse of power in the handing out of a contract to Daniel Bogdanovic, the minister&rsquo...

The Chairman of the Petitions committee in Parliament, Joe Mizzi, has ignored a request for a petition calling for modifications of the cannabis reform bill to be discussed, the organisations that signed the petition said.A vote in favour of the legi...

Have you been thinking of buying some cryptocurrency? Whether you’re a seasoned investor or just starting, it’s important to do your research before investing in any digital assets. The crypto market can be volatile, so it’s importa...

Malta needs to shift planning towards greener concepts, as green spaces are essential for the well-being of society, Environment Minister Aaron Farrugia said.A conference organised by the Ministry for the Environment, Climate Change and Planning and ...

One year ago, the biggest vaccination drive in American history began with a flush of excitement in an otherwise gloomy December. Trucks loaded with freezer-packed vials of a COVID-19 vaccine that had proved wildly successful in clinical trials fanne...

An Outline Development Application proposing a large garden centre and pet shop in Attard on ODZ land goes before the Planning Board on Thursday.The site of the application is at the end of Sqaq tal-Hofra on what is described by the case officer as "...

The Malta College of Pathologists said that it would be better to limit large gatherings to reduce the spread of Covid-19, rather than impose the wearing of masks in public.In a statement, the college said that interventions related to COVID-19 need ...

A construction worker has been injured in a fall at a construction site.The fall happened in Triq Alfred Gauci in St. Julian’s on Tuesday early afternoon.The man is a 65-year-old Maltese from Sliema. He fell from a height or around one flo...

Republic Day is the day most synonymous with the President, being the day when the office was established.Amongst the ceremonies and parades which we see on this national holiday, the President also gives what is generally considered to be his most i...

Nine youths have been arrested by police for allegedly setting fire to the abandoned St. Philip’s Hospital in Santa Venera.Police said on Tuesday that they were told that some youths had entered the abandoned building and started fires in some ...

President George Vella urged politicians to respect people’s intelligence throughout the next general election during his speech marking Republic Day. The traditional Republic Day ceremony took place at the President’s Palace in Vall...

Dozens of Gozo residents gathered outside the Curia in Floriana  on Sunday urging Archbishop Charles Scicluna to reverse his decision “to hand over control of a medieval foundation to ruthless speculators.” Residents fear that t...

The vote to be taken in Parliament on Tuesday will make Malta the first European country to legalise the cultivation and possession of cannabis for personal use, pipping Luxembourg to the post.British influential newspaper The Guardian today highligh...

Naxxar mayor Anne Marie Muscat Fenech Adami has denied having a conflict of interest on a planning application which she voted in favour of, and will not resign from her post – despite calls from her own party – the PN – to do so.Th...

The court case against John Dalli can finally kick off after the European Commission waived the former commissioner’s immunity from prosecution.A spokesperson for the Commission told the Times of Malta that after a lengthy process they had deci...

Record breaking swimmer Neil Agius, emergency doctor Jonathan Joslin and Sean Meli – the man who rescued a young boy from near-certain drowning – were amongst those awarded some of the nation’s top honours on Republic Day.On Republi...

78 new cases of Covid-19 were reported by health authorities on Monday.It is the second day in a row that 78 cases of the virus were reported.73 meanwhile have recovered from the virus, meaning that the number of active cases has increased slightly t...

Real Madrid ended up paying the highest price for UEFA's botched Champions League draw.Madrid was paired with Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16 on Monday after UEFA had to redo the entire draw following a big mistake the first time around. The S...

Health Minister Chris Fearne said that Covid-19 vaccination supplies for children under the age of 12 have arrived and the process will be starting on Tuesday.In a post on Facebook, the minister said that the vaccine supplies landed in Malta Monday.P...

A Dilaver own goal on the hour was enough for champions Hamrun Spartans to beat rivals Valletta, and take sweet revenge for their first round defeat.It was a very tight encounter with Hamrun always having the edge over their opponents.This victory li...

Parks Malta’s Christmas in the Park has been launched, kicking off this year’s festive season at the Marsaskala Family Park.Families and friends can enjoy Christmas activities and entertainment in a safe and open space.The park ...

Former president of the Malta Employers’ Association and former chairman of Public Broadcasting Services Michael Mallia died Monday, his son Stefano said.Mallia, who also served as a director of Standard Publications Limited, was 77.He was a bo...

The Archdiocese of Malta said in a statement that it could not have foreseen, let alone exercise control over, a decision in 2019 by the Land Registration Agency to permit the registration of tracts of land in Gozo which caused residents uncertainty ...

The Minister for Economy and Industry Silvio Schembri has rebutted the report by the National Audit Office on discrepancies and delays found in an audit on the first round of COVID-19 vouchers, saying that the problems were a question of reconciliati...

Religious feast enthusiasts have been left fuming after footage emerged of a Christmas-themed band drawing crowds in Valletta over the weekend.A video posted to a Facebook group calling for feasts to be allowed to take place in 2022 showed a band per...

Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned Sunday that Britain faces a “tidal wave” of infections from the omicron coronavirus variant, and announced a huge increase in booster vaccinations to strengthen defenses against it.In a televised statem...

Health Minister Chris Fearne this morning sounded a strong warning about the Covid-19 pandemic, saying that “everyone is terrified” about the omicron variant, which spreads more easily and on which little is known.Coupled with the onset o...

Today, Republic Day, represents an important date in Maltese history.47 years on, the country stops to commemorate the day when Malta shorn itself of its ties to the British crown – even if its ties to the British military would only be shorn f...

Animal Rights Minister Anton Refalo has told The Malta Independent on Sunday that he is personally “against the opening of more zoos”. In comments given to this newsroom, Refalo also insisted that an ongoing impact assessment on animal pa...

Requests to discuss the possibility of granting police unions the right to strike have been ignored by government, the secretary of the Malta Police Union Neville Mercieca told The Malta Independent on Sunday.In an interview with this newsroom, ...

An 82-year-old man became the latest person to die while positive for Covid-19 in Malta, health authorities said in their update on Sunday.78 cases were reported by the same authorities on Sunday, with 94 new recoveries also being reported.This means...

The Nationalist Party have asked Naxxar mayor Anne Marie Muscat Fenech Adami to resign from her post over an undeclared conflict of interest.The request came from party secretary Michael Piccinino after consultation with party leader Bernard Grech.Mu...

Valletta: Regent Pharmacy, 70, Merchants Street; Marsa: San Raffael Pharmacy, 247, Qormi Road; Qormi: Brown's Pharmacy, 278, Victory Street;Birkirkara: Mint Care Pharmacy, 5B-71 Brared Street; Msida: Regional Pharmacy, E. H. Furse Street; St Julian&r...

The most dramatic Formula One season in years should have ended with Max Verstappen's championship-deciding pass of Lewis Hamilton on the final lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.The conclusion instead came nearly five hours after Verstappen became the ...

NGOs, social workers and medical associations have expressed their concern over the government’s attitude towards the appeal to change the proposed cannabis law, saying that it is not listening to any of this country’s citizens. The organ...

The latest survey confirms what others before it had established – that the Labour Party is heading towards an even bigger victory in the coming election than the last two it achieved.The PL had won in 2013 and 2017 with 35,107 and 35,280 votes...

Hibernians opened an eightpoint gap over second placed clubs Floriana, Valletta and Birkirkara after a dominant victory over Gzira. Hibernians showed all their worth yesterday with a brilliant performance after an early setback and a rather difficult...

A drug user and former trafficker believes that the world should be more concerned about the harms and dangers of alcohol, rather than raise so much fuss about cannabis use.The legality of alcohol consumption makes it easily accessible, he argues, bu...

Cannabis results in impaired judgement, poor motor coordination and reaction time and studies have found a direct relationship between the level of THC in the blood and impaired driving ability, especially in people who consumed cannabis just before ...

Inter Milan gave an emphatic sign of intent as the defending Serie A champion moved to the top of Serie A with a crushing 4-0 victory over relegation-threatened Cagliari on Sunday.Lautaro Martínez scored and missed a penalty in the first half,...

January cannot come quick enough for Newcastle.The limitations of the squad inherited by Eddie Howe when he took over as Newcastle manager last month were exposed in a 4-0 loss at Leicester in the Premier League on Sunday.The result kept Newcastle in...

Nationalist Party Leader Bernard Grech has called on Prime Minister Robert Abela to demand Justyne Caruana’s resignation as Education Minister immediately. This comes following the revelation by the Standards Commissioner George Hyzler who...

The British government may need to introduce tougher restrictions to slow the growth of the omicron variant and prevent a new surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths, British scientists said Saturday.U.K. health officials say omicron is spreadi...

Well-known magician Vanni Pule says he wanted to be a priest when he was young.He cannot go one day without listening to music, but he enjoys painting too.And he says that life is too short to watch a film twice.What was the last book you read? "Weir...

The new restrictive measure imposed by the health authorities this week – the mandatory wearing of face masks in public as of yesterday – has left many minds boggled. Not because Malta should not be cautious like many other countries arou...

A monstrous tornado, carving a track that could rival the longest on record, ripped across the middle of the U.S. in a stormfront that killed dozens and tore apart a candle factory, crushed a nursing home, derailed a train and smashed an Amazon wareh...

Anna Calleja was born in Paola on 27 December 1958 to Joseph Calleja and Rose nee Tedesco.  Describing her childhood, Anna went down memory lane with some nostalgia. “My childhood was fun and laughter and from a very young age I attended S...

The number of active Covid-19 cases has jumped above 1,400 for the first time since early August, figures released by the health authorities show Saturday.The daily cases recorded Saturday were 111, while 67 recovered, leaving 1,408 active cases.No d...

The Nationalist Party on Saturday called on Education Minister Justyne Caruana to immediately request the publication of the Standards Commissioner’s report into her alleged breach of ethics.The sooner the report is published and action is take...

Valletta: Empire Pharmacy, 77, Old Theatre Street; Ħamrun: Brown's Pharmacy, 706, St Joseph High Road; Santa Venera: Fatima Pharmacy, 82, Ferrovija Street; Birkirkara: Pharmaplus, Ganu Street; Msida: Deby's Pharmacy, 1, Misraħ il-Barrieri; ...

A petition to change the proposed cannabis law will close on Sunday, with NGOs pushing it calling upon the Petitions Committee to meet before Parliament votes on Tuesday.On Friday, the chairman of the Petitions Committee said it will not be discussed...

The Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA) said Saturday that some of the hospitality industry could suffer irreparable damage if wage subsidies that support thousands of workers and which are in place till end 2021 are stopped by Gover...

A biker died early this morning in a crash in Sliema, the police said.The man, an Italian aged 45 resident in Gzira, lost control of the Honda bike he was riding and crashed.The man fell of the bike and hit the pavement, the police said.He was certif...

Strong winds have caused damage to the National Stadium canopy, forcing the Malta Football Association to postpone the matches that were to be held today.In a statement on its website, the MFA said that today's BOV Premier League match Valletta FC vs...

The English Premier League's top three kept up the furious pace of their title race by picking up hard-fought wins on Saturday, although all three needed second-half penalties to do so.Manchester City maintained its one-point lead after Raheem Sterli...

Juventus’ domestic problems deepened as it was held at relegation-threatened Venezia to 1-1 in Serie A on Saturday.Mattia Aramu scored in the second half for Venezia to cancel out Álvaro Morata’s opener.Juventus qualified for the r...