European Union vaccine politics reached a fever pitch Friday with charges of British blackmail and unfair practices among EU members flying about as the bloc frantically sought to ramp up production and impose export controls to stave off another dea...

The 9-year-old twins didn’t flinch as each received test doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine -- and then a sparkly bandage to cover the spot.“Sparkles make everything better,” declared Marisol Gerardo as she hopped off an exam ...

Progress Press ended up paying $6.5 million extra for printing machines with the money shared between Keith Schembri, Malcolm Scerri and Allied Group directors Adrian Hillman and Vince Buhagiar.Court testimony given by Inspector Joseph Xerri from the...

Progress Press suffered a loss of €5.5 million as a result of inflated prices agreed by two of its directors for new printing machines bought from Kasco Technical Services.Vince Buhagiar, who was chairman of Progress Press, and Adrian Hillman, m...

BirdLife Malta has filed a judicial protest in Court against the Minister for the Environment, the Minister for Gozo and the Head of the Wild Birds Regulation Unit (WBRU) for plans to open a spring hunting season “without meeting the targets an...

The MFSA has taken action against Zenith Finance, the company whose owner (Matthew Pace) and former director (Lorraine Falzon) are currently in court over money laundering charges.In a notice issued on Friday evening, the MFSA said that it "considers...

103 new cases of Covid-19 were found over the past 24 hours, and four patients have died, Health Superintendent Charmaine Gauci annoubnced in her weekly Covid-19 briefing.The patients who died were four men, aged 68, 72, 73 and 80. All four died at M...

Superintendent of Public Health Professor Charmaine Gauci confirmed that six individuals who had received both jabs against Covid-19 have died of the virus. Public health chief Gauci made this announcement during her weekly Covid-19 health brief...

The Planning Authority has said that the Dingli road works that have been at the heart of controversy this past week do not require a planning permit, however NGO Moviment Graffitti has said that a statement issued by the same authority, says otherwi...

Zenith Finance’s Matthew Pace and Lorraine Falzon have been granted bail against several conditions by a court over money laundering charges which they are facing.The two, who are prominent members of Zenith Finance – formerly known as MF...

Prime Minister Robert Abela has emphasised the need for an accelerated vaccine production and distribution process in a European Council meeting.The European Council meeting happened virtually due to the pandemic. The first topic of discussion was th...

The Animal Welfare act will be amended to ensure that pet-owners who have abused their pets cannot own animals or live with animals, Minister of Justice Edward Zammit Lewis announced on Friday afternoon.The amendment will give power to magistrates to...

By the end of February 2021, the Government’s Consolidated Fund reported a deficit of €327.7 million.In the first two months of 2021, Government’s recurrent revenue amounted to €701 million, 1.6% than the €712.2 million rep...

European Union leaders failed to settle a fight about the distribution of COVID-19 shots among member states Thursday but pledged to strengthen vaccine export controls and production on EU soil amid a shortage of doses and spikes in new cases.Austria...

The Local Enforcement Agency said that four new speed cameras will be installed along the Coast Road.The agency said it plans to install two on each side of the road, which has been a traffic black spot and where several drivers have been injured or ...

Din l-Art Helwa has appealed to the public for any information about the extensive damage caused recently to the Red Tower in Mellieha. It also asked that those who are responsible come forward and cover the cost of the repairs.The damage to the towe...

British lawmakers agreed Thursday to prolong coronavirus emergency measures for six months, allowing the Conservative government to keep its unprecedented powers to restrict U.K. citizens’ everyday lives.The House of Commons voted to extend the...

Former Nexia BT partners Brian Tonna, Karl Cini, Manuel Castagna and their financial controller Katrin Bondin Carter were in court yesterday on charges of money laundering.The hearing saw over 50 documents worth of evidence exhibited to the court, re...

We've already written many times about the large Cabinet of Ministers that was appointed by Robert Abela when he became Prime Minister in January 2020, and how that became even larger when the reshuffle took place in November last year.What we have n...

Twelve abandoned vessels are being removed from the Grand Harbour as part of the regeneration plan for the areaMinister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects Ian Borg said that Transport Malta, together with Infrastructure Malta, has und...

The Malta Union of Bank Employees (MUBE) has urged the health authorities to accelerate vaccinations to front liners who are performing critical services.MUBE said that it will continue to support the Health Authority’s efforts and all those in...

An Eritrean man is expected to be arraigned on drugs charges later today after he was found to be in possession of 60 sachets of cannabis.The man, 30, who lives in Msida, was arrested by Drug Squad members in the same locality. He was found to be car...

102 new case of Covid-19 were reported on Thursday by health authorities, as the number of active cases continued to plummet.With 291 people declared as recovered, the number of active cases now stands at 2,086.  It has decreased by almost 1,000...

Malta has taken steps in the right direction in terms of reforming the rule of law and reducing political influence, but there are serious concerns which still remain, Vice president of the European Commission for Values and Transparency Věra Jo...

Moviment Graffitti have called for Infrastructure Malta CEO Frederick Azzopardi and Transport Minister Ian Borg to go to a site in Dingli where the roads agency is attempting to construct a road through agricultural land and to show them the official...

The middleman in the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder has reportedly tested positive for Covid-19 – the same day as when a sitting in the same case had to be cut short.The compilation of evidence against Yorgen Fenech, who stands accused of being ...

Zenith Finance owner Matthew Pace acted as a 'professional money launderer' for clients, police testified in court today. Today saw Matthew Pace and Zenith Finance director Lorraine Falzon in the dock over accusations of money launderi...

Following days of protests, Infrastructure Malta has met with Dingli residents and agreed to amend plans for a controversial road which will cut through agricultural land. In a statement, Infrastructure Malta said that it has accepted the reques...

Melvin Theuma was aware that he would be arrested over a money laundering investigation but was convinced he would not be held.This was the gist of recordings played in court on Thursday as the compilation of evidence against Yorgen Fenech continued....

Plans for a new national park at Ta’ Qali have been given the green light to go ahead by the Planning Authority, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg announced on Thursday.Sharing new visuals of how the project will eventually look, B...

European giants Germany, Italy and England all got off to a winning start in World Cup qualifying, while Zlatan Ibrahimović marked his return to international soccer with an assist to help Sweden to victory on Thursday.The 39-year-old Ibrahimovi...

Over-the-counter Covid-19 tests will not be sold in Malta, the Health Ministry has confirmed.The Malta Independent asked the ministry if the government is considering selling Covid rapid tests in pharmacies in Malta, so that clients can purchase a te...

Professor Alfred J. Vella has been re-elected by the Council as the Rector of the University of Malta, and will be leading the University for another five-year term.This announcement comes following the news that two names had been submitted by Counc...

Malta "deserves to have a better name internationally", Opposition Leader Bernard Grech said today while attending an online summit for the European People's Party (EPP).Grech attended the summit on Thursday afternoon, where, according to a press rel...

The mandatory Covid-19 period for essential Mater Dei staff who have been fully vaccinated has been reduced from 14 days to five days, a legal notice published in the Government Gazette announced.This legal notice amendment affects the mandatory quar...

Prime Minister Robert Abela has invited the President of the European Parliament David Maria Sassoli and the leaders of political groups within the EP to visit Malta to see first-hand reforms the country carried out in the field of the rule of law.Du...

A team of international and Chinese scientists is poised to report on its joint search for the origins of the coronavirus that sparked a pandemic after it was first detected in China over a year ago — with four theories being considered, and on...

A Memorandum of Understanding signed between Caritas Malta and the Energy and Water Agency seeks to help the most vulnerable families, with an initial investment of €400,000.At the initiative of the Minister for Energy, Enterprise, and Sustainab...

Various interventions are ongoing on the Għar Ħasan site in Birżebbuġa as part of efforts to conserve and restore Natura 2000 sites around the islands.  This was announced by Minister for the Environment, Climate Change ...

Bill no. 198 currently tabled in parliament is “seriously preoccupying” as Government may change the meaning and substance of words like ‘person’ or ‘life’ in Article 33 of the Constitution and may exclude “u...

Minister Carmelo Abela has ‘categorically’ denied any involvement in the failed 2010 bank heist of the HSBC headquarters. When asked about the heist by Times of Malta on Wednesday, Abela questioned who the source of all this speculation a...

The Parents Benefit scheme has been extended to include parents with disabled children over the ages of 16 years old, Minister for Social Justice and Solidarity, the Family and Children’s Rights Michael Falzon announced on Thursday morning.The ...

On Tuesday, brothers George and Alfred Degiorgio had written to Malta President George Vella requesting a pardon in return for naming a former government minister who was a "mastermind" in the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.The Degiorgio...

Full-timers worked an average of just under 42 hours per week in the fourth quarter of 2020, according to data from the Labour Force Survey.The data also shows that part-timers worked 21.8 hours per week.The average monthly basic salary of employees ...

101 new cases of Covid-19 were reported by health authorities as two more patients passed away while positive for the virus.During the last 24 hours, a 79-year-old man and an 84-year-old woman passed away at Mater Dei Hospital while positive for Covi...

Lydia Abela has been appointed president of Special Olympics Malta, the organisation said.The director of the Special Olympics Malta, Anna Calleja, said the PM’s wife will be joining the team which is “doing all it could to give every pos...

Malta was yesterday beaten 3-1 by Russia at Ta’ Qali in the opening qualifier of the Qatar 2022 World Cup, but the locals held their heads high after an impressive display against highly ranked opposition.Malta confirmed that the positive displ...

The European Union moved Wednesday toward stricter export controls for coronavirus vaccines, seeking to make sure its 27 nations have more COVID-19 shots to boost the bloc's flagging vaccine campaign amid a surge in new infections.The EU’s exec...

When London came to a stop as a nationwide coronavirus lockdown was imposed a year ago, the Underground kept running as an essential service. But it was a strange and unnerving experience for its workers.Joseph Cocks, a driver on the subway’s C...

A big question among parents and teachers right now is whether their kids will be vaccinated against COVID-19 in time for the fall school semester. Some have wondered whether the vaccine is even necessary for children. Dr. James Wood, a pediatri...

The road to Qatar for the 2022 World Cup began for European teams on Wednesday with a slip-up by France to open its title defense, a big loss for the Netherlands and a human-rights statement by Norway.The French were held 1-1 by Ukraine inside an emp...

Controversy has continued over the construction of a road in a rural area of Dingli, with three residents filing a judicial protest against the protestors themselves – something which NGO Moviment Graffitti have decried as a government-led PR s...

Opposition Leader Bernard Grech said on Wednesday that Malta’s highest institution is potentially harbouring by criminals and “Prime Minister Robert Abela is treating this as business as usual.”Grech delivered an impassioned speech ...

Prime Minister Robert Abela asked on Monday why the Opposition seemed so “enthusiastic” to see criminals walk free instead of paying for their actions.Abela was closing a debate that was supposed to be on the budget measures but which the...

New businesses can benefit from the financial assistance of up to €200,000, thanks to the new Business Start scheme (BStart 2021) launched Wednesday by the Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Sustainable Development Miriam Dalli and the Chief Ex...

Tony Debono, the husband of former Gozo Minister Giovanna Debono, has been cleared of accusations that he had used public funds to carry out private works.A Gozitan court ruled that Debono was not guilty of any of the accusations brought against him,...

The country should focus on digitisation and the green economy in the road ahead for economic recovery from Covid-19, Prime Minister Robert Abela and Opposition leader Bernard Grech said at the Annual General Meeting of the Chamber of Commerce.Abela ...

The family and friends of cancer survivor and footballer Ramiro Mallia who died from a heater gas leak, have woken up this morning to mourn over his tragic loss. 19-year-old Ramiro Mallia lost his life in Qormi after losing consciousness due to ...

Education Minister Justyne Caruana went back to work on Wednesday after her brief hospitalisation.Caruana was admitted to Mater Dei Hospital for unspecified reasons on Tuesday. The Education Ministry did not provide any details but said the minister ...

Applications for the service of Skolasajf 2021 opened today. This year Skolasajf will operate from 12th July till 3rd September 2021. The main slogan chosen is ‘An I in every wInner’. “All guidelines issued by the health authorities...

Last year’s coronavirus outbreak imposed restrictions on travel, shutting down the entire tourism sector in the entire world. It crippled pretty much all brick-and-mortar facilities stocks, from casinos to hotels and resorts. Nevertheless, the ...

Civil Protection Officers yesterday rescued a dog after it fell off a cliff in Wied Babu.After presumably walking in the area with the owners, the dog found itself in difficulty after falling off the cliff side in Wied Babu in Zurrieq. Immediately th...

A European Parliament debate regarding devolopments in the case of the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia may lead to prejudicing the ongoing murder case if it takes place now and not after Vince Muscat’s testimony is concluded, PL MEP Cyrus Enge...

Some 1,750 Armed Forces of Malta soldiers will this week start receiving thousands of euros in arrears under the terms of a collective agreement signed last year.In a statement, the Home Affairs Ministry said that the arrears go back a number of year...

Brothers George and Alfred Degiorgio have written to President George Vella requesting a pardon in return for naming a former minister who was a "mastermind" in the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. The letters, signed by lawyer William Cuschier...

Prime Minister Robert Abela told journalists on Tuesday night that any request for a presidential pardon will be processed according to the law.He was questioned by journalists just hours after it became public that Brothers George and Alfred Degiorg...

Moratoriums will be extended to September 2021 to help struggling businesses stay afloat during the pandemic, Minister for Finance and Employment Clyde Caruana announced.Applications for moratoriums were initially open until June 2021, however they h...

Roy Kinnear will join Air Malta as its new Chief Commercial Officer, the airline announced.He will lead the Airline’s Commercial Division and his responsibilities will include revenue management, pricing, sales, marketing, customer experience, ...

Bird migration is without doubt one of the most spectacular events in a bird’s life. Twice a year, a large number of species undertake a perilous journey thousands of kilometres long from summer to winter quarters and back again. Although ...

Joseph Muscat broke his silence on Sunday and, in a Facebook post, gave his reaction after the arraignment of his friend and former chief of staff Keith Schembri on corruption and money laundering charges. Only, he did not mention Schembri at all, no...

When the PN was in Government and faced alleged corruption cases, nobody bat an eyelid, but when the PL Government was accused it left the institutions to do their work, Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Sustainable Development Miriam Dalli told pa...

Full justice will not be served if Daphne’s killers receive a presidential pardon, the slain journalist’s family said today.The family was reacting to the news that brothers George and Alfred Degiorgio have asked for a pardon in return fo...

A man fled the UK to start a new life in Malta after torturing and murdering a father-of-two at a cannabis farm, a British court has heard.Christopher Guest More Jr, 43, is charged with the murder of cannabis dealer Brian Waters, 44, the BBC reports....

PN MP Jason Azzopardi has claimed in Parliament that former Economy Minister Chris Cardona was arrested by police in connection with the failed heist on the HSBC headquarters in 2010.“Cardona was arrested by former police commissioner John Rizz...

A young man, Ramiro Mallia, lost his life in Qormi today, after losing consciousness due to a gas leak from a heater, the police said.The incident took place at 4.30pm. The 19-year-old was given first aid by a medical team on site, but died after rea...

Moviment Graffitti activists, some farmers and residents have continued to protest the construction of a road in Dingli, blocking the path of the prospective road, sitting in the way of contractors in a bid to stop the works from taking place.This re...

Prime Minister Roberta Abela "has a duty to explain what is going on" to the general public, following the Degiorgio brothers' pardon request, Opposition Leader Bernard Grech said on Tuesday.Grech's brief address, which aired on NET TV, urged the PM ...

90 new cases of Covid-19 were reported by health authorities on Tuesday in what is the lowest daily tally since the beginning of February.The last time the daily number of cases found was lower than this was on 5th February, when 57 cases were found....

Minister for Justice Edward Zammit Lewis and PL Whip Glenn Bedingfield walked out of the Standards Committee meeting on Tuesday, saying that they won't discuss a report based on a complaint signed by Karol Aquilina's brother in name of Repubblika, Ro...

Education Minister Justyne Caruana has been admitted to Mater Dei Hospital, the government said in a statement. Her condition is stable.The reason why she was admitted for medical care is not yet known.She is being kept under observation, the Educati...

Magistrate Caroline Farrugia Frendo ruled there was enough prima facie evidence to indict four people accused in the compilation of evidence relating to the Carmel Chircop and Daphne Caruana Galizia murders.On Tuesday, the court heard how murder susp...

Some 20% of Malta’s population has now received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.This means that this tranche of the population has some form of antibodies against the virus, even though those who have taken just the one dose are not y...

A new Covid-19 restrictive measure instructing fathers to leave hospital immediately after the birth of their child has posed a challenge to many expectant parents in Malta. The measure was put in place by the health authorities and Mater Dei’s...

The government will protect every pensioner who will be affected by the protected rents reform, Minister for Social Accommodation Roderick Galdes said during a virtual meeting with the National Association of Pensioners, in which the proposed law and...

A highly protected Black Kite, known in Maltese as an Astun Iswed, was show down in yet another episode of illegal hunting as it made its way over Malta on its way north to its European breeding grounds.The incident happened at around 6:50am in Mtarf...

Despite the many efforts to raise awareness by social media platforms and other entities to prevent and counter the spread of hate speech online, it doesn’t seem to ever come to an end, and according to Gender Studies Professor Brenda Murphy, o...

Malta has the lowest fertility rate in all of the EU, with 1.14 births per woman recorded in 2019.This stood well below the EU average of 1.53 births per woman in 2019. This is a slight decrease from its recent peak in 2016 (1.57), yet an increase co...

The Nationalists in Brussels want a debate on what is being testified in the Courts of Justice in Malta in the ongoing case of the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia, even if it endangers the truth from coming out and from justice to be made,&rd...

Prime Minister Robert Abela has said that he has “never defended” former OPM Chief of Staff Keith Schembri.The Malta Independent approached Abela on Monday morning and asked him if he still believes and defends Schembri following his arra...

The Malta Women’s Lobby hopes that women`s voices will not be ignored on the issue of prostitution and human trafficking, it said in a statement.The statement was issued after a number of European organisations expressed their support to the Ma...

The lowest sea temperature recorded over the past five years was on 4 February 2019 at 14.4°C, while the highest was reached on two consecutive days in August 2020 at 28.8°C, the Met Office said.The data was released on the occasion of World ...

Allowances that were granted to persons with disability have more than doubled since 2013, according to information tabled in Parliament.The data was provided by social justice minister Michael Falzon in reply to a parliamentary question by Labour MP...

The Moneyval evaluation is expected to be in the government’s hands in the coming days, either this week or the next.This could end up being a major negative milestone for the country if we do not pass the test, as we could end up being placed ...

191 new cases of Covid-19 were reported by health authorities on Monday as another patient passed away in the last 24 hours.A 99-year-old woman passed away at the Good Samaritan Long Term Care Facility, becoming the 373rd person to die in Malta while...

Former OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri has made another request for bail. The request, filed by his lawyers Edward Gatt and Mark Vassallo, will be decided on Friday.Schembri was remanded in custody on Saturday evening after he was charged with corr...

Former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said Monday that the Nationalist Party is only interested in getting revenge against him and his family.His comments came after the PN called for the Egrant inquiry to be reopened after the latest developments invo...

Auditor Chris Baldacchino was denied bail on Monday after being arraigned over charges of money laundering.Baldacchino and his two companies pleaded not guilty to the charges, which alleged that he was the brains behind the laundering of money for an...

The Nationalist Party has called for the Egrant inquiry to be reopened after two of the key figures in the scandal – Nexia BT’s Brian Tonna and Karl Cini – were charged with, amongst other things, forgery and giving false informatio...

Daphne Caruana Galizia’s hitmen abandoned initial plans to gun her down with an AK47 assault rifle because operating a bomb is “easier”, a court heard.Testifying in the compilation of evidence against the bomb suppliers, convicted m...

The much-awaited Moneyval report is expected to be delivered to the government in the next week or two, sources have told The Malta Independent on Sunday. In September 2019, Moneyval, the European branch of the Financial Action Task Force, or FA...