The Malta Independent

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19 July 2026, Sunday

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Nearly seven years after climate emergency declaration, just five of 15 pledges fully delivered

Nearly seven years after Parliament unanimously declared a climate emergency, only five of the 15 commitments contained in the landmark motion have been fully implemented, while several of the most...

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Speaker Abela rules out cutting MPs’ speaking time

Malta's newly-elected Speaker of the House of Representatives, Carmelo Abela, has firmly rejected calls to cut back the amount of time MPs are given to speak in Parliament, arguing that comparisons...

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latest comment from RF, 19/07/2026 08:14: Most of the Labour MPs including Robert Abela can only waffle and gratuiously attack the opposition. They can't argue intelligently. They think the more time they waste, the smarter they look.

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Borg says 98% confirmation vote is mandate for renewal, not a reason to slow down

Nationalist Party Leader Alex Borg has said his 98% confirmation vote gives him a strong mandate to continue renewing the party, while insisting the result should not be interpreted as permission to...

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Updated: 15-year-old boy dies after getting into difficulty while swimming

A 15-year-old boy from Pakistan, who resided in Xgħajra, tragically lost his life yesterday after getting into difficulty while swimming, the police said Sunday. The accident occurred late...

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Updated: Elderly man dies after being caught between truck and mechanical shovel

A 74-year-old man from Mellieħa tragically lost his life this morning after being caught between a truck and a mechanical shovel. The police said the accident happened at around...

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Malta is still ‘a man's world’ and gender mechanism remains necessary, says Labour MP

Newly-elected Labour MP Yana Borg Debono Grech said she now supports the gender-corrective mechanism, despite previously opposing it. Her experience as a public figure convinced her that Malta remains...

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Kimi Antonelli wins Belgian Grand Prix for a big F1 title boost after George Russell out

Kimi Antonelli always believed he had the momentum in the Formula 1 title race even when results didn't go his way. He made it count with a dominant win Sunday as his teammate and title rival...

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30 firefighters tackle large grass fire at Ħal Farruġ

30 firefighters are currently tackling a large grass fire in the Ħal Farruġ area of Luqa, with no injuries reported so far. The Civil Protection Department said it has deployed 12 fire...

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Toddler in critical condition after sea incident in Marsaxlokk

A one-year-and-seven-month-old girl is in serious condition after she entered the sea alone and began struggling to breathe in Marsaxlokk on Saturday night. Police said they were informed at...

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Bormla man arrested over string of vehicle vandalism cases

A 41-year-old man from Bormla has been arrested in connection with a series of vandalism incidents involving damaged vehicles in the locality, following days of investigations and surveillance, the...

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Government to support young people leaving residential care through aftercare programme

The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting young people transitioning from residential care to independent living through an aftercare programme that guarantees access to education,...

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recent poll

Blogs & Opinions

Kevin Aquilina

Lowering human rights and equality protection

Katya De Giovanni

National examinations must serve the country, not a single institution

Emmanuel J. Galea

Gozo: The concrete nobody ordered

Frans Camilleri

The orgy of capitalism

Gejtu Vella

Protecting Malta while welcoming the world

Ivan Bartolo

Housing is more than a budget line – It is about Malta's future

Marco Bonnici

Teaching qualification at level seven (or six?)

Michael Briguglio

Malta’s demographic transformation

Darren Carabott

Malta doesn't need to grow less; it needs to grow smarter

Mark Said

Public service, illegal structures and offshore bunkering facility

Equality Law is regressive and should be ditched, law professor says

Government is proposing to lower the human rights protection that we citizens enjoy in the case of human rights and equality matters regulated by the proposed Bill, Law Professor Kevin Aquilina writes...

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Resuscitation Council calls for CPR to become compulsory in schools

The Malta Resuscitation Council has called for a national policy that would make life-saving training a standard part of education, saying that CPR should be embedded in the National Curriculum to...

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TMIS Editorial: Who should the country believe – the Prime Minister or the GWU?

The contrast could not have been more striking. Prime Minister Robert Abela painted a picture of a Malta in which prosperity has become the norm. According to what he told The Sunday Times last...

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latest comment from RF, 19/07/2026 10:19: A sensible person would first invest in residential home and then on holidays abroad, leisure boat or luxury car. The situation is different from what the Prime Minister would have us believe as statistics show that homeowners are decreasing and homeless and close to poverty line increasing. They are the leisure boat and luxury car owners and not households who are taking the bulk of fuel subsidies out of our hard-earned taxes. That's socialism for Abela's Partit Laburista.

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The World Cup final awaits, with Messi and defending champion Argentina set to face Spain

Lionel Messi rarely loses. Spain never loses. That's been how things have worked in recent years, anyway. Soccer's best player and soccer's dominant team are set to collide Sunday in a...

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Former Labour MP suggests setting up ‘fully independent national examinations authority’

Malta should therefore consider establishing or strengthening a fully independent national examinations authority with a clear legal mandate, former Labour MP Katya De Giovanni writes today. Its...

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latest comment from Marcus, 19/07/2026 10:11: This proposal for a independent examinations authority has been paddled around since Evarist Bartolo's stint as Minister for Education, almost a decade ago. An excellent example is the Dutch CITO, which specializes in educational assessment, testing, and learning analytics.

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Crash survivor reunites with officers who saved his life

Two Malta Police officers have been reunited with a man whose life they helped save after he became trapped between a car and a truck in a traffic accident in Sliema earlier this year. Police...

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From Roman harbour to white gold: Discover Salina's remarkable story at Salt Fest

Traditional salt harvesting at Salina Nature Reserve, where freshly harvested sea salt is gathered into piles. Photo: Aron Tanti

Long before Salina became one of Malta's best-known nature reserves, it was a busy Roman harbour, a strategic military stronghold and the centre of one of Malta's most valuable industries. Today, the...

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Preserving our cultural heritage

Every country has artefacts that tell its story. For Malta, these are found in our churches and chapels, in works of art, archives, music, traditions, and in the stories passed on from one generation...

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news in pictures

events

Sports

Kimi Antonelli wins Belgian Grand Prix for a big F1 title boost after George Russell out

The World Cup final awaits, with Messi and defending champion Argentina set to face Spain

Saka’s hat trick lifts England past Mbappé and France 6-4 in wild World Cup third-place game

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli qualifies on pole for F1's Belgian Grand Prix

Lionel Messi once held baby Lamine Yamal in his arms. Now they will battle for the World Cup title

Argentina rally past England to reach the World Cup final

Spain shut down France and Mbappé, advance to the World Cup final with a 2-0 victory

Two tracks, one choice –What PwC's 2026 AI Jobs Barometer means for Malta

AI is no longer a "future of work" conversation. It is reshaping the labour market in real time. PwC's 2026 AI Jobs Barometer, which analysed more than one billion job advertisements across 27...

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Momentum proposes compulsory first aid training for drivers and in schools

Momentum has proposed a national first aid campaign that would make basic life-saving training compulsory for secondary school students and potentially link certification to obtaining a driving...

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Yorgen Fenech trial: Jury hears claims of cash payments, recordings and pardon fears

Former police commissioner Lawrence Cutajar is set to take the stand today in the trial by jury of Yorgen Fenech, a businessman who has pleaded not guilty to two principal charges: complicity in the...

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Motorcyclist suffers serious injuries in Xagħra crash

A 63-year-old motorcyclist is in hospital with serious injuries following a traffic accident in Xagħra, Gozo, this afternoon, the police said. The accident occurred at approximately 2:15pm...

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The US and Iran have blown past red lines as they lurch back toward all-out war

A week after the United States and Iran signed a preliminary deal aimed at ending the war, an Iranian drone slammed into a cargo ship sailing through the Strait of Hormuz. There were no...

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Analysis: A look into Malta’s declared climate emergency nearly 7 years later

The parliamentary motion declaring a climate emergency passed nearly seven years ago by the Maltese Parliament featured 15 points of action to demonstrate Malta's commitment to safeguard the...

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Yorgen Fenech trial: Witness feared Theuma would be left 'holding the bomb case', jury told

A close friend of state witness Melvin Theuma told jurors on Saturday that Theuma had claimed Yorgen Fenech gave him €150,000 to pay the Degiorgio brothers for the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder,...

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Saka’s hat trick lifts England past Mbappé and France 6-4 in wild World Cup third-place game

England and France delivered a thriller in a World Cup match that was supposed to be an afterthought. A day before Lionel Messi and Argentina were set to try and defend their title in a highly...

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Rule of law report confirms Malta still lacks reforms it needs, Repubblika says

NGO Repubblika on Saturday welcomed the publication of the European Commission's 2026 Rule of Law Report on Malta, which, it said, presents a sober and realistic assessment of the state of our...

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latest comment from St John, 18/07/2026 14:44: "The report concludes that Malta continues to lag in tackling high-level corruption," "Among the report’s most damning conclusions is Malta’s continued failure to establish a credible track record of final judgements in high-level corruption cases." "The Commission is urging Malta to intensify efforts to conclude investigations and secure final judgements in high-level corruption cases." We should be able to feel confident that "the corrupt" will truly be brought to justice and punished accordingly with strong prison sentences, fines and loss of properties and other assets to refund the monies stolen.

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Motorcyclist grievously injured in Birkirkara collision

A 28-year-old man was hospitalised with grievous injuries following a traffic collision in Birkirkara on Saturday morning, the police said. The accident occurred at approximately 11am on Triq...

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Business

IFSP and BOV strengthen governance dialogue through Boardroom Excellence workshop

Think big

Population growth drives urgent infrastructure needs - PwC Malta Summer 2026 Economic Update

Central Bank of Malta Governor at IMF-World Bank constituency meeting in Portugal

IHI p.l.c. announces basis of acceptance for the €30,000,000 5.25% unsecured bonds 2036

United Group celebrates 100 years of enterprise and growth

Nearly seven years after climate emergency declaration, just five of 15 pledges fully delivered

Speaker Abela rules out cutting MPs’ speaking time

Borg says 98% confirmation vote is mandate for renewal, not a reason to slow down

Updated: 15-year-old boy dies after getting into difficulty while swimming

Updated: Elderly man dies after being caught between truck and mechanical shovel

Malta is still ‘a man's world’ and gender mechanism remains necessary, says Labour MP

Kimi Antonelli wins Belgian Grand Prix for a big F1 title boost after George Russell out

30 firefighters tackle large grass fire at Ħal Farruġ

Toddler in critical condition after sea incident in Marsaxlokk

Bormla man arrested over string of vehicle vandalism cases

Government to support young people leaving residential care through aftercare programme

Equality Law is regressive and should be ditched, law professor says

Resuscitation Council calls for CPR to become compulsory in schools

TMIS Editorial: Who should the country believe – the Prime Minister or the GWU?

The World Cup final awaits, with Messi and defending champion Argentina set to face Spain

Former Labour MP suggests setting up ‘fully independent national examinations authority’

Crash survivor reunites with officers who saved his life

From Roman harbour to white gold: Discover Salina's remarkable story at Salt Fest

Preserving our cultural heritage

Garage fire extinguished in Marsaskala

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

Government claims key gains in EU ETS overhaul as business lobby says more must be done

Watch - Surreal: ‘Blanket of heat’ covers Ghadira Bay

Manoel Island betrayed: PA facilitates bail out for developer of illegal padel courts - DLH

Man in critical condition following Floriana traffic accident

Sliema Arts Festival 2026 returns to transform streets into creative hub

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli qualifies on pole for F1's Belgian Grand Prix

Lionel Messi once held baby Lamine Yamal in his arms. Now they will battle for the World Cup title

Two tracks, one choice –What PwC's 2026 AI Jobs Barometer means for Malta

Momentum proposes compulsory first aid training for drivers and in schools

Yorgen Fenech trial: Jury hears claims of cash payments, recordings and pardon fears

Motorcyclist suffers serious injuries in Xagħra crash

The US and Iran have blown past red lines as they lurch back toward all-out war

Analysis: A look into Malta’s declared climate emergency nearly 7 years later

Yorgen Fenech trial: Witness feared Theuma would be left 'holding the bomb case', jury told

Saka’s hat trick lifts England past Mbappé and France 6-4 in wild World Cup third-place game

Rule of law report confirms Malta still lacks reforms it needs, Repubblika says

Motorcyclist grievously injured in Birkirkara collision

Public and alternative transport are not a top priority for the government, ADPD says

TMID Editorial: It’s not just parking

‘Electricity has become a luxury’: PN blasts another spate of summer power cuts; PL replies

Europol expert details deadly bomb as jury hears of payments to hitmen's families

Forensic evidence and cash trail dominate sitting in Yorgen Fenech trial

41 degrees: Sizzling days hitting Malta - health authorities' recommendations