David Agius gave nothing away when he was asked by this newsroom whether he was going to re-contest for the role of Nationalist Party Deputy Leader for the upcoming term.Nominations for the post opened on Saturday and will remain open till 18 June.Co...

Attacks on people in restaurants are not the ‘norm’, the Secretary at the Association of Catering Establishments Omar Vella said. Having said this, the people’s safety in these establishments is of paramount importance.The Malta Ind...

Malta is the sixth lowest spender in the European Union in terms of the percentage of its GDP when it comes to national expenditure on environmental protection, new data published by Eurostat shows.Delving into the details of the statistics, when it ...

Kremlin-installed officials in occupied southern Ukraine celebrated Russia Day on Sunday and began issuing Russian passports to residents in one city who requested them, as Moscow sought to solidify its rule over captured parts of the country.At one ...

The government is there, amongst many other things, to ensure justice for the people.  To ensure that what is rightfully theirs remains rightfully theirs.  To ensure that things which belong to the people are not abused by the few, and to e...

An American tourist was fined and banned for life from Rome's Spanish steps after causing $26,000 worth of damage by hurling an e-scooter down the heritage site, international media report.The incident, which occurred at around 3:45am Friday, was fil...

Malta’s greylisting is expected to be discussed during the plenary session of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) that will be held in the coming days, The Malta Independent on Sunday is informed. There is as yet no guarantee that the discus...

A staggering 21.2% of the permits which were granted by Malta’s planning authorities in the last 15 years were initially recommended for refusal by the application’s case officer, data tabled in Parliament shows.Data tabled by Planning Mi...

Malta has been under the spotlight of international institutions for quite a while. Not for the right reasons.We have been reprimanded, told to work harder and even punished for our failures. Resolutions have been passed demanding stronger action by ...

A soup kitchen in Valletta serves around 80 to 100 people a day, but according to a priest who runs the place there are many more who need our help, but are not coming forward as they feel humiliated in doing so.The priest, Franciscan Father Marcelli...

153 new cases of Covid-19 were reported by health authorities on Sunday, while two more patients have died while positive for the virus.79 people meanwhile have recovered from the virus, meaning that the number of active cases currently stands at 1,6...

Wilfred Owen had called it “the old lie”, as together with other doomed youth he stepped onto the front line in France, during World War I. The meaning of such an anti-war poem became even more evident to two Maltese journalists at the fr...

Ukrainian and British officials warned Saturday that Russian forces are relying on weapons able to cause mass casualties as they try to make headway in capturing eastern Ukraine and fierce, prolonged fighting depletes resources on both side...

Last Monday the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Anglu Farrugia, spoke about the need to use parliamentary time in the most efficient way possible.In his address to commemorate the Sette Giugno, the riots that took place on 7 June 1919 which ...

Three people were hospitalised after two separate traffic accidents in the early hours of Sunday morning.In one accident, police said that at around 2am on Sunday they were informed of a crash in Triq San Gorg in St. Julian’s.Preliminary invest...

Malta returned to winning ways beating San Marino thanks to a Zach Muscat header at the start of the second half. It was a hard earned but deserved victory for the boys in red. Malta found the going hard especially in the first half as San Marino&rsq...

Portugal left Cristiano Ronaldo at home and lost its unbeaten record in 2022 and the lead of its Nations League group on Sunday.A goal after 57 seconds by Switzerland forward Haris Seferović was enough for a 1-0 win in Geneva despite late pressu...

Max Verstappen once again pounced when rival Charles Leclerc faltered in their race for the Formula One title.Verstappen extended his F1 championship lead by winning the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday — his fifth victory of the season — ...

The head of the Labour Party’s media and chairman of the Valletta Cultural Agency said that the authorities’ lack of action on abuse in Comino should lead to resignations.In a Facebook post, Jason Micallef said that the government appoint...

Bathers have the right to ask for the removal of deckchairs that are occupying a public space on a beach, Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo said on Friday.Answering questions by The Malta Independent, Bartolo insisted that deckchair owners are obliged...

Members of the Moviment Graffitti this morning removed deckchairs and umbrellas at Blue Lagoon, Comino in a symbolic event aimed to raise awareness on how public beaches are being taken over by operators.Last week, the NGO wrote a letter to five...

The amendments to the IVF law undermine the dignity of embryos as they will allow embryos with specific genetic disorders to be frozen forever, a statement issued by the Maltese Curia said.Furthermore, through these amendments, a discriminatory choic...

The National Parents Society of Persons with Disability said today that sweeping statements made by the Commission for the Rights for Persons with Disabilities are reductionist and simplistic at best and dangerous at worst.The NPSPD added its critici...

Valletta: Collis Williams Pharmacy, 15, Republic Street; Ħamrun: Thomas' Pharmacy, 796, St Joseph High Road; Żebbuġ: Plaza Pharmacy, 86, Main Street; Birkirkara: Herba Pharmacy, 166, Salvu Psaila Street; San Ġwann: Lourdes Pharmac...

The health authorities said 166 new Covid-19 cases were registered on Saturday.There was also one more death, as the tally of victims now reached 724.The number of cases registered in Malta is now 95,995, with 93,260 recoveries.The number of active c...

The majority of members of the Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disability (CRPD) have distanced themselves with the official position taken by the CRPD on the IVF law. With reference to the position taken by CRPD on...

It was a night of stalemates for the big teams in the Nations League on Saturday, including a drab scoreless draw in the rematch of last year's European Championship final.England was held 0-0 by Italy to leave Gareth Southgate's side without a win i...

The process to elect the Nationalist Party’s new leader has started today, the party announced.The PN will have one deputy leader, instead of the two at present, after amendments to the party statute were approved before the election.Robert Arr...

The visit by Minister Najla M. El-Mangoush is one that symbolises the strong relationship that Malta and Libya have and will see that it is further strengthened in all areas, Foreign Minister Ian Borg said following an official meeting he had wi...

DBRS Ratings GmbH (DBRS Morningstar) confirmed the Republic of Malta’s Long-Term Foreign and Local Currency – Issuer Ratings at A (high). At the same time, DBRS Morningstar confirmed the Republic of Malta’s Short-Term Foreign and Lo...

Charles Leclerc is back on pole. Now comes the tricky task of converting it into a win.Leclerc won the pole for the fourth consecutive race with a blistering lap around the Baku street circuit in Azerbaijan on Saturday, but the Ferrari driver failed ...

One of Malta’s most significant claims to fame has always been its intense connection with the Catholic faith.  The country has been known for its churches, for its religious feasts, for being the place where St Paul found refuge a couple ...

Civilians fled intense fighting in eastern Ukraine on Friday as Russian and Ukrainian forces engaged in a grinding battle of attrition for key cities in the country's industrial heartland.Mostly women, children and elderly residents left on a special...

 Labour Member of the European Parliament Cyrus Engerer will be leading the extraordinary work on the legal order of the European Union and the principle of primacy of Union law on Parliament’s behalf, the Labour Party said in a statement....

The owner of a restaurant has described how he and an employee had intervened to disarm a man who attacked his patrons with a knife and a broken bottle in Paceville last week.Magistrate Ian Farrugia continued to hear witnesses as the compilation of e...

The Criminal Court has turned down yet another bail request filed by murder suspect Yorgen Fenech, pointing out that the case could not be treated "like other cases."In a ruling handed down on Friday morning, Madam Justice Edwina Grima observed that ...

A 28-year-old motorcyclist was critically injured in a collision with another two vehicles in Marsa on Friday afternoon.The motorcyclist was riding a BMW 1100 when he was involved in a traffic accident with a Dennis truck and a Mazda Demio.The accide...

The Puttinu Cares Foundation has signed a contract to purchase a building located in central London, with the aim of housing Maltese patients while they are being treated in the city.The contract sealed the purchase of 23 apartments located just minu...

The retired Judge Geoffrey Valenzia has been appointed to the Independent Police Complaints Board, the Home Affairs Ministry announced on Friday.Valenzia takes the place of former Police Commissioner Michael Cassar, who the Ministry said had expresse...

Enemalta registered a loss of nearly €36 million in 2020, the Nationalist Party has said."After much pressure and a number of Parliamentary questions, Enemalta today published its audited accounts for 2020, nearly a year late," the PN said.In it...

Valletta local council Minority Leader Christian Micallef is calling for an urgent council meeting to discuss amendments on the regulations on the opening hours of shops in Valletta, which “have never been discussed with us as councillors&rdquo...

After suspending two of its members who allegedly sold tampered vehicles, the Council of the Used Vehicle Importers Association has unanimously agreed to implement stricter measures in order to ensure that such instances do not transpire in the futur...

Kylian Mbappe came off the bench to rescue a point for France in a 1-1 draw at Austria in the Nations League on Friday, but the defending champion sits in last place with just two points from three group games.World Cup winner France is under pressur...

64.6% of youths between the ages of 16-25 are happy with their life, but the younger demographic - overall - has a lesser percentage of happy people compared to their older counterparts, revealed a study on the State of the Nation. A study condu...

The kit manager of Malta’s national football team, who has been described as the “heart and soul” of the team, Mark Piscopo has passed away at the age of 52.The Malta Football Association announced the news, expressing its deep sadn...

The Court of Appeal has overturned a 2021 court decision that dismissed a defamation case filed by MaltaToday columnist Raphael Vassallo against blogger Manuel Delia.Vassallo sued over a blog post in which Delia suggested that the MaltaToda...

The Animal Welfare Commissioner Alison Bezzina has said that an urgent review of zoo regulations and an overhaul to the animal emergency service is needed.Bezzina made the recommendations in a 25-page feedback document to fully address the five quest...

187 new cases of Covid-19 were reported by health authorities on Friday.It is the highest number of cases reported since 206 cases of the virus were reported on 28 April.102 people meanwhile have recovered from the virus, meaning that the number of a...

The government is set to help family businesses with training courses with the aim to improve the quality of operation and service the business provides, Energy Minister Miriam Dalli said. Speaking at a press conference at the Malta Chamber of Commer...

The Association of Catering Establishments (ACE) recently conducted its first post Covid-19 pandemic online survey among its members, in order to obtain a clear picture of the industry between January and May 2022. The survey highlights the fact...

The partnership between the BBC and the Malta Tourism Association is promoting Malta in a different way, not just for its sun and sea, Tourism minister Clayton Bartolo said on Friday.He said that the world famous BBC concert orchestra rock anthems, w...

Ukraine and the West denounced a pro-Moscow court that sentenced two British citizens and a Moroccan to death for fighting for Ukraine, calling the proceedings a sham and a violation of the rules of war.Meanwhile, as the Kremlin’s forces contin...

The Ukrainian army says Kyiv’s forces continue to frustrate Russian attempts to take the fiercely contested eastern city of Sievierodonetsk.“The occupiers, with the help of motorized rifle units and artillery, conducted assault operations...

New evidence which may link third parties to the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia is being investigated by the police, a court heard on Thursday.Police superintendent Keith Arnaud told a court that last month the police had obtained new information i...

Over 2,600 people in Malta earn a minimum wage, a parliamentary question revealed this week.That number may not sound like much when one considers that Malta’s full-time workforce is 243,000 strong, but it means that over two thousand people ar...

The United Nations has appointed Malta as a new non-permanent member of its security council.In a Tweet, Prime Minister Robert Abela said that he was honoured to see Malta elected with a strong vote. "Serving on the Council of the UN provides Malta a...

The European Central Bank said Thursday that it would carry out its first interest rate increase in 11 years in July, followed by another hike in September, as it catches up with other central banks worldwide in pivoting from supporting the economy d...

Sliema mayor John Pillow was assaulted by a group of people in the locality, well-known lawyer Claire Bonello said on social media on Thursday.Bonello said that Pillow “was attacked and hurt by persons who were urinating on the beach.”She...

Estonia beat Malta yesterday at the National Stadium to practically earn promotion to Group C o the UEFA Nations League. It was a last gasp blunder by the plucky and erratic Malta team that paved the way for Estonia’s victory.Our promotion hope...

Portugal and Spain picked up victories in the Nations League on Thursday to set up a battle between the Iberian neighbors for a spot in the Final Four.Portugal took sole possession of the lead in Group 2 of the top-tier League A by defeating the Czec...

The engineer Jonathan Scerri has handed in his resignation as the chairman of Enemalta, The Malta Independent can confirm.A spokesperson for the Energy Ministry confirmed reports that Scerri had resigned from his post, adding that he had tendered his...

Two British citizens and a Moroccan have been sentenced to death by pro-Moscow rebels in eastern Ukraine for fighting on Ukraine's side.The three men fought alongside Ukrainian troops and surrendered to Russian forces weeks ago.A court in the self-pr...

The European Parliament adopted a resolution calling on the European Council to agree to start the process to revise the EU Treaties.In light of the array of ongoing and recent crises, MEPs used their prerogative to call for the EU Treaties to be cha...

Iosif Galea was subject to certain action by the regulatory authorities last year affecting his ability to perform in certain functions for businesses, sources have informed The Malta Independent, but he is appealing a decision by the Malta Financial...

The three men who were injured in last weekend’s fireworks complex explosion have been discharged from hospital, the pyrotechnical society they form part of announced on social media on Wednesday night.The three men – aged 25, 29, and 60 ...

If ever there was a need to confirm it, a survey has found that inflation is having an impact on people.At the start of the second edition of the 'State of the Nation' national conference at the Verdala Palace, statistics expert and University of Mal...

Director General of the Malta Employers' Association (MEA) Joseph Farrugia has said that the country should “be open to all ideas at this stage,” in response to questions related to the projected COLA rise next year.He was contacted by th...

Government is set to spend an additional €145 million during 2022 to 2027 for new measures on the National Action Plan for a Child Guarantee, adding to the €195 million per year for existing ongoing measures.Speaking at a press conference o...

Heritage Malta has acquired a piece of land at Borġ in-Nadur, measuring nearly 13 tumoli, beneath a part of which lies buried a village dating back to the Bronze Age. In terms of size, this is the largest acquisition of archaeological value ever...

175 new cases of Covid-19 were reported by health authorities on Thursday.It is the highest number of cases reported since 175 cases of the virus were reported on 3 May.99 people meanwhile have recovered from the virus, meaning that the number of act...

Labour Party President Ramona Attard and PL MP Naomi Cachia today went through the IVF amendments currently being discussed in parliament, stating that the government has kept another promise of presenting the changes within the first 100 days in off...

The Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disability (CRPD) in a statement reiterated the right of persons with disability to be fully informed and enabled to access family planning and reproductive health services of their choice, as provided fo...

Workers pulled scores of bodies from smashed buildings in an “endless caravan of death” inside the devastated city of Mariupol, authorities said Wednesday, while fears of a global food crisis escalated over Ukraine’s inability to ex...

An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office says Russian troops have changed their tactics in the battle for Sievierodonetsk.Oleksiy Arestovych said Wednesday that Russian soldiers have retreated from the city and are now pou...

Civil society NGO Repubblika is demanding that Police Commissioner Angelo Gafa resign, for failing to take action against business people and politicians.The NGO's President Robert Aquilina delivered a speech at a protest in front of the Police Headq...

A statement issued last Saturday afternoon by Nature Trust probably went unnoticed by many as Malta was hooked on what was happening in the limits of Mosta where yet another serious accident in a fireworks factory had taken place. Luckily, there were...

The speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament made a vibrant plea Wednesday for his country to be named a candidate for European Union membership, a move that would bring the war-torn nation closer to the EU without guaranteeing its admittance.Ru...

Prime Minister Robert Abela said he wants the debate on the proposed legal amendments to IVF legislation to be based on facts.Addressing Parliament, he recounted some of the problems couples face when it comes to having children. “We cannot rem...

Tessabelle Camilleri, the partner of the late Shawn Curmi, took to social media to send a final tribute to her partner after he unexpectedly lost his life on Tuesday. Curmi, a father and a psychiatric nurse at Mount Carmel Hospital, tragically f...

Malta cannot compare itself to other countries when it comes to proposed IVF law amendments as we are “a different society with different principles,” PN health spokesperson Stephen Spiteri said on Wednesday.In his opening speech on behal...

Minister Julia Farrugia Portelli said on Wednesday that, so far 45 people have filed a complaint with regard to the second-hand car scam.MaltaToday has revealed how hundreds of consumers were sold second-hand Japanese cars with tampered mileage gauge...

Balluta Valley in St Julians, which serves as a green lung for the densely populated area of Sliema/St.Julians will continue to retain its full protection status as a scheduled Area of Ecological Importance (AEI).The Environment and Planning Review T...

A man drove a car into pedestrians in a popular Berlin shopping district on Wednesday, killing one person and seriously injuring nine others, rescue services said.The man drove into people on a street corner at around 10:30 a.m. before getting the ca...

So much for Belgium not caring about the Nations League.By coming from behind to rout Poland 6-1 on Wednesday, Belgium’s players gave an emphatic riposte to those questioning the team’s commitment to the competition at the end of a long s...

140,723 employees currently receive less than the median wage and 2,642 employees in Malta receive the minimum wage, according to information by the Labour Force Survey (LFS).Answering a parliamentary question made by PN MP Ivan Castillo, Finance Min...

One of Yorgen Fenech's lawyers has claimed that Yorgen Fenech's mobile phone was still broadcasting its location at a time when it should have been off and stored in a Faraday room by Europol.Lawyer Charles Mercieca claimed that metadata relatin...

102 new cases of Covid-19 were reported by health authorities on Wednesday.104 people meanwhile have recovered from the virus, meaning that the number of active cases currently stands at 1,387.1,029 swab tests were carried out in the last 24 hours, e...

Parliamentary discussions on IVF law amendments are set to begin today.In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne said that these amendments can be categorised in three parts.Firstly donations of oocytes, which are cells in a...

Former Nationalist Party leader Adrian Delia has said that he has not been approached to contest the 2024 European Parliament elections and added that it is something which he has never considered.Delia was reacting to a story carried by The Times of...

Parliamentary Speaker Anglu Farrugia said that the Public Accounts Committee needs a clear push to come to consensus on the list of witnesses summoned before any majority vote is to be taken.Last Thursday, the Public Account Committee took two hours ...

19 organisations were newly certified with the NCPE Equality Mark award by the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality (NCPE), whilst 37 organisations were re-certified for their commitment towards equality practices and policies in the wor...

We have been seeing more jellyfish in Malta’s waters lately because the sea’s temperature went down to 14.6 degrees in the first two weeks of March, said Director of the International Ocean Institute - Malta Training Centre Professor Alan...

43% of Maltese youths between the ages of 15 and 24 have knowingly accessed pirated content in the last 12 months, marking the highest percentage in the European Union for piracy, a survey revealed.The European Union Intellectual Property Office&rsqu...

A pilot project which will see a set of electric, self-driving buses take to Malta’s roads is awaiting funding from the European Union before beginning, Transport Minister Aaron Farrugia told Parliament some days ago.Farrugia was answering a Pa...

A deal on common charger for mobile phones has been agreed at the European Parliament. By autumn 2024, the common charger will become a reality for all small and medium-sized portable electronic devices. S&D Vice-president Alex Agius Saliba ...

Malta and Gozo have been invaded.  Invaded by the clutches of the pro-business mentality that today’s political class has fostered, and by the clutches of greed as more and more businesses and business owners do their best to make a quick ...

A motorcyclist was hospitalised early on Wednesday morning after he was involved in a traffic crash in Gozo.Police said that they were informed of the accident at 6:30am in Triq it-Tigrija in Xaghra, Gozo.Preliminary investigations showed that the cr...

Three children were among five persons to be injured in a traffic accident at Salini, limits of Naxxar, on Tuesday afternoon, the police said Wednesday.The accident took place in Salini Road at 1pm.It involved a Peugeot driven by a 28-year-old woman ...

It’s the inflation you’re not supposed to see.From toilet paper to yogurt and coffee to corn chips, manufacturers are quietly shrinking package sizes without lowering prices. It’s dubbed “shrinkflation,” and it’s a...