While some cases of Covid-19 have been reported among schoolchildren, the numbers are “within the normal range,” Education Minister Justyne Caruana told The Malta Independent yesterday. She also confirmed that there are no plans so far to...

The COVID crisis has underlined the urgent need to ensure that essential workers, cleaners, health and agricultural workers earn a more adequate minimum wage, Labour MEP Alfred Sant said.He was addressing European Parliament during a debate regarding...

The booster dose of the Covid-19 vaccine will soon be included on people’s vaccine certificate along with their other doses, Superintendent of Public Health Charmaine Gauci has said.Gauci made the announcement on television during the programme...

A pandemic-weary world faces weeks of confusing uncertainty as countries restrict travel and take other steps to halt the newest potentially risky coronavirus mutant before anyone knows just how dangerous omicron really is.Will it spread even faster ...

Diederik Samsom, Head of Cabinet of European Commission Executive Vice President Frans Timmermans, is taking part in a webinar addressing climate neutrality starting at 9am.This webinar is being organised by the Representation of the European Commiss...

Tourism businesses that were just finding their footing after nearly two years of devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic are being rattled again as countries throw up new barriers to travel in an effort to contain the omicron var...

The chief of the European Union's executive arm said Wednesday that EU nations should consider making COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory because too many people still refuse to get shots voluntarily.The EU-wide vaccination rate stands at 66%, and unexpe...

Opposition Leader Bernard Grech made an interesting proposal in Parliament on Monday, to overhaul the composition of the Standards in Public Life Committee. Currently, the committee has the Speaker of the House as its chairman. Two PL MPs and two PN ...

A number of Church organisations and the Opposition have expressed their disappointment at the way the government ignored amendments they proposed for the Cannabis reform bill.The reform is one step closer to being implemented after it moved to the t...

The Corradino Correctional Facility is overcrowded and understaffed, an investigation by the National Audit Office (NAO) has found.In a report presented by Auditor General Charles Deguara to Speaker Anglu Farrugia, the NAO also says that local legisl...

The Nationalist Party has presented a Private Member’s Bill in Parliament to change the composition of the Standards in Public Life Committee and allow former parliamentarians to be placed under the committee’s scrutiny for ethical breach...

The Opposition will present a motion to repeal a Legal Notice that granted the Director General of the Courts power to erase judgements from the court’s website.The Opposition was reacting to a Legal Notice granting Malta’s director-gener...

The niche that decorated what was known as the Green House in Sliema should have been placed in a museum, and not incorporated in a design of a new block of flats, Alex Torpiano, Executive President of Din l-Art Helwa, told The Malta Independent.A ph...

The Constitutional Court has dismissed an appeal filed by Yorgen Fenech from a judgment rejecting his claim of having suffered a breach of his fundamental right to a fair hearing when his request to block testimony based on information he provid...

95 new cases of Covid-19 were registered on Wednesday, as 70 people recovered.This brings the number of active cases up to 1,213. The last time we had more than 1,200 active cases was on 5 August.Currently, 11 people are at Mater Dei Hospital with Co...

A disciplinary board has found that police authorities did not have tangible evidence that a Superintendent, who had been suspended after testing positive for cocaine, had anything to do with the drug, the Times of Malta reports.In January 2021, Malt...

Only two points separate Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool at the top of the Premier League. There's no doubting who the entertainers are with the most high-powered attack.Liverpool hit four goals for a third consecutive game by beating Everton ...

Junior Messias continued his scoring form by netting twice for AC Milan to help the Rossoneri get back on track in the league with a 3-0 win at relegation-threatened Genoa on Wednesday.Messias even overshadowed Zlatan Ibrahimović, who scored Mil...

It was every sports bettor's dream: Being able to bet on a game after it had already ended.But the 86 New Jersey gamblers who thought they were beating the system had their bets on a British soccer game voided, and the two betting companies involved ...

A new MapServer launched by the Planning Authority allows users to report an illegal development by clicking on a particular site.Users will also be given the option of remaining anonymous and of uploading photos of the alleged illegal works.The chan...

The Malta Police Union has issued directives over a registered dispute regarding Covid-19 booster shots during the festive period.The union is requesting that Police Officers be given their third dose before the yuletide period begins."The Executive ...

Transport Malta, the Malta Road Safety Council and popular band ‘The Travellers’ have joined forces to campaign against drink driving during the Christmas holiday period.The slogan chosen for the campaign was extracted from The Travellers...

The European Commission on Tuesday retracted internal communication guidelines that had proposed substituting the "Christmas period" with "holiday period" after an outcry by conservatives and the Vatican, which termed the document an attempt to "canc...

A World War II bomb exploded at a construction site next to a busy railway line in Munich on Wednesday, injuring four people, one of them seriously, German authorities said.A column of smoke was seen rising from the site near the Donnersbergerbruecke...

Several entrepreneurs may have come across various reasons to actively pursue business formation in Malta since its business sector appears to follow simple procedures and low taxation rates.Furthermore, many business owners may find multiple incenti...

Across the globe, world powers like The US and Europe have slowly begun the integration of technology and digitization within their business sector. Studies show that 2020 saw a substantial increase in using digital technologies within the worldwide ...

A research study on child-friendly towns and villages was launched on Wednesday by Commissioner for Children Pauline Miceli.Miceli stressed that children themselves should be involved in the study from beginning to end, so as to ensure that children'...

Doctor Walter Busuttil has been appointed as Chief Medical Officer, the Health Ministry announced on Wednesday.He takes over from Dr Dennis Vella Baldacchino, who was appointed Commissioner for Mental Health a few weeks back.Walter Busuttil graduated...

A pilot project has been launched in 4 schools aimed at educating youths about domestic violence and 'Safe Dates' during their Personal, Social and Career Development (PSCD) lessons.The project was launched by Education Minister Justyne Caruana and E...

Malta’s first ESG portal, allowing the general public and investors to evaluate the environmental, social and governance credentials of amongst the largest quoted companies in Malta and Gozo, was launched on Wednesday by the Minister for Energy...

Following a 6.7 percent gain in the second quarter, real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at a rate of 2.1 percent in the third quarter of 2021.From the "advance" estimate given in October, the rise was revised up 0.1 percentage point. The U.S ...

Commemorating World AIDS Day today, the PN's Forum for Equal Opportunities (FOIPN) will strive to end new HIV transmission rates while standing against HIV/AIDS stigma and discrimination, the PN said."Malta has the highest rate of new HIV cases at a ...

Italian police have arrested a Maltese man, and 16 other people, as part of a drug ring operation bust.It is suspected that the criminal organisation moved drugs from Albania to  Puglia and Calabria and Malta. In total, 430kg of cannabis, cannab...

The Anti Poverty Forum Malta has asked the Central Bank of Malta to reconsider the measure that would not allow cheques of under €20 to be processed.The Forum wrote a letter to the Central Bank of Malta regarding a directive the latter issued wh...

While current economic growth in several European countries has slowed since the end of the third quarter in 2021, Malta, the smallest of all EU-member states, has seen a substantial increase in inflation, around 0.7%, a low margin compared to Estoni...

A lawyer who is representing an arms dealer accused of breaching international sanctions against Libya has accused the police of arraigning his client in an attempt to divert attention away from the 2019 migrant pushback scandal.The compilation of ev...

A worker was grievously inured after he fell from a height of three-storeys in Mriehel, the police said.The accident occurred on Triq in-Negozju Mriehel.The victim, 31, from Cospicua, was given first aid on site by emergency doctors and members of th...

4,629 students graduated from tertiary level education in 2020, equivalent to a decrease of 4.9% over the previous year, statistics by the National Statistics Office reads.The largest share of tertiary graduates (55.5%) attained a qualification at IS...

In the case Sumal SL vs. Mercedes Benz Trucks España SL, holding case number Case C-882/19 and decided on 6 October 2021, the Court of Justice of the European Union delved into whether damages may be sought against subsidiary compani...

The Malta Police Union has registered a trade dispute with the Police Commissioner, over the "non-payment of Shift Allowance and Special Duty Allowance on a pro-rata basis to the Reserved Police Constables.""The Executive Committee registered another...

The bill which will legalise up to seven grammes of cannabis for personal use without risk of arrest will continue on to its third reading and final vote, as the government rejected any calls for major amendments from the Opposition and NGOs.One of t...

“Happening now in Msida”.That’s what the message accompanying the video said. The footage showed cars being dragged away in floods in Msida. It was raining heavily at the time the message started to make the rounds on Whatsapp and t...

Brazil and Japan joined the rapidly widening circle of countries to report cases of the omicron variant Tuesday, while new findings indicate the mutant coronavirus was already in Europe close to a week before South Africa sounded the alarm.The Nether...

A 15-year-old sophomore opened fire at his Michigan high school, killing three students, including a 16-year-old boy who died in a deputy’s patrol car on the way to a hospital, authorities said. Eight other people were wounded, some critically....

Germany's next chancellor said Tuesday that he will back a proposal to mandate coronavirus vaccinations for everybody next year, but that lawmakers should be free to vote according to their conscience on the issue.Olaf Scholz, whose center-left Socia...

The emergence of a new Covid-19 variant has so far had no effect on bookings and the government remains “cautiously optimistic” about the Christmas period, Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo said on Tuesday.Speaking to The Malta Independent...

Discussions with the European Commission regarding infringement proceedings against Malta over the sale of its citizenship are still ongoing, Parliamentary Secretary Alex Muscat said.Muscat called for a balanced way forward which satisfies both the E...

Malta has not identified any Omicron cases so far, the health authorities have confirmed.The new Covid-19 variant has been found in several European countries, leading the authorities in some Member States to rush to impose new restrictions.The South...

The health authorities said that 106 new Covid-19 cases were registered, as the upward trend continues.The number of recoveries totalled 54, which meant that the number of active cases has shot up again, to 1,188.No deaths were reported in the last 2...

A bill presented in Parliament proposing amendments to the Criminal Code to make hate speech directed towards persons with disability and the elderly a crime, continued to be debated on Tuesday.The bill was tabled by Inclusion Minister Julia Farrugia...

Health Minister Chris Fearne has confirmed, during an answer to a parliamentary question on Tuesday, that someone was admitted to hospital to be treated for an exotic animal bite.Questioned by Nationalist Party MP Mario Galea, Fearne confirmed the ca...

The amount of social housing units found in Gozo are more than enough to accommodate the present need, the government has said.The government has been working to reduce the waiting list for social housing by building more than 1,700 social housing un...

PN MP and Caruana Galizia family lawyer Jason Azzopardi has testified about the fear and psychological toll caused by anonymous hate mail he received on a regular basis, for seven years.The court refused a second bail request filed by lawyers for the...

The two police unions have complained about the worsening conditions being experienced by district police, and which, they say, are affecting the physical and mental wellbeing of officers.The Malta Police Union has registered another dispute against ...

Shopkeepers expect good sales throughout the whole year, and not just Black Friday, the Chamber of Commerce said.Despite the number of challenges faced by business, The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry noted that this year’s B...

Newcastle’s agonizing wait for a first win in the Premier League this season is heading into December.It's 14 games and counting without a victory for the northeast club, which recently came under Saudi ownership, after a 1-1 draw at ...

Mario Pašalić scored a hat trick to help Atalanta rout Venezia 4-0 Tuesday in Serie A.Pašalić scored his first two goals in the opening 12 minutes and added the other in the 67th, shortly after Teun Koopmeiners had netted the ...

Opposition Leader Bernard Grech called for an overhaul of the Parliamentary Standards Committee, which currently consists of Two PL MPs, two PN MPs and the Speaker of the House.The Speaker is the committee's chairman. The Nationalist Party on Monday ...

"We cannot go on like this," President of the NGO Repubblika Robert Aquilina said during a protest in front of Parliament on Monday.This comes after the son of Daphne Caruana Galizia had written to Speaker Anglu Farrugia calling for his resignation f...

93% of people who responded to an online survey are against the proposed Yacht Marina in Marsascala.The survey in question, organised by Valerie Visanich, from the Department of Sociology at the University of Malta, showed that just over 1,100 valid ...

The Ministry for Finance and Employment is receiving applications from former Malta Drydocks employees, who, due to the work assigned to them in the past, suffered due to asbestosis, or from the families of those who passed away because of it."This i...

The government promised "a new life" for farmers, but 40 pig farms were closed down in four years, the PN said in a statement."Farmers are angry at the government for leaving food fraud go on uncontrolled. Pork, chicken and eggs are sold as though th...

The Foundation for Social Welfare Services (FSWS) and Agendabookshop.com have teamed up in an initiative aimed to give vulnerable children a better access to books.Nowadays, kids have a lot of toys but fewer books around; this is even more so in low-...

Lionel Messi won the men's Ballon d'Or for a record-extending seventh time on Monday, ending the year in style after a brilliant final season with Barcelona and earning his first major international trophy with Argentina.Alexia Putellas became the th...

Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects Ian Borg congratulated the official representatives of the local councils of Luqa, Tarxien, Birżebbuġa and Żejtun after they were declared winners in a competition for project...

Minister for Foreign and European Affairs Evarist Bartolo expressed Malta’s strong support for the Union for the Mediterranean as it is the only regional structure that addresses the common challenges of the Mediterranean region. Minister Barto...

President George Vella this morning discussed current Mediterranean affairs with students from Malta and other countries who are currently reading for an M.A. in Conflict Resolution and Mediterranean Security at the University of Malta. The discussio...

 The World Health Organization says it could still take some time to get a full picture of the threat posed by omicron, a new variant of the coronavirus as scientists worldwide scramble to assess its multiple mutations.Stock markets swooned, som...

If you are in Malta and considering forex trading, it is important to choose a broker that is permitted to offer forex trading services within Malta. Ideally this means choosing a forex broker regulated by the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA...

Ninety-five new Covid-19 cases were recorded on Monday, the health authorities said.The number of patients who recovered was 39, meaning that the number of active cases has risen sharply again, to 1,136.The last time Malta had more than 1,100 cases w...

An application to construct an elderly care home and a sports hostel adjacent to the Marsaxlokk football ground, on land located outside the development zone, has been filed.The outline development permission application was filed by Marsaxlokk F.C. ...

The Met Office is issuing a warning about strong winds hitting the Maltese Islands today and tomorrow.In an orange alert, the Met Office said the west south-west wind “will be strong to very strong” in the next hours.Force 6 and 7 winds a...

A judge has prohibited the media from publishing evidence leaked from the judicial proceedings against Yorgen Fenech on pain of contempt of court, an offence punishable by imprisonment.Fenech’s lawyers had filed a court application on November ...

Cases of the omicron variant of the coronavirus popped up in countries on opposite sides of the world Sunday and many governments rushed to close their borders even as scientists cautioned that it's not clear if the new variant is more alar...

The Planning Authority said Monday it has initiated the process to carry out a planning review of the inner, most sheltered part of the Grand Harbour.The coastal area of Marsa will be given a new strategic vision focusing on sustainable opportunities...

A woman was seriously injured after she was hit by a car in Qormi on Sunday afternoon, the police said.The accident took place in Triq it-Tigrija at 6.30pm.The 43-year-old woman, from The Philippines and resident in Zebbug, was hit by a Maruti 800, d...

As the amendments on animal rights are set to make bestiality illegal, Nationalist Party MP Mario Galea called for the next step to be taken and ensure that necrophilia is also illegal.Speaking during a parliamentary sitting on Wednesday, amid the se...

San Anton School headmaster Sandro Spiteri has passed away, aged 56.Spiteri had been ill for several months.Parents were informed about Spiteri’s passing away by the school board.Spiteri had previously taught Maltese at San Anton for eight year...

The Nationalist Party has highlighted a number of initiatives it would introduce to aid small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with the aim of regaining a sustainable economy free from injustices.In a press conference on Monday, PN MP Kristy Debo...

The Nationalist Party wants the Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disability to become more independent.When an issue arises, the CRPD should take the matters straight to parliament rather than through a Minister acting as its agent, PN deput...

Revered German coach Ralf Rangnick was hired Monday to lead Manchester United until the end of the season, an appointment that will shake up the playing style and management structure of the Premier League team in its bid to return to the top of the ...

As if having their offices raided by police investigating financial crimes wasn’t serious enough for Juventus, Italy’s most successful football team is enduring damaging turmoil on the field too.For nine consecutive seasons, Juventus won ...

Moviment Graffitti today reaffirmed its stance in favour of the proposed legalisation of cannabis in Malta, describing the new bill as a “substantial improvement” over the White Paper presented earlier this year.The group also praised the...

A man and a woman were taken to hospital after the car they were in crashed into a pole on Sunday afternoon.The police said the accident took place in Dawret il-Gudja, Gudja, at 4.30pm.The man, aged 49 of Luqa, lost control of the Toyota Vitz he was ...

The EU’s border agency will dispatch a plane to monitor the shores of the English Channel for migrant activity after 27 people died when their overcrowded, inflatable boat sank en route to Britain, the deadliest migration accident on record on ...

Ninety-three per cent of respondents to a recent online survey disagree with the 700-berth Yacht Marina proposed for Marsaskala Bay by Transport Malta in August 2021.The opinion survey was organised by Valerie Visanich, from the Department of Sociolo...

The organisers of last week’s Sigma conference were telling foreign exhibitors in September that they could secure them an exemption for up to ten unvaccinated individuals, but they were shut down by the health authorities when their communicat...

An impact assessment that is currently underway should prioritise the care of animals, and not the zoos themselves, animal rights activist Moira Delia told The Malta Independent on Sunday in an interview. Recently in Parliament, the Minister for Agri...

It has become a characteristic of this government to say something and then do the opposite.It appears to want to appease the public by indicating that it intends to do the right thing, but then its actions do not follow suit.It has happened too many...

In September, a 24-month project was launched which seeks to greatly improve standards in public life in Malta, including through a better Code of Ethics for MPs and Cabinet members, while introducing better practices for lobbying transparency a...

72 new cases of Covid-19 were registered on Sunday, as 43 people recovered from the virus, the health authorities said.This brings Malta's active cases up to 1,080.Currently, 15 people are at Mater Dei Hospital with the virus, one of whom is in the I...

The Netherlands confirmed 13 cases of the new omicron variant of the coronavirus on Sunday and Australia found two as the countries half a world apart became the latest to detect it in travelers arriving from southern Africa.Israel decided ...

A man was seriously injured in a stabbing incident in Fgura on Sunday afternoon, the police said.The incident took place in William Lassal Street at 3pm.It involved two men from Indonesia, aged 30 and 40.The 40-year-old was taken to Mater Dei Hospita...

Third-country nationals are lying about their date of births to obtain a visa to come to Europe before reaching the required age of 18, with some of them ending up finding employment in Malta, The Malta Independent has learnt.This means that, from a ...

Nationalist Party international secretary Roselyn Borg Knight has withdrawn her candidacy for the upcoming election, party sources said.It is understood that Borg Knight communicated her decision to party officials earlier in the week. Borg Knight wa...

Hibernians registered an important win against Balzan winning by the odd goal in three in the main match of the tenth day of the BOV Premier League. It was an entertaing match with both teams living to expectations and giving a good account of themse...

The cautious game plan, with Cristiano Ronaldo dropped to the bench, worked for Manchester United.Hitting Chelsea on the counterattack, with Jadon Sancho scoring his first Premier League goal, and grabbing a point is the type of damage limitation-mod...

Dries Mertens scored twice as Napoli beat Lazio 4-0 on Sunday to take the outright lead of Serie A on the night it paid tribute to soccer great Diego Maradona.As well as Mertens — who has taken over several of Maradona's records at Napoli &mdas...

A replica of the Ostrich Egg Globe (photo above), better known as the ‘da Vinci Globe’, was in Malta this week, along with the discoverer who purchased the original and wrote a book about it, Professor Stefaan Missinne (below).Missinne, w...

Prime Minister Robert Abela has urged the public to take the Covid-19 booster shot.Speaking during an interview on ONE TV, he addressed a number of points, including the Covid-19 pandemic.When asked about the vaccine booster shots, the Prime minister...