President George Vella met with the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola who is in Malta on her first official visit since taking office.While, once again, wishing Metsola well for her work in this important post, President Vella spok...

The head of the World Health Organization insisted Wednesday that “COVID isn't finished with us,” appealing for more support to fight the pandemic after his agency reported that new infections fell but virus deaths rose worldwide over the...

Archbishop Charles Scicluna celebrates mass on the Feast of Saint Paul's Shipwreck at the Collegiate Church of St Paul's Shipwreck in Valletta. 

Bob Saget's death last month stemmed from an accidental blow to the head, his family said in a statement Wednesday.The comedian and “Full House” star was found dead Jan. 9 in a Florida hotel room. He'd performed in the area the night...

A large number of organisations came together last Sunday to commemorate the 1,971 people who are known to have died at sea or gone missing while trying to cross the Mediterranean last year. There are probably many more people who perished while tryi...

John Dalli was charged in court on Wednesday with trading in influence and bribery in connection with the snus scandal, an issue that dates back to 2012 when he was an EU Commissioner.Dalli has pleaded not guilty to the charges.The bulk of the three-...

The government has no intention to harass anyone and wants to work to strengthen the diplomatic services, Foreign Minister Evarist Bartolo said today.Diplomatic Service members have been instructed by the UHM Voice of the Workers not to use any means...

The Public Accounts Committee descended into a farce-like shouting match yet again, as Konrad Mizzi and the PN MPs on the committee butted heads throughout the two hour meeting.The committee is looking into a report drawn up by the National Audit Off...

A 25-year-old Rabat man, Luke John Milton, has been charged in connection with the abduction of Carlos Schembri last month.He was granted bail by Magistrate Charmaine Galea after his arraignment. Bail was secured by a deposit of €3,000 and a per...

A Bill presented in Parliament by the government aims to introduce cyberstalking and cyberbullying as specific offences in the Criminal Code.The Bill, tabled by Justice Minister Edward Zammit Lewis, seeks to protect those who fall victim to any type ...

Floriana: Floriana Dispensary,29, Vincenzo Dimech Street; Marsa: Vivien Pharmacy, Patri Magri Street; Santa Venera: Collis Williams Sta Venera Pharmacy, 532, St Joseph High Road;Birkirkara: Brown’s Pharmacy, 32, Fleur-de-Lys Road; Msida: R...

A 92-year-old woman is the latest person to die while positive for Covid-19, as health authorities reported 172 new cases of the virus.304 people have meanwhile recovered from the virus, taking the number of active cases down to 2,097.79 Covid-19 pat...

The European Commission said on Wednesday it has decided to refer Malta to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failure to comply with the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive.The Directive requires Member States to ensure that u...

Trust Stamp is the first tech start-up based in Malta quoted on NASDAQ, where Malta Enterprise’s support was critical for the tech company to be the first Maltese company to be listed on the world’s largest electronic exchange.This was an...

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Wednesday that laws requiring people in England with COVID-19 to self-isolate could be lifted by the end of the month, bringing an end to all domestic coronavirus restrictions."Provided the current encouragin...

Olivier Giroud's brace made it four goals in two games for the striker as AC Milan routed Lazio 4-0 to reach the semifinals of the Italian Cup on Wednesday.After scoring two late goals to help Milan beat league leader Inter Milan 2-1 on Sat...

The quickest goal of the season. A six-goal thriller featuring a sprinkle of Brazilian magic. A stunning late comeback.It was a wild night of action in the Premier League. Except, that is, at Manchester City, whose march to the defense of its title c...

The Customs Department is organising another sale by tender, the first one for 2022, consisting of 122 lots.Sealed Tenders for the tale quale purchase, and removal, for the following lots:• 42 Lots of Fine Wines;• 68 Lots of Alcoholic Bever...

The Chamber of Geologists has reacted to a Right of Reply sent by the Building Industry Consultative Council and the Building and Construction Agency, saying that it has been refused a place on the BICC Advisory Board.Right of Reply by the Malta Cham...

Malta's foreign policy strategy was announced on Wednesday by the Minister for Foreign and European Affairs, Evarist Bartolo.Bartolo said that this strategy is essential. In whatever circumstances we are going through, such as dealing with the pandem...

MEP Alex Agius Saliba will be in charge of the Socialists and Democrats’ Digital Agenda, the Labour Party said in a statement.“Following his record of accomplishments in the European Parliament on key digital files and issues, the Labour ...

Sweden has halted wide-scale testing for COVID-19 even among people showing symptoms of an infection, putting an end to the mobile city-square tent sites, drive-in swab centres and home-delivered tests that became ubiquitous during the pandemic and p...

BERLIN (AP) — Germany's health minister on Tuesday decried calls from the main opposition party to suspend the implementation of a COVID-19 vaccination mandate for health workers, saying this would send a dangerous signal that authorities are c...

European Parliament President Roberta MEtsola will be in Malta on an official visit on Thursday. This will be her first official visit since being elected to the post last month.During her visit to Malta, Metsola will meet with President George Vella...

Professor Pierre Mallia has been chosen to be on the European Group on Ethics for Science and Technology (EGE), which answers directly to Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, for a period of three years. As per its website, the...

Can you get long COVID after an infection with omicron?It’s too early to know for sure, but many doctors believe it’s possible to have long-term effects from the omicron variant of the virus.Long COVID is usually diagn...

This is something that many drivers would relate with.A driver parks his car, not realising that he has left it in an area covered by the need to indicate the time on the windscreen clock. Upon leaving the vehicle, he notices a warden nearby. The war...

In a preliminary ruling delivered by the Court of Justice of the European Union (the “CJEU” or the “Court”) on the 3 February 2022 in the case of JW, HD and XS (the “Passengers”) vs LOT Polish Airlines (the “...

A deficit of €310.6 million for registered trade in goods was recorded during December 2021, according to provisional figures released by the National Statistics Office (NSO).The NSO noted that the deficit for registered trade in goods in the sa...

A police inspector has told a court how one of the men accused of kidnapping Carlos Schembri had told her that he had wanted to "interrogate him" about a stolen van, before turning him over to the police.Inspector Sarah Zerafa testified at the end of...

Bank of Valletta (BOV) said on Tuesday that it has lost the Deiulemar case, with an Italian court ordering it to pay €370 million. The bank said it will be appealing the decision.The bank said that over €360 million had been put aside in 20...

23,085 Covid-19 vaccines have been given to children aged 5-11, Health Minister Chris Fearne said in Parliament on Tuesday.In his reply to Nationalist MP Graziella Galea, the minister said that out of the mentioned number of doses, 9,776 were second ...

Fewer Maltese believe that their voice counts in their own country than the EU average, the results of the latest EU Parlemeter survey show.While 53% of Maltese believe that their voice does count in Malta, it is far lower than the 58% EU average who...

A man who stole €20,000 worth of items from his former employer was caught after he listed the stolen wares on Facebook’s marketplace, a court heard on Monday. Steve Camilleri, 30, from St Paul’s Bay was charged with aggravated theft...

The Dental Association of Malta (DAM) has said that it is "very concerned about the outcome of the case instituted by Nathalie Bartolo against Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando and Alex Azzopardi."This is in reference to a case where the court ordered Pullic...

The recently filed Nationalist Party constitutional case against state broadcaster PBS has been deemed as a matter of urgency by the court, and therefore been given the utmost importance. The party said that all the relevant parties, including t...

The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) as well as the Building Industry Consultative Council (BICC) have said that the formal consultation period has not even commenced on 'Section 1' of the new Maltese Building Code, but added that consultati...

The site plan of the Gozo area where the government is proposing a regional airport was tabled in parliament on Tuesday.A public consultation is to take place to get feedback on the proposal.In reply to a parliamentary question by PN MP Chris Said, G...

Out of the FA Cup, now out of the Premier League's top four.Manchester United is going through a rough spell under Ralf Rangnick — and Cristiano Ronaldo currently isn't in good enough scoring form to get the team out of it.Ronaldo didn't even s...

A pair of brilliant goals from Edin Dzeko and Alexis Sanchez ruined Jose Mourinho’s return to his former club Tuesday as Inter Milan beat Roma 2-0 to reach the Italian Cup semifinals.The match marked the first time Mourinho faced Inter at San S...

Retired Pope Benedict XVI asked forgiveness Tuesday for any “grievous faults" in his handling of clergy sex abuse cases, but denied any personal or specific wrongdoing after an independent report criticized his actions in four cases while he wa...

An elderly man from Marsa has told a court how a Nigerian woman had disappeared with expensive gifts despite promising to marry him.Nadine Lia heard challenge proceedings filed against the Commissioner of Police by the 79-year-old victim on Tuesday m...

Prime Minister Robert Abela and Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Sustainable Development Miriam Dalli inaugurated the Ħas-Saptan National Distribution Centre on Tuesday evening.Through this project, fuel storage was moved from the heart of Bi...

A woman found dead in her home in Como is believed to have died more than two years ago, with nobody noticing until neighbours wanted trees in the garden to be cut down as they had overgrown.Italian media report that Marinella Beretta, 70, died sudde...

The number of planning applications and permits being granted in Gozo is on the rise, a Din l-Art Helwa Gozo spokesperson told The Malta Independent, saying that the percentage, when compared to the whole of the Maltese islands, is higher than it was...

An 85-year-old woman has become the latest person to die while positive for Covid-19, health authorities said on Tuesday as 186 new cases of the virus were reported.286 people have, meanwhile, recovered from the virus, taking the number of active cas...

Seven senior officials at Delimara power station have filed a judicial protest, accusing the chairperson of an Enemalta subsidiary of discriminatory behaviour towards them, which they described as “apartheid.”  The officials, Ludric ...

The dispute between the Malta Union of Teachers (MUT) and the University of Malta over the conclusion of the collective agreement for Junior College lecturers is still ongoing, the President of the union, Marco Bonnici, told The Malta IndependentFoll...

A seated event is being organised to celebrate the feast of St Paul’s Shipwreck in Valletta this Thursday.The statue of the saint will be taken out of the church at 6.30pm and a band concert will follow, the Ghaqda Pawlini said on its Facebook ...

Let’s draft a plan that seemingly panders to some developers, that would essentially give them exactly what they want, while riding roughshod over other people. Check.Let’s try and sell this idea to the people.Check.The public backlash is...

The Federation for Hunting and Conservation Malta (FKNK) has called for the appointing of conservation officers in the Aħrax Reserve and Miżieb areas, in attempt to prevent further vandalism and environmental damage done at the site.The are...

The fuel companies that transferred millions to Darren Debono and Jeffrey Chetcuti’s businesses were not questioned by police during investigations, the court heard on Monday.Monday’s short hearing saw Inspector Omar Caruana cross-examine...

Vitals Global Healthcare and Steward Healthcare cannot be made out to seem as if they are two separate entities – theye are one and the same thing in connection with the deal the government reached to transfer three public hospitals under their...

Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo told Parliament on Monday that information on the expenditure on the Malta Film Awards is still being compiled and will be provided at a later stage.Bartolo was replying to a series of questions by PN MPs Jason Azzopa...

A French Navy military jet had to cut short a flight and land in Malta after it encountered problems with refuelling mid-air last night.A Malta International Airport spokesperson confirmed with The Malta Independent that a French Dassault Rafale mili...

Four people have been charged in court for inciting a person to commit suicide in November of last year, Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri told Parliament on Monday.He was replying to a parliamentary question by Nationalist MP Jason Azzopardi.The...

The Gozitan village of Sannat has adopted a new way of protecting its animals: by introducing a Community Animal Care Steward.The steward’s job is to take care of the street animals and pets which call Sannat – a largely rural Gozitan vil...

A 65-year-old man has become the latest person to die while positive for Covid-19, as health authorities reported 175 new cases of the virus on Monday.236 people have recovered from the virus, taking the number of active cases down to 2,331.90 patien...

Colonel Clinton O’Neill has been appointed as the Deputy Commander of the Armed Forces of Malta, the Home Affairs Ministry announced on Monday morning.O’Neill takes the place of Mark Mallia, who held the role for the past few years.The Mi...

Australia will open its borders to all vaccinated tourists and business travellers from Feb. 21 in a further relaxation of pandemic restrictions announced Monday.Australia imposed some of the world’s toughest travel restrictions on its citizens...

Joe Rogan has put Spotify in a tough spot, but the streaming giant is not ready to part ways with the popular podcast host despite intense criticism over his anti-coronavirus vaccine comments and use of racial slurs.Spotify CEO Daniel Ek also said in...

Two film industry associations have called on the Prime Minister to set up permanent working groups for “genuine” consultation on the industry.The Malta Producers Association and the Malta Entertainment and Artists Association said there ...

A 55-year-old man was grievously injured on Sunday evening after he was hit by a car in a traffic accident in Luqa.Police said that they were informed of the accident at around 19:00 in Triq Hal-Qormi in Luqa.Preliminary investigations on the scene r...

A study on demand for work in the aviation industry in Malta was presented by Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects Ian Borg, on Monday. This report confirms that the aviation sector in 2019 directly supported more than 5,0...

Government’s newly proposed law, which introduces the concept of femicide to Malta’s Criminal Code, is, owing to a particular stipulation within it, discriminatory, some of the country’s top legal minds have said.Former European Cou...

Malta’s newly proposed law recognising femicide was the talk of last week for mostly good reasons, but was also the talk of this newspaper’s front-page on Sunday after the fully published Bill showed a point which was glaringly discrimina...

Former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat would not comment on speculation about a possible political return.Speculation has been rife as to whether Muscat will be making a political return following a Facebook video he posted soon after his house was sear...

Four people have died while positive for Covid-19, while health authorities reported 158 new cases of the virus.Authorities said on Sunday that an 87-year-old woman and three men aged 38, 82, and 90 respectively had died while positive for Covid-19.&...

Prime Minister Robert Abela announced on Sunday that he will be contesting the fifth electoral district, but the date of the general election itself – which some though may be confirmed today – remains shrouded in mystery.Abela was addres...

A Maltese blood specialist has spoken about a “landmark” achievement after two of the first human patients to be treated with a revolutionary therapy that engineers immune cells to target specific types of cancer still possess cancer-kill...

A group of 36 organisations came together on Sunday to commemorate that 1,971 people who have either died or gone missing trying to cross the Mediterranean in 2021.The UNHCR says that over the past decade, the number of people who have died in transi...

Most of us were told this story when we were young.A young boy entered a sweet shop with his mother, and while the shop assistant was looking elsewhere, picked a sweet and put it in his pocket. His mother saw him, and all she did was smile. No reprim...

Opposition Leader Bernard Grech has challenged Prime Minister Robert Abela to publish his law firm’s controversial the €17,000 a month retainer contract with the Planning Authority. The Times of Malta had reported that a Planning Authority...

Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Galea-Curmi called for a “zero tolerance” approach to any threat to life at any stage of it, and noted that life begins at conception, and that life is not determined according to the quantity of cells present.Gale...

The increase in pensions and other measures introduced by government have cushioned the impact of rising inflation among elderly people, the Commissioner for Older Persons, Mary Vella, has told The Malta Independent on Sunday. Over the past weeks and...

Floriana extended their unbeaten run to seven matches when in a match played at the Tony Bezzina Stadium they beat Balzan by the odd goal in three. On the other hand it was another setback for Balzan who have now gained just one point from their last...

First the FA Cup's most successful team. Now the holders.Nottingham Forest reached the fifth round by ousting Leicester 4-1 on Sunday, building on the second-tier side's previous elimination of 14-time winner Arsenal.It wasn't the biggest upset of th...

Dušan Vlahović made a dream debut for Juventus, scoring the opening goal in a 2-0 win over Verona in the Italian league on Sunday.The coveted striker completed a 70-million-euro ($80-million) transfer from Fiorentina on Jan. 28 on his 22n...

As the United Kingdom marked the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s rule on Sunday, the queen looked to the future of the monarchy.In remarks delivered in time for Sunday morning’s front pages, the queen expressed a “sincere w...

Aġenzija Sapport has received a Mark of Quality from the European Union Programming Agency for the European Solidary Corps for its Sharing Lives service, through which the agency has accommodated and facilitated opportunities with voluntary orga...

Planning applications cannot continue to be considered in isolation, St Julian’s mayor Albert Buttigieg told The Malta Independent on Sunday.The St Julian’s-Pembroke area has become a hotspot for high-rise proposals, with a number of proj...

For months, there has been speculation that Joseph Muscat will make a return to politics. To say that this would be problematic for incumbent Prime Minister and Labour leader Robert Abela would be a gross understatement. Abela knows that a Muscat ret...

Many know Kenneth Vella as an expert journalist on horse-racing. But he is also the head master at the Mater Boni Consilii St Joseph School Paola and non-resident Ambassador of Malta to Estonia and Finland.Here he tells us about his passion for horse...

Ray Vella was born on 11 January, 1959. He is the son of Nazzareno Vella and Karmena nee Camilleri. Ray is married to Mariella Vella.Vella started recalling his early days on this planet. ‘In those years it was football all around. But I rememb...

Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor wasn’t born to wear the crown. But destiny intervened.The woman who became Queen Elizabeth II will mark 70 years on the throne Sunday, an unprecedented reign that has made her a symbol of stability as the United...

Russia on Saturday sent a pair of long-range nuclear-capable bombers on patrol over its ally Belarus amid spiraling tensions over Ukraine.The Russian Defense Ministry said the two Tu-22M3 bombers practiced interacting with the Belarusian air force an...

Five more patients with Covid-19 have died as the number of cases reported on Saturday was 195, health authorities said.The five latest victims, which take the tally to 565, are two women aged 84 and 87, and three men aged 80, 83 and 86.The health au...

Two siblings were each fined €50 by a court after being found guilty of breaching the peace when they fought on a church parvis on who was to read during their mother’s funeral mass.The case took place four years ago when three siblings ca...

The Nationalist Party has filed a constitutional case against the Public Broadcasting Services, arguing that the station has become the “Labour Party’s parrot.”The PN has long been accusing the national broadcaster of being under th...

On 9 February 1992, 140 passengers arrived at Malta International Airport on board a direct flight from Moscow. These passengers were the first to be welcomed at Malta’s new air terminal building, which had been inaugurated the previous day.Nex...

Floriana: Vilhena Pharmacy, 3, St Anne Street; Marsa: Trinity Pharmacy, 32, Marsa Road; Qormi: St George's Pharmacy, 21, Main Street; Birkirkara (Fleur-de-Lys): Marrit Pharmacy, 1st of May Street; Msida: Regal Pharmacy, 39B, Antonio Bosio Street; St ...

MEP Josianne Cutajar, together with a number of other MEPs from the Socialist Group, signed a letter calling for a European Charter for Digital Rights, a Labour Party statement said.In the letter to the President of the European Commission, the Counc...

NGO Repubblika has written separately to the Auditor General and the Standards Commissioner to investigate government spending on the Labour Party media.The letters were sent following the publication of a supplement on the PL newspaper Kulhadd on 16...

Olivier Giroud again showed why he can never be written off, scoring two late goals as AC Milan rallied to beat city rival Inter Milan 2-1 on Saturday and re-ignite the Serie A title race.Milan moved one point behind defending champion and leader Int...

When the FA Cup fourth-round game entered stoppage time, West Ham was facing a humiliating loss to sixth-tier side Kidderminster.Alex Penny had scored in the 19th minute for the National North division’s third-place team which was outplaying th...

Jefferson De Assis scored three goals inside the space of seven minutes to lead Gzira to a stunning and crushing victory over champions Hamrun Spartans. The match sparked off in the second half after a rather dull first fourty five minutes. On the re...

When 25-year-old Princess Elizabeth was proclaimed queen on Feb. 6, 1952, the British Empire stretched across the world, royalty was widely revered and televisions were still a novelty item.The world has undergone profound changes since then and so h...

You know that a general election is around the corner when the government starts showering us with gifts. On Thursday, a jubilant Prime Minister announced that all workers will be receiving a €100 cheque in the mail, with elderly people getting ...

Around 670 families and businesses in Baħrija and its surrounding areas will be benefitting from a new distribution system to reinforce the electricity infrastructure and improve the service Enemalta provides to its clients, energy minister Miri...