The European Union council has officially appointed George Hyzler on the European Court of Auditors, a statement from the court said today.He will serve for six years, starting from 1 October 2022 to 30 September 2028. He will be replacing Leo Brinca...

Malta has been removed from the Financial Action Task Force’s grey list, The Malta Independent has learnt.The news came after a secret vote was taken at the currently ongoing FATF set of meetings, which includes a plenary, in Germany.The news w...

A judicial protest calling for the decriminalisation and legalisation of abortion has been filed in the Maltese courts. The Women's Rights Foundation filed the judicial protest on behalf of 188 women and persons who can get pregnant, the lobby g...

Both the Nationalist Party and the Labour Party Members of Parliament voted in favour of changing the IVF laws in accordance to today’s realities, with the PN particularly changing tack somewhat from its initial stance on the amendments.Health ...

For years on end we all wondered why Valletta, our capital city, went to sleep at 7pm when the shops closed and all the workers returned home.We questioned why, whereas other European capital cities remained alive well into the night, there was too l...

The Archdiocese of Malta has called on former minister and media commentator Michael Falzon to substantiate remarks he made in the local media alleging “there are stories of…corruption…in the Curia’s own administrative struc...

The Criminal Court has turned down a bail request made by the man indicted over a double murder which took place in Sliema, two years ago. In a decree handed down earlier today, Mr Justice Aaron Bugeja denied the request, which had been filed by...

The Nationalist Party is filing a parliamentary motion in which it is calling for two legal notices allowing music to be played in some Valletta streets until 1am to be revoked.In a statement, the PN said that a decision on the motion was taken after...

The government will be requesting that €60 million Malta “lost” from the EU recovery package as a result of its economic growth will still be handed over to the country, Parliamentary Secretary for EU Funds Chris Bonett said.The &eur...

For the second time in a week, the head of the Labour Party’s media and chairman of the Valletta agency Jason Micallef has turned the guns against the country's authorities, saying it is shameful that permits such as those issued for a pool in ...

273 new cases of Covid-19 were reported by health authorities on Wednesday.114 people meanwhile have recovered from the virus, meaning that the number of active cases currently stands at 2,012.1,321 swab tests were carried out in the last 24 hours, e...

The Environmental Health Directorate within the Superintendence of Public Health said Wednesday that as a precaution and until further notice, bathing is not recommended due to the presence of sewage overflow affecting bathing water quality and prese...

A Nigerian man has become the latest person who will face charges in connection with a romance fraud racket, after he was arrested abroad and deported to Malta, police said on Wednesday.In a statement, the police said that after a number of people we...

The truck driver had the radio on, his daughter's stuffed toy keeping him company, and was bouncing his lumbering vehicle down one of the innumerable dirt tracks in Ukraine that are vital thoroughfares in the country's vast agricultural heartlands.Th...

Egypt, Israel, and the European Union on Wednesday signed a deal to increase liquified natural gas sales to EU countries, who aim to reduce dependence on supply from Russia as the war in Ukraine drags on. The deal, stamped in a five-star Cairo h...

Russian troops control about 80% of the fiercely contested eastern city of Sievierodonetsk and have destroyed all three bridges leading out of it but Ukrainians were still trying to evacuate the wounded, a regional official said Tuesday.Serhiy Haidai...

With the ongoing increase in the price of foodstuffs and other essential items, it is now very common to hear people complaining about how much their grocery shopping spend has increased. A visit to the supermarket now costs up to 20% more than it di...

In 2021, cinemas in Malta and Gozo projected 358 different film titles and registered a total of 269,763 admissions, statistics issued by the National Statistics Office (NSO) show.During that year, there were six cinema establishments with a total of...

Two police officers are to be charged in connection to an incident back in June 2020, when a man died in the police lock-up just hours after being arrested.The 35-year-old man from Mtarfa - Richmond Tong - had been arrested by members of the Rapid In...

In the case Turnkey Limited (C 55175) (the “Plaintiff”) vs. Francesco Ruggieri (the “Defendant”), the First Hall Civil Court (the “Court”),  presided over by Honourable Judge Audrey Demicoli, on the 6 June 202...

We are commercialising Valletta too much, PN MP Mario Demarco said on Tuesday.During Parliament, de Marco said that Valletta is being heavily commercialised, with reference to the latest legal notice with which the government added another two street...

Some 300 millionaires are expected to move to Malta this year, according to articles that appear on the Henley and Partners website."Forecast figures in the Henley Global Citizens Report show the top 10 countries in terms of net inflows of ...

Moviment Graffitti has welcomed the banning of sunbeds from Blue Lagoon's sandy beach in Comino and the news that those on the quay be limited, however has insisted on a number of other restrictions.The announcement regarding the sunbeds was made by ...

England suffered its worst home defeat since 1928 with a 4-0 loss to Hungary in the Nations League on Tuesday.Less than a year after reaching the European Championship final on home soil to raucous celebrations, England was booed by its own fans afte...

The Planning Authority has given the green light for developer Joseph Portelli and his business partner to build a large pool in a protected part of a Gozitan valley.The Planning Commission on Tuesday voted to approve the pool, which will form part o...

PL MPs have objected to Police Commissioner Angelo Gafa being called to testify before the Public Accounts committee (PAC) over the Electrogas contract.PL MP Alex Muscat argued that there was no need to summon Gafa as the National Audit Office's prob...

The Attorney General had advised the police not to investigate criminal complaints filed by Melvin Theuma and Yorgen Fenech against each other, until criminal proceedings against them were concluded, a court has been told.Superintendent Victor Aquili...

Works on the Ghadira sand replenishment pilot project are set to start in July, Transport Minister Aaron Farrugia said on Tuesday during Parliament.Farrugia said that he had just been to a meeting about this project on Tuesday morning and is informed...

A court has appointed mental health experts to examine two girls who reported being sexually abused by their stepfather, after they contacted a social worker to withdraw their accusations.This as the compilation of evidence against a 40-year-old man ...

A financial services company called XNT Ltd. Has been fined an administrative penalty of €244,679, the FIAU has said.There were a number of reasons listed as to why the penalty was issued.The first dealt with customer due diligence.Findings from...

Irrespective of where discussions on accession of Ukraine into the European Union stand, the EU should afford European Healthcare services to Ukrainians, said the Minister for Health Chris Fearne on Tuesday. Fearne was speaking before the Consum...

The shore to ship power project moving to second phase, Transport minister Aaron Farrugia said on Tuesday during Parliament.Farrugia said that with this €50 million project, a total of 17 thousand families will benefit as 90% of current emission...

200 new cases of Covid-19 were reported by health authorities on Tuesday, while one more patient has died while positive for the virus.101 people meanwhile have recovered from the virus, meaning that the number of active cases currently stands at 1,8...

The coming days could be defining for Malta and the prospects of a couple of its major economic sectors, as the Financial Action Task Force is expected to meet and – possibly – decide to remove Malta from its grey list.Malta was greyliste...

The Malta Development Bank (MDB) has launched the Liquidity Support Guarantee Scheme (LSGS) which is the second emergency liquidity support measure as part of an aid package in response to the Ukraine crisis.  The first measure was in support of...

The Nationalist Party has questioned why the government has not removed all the deckchairs from Comino’s Blue Lagoon Bay. In a statement, the PN said that it had been closely following the situation pertaining to Blue Lagoon and to the dec...

The Mediterranean Tourism Forum has officially kicked off in Malta, with 30 different countries paving the way forward for the next generation of tourists.Together with stakeholders, Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo, MHRA President Andrew Agius Musca...

Life expectancy has increased throughout the decades, and according to the latest set of data issued by Eurostat, so has the length of period that a person remains healthy. Eurostat’s data, which caters for 2020, shows that Malta ranks sec...

No sunbeds will be allowed on Blue Lagoon’s sandy beach in Comino while also a limit on the number of sunbeds on the quay has also been placed, Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo said on Monday.Activist group Moviment Graffitti held a protest on ...

Establishments in two more streets in Valletta will be allowed to play music until 1am, rather than 11pm, after the government updated a controversial legal notice.The legal notice in question has been a source of consternation with the capital city&...

The government said Monday that contrary to reports, there is a capping of pensions for doctors and consultants.The contributory pension is capped according to the Social Secutiry Act, the government said.It was denying a report on Times of Malta, wh...

Former public service chief Mario Cutajar has been appointed chairman of the national heritage agency – Heritage Malta.Cutajar resigned from the role of Principal Permanent Secretary last month.In a statement, the Ministry for National Heritage...

The EU Parliament and EU member states' negotiators have agreed to keep the EU Digital Covid Certificate framework in place for another year, until June 2023.On Monday evening, negotiating teams from the European Parliament and the Council of the EU ...

Materia Malta has become the first company to export medical cannabis from Malta for sale in another country as it has completed the first commercial export of medical cannabis to Germany.Materia is a leading producer and distributor of medical canna...

APS Bank plc on Monday announced the Allocation Policy in respect of applications received for its Initial Public Offering (IPO) of 110,000,000 new shares (including the 10,000,000 new shares issued as a result of over-allotment), at the price of &eu...

A 40-year-old man from Floriana was remanded in custody on Monday morning, after he was charged with attacking and intentionally injuring his partner with a piece of broken glass during a domestic argument.The father of two, whose name cannot be publ...

142 new cases of Covid-19 were reported by health authorities on Monday, while one more patient has died while positive for the virus.73 people meanwhile have recovered from the virus, meaning that the number of active cases currently stands at 1,755...

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...

The Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) has removed campers found to be in breach of regulations at the tal-Ful campsite in Comino, the authority said in a statement.Over the past few weeks, ERA officers were actively following the situation. T...

Signs of the comeback of air travel continued to be observed by the Malta International Airport, with May becoming the second consecutive month to surpass the half a million passenger mark, a statement by MIA read."554,820 passengers travelled throug...

In January 2022, registered full-time employment increased by 4.6 per cent while part-time employment as a primary job increased by 6.0 per cent when compared to the corresponding month in 2021, the NSO said. Administrative data provided by Jobsplus ...

Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri addressed a set of meetings organised by The European Federation for Hunting and Conservation over the weekend, local hunting lobby group the FKNK said in a statement.A delegation of four Officials from the Council of th...

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...

A woman has been injured after she was hit by a car in Zejtun on Monday morning.Police said that they were called to Triq Alfredo Cachia Zammit in Zejtun in response to a traffic accident at 7:15am on Monday morning.Preliminary investigations showed ...

A woman was hospitalised on Monday after being hit by a vehicle in Luqa, the police said.The accident happened at 9.45 am, in Qormi Road.The vehicle involved in the accident was a BMW was being driven by a 23-year-old man from Mosta.Police later said...

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 ...

A number of Environment NGOs have issued a court judicial protest against the granting of a permit to build a pool extending out into Marsalforn Valley, "as part of the abusive Joseph Portelli development there."In a statement, Din L-Art Helwa, Flimk...

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...