Police Commissioner Angelo Gafa refrained from giving comments on the case against former EU Commissioner John Dalli, saying that he is precluded at law to publicly discuss individual cases and will say what he needs to say in court.John Dalli has be...

The Malta Institute of Accountants noted with disapproval the introduction of Legal Notice 419 of 2021, which allows taxpayers to offset tax payable on property transfers against their existing tax arrears.This measure is tantamount to a tax amnesty ...

Geologist Peter Gatt said that geologists are the most competent persons to make geological assessments.He was replying to an article titled Peter Gatt 'not competent' to determine if a civil engineering intervention is adequate (Independen...

The Grand Magistry on Friday announced the death of Fra’ Matthew Festing, 79th Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta, who died in Malta at 71. Elected in March 2008, he served as Grand Master until January 2017, the magistry said.Fra&rsq...

The Nationalist Party first says the cannabis bill as presented was copied from its own proposals, and now it says it is very much against it, the Labour Party said in a statement.This confusion is symptomatic of a party in crisis without a sense of ...

It took 14 deaths and countless stories of extremist practices for Alex Dalli to finally step aside as the Corradino prison chief.The latest of those deaths – the suicide of an Indian national named Arun Jose – came this week, and heralde...

The Nationalist Party parliamentary group has railed against the government’s proposed legalisation of cannabis, saying that it would normalise and increase drug abuse in Malta.In a statement, the PN said that its parliamentary group had conclu...

As things stand now, there is no need to increase measures to contain the spread of Covid-19 but it is neither the time to decrease them, Health Minister Chris Fearne said.Addressing the media, Fearne said that the number of new cases both around the...

Archbishop Charles Scicluna testified as a witness in a case between the developers of land in Gozo, and a family whose land title they are challenging.The developers are connected to a 17th century feudal foundation, the Abbazia di Sant Antonio degl...

The first sitting in the case against former EU Commissioner John Dalli was adjourned after less than an hour of courtroom debate over Dalli’s potential immunity.Dalli attended the first sitting of the case which regards an alleged €60 mil...

A group of Gozitans facing threats from speculators greeted Archbishop Charles Scicluna with protests after he appeared in court in Gozo, Moviment Graffitti has said.The Archbishop was there “to testify about his role in the land grab that has ...

The UK has approved the appointment of former minister and Labour MP Manuel Mallia has Malta’s next UK High Commissioner, as per multiple reports.Mallia succeeds career diplomat Joseph Cole in the role, having been approved by the British forei...

As Harry Kane's hat trick powered England toward the World Cup, Jorginho's penalty miss delayed Italy's qualification bid.Four months after Italy beat England in the European Championship final, it was a night of contrasting fortunes in the penultima...

With 428,426 passenger movements registered, October became Malta International Airport's (MIA) best performing month since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, a statement by MIA read."Despite this encouraging result, which can be partly attribute...

Following the legal action announced today against Malta by the European Commission (EC) in regard to the smokescreen finch trapping ‘research’ derogation, the Maltese Government has no other option than to immediately close the ongoing t...

Today’s events in a courtroom which allowed former EU Commissioner John Dalli to leave without being formally charged on allegations dating back to December 2012 is a mockery in itself, NGO Repubblika said. It seems as if the Maltese state does...

50 new cases of Covid-19 were reported by health authorities as the number of active cases in the country continues to increase.10 people meanwhile have recovered from the virus, taking the total number of active cases up to 513.It is the first time ...

Over 4,000 students will be receiving a pencil case made from sustainable material. The pencil case is being distributed to Year 6 students attending public, private and Church schools across Malta and Gozo. The pencil case with sustainably sourced s...

Peter Gatt is 'not competent' to determine whether a civil engineering intervention is adequate for its purpose, the Chamber of Architects and Civil Engineers has said.Peter Gatt, a geologist, on Friday commented about the recent collapse of a sectio...

The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry said today that businesses that comply with tax regulations are being discriminated against.In a statement the chamber said that has taken note of Legal Notice 419 published on 5th November 2021 ...

In September, the Basel AML Index 2021 ranked Malta as the worst country in the EU for money-laundering risk. This does not augur well for a country whose one of the main economic pillars is the financial services sector. “Applying effective AM...

You know you have reached the absolute pits when the Labour Party media reports on a government scandal in a fairer way than you do. We are referring to the decision this week by the Standards Committee to adopt a report by Standards Commissioner Geo...

Famous Italian sports journalist Giampiero Galeazzi has died on Friday, Italian media report.He was 75 years old.Galeazzi, nicknamed “bisteccone”, last appeared on TV three years ago.Born in Rome on 18 May, 1946, Galeazzi won the singles ...

The public is yet to be informed if former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has been called in for investigation over his alleged involvement with the suspicious transfers of thousands of euros with a company associated with Vitals Global Healthcare, Opp...

A man was injured early Friday morning after losing control of the vehicle he was driving and crashed into a wall.The car, a Toyota Hilux, ended up in a field.The driver, a 24-year-old man from Dingli, was taken to hospital with grievous injuries.The...

The Dar tal-Providenza home in Siggiewi was awarded the European Citizen's Prize for 2021.The Citizen’s Prize for 2020 and 2021 were awarded in a ceremony held by the European Parliament in Brussels on 9 November.The European Citizen’s Pr...

Inter players are making fun of their Croatian colleague Marcelo Brozovic following his own-goal against Malta in a World Cup qualifier on Thursday.Brozovic scored the only goal for Malta in a 7-1 win which keeps Croatia’s hopes of direct quali...

Members of the Police Force are once again being taken for a ride as they received an email stating that those over 45 years of age will receive their booster dose around mid-January 2022, the Malta Police Union said.When you consider that many offic...

The European Medicines Agency has recommended the authorization of two new medicines against the coronavirus for people at risk of severe disease.In a statement on Thursday, the EU drug regulator said it had concluded that the monoclonal antibody tre...

Three Gozo-focused environmental and heritage NGOs have formed a coalition and pledged to work together to protect and preserve the Gozitan built and natural heritage.They are; Din L-Art Ħelwa Għawdex, Għawdix and Wirt Għawdex.The...

A lack of geological and integrity studies were among the reasons that led to the collapse of a road at Chadwick Lakes, leading geologist Peter Gatt said on Friday.A large section of road that runs parallel to the watercourse collapsed on 1 November ...

Austria's chancellor on Thursday stepped up threats of lockdown measures for unvaccinated people, as new coronavirus cases in the Alpine nation are soaring. The country's worst-affected province said it plans to take that step next week.Austria has t...

A man was injured on Thursday afternoon after he was hit by a car in Marsa, the police said Friday.The man, a Somali aged 30, was hit in Marsa Road at around 12.30pm by a Land Rover Evoque driven by a 32-year-old man from Valletta.The pedestrian was ...

Justice Minister Edward Zammit Lewis said on Thursday that the law on standards in public life should not be used as some form of “witch hunt” against politicians. On Wednesday, Parliament’s standards committee, which Zammit Lewis f...

63 new cases of Covid-19 were reported by heath authorities on Thursday, as high case numbers continued to persist.It’s the first time since 4 September – when 62 cases were reported – that cases had crept over the 60 mark in a sing...

It was a nightmare for Malta yesterday at Ta’ Qali. Croatia proved to be too strong for Malta as the boys in red were outclassed and humiliated. We were somehow unaccustomed to such defeats, but the debacle against Slovenia last month was the i...

The Office of the Ombudsman initiated an own initiative investigation into possible systemic maladministration within the Corradino Correctional Facility.The investigation was launched on 4 November, the Ombudsman's office said.This means that the Om...

The European Parliament has voted in favour of legislation countering the threat that Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) pose to journalists, NGOs and civil society in EuropeIn a report adopted with 444 votes in favour, 48 again...

Pro-choice PN general election candidate Emma Portelli Bonnici has said that she is not on the party’s ticket to introduce abortion, but is there to “be part of the change this country needs.”“I am on PN’s ticket not to ...

The man who heroically dove into rough seas in Sliema to save two people in distress will be recognised for his bravery, Prime Minister Robert Abela said on Thursday.Sean Meli on Wednesday night jumped into the sea and saved a Chinese man and woman w...

Malta has amended its Whistleblower Act for it to be in line with an EU Parliament directive. Malta is currently only one of 10 countries to have adopted a whistleblower act framework. Addressing the media, Justice Minister Edward Zammit Le...

Spain, Portugal and Croatia all put themselves one game away from securing World Cup qualification, while Sweden's hopes took a heavy blow with a surprising loss Thursday.Spain beat Greece 1-0 thanks to Pablo Sarabia's penalty to overtake Sweden, whi...

Malta woke up to a thunderstorm and heavy rain which, as usually happens, has flooded several parts of the islands.Motorists have reported flooded roads in low-lying areas such as Msida, Qormi and Birkirkara, but other parts have been hit by the down...

The new Marsa junction was amongst the many roads afflicted by heavy flooding as rain battered Malta and Gozo overnight and into Thursday morning.The multi-million euro project proved to offer little to match the heavy rainfall, with water gathering ...

A new EU Asylum Agency will have enhanced operational and technical powers to facilitate cooperation among member states and contribute to converging asylum standards, the European Parliament said Thursday.The legislation endorsed on Thursday by the ...

Commemorating yesterday’s EU Equal Payday of 2021, the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality held an online conference circling around the topic of equal pay and the existing gender pay gap. The gender pay gap entails the difference...

Today 11 November marks 103 years since the effective end of what is known today as World War 1.As another year is remembered, Malta together with other countries organised an event to commemorate the traditional Armistice Day. During the ceremony gu...

The Ministry for Foreign and European Affairs (MFEA) has launched Malta’s Foreign Policy Strategy for public consultation, whereby for the first time, the foreign policy of Malta is outlined in a strategic document. The strategy outlines Malta&...

F.W. de Klerk, who shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Nelson Mandela and as South Africa’s last apartheid president oversaw the end of the country’s white minority rule, has died at the age of 85.De Klerk died after a battle against cancer...

A Chinese man and woman were rescued after being dragged into the sea near the Chalet area in Sliema on Wednesday evening.A Sliema resident, Sean Meli, was seen jumping into the sea to help in the rescue operation, which also involved the police and ...

There has been a 50 per cent jump in the number of Covid-19 cases in Europe in the last month or so. The increase has pushed the World Health Organisations to say that Europe has again become the epicentre of the pandemic, in the same way that it had...

Colonel Alex Dalli has suspended himself from his position as CEO of the Correctional Services Agency with immediate effect.The suspensions comes after the suspected suicide of an inmate overnight – the 14th death of an inmate under Dalli&rsquo...

Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri has dismissed calls for his resignation, saying that he has always acted according to the facts.On Wednesday, prison director Alex Dalli suspended himself after the latest inmate suicide. The Nationalist Party ca...

Independent MP Konrad Mizzi appeared before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee for a second time over the Electrogas project, as heated exchanges between the former government minister and PN MPs took place.Mizzi used the session held on We...

The government will be reducing the tax on fuel in order to keep prices stable amid a spike in international prices, Finance Minister Clyde Caruana told Parliament on Wednesday.Caruana said a Legal Notice to this effect would be published on Thursday...

38 new Covid-19 cases have been reported by health authorities as the number of people In hospital increases.9 people have recovered from the virus, taking the number of active cases up to 435.14 patients – one more than Tuesday – are cur...

A prison guard and her former colleague have been charged with the involuntary homicide of a female inmate who committed suicide in June this year.Kimberly (Kim) Borg Nicolas Virtu had attempted suicide in prison and later died at Mater Dei Hospital ...

A prisoner has been found dead in his prison cell on Wednesday morning.The man, an Indian national, was found dead in Division 4 during the guard handover.In a short statement, the Correction Services Agency confirmed that the man was found at around...

Animal Welfare Directorate officers this morning confiscated 18 dogs from a ‘puppy mill’ in Pieta`.The dogs were taken away from a residence in Triq id-Duluri, with the operation starting at around 10am.The AWD was responding to a report ...

An unemployed woman described as a “professional con-artist” has been charged with defrauding three people out of €270,000 and spending it all in casinos.60-year-old Anna Cutajar of Zabbar appeared before Magistrate Josette Demicoli ...

October’s 246.2mm of precipitation quenched the Maltese islands’ thirst for rain brought on by 12 consecutive drier-than-average months. Having yielded just over three times the rainfall amount expected at this time of year, last month we...

The Minister for the Economy and Industry Silvio Schembri, together with the Chamber for Small and Medium Enterprises launched another edition of Black Friday, which this year will be falling on Friday, 26 November. Minister for the Economy and Indus...

The Nationalist Party has called for the resignation of Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri, saying that the minister did not have the courage to dismiss prison director Alex Dalli after yet another inmate suicide.Dalli suspended himself on Wednesd...

The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry has proposed lowering VAT on all tourist services to 7%, unless the product or service being offered is already VAT exempt."Incremental income from VAT reduction should be diverted towards improv...

Former Finance Minister Tonio Fenech said he had always declined any jobs with companies that had in any way benefited from a public contract.Fenech was replying to former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, who named him in a list of former PN MPs who too...

Animal rights activist Moira Delia walked off a live TV programme last night after a zookeeper accused her of lying when speaking about a photo of him keeping a bear chained.The heated argument between Delia and zookeeper Chris Borg broke out on Insi...

Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech has issued his clearest statement yet on his party’s views on abortion, saying that anybody who is in favour of abortion has no place within the PN.In a six-minute rant on party radio station NET FM, Grech...

Two people were arrested by police on Tuesday in a drug bust worth a total of €190,000.Police said in a statement that its anti-drugs squad had made the arrests and found around four kilograms of cocaine and cannabis in the two operations.Police...

The Council of Europe’s expert group on human trafficking, GRETA, has urged Malta to make efforts to guarantee effective access to compensation for victims of trafficking and to take measures to ensure that human trafficking cases are investiga...

Although we don't have the exact number of Thalidomide survivors in Malta, the Maltese Thalidomide Association (Stand Up for Thalidomide Malta) estimates that there are around 30 to 40 survivors living with disabilities related directly to the effect...

The Malta Police Union has claimed that its President and Vice-President have received yet another transfer in what it said was “an attempt at intimidation” by the Police Commissioner. The union said it has registered a trade dispute over...

French President Emmanuel Macron issued a mass appeal Tuesday for people to get booster shots to fight rising virus infections that are raising concerns across Europe.Anyone over 65 who was vaccinated more than six months ago will need to get a boost...

For 100 years, Parliament has served as a symbol of Malta’s democracy.Earlier this month, activities were held to commemorate the momentous event when Malta, then still under British rule, was granted the right to set up its own House of Repres...

In its judgement, delivered on the 19 October 2021 in the names of Mario Galea vs. Malta Freeport Terminals Limited and John Aquilina, the First Hall of the Civil Court, presided over by Mr. Justice Toni Abela, considered the employer's responsibilit...

Just under 160,000 visitors travelled to Malta in September, the National Statistics Office said.During the month under review, a total of 149,760 inbound tourists visited Malta for holiday purposes, followed by 6,307 tourists for business purposes, ...

The Standards in Public Life Committee has adopted a report that found PL MP Rosianne Cutajar in breach of ethics.Standards Commissioner George Hyzler had come to the conclusion that former Parliamentary Secretary Rosianne Cutajar violated the code o...

The police are investigating payments received by former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat from a company that received millions from Steward Health Care as part of a wider magisterial inquiry, The Malta Independent has learnt. That inquiry, being led by ...

PN leader Bernard Grech has called for an immediate investigation into former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat’s receipt of €60,000 in return for consultancy work for a Swiss company with close ties to Steward Health Care.In a statement shared...

Yorgen Fenech had assured Joseph Muscat that he had deleted all text messages between them when the former lost his phone in 2018, Repubblika claimed on Tuesday. It emerged over the past few days that the 17 Black owner had lost his mobile phone whil...

The Planning Authority has reversed a decision it had taken to hide objections to development applications from their public database after it came under pressure on Tuesday.It emerged on Tuesday morning that the PA had removed all objections filed b...

The Planning Authority has removed all objections filed by members of the public to any planning application from view on its public database.This means that on the PA’s servers right now, neither the number nor nature of objections to any proj...

European nations play their last group games in qualifying for the 2022 World Cup over the next week, with some of the continent's biggest teams still not assured of going to the tournament in Qatar.Only Germany and Denmark have claimed places in Eur...

35 new cases of Covid-19 were reported by health authorities on Tuesday, as the number of active cases of the virus crept over the 400 mark.10 people have recovered, and with no new deaths reported the number of active cases currently stands at 406.I...

Prime Minister Robert Abela and Opposition Leader Bernard Grech spoke about climate change in Parliament on Wednesday.Abela delivered a ministerial statement in Parliament about the COP26 summit in Scotland.The meeting, he said, aimed to strengthen t...

Former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said that he has ‘nothing to hide’ following the recent revelations regarding his consultancy fees, and also tried to shine the spotlight on PN politicians claiming that there are ‘two weights and...

A lawyer defending a former Pilatus Bank director has slammed a request by the prosecution to have court-appointed experts extract and analyse data from the accused's computers, saying this should have been done before pressing charges.Today as the m...

Government projects aimed at mitigating traffic congestion “take time to complete”, Transport Minister Ian Borg told The Malta Independent when asked about recent increases in traffic congestion seen across the island. Traffic conges...

Peppi Azzopardi has hit back at the son of murdered businessman Luke Chetcuti, saying he was misinterpreted over a social media post on the prison. On Sunday, Azzopardi said in a Facebook post that there are four prisoners who want to make a police s...

About 35% of the work in connection with the Kirkop tunnel and airport intersection project has been completed and the first part of the project will be open to traffic by the first quarter of 2022, Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg said.The Kirkop pr...

Two massive illegal trapping sites were found on FKNK-managed land in the Mizieb woodland over the weekend, the Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) said on Tuesday.CABS was reacting to a statement by the FKNK, wherein they described CABS and Bird...

The European Union's medicines agency on Monday began reviewing Merck's COVID-19 treatment pill so that it can swiftly advise national drug authorities in the 27-nation bloc that want to begin using it before it gets official approval.The European Me...

Two California couples gave birth to each others' babies after a mix-up at a fertility clinic and spent months raising children that weren't theirs before swapping the infants, according to a lawsuit filed Monday in Los Angeles.Daphna Cardinale said ...

The recent political surveys place the Labour Party firmly ahead of the Nationalist Party.Despite the many, many proposals that the PN has been putting forward to the public, it still lags by quite a bit behind.The question is why?There are a number ...

A man reportedly armed with a knife threatened passers-by on the streets of the Norwegian capital, Oslo, on Tuesday, before being shot dead by police, officials said.Norwegian media published footage of the alleged attacker, naked from the waist up a...

The son of the late Paceville mogul Hugo Chectuci has lashed out against presenter and activist Peppi Azzopardi over a Facebook post the latter uploaded on Sunday. Azzopardi, a frequent critic of the prison system and solitary confinement, said the p...

Yorgen Fenech has filed a judicial protest against the police accusing them of destroying exculpatory evidence and requesting he be given a copy of all materials obtained as part of the investigation into the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia.This is ...

Just over €75,000 was spent on the event where the government unveiled plans and studies into the proposed metro project.Information tabled in Parliament by Transport Minister Ian Borg showed that a total of €76,981.76 was spent on the even...

The hours during which excavation and demolition works can take place will be changed as of Tuesday. Such works will not be permissible after 4pm.  This means that the times will change from how they are today, i.e. between 8am and 2pm...

Prime Minister Robert Abela met with renowned actor Russell Crowe who is currently in Malta filming.The world famous actor is working on the biographical drama ‘Prizefighter: The Life of Jem Belcher.’Posting on Facebook, Abela said that t...

A German humanitarian ship with more than 800 rescued migrants, including 15 very young children, steamed into a Sicilian port on Sunday after being granted permission by Italian authorities following days of waiting in the Mediterranean Sea.The char...