The Malta Independent

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20 August 2026, Thursday

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More than 3,100 new dwellings approved in second quarter of 2026 – NSO

During the second quarter of 2026, a total of 3,126 new dwellings were approved, registering an increase of 3.3 per cent when compared to the same quarter of 2025. Approved residential building...

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Live: Yorgen Fenech trial - Defence continues cross-examining police inspector

The trial of Yorgen Fenech continues on Thursday morning, with police inspector Kurt Zahra expected to return to the witness stand for further cross-examination by the defence. Wednesday's...

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Government concludes public consultation on planning appeals reform

The government has officially concluded the public consultation process on its proposed reform of Malta's planning appeals system, marking what it described as the first step towards introducing new...

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Man grievously injured in traffic accident

A 67-year-old man from Valletta sustained grievous injuries yesterday afternoon following a traffic collision in Paola. Police said they were informed of the incident on Triq Ħal Luqa at...

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2026-2028: Growth expected to remain resilient - Central Bank forecast

According to the Central Bank of Malta's latest forecasts, the outlook for economic growth is expected to remain robust with GDP growth projected at 3.8% in 2026, 3.6% in 2027 and 3.8% in...

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Fenech trial sees courtroom clashes over jury, social media and inspector’s evidence

A legal dispute over whether jurors could have been exposed to news headlines on their court-issued tablets opened Wednesday morning's sitting of the Yorgen Fenech murder trial, before proceedings...

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Former PL MP, AIMS CEO questions lack of investigation into ex-waterpolo coach’s remarks

Former PL MP and Authority for Integrity in Maltese Sport CEO Jean Claude Micallef has questioned the seeming lack of an investigation into the content of remarks made by the now ex Malta waterpolo...

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Prince Harry and Meghan are returning to the UK with their children

Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, have decided to return to the United Kingdom for an extended stay starting this fall, but they won't resume their roles as working members of the royal family, The...

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Marsa accident causing traffic mayhem in area

A traffic accident on 13 December Road in Marsa is causing a major mayhem in the area. According to the Maltese Roads Traffic Updates Facebbok page, there is huge traffic along most of the...

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TMID Editorial: Research and development cannot remain an afterthought

Malta cannot seriously aspire to build a more competitive, productive and resilient economy while treating research and development as a peripheral concern. The latest figures published by Eurostat...

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‘I will defend myself’: St Julian’s shooting suspect admits firing at police officers, court hears

A 74-year-old man accused of shooting two police officers admitted firing in their direction after warning them not to enter and that he would defend himself, because he believed they had sided with a...

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recent poll

Blogs & Opinions

Alfred Sant

Institutions

Mark Said

Trump vs Pope Leo: An unusually pronounced rupture

Emmanuel J. Galea

Why cannot we be Monaco?

Frans Camilleri

Who has heard?

Alfred Sant

The GWU and foreign workers

Kevin Aquilina

Does the jury system breach human rights?

Frans Camilleri

Stranger than fiction

David Spiteri Gingell

The poverty we have only just begun to see

Ivan Castillo

Traffic is not the problem

Katya De Giovanni

Learning to stop: When working hard is no longer enough

Schembri was never considered a suspect in Daphne Caruana Galizia's murder, court hears

Inspector Kurt Zahra resumes his evidence today after a lengthy day on the stand. On Tuesday, the jury was taken through recordings of Yorgen Fenech's police interrogations following his arrest...

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Johann Vella discharged from hospital after surviving life-threatening St Julian’s shooting

Johann Vella, the police officer who narrowly survived critical gunshot wounds sustained during the St Julian's armed standoff has returned home after being discharged from Mater Dei...

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Prison van and truck collide in Ħal Far leaving 6 hospitalised

A car crash involving a prison van on Wednesday afternoon has resulted in six persons being hospitalised, a police spokesperson told The Malta Independent. On Wednesday, at 2:45pm, a Renault...

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€570,673 in penalties issued as MFSA addresses reporting breaches and governance shortcomings

The Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) has published an overview of the work undertaken by its Enforcement Function in 2025, highlighting its continued focus on regulatory compliance, market...

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34 cars added per day during second quarter of 2026 – NSO

In the second quarter of 2026, the stock of licensed motor vehicles increased by 3,086 over the previous quarter. At the end of June 2026, the stock of licensed motor vehicles stood at 463,734....

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Cartoonist, author and academic Ġorġ Mallia dies aged 68

Cartoonist, children's author and academic Ġorġ Mallia has died at the age of 68, leaving behind a decades-long legacy spanning education, illustration, publishing and the Maltese...

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Mater Dei Hospital starts providing Emicizumab to patients with Haemophilia A in Malta

The Ministry for Health has started providing a new treatment, through the medicine Emicizumab, to people with Haemophilia A, the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. Patients with...

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Autonomous Bus public testing phase begins in Gozo

The autonomous bus project in Gozo commenced its public testing phase after the completion of the commissioning phase, marking another important milestone in the rollout of this innovative EU-funded...

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news in pictures

events

Sports

Premier League is back and uncertainty pervades start of post-Guardiola era

Nightmarish start for Maresca as Arsenal outclass Man City in Community Shield

PN praises Gozo autonomous bus project: ‘the type of innovation Malta should be exploring’

The Nationalist Party praised a pilot project started in Gozo which will see an autonomous bus operating in the streets of San Lawrenz and Gharb, saying that this is the type of innovation that Malta...

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Warning issued over fraudulent tax refund text messages

The Police have issued an urgent warning following a sharp rise in reports regarding deceptive text messages being sent in the name of the Malta Taxation and Customs Administration. These...

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Fenech: Three people, including Muscat, knew Schembri wanted Daphne killed, court hears

Yorgen Fenech told police following his arrest in November 2019 that Keith Schembri was behind the plot to assassinate Daphne Caruana Galizia, while naming former prime minister Joseph Muscat, Adrian...

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latest comment from Memphis Belle, 18/08/2026 19:40: Yes Muscat have changed completely the spectrum of the murders in Malta,he succeeded to dismantle a protected criminal web and corrupt buisness people that have been all working together for many years to reach different targets without ever been brought infront of justice,conclusion is should there was nt Muscat we will ended up again like in many previous cases of Karen Grech,Raymond Caruana , Zeppi il Hafi and RCC,The greatest oil scandal and many more unsolved cases that have been shelved without an answer for many years to be covered up,,Yes the price that Muscat have to pay is high but at the end the majority of the people in Malta appriciates all his efforts while continue to support him and his family for many year to come...

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TMID Editorial: When soldiers become a substitute for the police

There is something deeply unsettling about seeing soldiers deployed on the streets of a peaceful country to deal with the kind of disorder that should ordinarily be handled by the police. The...

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latest comment from John, 20/08/2026 07:37: Simple proposal to government.1. Set up a civilised noise abatement service with civilian officers that is effective responsive and independent. 2. Then use Police to deal only with threats to the civilian noise abatement Officers Rather than run of the mill Enforcement. 3. Send the soldiers back into the barracks. Result might be a more civilised Malta which is less noisy.

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ASA defends reputation after Cirovic claims

The Aquatic Sports Association of Malta has moved to defend its reputation following comments made by former national team head coach Milan Cirovic during a television interview. In an interview...

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Gozo Channel carries nearly 150,000 passengers during Santa Marija rush

The Gozo Channel has reported a significant increase in ferry traffic during the eight-day Santa Marija period, operating 814 ferry trips while carrying nearly 150,000...

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Tributes pour in for beloved academic Ġorġ Mallia

Tributes have poured in for beloved author, cartoonist and academic Professor Ġorġ Mallia following his death aged 68, with people remembering him as a man whose work influenced generations...

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The hidden politics of time: How clocks, calendars - and now-contentious time zones - came to be

It flies. It heals all wounds. It can be of the essence, and it can be money. We thrill in the best of it, lament the worst. We're warned not to waste it, since we can't turn it back - even as we try...

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PN calls for answers over allegations of political interference in waterpolo

The Nationalist Party has called on the Government to provide immediate answers in a statement following serious allegations made by former Malta national waterpolo coach Milan Ćirović, who...

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New prison facility in Ħal Far for foreigners reaching end of their sentence prior to deportation

The government has opened a new building which will serve as a prison facility for foreigners who are reaching the end of their prison sentence and who would then be deported from the country after it...

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Business

BOV opens its first Home Finance Hub in Mosta

Malta Freeport welcomes new-generation CMA CGM Berenice methanol dual-fuel container vessel

Why emotional intelligence makes better leaders

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

More than 3,100 new dwellings approved in second quarter of 2026 – NSO

Live: Yorgen Fenech trial - Defence continues cross-examining police inspector

Government concludes public consultation on planning appeals reform

Man grievously injured in traffic accident

2026-2028: Growth expected to remain resilient - Central Bank forecast

Fenech trial sees courtroom clashes over jury, social media and inspector’s evidence

Former PL MP, AIMS CEO questions lack of investigation into ex-waterpolo coach’s remarks

Prince Harry and Meghan are returning to the UK with their children

Marsa accident causing traffic mayhem in area

TMID Editorial: Research and development cannot remain an afterthought

‘I will defend myself’: St Julian’s shooting suspect admits firing at police officers, court hears

Schembri was never considered a suspect in Daphne Caruana Galizia's murder, court hears

Johann Vella discharged from hospital after surviving life-threatening St Julian’s shooting

Prison van and truck collide in Ħal Far leaving 6 hospitalised

€570,673 in penalties issued as MFSA addresses reporting breaches and governance shortcomings

34 cars added per day during second quarter of 2026 – NSO

Cartoonist, author and academic Ġorġ Mallia dies aged 68

Mater Dei Hospital starts providing Emicizumab to patients with Haemophilia A in Malta

Autonomous Bus public testing phase begins in Gozo

Yorgen Fenech named others in Daphne murder during 2019 interrogation

PDSA raises alarm over end of ranger monitoring at Ċirkewwa Marine Park

PN calls for explanation over exclusion of Malta Ranger Unit from Ċirkewwa Marine Park agreement

Rescuing the orphaned company: The special manager beyond liquidation

Two seriously injured after motorcycle accident in Attard

Government must stop taking decisions affecting children without proper consultation – PN

Student organisations and NGOs raise alarm over ERA decision on Comino development

Joseph Muscat fails to force prosecution of hospitals' deal court expert

Gambian man arrested in Paceville on drug trafficking charges

PN praises Gozo autonomous bus project: ‘the type of innovation Malta should be exploring’

Warning issued over fraudulent tax refund text messages

Fenech: Three people, including Muscat, knew Schembri wanted Daphne killed, court hears

TMID Editorial: When soldiers become a substitute for the police

ASA defends reputation after Cirovic claims

Gozo Channel carries nearly 150,000 passengers during Santa Marija rush

Tributes pour in for beloved academic Ġorġ Mallia

The hidden politics of time: How clocks, calendars - and now-contentious time zones - came to be

PN calls for answers over allegations of political interference in waterpolo

New prison facility in Ħal Far for foreigners reaching end of their sentence prior to deportation

TMID Editorial - Birkirkara police station: the government owes the public answers

Fenech told investigators Schembri sent him ‘script’ on what to say, jurors hear

Fenech trial: Police surveillance of Theuma led investigators to Fenech, court hears

Yorgen Fenech trial now second longest in Maltese history

Roderick Azzopardi charged in connection with Zabbar murder, remanded in custody

Malta lifts blood donation ban for people who lived in UK between 1980 and 1996