Both major political parties have essentially ruled out the option of a free vote for the abortion bill reform.The Malta Independent spoke to Nationalist Party (PN) Whip Robert Cutajar and Labour Party (PL) Whip Andy Ellul, about whether a free vote ...

Transparency International EU (TI EU) has released a briefing that analyses more than 28,000 lobby meetings that were published by Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) between June 2019 and July 2022. During this period, just over half of MEPs u...

The Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses has ordered its members not to accept, as from Thursday, any new admissions at the staff canteen and medical library at Mater Dei Hospital, which are being used as wards.In a statement “calling (Health Min...

Thousands gathered in Valletta on Sunday to protest against the government's bill that proposes the introduction of an amendment to Malta's strict anti-abortion laws.Protestors gathered in front of Castille and marched towards the law courts, where a...

While pregnant mothers should be given all the psychiatric care necessary, abortion should never be confused with psychiatric treatment, a group of three anti-abortion organisations have said.The Life Network Foundation in collaboration with Doctors ...

State agencies for social workers are having to resort to 'quick fixes' to address the significant shortage of social workers in the country, by bringing in unqualified persons for the role, PN MP Graziella Attard Previ told The Malta Independent on ...

An overhaul of the criminal court procedures should be considered in the long term, Chief Justice Emeritus Vincent De Gaetano told The Malta Independent on Sunday.The former Chief Justice has seen the evolution of Malta’s justice system, having...

The young man who was missing after a building under construction collapsed in Kordin on Saturday was found dead beneath the debris early on Sunday.It was around 1.30 am, a full 16 hours after the building crumbled, that the body of Jean Paul Sofia, ...

State agencies for social workers are having to resort to ‘quick fixes’ to address the significant shortage of social workers in the country, by bringing in unqualified persons for the role, PN MP Graziella Attard Previ said.The country h...

The police have warned against fraudulant messages that the public have been receiving, and urged people to pay more attention, as the number of reports of people who fell for misleading messages resulting in money being stolen from them has increase...

Like all great strikers, Harry Kane’s timing was perfect.The England captain got off the mark Sunday, scoring his first goal at this year's World Cup in a 3-0 victory over Senegal that set up a must-see match against France in the qua...

It all seems so straightforward — laughable, perhaps — for Kylian Mbappé when it comes to the World Cup.The France forward, who scored four goals when he led his country to the title four years ago as a 19-year-old phenom, put...

Prime Minister Robert Abela on Sunday defended the government's bill to introduce an exception to Malta's strict anti-abortion laws.Speaking during a political activity on Sunday, Abela made reference to several reforms that were introduced over the ...

National Party (PN) leader Bernard Grech has appealed to Labour party members who are against abortion to speak up within the party against the abortion bill reform.Grech's speech was made on Sunday, when he also remembered the death of ex-PN politic...

The 2022 Qatar World Cup has been tainted by numerous controversies which have spoiled the event for a number of football fans.What is usually a passionate patriotic tournament watched by all the eyes of the world, seems to have lost its spark this y...

1,600 trees and shrubs have been planted in a joint initiative between Parks Malta and Puttinu Cares, the government said.The trees and shrubs, funded by Parks Malta, were planted in return for every €300 or more that the public donated to Putti...

There is so much that is being said and written about abortion these days.The subject has been brought to the fore once again after the government presented an amendment to the law which speaks of legalising the “termination of a pregnancy&hell...

Just two weeks ago in an interview on a national newspaper the Prime Minister affirmed that the government does not have a mandate to introduce abortion in Malta.  Two weeks later, the government presents an amendment to the Criminal Code that e...

Five workers were injured when part of a construction site in Corradino Industrial Estate collapsed, while another man is still missing, the police said.The accident happened at around 9.30am, with footage that emerged on the social media later showi...

CCTV footage has emerged of the building that collapsed in Kordin this morning.Five men were injured and another is still missing.A crane has been brought in to start dismantling part of the structure that is erect but in a dangerous state. Lights ha...

Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri said Saturday evening that the search operation at Kordin could take many hours.In a post on Facebook, the minister said that the Civil Protection Department personnel will continue to search overnight for a man ...

President George Vella on Friday stopped short of saying he will resign rather than sign a law on abortion as is being presented by the government, and said he will take his decision after Parliament votes on the matter.Speaking to journalists, Vella...

The Nationalist Party said Saturday that the Labour government has no mandate to introduce abortion, and so should withdraw the amendment that will open the way for abortion to take place legally.In a statement, the PN urged the Maltese people to spe...

Valletta: Regent Pharmacy, 70, Merchants Street; Ħamrun: Chemimart International Pharmacy, 650, St Joseph High Road; Qormi: Anici Pharmacy, Anici Street; Birkirkara (Ta’ Paris): Mackie's Pharmacy, L. Casolani Street; Swatar: Collis William...

The President and the Prime Minister hold regular meetings on the country’s political situation, and the last one was held on Wednesday, the Department of Information said.Both the OPM and the OPR issued a statement this morning to deny a story...

Lionel Messi marked his 1,000th professional game with his first goal in the knockout stage of a World Cup, leading Argentina into the quarterfinals with 2-1 win over Australia on Saturday.With a flourish of his famous left foot in the 34th...

Memphis Depay and Daley Blind scored in the first half and Denzel Dumfries added a late goal as the Netherlands eliminated the United States from the World Cup with a 3-1 victory Saturday that advanced the Dutch to the quarterfinals.Second-half subst...

Gzira United suffered their second defeat of the campaign when against all odds they lost against Balzan.This defeat meant that the Maroons are now in third place since Hibernians have jumped into second place after their win against Sirens. One chan...

The PA's Planning Commission gave the green light for a new residential project in Triq il-Qortin in Nadur, which has been considerably downsized in scale and massing, the PA said in a statement. The Commission said that following nearly a year-long ...

Russian authorities rejected a price cap on the country's oil set by Ukraine’s Western supporters and threatened Saturday to stop supplying the nations that endorsed it.Australia, Britain, Canada, Japan, the United States and the 27-n...

San Andrea School has appointed Judge Emeritus David Scicluna to take over the lead of the independent inquiry into allegations of wrongdoing at the school.Judge Scicluna takes over the reins from the original inquiry head, Judge Emeritus Joseph Zamm...

The Malta Sociological Association (MSA) has appealed for a national process of deliberation on the controversial abortion bill amendment.The recent abortion debate in Parliament discusses the government’s amendment to the abortion law, which w...

Government has closed negotiations with the European Commission on all operational programs for the years 2021-2027, one month before the time agreed upon with the EU Commission.A government statement read that this was the first time that the Maltes...

We have just entered December, and the Christmas season has begun.People are getting ready to start their Christmas shopping, some have possibly already done this. People are planning their Christmas lunches and even New Years’ festivities. Som...

Government has invested €80,000 for a specialized car for persons with disabilities and people who use wheelchairs.The car will arrive in Malta shortly and is equipped with technology that allows a person to drive the car from the wheelchair its...

The Group of Seven nations and Australia joined the European Union on Friday in adopting a $60-per-barrel price cap on Russian oil, a key step as Western sanctions aim to reorder the global oil market to prevent price spikes and starve Pres...

Moviment Graffitti said it applauded the proposed amendment by the government to allow pregnancy termination when women’s lives and health are at risk and the peace of mind it will bring to pregnant women on our island. The NGO, in a statement,...

The proposed amendment to the law on abortion proposes that the health of the expectant mother can be safeguarded by killing a new human life, which means abortion, Malta’s bishops have said.In a pastoral letter, Archbishop Charles Scicluna, Go...

President Emeritus Marie Louise Coleiro Preca said that there has yet to be a serious public discussion and consultation on the government's abortion bill amendment.Speaking in front of Parliament on Friday, where a press conference was held in relat...

The order given by the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses for new admissions at St Vincent de Paul home for the elderly to be refused has been frozen by a court.The directive was issued last August after the union protested against the outcome of an ...

The Nationalist Party’s members on the Public Accounts Committee want police commissioner Angelo Gafa to testify on the Electrogas deal.The PN members – Darren Carabott (chairman), David Agius and Graham Bencini – have written to th...

The number of agricultural holdings in 2020 was 10,281, which marks a decrease of 16.2% since 2010 when there were 12,268 holdings.This was revealed in the National Statistics Office's (NSO) census of agricultural 2020.The highest number of agricultu...

A man was injured after a horse bolted in Gudja this morning, the police said,The man, aged 70 of Gudja, fell off the carriage when the animal bolted.The horse was later control by some passers-by.The man was taken to hospital with grievous injuries....

South Korea’s players formed a circle in the center of the field and trained their eyes on a cell phone showing a nearby match that would decide their future at the World Cup.The South Koreans had done their job, beating Portugal 2-1 on a ...

Vincent Aboubakar’s powerful header was historic for Cameroon and Africa at the World Cup.The stoppage-time goal didn't help Cameroon reach the round of 16 despite the team's 1-0 win over Brazil's reserves on Friday. But it handed the five...

Xherdan Shaqiri took off as soon as the ball hit the back of the net.It was no surprise where he was headed after scoring the first goal in Switzerland’s 3-2 win over Serbia on Friday, a result that put his team into the round of 16 at the ...

Luis Suarez couldn't watch as his Uruguay team slid toward a painful World Cup exit. He put his hands in front of his eyes, then pulled his shirt over his head. When his face emerged again, there were tears.The Uruguay captain sat in the du...

Oliver Magro has been appointed as the new CEO of the Planning Authority, the Planning Ministry announced on Friday.Magro has been appointed to the post instead of Martin Saliba, whose term at the helm of the authority expired.The Ministry said that ...

The Nationalist Party (PN) has requested more time to discuss the second reading of the abortion amendment bill in parliament, PN Whip Robert Cutajar said.Cutajar told The Malta Independent that "the Opposition has requested more parliamentary sittin...

Woman seriously injured in Qormi residence fireA woman was seriously injured after a fire broke out in her home in Qormi on Thursday evening.The police said that the accident took place in a residence in Triq l-Ahwa Zammit at 9.15pm.A 41-year-old man...

Malta has always been praised for its character.  The jewel of the Mediterranean always presented something unique, ranging from the country’s architecture to its personality.The personality of the country is scarcely better evidenced than...

A man was taken to hospital after he was hit by a car in Birzebbuga on Thursday evening, the police said.The accident happened in St George’s Road at 7pm.The man, an Italian 28-year-old who resides in the locality, was hit by a Toyota Ist, driv...

PN MP Adrian Delia has urged President George Vella to act according to his conscience and beliefs in an open letter.The PN MP wrote an open letter to President George Vella on the abortion amendment debate currently ongoing in Malta.A proposed excep...

FKNK CEO Mr Lino Farrugia wrote an open letter to PN leader Bernard Grech on Thursday.On behalf of the NGO's members and council, the FKNK CEO addressed Monday's maiden speech of PN MP Albert Buttigieg.Farrugia felt that the NGO felt 'offended' by 'B...

Juventus’ off-the-field problems keep on worsening in a scandal reverberating through Italian soccer.UEFA opened an investigation into Juventus on Thursday, hours after it was revealed that the Turin prosecutor’s office had requested indi...

A public pavement collapsed into the back yard of a St Paul’s Bay apartment block on Thursday evening, also bringing down a boundary wall.The accident took place in Xaghra tal-Bandieri Street at 7pm.The yard is situated one storey below the lev...

Doctors for Life said in a statement that it shares the grave concerns that numerous prominent academics have recently expressed in their position paper about the legal amendment to the abortion law being proposed by the government.Doctors for Life b...

The American tourist who was denied an abortion in Malta while she faced pregnancy complications has sued former PN MP Jason Azzopardi and academic Simon Mercieca for libel.Both Mercieca and Azzopardi claimed that Prudente was “brought to Malta...

Former Infrastructure Malta (IM) boss Fredrick Azzopardi has been cleared of charges brought against him over illegal works at Wied Qirda in Żebbuġ.Magistrate Rachel Montebello cleared Azzopardi of the charges due to the payment of an admin...

A man has died after he lost control of the car he was driving which crashed into two vehicles, the police said.The accident happened in Triq l-Ixprunara, Ghajnsielem, Gozo, on Wednesday at 9pm.The driver, a 79-year-old man of Ghajnsielem, lost contr...

Back-to-back early exits at the World Cup have Germany coach Hansi Flick wanting to go back to basics.The four-time champions were again eliminated from the group stage, four years after their embarrassing display as defending champions in ...

Same stadium. Same result. Similar shocking victory for Japan at the World Cup.After beating Germany in the team's opener, Japan worked its way into the round of 16 of the World Cup on Thursday by defeating Spain 2-1 — the same s...

PN Leader Bernard Grech has come under fire for appearing to mock US woman Andrea Prudente's pregnancy, with Prime Minister Robert Abela deeming it misogynistic and derogatory towards women.During a debate on proposed amendments to the country's stri...

A man was seriously injured after falling from a balcony at 2.30pm on Thursday, the police said.The man was in a balcony on Triq it-Turisti, St Paul's Bay. The 57-year-old fell from a metre and a half height. He was taken to Mater Dei Hospital and wa...

The Turin prosecutor’s office has requested indictments of former Juventus president Andrea Agnelli, 10 other former board members, and the club following an investigation into alleged false accounting.Former vice-president Pavel Nedved and CEO...

The National Commission for the Promotion of Equality (NCPE) said Thursday it strongly supported the tabled criminal code amendment that will allow the termination of a pregnancy when the woman’s life is in danger. As the national equality body...

The American University of Malta said Thursday it has updated its infrastructural master plan to better reflect its aspiration to be a positive contributor to the Cottonera community. The changes, the AUM said in a statement, came following extensive...

PL MEP Josianne Cutajar co-hosted a working event with HOTREC - the umbrella association of national trade associations representing the hotels, restaurants, cafés and similar establishments in Europe, including the Maltese association MHRA, w...

Morocco advanced to the last 16 at the World Cup for just the second time after clinging on for a 2-1 win over Canada on Thursday.The Moroccans' only other trip past the group stage came in 1986.Hakim Ziyech scored for Morocco in the fourth...

The win and a place in the round of 16 at the World Cup was there for Belgium. All the team needed was for Romelu Lukaku to score as the ball reached him in front of goal in the final seconds.Somehow, he missed.Belgium and its aging generat...

After a two-year absence due to the global pandemic, the national New Year’s Eve celebrations returns to St George’s Square, Valletta. The celebrations will commence at 10pm and will continue until the early hours of New Year’s Day....

It happens anywhere in the world that, when it rains heavily, there is unexpected flooding. Often it is also coupled by avalanches which, as happened over the weekend on the Italian island of Ischia, could be deadly. With climate change, such heavy d...

Carmen Tanti, who together with her husband formed the Greenfields duo, has died, aged 75.Carmen had been married to Joe and they had two children, Clive and Myra.Together with Charles Bajada, the couple had formed the Greenfields in 1970. Bajada die...

A new collective agreement for domestic staff within the Office of the President has been signed. The agreement includes improvements in working conditions and workers’ wages while better reflecting the specific responsibilities of workers in v...

Independent candidate Arnold Cassola has asked the “future” standards commissioner to investigate parliamentary secretary Chris Bonett after a news report said that he had gone to Sicily on holiday with his family, using his ministerial c...

Opposition Leader Bernard Grech has said that Prime Minister Robert Abela is merely copying a law which other countries made, which led to allowing abortion in the country. This is because they did not specify on which health conditions constituted t...

Prime Minister Robert Abela said that the State Advocate had informed him that the State has technically been closing an eye to medical abortions, which were carried out to save the woman’s life for years.Asked about criticism that there were l...

No official declaration has as yet been made, but pressure is building on the President as Parliament seeks to pass a law making the termination of a pregnancy legal if there are health concerns for the mother.Times of Malta today reports that Vella ...

A man has been has been jailed after admitting to raping a woman’s sons while she was fighting cancer.Lawrence Micallef, 59, faced seven charges, including rape and sexual abuse against three people - two boys who were brothers, one of whom was...

Former Nationalist Party MP Jason Azzopardi has alleged that the American woman who faced pregnancy complications in Malta and was denied an abortion was purposely brought to Malta in order to create controversy over the termination of pregnancies.Az...

The European Commission has issued a proposal to review the current Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (PPWD). The objective of this review shall be to further improve packaging design to enable cost-effective recycling, and to reduce packaging ...

Government said that the Housing Authority would intervene in a serious case of domestic violence, by helping the victim relocate to alternative housing, Minister of Social Accommodation Roderick Galdes said on Wednesday.PN MP Ivan Castillo posed an ...

The Chamber for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) said that it is hopeful that consumers will shop for non-essential items during the upcoming Christmas season.Speaking to The Malta Independent, CEO of the Chamber of SMEs Abigail Agius Mamo said th...

 Christine McVie, the British-born Fleetwood Mac vocalist, songwriter and keyboard player whose cool, soulful contralto helped define such classics as “You Make Loving Fun,” “Everywhere” and “Don’t Stop,&...

Rest easy, soccer fans. Lionel Messi will grace the World Cup stage at least one more time.The Argentina great had a penalty saved but his team still beat Poland 2-0 Wednesday after second-half goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Julian Alva...

For a long time after the final whistle, Luis Chavez crouched on the field in anguish.He had just scored in Mexico's furious attempt to stay alive at the World Cup, but the 2-1 victory Wednesday over Saudi Arabia wasn't enough. Because of Argent...

Defending champion France won its World Cup group despite losing to Tunisia 1-0 Wednesday.Wahbi Khazri scored in the 58th minute to give the Tunisians the victory, but it wasn't enough to get them into the round of 16. Australia beat Denmar...

Australia advanced to the round of 16 at the World Cup, beating favoured Denmark 1-0 Wednesday on Mathew Leckie’s 60th-minute goal.It is Australia's first time in the knockout stage since 2006, the only other time they advanced out of the ...

The Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses has requested an urgent meeting with the Hon.Prime Minister and Hon deputy prime minister and Minister for Health regarding the termination of pregnancy in cases of "life threatening" situations.The proposed dra...

BCRS Malta Ltd, operator of the Beverage Container Refund Scheme, has distanced itself from companies that form part of the Kasco Group, run by the former chief of staff Keith Schembri.Neither the company nor its reverse vending machines have any con...

The pharmaceutical company Teva Malta is investing over €30 million to produce better quality pharmaceuticals.The investment began in 2020, with €20 million being invested by the end of this year, and a further €11 million is planned n...

The debate over who owns ancient artifacts has been an increasing challenge to museums across Europe and America, and the spotlight has fallen on the most visited piece in the British Museum: The Rosetta stone.The inscriptions on the dark grey granit...

The CEO of Mater Dei Hospital, Celia Falzon, and the President of Dr Klown, Eric Muscat led a tree-planting ceremony and unveiled a plaque within the precincts of Mater Dei Hospital, to commemorate the 10th Anniversary from the setting up of Dr Klown...

Minister for the National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government Owen Bonnici said that this year will be remembered as the year characterised by Russia's ongoing aggression in Ukraine. "This war has inflicted substantial materia...

HSBC Bank Malta said Wednesday it has been notified that on 30 November 2022, HSBC Europe B.V. (‘HEBV’) transferred its direct shareholding in the Bank to HSBC Continental Europe (‘HBCE’). As a result of this transaction, HBCE...

Japan will probably not win the World Cup, but their fans have already lifted the trophy as the cleanest and most civic-minded.Footage of Japanese fans bagging garbage in the stadium after a match – irrespective of the result – is always ...

When responding to claims made by the Nationalist Party (PN), Prime Minister Robert Abela said that the abortion law exemption bill does not make abortion legal.Abela said that after consulting with the State Advocate, it was revealed that Malta's an...

Bernice Cassar was killed by a gunshot to her face, a court heard on Tuesday as the compilation of evidence against her husband began.The compilation of evidence against Roderick Cassar started on Tuesday with Inspector Wayne Camilleri testifying on ...

The Nationalist Party is concerned that Malta is losing its human resources, as an EY Survey showed that many youths would rather live outside Malta.The EY 5th Generate Youth Survey revealed that 77% of Millennials and 72% of Gen-Z said that they wou...