The government will be aiming to vaccinate 85% of all adults against Covid-19, Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Chris Fearne said in Parliament today.A few weeks ago, Malta reached the well awaited herd immunity, at 70%. However, the virus h...

Politicians who use propaganda would be ‘shooting themselves in the foot’ if they continue to use such a strategy to try and earn political points, the newly elected chair of the Media Literacy Development Board, Alexander Farrugia, told ...

Several large fires broke out in fields in Nadur valley as the village celebrated the feast of St Peter and St Paul, known traditionally as Mnajra, on Tuesday eveningVideos received by The Malta Independent show villagers looking over the valley as f...

Gozo’s tourism industry experienced a ‘very good’ long weekend, the Gozo Tourism Association’s CEO Joe Muscat told the Malta Independent.Over the past year, tourism was among the sectors most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic,...

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops recently approved drafting a document on receiving Communion in the Catholic Church. It will include a section regarding standards for politicians and public figures who support laws&nbs...

A very worrying statistic emerged this week on Eurostat, revealing that Malta had the highest amount of early school leavers in the European Union in 2020.In 2020, the highest shares of early leavers from education and training were recorded in Malta...

A 20-year-old Syrian suffered serious injuries after he fell a storey off scaffolding while carrying out some works, police said on Wednesday.Police said that the accident happened at around 9:10am in Triq Wied Ghollieqa in Kappara.Preliminary invest...

England is unburdened by the weight of agonizing history: Germany has finally been beaten in a tournament again.No need to endure more penalty heartache or disallowed goals this time.Just like in the 1966 World Cup final, England triumphed over ...

A 28-year-old man from Croatia who resides in Rabat, Gozo, was taken before the courts in Gozo today, for threatening, violently resisting and attacking two police officers at 00.15am on Triq Putirjal in Rabat, Gozo, a police statement read.He was al...

A report by the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) has revealed that Malta experienced a 39% decrease in asylum applications and a 21% increase in pending cases in 2020 when compared to 2019.The statistics emerging from the report show that a tota...

Ukraine had reached the round of 16 at the European Championship with two losses and the worst record of the advancing teams.And now the quarterfinals, too.Ukraine eliminated previously unbeaten Sweden 2-1 on Tuesday with a goal in stoppage time at t...

Britain’s new health secretary said he is confident that England is on track to remove the country's remaining coronavirus restrictions on July 19, stressing that the rapid vaccination rollout is “breaking the link” between soaring ...

Opposition Leader Bernard Grech has requested to attend a meeting with the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development (MCESD) in order to hear their views and discuss the way forward following Malta's greylisting by the FATF.The meeting is exp...

A grass fire took root at Ramla Bay in Gozo on Tuesday.The police were informed at around 2pm and CPD officials went on site. No injuries were reported.Some beachgoers tried to assist in putting out the fire.Photos and video by Christine Seychell

Six new cases of Covid-19 were registered on Tuesday, while no new recoveries were recorded.The number of active cases currently stands at 40.No new deaths were registered.In total, 659,488 doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered, 357,171 o...

Food prices in Malta were 12.2% higher than the European Union average in 2020, figures released by Eurostat show.Eurostat issued a release which allows for the comparison of consumer price levels between EU states in different areas. The data covers...

An e-scooter rider was grievously injured early on Tuesday morning after she was hit by a car.The accident took place at the Ferries, Gzira, at 1.45am.The rider, a French woman who resides in Pieta’, was hit by a Volkswagen driven by a 23-year-...

Two men were injured during an argument in St Julian's the police said in a statement.The argument took place at 2.45am on Tuesday, and the police were called to St George's Bay. The police found one man unconscious and another with injuries.Police i...

With the scholastic year coming to an end, and with temperatures rising, more and more people will be flocking to the seaside for a swim and for, hopefully, a breeze.It is that time of the year when many people enter into holiday mode. Many, includin...

36 Civil Protection Department officers have undergone 2 weeks of intensive rope access training at some of the most common rescue locations around the Maltese Islands, the Civil Protection Department said on Facebook."Training was conducted in part ...

When you train on the Sir Bobby Charlton Pitch, it’s hard to escape the burden of past glory.And when Gareth Southgate is your coach, it’s even harder for the England players to escape the anguish that can come from playing Germany at a t...

When Sweden and Ukraine meet in Scotland on Tuesday at the European Championship, Mikael Lustig will feel right at home.The Sweden defender was a frequent visitor — and winner — at Hampden Park in a successful eight seasons at Celtic unti...

PN leader Bernard Grech challenged Prime Minister Robert Abela to “denounce” his predecessor Joseph Muscat, whom he blamed as being the person who led the country onto the FATF’s greylist.Speaking in Parliament on Monday morning abo...

Au revoir France, this summer belongs to Yann Sommer.The Switzerland goalkeeper, who left in the middle of the European Championship’s group stage to be with his wife for the birth of their second daughter, made the biggest save of his life aga...

Spain first gifted Croatia a bizarre own-goal, then threw away a late 3-1 lead. Alvaro Morata made sure it didn't matter in the end.Morata and Mikel Oyarzabal scored in extra time Monday to give Spain a 5-3 win over Croatia and a place in the Europea...

Rescuers searching for a fifth day for survivors of a Florida condo building collapse used bucket brigades and heavy machinery Monday as they worked atop a precarious mound of pulverized concrete, twisted steel and the remnants of dozens of household...

The Public Broadcasting Services did not block any football matches, noting that cuts in transmission of foreign channels which broadcast matches from Euro 2020 are imposed on them by conditions established by UEFA, PBS Executive Chairman Mark Sammut...

Six new cases of Covid-19 were reported by health authorities on Monday.No new recoveries or deaths were registered in the past 24 hours, meaning that the number of active cases now stands at 34.1,316 swab tests were administered on Sunday, taking th...

Legal reforms to the laws on sexual offences will come into force in the coming weeks, the government said in a statement.Minister for Social Justice, Solidarity, Family and Children's rights, Michael Falzon, along with Minister for Justice, Edward Z...

The NGO Repubblika has called on MPs from both sides to give up their seats in parliament and allow themselves to be replaced by technocrats who would lead a so-called ‘Government of National Solidarity.’Speaking in a press conference out...

Neil Agius launched his attempt at a world record breaking swim for a staggering 130km in 50 to 55 hours on Monday.The swim aims to raise awareness about plastic pollution at sea and is part of the Wave of Change campaign.Neil left from Linosa, a sma...

95% of carers and nurses in elderly care homes are vaccinated, Minister for Senior Citizens and Active Ageing Michael Farrugia said in response to a Parliamentary Question.PN MP Maria Deguara asked the minister to say whether the carers working in go...

More Covid-19 measures will be relaxed as from today, while no new cases of Covid-19 were reported on Sunday by health authorities.Two people were reported to have recovered, and with no new deaths reported for another day, the number of active cases...

Residential properties belonging to private owners and properties belonging to registered voluntary organisations situated along a number of streets in high traffic volume town centres can benefit from a Planning Authority restoration grant sche...

Malta had the highest percentage of early school leavers in 2020, figures issued by Eurostat show.The share of 'early school leavers’ is a term that refers to early leavers from education and training (aged 18-24).  The indicator shows the...

Labour MEP Alfred Sant has expressed his support for the principles upheld in the Matić report on the situation of sexual and reproductive health and rights in the EU, in the frame of women’s health, and stated that an open debate on abort...

The foundations for the first frequency converter station have been laid, a government statement read.Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg and Parliamentary Secretary Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi visited works carried out by Infrastructure Malta for the Grand...

A 72-year-old woman was seriously injured after she was hit by a car in Paola on Monday morning.Police said in a statement that the accident happened at around 8am in Triq San Guzepp in Paola, saying that preliminary investigations showed that a 72-y...

A Canadian man was arrested last Friday in connection with importation, trafficking and aggravated possession of cannabis, the police said Monday.The police said they were informed by the Customs Department that three boxes with 18,000 cigarettes con...

New Malta travel rules effectively 'rule out' holidays for families with children aged 12 to 17, it has emerged, a report in the UK says.Mylondon.news reports that in an email to a concerned traveller seen by My London, Visit Malta, the official...

Australia was battling to contain several COVID-19 clusters around the country on Monday in what some experts have described as the nation’s most dangerous stage of the pandemic since the earliest days.Sydney in the east and Darwin in the north...

A man was grievously injured on Sunday evening in a hold-up in Paola.The police said the incident took place in Antoine de Paule Square at 10pm.The victim, a foreigner aged 46 who resides in St Paul’s Bay, told police that he had been approache...

A small fire broke out in an apartment on Censu Tabone Street, St Julian's, on Monday morning, the police confirmed with The Malta Independent.CPD officials put out the fire and there were no injuries.

It was very heartening to see the results of a survey carried out by the National Council for the Maltese Language and the Department of Maltese within the University of Malta in collaboration with the National Statistics Office last week.The survey ...

Tunisian naval forces recovered two bodies and picked up 178 migrants from the Mediterranean on Sunday after the boats transporting them broke down on the perilous crossing from Libya to Europe, a Tunisian Defense Ministry spokesman said.The spokesma...

A photo of two nurses embracing each other at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic has become a symbol for the difficulties that the health professionals went through to take care of patients who were taken ill because of the virus.The Central Bank ha...

Although the news that Malta has been grey listed by the Financial Advisory Task Force (FATF) is not positive, all stakeholders should come together, share information between them and execute a plan of action so that the country would make it back o...

Belgium stopped Cristiano Ronaldo on one end, and had just enough attacking power on the other.The top-ranked Belgians held Ronaldo scoreless Sunday and held onto a first-half lead to beat Portugal 1-0 and advance to the quarterfinals of the European...

No new cases of Covid-19 were reported on Sunday by health authorities.Two people meanwhile have recovered, and with no new deaths reported for another day, the number of active cases now stands at 28.2,227 swab tests were carried out on Saturday, ta...

Eighteen months.These two words were a common thread which linked the speeches that were delivered by the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister last Wednesday.They were addressing a hastily called up press conference after it was announced that Mal...

The Government is not planning to change any tactics in terms for economic recovery when it comes to enterprises, as it took the Financial Advisory Task Force (FATF) assessment, among other issues, into account when drafting the recovery plan, Minist...

Once the Oranje were shown red, it all went the Czech Republic’s way.So much so that someone other than Patrik Schick finally scored for the Czechs at the European Championship before the striker knocked in his fourth goal of the tournament.Tho...

Malta’s greylisting by the Financial Action Task Force last week was “Labour’s fault”, PN leader Bernard Grech said on a Sunday as he moved away from the unity-calling rhetoric he presented in his initial reactions to the deci...

The Government will continue with its work, as it did prior to the Moneyval result, so that it can get off the Financial Advisory Task Force (FATF)’s greylist as soon as possible, Prime Minister Robert Abela said in an interview on party media ...

The U.K. on Saturday recorded its most new coronavirus infections since early February as the National Health Service ran a “grab a jab” initiative to further drive up vaccination rates.Government figures showed that another 18,270 people...

While the number of Covid-19 cases has remained low over the past weeks, one must wait and see what the impact of the virus variants will be, statistician Vince Marmara said in his weekly vlog for The Malta Independent on Sunday. Marmara said the sit...

One of the highlights of the Order of St. John’s long stay in Malta was undoubtedly the way they completely revolutionised the local medical scene. This was best epitomised by the Sacra Infermeria, the hospital they built in Valletta, which at ...

On Friday, the reasons for Malta’s grey listing by the Financial Action Task Force became clearer. The global anti-money laundering watchdog said that Malta made good progress in this field but, at the end of the day, it was not enough. Malta&r...

A green garden which will be open to the public will be installed on the roof of the lyceum in Ħamrun through an investment of over €1 million.  This was announced by Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Planning Aaron...

Football fans were left fuming on Saturday night after the Public Broadcasting Services (PBS) blocked Italian broadcaster Rai for the duration of the European Championships football match between Italy and Austria.Fans hoping to watch the round of 16...

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen has won half of the races this Formule One season.And if that wasn't worrying enough for his rivals, his car keeps getting faster and faster.The championship leader dominated the Styrian Grand Prix on Sunday to win back...

Val Drury was born on 15 January 1944 in Hamrun. He is married to Mary, who was a well known figure and familiar voice on Rediffusion and Radio Malta and has two children, Jackie and Natalie. As is customary with the majority of Basketball players, h...

The Maltese Paediatric Association strongly encourages parents to get their adolescents vaccinated against COVID-19. The COVID-19 vaccine, which has been studied and is being used in adolescents aged between 12-15 years, has been shown not only to be...

Doctors for Life deplores the attack on the right to life of unborn children and the blatant attempt to undermine the right to conscientious objection by medical professionalsIn a statement, DFL said is troubled to note the recent adoption of the Mat...

With three exquisite touches of control, technique and finishing, Federico Chiesa ended 95 minutes of Italian frustration.This record-breaking team is off to the quarterfinals of the European Championship with a defense that finally allowed a goal af...

Finnish health authorities have detected a spike in coronavirus cases that has been traced to football fans returning from neighbouring Russia following European Championship matches in St. Petersburg.The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare on S...

Rescue crews found another body in the rubble of a collapsed 12-story condominium tower near Miami on Saturday, raising the death toll to five as they raced to recover any survivors after fighting back fire and smoke deep inside the concrete and meta...

Floriana: Chemimart Pharmacy, 14, St Anne Street; Marsa: San Raffael Pharmacy, 247, Qormi Road; Santa Venera: Lantern Pharmacy, Misraħ il-Kebbies; Birkirkara: The Local Dispensary, Kan. K. Pirotta Street; Msida: Mayer Pharmacy, 33, Ta' Xbiex Pro...

Three new Covid-19 cases were recorded on Saturday, while two patients have recovered, health authorities said.The number of swab tests carried out reached 2,360, for an overall total of 977,462.Active cases climbed by one to 30, while the number of ...

Seventy per cent of Malta’s adult population is now fully vaccinated, Health Minister Chris Fearne said today.This means that they have received two doses of the Pfizer, Astra Zeneca or Moderna vaccines, or the one dose of the Johnson & Joh...

Malta will recognise UK Covid vaccine certificates from the 1st of July, a health ministry spokesperson told The Malta Independent.The UK government announced Thursday that British citizens returning from Malta, and people visiting the UK from Malta,...

If you're feeling hot, sweaty and are looking forward to cooler days, well... you might have to wait at least another week.Summer has started with high temperatures, reaching 41 degrees (feel like) today.But this sweltering heat is not expected to su...

Still riding a wave of emotion, Denmark won again at the European Championship.And they won a big one at a stadium that means a lot to them.The Danes advanced to the quarterfinals at Euro 2020 by beating Wales 4-0 on Saturday in Amsterdam, getting tw...

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has highlighted three points which Malta must fulfil in order to move off the grey list of financial jurisdictions.In a press conference on Friday, meeting president Marcus Pleyer explained that even though good...

The Maltese government has stuck its description of the FATF’s decision to greylist Malta as undeserved, but has committed to addressing the shortcomings raised by the international body in the “shortest time frame possible.”In a st...

The head of the World Health Organization said the COVID-19 delta variant, first seen in India, is “the most transmissible of the variants identified so far,” and warned it is now spreading in at least 85 countries.At a press briefing on ...

A biker was grievously injured on Friday afternoon in a traffic accident in Zejtun, the police said.The accident took place in Ghar Dalam Street at 5.45pm.It involved a Yamaha bike and a Toyota Passo, driven by a 27-year-old woman of Rabat.The biker,...

Nature Trust (Malta) is appealing to all beach users at night, to enjoy the beach but use the beach responsibly. While many go to enjoy a nice evening on the sand there are small irresponsible groups that tend to flood the beaches with noise and...

Italy’s unbeaten streak won’t last forever, and Austria coach Franco Foda is plotting to be the one to stop it.The Italians have become one of the favorites at the European Championship after winning all three of their games in the group ...

After three emotional European Championship matches in Copenhagen, Denmark will next play in a city that Christian Eriksen once called home.The Danes will take on Wales in the round of 16 at the Johan Cruyff Arena on Saturday, a stadium where Eriksen...

Formula One championship leader Max Verstappen maintained his momentum over rival Lewis Hamilton by taking pole position for the Styrian Grand Prix on Saturday.Verstappen became the first driver this weekend to complete a lap below 1 minute, 4 second...

After 19 hours of flawless defending, Italy broke its own world record for not conceding a goal in international soccer.The streak ended a mere 25 minutes later.Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma played the bulk of the record 1,168 minutes, includ...

It’s been a bit difficult to ignore the fact that Malta, right in cue with the start of summer, is going through an almighty heat wave.With temperatures hitting the 40.2 degrees Celsius mark, Thursday was the hottest day ever recorded in Malta ...

Five new cases of Covid-19 were reported by health authorities on Friday from over 3,000 swab tests.Three people meanwhile have recovered from the virus, while no new deaths were recorded in the last 24 hours.This means that Malta currently has 29 ac...

The Health Ministry has confirmed that measures relating to the wearing of face masks will be relaxed on 1 July for those who are fully vaccinated, while bars, restaurants, band clubs, and snack bars will, from Monday, be allowed to remain open until...

Balzan’s mayor Ian Spiteri has stepped down from his post for personal reasons.Spiteri announced the news on his personal profile on Friday morning, saying that he was very sad to share the news.He will be stepping down both as mayor and as cou...

Children aged between 12 and 15 years old will start receiving their Covid-19 vaccine invitations as from today, Health Minister Chris Fearne announced on Friday.They are the latest cohort to start receiving the jab after the vaccination programme wa...

Airlines and holiday providers on Friday expressed frustration with the U.K.’s plans to ease travel restrictions, saying uncertainty about how and when the new rules will be implemented make it difficult for people to book summer vacations.The ...

159 people were still unaccounted for Friday, a day after an oceanside condominium building collapsed into a pile of rubble, and searchers combing through a twisted, shifting pile of concrete and metal feared the death toll of at least four could go ...

Malta may have been placed on the UK’s green list on Thursday, but British people visiting Malta still have to quarantine, at least for the time being.This is because Malta currently only recognises vaccination certificates issued by the Maltes...

The Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA) said it expected a steady recovery in the tourism sector this summer.Welcoming the news that Malta has been added to UK’s green list, MHRA President Tony Zahra stated that, &ldq...

Maltese businesses do not deserve a grey listed country, the Chamber of SMEs said Friday.It was reacting to reports that Malta has been placed on the grey list by the Financial Action Task Force.The fact that Malta has carried out an impressive level...

No one was injured in an armed hold-up that took place in Birkirkara on Friday but the robber fled with a wad of cash. The case took place at a lotto shop in Triq Dun Filippu at around 9:45am, the police said.The assailant, wearing a mask and armed w...

A motorcyclist was grievously injured on Friday in an accident involving two other cars.The accident took place in Triq l-Ingiered in Luqa at around 9:15am, the police said.The casualty, 29, from Luqa, was riding a Ducati Monster.The motorcycle was i...

Civil society NGO Repubblika has filed a constitutional case asking the courts to declare that corruption in the Electrogas contract is leading consumers to pay extra on their energy bills. It is also asking the court to order that consumers be refun...

The United Kingdom has added Malta to its green travel list, with the British government revealing the news on Thursday night.The Maltese government responded with a statement on Thursday night stipulating that only those with a vaccination certifica...

With a maximum temperature of 40.2 degrees celsius, Malta was the hottest place in Europe on Thursday.An image posted by popular Facebook page Maltese Islands Weather, which is known for its expert insight into the weather in and around Malta, showed...

The global financial watchdog’s decision to grey list Malta on Wednesday came as no surprise to anyone. The writing was on the wall. Despite the government’s best efforts to lobby in Malta’s favour, and despite the positive reforms ...