Malta’s public spaces are few and far between.  While strides have been made when it comes to public green spaces (although a lot more work still needs to be done), urban spaces which once used to be a cradle of the town or village community are no longer what they were. We’re talking, largely about village squares.  In many localities, the village square was once the centre for the community – a meeting place for all young and old.  Today, in many places, this doesn’t exist anymore. One such place is in Victoria in Gozo, specifically the square outside the St George’s parish church.  This square has been effectively over-run by tables and chairs put out by food establishments which border the square, while access has been blocked by souvenir shops taking up the narrow streets. Such was the lack of planning and even the lack of...

President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola has denied claims that she had plagiarised in her university thesis. In a report published on German tabloid newspaper Bild, media research Stefan Weber made a claim that Metsola’s thesis contained plagiarism material from other authors. PL Deputy Leader and MEP Alex Agius Saliba referenced the article in a Facebook post, and provided an English translation. The plagiarism hunter Stefan Weber accuses her of having copied “almost half” of her doctoral thesis, it reads. It also reads that the President of the EU Parliament does not have a doctorate, but calls herself on the side of her conservative EPP group: “Dr. Metsola”. Reacting to the BILD report, a spokesperson for the EU Parliament President said: “The President stands by the authenticity of her work, written 23 years ago, as part of her law course and rejects any assertion to the...

The Corinthia Group, trading as IHI plc, announced Thursday that its subsidiary, Corinthia Hotels, and Dubai General Properties have joined forces to develop a landmark hotel and residential project in the heart of Dubai. The centrepiece of the visionary mixed-use project features a 102 storey tower, set to become one of the world’s tallest buildings, on the Sheikh Zayed Road near the celebrated Museum of the Future. The property is owned by Dubai General Properties LLC, which specialises in real estate projects in the UAE, while Corinthia Hotels will provide management and expertise to operate a luxury hotel having approximately 120 bedrooms and provide branding and servicing to luxury residences being developed in the towers. Another Corinthia Group subsidiary, QP, a multidisciplinary design and project management firm, will provide project management and design services to ensure seamless execution. Simon Naudi, CEO of Corinthia Group, said: “Corinthia is delighted that two...

The police will appeal the court’s decision to acquit entrepreneur Christian Borg of perjury, the Times of Malta reported The police told Times of Malta in reply to questions on Wednesday that they had filed a note of appeal. Asked if the prosecuting officer would be facing disciplinary proceedings, a police spokesperson simply replied that a note of appeal had been filed, the newspaper reports. “Further information cannot be provided at this stage due to ongoing court proceedings,” the spokersperson said. Borg was accused of giving false testimony in a civil case before magistrate Gabriella Vella in January 2021. The allegations arose after the magistrate herself filed a complaint, prompting criminal proceedings. The prosecution failed to submit the transcript of Borg’s testimony before magistrate Vella, needed to establish perjury. Although prosecutors submitted affidavits and official documents, their inability to provide the verbatim record of Borg’s statement weakened...

PN MP Darren Carabott has stated that if the Nationalist Party is elected back to power, it will reverse the proposed reform currently being proposed by Bill 125, which will be reforming magisterial inquiries. As parliamentary debates on the magisterial inquiry reform continued during Wednesday’s plenary session, the Opposition’s reforms spokesperson said that his party intends to reverse the magisterial inquiry reform to retrieve citizens their right to open a magisterial inquiry through an independent magistrate. Carabott said that the Nationalist Party will reverse this reform whether it wins a general election in the next two years or later down the line. “A Nationalist government, when elected, will reverse this law,” Carabott said. The PAC Chairperson described that the PN will work to retrieve citizens of their right to open magisterial inquiries through an independent magistrate under their own accord. “This is not a question of red or blue, but...

Prime Minister Robert Abela has “orchestrated” the opening of two new magisterial inquiries “against the PN and its employees, as well as against PN Leader Bernard Grech, the Nationalist Party said. “Robert Abela is using the very same tool he wants to deprive the Maltese people of in a desperate attempt to force the Nationalist Party to agree with him on removing citizens’ right to request a magisterial inquiry,” the PN said. “However, he will not succeed. The PN is determined to strongly oppose Robert Abela’s fascist law, which seeks to eliminate the right to initiate magisterial inquiries.” “In his latest desperate attempt, which shows how backed into a corner he is and how he has lost all control over the fascist faction within Labour that has taken over his party, the Prime Minister is exploiting the proposed changes to the law on magisterial inquiries to silence...

New regulations on the keeping of dangerous animals in Malta begin taking effect from today, with owners of such animals being required to comply with the updated regulations during the next three months, the Ministry for Animal Rights stated on Monday. The Ministry stated that it is taking decisive steps to address concerns about the keeping of dangerous animals in the country. It commented that reports have been received over the years about unregistered dangerous animals, which raised concerns both about the welfare of the animals as well as about the safety of the public. It said that during meetings with various non-government organisations and activists who work in favour of the protection of animals, a proposal was presented for the authorities to introduce stricter regulations on the subject. The Ministry continued that 25 non-government organisations proposed a number of measures, including the introduction of a defined...

Kyle Patrick Camilleri Sunday, 16 February 2025, 13:18 Last update: about 3 hours ago Leader of the Nationalist Party Bernard Grech criticised the government’s actions throughout 2025 during a political activity on Sunday. He said that a month and a half into the new year, virtually all that the government has come up with is “a law that deprives you of your rights.” While continuing his reference to the ongoing magisterial inquiry reform, Grech said that “this is all the government has come up with so far this year – a law to allow them to protect themselves, rather than a law to help the people. That is the difference between the two main parties.” He continued that the government has remained steadfast “to keep controlling the institutions and protect criminals.” “Instead of protecting the people, it wants to stay on...

Several NGOs organised a protest against the government’s efforts to fast-track a reform on citizens’ ability to open a magisterial inquiry. The protest began at 4pm on Sunday in front of the national Parliament. This protest is being organised by Repubblika and Occupy Justice, and a host of other NGOs, including the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation, aditus, PEN Malta, the Law Students Association (GħSL), and Vuċi Kollettiva. The scope of this protest is to attempt to persuade the government to halt the ongoing proceedings to enact Bill 125 – the Bill that intends to alter the way magisterial inquiries can be requested. The NGOs are hoping that instead of fast-tracking this reform, government conducts a public consultation exercise on reforming the judicial system in a way to strengthen the fight against corruption and organised crime. The government’s approach to this reform is being opposed by the Nationalist...

Top-ranked tennis player Jannik Sinner accepted a three-month ban in a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency and said Saturday the agreement ends a case that was “hanging over me” since his two positive doping tests nearly a year ago. WADA, which was seeking to ban the three-time Grand Slam champion from the sport for at least one year, had challenged a decision last year by the International Tennis Integrity Agency not to suspend Sinner for what the ITIA judged was accidental contamination by a banned anabolic steroid last March. Sinner’s explanation – that trace amounts of Clostebol in his doping sample was due to a massage from a trainer who used the substance after cutting his own finger – had been accepted. The timing means the 23-year-old Italian won’t miss any Grand Slam tournaments. The French Open, the season’s next major, starts May 25. “This case had been hanging over me now for nearly a...