A record €2,531,540 were raised in air of Dar tal-Providenza on New Year’s Day, a sum which included a €500,000 donation by the foreign sponsors of Sliema Wanderers, which was presented on their behalf by former Opposition Leader Adri...

The number of new Covid-19 cases is 135, health authorities said today.The patients who recovered today total justb 57, which means that the number of active cases ahas again climbed above 1,500 - 1,512, to be precise.In all, 2,779 swab tests were ca...

Three persons were taken to hospital early this morning after a brawl involving around 50 people in Paceville, the police said.Most of the people involved in the incident were Syrians. The condition of the three taken to hospital is unknown.The incid...

A Romanian man was taken to hospital after he was hit in the head with a hammer, the police said.The incident took place in St George’ Road, St Julian’s at around 3.15pm.The police said that the Romanian, aged 35, went to the police stati...

Ravers at an underground, curfew-busting New Year's Eve party that drew at least 2,500 people in western France attacked the police sent to shut them down, torching one police vehicle and injuring officers with volleys of bottles and stones, official...

The start of the new year brought the beginning of the vaccination campaign at St Vincent de Paul Home for the elderly.Mary Pizzuto became the first resident to be vaccinated against Covid-19. She is 94 years old.Apart from her, another 40 elderly re...

The second batch of Covid-19 vouchers will be distributed by mid-January, the government has told the MHRA.In a short note to its members, the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association said that it “has been informed by the relevant authorities ...

Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna this morning appealed for the Maltese to make another effort to help out Dar tal-Providenza during the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic. He emphasised God’s blessings in the quote from the Book of Numbers that the...

Pope Francis ushered in the New Year on Friday with a traditional Angelus blessing from the papal library, pushing through nerve pain that forced him to skip New Year’s ceremonies in St. Peter’s Basilica.The pope appeared relaxed as he st...

Between the specter of Brexit, the coronavirus pandemic and a new leadership team facing a budget battle, the European Union looked set to remember 2020 as an “annus horribilis.”Instead, a last-minute trade deal with the United Kingdom co...

Six drivers were caught behind the wheel under the influence of alcohol last night, the police said.Inspections were carried out by the Traffic Section together with district police, the Rapid Intervention Unit and the Environmental Protection Unit.S...

A steady trickle of trucks rolled off ferries and trains on either side of the English Channel on Friday, a quiet New Year’s Day after a seismic overnight shift in relations between the European Union and Britain.The busy goods route between so...

This New Year’s Eve is being celebrated like no other in most of the world, with many bidding farewell to a year they’d prefer to forget.From the South Pacific to New York City, pandemic restrictions on open air gatherings saw people turn...

The Maltese national football team is the third best mover in the FIFA world rankings in 2020, the football federation said.Malta gained 32 points during the year, courtesy to back to back competitive wins, the first time that this happened in the co...

2020 has been a challenging year. While Covid-19 dominated the news, causing concern to billions of people around the globe, there is now hope as vaccines begin to be administered.People are still on edge, but also have faith that this situation migh...

Britain’s long and sometimes acrimonious divorce from the European Union ended Thursday with an economic split that leaves the EU smaller and the U.K. freer but more isolated in a turbulent world.Britain left the European bloc’s vast sing...

A man was seriously injured on New Year’s Eve after he lost control of the car he was driving, crashing into a wall.The accident took place in Ghajn Kajjet Street, Rabat, at 7.15pm.The man, aged 71 of Zebbug, was driving a Subaru.He was taken t...

An uncle and a niece scooped up €250,000 on Boxing Day in the LOTTO QUATERNO PLUS draw, as they matched five out of the eight drawn numbers.The players purchased two different winning tickets with the numbers 49 – 53 – 56 – 61 ...

Prime Minister Robert Abela wants Malta to have recovered substantially by March and to be ‘business as usual’ by May.In his message for the New Year, the PM said Malta this year faced its biggest challenge since World War Two, if not the...

Opposition Leader Bernard Grech encouraged people to look forward to a new year with hope after the events of 2020, but appealed to everyone to follow all the Covid-19 precautions as this is the only way to prevent more death from the virus.Grech del...

Three Covid-19 patients have died, the health ministry said on Thursday, meaning that the total number of deaths has risen to 219The first was an 83-year-old man who was confirmed positive on 5 December. He died at Mater Dei Hospital on Wednesday.The...

109 new cases of Covid-19 were registered on Thursday, the health authorities said in their daily update.64 patients have recovered, meaning that the number of active cases have risen to 1,434.In total, since the start of the pandemic, there have bee...

The government will allocate €1 million to bar and club owners, whose businesses have been closed down due to the Covid-19 pandemic since October.The announcement was made by Prime Minister Robert Abela on social media.Bars and clubs were closer...

While demand for accommodation in Gozo by Maltese nationals was high over the festive season, the economic effects of Covid-19 are still being felt, CEO of the Gozo Tourism Association (GTA) Joe Muscat told The Malta Independent.Reduced restaurant ca...

While official data is still being compiled, the number of injuries due to serious traffic accidents this Christmas seems to be lower than previous years, the Health Ministry has told The Malta Independent.Hospital sources had told this newsroom that...

The head of Mater Dei’s Emergency Department has warned people to follow health guidelines, warning that if they do not, they might get to meet him at the A&E ward in 15 days’ time.Michael Spiteri was reacting to several photos on soc...

A 50-year-old man has been reported missing, the police said in a statement.Marcel Pisani, who uses a wheel chair, was last seen at his residence in Mosta. He drives a blue Renault Captur with a cream-coloured roof. Anyone with any information as to ...

If only environmental projects in this country were carried out with the same zeal and speed at which road-widening projects are carried out!The frenzy to take up every last possible chunk of agricultural land and turn into concrete, steel and tarmac...

This New Year's Eve is being celebrated like no other, with pandemic restrictions limiting crowds and many people bidding farewell to a year they'd prefer to forget.Australia will be among the first nations to ring in 2021 because of its proximity to...

A homeless man has been remanded in custody after he admitted to a string of shoplifting charges.The man, 36, who lives in a homeless shelter, was arrested after he was identified from CCTV. He stole items from food stores in Imriehel and Attard. He ...

Isolated shower and winds that can reach up to Force 5 are expected on the first day of the year, the Met Office said. Temperatures will go down to 10 degrees Celsius.The weather in Malta will be milder and mostly fine throughout the first few days o...

Malta has registered its first cases of the UK-variant of Covid-19, Health Minister Chris Fearne announced on Wednesday morning, with Public Health Supertindent Charmaine Gauci confirming that three people had been found to have the variant.In a twee...

John Zammit was born on 5 February 1948. His childhood was that of a normal boy brought up in Sliema together with his brothers where they used to play in the streets in winter and at the sea in summer. "After passing through my school days among oth...

The government has said that it will be amending the legal notice it issued that allowed the minister responsible for citizenship to withold the publication of names of people who would have been granted Maltese citizenship if he feels it is an extra...

The importation of single-use plastic products will be banned from Friday 1st January 2021, Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Planning Aaron Farrugia announced.In a statement, the Environment Ministry said that Malta will be amongst th...

Members within the San Gwann local council have defended the council after it organised a lunch for elderly people which led to 70 people being put in quarantine.This comes following the report made by Public Health Superintendent Charmaine Gauci dur...

One Covid-19 patient has passed away overnight, while another 124 cases of the virus have been found, authorities announced on Wednesday.138 people meanwhile have recovered from the virus, which means that the number of active cases has decreased to ...

A number of photos have been doing the rounds on social media showing lines of cars waiting in standstill traffic to board the Gozo ferry on Wednesday. Photos published on Facebook by Maltese Roads Traffic Updates show heavy traffic starting fro...

Some 70 elderly people have ended up in quarantine while another 8 have tested positive for Covid-19 after they all attended a tombola lunch together during the festive period.This was reported by Public Health Superintendent Charmaine Gauci during w...

Malta’s bars and clubs will remain shut until at least 1 February, Superintendent for Public Health Charmaine Gauci announced on Wednesday.Bars and clubs – including band clubs – were shut down at the end of October as the governmen...

Goalkeeper Karl Darlow pulled off a string of saves to help Newcastle hold Liverpool to a 0-0 draw on Wednesday as the defending champion's vaunted attacking trio came up empty.Mohamed Salah missed two good chances when he had just Darlow to beat, an...

Many myths are still circulating about Brexit due to the scaremongering that came about when facing the possibility of a no-deal, despite the positive outcome of an agreement, British High Commissioner Cathy Ward told The Malta Independent.European U...

A Eurostat report shows that energy accumulated through renewable sources accounted for 25.7% of the energy used for heating and cooling systems in Malta in 2019. This is 4.6% higher than the EU average.On Tuesday, the EU published statistics showing...

Britain on Wednesday authorised emergency use of a second Covid-19 vaccine, becoming the first country to green light an easy-to-handle shot that its developers hope will become the “vaccine for the world.”The Department of Health said it...

Malta’s national airline, Air Malta, has been recognised by Airline Ratings, achieving top ratings for its Safety and Covid-19 protection compliance standards.Airline Ratings is “the world’s best one-stop airline safety and product ...

In the past week, we saw an agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom finally reached on Brexit, bring the tortuous and tumultuous aftermath of the UK’s departure from the bloc to a close – at least for now.It was a deal...

Argentina’s Senate passed a law legalising abortion in Pope Francis' homeland early Wednesday after a marathon 12-hour session, a victory for the women’s movement that has been fighting for the right for decades.The vote means that aborti...

No new deaths related to Covid-19 were reported in the daily update issued by health authorities on Tuesday as 115 new cases were found overnight.128 people have recovered from the virus, which means that the number of active cases has decreased to 1...

Following a meeting with Infrastructure Malta (IM) regarding the highly criticised Mrieħel bypass flyover project, the Qormi the local council stood its ground by listing a number of conditions under which this project can be carried out in orde...

Covid-19 has had an impact on restaurant bookings over Christmas, several industry representatives told The Malta Independent.Ever since the pandemic first reached the islands, many businesses have been going through hard times. A vaccine for the vir...

Covid-19 vaccinations have begun to be administered in Gozo as Malta’s vaccination programme starts to ramp up.In a social media post heralding the start of the third day of the administration of Covid-19 vaccinations, the Central Procurement a...

Former Finance Minister Edward Scicluna has officially been appointed as Governor of the Central Bank of Malta.In a statement, the Central Bank said that the President of Malta, acting on the advice of the Prime Minister, has appointed Professor Edwa...

The delayed shipment of Pfizer-BioNtech Covid-19 vaccinations that was scheduled for Monday will be arriving today, a spokesperson for the Health Ministry has confirmed with The Malta Independent.On Monday, the Times of Malta reported a delay in ship...

PN leader Bernard Grech has challenged Prime Minister Robert Abela to publish his tax returns, after the latter said that he had spoken to the Tax Commissioner to report Grech’s tax issues.On Monday evening, Abela was  asked by journalists...

Three weeks after crashing out of the Champions League, Manchester United is looking more like potential English champions again.Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side rose to second place — two points behind Premier League leader Liverpool — with a...

A filmed musical production featuring Andrea Bocelli singing across various spots in Malta will air on television on New Year’s Eve.The world renowned tenor was spotted in Malta in November, and it is now apparent as to why after it was announc...

British officials are considering tougher coronavirus restrictions as the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients surpasses the first peak of the outbreak in the spring.Authorities are blaming a new, more transmissible variant of the virus, first id...

 A strong earthquake hit central Croatia on Tuesday, destroying buildings and sending panicked people fleeing into rubble-covered streets in a town southeast of the capital. Authorities said a girl was killed and at least 20 people were injured....

The Nationalist Party has accused government of wanting to increase secrecy when it comes to the sales of Maltese passports."Through a new Legal Notice that was published a few days before Christmas, Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri gave himself...

Prime Minister Robert Abela has said that he simply reported Bernard Grech’s tax issues to Tax Commissioner Marvin Gaerty, but that he had not discussed them with him.Abela was asked by journalists on Monday about a story published in the Sunda...

Mark Camilleri is considered by many to be a controversial figure, but his comments during an interview with The Malta Independent on Sunday left much for people to consider.During the interview he spoke about corruption. He made a number of statemen...

Virologist Chris Barbara was one of the people who took the vaccine against Covid-19 on Monday. Throughout the pandemic, virologist Barbara has been at the forefront, fighting against the virus in Malta. He is one of the first high-profile Malte...

Five more Covid-19 patients have passed away, while 101 new cases of the virus were reported on Monday by health authorities.The deaths mean that 215 people in Malta have now died while positive for Covid-19.  The patients who passed away w...

The police have denied that they need authorisation from the Prime Minister in order to access the phone of Tax Commissioner Marvin Gaerty, saying that investigations have been ongoing with no interference. The police were reacting to a story pu...

Four people were injured in a head-on crash in Dingli on Monday afternoon.The head-on crash was between a Ford Transit van and a Volkswagen Polo in Triq ir-Rabat in Dingli, and happened at around 12:30pm.The van was being driven by a 33-year-old man ...

The court has ordered the prosecution into the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia to disclose information about four phone calls made ahead of Yorgen Fenech’s arrest last November.In a court session which lasted just two hours, Fenech’s law...

A 24-year-old man was arrested by police on Sunday night after being found in possession of a substantial amount of cocaine, a statement read.The police said that its Anti-Drug Squad had arrested the man, who is a Marsaxlokk resident, in Triq it-Trun...

The Medical Association of Malta (MAM) said that it expects all health care professionals who wish to be vaccinated for Covid-19 to receive to their first dose within the next two weeks, and the second dose within the first 5 weeks.MAM welcomed the l...

Phone recordings between Melvin Theuma and other key players in the compilation of evidence against Yorgen Fenech will not be heard in court, after the courts rejected a request by Fenech’s legal team.The court decreed on Monday that the record...

A €3.7 million fine issued to Satabank by the Financial Intellingence Analysis Unit has been reduced to €851,000 by the Appeals Court. The bank had been fined by the FIAU in March of last year after it was found to be in breach of money lau...

Since March 2020 to date, some 1,000 companies have been allowed to temporarily change working conditions, Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister Carmelo Abela said, adding that this was done so that the companies could be able to retain th...

The murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia served as a catalyst for change, with people now less tolerant of corruption and journalist more willing to investigate dangerous stories, according to Mark Camilleri, the head of the National Book Council. The ou...

PN Leader Bernard Grech has paid tribute to his late cousin Karin Grech, who was killed by a letter bomb 43 years ago.The 15-year-old died on 28 December 1977 after she opened a parcel that was addressed to her father, Professor Edwin Grech. At the t...

For over nine months, people have been forced to stay inside for their own safety. People have found themselves working at home, or living in fear of losing their jobs. Terms like ‘social distancing’ became a key fabric of our vocabulary,...

The Maltese Association of Psychiatry (MAP) said that there is a possibility that this past year’s circumstances could lead to a higher number of suicide, especially if the expectations of society in keeping up appearances pressures people to f...

Ian Deguara has been appointed as the new Commissioner for Information and Data Protection, the Ministry of Justice, Equality and Governance announced on Monday. Deguara holds a degree in Computer Science and Administration from the University o...

The Covid-19 r-factor has gone down again, as Malta has, for another week, seen more recoveries than new cases, statistician Vincent Marmara told The Malta Independent on Sunday in his weekly video blog.The reproduction number of the virus ...

Four more Covid-19 patients have died, while 84 new cases of the virus were reported on Sunday, figures released by authorities showed.It means that Malta has now had 210 deaths from the virus.A 74-year-old woman who tested positive for Covid-19 on 2...

The first Covid-19 vaccination in Malta has been administered, with a nurse who works in the Infectious Diseases Unit in Mater Dei being the first to receive the jab on Sunday morning.A short live video uploaded by the Health Ministry showed the nurs...

Rachel Grech, the staff nurse who became the first person to receive the Covid-19 vaccine in Malta, has spoken of her hope that her experience will encourage Maltese and Gozitans to get vaccinated when they can do so.Speaking after becoming the first...

Doctors, nurses and the elderly rolled up their sleeves across the European Union to receive the first doses of the coronavirus vaccine Sunday in a symbolic show of unity and moment of hope for a continent confronting its worst health care crisis in ...

The police have reportedly been told that they need to get the green light from the Prime Minister to unlock the phone of Tax Commissioner Marvin Gaerty.The Sunday Times of Malta reported that Gaerty’s phone is a “pandora’s box of s...

During a telephone interview this morning, Prime Minister Robert Abela stressed that Malta is on its way to make a swift recovery from the virus’ damage to the economy. This morning saw the first person in Malta be administered the Pfizer vacci...

PN leader Bernard Grech has warned that Malta hasn’t won the war against Covid-19 just yet, as he appealed for people to continue to follow the guidelines set out by health authorities to keep the pandemic in check.In a short telephone intervie...

The first batch of 10,000 Covid-19 vaccine doses arrived in Malta on Saturday morning, in what was desribed by Prime Minister Robert Abela and Health Minister Chris Fearne as a "historic" day that will start taking the country back to normality.The v...

The Covid-19 pandemic has made an impact on many sectors this year, including the entertainment industry in Malta. Performers and workers in this industry are facing many struggles after the closure of theatres, concert halls and other event venues a...

Valletta: Empire Pharmacy, 77, Old Theatre Street; Ħamrun: The Cross Pharmacy, 859, St Joseph High Road; Qormi: Drugshop Dispensary, Vjal De La Cruz; Birkirkara: Mint Care Pharmacy,5B-71 Brared Street; Msida: Regal Pharmacy, 39B, Antonio Bosio S...

JJ Cremona, the man who helped draft Malta’s 1964 independence constitution, has died at the age of 102.  Cremona, who served as chief justice between 1971 and 1981, was one of Malta’s greatest legal minds besides being also an autho...

129 new cases of Covid-19 were found overnight, the health authorities said in their daily update.Three more patients have died, bringing the total number of deaths up to 206.The number of active cases now stands at 1,485. The total number of cases s...

 'A Saviour unto you is delivered'

The annual charity marathon in aid of the Malta Community Chest Fund Foundation – l-Istrina – was held on Saturday, although with a difference due to the Covid-19 pandemic.The marathon is being broadcast on all local television stations b...

Millions of people in the U.K. faced tough new coronavirus restrictions Saturday, with Scotland and Northern Ireland demanding tighter measures to try to halt a new variant of the virus that is believed to spread more quickly.Northern Ireland went in...

Two men are in hospital after being involved in a fight in Armier, the police said.The incident, which took place at around 11am on Christmas Day, also involved two women.One of the men, aged 36 of Birkirkara, was allegedly hit by one of the women wi...

Pope Francis made a Christmas Day plea for authorities to make COVID-19 vaccines available to all, insisting that the first in line should be the most vulnerable and needy, regardless of who holds the patents for the shots.“Vaccines for everybo...

On this last Sunday of 2020, we reflect on what the past year has brought with it – the hardships we endured, and the lessons learnt and which we can carry with us into the New Year.Over the past 12 months, the country has gone from political t...

Curfews, quarantines and even border closings complicated Christmas celebrations Friday for countless people around the globe, but ingenuity, determination and imagination helped keep the day special for many.In Beijing, official churches abruptly ca...

Who are the people who benefit from funds allocated by the Malta Community Chest Fund and what do they go through?Well, the people who apply for help and assistance come from all walks of life, because we offer various assistance from the most basic ...

The fast-track ratification of the post-Brexit trade deal between the U.K. and the European Union got underway on Christmas Day as ambassadors from the bloc's 27 nations started assessing the accord that takes effect in a week.At Friday’s excep...

Fifty new Covid-19 cases were recorded today, while 124 patients have recovered, health authorities said.There were no new deaths reported, with the number of victims remaining at 203.Nearly 2,500 swab tests were carried out, with a total that is now...