The Malta Independent

Keep me signed in with social media

15 August 2026, Saturday

View E-Paper

Yorgen Fenech trial: Theuma’s week-long testimony ends after tense final day of questioning

Melvin Theuma completed a week of testimony in the Yorgen Fenech murder trial on Friday, with the defence spending much of the final day challenging his credibility, his account of his meetings at...

Comments (0)
Share

Updated: Woman murdered in Zabbar, man arrested

The police are investigating a murder which has taken place in Zabbar....

Comments (0)
Share

Yorgen Fenech trial: Court uproar as defence lawyer says Theuma should be ashamed of himself

The Yorgen Fenech trial is set to resume on Saturday afternoon with the testimony of Melvin Theuma. The media was barred from live reporting on Friday and Saturday morning for security...

Comments (0)
Share

‘Human life is not disposable’ — Auxiliary Bishop says on Assumption feast

Human life must never be regarded as disposable, regardless of a person's age, health or ability, Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Galea-Curmi said on Saturday as he celebrated the pontifical Mass for the...

Comments (0)
Share

Government says it is ‘completely extraneous’ to facts discussed in Fenech trial

An office at Castille which was used seven years ago was searched on Saturday as part of court-ordered inspections linked to the ongoing Yorgen Fenech murder trial, with the Office of the Prime...

Comments (0)
Share

Persistent Etna ash shuts Sicily's busiest airport during peak holiday week

Ash spewing from Sicily's Mount Etna has forced the closure of the Italian island's largest airport for the fifth consecutive day, stranding hundreds of summer holiday travelers during the busiest...

Comments (0)
Share

Malta boosts nationwide security and law enforcement as summer tourism peak reaches full swing

As Malta prepares to welcome the absolute peak of the summer tourist season, the nation is rolling out a comprehensive and coordinated security strategy designed to protect both local residents and...

Comments (0)
Share

Seven weeks of testimony brought to life as Fenech jury visits key sites

After seven weeks of hearing testimony about the people, places and events surrounding the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, the jurors in the Yorgen Fenech trial by jury on Friday and Saturday saw...

Comments (0)
Share

Magnitude 3.9 earthquake strikes Etna region, causing road damage and evacuations

A magnitude 3.9 earthquake shook the Linguaglossa area in the province of Catania at 12:24pm on Saturday according to the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV). The shallow...

Comments (0)
Share

Broken engine parts shattered the Ryanair plane window that a man's head got sucked into: NTSB

Broken engine parts shattered a window on a Ryanair flight shortly after takeoff in Greece last month, causing a man's head to be sucked through the opening before fellow passengers pulled him back...

Comments (0)
Share

Magnitude 7.7 earthquake strikes off Indonesia's coast, killing at least 38 and toppling buildings

A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia early Saturday, collapsing buildings and homes, killing at least 38 people and causing panic in a region prone to deadly...

Comments (0)
Share

recent poll

Blogs & Opinions

Owen Bonnici

A beloved voice falls silent

Alfred Sant

Norman

Mark Said

Islamophobia, smoke-free generations, and external voting

Emmanuel J. Galea

Corruption off the ballot

Frans Camilleri

Trump’s dirty hands

Alfred Sant

Security and financial services

Kevin Aquilina

Manifesto for change at the Planning Authority

Ivan Bartolo

When profit silences prayer

Marilena Gauci

I want to be remembered by the work I do

Gejtu Vella

No answers, no accountability

TMID Editorial: The proof will be in the Family Court

Any effort to improve Malta's Family Court system, make it more efficient and ensure that cases are dealt with in a reasonable amount of time should be welcomed. The publication of the Family...

Comments (0)
Share

Mark Anthony Sammut flags Malta’s EU-highest rise in household electricity use

Malta recorded the largest increase in household electricity consumption in the EU between 2015 and 2024, with consumption rising by almost 66%, according to Eurostat figures highlighted by Mark...

Comments (0)
Share

Hunter filmed shooting flock of protected Squacco Herons at Żonqor coast; EPU apprehends suspects

A hunter was filmed shooting at a flock of protected Squacco Herons along the Żonqor coast yesterday morning, killing three birds BirdLife said Friday. The incident was witnessed and documented...

Comments (2)
Share

latest comment from RF, 15/08/2026 07:14: Have the responsible ministers for hunting and protection of animals and the hunters association condemned this atrocious deed by neanderthals? The PN should issue a statement and stop pandering to the hunters lobby if it wants to be relevant and credible.

Click to rate
0
0

‘There’s no bigger liar than you’: George Degiorgio tells Theuma in furious courtroom clash

A furious confrontation erupted between convicted hitman George Degiorgio and self-confessed murder middleman Melvin Theuma during Yorgen Fenech's trial by jury on Thursday, with Degiorgio branding...

Comments (4)
Share

latest comment from RF, 14/08/2026 17:18: It is becoming obvious why Melvin Theuma's presidential pardon was given by then prime minister Joseph Muscat without being brought to cabinet for approval.

Click to rate
0
0

Luigi Mangione pleads guilty to federal stalking charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO

Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty on Friday to federal stalking charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, admitting matter-of-factly that he trailed the executive to an investor...

Comments (0)
Share

Two education probes resolved following commitments on consultation and forward planning

Two investigations which were being conducted by the Commissioner for Education, Chief Justice Emeritus Vincent A. De Gaetano, concerning matters affecting students with disabilities have been closed...

Comments (0)
Share

Government has a duty to explain what will happen to Birkirkara police station, PN says

The Government has a duty to explain clearly and immediately whether there will continue to be a Police Station in Birkirkara and where this District Police Station will operate from, the Nationalist...

Comments (1)
Share

latest comment from RF, 15/08/2026 07:06: The Labour government spent millions of our taxes to acquire band clubs that benefit the few but did not buy the property that has housed the Police Station for donkey years that serves over 70,000 residents.

Click to rate
0
0

Yorgen Fenech jury trial: Theuma, George Degiorgio in heated courtroom clash as security intervenes

Self-confessed murder middleman Melvin Theuma is expected to continue being cross-examined by Yorgen Fenech's defence team on Thursday. His testimony came under intense scrutiny on Wednesday, as...

Comments (2)
Share

latest comment from joe farrugia, 13/08/2026 16:16: Have the prosecution lawyers gone to sleep? in the 15:56 report, Giannella played out a statement made by Theuma's relative and tried to attribute it to Theuma himself. Prosecution remained silent. Do objections based on "leading the witness" not apply here in Malta?

Click to rate
0
0

news in pictures

events

Sports

Paris Saint-Germain retain UEFA Super Cup as Doué goal seals 2-1 win over Aston Villa

Swieqi mayor urges Prime Minister to take action over ongoing garbage crisis

Swieqi Mayor Noel Muscat has called on Prime Minister Robert Abela to take immediate and decisive action over what he described as an ongoing garbage crisis in the locality. In a letter addressed...

Comments (0)
Share

PN laments absence of Acute Psychiatric Unit at Mater Dei Hospital

Mental health care and services in our country are facing serious difficulties, to the detriment of patients and their families, the Nationalist Party said Friday. The absence of an Acute...

Comments (0)
Share

Nigel Farage beats Count Binface to win back seat in Parliament in widely mocked election

Nigel Farage beat trash-can wearing comic candidate Count Binface on Friday, regaining a seat in Parliament he quit a month ago to trigger the widely mocked special election. Farage...

Comments (0)
Share

Moviment Graffitti launches crowdfunding campaign to appeal ERA permit and ‘defend Comino’

Moviment Graffitti has announced a crowdfunding campaign to appeal the ERA permit for the uprooting of trees and construction works on the Comino Nature Reserve, as well as to finance future actions...

Comments (0)
Share

Suspended sentence for man who shared child abuse material involving children under nine

A man who admitted possessing and sharing child sexual abuse material, including material depicting children under nine and children subjected to extreme abuse, has been handed a two-year prison...

Comments (0)
Share

Pharmacies open today 9am to 12pm & 4 to 7pm

Valletta Empire Pharmacy (Branch), 46, Triq Melita; Ħamrun Darwin Pharmacy, 152, Triq il-Kbira San Ġużepp; Żebbuġ Tal-Grazzja Pharmacy, Triq Franġisk Farrugia; Birkirkara...

Comments (0)
Share

ADPD warns Malta has reached its tourism limit as residents bear the costs

Malta has reached the limits of what its infrastructure can sustain as tourism continues to affect residents' quality of life, ADPD-The Green Party chairperson Sandra Gauci has warned. Gauci said...

Comments (0)
Share

TMID Editorial: Saving lives after death

Yesterday was World Organ Donation Day - a day dedicated towards raising awareness about the life-saving act of organ donation. Locally, the day was marked by Deputy Prime Minister and Health...

Comments (0)
Share

Former Malta ambassador to Libya charged with sexual offences against subordinate, granted bail

A former Malta ambassador to Libya charged with rape and a string of sexual and domestic violence offences allegedly committed against a subordinate, including at the Maltese embassy in Tripoli, has...

Comments (1)
Share

latest comment from joe tedesco, 13/08/2026 21:40: THIS IS WHAT THE PL GOVERNMENT IS CAPABLE OF CHOOSING.

Click to rate
0
0

PN MPs seek clarity over future of Birkirkara police station

Nationalist Party MPS Adrian Delia and Julie Zahra have called for clarity over the future of the Birkirkara police station after plans were submitted for the building currently housing the station to...

Comments (1)
Share

latest comment from Joseph Galea, 14/08/2026 08:50: H'Attard is also part of the Birkirkara portfolio. Had the new location been already decided it would have been all over the news. Another quality of life, safe in your home, project. Where is the Birkirkara council? A good number of prominent politicians, on both sides of the divide, are from this town. We hope to hear your voice. Enjoy the holiday and protect yourselves from the sun.

Click to rate
0
0

Business

BOV strengthens ties with Gozitan community through dedicated customer event

Melita reports progress across sustainability, community and digital innovation goals

PRISM EuroQCI project concludes with Malta’s first quantum communications testbed

The million-dollar tuna ranching sector

Yorgen Fenech trial: Theuma’s week-long testimony ends after tense final day of questioning

Updated: Woman murdered in Zabbar, man arrested

Yorgen Fenech trial: Court uproar as defence lawyer says Theuma should be ashamed of himself

‘Human life is not disposable’ — Auxiliary Bishop says on Assumption feast

Government says it is ‘completely extraneous’ to facts discussed in Fenech trial

Persistent Etna ash shuts Sicily's busiest airport during peak holiday week

Malta boosts nationwide security and law enforcement as summer tourism peak reaches full swing

Seven weeks of testimony brought to life as Fenech jury visits key sites

Magnitude 3.9 earthquake strikes Etna region, causing road damage and evacuations

Broken engine parts shattered the Ryanair plane window that a man's head got sucked into: NTSB

Magnitude 7.7 earthquake strikes off Indonesia's coast, killing at least 38 and toppling buildings

TMID Editorial: The proof will be in the Family Court

Mark Anthony Sammut flags Malta’s EU-highest rise in household electricity use

Hunter filmed shooting flock of protected Squacco Herons at Żonqor coast; EPU apprehends suspects

‘There’s no bigger liar than you’: George Degiorgio tells Theuma in furious courtroom clash

Luigi Mangione pleads guilty to federal stalking charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO

Two education probes resolved following commitments on consultation and forward planning

Government has a duty to explain what will happen to Birkirkara police station, PN says

Yorgen Fenech jury trial: Theuma, George Degiorgio in heated courtroom clash as security intervenes

Soldiers should not be a substitute for the police, Repubblika says on AFM deployment to Swieqi

Deputy Prime Minister Borg registers as an organ donor on World Organ Donation Day

PN calls for urgent action on road safety as traffic casualties increase

Cement on country road and illegible signs: what’s happening in Gharghur?

TMID Editorial: The summer ritual of politics and the parish feast

Work on park for children and families at Tal-Mitħna ex-quarry site nearing completion

Young volunteers celebrate community spirit at International Youth Day festival

OASI Foundation applauds screen-free early childhood education initiative

Garage fire in Żebbuġ extinguished as nearby residents evacuated

Swieqi mayor urges Prime Minister to take action over ongoing garbage crisis

PN laments absence of Acute Psychiatric Unit at Mater Dei Hospital

Nigel Farage beats Count Binface to win back seat in Parliament in widely mocked election

Moviment Graffitti launches crowdfunding campaign to appeal ERA permit and ‘defend Comino’

Suspended sentence for man who shared child abuse material involving children under nine

Pharmacies open today 9am to 12pm & 4 to 7pm

ADPD warns Malta has reached its tourism limit as residents bear the costs

TMID Editorial: Saving lives after death

Former Malta ambassador to Libya charged with sexual offences against subordinate, granted bail

PN MPs seek clarity over future of Birkirkara police station

Millions crowd Spanish cities to see country's first total solar eclipse in over a century

Britain to swelter again as it looks poised for a record hot summer

Nigel Farage faces off against Count Binface in special election that's been denounced as a stunt

Theuma admits lying about Schembri as defence attacks his credibility

If it wasn't for those recordings, I'd be six feet under, Theuma tells court

Paris Saint-Germain retain UEFA Super Cup as Doué goal seals 2-1 win over Aston Villa