Ukrainian forces were bolstering defenses in key cities Wednesday as Russia's advance faltered amid fierce resistance in some areas, the general staff of Ukraine's armed forces said, while the strategic port city of Mariupol remained encircled as a h...

McDonald's, Starbucks, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and General Electric __ ubiquitous global brands and symbols of U.S. corporate might __ all announced Tuesday they were temporarily suspending their business in Russia in response to the country's invasion of...

A man was arrested by police in Floriana soon after being seen stealing from a car and then subsequently attacking its owner.Police said that on Tuesday at around 3:30pm they were informed that their assistance was required in Triq Emvin Cremona in F...

LONDON — British defense officials say Russia’s assault on Kyiv has failed to make progress but several Ukrainian cities continue to suffer heavy shelling.In an update posted on social media Wednesday, the Ministry of Defence said “...

Our readers will probably wonder why once again we’re using our daily space for an editorial to write about Konrad Mizzi.Well, we’re just glad that he is retiring from politics, something he should have done a long time ago, at least sinc...

Prime Minister Robert Abela on Tuesday refused to say whether Malta would seize superyachts belonging to Russian oligarchs if they had to enter Maltese ports.Abela was asked by The Malta Independent whether it would follow the examples of countries s...

The country needs to start a discussion on the subject of euthanasia, said Prime Minister Robert Abela on Tuesday. Abela said as much on Tuesday after being asked by journalists whether such an issue would be mentioned in the PL’s general ...

A group of protestors gathered outside the Russian Embassy on Tuesday, calling for an end to the Russian invasion of Ukraine."On behalf of all peace-loving people of Malta, we call once again on the Russian authorities and the Russian military to sto...

Even though Russia has lost influence and friends since the collapse of the Soviet empire in 1989, the nuclear superpower still holds sway over several of its neighbors in Europe and keeps others in an uneasy neutrality.The Russian invasion of neighb...

The Labour Party has pledged to increase the eligibility bracket for energy benefits, Prime Minister Robert Abela said on Tuesday.The Energy Benefit is aimed to mitigate the effect of the increase in expenditure on water and electricity bills of low ...

A PL government first creates problems, solves them after being pressured, and then expects to be given praise and credit for doing so, Opposition leader Bernard Grech said at a political rally in Żebbuġ on Tuesday."First, Prime Minister Ro...

As golden passport programmes are under heavy fire, Henley & Partners said that Malta secured 1st place in the Global Citizenship Program Index for the seventh consecutive year.“The top three places in the Global Citizenship Program Index a...

Liverpool could cope with its first Anfield loss in a year to still overcome Inter Milan and reach the quarterfinals of the Champions League.Leading 2-0 from the last-16 first leg in Italy, Lautaro Martinez’s swerving shot that reduced the defi...

Striking harder at Russia’s economy, President Joe Biden on Tuesday ordered a ban on Russian oil imports in retaliation for Vladimir Putin’s onslaught in Ukraine. The major trade action, responding to the pleas of Ukraine&r...

A Bulgarian rider who was injured in a traffic accident on Sunday has died in hospital on Tuesday, the police said.The biker, a man from Bulgaria aged 38, was riding a Honda 600 Hornet which was involved in a collision with a Mitsubishi L200 driven b...

The Qattara project, which saw €10 million invested, has been completed, leading to better quality of water and less dependency on groundwater, the government said.During a press conference at the Qrendi reservoirs, Minister for Energy...

PN chief spokesperson Peter Agius has written to the European Commission asking it to investigate breaches of EU law by some Member States that are affecting the supply of basic foodstuffs to Malta. In a letter to the Commissioners for the Internal M...

159 new cases of Covid-19 were reported by health authorities on Tuesday, a significant spike in the number of cases which have been found when compared with previous weeks.An 82-year-old man has also died while Covid-19 positive, taking Malta’...

The PL has clearly shown that all it is doing is 'spinning' the PN's proposals in a negative light, PN candidate Ivan J Bartolo has said.Bartolo, while addressing a PN press conference today, said that the PL's politics landed the country on the FATF...

A Nationalist Party government will force a new tax upon businesses in order to finance private pensions, Economy Minister and PL candidate Silvio Schembri said on Tuesday.Speaking during a PL press conference which largely centred on the economy, Sc...

WASHINGTON — President Biden announced Tuesday that the U.S. is “targeting the main artery of Russia’s economy” by banning imports of Russian oil, the latest sanction intended to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.&ldqu...

The Electoral Commission has received 304 nominations from 173 candidates for the 26 March General Election. The period for submissions closed on Sunday. As expected, the Labour Party and the Nationalist Party have fielded the largest number of nomin...

The mass exodus of nurses from the profession and the controversial VGH hospital deal were the main topics of discussion in a meeting Opposition leader Bernard Grech had with the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses (MUMN) at their new premises in...

The humanitarian crisis in Ukraine deepened Monday as Russian forces intensified their shelling and food, water, heat and medicine grew increasingly scarce, in what the country condemned as a medieval-style siege by Moscow to batter it into submissio...

Visa has announced that it is suspending all operations in Russia with effect from Thursday 10 March 2022 at 12:01am, Moscow time.In this regard, Visa cards issued in Russia will no longer work outside of Russia whereas any Visa card issued by f...

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, Food and Animal Rights Anton Refalo announced the allocation of €4.5 million for financial aid from the national funds of Malta towards farmers and farm animal breeders, due to the rising costs caused by the ...

A six-car crash in Santa Venera tunnel has caused a traffic jam in this major thoroughfare.Police said that the accident took place just after 11.15am.Six cars were involved, but none of the drivers or passengers was injured.The crash took place in t...

Opposition leader Bernard Grech said today that it is not true that Malta is at the forefront for IVF success rates, in fact, the success rate is quite low, amongst the lowest in Europe, he said.Speaking on a special programme for Women’s Day o...

Green walls set up at the Mosta Technopark last year have not last long.Most of the plants that formed part of the project have died or are in the process of dying, employees who work there told The Malta Independent.Pictures they sent us show a leve...

A 56-year-old partially blind man from San Gwann has been remanded in custody after being accused of sexually abusing his niece in 2018 when she was just five years old.Inspector Kylie Borg, together with prosecutors Nathanial Falzon and Yvette ...

It is hard to believe that two years have gone by since the first case of Covid-19 was detected in Malta.To many, it feels as though the last two years were a nightmare. Shops were closed for periods of time, as were restaurants, bars, gyms, social g...

Malta and the Vatican have appealed for a ceasefire in Ukraine and called for a diplomatic solution to the Ukrainian tragedy, Foreign and European Affairs Minister Evarist Bartolo said following talks on the telephone with Archbishop Paul Gallag...

“It is evident that the PL has no plan and is copying the PN’s electoral program, and all it has left to do is attack and lie,” Nationalist Party Leader Bernard Grech said on Monday.Speaking in Birkirkara, Grech saidthe business mea...

Addressing constituents in Marsaxlokk, Prime Minister Robert Abela assured Malta that work on removing the country from the infamous grey list is at an advanced stage and a visit by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is expected in the coming wee...

The magistrate assigned to preside over a libel case filed by former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat over a Facebook comment made by lawyer Christian Grima, has recused herself, explaining that she was friends with the defendant, whom she had also atten...

The Russian government has issued a list of ‘unfriendly’ countries, which include all Member States of the European Unions, including Malta.Moscow said it has approved a list of foreign states and territories “that commit unfriendly...

European Parliament President Metsola has called on the Russian authorities to free all anti-invasion peaceful protesters unjustly detained, at the opening of the plenary session in Strasbourg.As the shelling of Ukraine continues unabated and the num...

A 20-year-old man who was involved in a traffic crash over the weekend has succumbed to his injuries and passed away.The man has been identified as Robert Azzopardi, a football player with Rabat Ajax FC.The accident happened on Saturday at 6:45am in ...

A superyacht belonging to a Russian oligarch who is currently sanctioned is registered to a holding company in Malta, the Associated Press reports.The superyacht Dilbar (not the yacht pictured in the photo above) stretches one-and-a-half football fie...

Prime Minister Robert Abela and Opposition Leader Bernard Grech as well as representatives from other political parties are set to take part in the University General Election Debate on 10 March."The Malta University Debating Union, a joint initiativ...

PN leader Bernard Grech said today that the public is not following Covid-19 protocols as they have lost trust in Prime Minister Robert Abela following confusion and contradictions in the rules.Asked by this newsroom if Grech condones the disregard f...

A fearful police sergeant had to be warned not to hold back information on the witness stand as suspected kidnapper, fraudster and associate of Prime Minister Robert Abela, Christian Borg, was back in court on Monday, when the case in which he is cha...

Maria Farrugia, the oldest person in Malta, today celebrated her 110th birthday.Borg on 7 March 1912, Maria has lived through both world wars, remembering the first air raids on Malta during the Second World War, the Spanish flu pandemic, and now als...

An 80-year-old woman has died while positive for Covid-19, health authorities announced in their daily update on Monday.72 new cases were meanwhile reported, with 80 new recoveries bringing the number of active cases down to 861.42 patients are curre...

The second week of the electoral campaign in Malta has passed and was mostly overshadowed by international events.As happened in the first week of the election campaign, Russia's invasion of Ukraine was the main concern for many.As a result of the in...

Every election starts at 0-0 and that is a fact nobody can deny, Prime Minister and Labour Party leader Robert Abela said on Monday.Answering questions by the Malta independent at a press conference, Abela said that although several surveys results c...

Prime Minister and Labour Party leader Robert Abela has announced a new set of PL proposals, this time focusing on businesses and the ease of doing business.Addressing a PL press conference, Abela said that a PL government would introduce legislation...

The Electoral Commission has announced details for those voting at a number of homes for the elderly and at hospitals across the country in the upcoming general election. The notice is for those voting at St Vincent de Paul Residence, at 34 Home...

GENEVA -- The U.N. human rights office says it has been able to confirm the deaths of 406 civilians in Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion.It said that another 801 injured civilians had been confirmed as of midnight Sunday. The rights...

The Court of Appeal has overturned a judgement by the Constitutional Court in the first instance regarding the gender corrective mechanism in Parliament, Independent Candidate Arnold Cassola has said.The 'corrective mechanism' will allow - in case on...

Opposition leader Bernard Grech announced a set of proposals concerning the education sector of the country, with the aim to strengthen the sector for students and educators alike. Work conditions for educators will be improved significantly by incen...

Malta received some good news from the FATF this week, and the country is cautiously optimistic about reaching its goal, to get off the grey list, sooner rather than later. When that does happen, another important journey – quite related to the...

The invasion of Ukraine by Russia has sparked an international outcry for the wronging being done on Ukrainian citizens as Russian troops attack major cities. The Malta Independent got in touch with Platon Dmitriyev, a Kharkiv born citizen who has ha...

“While raising awareness remains important, we do not have the time and luxury to wait. Climate change is a real, immediate threat and we need to act now.” Konrad Pirotta, Biology Head of Department within the Secretariat for Church Schoo...

FELTOM, the Federation for English Language Teaching in Malta, has welcomed the recent announcements made by government regarding the lifting and easing of a number of Covid-19 related measures.“As the year advances, FELTOM is filled with cauti...

The invasion of Ukraine by Russia has a number in common with World War I and World War II.We do hope that what is happening today will not develop into what many are predicting to be World War III but, if it unfortunately does, the date of Russia&rs...

The official global death toll from COVID-19 eclipsed 6 million on Monday — underscoring that the pandemic, now entering its third year, is far from over.The milestone, recorded by Johns Hopkins University, is the latest tragic reminder of the&...

Russia announced yet another cease-fire and a handful of humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to flee Ukraine starting Monday, but previous such measures have fallen apart and Moscow's armed forces continued to pummel some Ukrainian cities&...

A biker was critically injured in an accident in Zejtun on Sunday evening, the police said.The accident took place in President Anton Buttigieg Street at 7.45pm.The biker, a man from Bulgaria aged 38, was riding a Honda 600 Hornet which was involved ...

The Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses said that it had invited the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader to visit its new premises in Qormi on Tuesday.Prime Minister Robert Abela is still to confirm his attendance, while Opposition Leader Bernard Gre...

Some Labour Party officials disgruntled at their party’s leadership of the country will almost certainly be opting to tear up their vote in the coming general election, The Malta Independent on Sunday can reveal.Officials who spoke to this news...

The Labour Party will present its electoral programme on Friday, an announcer at a PL rally said on Sunday.The PN had presented its electoral manifesto in the first week of the campaign. Prime Minister Robert Abela had previously promised voters a pl...

With every general election and electoral manifesto come property proposals. This time round it was no different as Malta’s main two political parties have chosen to target youths and low-income earners in their proposals about property.Last we...

Malta’s electoral system is not presidential. We vote for individual candidates who represent different political parties, with a single-transferable vote that passes on from one to the other until candidates obtain enough preferences to give t...

A march in celebration of Women’s Day was held at Valletta Sunday morning, organized by NGOs Moviment Graffitti, Young Progressive Beings, Women's Rights Foundation and Doctors for Choice.The event, which was named “Jum il-Mara Kuljum,&rd...

Prime Minister Robert Abela urged people not to be complacent, but rather go out and vote in the election. “Others are trying to make you believe that the election will not change much. There are those who want the people to believe that they c...

Opposition Leader Bernard Grech said that Prime Minister is only capable of hiding and running, saying that during the electoral campaign, Abela has been avoiding criticism from the public and journalists especially. Addressing a political mass rally...

A double from Kevin De Bruyne. A double from Riyad Mahrez. The double completed by City over United in this season's Manchester derbies.Just further confirmation of the divergent paths these one-time rivals are on in the Premier League.The 4-1 victor...

Olivier Giroud is proving to be the difference for AC Milan this year as the veteran forward again scored against one of its direct rivals to help the Rossoneri win 1-0 at Napoli on Sunday and keep them on course to win a first Serie A title for more...

No new deaths related to the Covid-19 virus were reported on Sunday, with 99 new cases being reported by health authorities.74 people meanwhile have recovered from the virus, taking the number of active cases up to 870.45 patients are currently recei...

VIENNA, Austria — The International Atomic Energy Agency has said Russian forces are tightening their grip on the Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant, Ukraine’s largest, that they seized last week.The director general of the agency, Rafael Mariano...

Tomorrow marks the second anniversary of Covid-19’s arrival in Malta.It was an inevitable situation. The virus was already spreading through parts of the world, including Europe.On 7 March 2020, the news of the first three Covid-positive patien...

Audrey Friggieri, Commissioner on Gender Based Violence & Domestic Violence, loves anything that is Italian, except for football. She would support anyone playing against Italy, she says.She loves tennis, and picks a Game of Thrones character as ...

The electoral campaign is only two weeks old, but we have already seen three massive U-turns by the Labour Party. The first was the decision to take a piece of virgin land in Zonqor back from the Sadeen Group.The second was to scrap the planned Marsa...

Two tracts of land have been transferred to Puttinu Cares and Richmond Foundation respectively so that two projects can be built and carried out, following the signing of an agreement presided over by Prime Minister Robert Abela.The land transfer wil...

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Saturday that Ukrainian statehood is in jeopardy and likened the West's sanctions on Russia to “declaring war,” while a promised cease-fire in the besieged port city of Mariupol collapsed ...

A new Labour government would offer every business in the digital sector a tax credit of €50,000 if they move to Gozo, Prime Minister Robert Abela said on Saturday.Addressing a political event in Sannat, the PL leader said that if the PL is re-e...

Opposition Leader Bernard Grech said on Saturday that the government cannot take credit for the positive step forward Malta has made with regard to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), when it was the government itself who ruined Malta’s rep...

APrime Minister Robert Abela said Saturday that the efforts on good governance and against money laundering made by Malta in the past months have been recognised by the Financial Action Task Force, which will now be sending a mission to Malta to conf...

Opposition Leader Bernard Grech has welcomed the update by the Financial Action Task Force but warned that much more work needs to be done for Malta to exit the grey list.He also said that the “damage has already been done and will remain for a...

Pharmacies open today9am to 12pm & 4 to 7pmValletta: Empire Pharmacy, 77, Old Theatre Street; Ħamrun: Chemimart International Pharmacy, 650, St Joseph High Road; Qormi: Drugshop Dispensary, Vjal De La Cruz; Birkirkara (Ta' Paris): Mackie's P...

Former Labour minister Konrad Mizzi, who was expelled from the PL parliamentary group two years ago, has announced what was already clear to many – that he will not be contesting the election. Mizzi, who stayed on as an independent MP and ...

Prime Minister Robert Abela said on Saturday that the latest election campaign billboard which included journalist Manuel Delia has been removed and replaced.The billboard, which read ‘Bernard il-wiċċ tal-Passat’ (Bernard the fa...

The number of Covid-19 active cases has risen sharply again on Saturday, as one more death was recorded.The latest victim is a 64-year-old woman. The tally is now 608.Health authorities said that 121 new cases were registered, while 75 people recover...

Hibernians returned to winning ways and temporarily to the top of the standings beating Balzan with a late Ferdinando Apap strike in a keenly contested and balanced affair.Balzan, as expected gave Hibernians a very good run for their money and aklmos...

Jesse Marsch gathered his Leeds players in a huddle in the center circle at the end of the match and delivered what appeared to be an impassioned speech.So what was the American's message to his new team after his first match as an English Premier Le...

England striker Tammy Abraham is thriving at Roma after leaving European champion Chelsea.The forward whom Jose Mourinho convinced Roma to spend 40 million euros ($44 million) on in August was decisive for the second consecutive game as Roma beat Ata...

Arnold Cassola, independent candidate on the 10th and 11th districts, has demanded clear explanations from AFM Commander Brigadier Jeffrey Curmi and Attorney General Victoria Buttigieg with regard to a story of sexual harassment that concerns an army...

Both Prime Minister Robert Abela and Opposition Leader Bernard Grech submitted their nomination to contest the election earlier today.It will be the first time that the two major parties will be led into an election by new leaders.Both made it to the...

The afforestation project in Inwadar National Park, with an investment of €20 million over five years, has started, Energy Ministrer Miriam Dalli said Saturday.Some 50,000 trees will be planted, making this grove larger than Buskett's.Addressing...

Birżebbuġa residents, farmers and people keen on protecting Wied Żnuber said they are shocked at plans announced on February 12 for a miniature airstrip by the valley and the cliffs of the area. Plans for the airstrip were announced at...

The Labour Party will be implementing its proposed legal IVF amendments within 100 days after the election, if it is elected, Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne said on Saturday.Fearne said that with such amendments there will be more couples who wil...

Russian troops Friday seized the biggest nuclear power plant in Europe after a middle-of-the-night attack that set it on fire and briefly raised worldwide fears of a catastrophe in the most chilling turn yet in Moscow's invasion of Ukraine....

A man was taken to hospital with grievous injuries after he was hit by a car in Santa venera on Saturday morning.The accident took place in Cannon Road at 9.45am.The man, a 37-year-old from Santa Venera, was hit by a Citroen Jumper driven by a 25-yea...

The first cease-fire attempted in Ukraine to evacuate desperate civilians collapsed Saturday amid ongoing shelling as Russian and Ukrainian officials traded blame and Moscow tightened its grip on the war-battered country's strategic seacoas...

KYIV, Ukraine — The next round of talks between Ukraine and Russia will be held on Monday, Ukrainian official Davyd Arakhamia said Saturday.Arakhamia is head of the parliamentary faction of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Servant of the P...

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has made the 'initial determination' that Malta has 'substantially' completed its action plan, and an on-site visit is expected to verify the implementation of reforms.Malta is currently on the FATF's grey list....

A man was critically injured on Saturday morning after he lost control of the vehicle he was driving a crashed, the police said.The accident happened in Bieb ir-Ruwa Street at 6.45am.The man, aged 20 of Mtarfa, lost control of a Peugeot, which crashe...

In another extraordinary Foreign Affairs Council meeting of the European Union, Foreign and European Affairs Minister Evarist Bartolo reiterated Malta’s support to Ukraine and its people while condemned once again Russia’s actions. Minist...