House prices in Malta rose by 41.6% between 2010 and 2020, Statistics issued by Eurostat show.Malta’s price rise is steeper than the EU average, which rose by 26% during the same period.Looking at the trend in house prices between 2010 and 2020...

The Covid-19 pandemic has made it harder for Caritas to help those suffering from loneliness on Christmas Day, but the NGO is doing what it can, Caritas Director Anthony Gatt told The Malta Independent.While Christmas is often seen as a time to spend...

A teacher has filed a judicial protest against the health authorities, claiming that her first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine caused her a shoulder injury.The protest was filed against the Ministry of Health, the Superintendent of Public Health and the...

A woman was grievously injured on Sunday evening when she was hit by a car, the police said.The accident took place in Marfa Road, Mellieha, at 7.30pm.The woman, aged 27, was hit by a Peugeot 107 driven by a 33-year-old man of St Paul’s Bay.She...

Three men were treated for injuries after a crash involving two cars early this morning, the police said.The accident took place in Hal Far Road at 12.30am.It involved a Peugeot 407 driven by a 29-year-old man of Dingli and a Suzuki Baleno driven by ...

FELTOM, the Federation for English Language Teaching Organisations in Malta, has called on the government to extend the Covid-19 Wage Supplement until spring.In a statement, the federation welcomed the Government’s recent announcement that the ...

Germany should implement stricter measures this week to slow the spread of the omicron variant, the German government's new expert council said Sunday, a day after the government announced it would impose travel restrictions on people coming from Bri...

During 2021, Servizzi Ewropej f’Malta – SEM, implemented a project entitled ‘Promoting Improved Social Dialogue in Malta’ (PRISM). This project was supported by Norway through the Norway Grants 2014-2021, in the frame of the P...

Malta and Qatar have agreed to explore joint action to increase  cooperation between the two countries in the fields of  energy, pharmaceuticals, finance, sports medicine, community sports facilities and sports academies, a government state...

Workers at Santa Claus Village, a holiday theme park on the edge of the Arctic Circle, chipped away at a frozen dome, using chisels to put the final touches on an ice restaurant-hotel filled with sculptures of snowmen, penguins and huskies.The Christ...

The “competent authorities” should launch further investigations into any possible financial mismanagement and misuse of public funds in connection with the deal which saw government award three public hospitals to Vitals Global Healthcar...

Konrad Mizzi was in the news again this week, and again for the wrong reasons.A report submitted by the National Audit Office sharply criticised the deal reached by the government, when Mizzi was responsible for the health portfolio, for the transfer...

282 new cases of Covid-19 were registered on Sunday, as the number of active cases continues to rise sharply.55 people recovered from the virus, meaning that Malta now has 2018 active cases. The last time the country had over 2,000 active cases was 2...

The breeding of animals at zoos and wildlife parks should not be banned and these establishments should be allowed to regulate themselves in this regard, Borg says. His own Wildlife Park in Imtahleb stopped breeding animals at the beginning of this y...

The Standards Commissioner is doing the work which the Police Commissioner should have been doing eight months ago, Arnold Cassola, an independent candidate for the coming general election told The Malta Independent on Sunday during an inte...

Thirty-four-year-old Annabelle Xerri, who will become profoundly deaf sooner or later, says that she doesn’t know what it’s like to have the ability to hear, but hearing is actually something that would make her feel uncomfortable.Xerri, ...

Britain's health secretary has refused to rule out imposing tougher COVID-19 restrictions before Christmas amid the rapid rise of infections and continuing uncertainty about the omicron variant.Sajid Javid said Sunday that the government was assessin...

Education Minister Justyne Caruana must go; there are no two ways about it. In the latest bombshell scandal, the minister has not only been found in breach of ethics by the Standards Commissioner but is possibly also the subject of a criminal investi...

TVM journalist and presenter Daphne Cassar is a familiar face of the national station every morning.But what kind of pizza does she prefer? What items would she take on a deserted island?And probably you would not be surprised with her choice of cart...

 Ten-man Sliema went down against Floriana in an Old Firm defeat that leaves the Wanderers firmly at the bottom of the table.For the superior Greens the victory lifts them temporarily to second place in the standings but with Floriana having pla...

Chelsea complained about having to play with a coronavirus-depleted squad in drawing at Wolverhampton. Liverpool grumbled about the refereeing in being held by Tottenham.And Manchester City just strolled further in front at the top of the Premier Lea...

Napoli leapfrogged AC Milan into second place in Serie A after beating its title rival 1-0 in a mediocre match at San Siro on Sunday.Eljif Elmas scored an early goal and Milan had an equalizer controversially disallowed right at the death. Franck Kes...

A 62-year-old woman from Naxxar was grievously injured in a four-vehicle crash in St Paul's Bay.The accident occurred at 4pm on Saturday on Burmarrad road. The woman was driving a Subaru Forester. The other vehicles involved were an Otokar Kent C bus...

Nations across Europe moved to reimpose tougher measures to stem a new wave of COVID-19 infections spurred by the highly transmissible omicron variant, including a new nationwide lockdown introduced by the Dutch government.Schools, universi...

The number of Covid-19 cases registered today has again shot up, reaching 291, and taking the tally of active cases to nearly 1,800, figures released by the health authorities said.It is the fifth highest day of daily cases, superseding the 263 we ha...

President George Vella has signed the law making recreational use of cannabis legal, a day after saying he had his hands tied.Vella’s signing was the last hurdle in a process that saw the government ploughing on to enact the law in spite of pro...

Cyprus on Saturday toughened COVID-19 screening for all travelers from the U.K. over age 12, including requiring them to quarantine until results are in from a lab test performed at the airport.Cyprus’ Health Ministry cited Britain's “dra...

Popular showman and presenter Enzo Gusman has died, his wife said on Facebook.Gusman died in his home in Canada after a long illness. He was 74.“Enzo’s words have now come to be true,” his wife Carmen wrote on Facebook.“Our be...

The President has signed a law that normalises the use of cannabis, the Nationalist Party said, calling for its withdrawal.The law is being opposed by a wide spectrum of organisations, and will have serious repercussions on the country’s future...

Valletta: Chemimart Republic Street Pharmacy, 20/21, Republic Street; Ħamrun: Fra Diego Dispensary, 94, Villambrosa Street; Qormi: Anici Pharmacy, Anici Street; Santa Venera: St Bartholomew Pharmacy, 30, Fleur-De-Lys Road; Gżira: D'Argen's ...

The Maltese government sent letters to Members of the European Parliament one week before a crucial EU negotiation in an attempt to persuade them to support a controversial gas pipeline connecting the Mediterranean island to Italy’s gas network...

The omicron variant of the coronavirus has been detected in 89 countries and is spreading rapidly even in places with high levels of population immunity, the World Health Organization said Saturday.The number of COVID-19 cases involving omicron is do...

Mental health expert Christopher Siegersma has been appointed Commissioner for the Welfare and Development of Prisoners, the Home Affairs Ministry has announced.The new role was announced on Friday by Minister Byron Camilleri. It was one of the recom...

The Maltese Paediatric Association said today it supported the introduction of the COVID-19 vaccination for children aged 5 - 11 years.One reason for this is that serious complications from COVID-19 infection in children are uncommon but can still oc...

Injury-hit Leeds slumped to its second alarming loss in five days, 4-1 at home to Arsenal in the only English Premier League match to take place on Saturday because of a wave of pandemic-affected postponements.The match was marred by an allegation of...

Tammy Abraham scored twice as Roma claimed its first win against one of the top Serie A teams by 4-1 at Atalanta on Saturday.Abraham scored his first less than a minute into the match and Nicolò Zaniolo doubled Roma’s lead. An own goal f...

Gżira United and Santa Lucia shared four goals and took a point a piece when in the first match played at the Tony Bezzina Stadium they figured out a 2-2 draw.It was an important match for both teams as Gżira United who shared the sixth pla...

PN Spokesperson for Education Clyde Puli condemned the Prime Minister for failing to act and effectively remove Justyne Caruana as Minister for Education immediately.The fact that the Prime Minister seems uncertain on whether to dismiss Caruana from ...

President George Vella said he had no power to ignore a law that was democratically passed in Parliament, irrespective of his agreement or otherwise.His only option not to sign a law is to leave the Presidency is he has "a serious moral objection".Fo...

A moderate earthquake rattled Italy's financial capital of Milan on Saturday morning. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.Italy's Institute for Geophysics and Vulcanology said the quake had a preliminary magnitude between 4.3 and 4....

A biker was seriously hurt after he lost control of the bike he was riding and crashed into a barroer on Saturday evening, the police said.The motorcyclist, a 22-year-old Albanian man who resides in Valletta, crashed in Triq ix-Xatt, Pieta, at 10.30p...

One year after the Brexit trade deal was supposed to end acrimony between the European Union and the departed United Kingdom, both sides showed Friday that theirs is still a relationship tainted by bad blood and accusations of bad faith.They did post...

The report compiled by an inquiry that looked into the workings of the prison were published yesterday and the home minister acted as if the findings were some form of vindication. But the most important conclusion of them all was that Colonel Alex D...

Several countries including France, Switzerlamnd and Denmark have taken steps in an attempt to reduce the spread of Covid-19 in their country.DenmarkDenmark's prime minister announced Friday that theaters, cinemas, concert halls, amusement parks, mus...

The Sea-Eye 4 has rescued a total of 223 people across four separate operations in the Maltese search and rescue zone in the last 24 hours, the NGO said.Among the 223 rescued are 29 women, four of whom are pregnant, and 8 children.  The ship&rsq...

Solitary confinement should only be applied by court order, the inquiry into the operation of the Corradino Correctional Facility has recommended.“This is why the Prison regulations should be updated as needed.”During a press conference p...

Malta recorded a five-month high of daily Covid-19 cases on Friday, but the government was silent on the possibility of adding to the restrictions already in place as the country prepares for a festive two weeks.The number of new cases registered on ...

Serie A leaders Inter Milan routed last-placed Salernitana 5-0 on Friday.Ivan Perisic, Denzel Dumfries, Alexis Sanchez, Lautaro Martinez and Roberto Gagliardini scored.Seeking a second straight Italian league title, Inter moved four points ahead of s...

Colonel Alex Dalli will be given a "different role", Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri has announced - but he failed to say exactly what, and where, that role will be, despite being questioned over the matter by journalists.Dalli was removed from...

A judge has found the State Advocate in contempt of court, fining him €500, after a lawyer from his office filed an appeal on behalf of the Police Commissioner against the court order to exhibit data from Keith Schembri’s mobile phone &nda...

An Emergency Conservation Order (ECO) has been issued for the immediate protection of the iconic Palazzina Vincenti in St Julian's.The Planning Authority has termed the Palazzina Vincenti property as "heritage at risk."This comes after a developer pl...

221 cases of Covid-19 were reported by health authorities as case numbers continued to rocket upwards on Friday.It's the first time since 20 July, when 217 cases were reported, that Malta has registered over 200 cases of the virus, making today a fiv...

The European Commission has disbursed €41.1 million to Malta in pre-financing, equivalent to 13% of the country's financial allocation under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF).The prefinancing payment will help to kick-start the implemen...

Bank of Valletta announced today that the Financial Intelligence and Analysis Unit (FIAU) has imposed a fine of €2.6 million on it as an administrative penalty for failing to report Beneficial Ownership information for 2,442 corporate customers ...

Two men were taken to hospital with grievous injuries after the van they were in crashed into a tree on Friday morning.The police said the accident took place on Saqqajja Hill, limits of Rabat, at 11am.The van, a Fiat Ducato, was being driven by a 30...

In an intervention to the plenary of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, PL MEP Alfred Sant emphasized that digital platforms should operate in a level playing field environment.He insisted that further discussion should be carried out on the poss...

An Italian man was arrested by the police in connection with an investigation into drug trafficking, the police said.The man, aged 29 and resident in St Paul’s Bay, was arrested after the police seized cocaine and cannabis to be trafficked.Poli...

Soaring infections in Britain driven in part by the omicron variant of the coronavirus rattled Europe on Thursday, prompting new restrictions on the Continent and fueling a familiar dread on both sides of the Atlantic about entering a new phase of th...

Nationalist MP Mario de Marco said today that the government blames every extra expense found on the General Estimates of 2021 on the Covid, but this is not true as only half of the added costs came up as a result of the pandemic.Addressing the media...

The National Audit Office on Tuesday added yet another chapter to the ongoing saga surrounding the government’s decision to sell three public hospitals to Vitals Global Healthcare.In what was the second part of their audit into the deal, the NA...

The Premier League schedule was upended Thursday as coronavirus outbreaks at clubs forced the postponement of five weekend matches, taking the total amount of games wiped out over the past week to nine.The league said its intention was “to cont...

Actor Chris Noth has been accused of sexually assaulting two women in separate encounters that took place in 2004 and 2015, according to a report Thursday.The women’s identities were withheld by The Hollywood Reporter in order to protect t...

Pope Francis celebrates his 85th birthday on Friday, a milestone made even more remarkable given the coronavirus pandemic, his summertime intestinal surgery and the weight of history: His predecessor retired at this age and the last pope to have live...

 People aged 35 and over can start applying to receive the booster vaccine - the third dose - as from Monday, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health Chris Fearne said in a press conference today.At present, the government is calling on pe...

Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech has called for the Covid-19 wage supplement to be extended to March, rather than January.In a statement on social media, Grech said that “it’s positive that the Prime Minister heard our pleas to help...

WasteServ surpasses the projected record of processed recyclables since its inception as employees’ hard work paid off. Around 19,000 tonnes of good quality recyclable material were processed and returned to the economy in 2021. Minister f...

A group of masters students at the University of Malta have expressed concern at being told that their examinations will be held with them physically present, after over two years of their lectures being held online. One student in the Masters of Acc...

After the best part of 40 years at the helm of the AMSM Group, the distribution organisation of fast moving consumer goods to the Grocery and Foodservice sectors, Alec A. Mizzi has decided to relinquish the post of CEO and to move to a new position o...

Over 50 shots were fired at a car driving at police officers during the arrest of 24 year-old Aidan Bartolo in Mellieħa earlier this month, a court has heard.Bartolo, whose car had been flagged down on suspicion of drugs and weapons possession, ...

The Maltese government and the European Union are in agreement that no funds allotted to any given project are to be funnelled to sustain criminal activities, Energy Minister Miriam Dalli said today.She was being referred to Malta being allowed to ap...

167 cases of Covid-19 were reported by health authorities on Thursday as high case numbers continue to persist.99 people have recovered from the virus, meaning that the number of active cases has shot over the 1,500 mark to 1,532.The last time Malta ...

Italy, England and Germany were drawn in the same Nations League group, with only the group winner guaranteed a spot in the semifinals. The last-place team in that group, which also includes Hungary, will be relegated to League B.Nations Le...

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...

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health Chris Fearne announced a fleet of new ambulances on a press conference at the Emergency Department in Mater Dei hospital.“There will be the introduction of 11 new ambulances to provide immediate hea...

Medichem's workforce is expected to increase by 10% in the coming months, Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Sustainable Development Miriam Dalli said today.This is possible with the latest developments in Medichem's product testing and manufac...

The National Statistics Office published the first edition of a publication titled 'Sustainable Development in Malta: Statistical Information on the 2030 Agenda in Malta - 2021.'The publication puts together all existing data related to Malta and ali...

A 71-year-old woman was injured after being hit by a truck in what police are saying was a hit-and-run.The accident happened in Birkirkara Road in San Gwann at around 10am on Thursday.Preliminary investigations showed that the woman, who lives in San...

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...

Five children died and four others were in critical condition on Thursday after falling from a bouncy castle that was lifted 10 metres (33 feet) into the air by a gust of wind at a school on Australia's island state of Tasmania.The school was holding...

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...

European Union leaders are trying Thursday to coordinate action to tackle the surge of coronavirus infections across the continent and the emergence of the new omicron variant while keeping borders open.With the festive season looming, the ...

Mercedes withdrew its appeal Thursday of the Formula One season finale in which Lewis Hamilton lost the championship to Max Verstappen.Mercedes had filed two protests following Sunday's race, but both were dismissed. Mercedes then asked for reconside...

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...