“Over the last year, there has been a rise in fake Covid Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), such as swab tests and even ventilators passing through the borders,” Joseph Chetcuti, Customs Director- General told the Malta Business Weekly....

The European Union took a step toward relaxing travel rules for tourists from outside the 27-nation bloc Wednesday when EU ambassadors agreed on measures to allow in fully vaccinated visitors.The ambassadors also agreed to ease the criteria needed fo...

Iceland’s popular Eurovision Song Contest entrant, Dadi og Gagnamagnid, will not perform live at the event after a member of the group tested positive for coronavirus, organizers announced Wednesday.“Dadi og Gagnamagnid have taken the dif...

A Serbian national was arraigned on Wednesday evening in connection with the 2018 murder of an Egyptian man in Gozo.Aleksander Stojanovic, 43, pleaded not guilty to the murder of Walid Salah Abdel Motaleb Mohammed, in Gharb.The victim, also 43, ...

Last week, the Nationalist Party announced that the police have closed the case against one of its MPs, Toni Bezzina.The fifth district candidate was under the spotlight of the police’s financial crimes unit for allegedly using government worke...

Infrastructure Malta has installed a new public artwork to embellish the roundabout of the Santa Lucija Underpass Project, completed earlier this year between Santa Lucija, Tarxien and Paola. N(h)ar is a four-metre high steel artwork created by ...

The printing arm of Allied Group, Progress Press Company Limited, has filed judicial protests in Court against former chief of staff to the Prime Minister Keith Schembri and two of its former managing directors after discovering from criminal proceed...

OPM minister Carmelo Abela has been called in for police questioning over allegations made by Alfred Degiorgio, one of the suspects in the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia.Abela confirmed this in a Facebook post. He said that, after he had filed lega...

Although he had met Joseph Muscat “three to four times”, Electrogas shareholder Paul Apap Bologna vehemently denied having discussed the project at any point in time with the former PM. He also remarked that he had never met either Keith ...

The Maltese government paid for pushbacks by the Dar Es Salaam 1 “three to four times”, the vessel’s owner has told a judge this afternoon.Mr Justice Lawrence Mintoff is hearing the case against Prime Minister Robert Abela, National...

The Finance Ministry has shot down a report that construction magnate Charles Polidano  got a major discount on his tax bill.Times of Malta reported on Wednesday that ‘ic-Caqnu’had managed to get his tax dues – some of which ha...

Three new Covid-19 cases were found in the last day as the number of active cases dropped to 120, the health authorities said.No deaths were again reported, and the number of victims remains at 417.In all, 30,489 cases were found in Malta, with 29,95...

Whether or not Malta makes the UK’s travel green list anytime soon rests on each and every person’s shoulders, Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo said.Malta is set to open for tourism on 1 June, and the country was surprised to learn that i...

There was no need for a goalscoring goalkeeper this time.Liverpool’s latest win in the Premier League — 3-0 at Burnley on Wednesday — was far more routine than the one secured by goalkeeper Alisson’s sensational stoppage-time ...

Gianluigi Buffon lifted the last trophy of his glittering Juventus career after his team beat Atalanta 2-1 in the Italian Cup on Wednesday to put some shine on a disappointing season.It was a record-extending 14th Italian Cup title for Juventus, and ...

Malta’s Eurovision hopeful Destiny has made it through to the Eurovision Grand Final after a stupendous performance in her semi-final on Tuesday night.In a performance which BBC commentators described as one “which blew the roof off the a...

The new controlled rent reform, approved by Parliament last Tuesday, will come into effect on 1 June and amend Malta’s pre-1995 rent reforms, Housing Minister Roderick Galdes announced on Wednesday.The objects and reasons of the Rent Reform Bil...

Valletta Cultural Agency chairman Jason Micallef took to Facebook on Tuesday night to lament at how the Netherlands had packed an area for the Eurovision, but how Malta does not even allow cultural activities with a minimal crowd.Tuesday saw the firs...

A children’s book chronicling the life of Daphne Caruana Galizia has been picked up by an American publishing house, meaning that the book will be republished and distributed in the United States.Announcing the news on Twitter, the book’s...

Minister for Inclusion and Social Wellbeing Julia Farrugia Portelli has launched a public consultation process on the 2021 Act regarding the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Act amending the Equal Opportuni...

After the COVID-19 pandemic halted last year's edition, the Eurovision Song Contest roared back to life Tuesday, spectacularly celebrating not just Euro beats, but also the opportunity for fans to watch the first semifinal live.“We are back, an...

Minister Carmelo Abela is in the eye of a proverbial political storm.He was recently found to have breached ethics with the publication of an advert intended to boost his image rather than provide information of public value. Public funds were used t...

Virtu Ferries has announced the admission prices for its fast ferry service, set to take sail in a few weeks’ time on 1 June.A standard return fare will cost €12 for adults, youths and seniors and €6 for children.A return fare fo...

Air Malta said today it remains committed to its published Summer schedule and will be increasing its flights as planned in June.With added frequencies and the re-start of services to the European cities of Lisbon, Munich, Prague and Vienna, the Airl...

All 400 buses operated by Malta Public Transport now have a contactless payments system on board, Transport Minister Ian Borg announced on Wednesday.“Through this contactless payments system we will continue to raise the quality of service for ...

A Maltese government delegation has visited Libya with the aim of starting the necessary preparations for Malta to open a consulate in the city of Benghazi, the government said.The delegation, led by the Permanent Secretary for Foreign and European A...

A teenage passenger was grievously injured after the car he was in crashed into a wall and a parked vehicle in Zejtun on Tuesday evening.The accident took place in St Gregory Street at 8.15pm, the police said.The passenger, a 17-year-old boy from Zej...

India has set another record for daily COVID-19 fatalities even as infections dipped further.The Health Ministry on Wednesday reported 4,529 deaths in the last 24 hours, driving the overall toll to 283,248. India also confirmed 267,334 new infections...

Elton Taliana, 41, of Birkirkara, is denying charges relating to divulging information on police investigations.He stands accused of leaking information about an ongoing police investigation into a jailed Dutch scam artist named Julian Hofstra to Hof...

Ombudsman Anthony Mifsud tabled a copy of the report over Comino road works, together with correspondence between his office and the Planning Authority, stating that the latter said "it will not adopt the recommendations that deal with such a sensiti...

Just two new Covid-19 cases were reported on Tuesday, meaning that the number of active cases has continued to drop.21 people have recovered from the virus, meaning that the number of active cases now stands at just 128.For another day, no new deaths...

A police sergeant overheard Carmel Chircop on the phone with someone asking about debt payments days before the lawyer's assassination, the court heard on Tuesday.The sergeant, Emanuel Scicluna, told the court that he had seen Chircop one Saturday af...

A planning application has been filed proposing a seven-level, partly underground building on Mdina road, Zebbug. The application lists the area as being outside the development zone. The Planning Authority’s Geoserver however does indicat...

Lara Calleja has become the first Maltese woman to be awarded the European Prize for Literature (EUPL) for 2021, the European Commission has announced.Calleja won the prize for her book Kissirtu Kullimkien – an anthology largely focusing on mas...

Covid-19 measures, most notably mask-wearing and social distancing, have resulted in a marked drop in patients contracting respiratory diseases, including influenza and common colds, The Malta Independent was told.Speaking to President of the Medical...

Even though “Super Frankie Lampard” wasn’t completely forgotten in the repertoire of songs, Stamford Bridge was finally able to serenade Thomas Tuchel and found so much to be appreciative of.Having waited since last year to be allow...

Education Minister Justyne Caruana has dropped a criminal complaint against the ex-wife of footballer Daniel Bogdanovic.The case, where Caruana accused the women of stalking, harassment, causing fear of violence, and uttering insults and threats, was...

What is Cryptocurrency?Cryptocurrencies were introduced to the global market in 2009 as a revolutionary new way to make payments. Devoid of any government interference, money held in this peer-to-peer system is in many ways more secure, and not impac...

A police constable was grievously injured in a traffic accident in Sliema on Tuesday afternoon, police said in a statement.The policeman, who is 29 years old and forms part of the police’s traffic branch, was taken to Mater Dei Hospital after b...

A “pollinator garden” with the aim of protecting the Maltese Honeybee and to increase pollination from butterflies and bees will be built in San Gwann following an investment of €300,000.Marking World Bee Day on the 20th of May, the ...

An agreement was signed between the Civil Protection Department and Projects Plus Ltd to carry out the Floriana Fire Station project through an investment of €3.4 million.This project consists of the construction of a fire station in Floriana, f...

With an investment of around €1 million, more than 3,100 post-secondary students are set to start benefitting from free internet for one year. This measure will benefit stipend-eligible students enrolled in state, independent and church schools,...

Malta is in need of an economy with a long-term vision which invests in sectors of priority and does not tarnish Malta’s reputation, the Nationalist Party said in a statement.Opposition Leader Bernard Grech discussed the need for a well-thought...

The rescue ship SEA-EYE 4, operated by the NGO Sea-Eye, have said that they have rescued over 400 migrants from international waters within the Libyan and Maltese rescue zones in the past four days and are now seeking a port of safety.“People w...

Italian popular singer Franco Battiato died today, Italian media report.He was 76, and had been ill for a time.Battiato died in his home in Milo, close to Catania.He had been born on 23 March 1945, and during his long career ventured into pop and cul...

Malta’s Eurovision hopeful Destiny will take to the stage in the first of two Eurovision semi-finals tonight.Her song ‘Je Me Casse’ has given a sense of Eurovision-optimism which has rarely been seen in Malta, with bookmakers markin...

Around 3,000 Moroccans, a third of whom were presumed to be minors according to Spanish authorities, swam and used inflatable boats Monday to cross into Ceuta, the largest number of migrant arrivals in a single day into Spain's enclave in northern Af...

Personal details on over 21,000 current and former PN members have been leaked online after the Nationalist Party refused to pay a ransom to cyberhackers.The data was stolen in March by a group called Avvadon Ransomware.It is understood that the leak...

Outbound tourists in the first quarter of 2021 decreased by just under 84%, according to data released by the National Statistics Office.Between January and March, total outbound tourists amounted to 18,717, a decrease of 83.8% over the corresponding...

An IT expert has exhibited some 12 terabytes of data from several devices seized by the police in the case against Darren Debono and Jeffrey Chetcuti.Debono and Chetcuti stand charged with money laundering.Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech heard how...

Malta's Resource Recovery and Recycling Agency (RRRA) will be officially rebranded to Circular Economy Malta (CEMalta), to reflect a circular economy model for waste redistribution, Minister for the Environment Aaron Farrugia has announced.In light o...

Drinks were raised in toasts and reunited friends hugged each other as thousands of U.K. pubs and restaurants opened Monday for indoor service for the first time since early January. Yet the prime minister sounded a cautious tone, warning about a mor...

Labour MP Rosianne Cutajar has tested negative for a drug test after a video featuring Cutajar’s partner alongside a man who appears to be taking cocaine surfaced on social media, The Times of Malta has reported.Cutajar and her partner Daniel F...

The investigation that the police is conducting into Minister Carmelo Abela’s alleged involvement in the failed HSBC heist renders his position in the government untenable, and therefore he should "either resign or be kicked out", the PN said i...

While tourist vessel operators have been given the basic Covid-19 wage supplement, the government takes much more from them in the form of licences, the Chamber of SMEs said.It said that, despite promises by the government, these licenses and fees ha...

It’s been just over a week since restaurants and cafes were able to reopen and thus far business seems to have been good.Walking through the streets of Valletta and Sliema, one could see diners sitting at tables again, giving a sense of livelin...

Four new Covid-19 cases were registered on Monday, while 15 people recovered from the virus.This means that the number of active cases has dropped to 147.There have been no new deaths reported, meaning the total stands at 417.424,325 vaccine doses ha...

Alexandra Mamo will become Malta’s first female deputy police commissioner, Minister for Home Affairs, National Security and Law Enforcement Byron Camilleri confirmed on Monday.Camilleri confirmed Mamo’s new position in Parliament, after ...

Speaker Anglu Farrugia has urged Standards Commissioner George Hyzler to try and expedite investigations involving Cabinet members who are under suspension, like Parliamentary Secretary Rosianne Cutajar.The suggestion was made during a meeting of the...

Godfrey Farrugia has been told by the chairperson of Parliament’s health committee that a Bill to decriminalise abortion cannot be discussed at this stage.Farrugia had written to Labour MP Silvio Grixti requesting that the Bill presented by Mar...

Hunting lobby the FKNK have gone to court to protest against what they called the “repeated, systematic and regular spying” by BirdLife Malta activists on their members.In a statement, the FKNK said that it was referring to incidents from...

OPM Minister Carmelo Abela said on Monday he has gone to the police HQ to release a statement about the “calumny” levelled against him by the PN.The Nationalist Party said earlier in the day that the investigation that the police is condu...

President Emeritus and Malta Trust Foundation’s chair Marie Louise Coleiro Preca told The Malta Independent that she is against abortion, but believes that women should not be criminalised for it.This comes after Independent MP Marlene Farrugia...

Independent MP Godfrey Farrugia has asked the Social Affairs Committee to debate the abortion decriminalisation Bill during its next sitting.The Bill was presented by Marlene Farrugia last Wednesday.In a letter to committee chairperson Silvio Parnis,...

The Lija local council has ‘strongly objected’ to a proposed development in the locality, which would see the construction of 65 residential units, comprising of maisonettes, apartments and penthouses as well as 163 garages.The site is lo...

The Tourism Ministry will promote the country as a tourist-friendly one, Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo announced, saying that he wants Malta to be a centre of tourism-excellence.For this reason, the Minister has also announced a think tank in orde...

Last week, 1,078 fines in relation to breaches of Covid-19 measures were issued, the authorities said.809 fines were issued to people for not wearing masks. 160 fines were issued to people for being in groups larger than are allowed by law.Seven cate...

Malta’s Eurovision hopeful Destiny has been given the all-clear to take part in the song contest’s semi-final tomorrow after she and the Maltese delegation tested negative for Covid-19.Destiny, who is one of the favourites to win the comp...

A magistrate leading proceedings in the libel suit instituted by Minister Carmelo Abela against PN MP Jason Azzopardi has been told that the parties have no interest in mediation.Azzopardi claimed that the minister was an accomplice in a failed bank ...

Audit firm PwC had flagged an accounting error found in Progress Press's business proposal to obtain a cash grant from Malta Enterprise on the purchasing of printing equipment.Testifying in court on Monday, two auditors from PwC explained that the co...

Russia will be resuming regular air service with Malta from May 25, the Russian national anti-coronavirus crisis centre said on Friday. This was reported by news agency TASS, a report on a Russian aviation website said.Other countries that will also ...

The first week during which restaurants were allowed to reopen went ‘better than expected’ the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA) President Tony Zahra told The Malta Independent.Restaurants and cafés&nbs...

The Medical Association of Malta has called for the withdrawal of the cannabis white paper, saying it is "poorly thought out" and presented without the input of health and social professionals who deal with the after effects of cannabis useIn a ...

The compilation of evidence against brothers Adrian and Robert Agius, known as Tal-Maksar, and their associates Jamie Vella and George Degiorgio continued on Monday, with several witnesses testifying about the murders of Daphne Caruana Galizia and Ca...

Malta has topped the LGBTI rights index by far for the 6th year running, as Prime Minister Robert Abela praised the achievement. “We have strengthened the score from previous years & are committed to keep improving in the years ahead,&...

Malta’s rugby union clubs and a number of student organisations have come together in a joint initiative to encourage youths to get vaccinated against Covid-19.The social media initiative titled #GetVaccinated, which was spearheaded by the Univ...

Malta’s national airline has taken quite a beating over the past year and a half. From troubles with unions, to Covid-19… it has not been an easy journey.The latest news is that performance bonuses of Air Malta’s top management hav...

Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri recently donned the fire-fighters’ suit in order to understand the risks that they undertake on a daily basis.Writing on social media, Camilleri said that to understand what one goes through, one needs to s...

Parliament Speaker Angel Farrugia, having witnessed the worsening of the situation on the ground, has called for the immediate ceasefire in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. Israel right now finds itself in conflict with Palesti...

Pounding beats? Check. Uplifting lyrics? Check. Huge, backlit white wings? Check.After last year's Eurovision Song Contest was cancelled amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, it is roaring back to life this year with coronavirus bubbles added to its hea...

Australia’s oldest-ever man has included eating chicken brains among his secrets to living more than 111 years.Retired cattle rancher Dexter Kruger on Monday marked 124 days since he turned 111, a day older than World War I veteran Jack Lockett...

For the first time in months, Izhaar Hussain Shaikh is feeling somewhat optimistic.The 30-year-old ambulance driver in India’s metropolis of Mumbai has been working tirelessly ever since the city became the epicenter of another catastrophic COV...

Independent MP Marlene Farrugia insists she remains pro-life and still believes that life starts from inception but argues that the decriminalisation of abortion would be a first step in reaching true equality.She also said on this week’s editi...

Travelers in England were packing their bags, bartenders were polishing their glasses and performers were warming up as Britain prepared Sunday for a major step out of lockdown — but with clouds of worry on the horizon.Excitement at the reopeni...

Only two new Covid-19 cases were registered on Sunday, while 21 people recovered from the virus, the health authorities said in their daily update.The number of active cases has thus dropped to 158. No new deaths were registered, meaning that the tot...

Performance bonuses of Air Malta’s top management have been permanently scrapped as a raft of reforms at the Air Malta has been kickstarted by the Executive Chairperson, David Curmi. The Malta Independent on Sunday is informed that Curmi sent a...

In the past years, there has been a strong effort to raise more awareness on the negative effects of tobacco. Campaigns were launched on how smoking cigarettes could cause lung cancer and other physical ailments, some of them fatal. Laws were enacted...

Opposition Leader Bernard Grech has underlined his stance against the decriminalisation of abortion bill, saying that the Nationalist Party defends the value of life and that "without life, you have absolutely nothing".Following the proposal the bill...

Prime Minister Robert Abela said he could not understand how a major political party did not make any submissions and decided to be absent from the Cannabis White Paper consultation.He was interviewed briefly on ONE Radio.Abela, who is currently in q...

Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister Carmelo Abela said that he expects PN MP Jason Azzopardi to resign 'pushing fabricated lies'.In a Facebook post, the Minister said that he was again asked about "the lie being made about me," in refere...

Well-known Maltese TV director Steven Dalli was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome around eight years ago, but he has practically lived his entire life with the condition. “If I had to live my life over again, I would not change a thing but would...

Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson made the 80-meter journey into West Bromwich Albion's penalty area, more in hope than any expectation of scoring the stoppage-time goal that would keep alive his team's chances of qualifying for the Champions League.After...

Milan, Napoli and Juventus will have to wait until the final day of the season to see which two teams qualify for next season’s Champions League.Milan, which is bidding to return to Europe’s elite after an eight-year absence, could only d...

A sit-down "Save Gozo" protest was held in Victoria, Gozo, on Sunday morning to raise awareness about the issue of overdevelopment which is threatening the island.The Save Gozo protest was organised by Gozitan citizens who want to preserve the h...

Myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) sufferers are not getting the recognition and the help that they deserve, both on a medical and institutional level, two sufferers of the chronic disease told The Malta Independent on Sunday.ME is a multi-system disease...

A 32-year-old man from Iklin was grievously injured in a traffic accident on Siggiewi Road, Zebbug at 11.30am.The man who was riding a motorbike, was involved in a collision with a car driven by a 26-year-old woman from Gozo. The Man was taken to Mat...

English Language Teaching (ELT) service providers are optimistic that this summer will see a rise in foreign students coming to Malta to learn English, an improvement from the intake of ELT students received in 2020.With ELT schools set to open on th...

Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister Carmelo Abela is facing a police investigation into the HSBC heist claims, reports read.PN MP Jason Azzopardi had claimed that Minister Carmelo Abela was promised €300,000 in exchange for hel...

Malta has truly made great progress in the way it is handling the Covid-19 vaccine. There were only four new cases yesterday, and only one case was found the day before. The daily numbers are at their lowest ever since the pandemic reached Malta&rsqu...

The Coronavirus reproduction rate in Malta has decreased to 0.38, which reflects the substantial decrease of positive Covid-19 cases being reported, statistician Vincent Marmara said.In his weekly blog for The Malta Independent on Sunday, Marmara sai...