Malta’s hesitancy on the NHS digital certificate verifying Covid-19 vaccination forced Britons to cancel their holidays to Malta, British media report.Malta had initially announced that it would not accept a digital certification, only a printe...

Controlled mass events can now hold more than 100 people provided that separate areas of the venue are used, under revised guidelines published this week. The government had announced that controlled events will be allowed to take place as from Monda...

Malta is being accused of refusing help to a boat of migrants on which there were disabled children, a report on the EUObserver says.Maltese authorities appeared to ignore repeated requests to help migrants had spent two days at sea after leaving fro...

Operators within the entertainment industry feel “cheated” by way of how things were organised and handled in Ħamrun, Deputy President of the Chamber of SMEs, Philip Fenech, told The Malta Independent.Hundreds of people gathered in &...

Countries across Europe are scrambling to accelerate coronavirus vaccinations and outpace the spread of the more infectious delta variant, in a high-stakes race to prevent hospital wards from filling up again with patients fighting for their lives.Th...

Labour MP Rosianne Cutajar has been found in breach of ethics by the Standards Commissioner over a controversial Mdina property transaction she was involved in together with Yorgen Fenech.  Independent candidate Arnold Cassola, who had file...

A total of 124 fines were issued by Police in relation to street celebrations which enveloped Ħamrun’s main street on Thursday night, The Malta Independent has been told.Speaking to this newsroom, a police spokesperson said that 124 fines ...

It was early in the week that the Malta Entertainment Industry and Arts Association (MEIA) had a permit for a peaceful sit-down protest refused by police on the basis of legal restrictions on mass events – ironically, the same legal restriction...

Italy’s defenders celebrated their stops like the attacking players celebrated their goals.Both had plenty of reason to be happy on Friday.Nicolò Barella and Lorenzo Insigne scored a goal each while Leonardo Spinazzola make a key second-...

Libyan maritime authorities have acknowledged that a Libyan coast guard vessel had fired warning shots at a migrant boat it was chasing in the Mediterranean Sea, in an apparent effort to stop it from crossing to Europe.The Libyan navy issued a statem...

The European Parliament has appointed Maltese Labour MEP Cyrus Engerer as tp write snd lead negotiations on a resolution which is expected to call on the EU to instigate formal legal procedures against Hungary for breaching European Union law.Engerer...

 Two pilots told air traffic controllers that their engine had cut out and they needed help moments before crashing their cargo plane into the Pacific Ocean off Hawaii on Friday.“It doesn’t look good out here,” one of the pilot...

The National Band Clubs’ Association has called on Health Superintendent Charmaine Gauci to adjust the current health protocols to allow village feasts to be celebrated.The Association said that it was disappointed at the street celebrations wh...

Six new cases of Covid-19 were reported by health authorities on Friday, taking the number of active cases to above the 50 mark.No recoveries were reported, while no new deaths were recorded in the last 24 hours, meaning that the number of active cas...

Air Malta said it had received a significant number of cancellations on the London Heathrow route when Malta was only accepting the Covid-19 physical vaccine certificate.Malta was recently placed on the UK green travel list, which came into effect on...

After breaking a world record, ex Olympian Neil Agius shared some of the experiences he and his team went through over the “52 hour very emotional swim” from Linosa to Gozo. In the beginning stages of his swim, Agius said that sharp pain ...

As Spain’s jubilant players sprinted onto the field to celebrate a penalty-shootout victory at the European Championship, Luis Enrique stood alone and simply pumped his fists.Amid the tension and rising pressure inside Saint Petersburg Stadium,...

Jesmond Saliba is set to be nominated as the new Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations, replacing former forensic chief Anthony Abela Medici who resigned earlier this week.Saliba’s nomination has to go through the Social Affairs Committee in...

As of 3rd of July, there will be an increase in visiting hours when it comes elderly care homes as the Minister for Senior Citizens and Active Ageing Michael Farrugia announced more measures relating to the elderly being relaxed.The elderly living in...

The Ombudsman has found conflicting actions when it came to the construction of a pedestrian bridge in Marsa.This decision is on one of nine complaints filed by PN Spokesperson for the environment and climate change Robert Cutajar to the Ombudsman, o...

A Filipino man was stabbed to death in Mellieħa this morning, the police said.A woman, also from the Philippines and aged 44, was arrested in connection with the incident.The man, aged 44, who lives in Mellieħa, was found dead with stab wou...

The Chamber of Architects will reactivate its investigations into the house collapse in Ħamrun in which Miriam Pace died last year.Following the reading of Magistrate Mifsud’s sentence regarding the role of Perit Roderick Camilleri and Per...

The gathering of a huge crowd in Hamrun for the belated celebrations of the Premier League victory has sparked indignation on the social media.Hundreds of people gathered in the locality on Thursday evening in an activity which was also given extensi...

The Government’s plan regarding the funds it will receive from the European Union as part of the EU Recovery & Resilience plan is not on has cracks in it, as the funds are going to be used “to fix the problems it itself created”...

More than 42,000 passengers made use of the fast ferry service between Malta and Gozo in their first month of operation, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Ian Borg announced on Friday.Transport Minister Borg gave an update on the usage of the fas...

A non-profit sea rescue group on Thursday slammed Libya's coast guard after it witnessed the Libyan maritime authorities in what it described as chasing a crowded migrant boat and shooting in its direction in an apparent effort to stop it from crossi...

National carrier Air Malta flew to Libya for the first time in seven years on Thursday, 1st July 2021. The unscheduled flight to Tripoli’s Mitiga Airport transported a delegation led by Minister for Finance and Employment Clyde Caruana and...

Belgium’s leading scorer at the European Championship is no stranger to Italy’s veteran defenders.They all play in Serie A.Romelu Lukaku will likely be the main attacking threat when Belgium takes on Italy in Munich on Friday in the Euro ...

Yesterday was for many of us the new Freedom Day – it brought freedom from those dreaded facemasks we have been wearing for months, and which have become more of a nuisance in the ongoing heatwave. Although conditions apply, and masks still nee...

What are the new laws being added on for online shopping from non-EU countries as of 1 July?The European Commission has amended EU Directive 2006/112/EC, such amendments came into force yesterday and shall affect the Customs and VAT rules applicable ...

The latest alarming coronavirus variant is exploiting low global vaccination rates and a rush to ease pandemic restrictions, adding new urgency to the drive to get more shots in arms and slow its supercharged spread.The vaccines most used in Western ...

Spain is on the charge at a major soccer tournament with a creative and technically gifted Barcelona player calling the shots from central midfield.Sound familiar?Only 18 and already seemingly indispensable for the national team, Pedri Gonzále...

As from today, 1 July 2021, Malta will be accepting the digital app version of the UK NHS vaccine certificate, as well as the paper version of the certificate, a government statement read."This update came following the creation of a verifier app, cr...

Alexandra Mamo has become Malta's first female deputy police commissioner.Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri and Police Commissioner Angelo Gafa on Thursday announced that two new deputy police commissioners were appointed. The second is Ramon Mer...

A court has declared two architects guilty of causing the death of Miriam Pace, who died in the rubble of her home, which collapsed following works on a construction site next door, saying they had “betrayed their oath of appointment as archite...

The news that the two architects found guilty for the death of Miriam Pace manage to come out the courts with 400 and 480 hours of community service respectively and a fine each, and avoid jail-time, has been met with reactions of anger and increduli...

77% of businesses that responded to a survey have trouble finding workers at a variety of levels, a report published by the Malta Chamber in collaboration with Vistage Malta revealsThe report, which dealt with CEO confidence levels, represents a comp...

Neil Agius has posted his first message to supporters and following, the day after completing his world record-breaking swim between the island of Linosa and Malta.Agius completed the mammoth 125.6km swim on Wednesday evening when he waded into Xlend...

People who are vaccinated, as from yesterday, started to walk the streets without wearing a face-mask – provided that a vaccination certificate has been issued and in groups limited to just two persons, with the second person also fully vaccina...

Four new Covid-19 cases were reported by health authorities on Thursday, while three people have recovered from the virus.With no new deaths recorded in the last 24 hours, the number of active cases currently stands at 46.2,528 swab tests were carrie...

The Labour government just ignored everybody when deciding how to spend the €320 million funding received from the European Union as part of the Europe’s recovery plan, Opposition Leader Bernard Grech said in a parliamentary debate about t...

Lawyer and PN MP Jason Azzopardi has asked a court to admit Vince Muscat, Alfred Degiorgio and George Degiorgio as parties in a libel case filed against him by minister Carmelo Abela over his claims that Abela was the inside man in a 2010 hold up at ...

After talks with the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage (SCH), the Public Works Department was advised to close a WW2 shelter uncovered in Sliema with new concrete slabs as the old ones were in a very bad condition, a spokesperson for the Infrastru...

A quick-thinking police constable saved a kitten’s life after it fell into a pool in a vacant residence in Mellieha on Wednesday.Sharing the story, the Malta Police Force praised PC Clayton Scicluna for his actions.They said that the Mellieha C...

As the nation woke up to the day when masks can be removed in groups of 2 people who are in possession of their vaccine certificate, the Covid-19 certificate generator website crashed due to the influx of people logging in to download their document....

A brawl in Paceville left an 18-year-old Frenchman grievously injured in the early hours of Thursday morning, police said.In a statement, the police said that at around 1:45am on Thursday they were called to Triq id-Dragunara in St. Julian’s ov...

 Pennsylvania’s highest court threw out Bill Cosby’s sexual assault conviction and released him from prison Wednesday in a stunning reversal of fortune for the comedian once known as “America’s Dad,” ruling that the...

As from Thursday 1 July, all asylum-seekers and third country nationals will be eligible to receive the Covid-19 vaccine, the government said.From Thursday, all those who fall under the above category are eligible to receive the vaccine from the Univ...

Two bikers were grievously injured in two separate accidents on Wednesday.The first to be hurt was an American, aged 46 of Mellieha, who lost control of the Lexmoto bike he was riding anf crashed into a Smart car being driven in the opposite directio...

Long distance swimmer and environmental activist can now add the title ‘World Record Holder’ to his repertoire, after he arrived in Xlendi in Gozo on Wednesday night, bringing to an end a mammoth non-stop 125.6-kilometre journey.Agius set...

Another scholastic year has come to an end.Thousands of children can now look forward to a summer of fun, playing and staying up longer than usual until they return to their classes in September. They will be almost three long months of a break which...

Former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has reiterated he is willing to drop a libel suit he had filed against Daphne Caruana Galizia if the slain journalist’s family acknowledges the outcome of the Egrant inquiry.This after Peter Caruana Galizia s...

It’s incredible, Labour MEP Alfred Sant lamented twice in a Facebook post after returning to his residence in Birkirkara, only to find that he had no water supply.He said that he phoned the Water Services Corporation, which knew nothing about h...

Yorgen Fenech’s legal team earned themselves a dressing down from an annoyed judge on Wednesday after failing to subpoena any witnesses for a Constitutional case over Fenech’s repeated bail refusals.Madam Justice Miriam Hayman was less th...

Prime Minister Robert Abela said on Wednesday that he could “never justify the Panama Papers”, after being asked by journalists whether he would distance himself from former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and the scandals which happened und...

The Government has launched the National Post-Pandemic Strategy which it plans to address “within three years”, Minister for Research, Innovation and the Co-Ordination of the Post Covid-19 Strategy, Owen Bonnici, told The Malta Independen...

As from tomorrow, 1 July, Malta will be recognising and accepting the EU digitial vaccine certificates, but British nationals still need to present a physical copy of their vaccination certificate, for the time being. Speaking during a press con...

A firefighter was grievously injured today after a Civil Protection Department vehicle fell into a valley in Qormi.The accident took place in Wied il-Kbir at around 3:30pm, the police said.The vehicle was being driven by a 22-year-old man from St Pau...

Opposition Leader Bernard Grech called on the government to be transparent and publish all the correspondence it had with the Financial Action Task Force.“Since being elected leader of the opposition party, my message has always been that no on...

Malta currently has two cases of the highly-infectious Delta variant of Covid-19, Health Minister Chris Fearne said on Wednesday.This means that two out of the 45 active cases which Malta currently has of the virus are infected with the Delta variant...

Five new cases of Covid-19 were reported on Wednesday, while no new recoveries were reported for a second day in a row.No new deaths were recorded in the last 24 hours, meaning that the number of active cases of Covid-19 currently stands at 45.2,374 ...

A high degree isolation unit with an investment of more than €1.5 million was inaugurated by Health Minister Chris Fearne together with Parliamentary Secretary for EU funds Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi on Wednesday.During a press conference, Fearne e...

The Nationalist Party has called a General Council between 10 and 17 July. The General Council was due to be held earlier this year but was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.The PN said the council will include discussions on politics, amendment...

The government is fully committed to continue investing in the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit and the police’s Financial Crime Investigation Department as it seeks to strengthen ways with which it obtains intelligence to fight corruption ...

Neil Agius will be arriving in Xlendi, Gozo between 8 and 9pm today, as he attempts to break a world swimming record.Neil Agius hit the 100 kilometre mark earlier on Wednesday. His team said he was well on his way to breaking the maritime world recor...

Asked about his connection with the Centre Court crowd after his second victory there this week, Novak Djokovic joked: “I seem to be having a really nice connection with the grass.”The five-time champion at the All England Club chuckled a...

Prime Minister Robert Abela said on Wednesday that the post-Covid economic recovery and resilience plan, will prioritise the environment and the digital transformation.Abela also agreed to the request made by the Opposition for the plan to be discuss...

The government is committed to realising robust economic growth without jeopardising the longevity of Malta’s environment for future generations. The Economic Vision for Malta 2031 encourages activities which protect the environment as a key pi...

The Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) grey listing of Malta confirms structural weaknesses in Malta’s anti-money laundering framework, “but has no immediate impact on Malta’s ratings or those of its domestic rated banks,&rd...

The government will be aiming to vaccinate 85% of all adults against Covid-19, Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Chris Fearne said in Parliament today.A few weeks ago, Malta reached the well awaited herd immunity, at 70%. However, the virus h...

The MFSA has published its Authorisation Process - Service Charter to guide applicants in preparing and submitting applications, aiming to facilitate the authorisation process by engaging with applicants and setting out the authority’s expectat...

Politicians who use propaganda would be ‘shooting themselves in the foot’ if they continue to use such a strategy to try and earn political points, the newly elected chair of the Media Literacy Development Board, Alexander Farrugia, told ...

Medication for In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) processes will now become free of charge as of next year, Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister, Chris Fearne, announced in Parliament.IVF is one of several techniques available to help people with...

A judge has dismissed the AG's appeal against a magistrate’s decision not to impose a freezing order over two of Allied Newspaper’s top management officials charged with fraud and money laundering, saying that it was not necessary as none...

3,527,000 guest nights in Malta were spent in accommodation booked via four platforms (Airbnb, Booking, Expedia Group or Tripadvisor) in 2019, data issued by Eurostat shows.In 2019, the last year before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the tourism sector, g...

Several large fires broke out in fields in Nadur valley as the village celebrated the feast of St Peter and St Paul, known traditionally as Mnajra, on Tuesday eveningVideos received by The Malta Independent show villagers looking over the valley as f...

Gozo’s tourism industry experienced a ‘very good’ long weekend, the Gozo Tourism Association’s CEO Joe Muscat told the Malta Independent.Over the past year, tourism was among the sectors most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic,...

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops recently approved drafting a document on receiving Communion in the Catholic Church. It will include a section regarding standards for politicians and public figures who support laws&nbs...

A very worrying statistic emerged this week on Eurostat, revealing that Malta had the highest amount of early school leavers in the European Union in 2020.In 2020, the highest shares of early leavers from education and training were recorded in Malta...

A 20-year-old Syrian suffered serious injuries after he fell a storey off scaffolding while carrying out some works, police said on Wednesday.Police said that the accident happened at around 9:10am in Triq Wied Ghollieqa in Kappara.Preliminary invest...

England is unburdened by the weight of agonizing history: Germany has finally been beaten in a tournament again.No need to endure more penalty heartache or disallowed goals this time.Just like in the 1966 World Cup final, England triumphed over ...

A 28-year-old man from Croatia who resides in Rabat, Gozo, was taken before the courts in Gozo today, for threatening, violently resisting and attacking two police officers at 00.15am on Triq Putirjal in Rabat, Gozo, a police statement read.He was al...

A report by the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) has revealed that Malta experienced a 39% decrease in asylum applications and a 21% increase in pending cases in 2020 when compared to 2019.The statistics emerging from the report show that a tota...

Ukraine had reached the round of 16 at the European Championship with two losses and the worst record of the advancing teams.And now the quarterfinals, too.Ukraine eliminated previously unbeaten Sweden 2-1 on Tuesday with a goal in stoppage time at t...

Britain’s new health secretary said he is confident that England is on track to remove the country's remaining coronavirus restrictions on July 19, stressing that the rapid vaccination rollout is “breaking the link” between soaring ...

Serena Williams bit her upper lip. She held her left hand over her mouth and tried to hold back tears while getting ready to serve.It was the first set of her first-round match Tuesday at Wimbledon, and Williams knew this stay at a tournament where s...

Opposition Leader Bernard Grech has requested to attend a meeting with the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development (MCESD) in order to hear their views and discuss the way forward following Malta's greylisting by the FATF.The meeting is exp...

A grass fire took root at Ramla Bay in Gozo on Tuesday.The police were informed at around 2pm and CPD officials went on site. No injuries were reported.Some beachgoers tried to assist in putting out the fire.Photos and video by Christine Seychell

Six new cases of Covid-19 were registered on Tuesday, while no new recoveries were recorded.The number of active cases currently stands at 40.No new deaths were registered.In total, 659,488 doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered, 357,171 o...

Food prices in Malta were 12.2% higher than the European Union average in 2020, figures released by Eurostat show.Eurostat issued a release which allows for the comparison of consumer price levels between EU states in different areas. The data covers...

An e-scooter rider was grievously injured early on Tuesday morning after she was hit by a car.The accident took place at the Ferries, Gzira, at 1.45am.The rider, a French woman who resides in Pieta’, was hit by a Volkswagen driven by a 23-year-...

Two men were injured during an argument in St Julian's the police said in a statement.The argument took place at 2.45am on Tuesday, and the police were called to St George's Bay. The police found one man unconscious and another with injuries.Police i...

With the scholastic year coming to an end, and with temperatures rising, more and more people will be flocking to the seaside for a swim and for, hopefully, a breeze.It is that time of the year when many people enter into holiday mode. Many, includin...

36 Civil Protection Department officers have undergone 2 weeks of intensive rope access training at some of the most common rescue locations around the Maltese Islands, the Civil Protection Department said on Facebook."Training was conducted in part ...

When you train on the Sir Bobby Charlton Pitch, it’s hard to escape the burden of past glory.And when Gareth Southgate is your coach, it’s even harder for the England players to escape the anguish that can come from playing Germany at a t...

When Sweden and Ukraine meet in Scotland on Tuesday at the European Championship, Mikael Lustig will feel right at home.The Sweden defender was a frequent visitor — and winner — at Hampden Park in a successful eight seasons at Celtic unti...

PN leader Bernard Grech challenged Prime Minister Robert Abela to “denounce” his predecessor Joseph Muscat, whom he blamed as being the person who led the country onto the FATF’s greylist.Speaking in Parliament on Monday morning abo...

Au revoir France, this summer belongs to Yann Sommer.The Switzerland goalkeeper, who left in the middle of the European Championship’s group stage to be with his wife for the birth of their second daughter, made the biggest save of his life aga...

Spain first gifted Croatia a bizarre own-goal, then threw away a late 3-1 lead. Alvaro Morata made sure it didn't matter in the end.Morata and Mikel Oyarzabal scored in extra time Monday to give Spain a 5-3 win over Croatia and a place in the Europea...

Rescuers searching for a fifth day for survivors of a Florida condo building collapse used bucket brigades and heavy machinery Monday as they worked atop a precarious mound of pulverized concrete, twisted steel and the remnants of dozens of household...