The compilation of evidence against the man alleged to have masterminded the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder, Yorgen Fenech, continues this morning.Today's sitting will see forensic experts testify in front of Magistrate Rachel Montebello.Daphne Caruan...

The government has plans to create an area of woodland purposely to commemorate the people who have passed away as a result of Covid-19 in Malta.The news was announced in a tweet by Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Chris Fearne on the first ...

A man has been found dead in a public convenience in Lija, police told The Malta Independent.A police spokesperson told this newsroom that the man was found seemingly unconscious at the public convenience in Vjal it-Trasfigurazzjoni in Lija at around...

The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry said it is pleased to note that the restrictions adopted in response to the spike in Covid-19 cases a month ago have so far had the desired effect. The President of the Chamber, Marisa Xuereb, sa...

British authorities recommended Wednesday that the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine not be given to adults under 30 where possible because of strengthening evidence that the shot may be linked to rare blood clots.The recommendation came as regulators in ...

Schools will physically reopen their doors as from next week, while non-essential shops and services will be opened as of 26 April.Addressing a press conference, which can be viewed below, Prime Minister Robert Abela said that education and the elder...

An article on Malta Today penned by President Emeritus Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, who before reaching the top institutional post in the country had served the Labour Party for decades, ruffled some feathers in the past days.Coleiro Preca, who was th...

Gender equality issues took center stage Wednesday in Brussels a day after Ursula von der Leyen, one the EU's most powerful executives, was treated like a second-rank official during a visit to Ankara.Von der Leyen — the European Commission pre...

The European Union’s drug agency said Wednesday that it found a “possible link” between the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine and a rare clotting disorder but recommended that vaccinations continue in adults, saying the benefits of th...

Malta’s Covid-19 death count hit the 400 mark on Wednesday as 65 new cases of the virus were reported.A 78-year-old woman became the country’s 400th victim after passing away at Mater Dei Hospital in the last 24 hours.47 people meanwhile ...

Restrictions on organised sports should have been eased alongside the easing of other measures announced in the Office of the Prime Minister’s (OPM) press conference on Wednesday morning, the Nationalist Party said.The press conference saw...

The Malta Football Association has today expressed its dismay at the Covid-related measures announced by the Government and the Public Health Authorities.The MFA said that for the past weeks, it has been asking the authorities to lift the current pro...

Restaurants and catering establishments should open as soon as possible, the Association of Catering Establishments (ACE) has said.In a statement released on Wednesday afternoon, ACE said the easing of measures announced on Wednesday morning is cater...

Labour MEP Alfred Sant has replied to the Strickland Foundation, which took him to task over a commentary which was published on The Malta Independent on 1 April.This is Alfred Sant’s reply:In replying to my blog (01 April 2021) for THE MALTA I...

The Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA) has welcomed the announcement made by Prime Minister Robert Abela that on 1 June, Malta will be open for the tourism industry but expressed its disappointment that there is no target date yet announ...

Kylian Mbappé scored twice to lead Paris Saint-Germain to a 3-2 win at defending champion Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal on Wednesday.Mbappé was a constant threat while Neymar had two assists as th...

Solid defensively and precise in attack, Chelsea took a big step toward returning to the last four of the Champions League by defeating Porto 2-0 in the first leg of the quarterfinals on Wednesday.Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell scored their first Champ...

The reviewed Covid-19 measures communicated on Wednesday morning are “clearly a manifestation of the breakdown of Social Dialogue,” the Malta Chamber of SMEs said.The Chamber welcomed the visibility given to some sectors, which it said gi...

Romelu Lukaku scored one goal and set up another as Inter Milan moved a step closer to its first Serie A title in more than a decade with a 2-1 win over Sassuolo on Wednesday.Lukaku headed in the opener in the 10th minute and provided the assist for ...

Two men were grievously injured while using power tools in separate accidents on Wednesday.In the first case, a 53-year-old man was injured while working with a chaser inside a farm in Garibaldi Road, Paola. The accident took place at around 11:15am,...

The Union of Professional Educators (UPE) has called on the authorities to heighten and improve social distancing measures and contact tracing procedures as well as focus on a prompt revision of the risk assessment with regards to the physical re-ope...

The Malta Union of Teachers (MUT) hopes that the return to in-school teaching will not cause another spike in Covid-19, after stating on Monday that physical schooling should not be one of the first measures to be relaxed after 11th April. The M...

The police are set to charge a number of people who were filmed in the midst of a fight in Sliema.Quoting a police spokesperson, TVM said that the case, part of which was caught on video, concerned an argument between a group of people on 1 April at ...

The last 100 Covid-19 deaths arrived in just 47 days, almost an average of two deaths per day.The 400th victim of the disease was reported today by the health authorities.Malta had reached the 300th figure on 17 February, and it took just another 47 ...

An agreement between the Malta Council for Science and Technology and the Ministry for Inclusion and Quality of Life will be instrumental for people with disabilities to benefit from the various learning and entertainment experiences offered by Esplo...

Allied Group and the Times of Malta are victims of the alleged crimes which have been emerging in court over the past weeks, not the perpetrators, the Strickland Foundation said in a right of reply on Wednesday.The right of reply is reproduced in ful...

Robert Hornyold-Strickland has said that it is for the courts to decide whether his claims are justified “and not for the Strickland Foundation to assume that I am pushing my unjustified claims”. Hornyold-Strickland has penned a right of ...

The Occupational Health and Safety Authority said it has identified two workers shown in a photo that went viral on social media and will be taking the “necessary” action.The photo in question showed two people working on a balcony &ndash...

Every household in Malta and Gozo is to receive a package containing a mix of wildflower seeds, as well as a leaflet on how to sow seeds and care for flowers. This was announced by the Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Planning Aaron F...

The government has decided to accept the Ornis Committee’s recommendation to open the spring hunting season for quail.Despite all the problems the country is currently facing, despite the fact that Malta has limited countryside where families c...

A stunning 610 Xgħajra residents and property owners have signed a letter to the Planning Authority declaring their unequivocal opposition to the proposed three high-rise towers on the Xgħajra seafront, NGO Moviment Graffitti said...

A judge will decree on whether statements given by Vince Muscat to the police will be admitted in the murder case against the Degiorgio brothers.In a short sitting this morning, Judge Edwina Grima heard submissions on the matter from the prosecution ...

A top official at the European Medicines Agency says there's a causal link between AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine and rare blood clots, but that it's unclear what the connection is and that the benefits of taking the shot still outweigh the risks ...

Nexia BT partners Brian Tonna, Karl Cini, Manuel Castagna and their employee Katrin Bondin have been granted bail.The four accused, who all pleaded not guilty, were charged with money laundering. In September 2020, Tonna and Cini lost their warr...

The over 100 migrants who, according to NGOs, were in distress in the Mediterranean have reached Italian shores safely, the Armed Forces of Malta said, as they rejected notions that the boat was left adrift.Referring to recent reports by NGOs that a ...

64 new cases of Covid-19 were reported by health authorities on Tuesday as the number of active cases decreased marginally.67 people have recovered from the virus, meaning that the number of active cases now stands at 528.No new deaths were recorded ...

The government’s reopening plan will be “very cautious” and will give priority to education, Prime Minister Robert Abela said on party media on Tuesday.Speaking on ONE radio, Abela said that health authorities were in the process of...

Prime Minister Robert Abela needs to take political responsibility and apologise to the general public on behalf of the Labour Party, the Nationalist Party said on Tuesday afternoon.The press conference, led by PN candidates Paula Mifsud Bonnici and ...

MaltaPost has issued a warning over scam messages.Posting on Facebook, MaltaPose said: "We have received reports by customers receiving messages via SMS seemingly originating from MaltaPost that directs users to click on a link to arrange for a deliv...

Although the Malta Police Force has not received any “formal report” regarding a recent Facebook data leak, they are still “monitoring the situation”, a police spokesperson told The Malta Independent. This comes after a r...

Still opponents rather than teammates, Phil Foden showed Erling Haaland there's already a 20-year-old excelling at Manchester City.Foden netted City's 90th-minute goal to clinch a 2-1 victory over Haaland's Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of their...

Vinícius Júnior finally came up with the type of performance Real Madrid fans have been expecting from him.The Brazilian forward netted his first double for the club on Tuesday, leading it to a 3-1 over Liverpool in the first leg of the...

The government is expected to announce a review of the current Covid-19 measures tomorrow, The Malta Independent is informed.The current measures, which threw Malta into a semi-lockdown which was similar to that which the country found itself in this...

Fin whales passing Malta is not a rarity, but a yearly occurrence during late winter and early spring, marine biologist and university professor Alan Deidun said in a Facebook post on Tuesday morning. On Monday evening, a video of a fin whale su...

A total of €200,000 is being awarded to 13 different projects for Digital Research and Development as part of the RESTART Schemes 2021 managed by Arts Council Malta. Addressing a press conference to outline further details about this scheme, Min...

Malta’s citizenship-by-investment scheme, and its shortcomings, have once again found themselves under the media spotlight, this time ona Dutch TV documentary.The tv report refers to the IIP, which has now been phased out and replaced by a new ...

Darren Debono has been granted bail as he continues to face charges relating to international fuel smuggling and money laundering.Debono and Jeffrey Chetcuti – both of whom were former international football players – were arraigned in co...

Malta should be promoted as a safe and responsible country, not a reckless and unsafe country for tourists flying to Malta this June, the Medical Association of Malta (MAM) has said.The Malta Independent contacted the MAM to ask for its reaction to t...

The Medical Association of Malta said today that the re-opening of economic activity should be very gradual and that large parties should be the last to be allowed when restrictions are eased. In a statement, MAM said the current practice of fre...

Hitman Vince Muscat testified behind closed doors in the public inquiry into Daphne Caruana Galizia’s death on Tuesday.Muscat, known as il-Kohhu, admitted to his part in the murder in February, getting a 15 year prison sentence in exchange for ...

The Malta Tourism Authority has denied that it is planning large scale parties to be held after Covid-19 restrictions are eased.It was replying to a Medical Association of Malta statement which said that large parties should be the last to be allowed...

The Malta Chamber of SMEs has said that in light of the current Covid-19 situation, “the government is keeping people in the dark.”On behalf of the chamber, the Chief Executive Officer Abigail Mamo, has said that when it comes to the re-o...

A number of civil society NGOs have demanded answers about the fate of over a hundred migrants who remain stranded in Malta’s search and rescue area. The Maltese government has been criticised for “refusing” to aid a number of migra...

Archbishop Charles Scicluna was an angry man last Thursday.While celebrating Maundy Thursday, the day when Jesus Christ established the institution of the Eucharist, he expressed his disappointment that the Holy Week celebrations were being held in e...

The secretary of the Association of Catering Establishments (ACE), Matthew Pace, has called for stricter enforcement against wrongdoers once catering establishments reopen.Last month government announced a number of new measures, including that of ke...

The unemployment rate for the month of February was 4.4%, identical to the previous three months, the National Statistics Office said on Tuesday.The unemployment rate has remained at 4.4% since November last year, having peaked at 4.6% in July and Au...

European countries scrambled Monday to tamp down a surge in COVID-19 cases and ramp up vaccinations, hoping to spare hospitals from becoming overwhelmed by the pandemic's latest deadly wave of infections.The crush of coronavirus patients has been rel...

In recent months Gozo’s stream of proposed development applications has become an unstoppable torrent, threatening everything from open fields in Nadur to the skyscape around the Ġgantija Temples, NGOs said in a statement Tuesday.eNGOs Fli...

The authorities have informed the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA) that they will know in a day or two whether catering establishments will be able to reopen after 11 April, the association’s president Tony Zahra told The Malta I...

Keith Schembri and his associates have been granted bail by the court.Schembri was charged together with his elderly father Alfio Schembri, a director of several of the Kasco companies, and business partner Malcolm Scerri and financial controller Rob...

A whale has been spotted off the coast of Gozo, specifically near Ta' Sanap cliffs on the southern side of the island.Uploaded by Facebook user Melania Bajada, the short footage shows the whale surfacing in the sea to get a breath of fresh air.The sp...

The Court declared that there is enough evidence for Keith Schembri and his associates to be placed under a bill of indictment in connection with money laundering and corruption charges.Earlier today Schembri and his associates were granted bail with...

The government has decided to accept the Ornis Committee’s recommendation to open the Spring Hunting season for quail, it said in a statement.The season will run from 10 April to 30 April, from two hours before sunrise until noon, including on ...

The Aquatic Sports Association of Malta, the Malta Basketball Association, and the Malta Football Association have today jointly renewed their appeal to the Government and the local health authorities to allow the return of competitive sport, albeit ...

The Ombudsman has taken up the Opposition’s request for an investigation into illegal works being carried out on Comino, the Nationalist Party said.The “illegal” roadworks near the Blue Lagoon were blasted by a number of environment...

56 new cases of Covid-19 were reported by health authorities on Monday, as the number of active cases continued to decrease – albeit not by as much as in recent days.One more person – a 55-year-old man – passed away during the last ...

West Ham jumped above Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea into the top four of the Premier League on Monday.Injuries to arguably its two best players might see the team struggle to stay there.Jesse Lingard inspired a 3-2 win over Wolverhampton as the mi...

Prime Minister Robert Abela met the Prime Minister of the Libyan National Unity Government, Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, during a visit to Tripoli on Monday.The two Prime Ministers discussed themes of common interest, including the economy, security and migr...

Investigators last year requested mobile data belonging to former police chief Lawrence Cutajar, a court heard on Monday. These details emerged as the compilation of evidence against Yorgen Fenech, who stands charged with masterminding the murder of ...

Lynn Faure Chircop has stated that her withdrawal from PL candidature was due to “professional reasons”.This was said in a Facebook post on Monday morning. “I would like to confirm that, although the media takes sound bites and quot...

The re-opening of schools to provide in-person education should not be one of the first measures to be eased, the Malta Union of Teachers (MUT) have said.The MUT spoke out against the physical opening of schools in a statement released on Monday morn...

Union of Professional Educators (UPE) chief Graham Sansone has told The Malta Independent that, given how Covid-19 cases have decreased, he would be comfortable with schools being given the green light to physically re-open.Schools were physically sh...

The Labour Party has no problem apologising to anyone who felt hurt, party deputy leader Daniel Micallef said today.He was reacting to an opinion piece written by President emeritus Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, a former Labour minister, who appealed t...

The French city of Lyon's main stadium opened as a mass vaccination center during Easter weekend, and thousands spent the holiday lining up for injections at hippodromes, velodromes or other sites as France tried to speed up shots amid a new rush of ...

While stressing Malta’s obligation to provide people rescued at sea who are disembarked in the country with access to the asylum procedure (for those seeking asylum) and accommodation in suitable and adequate reception facilities, the UNHCR als...

1,880 persons were fined for breaching Covid-19 regulations over the past week, the authorities said.Most of the fines issued were related to the wearing (or not) of face masks (1,222)  and breaches of the regulation restricting gatherings of mo...

The Malta Independent on Sunday meets LAURIE PACE, a name synonymous with Judo in Malta. She speaks about her illustrious career, the GSSE medal winning, her love for adventure and her bronze medal in the New Zealand Commonwealth Games. Laurie P...

Nexia BT has been disowned by the international franchise, although it is so far unclear whether this was a result of the scandals the company has been involved in or the money laundering charges its directors are currently facing in court. Four Nexi...

Leading audit firm PwC Malta has told this newsroom that it was not involved in the Times of Malta printing press bidding process, despite having been named in court as the firm that audited the deal.Former OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri, his fath...

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected plans for the Malta-Gozo tunnel, with consultations forced to be put on hold, Infrastructure Malta has confirmed.The Malta Independent on Sunday contacted Infrastructure Malta to ask if discussions about the tunnel ...

34 new Covid-19 cases were registered on Easter Sunday, as 117 patients recovered from the virus.The number of active cases has continued to drop, now standing at 549.In their daily update, the health authorities announced that one more person has pa...

President George Vella reaffirmed his worries about the threat of widespread construction in a message on Easter Sunday, while also discussing other topics such as the political situation in the country.Addressing the nation on Easter Sunday, which a...

Former President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca has called on the Labour Party to apologise to people who bought into its purported moral credentials, MaltaToday has reported.She called on those who have the party's interest at heart to embark on a soul ...

Pope Francis has urged the international community, in a spirit of global responsibility, to commit to overcoming delays in the distribution of Covid-19 vaccines and to facilitate their distribution, especially in the poorest countries.He spoke durin...

The recent resignation of Rosianne Cutajar over her alleged connection with a man accused of being the mastermind behind the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia is the latest setback to the Labour government.Since taking over the reins of the...

Britain is planning to test a series of measures including “coronavirus status certifications" over the coming weeks to see if they can allow people to safely return to mass gatherings at sports arenas, nightclubs and concerts.People attending ...

Defending leads used to be a forte of Jose Mourinho, soccer's arch-pragmatist.Not anymore, it seems.Tottenham caved in again Sunday, conceding an 85th-minute goal to draw 2-2 at Newcastle and stay outside the top four of the Premier League.If Mourinh...

Gaetano D’Amico and Rose Vassallo, residents in two separate care homes for the elderly, can’t wait for the day they will be able to hug their loved ones and celebrate Easter as a family, rather than being confined to their rooms. One yea...

The police have arrested a man suspected of having tried to rob a store on Friday evening.The case took place in Triq San Luqa in Marsascala at around 8:15pm, the police said. The aggressor, a man who was armed with a knife, demanded that the cashier...

Visiting a military cemetery always evokes a certain feeling of sadness, even in the absence of any connection to those buried there. Despite the uniformity of the gravestones, each one of them represents a different life; a father, husband, son, usu...

Malta needs to rid itself of politicians who think of themselves and harm Malta's name, Opposition Leader Bernard Grech said on Sunday morning.Grech delivered a message to the public to commemorate Easter Sunday, where he reflected on how celebration...

The 270 migrants who were stranded in the Mediterranean were all taken to Lampedusa, TVM reports.NGOs had seen around three boats with migrants, amounting to around 270 people in total. On Saturday, NGO Alarm Phone said that two of the three boats in...

Lawyer Lynn Faure Chircop has withdrawn her candidature with the Labour Party for the upcoming general election.Posting on Facebook, she said: "I decided to withdraw my candidature with the Labour Party. I prayed a lot and it was the right thing to d...

This country has reached the stage where we have daily revelations of more and more mafia-style practices right at the heart of Government. Never in our less-than-pure history have we plumbed such depths. Never did we have allegations of corruption w...

The spring hunting season in Malta could be just around the corner yet hunters have not shown enough respect and discipline towards the laws to merit it to open, BirdLife Malta CEO Mark Sultana told The Malta Independent on Sunday. Spring hunting cou...

The Armed Forces of Malta is grieving the loss of Colonel Brian Gatt, who served as head of the detention service.Gatt passed away at age 54."Today, the Armed Forces of Malta grieves the loss of an exemplary Officer. The Force extends their sincere c...

Malta’s Covid-19 reproduction rate has continued to decrease, now standing at 0.46, statistician Vincent Marmara told The Malta Independent on Sunday in his weekly video blog.The reproduction number of the virus is one of the key figures which ...

The Civil Society Network has demanded an explanation from the Government regarding the 270 people who were reportedly in distress in Malta's Search and Rescue Zone. "Thus far there has been the usual silence from this government.""According to NGOs ...

A biker was grievously injured when he lost control of the motorcycle he was riding and crashed, the police said.The accident took place in Zabbar Road, Fgura, on Saturday at 9.30pm.The biker, a 31-year-old man from Nepal, was taken to hospital with ...