Last week President George Vella signed a law legalising cannabis for recreational use, in spite of protestations by a number of NGOs and the medical professionals who expressed their concern, the same concern that Vella himself had spoken about just...

The Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses has called for more drastic measures to curb the spread of Covid-19, saying that Mater Dei Hospital is facing a “crisis”.Wearing a mask in public is just a political measure with no scientific signif...

Air Malta has successfully settled 88% of all its Covid-related refund requests to date, the airline told The Malta Independent. In answering questions sent by this newsroom, an Air Malta spokesperson said: "The pandemic has created an ever-chan...

Christmas and New Year’s bookings in restaurants within the local community remain in full swing for the holiday season despite the rise in Covid-19 cases and the pending arrival of the Omicron variant in Malta. President of the Malta Hotels an...

That staff from the Malta Tourism Authority offer ‘logistical support’ to foreign artists holding events in Malta is totally understandable. The MTA must ensure that guests are well taken care of and have everything they need when they ne...

The World Health Organization’s top official in Europe urged governments on Tuesday to prepare for a “significant surge” in coronavirus cases across the continent due to the omicron variant, which is already dominant in several coun...

Germany announced new restrictions Tuesday that will begin after Christmas to slow the spread of the new omicron variant, rules that will fall short of a full lockdown but will include contact restrictions even for vaccinated people.“I can unde...

A judge has dismissed a case for the dissolution of a rural lease filed by the owner of a field in Qrendi in a landmark ruling protecting farmers from eviction.Judge Lawrence Mintoff, presiding over the First Hall of the Civil Court in its Constituti...

A man has died while working in an underground fuel storage tank, the Occupational Health and Safety Authority said.The police later said that the victim is a man from Gambia, aged 46.OHSA said it was informed of an accident at work which took place ...

The Superintendent for Public Health has issued a reminder on what one should do if they test positive for Covid-19 through either a PCR test or a rapid test.In a statement, the health authorities said that if a person receives a positive Covid-19 te...

386 Covid-19 cases were reported by health authorities on Tuesday – the second highest tally since the start of the pandemic back in March 2020.The highest number of cases reported during the pandemic was on 10 March 2021 when 510 cases were re...

In September 2021, the European Court of Justice (“ECJ”) delivered a preliminary ruling in relation to the interpretation of the provisions of Regulation (EU) 1177/2010 concerning the rights of passengers when travelling by sea and inland...

The Nationalist Party has cancelled a planned exchange of Christmas greetings with party leader Bernard Grech and his wife due to the recent increase in Covid-19 cases.The activity was set to take place on Thursday 23 December between 11am and 1pm at...

The case against former European Commissioner John Dalli has been postponed again after, this time because the lead prosecutor is abroad.Dalli is facing charges related to a €60 million bribery scandal involving his former aide Silvio Zammit.The...

Prime Minister Rober Abela has lost control of the government, the Nationalist Party said on Tuesday. Addressing a press conference, election candidate Justin Schembri referred to recent scandals involving Labour MP Ian Castaldi Paris, who owes &euro...

Juventus ended the year on a positive note by beating relegation-threatened Cagliari 2-0 on Tuesday to close the gap to the top four in Serie A.Moise Kean and Federico Bernardeschi scored as Juventus moved to within four points of Atalanta, which was...

Psychiatrists today said they feel cheated by lawmakers who disregarded any consultation on mental health issues before enacting the cannabis law.Suggestions made in the run up to the passing of the cannabis bill “fell on deaf ears”, the ...

A three-year-old girl was grievously injured when the car she was in was involved in a crash on Monday night, the police said.The accident took place in Rinella Street, Kalkara, at 9pm.It involved a Toyota Corsa driven by a 33-year-old man of Kalkara...

Video-clips issued by MAPFRE Middlesea and Malta Public Transport serving as education on road-safety have fallen under scrutiny over its implications of racial and gender stereotypes and have subsequently been 'paused' by the company.The National Co...

There is no such thing as responsible cannabis, only a drug that causes harm to people's health, the Medical Association of Malta said.In a statement, MAM condemned without reservation the promotion and blatant advertising of “responsible canna...

Omicron has raced ahead of other variants and is now the dominant version of the coronavirus in the U.S., accounting for 73% of new infections last week, federal health officials said Monday.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention numbers show...

A British court on Tuesday ordered the ruler of Dubai to pay his ex-wife and their children close to 550 million pounds ($730 million), in one of the most expensive divorce settlements in British history.The High Court said Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid...

Labour MP Silvio Grixti has resigned from parliament after being interrogated by the police, MaltaToday reports.Speaker Anglu Farrugia told The Malta Independent that Grixti had communicated his wish to resign but must now do so officially, in writin...

The European Union’s drugs regulator gave the green light Monday to a fifth COVID-19 vaccine for use in the 27-nation bloc, granting conditional marketing authorization to the two-dose vaccine made by U.S. biotech company Novavax.The European M...

A man was seriously injured after he fell off a ladder on Monday afternoon, the police said Tuesday.The accident took place at the Hal Far industrial estate at 4pm.The man, a Rumanian aged 36, was working on a construction site.He was taken to hospit...

On Christmas and New Year’s Day Gozo Channel will be suspending its ferry service between noon and 3pm. The ferry service will be suspended in order to allow Gozo Channel employees, who will be on duty on these two days, to lunch with their res...

Labour MP Ian Castaldi Paris said he will not contest the next election.The announcement comes a day after it was reported that the MP must pay €300,000 in tax dues.After months of talks with tax authorities, it seems that the MP must pay €...

A man was taken to hospital with grievous injuries after he was hit by a car on Monday afternoon, the police said Tuesday.The man, aged 68, of Cospicua, was hit by a Mazda 2 driven by a 31-year-old man of Zabbar.The accident happened in San Nikola St...

Many of us associate Christmas with cheer, family, friends. Others look at it as a time where many appointments have to be made to meet relatives who perhaps some don’t completely get along with, or get overwhelmed by the stress of it all.But t...

Extra strain is being put on the health services as the number of people in hospital with Covid-19 has shot up to 42, with five of them in intensive care, the health authorities said Monday.There were 30 people in hospital with Covid on Sunday, with ...

Robert Abela’s government is in “total collapse,” Opposition Leader Bernard Grech said on Monday.The web of criminality is crumbling piece by piece and is no longer tenable, he said in a statement.“In just one day we saw an MP...

The health authorities will know in the coming days whether the recent increase in Covid-19 cases was caused by the Omicron variant, Health Superintendent Charmaine Gauci said.Speaking to Times of Malta, Gauci explained that the genome sequencing &nd...

All government members must shoulder the responsibility for their actions, Prime Minister Robert Abela said on Monday, when asked about a damning report on Education Minister Justyne Caruana.Last week, Standards Commissioner George Hyzler found that ...

Five migrants were sentenced to 84 months in jail between them after they were found guilty of taking part in a riot at the Safi detention centre.Seven migrants had been charged with the offences, which took place on 18 September, 2020. Two of them, ...

Britain’s main nurses’ union warned Monday that exhaustion and surging coronavirus cases among medical staff are pushing them to breaking point, adding to pressure on the government for new restrictions to bring down record-high...

Malta Tourism Authority staff stayed at Valletta hotels on more than one occasion when events were being held in the capital, the Tourism Ministry has confirmed.Times of Malta reported earlier this month that MTA staff had booked rooms at the five-st...

The Criminal Court has denied a bail request made by Jamie Vella, one of the men indicted over charges of procuring the bomb which killed journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.Vella, who stands accused together with Tal-Maksar brothers Adrian and Robert ...

The Disruption® Company was recognised for its business growth, creative product, innovation focus and strength around the world. TBWA\ was awarded the prestigious title of 2021 Global Agency of the Year by Adweek, the leading source of news and ...

Jordan Azzopardi, 32, of Iklin, was sentenced to seven months in prison after being found guilty of threatening two persons and assaulting a man and leaving him naked in the street.Azzopardi, known as the El Chapo of Malta, was charged with another p...

Pieter Omtzigt, the Parliamentary Assembly's General Rapporteur on the protection of whistleblowers, has strongly criticised the reform of the Maltese law on whistleblower protection."Last Friday's deadline for the transposition of the EU Directive o...

The Nationalist Party’s COVID Action Team appealed for more transparency with regards to the control of the pandemic as the Omicron variant rapidly spreads across Europe. The Omicron variant will inevitably enter the country and there needs to ...

Infrastructure Malta will be using new landing facilities in Cospicua for ferry passengers during the first half of 2022.The facilities form part of a €5 million project partially financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and ai...

Serious shortcomings still exist despite there being new people tasked with the roles of Attorney General and Police Commissioner, President of NGO Repubblika Robert Aquilina said.He accused the two entities of not bringing to court the ex-Chairman o...

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...

Questions as to whether or not to reform Malta’s electoral system have long been around, while reforms to Malta’s constitution have already started to be made.Over recent years, there has been a lot of talk as to how we should change the ...

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 court has thrown out an allegation of illegal arrest filed by a prison inmate who is serving a 25-year sentence for the 1998 murder of hairstylist Alfie Rizzo.Rizzo died after being stabbed 17 times by Aimen Said Giali El Baden, from Libya, at his ...

The Eden Leisure Group has lost a bid for a prohibitory injunction against the award of the national lottery concesssion to National Lottery PLC. The warrant of prohibitory injunction was filed by Eden Leisure Group and Italian co...

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...

A man was grievously injured on Sunday evening after his car overturned in Gozo.The accident took place in Triq il-Belliegħa, Victoria, at around 9:15pm, the police said.The man, 48, from Xewkija, lost control of his Hyundai Accent, with the car...

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...

Respecting the environment and supporting local communities are two of the social pillars Nestlé invests in heavily. Earlier this week Nestlé Malta partnered with local NGO Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna to plant over 100 trees at the Fort Rine...

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...