The Lands Authority is investigating the situation at Fort Bingemma, which has been illegally occupied by a family since 2009.The Malta Independent recently reported about the squatters’ hold on the fort. The fort was built by the British in 18...

The European Medicines Agency said Friday that people who have received a first dose of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine should also get the second one despite the rare risk of blood clots that have been linked to the shot.In new guidance, the European...

Malta has received an A+ rating by Scope Rating - a German rating agency, the government said in a statement.Even though the pandemic did hit Malta as it did other countries, this agency has confirmed that our country has a strong growth potential a ...

U.S. health officials lifted an 11-day pause on COVID-19 vaccinations using Johnson & Johnson's single-dose shot on Friday, after scientific advisers decided its benefits outweigh a rare risk of blood clot.The government uncovered 15 vaccine reci...

Changing the way we live and work is not something that came about easily at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.Indeed switching to remote and teleworking for many was no easy task. Covid-19 brought the country to a standstill. 2020 passed by in the ...

A report negotiated by Maltese MEP Josianne Cutajar on behalf of the Socialists and Democrats, was successfully voted upon during yesterday’s meeting of the European Parliament’s Committee on Regional Development. This report promotes equ...

A €1 million investment in solar energy generation in Burmarrad has been inaugurated by Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Sustainable Development Miriam Dalli. The investment was carried out by Powerezi, a subsidiary of Vassallo Group.This inv...

Italian singer Milva, popular in the 1960s and 1970s, has passed away, aged 81, Italian media report.Her daughter Martina Corgniati told Italian news agency Ansa that the singer had been ill for several months.Milva was born on 17 July 1939 and lived...

A Henley & Partners representative said that they advise potential Maltese passport buyers that they only need to do the “bare minimum” when it comes to satisfying the criteria for the scheme.In an undercover video shot by The Guardia...

PN MEP Roberta Metsola shared a heart-breaking letter which she said that she received from a six-year-old Maltese boy, who described how some children at his school were going hungry because their parents could not afford food for them.In the handwr...

The board of the Environment and Resources Authority has unanimously approved the Final Assessment for the proposed db Group’s City Centre multi-use development on the ITS site, “in accordance with all the mitigation measures present with...

33 new cased of Covid-19 were found overnight and one patients have died, the health authorities said on Friday.More details were given by Health Superintendent Charmaine Gauci during her weekly briefing.The number of active cases is now 513 and the ...

More than 100 Europe-bound migrants are feared dead in a shipwreck off the Libyan Mediterranean coast, independent rescue groups said.SOS Mediterranee, which operates the rescue vessel Ocean Viking, said late Thursday that the wreck of a rubber boat,...

A treasure trove of data from the servers of Individual Investor Programme concessionaire Henley & Partners has revealed the places that some of those who bought Maltese passports call home – and many of them are far from the luxury that th...

Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo announced two new incentives aimed at supporting sport tourism as well as the diving sector in order to attract tourists to Malta. Addressing a press conference on Friday, Bartolo said that the a total of €1...

Prime Minister Robert Abela and his wife Lydia Abela have both applied to get the Covid-19 vaccine, as Malta’s roll-out continues to gather pace.The couple applied for the jab after the government opened the vaccine rollout to all those over 40...

 A family accused of selling a toxic industrial bleach as a coronavirus cure through their Florida-based church has been indicted on federal charges.A federal grand jury in Miami returned an indictment Thursday charging Mark Grenon, 62, and his ...

 Former Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, Keith Schembri, has won €300 after a court found that his rights had been breached by a freezing order over his commercial activities.The order listed 91 people and companies, includin...

ow long does protection from COVID-19 vaccines last?Experts don't know yet because they're still studying vaccinated people to see when protection might wear off. How well the vaccines work against emerging variants will also determine if, when and h...

The ticket prices for the Gozo fast ferry services, set to launch in June, are still being finalised, The Malta Independent can confirm.So far two companies have confirmed that they will be operating fast ferry services between Malta and Gozo, these ...

The news that 12 European clubs wanted to break away from established UEFA competitions and form their own league was a mighty earthquake in the football world these past few days.The clubs in question, from England, Spain and Italy, are among the mo...

The Police Sergeant who was charged with raping a burglary victim has been suspended, the police confirmed with The Malta Independent.On Thursday, Glenn Carabott, 40, from Mtarfa was arraigned before magistrate Gabriella Vella on charges of rape...

The Public Consultation for the National Autism Strategy has ended this week.The strategy elicited a healthy response, as, in fact, 185 responses from NGOs, governmental organisations, parents and persons on the autism spectrum were received in the s...

A member of the Saudi royal family successfully saw his name removed from the Government Gazette after personally raising the concern with former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, despite there being a government obligation to publish the names of all na...

A Gozo apartment block was being rented out to prospective IIP applicants despite not having been finished yet, an investigative journalistic collaboration has revealed.The Vista Point apartment block, situated in Marsalforn and managed by Trident Pr...

A police sergeant with 18 years of service under his belt has been charged with raping a burglary victim this afternoon in a heated sitting during which his defence lawyer accused the prosecuting inspector of lying.Glenn Carabott, 40, from Mtarfa was...

The court has found enough prima facie evidence to place Florinda Sultana and Albert Buttigieg (not the St Julian's Mayor) under a bill of indictment and charge them with fraud and money laundering, TVM reports.Florinda (Floren Sultana), 29, and a fo...

The PN said that the published stories regarding the sale of Maltese citizenship confirm that for Robert Abela, anything goes.The Nationalist Party was reacting to a series of articles published by newsrooms both local and internationally in what has...

Thirty-three new Covid-19 cases were registered, while the number of vaccination doses is edging closer to 300,000.Health authorities said today that there were no Covid related deaths, with the number of victims remaining at 411.In all, 30,096 cases...

The AFM was found by the courts to have been negligent in the tragic death of gunner Matthew Psaila, who died after finding himself in difficulty during a training exercise at Chadwick Lakes.An expert appointed by the courts found that the soldier, w...

The Malta College of Family Doctors (MCFD) said today it understands the need for decriminalization of the possession of small quantities of cannabis for personal use, but it is felt that legalizing its use must be better balanced with the effects of...

Environment Minister Aaron Farrugia has apologised for his reaction over a satirical Facebook post.It all started on Wednesday evening, when a post making fun of the fact that Farrugia’s parents often step in to defend the minister was publishe...

Politician Arnold Cassola has filed judicial protest which will lead to a constitutional case over recent legislation regarding the corrective mechanism on proportionality and the gender top-up in the electoral law, arguing that it is discriminatory ...

A man was arrested by the police on Wednesday after he was caught in possession of synthetic drugs.The police said the arrest of the 19-year-old Egyptian was made in Herbert Ganado Garden in Floriana at 12.45am.Officers on patrol noted a few men who ...

Ten-man Atalanta wasted a chance to move into second place in Serie A with a 1-1 draw at Europa League semifinalist Roma on Thursday.Still, Atalanta extended its unbeaten streak to six matches.Also, Napoli beat visiting Lazio 5-2 to move within two p...

A protected 19th century fortress that is in desperate need of repair has been occupied illegally for decades and the authorities seem to be powerless to do anything about it. We are speaking about Fort Bingemma, which has been occupied by the Buttig...

Four new judges were sworn in by President George Vella.They are (from left) Christian Falzon Scerri, Neville Camilleri, Ian Spiteri Bailey and Audrey Demicoli.This was the first time in Maltese judicial history that judges were appointed after a cal...

A number of new services for victims of criminality were announced on Thursday at the launch of the Victim Support Agency.These include a care plan, legal services by lawyers and professionals who accompany victims during court hearings, a follow-up ...

A group of NGOs have teamed up together to form Volunteer Action Group (VAG) to call for the withdrawal and rethinking of the legislation on public collections and charity shops.This was announced in a press conference addressed by Stephania Dimech S...

Minister for Energy, Enterprise, and Sustainable Development Miriam Dalli has urged businesses to make use of Malta Enterprise’s schemes and support in their recovery plan post- pandemic. During a visit to the family-owned Techniplast Ltd, Mini...

Nexia BT's Brian Tonna told a parliamentary committee that he had "little to no contact" with the Labour Party before the 2013 election, although he said he did meet Keith Schembri and Joseph Muscat informally back then.Tonna was speaking at a Public...

In 2019, 2,565 individuals made use of services available to those experiencing domestic violence. Of these, 80.2 per cent were females, the NSO said today.When compared to 2016, the number of persons in 2019 who used services offered to those experi...

The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry said that Marthese Portelli will be joining its dynamic staff complement in the role of Chief Executive Officer as from 1 June 2021.A graduate in law, former PN MP Portelli brings with her a weal...

The tourism sector on Gozo said it is keenly awaiting the day when the island starts receiving the first foreign arrivals in its accommodation. It is hoped that the targeted date of 1 June, 2021 for the reopening for foreign tourists will be the...

Slow out of the gate, the European Union has ramped up its COVID-19 vaccination efforts, with the distribution of the Johnson & Johnson one-shot product this week adding to the momentum amid doggedly high infection rates on the continent.The EU's...

One of the largest reports on COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy bolsters evidence that it is safe although the authors say more comprehensive research is needed.The preliminary results are based on reports from over 35,000 U.S. women who received eit...

India reported a global record of more than 314,000 new infections Thursday as a grim coronavirus surge in the world's second-most populous country sends more and more sick people into a fragile health care system critically short of hospital beds an...

The Super League is far from dead and its clubs have not given up on the idea of the breakaway competition despite having to shelve the project just a few days after it was announced, Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez said on Thursday.P&e...

24 new cases of Covid-19 were reported by health authorities on Wednesday as 65 more people recovered from the virus.No new deaths were registered in the last 24 hours.The number of active cases of the virus in Malta currently stands at 522.1,992 swa...

People aged 40 and over are eligible to apply for their vaccine as from this Friday, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health announced on Wednesday afternoon.Registration for this group will be made possible through SMS and online applications,...

A lawyer who was given a lucrative government direct orders before she received her warrant has terminated her contract, Transport Minister Ian Borg said Wednesday.Times of Malta reported earlier this week how Adreana Zammit had been awarded a €...

Just two days after Vince Muscat spoke to the police, while in prison, the Degiorgio brothers showed him that they knew of the contents of his conversation, the court heard yesterday.Muscat was testifying in the compilation of evidence against brothe...

The government should reopen restaurants next week and vaccinate all hospitality workers by 1 June, the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association said.It said restaurants, including those at hotels, which are currently not even allowed to serve breakf...

The idea of creating clear guidelines regarding adverts would help, but the laws is still clear and should be followed, Standards Commissioner Gerorge Hyzler told the Standards Committee.This comes after a report published by Hyzler had found that.OP...

Standards Commissioner George Hyzler has fired back at Labour Whip Glenn Bedingfield, dismissing claims by the MP as ‘unfounded.’On Monday, Bedingfield tore into the Standard Czar’s office, saying that Hyzler was failing to abide by...

A tough week for Manchester City and Tottenham, two of the rebel clubs in the aborted Super League project, got even more difficult when they fell behind on their return to Premier League action on Wednesday.Both teams recovered to register vita...

Inter Milan was held to a 1-1 draw at relegation-threatened Spezia but still extended its lead at the top of the Serie A table on Wednesday.Ivan Perišić canceled out Diego Farias’ opener for Spezia as Inter moved 10 points above sec...

All accommodation and catering taxes due for 2020 and 2021 would be paid over a period of 5 years (2022-2027) under a PN Government, the PN said as it announced its tourism strategy today.The PN launched a 10-year plan titled ‘2+8’, signa...

In recent days, graffiti vandals have targeted the Curia offices in Floriana as well Independence garden in Sliema, defacing premises by spray painting anti-vaccine messages on the walls. The spray painted on the recently-restored façade ...

Opposition Leader Bernard Grech said that the proposed reforms with regards to pre-1995 rents are “beneficial as it is always better to do something rather than nothing, but they are not enough.”Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday about t...

Atlético Madrid, Inter Milan, AC Milan and Juventus all dropped out of the Super League on Wednesday, leaving the new competition essentially extinct before it even started.Only Spanish clubs Real Madrid and Barcelona are still officially invo...

ADPD – The Green Party’s  Executive Committee decided to take legal action before the Constitutional Court to ask it to declare that the corrective mechanisms on proportionality and the gender top-up in the electoral law are discrimi...

Toyota Malta has warned about a WhatsApp scam using its brand name.These messages, which purport to celebrate the company’s 100th anniversary, are encouraging users to click on a specific link to be able to win gifts. The company said that thes...

The magisterial inquiry into Pilatus Bank does not fall under the remit of the State Advocate, the office said in a statement.The office was referring to comments made by Nationalist MP Jason Azzopardi who lamented that no action had been taken again...

In March, the number of persons registering for work stood at 2,387, increasing by 262 when compared to the corresponding month in 2020, the NSO said today.Data provided by Jobsplus for March 2021 indicate a year-on-year increase of 223 persons regis...

Joseph Muscat says that he has paid his political price for all that happened under his watch. He believes that his resignation, which came soon after his right hand man Keith Schembri was arrested in connection with police investigations into the mu...

A 38-year-old man is expected to be charged with drug trafficking after he was arrested in Marsa by police.Police said in a statement that the man, who lives in Marsa, was arrested and caught with around 70 packets of drugs suspected to be cocaine an...

The European Union reached a tentative climate deal that should make the 27-nation bloc climate-neutral by 2050, with member states and parliament agreeing on the targets on the eve of a virtual summit that U.S. President Biden will host.“Our p...

The deficit that Malta is expecting for the year 2021 is forecasted at 12.1%, but the Government expects the GDP growth to be the highest in the EU, Minister for Finance and Employment Clyde Caruana said today. In spite of this, the government d...

A Magisterial inquiry into Pilatus Bank has cost, up until last March, €7,501,664.50, Justice Minister Edward Zammit Lewis said in Parliament.He was responding to a question posed by PN MP Jason Azzopardi.The inquiry is believed to have conclude...

Experts at the agency that regulates drugs for the European Union said Tuesday that they found a “possible link” between the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine and very rare blood clots after a small number of cases were reported in t...

Former Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin was convicted Tuesday of murder and manslaughter for pinning George Floyd to the pavement with his knee on the Black man’s neck in a case that triggered worldwide protests, violence a...

Just 13 new cases of Covid-19 have been reported by health authorities, while two more patients have passed away while positive for the virus.It is the lowest number of cases found in a day since 31st July, when 10 cases were found – a mere fiv...

Malta has remained 81st in the 2021 World Press Freedom Index, with Reporters Without Borders, who published the index saying that Malta’s press freedom climate “remained cause for serious concern.”Malta has dropped from 47th in 201...

The number of foreigners living and working in Malta stood at 69,919 as of September 2020, Minister for Finance and Employment Clyde Caruana said in parliament on Tuesday. Answering a parliamentary question by PN MP Jason Azzopardi, Caruana said...

A memorandum of understanding between the University of Malta and the Polish International Centre for Cancer Vaccine Science (ICCVS) will provide a framework for Maltese and Polish scientists and researchers to benefit from opportunities to collabora...

Finance Minister Clyde Caruana will be heading to Brussels in order to discuss with the European Commission the possibility to give State Aid to Air Malta, he confirmed on Tuesday.The struggling airline is looking to get around €290 million in g...

Nationalist MP Jason Azzopardi during Tuesday's parliamentary sitting made reference to BNP Paribas and Pilatus Bank "who put shame to Malta's reputation by association."Azzopardi stated that the relevant authorities need to answer as to why official...

A hacker group has threatened to publish sensitive documents obtained from a breach on the PN’s IT systems unless the party “cooperates” within ten days.The PN said on Monday that some of its data could have been stolen in a cyber-a...

The re-introduction of canopies, combined with more a more visually impacting outdoor seating area in a couple of Marsalforn restaurants raised some questions by residents, who told this newsroom that outdoor structures were recently removed until wo...

Nexia BT’s Brian Tonna is set to appear before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) for the second time on Wednesday,  as he will have to face questions related to the Electrogas deal after the Speaker’s ruling on Monda...

The Customs Department has intercepted a container containing over 900 AK47 dummy replicas.The cargo was declared as ‘crafts’, but the dummy weapons were found inside during a physical inspection, the department said.The AK47 replicas are...

The European Court of Justice has decreed that the Prime Minister’s power to select candidates for the judiciary which are short-listed for eligibility by an independent commission is not against EU law.The decision, which came after a request ...

Brothers Alfred and George Degiorgio, accused of murdering Daphne Caruana Galizia, have filed a judicial protest after their request for a presidential pardon was turned down by Cabinet.The brothers had requested a pardon in return for informati...

Seeking a weak link in the unity of 12 rebel clubs in the Super League, UEFA on Tuesday targeted owners in England who signed up to the project that threatens to tear apart soccer's traditional structure including the Champions League.UEFA president ...

Victims of sexual assault will be provided with more support services and therapeutic care with the signing of a new social public partnership agreement, Minister for Social Justice and Solidarity Michael Falzon announced on Tuesday afternoon.Falzon,...

The deceptions, distrust and divisions in European soccer erupted in public on Monday between teams and even within the clubs breaking away to form a Super League that could leave them and their players outcasts in the global game.Condemnation of the...

1,137 Covid-19 related fines were handed out by authorities last week as a number of Covid measures remain in place.663 people were found in breach of mask-wearing regulations.  People must wear a mask outdoors unless they are smoking or eating....

Malta is at high risk for impacts of climate change, and this requires ambitious action and collective change. This is not a simple educational campaign, but a call for a change towards more sustainable lifestyles. There is a need for tangible change...

Now that the Royal Family has said farewell to Prince Philip, attention will turn to Queen Elizabeth II’s 95th birthday on Wednesday and, in coming months, the celebrations marking her 70 years on the throne.This combination of events is remind...

Green space in Malta is shrinking. It has been for the past 20 or so years. Now, obviously, with an increasing population, built up areas are bound to change or spread, but what we have witnessed in recent times goes beyond what is needed, and defini...

The Conference on the Future of Europe should aim to reflect politically how, given the Covid-19 experience, we could improve the way by which Europe functions to make it more clearly responsive to the needs of its citizens, Alfred Sant said in the E...

The Cabinet has decided to advise the President of Malta not to accept the presidential pardon requests filed by brothers George and Alfred Degiorgio and Vince Muscat.The government said that the refusal recommendation was in line with the recommenda...

The Nationalist Party said on Monday it suffered a cyber-attack and some if its information could have been illegally accessed.In a statement, PN Secretary General Francis Zammit Dimech said the party’s IT system could have been accessed withou...

Prime Minister Robert Abela said he still needs to “establish the facts” surrounding a lucrative contract given to the daughter of one of infrastructure minister Ian Borg’s advisors.Times of Malta reported on Monday that Adreana Zam...

Nexia BT's Brian Tonna is to be recalled to appear before the Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) after a ruling made by Speaker of the House Anglu Farrugia.PN MP Beppe Fenech Adami, who is the PAC's president, told the Times of Malta that T...

Standards Commissioner George Hyzler is fast to highlight the PLs faults yet doesn’t look at his own, PL Whip Glen Bedingfield told Parliament on Monday.“Let’s start with the obvious, where standards are supposed to be held but they...

Since the opening of the spring hunting season, bird casualties of illegal hunting are being encountered on a daily basis, BirdLife Malta said."These include birds found injured by members of the public, hunters shooting at turtle-doves under the smo...

60 new cases of Covid-19 were reported on Monday by health authorities.No new deaths were registered for another day, meaning that Malta’s death count remains 409.41 people meanwhile have recovered – meaning that the number of active case...

DB Group owner Silvio Debono and the Caruana Galizia family have reached an agreement which has seen the businessman drop 19 libel suits which he had filed against Daphne Caruana Galizia four years ago.The lawsuits were filed in March 2017 in respons...