Prime Minister Robert Abela said today that any State of Force Agreement (SOFA) and the upcoming Moneyval assessment are “distinct from one another.”The Prime Minister also expressed his surprise at how the government has been criticised ...

A number of teachers speaking with The Malta Independent raised concerns over the government’s handling of the scholastic year’s opening.Concerns about students returning to school are high due to the Covid-19 pandemic.Educators in state ...

The European Commission is still to analyse Malta’s new citizenship by investment scheme, a Commission spokesperson indicated to The Malta Independent, stating that it ‘will’ be doing so.Earlier this year, a spokesperson for the Par...

A worker died this morning after he was crushed between a high-up and the ceiling of the Kirkop tunnel, the police said.The accident happened at 4.30am during maintenance work being carried out by Infrastructure Malta.The worker, a 57-year-old man of...

Malta, making a rapid U-turn, said on Tuesday Britain’s Prince George was welcome to keep a fossilised shark tooth that was given to him by veteran naturalist Sir David Attenborough, Reuters reports.The 23-million-year-old fossil was discovered...

One of the three men accused of murdering Daphne Caruana Galizia is claiming that “prominent individuals” linked to the assassination are still to be publicly named.Vince Muscat, known as il-Kohhu, is accusing the police of delaying a rep...

A spokesperson for the elderly home Casa Antonia told The Malta Independent that they are “doing their utmost” to ensure that its residents are safe, by continuously implementing new measures.A number of elderly homes, including Casa Anto...

The worldwide death toll from the coronavirus has eclipsed 1 million, nine months into a crisis that has devastated the global economy, tested world leaders’ resolve, pitted science against politics and forced multitudes to change the way they ...

On Sunday, Economy Minister Silvio Schembri said that the seasonal Influenza vaccinations began arriving in Malta. Thousands of people each year opt to take the vaccine, thus reducing the chance of them actually getting the flu.This year, the flu vac...

An elderly woman has become the 33rd person to die with Covid-19 in Malta, a statement published by the Health Ministry said on Monday evening.The woman was 82 years old.The Health Ministry said that the woman was confirmed positive for Covid-19 on 1...

27 new cases of Covid-19 were found overnight as Malta’s total number of cases of Covid-19 exceeded 3,000, health authorities said on Monday.41 new recoveries were also registered, meaning that the number of active cases is down to 575.2,302 sw...

The fourth person arrested by the police last week on suspicion of money laundering was Nexia BT partner Manuel Castagna, sources have told The Malta Independent.Castagna, who is Nexia BT’s partner responsible for audits and human resources and...

The Malta Union of Teachers (MUT) and the Union of Professional Educators (UPE) have both been blasted in a judicial protest filed by a parent aggrieved by the two unions’ pressure to keep schools closed.The opening of state and church schools ...

Children in some private schools returned to the classrooms for the first time in six months today, finding a different set-up than they were used to until March as Malta battles against the spread of Coronavirus.State and church schools were to open...

The Union of Professional Educators (UPE) has spoken of “a state of panic” within state schools due to the lack of preparation for the new scholastic year. Teachers entered state schools for the first time in the scholastic year on Monday...

Former Electoral Commissioner Joseph Church has passed away at the age of 65 after having suffered health problems.Church resign from the Commission in July, after having served on it for six years.He had also served as President George Vella's secre...

The nurses’ union has warned of industrial action over the fact that the Intensive Therapy Unit (ITU) has reached “maximum capacity.”The MUMN said it is registering “a crisis and an ultimatum” in both ITU and Pillar 4.&l...

The Digital Services Act (DSA) should ensure that companies established outside the EU and that target the European market must abide by European rules, Internal Market Committee rapporteur on the DSA Alex Agius Saliba said.After months of negotiatio...

Malta wants back a prehistoric shark tooth that was given as a present to Britain’s Prince George by naturalist Sir David Attenborough, saying the fossil should be put on display in the island where it was discovered, Reuters reports today.Kens...

Three wins from three games, two big rivals dispatched, and an expensive new signing already on the scoresheet.Liverpool is making an ominous start to its title defense in the English Premier League.The champion's high-risk, high-reward strategy paid...

The Health Ministry said that a 91-year-old woman has died with Covid-19 on Sunday.In a statement on Monday, the ministry said that the woman tested positive to Covid-19 on 10 September, and was admitted to hospital on 22 September.She died yesterday...

The tender for the construction of a pet cemetery is currently being vetted by the Department of Contracts, for it to be issued in the coming months, Animal Rights Minister Anton Refalo told the Malta Independent.Back in 2019, former Parliamentary Se...

Almost €1.5 million was raised towards the second Dar Bjorn in a telethon held throughout Sunday.The telethon ran from midday to midnight on Sunday, and culminated in the raising of €1,436,955 in donations towards the planned second Dar Bjo...

A new code of ethics for tour guides is currently in the works, Tourism Minister Julia Farrugia Portelli revealed.She spoke during a virtual symposium organised by the Malta Union of Tourist Guides (MUTG). The central theme was the quality offered by...

Decriminalisation is not the end product, but it is the first step to give recognition to sex workers to speak for themselves and for abused victims to be protected, Lilia, a Swedish sex worker told The Malta Independent on Sunday.“I believe th...

Roberto Soriano scored twice and set up another as Bologna beat Parma 4-1 in Serie A on Monday.Both teams were looking for their first points of the season after losing their opening matches.Soriano opened the scoring in the 16th minute when he heade...

The government is investing in an extensive research project on gathering data on local fish and marine life with the aid of €5 million EU funding.On Monday, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Animal Rights and Consumer Protection Anton Refalo ...

78 people employed with companies that former OPM Chief of Staff Keith Schembri has a business interest in have filed an urgent court application, asking for their wages to be exempt from the freezing order that was issued, the Times of Malta reports...

21 new cases of Covid-19 were announced on Sunday, while 54 patients recovered, the health authorities said.This means that the number of active cases dropped to 590.Thus far, 2,358 people have recovered from the virus, while 31 have died. The total ...

The Malta Information Technology Agency today launched a new brand image that will "represent our past, our future and also the way forward that we must achieve together".The change comes as the agency celebrates its 30th anniversary.A change in desi...

Migration is a widespread behaviour in birds living in environments affected by seasons and fluctuating food sources. Looking at it from an evolution point of view, the primary aim of migration is that of helping birds survive from one breeding seaso...

As Malta battles with Coronavirus and awaits vaccination to be made available, plans are in hand to immunize as many people against influenza as possible this autumn.Economy Minister Silvio Schembri said that the influenza vaccinations have started t...

Prime Minister Robert Abela said that the COVID-19 wage supplement will extend beyond the end of October, in order to help sectors that suffered negatively due to the economic impact of COVID-19.Prime Minister Robert Abela was being interviewed on Su...

The Malta Police Force launched its transformation strategy for the years 2020 – 2025 last week.The strategy’s mission is to provide a professional and trusted policing service to ensure safety and security in partnership with the communi...

An isolation room for students who have a high temperature or other possible symptoms of COVID-19 is one of several measures which St Margaret College Primary School has taken up to prevent and reduce the risk of the virus spreading. On Saturday, thi...

After winning their first match against Gzira and being eliminated from the Europa League losing to Estonian side FC Flora, the Greens turned their attention on the Premier League.Their opponents Hibernians succumbed to defeat at the hands of Sliema ...

Placing an order at a deli counter while wearing a mask and standing 6 feet away can be difficult. Try teaching a class full of schoolchildren and connecting with students who are themselves wearing masks.Teachers who in ordinary times rely on their ...

A 62-year-old Birzebbugia resident is being spoken to by the police over reports of minors being in possession of a hunting shotgun.Yesterday at 7.15 am, the Environmental Protection Unit within the Police force was informed by CABS that on Triq il-B...

Jose Mourinho had seen enough.The fulltime whistle had yet to be blown but the Tottenham manager stormed down the tunnel — his head down and hands in his pockets — after seeing his team fall foul of a handball ruling that has quickly beco...

Even on a night when Juventus was outplayed for long stretches, the nine-time defending Serie A champion managed to salvage a point in a 2-2 draw at Roma on Sunday.Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice, including a second-half equalizer with a towering head...

The new scholastic year is set to open in the coming days when thousands of children are to return to the classrooms they abandoned in March at the start of the Coronavirus pandemic.Questions on why this should be happening have been raised by parent...

The new scholastic year is set to open in the coming days when thousands of children are to return to the classrooms they abandoned in March at the start of the Coronavirus pandemic.Questions on why this should be happening have been raised by parent...

A biker was seriously injured on Sunday morning after crashing on the Coast Road, the police said.The motorcyclist, a 57-year-old man of Naxxar, lost control of the Kawasaki he was riding and crashed.The accident happened at around 11.30am.

Malta will, in the coming weeks continue to experience cycles where Covid-19 cases increase and decrease, according to statistician Vince Marmara.Speaking in his weekly video blog for The Malta Independent on Sunday, Marmara said the fluctuations ref...

The lives of many depend on timely decisions taken without political interference, the PN said in a statement, in reference to the current Covid-19 situation in the country.The statement was signed by PN Leader Adrian Delia and the PN's spokesperson ...

Nearly 50% of all PN paid-up members (tesserati) have submitted their votes by the second day of early voting, a PN statement by the party's Electoral Commission read.There are 21,499 paid-up members who can vote in the election.Incumbent party leade...

It is everyone's duty to protect both cultural and environmental heritage, and to maintain the potential of biodiversity to meet the needs and aspirations of present and future generations, Environment Minister Aaron Farrugia said on Sunday.Minister ...

Valtteri Bottas won the Russian Grand Prix on Sunday after his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton's race was ruined by penalties, in front of the largest crowd of the pandemic-hit season.Hamilton had been looking to match Michael Schumacher's record of...

Naturalist Sir David Attenborough has presented a fossilised giant tooth from an extinct shark he had found in Malta to Prince George, son of the Duke and Duchess of Cambrige, Prince William and Kate Middleton.The young prince looked captivated as he...

This newsroom has this week sent questions to former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, asking him whether he will stay on as an MP after the arrest of his good friend and former Chief of Staff Keith Schembri on suspicion of money laundering. Muscat had n...

Gozitan hotelier Victor J Borg, died on Saturday at age 75.Borg is best known for the Ta' Ċenċ and Cornucopia hotels.Bothe the Nationalist Party and the Labour Party issued statements honouring Borg's memory.Borg was promoting Gozo as a tou...

One of the battles that the LGBTIQ+ community commemorates and highlights during pride month is the one against phobias that are exhibited towards its members by heteronormative perspectives.However, it should be noted that these phobias exist in the...

Twenty-nine new Coronavirus cases were registered in the last 24 hours, with 43 patients recovering, the health authorities said.The number of swab tests carried out on Friday was 2,096, for a total of 245,028.The number of cases is edging closer to ...

A woman became the 31st victim of Coronavirus in Malta, the government said in a statement.The woman, aged 92, was resident in an elderly people’s home.She had tested positive on 15 September and died last night.The woman had other medical cond...

Prime Minister Robert Abela today addressed the United Nations general assembly from his office in Castille.In past years, successive prime ministers addressed the assembly in New York.But Abela had to give up the opportunity - which would have been ...

Candles have been placed in the pathway leading from the statue of Our Lady, stationed at the entrance of Mater Dei Hospital, and the mortuary.The candles have been placed in remembrance of Covid-19 victims, 31 until today, and in solidarity with the...

VALLETTA: Empire Pharmacy, 77, Old Theatre Street; MARSA: Vivien Pharmacy, Patri Magri Street; SANTA VENERA: Fatima Pharmacy, 82, Ferrovija Street; BIRKIRKARA: The Local Dispensary, Kan. K. Pirotta Street; PIETÀ: St Luke's Pharmacy, St Luke&rs...

At a University of Maryland lab, people infected with the new coronavirus take turns sitting in a chair and putting their faces into the big end of a large cone. They recite the alphabet and sing or just sit quietly for a half hour. Sometimes they co...

Six companies owned by former prime minister Joseph Muscat’s chief of staff Keith Schembri have filed an urgent court application asking for permission to temporarily unfreeze their assets for the payment of 100 employees’ salaries.T...

The government lost the plot on how to tackle Covid-19, Bernard Grech said, and Malta is suffering the consequences of the decisions taken and the belittling of the situation.Grech, who is contesting for the PN leadership with Adrian Delia, said that...

Opposition Leader Adrian Delia promised that a Nationalist government would reduce electricity bills by half. Maltese families and businesses are being robbed every day, he said in an interview with The Malta Independent editor-in-chief Neil Camiller...

Birkirkara                    0Mosta                    ...

The clock was approaching 100 minutes and the final whistle had long been blown when Bruno Fernandes stroked home yet another penalty to secure a wild win for Manchester United.Chelsea also left it late in the English Premier League on Saturday, but ...

Two goals in the final three minutes saw Inter Milan come from behind to beat Fiorentina 4-3 in Serie A on Saturday.Romelu Lukaku and Danilo D’Ambrosio scored late to help Inter get its season off to a winning start.Fellow title hopefuls Atalan...

A biker is in hospital after he lost control of his Honda and crashed, the police said.The accident took place in National Road, Floriana, at 10.30am.The biker, a 30-year-old man of Valletta, was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

A man was seriously injured this morning when the car he was driving crashed into parked vehicles in Zejtun, the police said.The accident took place in Alfredo Cachia Zammit Street at 9am.The man, aged 49 of Zabbar, lost control of the Opel Corsa he ...

The Accountancy Board has suspended the accountancy warrants of Nexia BT’s Brian Tonna and Karl Cini after their arrest earlier this week.The Practising Certificates in Auditing have also been suspended, together with the registration of Nexia ...

Two ministers have criticised PN leader hopeful Bernard Grech for not respecting quarantine rules related to the spread of Coronavirus.On Friday, Grech said he was physically returning to the campaign for the PN leadership after testing negative twic...

Infrastructure Malta opened the first new road of the Central Link Project, a two-lane westbound carriageway bypassing three traffic light junctions to create a quicker and safer route from Mriehel to the Wied Incita area of Attard.Prime Minister Rob...

Lewis Hamilton took a step closer to equaling the Formula One win record on Saturday by clinching pole position at the Russian Grand Prix, after narrowly avoiding early elimination when Sebastian Vettel crashed.Hamilton charged to a track-record time...

The Nationalist Party electoral commission said that 16% of the eligible members voted on the first day of the leadership election.Adrian Delia and Bernard Grech are contesting the election.In all, 21,499 paid-up members are eligible to vote.The winn...

The Covid-19 pandemic has been with us for over six months now, and the world has had to adjust to this new reality. Businesses, workplaces, shops, bars, restaurants and other establishments had to shift to a new way of doing things. It was not easy,...

A 94-year-old woman has become Malta's 30th Covid-19 victim, the Health Ministry has confirmed.The elderly woman tested positive on 25 September, and died on the same day. She was tested as part of the routine tests that are taking place in elderly h...

Four people were arrested in the night between Monday and Tuesday, and all four have been given police bail, Police Commissioner Angelo Gafa said on Friday.He was asked for an update on the arrest and interrogation of former OPM chief of staff Keith ...

Labour MEP Alfred Sant has been appointed a member of FISC, the permanent tax subcommittee of the Economic and Monetary affairs committee in the European Parliament.  FISC was recently created as part of the fight against tax fraud and for finan...

Minister for Education and Employment Owen Bonnici inaugurated the Foundation for Educational Services’ (FES) new offices. FES CEO Dermot Galea, as well as FES Chairperson Pamela Schembri and Permanent Secretary Francis Fabri were also present ...

The government has delayed the reopening of its schools and will be staggering the return of students over seven days so as to allow for a smooth transition.A staggered approach will be taken to assure a smooth transition back to school and for educa...

The reopening of Church schools will also be postponed, the Curia announced today.The Ministry for Education and Employment today announced that in State Schools, educators will be returning on 28 September and compulsory school-aged students, that i...

The government, through SportMalta, has transferred 15,000 square metres of land that is no longer in use within the Hal Farrug industrial zone to be developed into a football ground by Valletta FC, through a 45-year temporary emphyteusis, a statemen...

Residents of the San Guzepp elderly home in Fgura who test negative for Covid-19 are being moved out to two seperate homes, The Times of Malta reports.The Fgura home has had a major Covid-19 outbreak, with over a hundred residents testing positive.Th...

Thirty-seven patients suffering from Coronavirus are being treated in different hospitals, with two of them in a critical condition, Health Chief Charmaine Gauci said today.There are four patients at Mater Dei Hospital’s Intensive Therapy Unit,...

MEP Alex Agius Saliba appointed as the Rapporteur on the European Parliament report on the Protection of Persons with Disabilities through the European Union. The Committee on Petitions in the European Parliament has decided to draft an own-initiativ...

There is no logical reason for schools which are ready to open, to remain closed and deprive students of a week of face-to-face education at this juncture, the Malta Chamber said.The Chamber welcomed the recent development in relation to the reopenin...

While PN Leader Adrian Delia claimed that a journalist (Ruth Amaira) pulled out of a debate between the PN leadership contenders after Bernard Grech’s team "tried to influence her", PBS said that the journalist never accepted the offer to moder...

Zejtun and Senglea figured in a 1-1 draw in a drab affair that rarely reached high standards. For Zejtun this was their second consecutive draw in their first ever season in the Premier League and for Senglea this was the first point earned after the...

The compilation of evidence against Viktor Dragomanski, who stands accused of the murder of doctor turned banker Christian Pandolfino, 58, and art dealer Ivor Maciejowski, 30, who were shot dead at their residence on Locker Street Sliema on 18 August...

Between January and August 2020, the Government’s Consolidated Fund reported a deficit of €1,086.2 million, the NSO said today.By the end of August 2020, recurrent revenue amounted to €2,524.8 million, 20.9 per cent lower than the &eu...

31 new cases of Covid-19 were registered between Thursday and Friday, the health authorities said.There are now 639 active cases out of a total of 2,929.70 people have recovered, for a total of 2,261 recoveries.2,545 swab tests were carried out in th...

Two more deaths from Coronavirus were announced today, although one of them occurred on Thursday.A 78-year-old woman became the 28th Coronavirus victim in Malta, while a 90-year-old man was the 29th victim, the health ministry said in separate statem...

Former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat is denying claims that he is under investigation for financial crimes in Italy.He was replying to Newsbook following the publication of an article by Kenneth Rijock’s on his Financial Crime Blog.The author wr...

PN Leadership Contender Bernard Grech has once again tested negative for Covid-19 on Friday.This comes after Grech tested negative after taking a Covid-19 test on Wednesday.Earlier this week, Grech put himself in isolation as his wife Anne Marie test...

The Malta Police Force has launched its transformation strategy for the years 2020 – 2025.The document titled ‘Malta Police Transformation Strategy 2020 – 2025’ will include a number of aims, including making the force more fl...

Health chief Charmaine Gauci on Friday played down concerns expressed by another senior health official, who said that parents, students and teachers should stop all extracurricular socialising if the reopening schools is to be a success.The importan...

A court has lifted a travel ban imposed on a woman whose partner claimed she wanted to go abroad to have an abortion.The woman’s ordeal was revealed on Thursday by the Women’s Rights Foundation.The WRF is fighting a legal court case on be...

The St Paul's Bay local council filed an objection to a planning application that will see further development on the site of a fuel station in Burmarrad, however filed it too late, the Nationalist Party has said.The application, among other things, ...

The car owned by Valletta mayor Alfred Zammit was set ablaze on Thursday night, a week after he spoke out against a spate of arson attacks in the capital city.Zammit, a popular TV presenter on One TV, had told The Times that people are terrorised and...

Infrastructure Malta has completed the reconstruction of Santa Lucija Avenue, the arterial road between the new Marsa Junction Project flyovers and the new tunnels of the Santa Lucija Roundabout Underpass Project.The contractors of these two new mult...

A man is in hospital after falling one storey in St Julian’s, the police said.The accident took place in St Augustine Street at 4am.The man, a 23-year-old French citizen who lives in Swieqi, was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

The number of eligible voters for the PN leadership election is 21,499, the Electoral Commission said in a statement.Adrian Delia and Bernard Grech are contending for the post.The election is taking place over 10 days to spread voters as much as poss...