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22 August 2026, Saturday

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Yorgen Fenech says he gave money to Melvin Theuma but did not pay for Daphne's murder

The trial of Yorgen Fenech continues this morning with the testimony of the accused himself. Fenech started his testimony yesterday, minutes after Judge Edwina Grima turned down a request by the...

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latest comment from J.Degabriele, 22/08/2026 10:18: So many tears now. He wasn't like that when he was on top of the shitpile!!

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Keith Schembri is the ‘mastermind’, Yorgen Fenech tells judge

Yorgen Fenech on Saturday named former government chief of staff Keith Schembri as the alleged "mastermind" behind Daphne Caruana Galizia's murder, during a tense cross-examination in which...

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Two Italian teens handed over to immigration for deportation after vandalising cars in Swieqi

Two Italian teenagers were arrested at Malta International Airport while attempting to leave the country following a drunken vandalising spree in Swieqi. 18-year-old Francesco Paoli and a...

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Fitch affirms Malta at 'A+'; Outlook stable

Fitch Ratings has affirmed Malta's Long-Term Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs)at 'A+' with a Stable Outlook. A full list of rating actions is at the end of this rating action commentary. Malta's...

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Five denied bail over alleged drug trafficking ring

Five individuals were remanded in custody on Friday following a coordinated police operation targeting properties in Ħal Għaxaq and Ħaż-Żabbar, which resulted in the seizure...

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An 18-year-old with a sword attacks a school in Sweden, leaving 1 dead and 2 injured

An 18-year-old man with a sword attacked a school Friday in central Sweden, leaving one person dead and at least two others seriously injured, a police chief said. Police Chief Tommy Alriksson...

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US imposes 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian products, and Canada says it will retaliate

The United States imposed 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian products early Saturday, and Canada immediately said it would retaliate, after last-ditch negotiations failed to resolve the...

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Free public transport, but a €5 penalty if you do not use it - PN

The Nationalist Party said Saturday that the decision to deduct €5 from a person's Tallinja Card if it is not used for a year raises an obvious question: if we want to encourage more people to...

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Man United stunned as Hull makes dream return to Premier League

Hull made a dream return to the Premier League after a nine-year absence, beating Manchester United 2-0 on Saturday to puncture any preseason optimism surrounding the 20-time...

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Prince Harry, Elton John, 5 others must pay initial $13 million over failed invasion of privacy case

Prince Harry and six others, including Elton John, have been ordered to pay an initial 9.5 million pounds ($13 million) to the publisher of Britain's Daily Mail newspaper following their failed...

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Updated: Lando Norris on pole for Dutch Grand Prix as Russell cruises to sprint win

George Russell started the second half of the Formula 1 season in style as he eased to a sprint race victory on Saturday ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix. Russell started from pole position,...

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recent poll

Likes before lives

Institutions

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

Fenech’s account: Schembri, Theuma and the events that led to his arrest

Yorgen Fenech told the jury on Friday that Keith Schembri was the person who drew him into dealings with Melvin Theuma after Daphne Caruana Galizia's assassination, including passing on warnings about...

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latest comment from Joezborg, 21/08/2026 20:15: Jonqsu jghid li sal 2013 kien igemma is santi

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Judge rejects defence motion for Yorgen Fenech trial to be dissolved

Judge Edwina Grima on Friday rejected a motion filed by Yorgen Fenech's defence to have his trial by jury dissolved over concerns on media headlines that jurors may have seen on their court-provided...

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Rock collapse at Mellieħa's Aħrax area prompts safety warnings from mayor

A rock formation has collapsed along the coast of the Aħrax area near Għadira, prompting Mellieħa Mayor Gabriel Micallef to issue an urgent safety warning to the public, though no...

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latest comment from Mark Said LL.D., 21/08/2026 20:18: This is why the role of geologists in such situations is pivotal.

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Driver left with serious injuries after van catches fire in Żebbuġ

A 41-year-old man from Ħal-Qormi has suffered serious injuries after the van he was driving caught fire and crashed into the parapet of a private residence in...

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Judge rules no grounds for trial to be dissolved; Fenech: 'I never ordered Daphne murder'

The defence will begin presenting its case on the 45th day of Yorgen Fenech's trial after the prosecution formally rested its case on Thursday evening, bringing weeks of evidence to a close following...

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latest comment from RF, 22/08/2026 06:48: If accused Mr Fenech had inconfutable alibi through US stamped passport, why did the defence team do its utmost to postpone trial and then call for its dissolution after 44 days thereby causing him years to prove his innocence and regain freedom? Not convinced he is extraneous to the murder but he did not act alone.

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TMID Editorial: KM Malta Airlines and financial transparency

The past few years have offered little in the way of economic when it comes to Malta having a national airline. First, a few years back, the perennially financially troubled Air Malta folded and...

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Paredes banned 10 games as FIFA suspends 3 Argentina players for World Cup final scuffle

FIFA banned three Argentina players on Friday, including a 10-match suspension for midfielder Leandro Paredes, for striking Spain opponents after losing the World Cup final. The ban for Paredes -...

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Man seriously injured as motorbike crashes into parked car

A 39-year-old man resident of Żabbar was seriously injured earlier today in a traffic accident on St Francis Street, Cospicua, the police said. The incident occurred at around 7.30am, when...

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news in pictures

events

Sports

Man United stunned as Hull makes dream return to Premier League

Updated: Lando Norris on pole for Dutch Grand Prix as Russell cruises to sprint win

Russell jokes that getting engaged helped him speed to pole as F1 returns at the Dutch GP

Paredes banned 10 games as FIFA suspends 3 Argentina players for World Cup final scuffle

Tzolis shines as Arsenal open Premier League season by sweeping aside promoted Coventry

Brotherly touch and English flavour could see Inter dominate Serie A, Como look to surprise again

Once homeless and in liquidation, Coventry back in the Premier League after painful 25-year absence

Max Verstappen extends contract with Red Bull to 2030 after he weighed up leaving F1

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

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

Tzolis shines as Arsenal open Premier League season by sweeping aside promoted Coventry

Newcomer Christos Tzolis helped set up two goals as defending champion Arsenal opened the Premier League season by dismantling promoted Coventry 3-0 to spoil the visitor's long-awaited return to...

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PN insists on publication of KM Malta Airlines accounts

The Nationalist Party said it is insisting that the accounts of KM Malta Airlines are published, following reports that the national carrier is recording losses amounting to tens of millions of euros,...

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latest comment from RF, 21/08/2026 11:15: KM Airlines is another AirMalta and Drydocks white elephant draining millions of public funds in inflated workforce and unnecessary expenditures and giving a lousy service to passengers while directors and management take exaggerated paypackets with no competence and accountability. I hope the opposition will do its utmost to stop this scandal. What's taking minister and management so long to cook the books?

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‘We are not collecting names. We are burying women’ – Women’s Lobby

Today, as Charlotte Zammit is laid to rest following her tragic death on 15 August, the Malta Women's Lobby has released a powerful and unsparing statement condemning systemic failures in protecting...

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latest comment from RF, 21/08/2026 08:40: As for everything that affects the wellbeing of the population, this government couldn't be bothered. The ministers have time only for themselves to be exaggeratedly made up to look pretty and find ways of enriching themselves and take luxurious holidays away from our polluted beaches and noisy surroundings.

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Parliamentary Secretary Bugeja Said gives birth to baby girl

The Parliamentary Secretary for Animal Welfare, Alicia Bugeja Said, has announced that she gave birth to a baby girl on Thursday. Bugeja Said shared the news on her social media pages on Friday....

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latest comment from Mark Said LL.D., 21/08/2026 15:04: Congrats to the Parliamentary Secretary!

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Six Italians arrested at airport over Swieqi car vandalism

Six Italian nationals were arrested at Malta International Airport on Thursday evening in connection with a spate of car vandalism in Swieqi, Home Affairs Minister Glenn Bedingfield said. In a...

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latest comment from C Xerri, 21/08/2026 13:47: "Six Italians arrested at airport over Swieqi car vandalism" But don't expect the Italian media to give this news the same prominence it gave to an Italian youth who is presently held in the Maltese Juvenile Prison.

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Russell jokes that getting engaged helped him speed to pole as F1 returns at the Dutch GP

George Russell got back to the front of the Formula 1 field on Friday and joked it's because he's no longer carrying an engagement ring. Russell took the fight to his series-leading...

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Transport Malta introduces front registration plate stickers for eligible vehicles

Transport Malta has rolled out a new option for vehicle owners facing space constraints on their front bumpers, allowing them to use an official registration plate sticker instead of a traditional...

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TMID Editorial: Room on our shores

Malta's beaches are many things at once: places to swim, socialise and escape the summer heat, sources of income for businesses and concession operators, and increasingly, spaces which...

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Three changes to First-Time Buyers Scheme, including more assistance for those with disabilities

The Minister for Housing and Lands, Owen Bonnici, announced three positive changes to the First-Time Buyers Scheme, the most important being the doubling of the assistance provided to persons with...

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Man granted bail after partner reports assault, then calls him despite restraining order

A 47-year-old man from Ħamrun was granted bail on Friday after pleading not guilty to charges of domestic assault and damaging his former partner's phone. The accused appeared before the...

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Business

BOV puts customer confidence at the centre of its investment services

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

Yorgen Fenech says he gave money to Melvin Theuma but did not pay for Daphne's murder

Keith Schembri is the ‘mastermind’, Yorgen Fenech tells judge

Two Italian teens handed over to immigration for deportation after vandalising cars in Swieqi

Fitch affirms Malta at 'A+'; Outlook stable

Five denied bail over alleged drug trafficking ring

An 18-year-old with a sword attacks a school in Sweden, leaving 1 dead and 2 injured

US imposes 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian products, and Canada says it will retaliate

Free public transport, but a €5 penalty if you do not use it - PN

Man United stunned as Hull makes dream return to Premier League

Prince Harry, Elton John, 5 others must pay initial $13 million over failed invasion of privacy case

Updated: Lando Norris on pole for Dutch Grand Prix as Russell cruises to sprint win

Fenech’s account: Schembri, Theuma and the events that led to his arrest

Judge rejects defence motion for Yorgen Fenech trial to be dissolved

Rock collapse at Mellieħa's Aħrax area prompts safety warnings from mayor

Driver left with serious injuries after van catches fire in Żebbuġ

Judge rules no grounds for trial to be dissolved; Fenech: 'I never ordered Daphne murder'

TMID Editorial: KM Malta Airlines and financial transparency

Paredes banned 10 games as FIFA suspends 3 Argentina players for World Cup final scuffle

Man seriously injured as motorbike crashes into parked car

3 injured after donkey jumps into a van, kicking and biting, in northern Germany

Five arrested as police break organised drug trafficking ring

VisitMalta becomes main shirt sponsor to Joseph Portelli’s Ars et Labor Ferrara FC

Qormi school undergoes €15 million transformation ahead of 2027 completion

New opposition group protests in Tunisia after extreme heat-driven power and water cuts

Man jailed 15 years after being caught with €800,000 worth of cannabis

‘She died investigating’: Prosecution closes its case with testimony from Daphne’s son

Fenech trial - Defence probes investigator's knowledge of allegations on Schembri, Cardona

Ta’ Qali Animal Hospital renovated ahead of re-opening, to also be used for student training

Tzolis shines as Arsenal open Premier League season by sweeping aside promoted Coventry

PN insists on publication of KM Malta Airlines accounts

‘We are not collecting names. We are burying women’ – Women’s Lobby

Parliamentary Secretary Bugeja Said gives birth to baby girl

Six Italians arrested at airport over Swieqi car vandalism

Russell jokes that getting engaged helped him speed to pole as F1 returns at the Dutch GP

Transport Malta introduces front registration plate stickers for eligible vehicles

TMID Editorial: Room on our shores

Three changes to First-Time Buyers Scheme, including more assistance for those with disabilities

Man granted bail after partner reports assault, then calls him despite restraining order

Student groups say new law allows Cabinet to let specific developments continue works despite appeal

Deadly overnight storms batter Germany as Balkan countries fight wildfires

St Vincent de Paul expands diagnostic services with new musculoskeletal ultrasound machine

Man grievously injured after being hit by car in Birkirkara

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

Government concludes public consultation on planning appeals reform