EU expert and PN spokesperson Peter Agius has called out the Labour Party for its failure to protect the national interest in Europe when it comes to the new air travel rules, arguing that Malta will face significantly higher costs in air travel if t...

The Life Network Foundation Malta and the Malta Unborn Child Platform said that no international treaty recognizes the right to abortion as a fundamental right, adding that the law has an obligation to protect those who have no voice.In a statement, ...

Woman grievously injured after being hit by carA woman was grievously injured on Tuesday evening after she was hit by a car, the police said.The police said that the woman was hit by a Mazda which was parked, but which suddenly rolled forward.The wom...

The government has committed €140,000 through an agreement with the University of Malta for continued studies on an underwater Punic wreck off the coast of Xlendi.The agreement was signed by Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri and university Rector Al...

A skateboarder was grievously injured following a collision with a vehicle, the police said.The accident took place in Mgr Mikiel Azzopardi Street, Siggiewi, at 10pm.The skateboarder, a 15-year-old boy of Siggiewi, was involved in a collision with a ...

Last week the government announced that University Professor Frank Bezzina had been named as Acting President, a role he will fill each time President George Vella is abroad.Over the past few days, Bezzina took over the position for the first time as...

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia on Tuesday of becoming “a terrorist” state carrying out “daily terrorist acts” and urged Russia’s expulsion from the United Nations.In a virtual address to the...

Turkey agreed Tuesday to lift its opposition to Sweden and Finland joining NATO, ending an impasse that had clouded a leaders’ summit opening in Madrid amid Europe’s worst security crisis in decades, triggered by the war in Ukraine.After ...

A court has ordered that some €96 million held at Bank of Valletta by the heirs of one of Muammar Gaddafi’s sons are returned to the Libyan state. The case was filed six years ago by the Libyan Attorney General. The money belonged to Mutas...

Keith Schembri and Yorgen Fenech are among five to be charged over a phantom job given to Melvin Theuma, according to reports published on Tuesday.Nationalist party media arm NET News reported that Schembri and Fenech – along with former OPM cu...

Leaders of the world’s biggest developed economies said Tuesday they would explore far-reaching steps to cap Russia's income from oil sales that are financing its invasion of Ukraine and struck a united stance to support Kyiv for “as long...

Housing prices have doubled since 2013, a study published by Grant Thorton and Dhalia on Malta’s property showed Tuesday. The findings show that between the first half of 2013 (2013H1) and the first half of 2022 (2022H1) house prices increased ...

The tract of land in Zonqor near Marsascala should never have been taken from the public and given to the American University of Malta by the Labour government, the Nationalist Party said in a statement.The statement came in response to the governmen...

On 22 June 2022, the European Court of Justice (the “ECJ”) responded to a request for preliminary ruling from the Provincial Court of Léon in Spain (the “Provincial Court”). The Provincial Court’s request emanated...

A body has been recovered from the sea in Qawra, police told The Malta Independent on Tuesday.The body was first spotted on the seabed by divers near the Qawra Point area, and police were advised at around 10:15am.The body was recovered by a dive tea...

An elderly man has been reported missing by police.Karmenu Fino, who is 83 years old, was reported missing on Tuesday afternoon.He was last seen earlier on Tuesday around Hal-Luqa.Anyone with information about the person’s whereabouts can pass ...

The Malta Union for Midwives and Nurses (MUMN) said Tuesday that the St Vincent De Paul (SVP) elderly care home is set to lose 200 beds due to nurse shortages. MUMN President Paul Pace told the media that although SVP has received a lot of investment...

570 new cases of Covid-19 were reported by health authorities on Tuesday, as the number of active cases continued to rise further.155 recoveries from the virus were reported, taking the number of active cases up to 5,622.1,972 swab tests were carried...

Colonel Clinton O’Neill has been appointed as the new Commander of the Armed Forces of Malta, with Colonel Edric Zahra being appointed as Deputy Commander.The news was announced by the Home Affairs Ministry, with the appointment being made form...

A motorcyclist was hospitalised after he was involved in a traffic accident in Gozo on Tuesday afternoon.The accident took place at 1:45pm in Triq San Anard in Rabat, Gozo.Police said that an accident occurred between a Citroen Berlingo being driven ...

The European Commission has found a €12 million Maltese aid measure in favour of the owner and operator of Malta International Airport plc to be in line with EU state aid rules, the Commission said in a statement. This measure aims at compensati...

Ghost nets recovered from Heritage Malta’s submerged sites have been upcycled into bracelets and keychains, thanks to a collaboration between the German company Bracenet and Heritage Malta’s Underwater Cultural Heritage Unit (UCHU). In 20...

Russian long-range bombers struck a crowded shopping mall in Ukraine's central city of Kremenchuk with a missile on Monday, raising fears of what President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called an “unimaginable” number of victims in “one of th...

A man was grievously injured early Tuesday morning after he fell off a balcony in Msida, the police said.The accident took place in De Brocktorff Street at 1.15am.The man, aged 35 from Eritrea, fell one storey, the police said.He was taken to hospita...

Last week, President George Vella presided over the ceremony in which 12 people “graduated” after completing a residential therapeutic programme to overcome drug addiction. The programme was run by Caritas.It is an event that is held once...

Forty-six people were found dead after being abandoned in a tractor-trailer on a remote back road in San Antonio in what marked the latest tragedy to claim the lives of migrants smuggled across the border from Mexico to the U.S. Sixteen people were h...

18 ministers, former ministers and former Parliamentary Secretaries have been found in breach of ethics by Standards Commissioner George Hyzler for making improper use of public funds to pay for advertisements of a political nature in a supplement on...

Both the operators of the Malta to Gozo fast ferry have said that the service is “absolutely not financially viable” and said that government intervention will be needed for it to be feasible.Representatives of the two operators of the fa...

The extension of the music curfew in Valletta to 1am is compromising zoning policy, the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association said.In a statement, the MHRA said it has been engaged in consultation with the Ministry of Tourism about a new law conce...

Malta welcomed the outcome of the Energy Council where EU energy ministers voted on proposals to revise the Renewable Energy Directive and the Energy Efficiency Directive.Malta, represented by Minister for the Environment, Energy and Enterprise&...

Justice Minister Jonathan Attard struck a cautious tone in Parliament when asked to comment on the Attorney General’s blunder in a case concerning bribery charges against Yorgen Fenech.Attard said that special care had to be given on how one sp...

Yorgen Fenech’s lawyers have been cleared of trying to bribe a journalist after the magistrate responsible for the case said that the Attorney General’s office had failed to specify the relevant type of bribery.The judgement was delivered...

The number of active Covid-19 cases has again climbed above 5,000 after 417 new patients were registered, figures released by the health authorities show.It is the first time since 23 April that Malta has more than 5,000 cases.At present, the number ...

The police received 12,548 reports of domestic violence between 2013 and May of this year, Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri told Parliament on Monday.He was replying to a parliamentary question by Nationalist MP Karol Aquilina.Between January an...

A total of 13,015 over speeding contraventions were issued between the period of June 2021 and May 2022 in the Coast Road area in Naxxar, Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri revealed.PN MP Claudette Buttigieg made a parliamentary question to Camill...

On the second day of his State Visit to Qatar, President George Vella held official talks with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani at the Diwani Palace in Doha.The meeting started with a confirmation on both sides of their commitment t...

In 2021, Infrastructure Malta received 126 claims for vehicle damages caused by deficiencies on Maltese roads, both arterial and local, totalling to a compensation of just under €12,000, with 43 of the claims being justified, information tabled ...

The Malta Business Registry has published its Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ending 31st December of 2021, which show a significant increase in inspections and screening of applications.In 2021 the Registry Unit registered 215,92...

The police are not being proactive enough in the areas of Paceville and St Julian’s, St Julian’s mayor Albert Buttigieg said in a letter sent to Police Commissioner Angelo Gafa’.Buttigieg expressed his concern towards several brawls...

The Institute of Maltese Journalists (IGM) has called on the Attorney General Victoria Buhagiar to shoulder responsibility for her office’s blunder in a bribery case on Monday.Yorgen Fenech’s lawyers were cleared of trying to bribe a jour...

The Police has renewed a call for information about a man who was last seen on 5 March, and has been reported missing since that time.Jonathan Baldacchino, who is 36 years old and lives in Sliema, was reported missing to Police in three months ago.Po...

A judicial protest seeking change to abortion laws in Malta was presented today in court, signed by 135 doctors.A statement issued by one of the signatories, Professor Isabel Stabile, said that last week, Malta failed Andrea Prudente (above), a US ci...

Doctors signing the judicial protest that calls for changes to Malta's abortion laws had no access to the document before signing, Doctors for Life said in a statement.A judicial protest seeking change to abortion laws in Malta was presented today in...

NGO Repubblika has again called for the resignation or removal of Attorney General Victoria Buttigieg.It is unacceptable that “a court finds that two lawyers tried to bribe a journalist… but cannot be found guilty” because of a mis...

European Union countries agreed Monday that all natural gas storage in the 27-nation bloc should be topped up to at least 80% capacity for next winter as they prepare for the possibility of Russia further reducing deliveries.The EU is trying to ...

A motorcyclist was injured and hospitalised following a traffic crash in Swieqi on Monday morning.Police said that the accident occurred at 8:30am in Triq Zejni in Swieqi.Preliminary investigations by district police showed that the accident was betw...

The Malta Philharmonic Orchestra has launched the Malta Summer Festival, under the artistic direction of Óliver Díaz, as it seeks to present opera innovatively, bolstering the genre’s visibility, particularly with new audiences.Th...

Delays caused by added bureaucracy following Brexit and other international situations such as the war in Ukraine are leading to shortage of medicines, with pharmacies scrambling to offer replacements so as not to keep their clients without the items...

One of the consistent buzzwords we’ve heard when it comes to the tourism industry – particularly in the Covid-19 recovery era – is ‘quality tourism’, and that Malta itself needs to attract “quality” tourists....

Paul Zahra has been appointed as the new Permanent Secretary with the Ministry for Finance and Employment.Zahra replaces Alfred Camilleri, who has retired.Camilleri served in the post since 2006 in a career which spanned multiple government administr...

One thing is certain: the effects of Russia’s invasion in Ukraine will leave a generation of people in tatters, trying to make sense of what is left until the day they die. This feeling was felt by The Malta Independent’s journalists...

Two people have been hospitalised after they were involved in a traffic accident between three vehicles on Sunday.Police said that the traffic accident occurred on Sunday at around 7:30pm in Vjal ir-Rihan in San Gwann.Preliminary investigations showe...

Leaders of the Group of Seven economic powers are set to commit themselves to the long haul in supporting Ukraine as they meet in the German Alps and confer by video link with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.The G-7 leaders will begin Monday'...

Families who have adopted Maltese children have had their car or front door burnt in a clear sign of retribution, instilling fear in many other prospective parents when they make plans to adopt a child.This pushes many of them to not want to adopt Ma...

442 new cases of Covid-19 were reported by health authorities on Sunday, as the number of active cases edged closer to the 5,000 mark.156 recoveries from the virus were reported, taking the number of active cases up to 4,952.1,755 swab tests were car...

A 33-year-old Syrian man residing in Santa Venera has been charged with assaulting and raping a French woman in Paceville.Ebrahem Hamood was arraigned in court on Sunday, in front of Magistrate Marseanne Farrugia.A court heard how on 19 June, at arou...

It has become necessary for people to resort to private pensions from a young age due to the lower birth rate, Grazio Barbara, director general of the Social Security Department said. Pensions and social benefits have gone through significant changes...

Two people were arrested as they were caught red handed trying to traffic a significant quantity of cocaine into Malta from Sicily.Police said that they had arrested a 24-year-old man from Moldova and an 18-year-old woman from Russia after 25 kilogra...

If all the plans that we know about come to be, Malta is set to have a staggering 100,000 licensed beds for tourists by 2030. Other projects may surface in the next years, so that number could grow bigger than that.At present, the bed stock is around...

Our small nation with a big heart has shown yet another act of kindness as it helped The Hospice Malta fundraising telethon, Bl-Imħabba Naslu, raise a total of €428,442. The telethon came to a close at midnight on 26 June.The telethon&rsquo...

A restaurant in Marsascala has seemingly taken certain development matters into its own hands, as it illegally built a wooden structure which has taken up part of the pavement and impeded access to a zebra crossing.The case, brought to the attention ...

Transport Malta is usually known for its work on Malta’s roads, but its hard and consistent work is also very visible at sea, as it works tirelessly to maintain the safety of the public off Malta’s shores. The transport authority recently...

Russia attacked the Ukrainian capital in the early hours of Sunday morning, striking at least two residential buildings, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said, as elsewhere Russian troops consolidated their gains in the east.Associated Press journalists i...

Jack Schiavone, a prominent figure in Malta’s cycling scene, has passed away at the age of 52.Schiavone was a competitive cyclist and also served as a national coach over the years, while also owning a shop popular within the cycling community ...

Our own deputy editor, Kevin Schembri Orland, today will tie the knot with his beloved Rose. Regular readers will have seen his name regularly on our newspapers and portal, and so today is the best time for us to get to know him better through his an...

Disclaimer: We borrowed the title of this editorial from a press release issued by the Richmond Foundation this week. We did this because the above is such a powerful and truthful statement, one that deserves much thought and must be followed up with...

The Ministry for Active Ageing has launched a pilot project of a palliative care service at the Mtarfa elderly home, with the aim of soon providing it in the rest of the government's homes for the elderly around Malta and Gozo.During a press conferen...

Russian forces were seeking to swallow up the last remaining Ukrainian stronghold in the eastern Luhansk region, pressing their momentum after taking full control Saturday of the charred ruins of Sievierodonetsk and the chemical plant where hundreds ...

 The World Health Organization said the escalating monkeypox outbreak in more than 50 countries should be closely monitored but does not warrant being declared a global health emergency.In a statement Saturday, a WHO emergency committee said man...

Pope Francis celebrated families Saturday and urged them to shun “selfish” decisions that are indifferent to life as he closed out a big Vatican rally a day after the U.S. Supreme Court ended constitutional protections for abortion.F...

Labour MP Glenn Bedingfield announced the birth of his daughter, Carla.As from 25 June, life will not be the same, Bedingfield said in a Facebook post.“Charlene and I are very happy,” he said.

The number of active Covid-19 cases has doubled in a week – from 2,316 on 17 June to 4,666 on Saturday, figures released today by the health authorities show.The number of new cases registered Saturday was 456, taking the total of Covid-19 case...

President George Vella said that the 12 people who have successfully completed Caritas Malta’s residential therapeutic programme are a reflection of collective work, so that today they have the helm and a better compass to overcome th...

Valletta: Empire Pharmacy (Branch), 46 Melita Street; Marsa: Vivien Pharmacy, Patri Magri Street; Żebbuġ: Santa Marija Pharmacy, 40, Għasfura Street; Birkirkara: Brown's Pharmacy, 32, Fleur-de-Lys Road; San Ġwann: San Ġwann P...

A man was arrested by the police after he was caught in possession of two kilogrammes of cocaine.The police said in a statement that on Friday at 6pm, the police searched the man’s vehicle and found the cocaine, with a street value of €180...

A health and safety project supervisor has been attacked on a construction site, the Malta Occupational Safety and Health Practitioners Association said.The incident happened on Saturday, but the association did not give any more details.The man was ...

A 12-year-old girl has been reported missing to the police.Her name is Sharona Grima, and the last time she was seen was on 22 June, the police said Saturday.Anyone with information is asked to contact the police on21224001/119.***Renewed appealThe p...

Former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat is set to be appointed chairman of the Malta Professional Football Clubs Association as he is the sole candidate for the post. The association issued a statement Saturday to also say that it has no intention o...

 As Russia’s invasion in Ukraine continues to leave its consequences, Parliament President Roberta Metsola met Malta Chamber and Malta Employers’ Association whilst visiting Malta.The President of the European Parliament Roberta Mets...

Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar (FAA) said Saturday is supporting Balzan residents in campaigning to preserve Balzan residents’ health, quality of life and village character, all under threat by the proposed development to build a complex...

Eight local councils are to benefit from funding of just over €400,000 between themselves from the ‘Capital Projects - Accessibility and Mobility’ scheme.During a press conference on Saturday held at the Hastings Garden in Valletta, ...

A day after endorsing Ukraine's candidacy to join the European Union, the bloc's leaders turned their attention Friday to the severe economic turbulence from Russia’s war in the neighboring country as the conflict's full imp...

Adrian Delia and his partner Cynthia Galea announced on Saturday that they are expecting their first child together.In a brief post on Facebook, the former Nationalist Party leader, now MP, wrote: “Good morning, to my lovely Cynthia, to all of ...

At least at the outset, before a tennis ball is struck, this edition of Wimbledon is as much about who — and what — is missing as who’s here.And that’s even taking this into account: It is no small matter that the gr...

Malta reached an ugly milestone yesterday with the total number of Covid-19 cases since the start of the pandemic exceeding the 100,000 mark. The number of daily cases has been increasing sharply, and more people have died of Covid so far this year t...

The end of constitutional protections for abortions in the United States on Friday emboldened abortion opponents around the world, while advocates for abortion rights worried it could threaten recent moves toward legalization in their countries.The&n...

After weeks of ferocious fighting, Ukrainian forces have begun retreating from a besieged city in the country's east to move to stronger positions, a regional official said Friday, the four-month mark in Russia's invasion.The planned withdrawal ...

Former Nationalist MP Mario Galea has called for an inquiry into the death of Nicholas Camilleri, who took his own life after battling a mental illness for years.Camilleri was found dead by one of his sons last week, days after he went missing. His f...

Civil society NGO Repubblika has filed an application calling on the courts to order the police commissioner to prosecute Pilatus Bank officials.Repubblika president Robert Aquilina said on Friday that a magisterial inquiry found that there may have ...

Air Malta announced today that following significant demand for air travel post Covid, it has leased in an additional aircraft to be able to offer added services from July up to October 2022. The Airbus A320 aircraft is being wet leased from Getjet. ...

The effects of the war in Ukraine, including a shortage of food and famine in the African continent, could lead to an increase in irregular migration, Prime Minister Robert Abela has warned.Abela was speaking after an EU Summit in Brussels. During th...

Labour Party MEP Alex Agius Saliba has asked the European Commission to investigate Malta’s three main telecommunications companies over a direct debit charge which they imposed on customers together.The telecommunication companies in Malta hav...

A pregnant American woman who suffered an incomplete miscarriage while vacationing in Malta was receiving treatment Friday in a hospital on the Spanish island of Mallorca because Maltese law prohibits abortion, the woman's partner said.Jay Weeldreyer...

The Supreme Court has ended constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place nearly 50 years in a decision by its conservative majority to overturn Roe v. Wade. Friday's outcome is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the s...

The number of Covid-19 cases in Malta exceeded 100,000 on Friday, as 479 cases were reported.Two more deaths were also registered, taking the total to 740. No details were given by the health authorities.Malta registered its first case on 7 March 202...

A new pilot project for the treatment of victims of drug abuse is set to start soon, Family Minister Michael Falzon said on Friday.During a press conference at the Substance Misuse Outpatient’s Unit at St. Luke’s Hospital, the Minister sa...

An elderly man was grievously injured on Friday after he lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a parked van.The accident took place at around 8:50am in Triq il-Kottonera, Vittoriosa, the police said.The man, 77, from Zabbar, was driving a Mits...

Chayenne Abela, a 14-year-old student who attends the San Ġorġ Preca College Ħamrun Secondary School, is the winner of the Premju Ġwanni XXIII għat-Tjubija 2022, organised by the Peace Laboratory. Every day, Chayenne Abela su...

As the temperature continues to rise, the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Directorate has advised the public on the importance of taking the necessary precautions to stay healthy and avoid adverse consequences from the effects of the heat. Ov...