Organisations are planning to file legal action against the "shameful decision" taken by the Planning Authority (PA) in favour of the DB group’s project at Pembroke.Legal actions against such a massive project entail significant legal...

In 2020, there were 1,509 registered vehicles for every 1,000 driving licence holders, data published by the National Statistics Office (NSO) showed.The Regional Statistics 2021 report shows that, last year, there were 402,427 licensed vehicles, with...

Malta has successfully negotiated a derogation to ensure that the hydrogen-ready pipeline is recognised as a Project of Common Interest by the European Union, the government said.The negotiations were led by Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Sustai...

Thursday saw the approval of one of the most controversial planning projects in modern times, with db’s City Centre mega-development in Pembroke given the thumbs up by a reduced planning board.The project – which will see the construction...

Two important heritage buildings, Villa Hay and the Gardener’s Cottage, both forming part of the once-acclaimed estate of Villa Frere in Pieta will undergo restoration works after the Planning Commission granted development permission for works...

A Maltese bishop, Mgr Walter Michael Ebejer OP, has died in Brazil. He was 91.The Dominican community in Malta said in a statement that Mgr Ebejer, brother of prolific author Francis Ebejer, was bishop of União da Vitória.He was born in...

Britain's main doctors' union has joined calls for the next planned lockdown easing in England to be delayed, as figures Friday showed new COVID-19 cases across the U.K. running at their highest level since late February.The rise in new infections co...

Italy waited a long time for this European Championship to start and then showed Friday just how eager the team was to play the tournament opener.After humiliatingly failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, Italy was already back on track with a pe...

Postponed by a year, the biggest sporting event since the coronavirus brought the world to a halt kicked off Friday at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome — a milestone both for European and world sports.The opening match of soccer's European Cham...

Seated social and cultural events will be allowed to take place again as from the 5 July, with a capping of 100 people, the government announced on Friday.The events will be open only to those with a vaccine certificate, which is issued to a person a...

As the Maltese islands edged closer to the reopening of travel and tourism, Malta International Airport registered 75,420 passenger movements during the month of May.This total for May translates into a drop of 88.8% compared to the same month in 201...

The second ACE member's sentiment survey for the month of May portrays a general positive outlook in relation to forecasted restaurant performance from respective owners.Since restaurants re-opened till midnight, 54% of respondents reported a good pe...

A new scheme aimed at boosting the tourism sector after the summer months was announced Friday by Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo and Malta Tourism Authority chairman Gavin Gulia.The scheme is aimed at long-term tourists who are retired and are look...

HSBC Bank Malta has announced further voluntary redundancy schemes as it aims to create a “leaner” working model. In a statement published on the Malta Stock Exchange, the bank said it was announcing a “strategic initiative to furth...

Two new Covid-19 cases were registered in Malta on Friday, while five patients have recovered.No new deaths were recorded, with the number of victims remaining at 419.In all, Malta has registered 30,579 cases, with 30,096 patients who recovered.The n...

A young man from Ghana was stabbed to death in Marsa on Thursday evening, the police said.An argument between two men took place in Triq it-Tigrija at around 10pm.One of the two, aged 23, was later found in a pool of blood after he had been stabbed.T...

A court has declared it has seen sufficient evidence to place Aleksandar Stojanovic under a bill of indictment for the murder of Walid Salah Abdel Moteleb Mohamed in Gozo.The compilation of evidence against Stojanovic, 42, a Serb who lives in Safi, c...

The Planning Authority said that the recusal of board members from the decision on the db project in Pembroke could only be made public on the day of the hearing.Following the recusal of five planning board members for yesterday’s public meetin...

Lobby group Restart has launched a petition to "restart our social and cultural life safely."On Friday, the government announced that seated social and cultural events will be allowed to take place again as from the 5 July, with a capping of 100 peop...

72-year-old Maltese singer Jon Lukas 'Woodenman' has passed away.Jon Lukas, whose real name is Frank Lukas, is a well known musician who was born in 1948.His singing career launched in 1966, when he was a frontman for the group The Fenders. In 1...

Parliamentary Secretary for European Funds Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi emphasised the importance of dialogue between Mediterranean countries which form part of the European Union, so that common challenges are addressed jointly. He spoke during a me...

Sprinting, sliding and stretching, anticipating each other’s moves for four sets and more than four hours, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal produced a masterpiece in the French Open semifinals.Djokovic, as it happens, is one of only two men in t...

A motorcyclist was grievously injured on Thursday in a crash in Mgarr, the police said.The biker, a 56-year-old man from St Paul’s Bay, was riding a Triumph which was involved in a collision with a Nissan, driven by a 50-year-old man from Mgarr...

Postponed by a year, the biggest sporting event since the coronavirus brought the world to a halt kicks off Friday at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome — a milestone both for European and world sports.The opening match of soccer's European Champ...

The regenerated Menqa area in Marsalforn has not yet been pedestrianised, despite promises that this would happen when the project was inaugurated seven months ago. The €1 million project was inaugurated in early November 2020, with Gozo Ministe...

On what would have been Prince Philip's 100th birthday, his youngest child said he would not have been looking forward to any celebrations to mark the occasion.In an interview with the BBC that was broadcast Thursday, the 57-year-old Prince Edward sa...

Group of Seven leaders arrived at a luxury seaside resort in England on Thursday for a Group of Seven summit where some of the world's richest nations will pledge to share coronavirus vaccines with the poorest, as part of efforts to help a pandemic-s...

A North Macedonian national wanted in Slovakia over links to organised crime has been arrested in Malta on the strength of a European Arrest Warrant.The police said the man, 44, is also wanted in connection with armed robberies.He was arrested by mem...

The European Parliament has adopted an important report, of which MEP Josianne Cutajar was the negotiator on behalf of S&D. This report will ensure greater gender equality. The vote in plenary took place after the report on gender mainstreaming i...

The crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic has been especially severe for enterprises, mostly SMEs, in tourism, hospitality and culture, not least those based in EU island regions, Labour MEP Alfred Sant told the European Parliament. During a deba...

The European Commission’s decision to step up its infringement procedure against Malta’s ‘golden passports’ scheme came as no surprise.The EU has been telling Malta, as well as other Member States that operate similar schemes,...

Somehow it seems appropriate that Italy, the first country in Europe that was overwhelmed by the coronavirus pandemic, is hosting the opening game of the European Championship.Even if Euro 2020 is kicking off in 2021.The biggest crowd to gather in It...

The controversial City Centre project by db Group has been approved by the Planning Authority with a one-vote majority, despite widespread opposition.The meeting was approved by four votes to three after five other members of the board recused themse...

The state broadcaster has been ordered to air a feature which shows that “real situation” in Malta’s prison by the Broadcasting Authority within a week.The BA ordered the Public Broadcasting Services to engage an “independent ...

With the country now having bridged the gap to the EU, the next decade will see Malta becoming a “centre of excellence”, Prime Minister Robert Abela said at the launch of a public consultation document on Malta’s economic vision for...

The Nationalist Party has condemned the recusal of five members of the Planning Authority’s Board minutes before a meeting on one of the most controversial planning projects in a generation came up for debate.Board chairman Vince Cassar, ERA ch...

The Chamber of Advocates has lamented at the “piecemeal approach” being adopted for the regulation of the legal profession, saying that a newly tabled bill makes it clear that the government has no “comprehensive plan or vision&rdqu...

The government is set to announce its strategy regarding cultural events on Friday, Health Minister Chris Fearne said today.As Covid-19 numbers remain low, the government is planning a slow return to pre-pandemic days. In the past weeks, there has be...

Four new Covid-19 cases were registered in Malta, while five patients have recovered.Details published by the health authorities show that the total number of cases has now reached 30,577, with 30,091 recoveries.The total number of deaths remains at ...

The number of final deeds of sale of property doubled to 1,158 from 552 agreements on May 2021 from last year, while the number of promise of sale agreements almost tripled to 1,478 from 511, a report from the National Statistics Office (NSO) shows. ...

Emirates has announced it will resume three weekly services to Malta via Larnaca, Cyprus, from 14 July 2021, further expanding its European network to 34 destinations, and offering customers worldwide more travel choices and enhanced connectivity via...

Teenager Luana Borg has been found “alive and well” after almost a month missing, the police said.Borg, 16, had gone missing on 11 May.It was the fifth time that the young girl had gone missing.The police did not provide more details abou...

A new mental health facility has been opened for mental health patients, facilitating the shift from Mount Carmel Hospital, Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Chris Fearne announced. This was done in accordance with the Government’s stra...

Malta should invest in an international intermodal hub in mercantile logistics, Opposition Leader Bernard Grech said on Thursday.He was speaking during a visit to the Valletta Cruise Port.Grech said such a project would help Malta strengthen its mari...

The European Commission has taken further steps in its infringement procedure against Malta’s ‘golden passports’ scheme, warning the country that Malta is failing to fulfil its obligations towards the EU treaties with its citizenshi...

A number of restaurants will be giving customers an additional €15 for each €15 government voucher used in their establishments, it was announced today.By spending the red €15 voucher the Government is distributing at these select...

Therese Comodini Cachia’s decision not to contest the coming general election leaves a hole in the Nationalist Party.First of all, it is contradictory to the efforts being made by the PN to have veteran MPs moving out of the political scene to ...

Malta's diving sector has been pushed aside throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and will take years to recover, Simon Sciberras, chairman of the Professional Diving Schools Association, told The Malta Business Weekly.While the local diving industry gene...

The police dished out hundreds of fines last week, Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri said, when asked about illegal gatherings taking place in the Sliema area.Residents have complained about beach parties that last until the early hours of the mo...

Edward de Bono, who developed global fame for his thinking methods, died on Wednesday. He was 88.A doctor and an academic, De Bono held faculty appointments at Oxford, Cambridge and Harvard universities and served as professor at many others.He was a...

One new case of Covid-19 was reported by health authorities on Wednesday, while another three people have recovered.With no new deaths reported for another day, it means that the number of active cases now stands at 68.1,658 swab tests were carried o...

Malta’s exclusion from the UK’s Green List for travel does not seem to have a scientific basis, according to the Tourism Minister.Malta has once again not been included in the UK Green List for travelling, even though the country boasts v...

UEFA put a hold Wednesday on its disciplinary case against Super League rebel clubs Barcelona, Juventus and Real Madrid, while the six Premier League clubs that tried to join the breakaway accepted a collective fine of 22 million pounds ($31 million)...

A man was grievously injured in a traffic accident in St Julian’s.The accident took place in Triq Elija Żammi, at around 2:30pm, the police said.The casualty, a 32-year-old Libyan man, lost control of his Honda motorcycle and crashed into ...

The European Commission has called on Malta to discontinue its practice of finch trapping, even for research purposes, or it could face court proceedings.The Commission called on Malta to correctly apply the Birds Directive. The Birds Directive requi...

The concerns raised in a report by the National Audit Office over the ITS site remain unaddressed, the Malta Chamber of Commerce has said. Just over a year ago, in April 2020, the NAO report on the disposal of the ITS site highlighted a number of ser...

A Malta-based pharmaceutical firm has offered some 60 million doses of the Russian Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine to a state in India, Indian media has reported.A number of Indian news portals have reported how Malta-based Pharma Regulatory Services Limi...

A grant of €8 million will be provided by the government to Hospice Malta in order to change a building in Santa Venera into a care home - St. Michael Hospice Complex.The care home will offer centralised palliative care in a top-notch environmen...

Identity Malta’s strategy for 2021-2023 was launched on Wednesday. The strategy focuses on the need to renew and simplify existing work procedures by doing away with unnecessary red tape and inefficiencies.  Minister for Home Affairs,...

The police are seeking the public’s assistance in locating five people wanted to appear before Malta’s courts.In a statement, the police said that a Magistrate had ordered the request for the public’s help in locating five people &n...

The Nationalist Party today announced a number of proposals dealing with the mental health sector to help patients, families and all professionals working in the field.During a press conference on Wednesday, PN MP Stephen Spiteri said that this is a ...

Torri l-Abjad (White Tower) in l-Aħrax tal-Mellieħa has been inaugurated after an extensive restoration project carried out by Din l-Art Ħelwa with the support of the HSBC Malta Foundation. The inauguration took place in the presence o...

The European Commission cannot intervene in the decision taken by the President of Malta not to grant a pardon to brothers George and Alfred Degiorgio.This emerged in a response letter sent by European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders to the ...

The European Parliament on Wednesday endorsed a new travel certificate that will allow people to move between European countries without having to quarantine or undergo extra coronavirus tests, paving the way for the pass to start in time for summer....

SEI Healthcare Europe, a global professional independent medical education organization, has announced a major relocation from the United Kingdom to Malta ‘to better serve clientele’.The mission at SEI Healthcare is to bring together and ...

Maltese champions Hamrun Spartans are set to be excluded from the UEFA Champions League by Europe’s footballing body over a match fixing case dating back to 2013.UEFA decided on Wednesday that Hamrun, who were declared Maltese champions of last...

Gozitan restaurants have told The Malta Independent of their optimism for the summer ahead, as they keep their fingers crossed that the Covid-19 situation will be such that they will not have to close their doors again.Restaurants reopened midway thr...

The UK’s decision to exclude Malta from its green travel list was “political” and not based on scientific evidence, Foreign Affairs Minister Evarist Bartolo said.Taking to social media to comment on the recent decision by the Britis...

Malta Customs has, once again, succeeded in blocking a huge amount of cocaine from reaching the streets.In a long operation, that spanned from Monday morning till late Tuesday afternoon, Customs Officials, stationed...

In its first week of operation, Gozo Fast Ferry Ltd carried over 6,000 passengers on its high-speed passenger service between Valletta and Mġarr, Gozo and added extra trips to cope with the high demand over the long weekend. The fast ferry ...

755 fines were issued to people this past week for not keeping to the Covid-19 regulations.540 of these were issued for breaching the mandatory wearing of masks regulation. 176 people were caught in groups larger than is currently permissible.The aut...

Around €90 billion of EU funds can now start being used by the 27 governments of the EU’s Member States through various schemes, for the upcoming seven years.A statement by the European People’s Party (EPP) said that this comes follo...

Daphne Caruana Galizia's murderers intended to shoot her on an August night in the summer of 2017, but aborted the plan at the last minute.Convicted murderer Vince Muscat and Alfred Degiorgio were already on site in a field in Bidnija with a clear vi...

There was an element of disappointment last week when Malta was again left out of the United Kingdom’s green list. When the original list published in early May excluded Malta, there was hope and expectations that Malta would be included when t...

The db project, which will see a 12 storey hotel and two residential towers with a height of 17 and 18 floors respectively constructed, is 'one of the worst proposed' NGO Moviment Graffitti has seen, it said during a protest against the proposed proj...

A scientific survey by the Malta Women’s Lobby (MWL), outlining different aspects in relation to prostitution, has shown that the majority of the general public believe that prostitution should not be legalised or decriminalised in Malta. ...

The Cabinet has given its go-ahead for the second Malta-Sicily interconnector, Energy Minister Miriam Dalli said on Tuesday.The 200-megawatt cable will cost around €170 million. It will run parallel to the existing interconnector that links Malt...

One new case of Covid-19 was reported on Tuesday, as three more people recovered from the virus, health authorities said in their daily update.With no new deaths reported for a 12th straight day, it means that Malta currently has 70 active cases.1,43...

The vaccines that we have available, notably the Pfizer and AstraZeneca jabs, are effective and protect against the Covid-19 variants currently found in Malta, virologist Dr Chris Barbara told The Malta Independent.This comes after Malta registered i...

Proposals for lowering commercial utility bills proposed by the Nationalist Party ensure that justice is being done to small businesses without burdening large businesses with new burdens, the PN said today.During a press conference on Tuesday, PN MP...

There are 2,387 families receiving the "strong rent benefit that came into force in 2019," Minister for Social Accommodation Roderick Galdes said. He added that this benefit is one of the best initiatives that has assisted thousands of families.The r...

An Englishman died from car exhaust poisoning on Tuesday afternoon, the police said.The accident took place inside a garage in Triq l-Iżbark tal-Franċiżi, Mellieħa.At around 2:30pm, the police were alerted to fumes coming out of t...

A British police officer has pleaded guilty to the kidnap and rape of a woman as she walked home in south London and whose body was found a week later in the woods.A court at London's Old Bailey heard Tuesday that Wayne Couzens, 48, accepted responsi...

For the third consecutive year, the Ministry for the Environment, Climate Change and Planning is launching the Saving our Blue campaign with an aim of intensifying efforts against environmental and marine pollution, particularly that which is caused ...

A 31-year-old German man was grievously injured in a motorcycle accident on Tuesday.The accident took place at around 11:15am in Valley Road, Msida, the police said.The man lost control of his Orcal motorcycle and fell. He was given first aid on site...

A 40-year-old Italian man died after falling from a height of four storeys in Hal Far, the police said in a statement.The accident occurred at 11.30am, in the industrial zone. The man was conducting works on the roof of a factory.A magisterial inquir...

The EU’s border agency Frontex has not been sufficiently effective in helping Member States and Schengen associated countries in managing the EU’s external frontiers, according to a special report published by the European Court of Audito...

The Malta International Airport has appealed to the government to introduce digital validation solutions for the verification of passengers’ health documents.“Whilst thanking the local health authorities for establishing the necessary saf...

Avid classic car collector and the founder of the Malta Classic Car Museum Carol Galea has passed away, the museum announced on Tuesday.The Museum, situated in St. Paul’s Bay, was Galea’s brainchild and is described as “his personal...

Every week we are given a list of Covid-related fines dished out by the authorities over the previous seven days. Well over a thousand fines have been issued each week for the past couple of months. Most of the infringements were a failure to wear a ...

Spain jump-started its summer tourism season on Monday by welcoming vaccinated visitors from most countries as well as European tourists who can prove they are not infected with coronavirus. It also reopened its ports to cruise ships.The move opened ...

The Malta Maritime Forum has urged the need for more direction through an updated maritime policy for the sector.The interests of the maritime industry were discussed with the Leader of the Opposition and the Shadow Minister for Transport during a re...

As announced by health minister Chris Fearne earlier today, no new Covid-19 cases were found overnight.Meanwhile, two people have recovered. There were no Covid-19-related deaths.The number of active cases now stands at 72.The health authorities said...

Today marks the first day with no new Covid-19 cases since last summer, Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne has announced.In a tweet, Fearne said it is still essential that people remain disciplined and responsible.The official figures for Monday will...

A man was grievously injured during an argument in Mellieha on Monday, the police said.The incident took place in Triq il-Marfa, at around 12:15pm.The police said an argument broke out between a 32-year-old man from Hamrun, a 42-year-old man from Val...

Prince Harry and Meghan may have stepped away from their royal duties — but family appeared to be top of mind in naming their second child, Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, who was born Friday in California.The name pays tr...

Solitary confinement in prison systems should be abolished as it goes against fundamental human rights and causes permanent damage to the persons that have to go through it, the dean of the Faculty of Social Wellbeing said.Professor Andrew Azzopardi ...

The Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) has confirmed that a permit has been issued to Paradise Exiles in Sliema for the placement of tables and chairs on the public bay.Speaking with The Malta Independent, a spokesperson for the MTA confirmed that the per...

Today is the day in which we commemorate an important national holiday: the Sette Giugno uprisings.We look back at two days of unrest and agitation in 1919, in an event which was momentous for the reason that it represented one of the lowest points i...

A 50-year-old man suffered grievous injuries on Monday after he fell off a ladder.The accident took place in Triq Joseph Stivala, in Paola, at around 11am, the police said.The man was given first aid my paramedics and members of the Civil Protection ...