The Prime Minister has insisted that the Labour Party’s pre-electoral congress taking place next week “does not necessarily mean he will be calling a general election before summer. In comments to journalists on Thursday evening, hours after the PL president and deputy leader announced details of the upcoming congress, Robert Abela refused to dismiss
US President Donald Trump told NBC News on Thursday he was "very optimistic" about a peace deal with Iran after their ceasefire, and that Israel was "scaling back" strikes in Lebanon. Trump told the US broadcaster in a telephone interview that Iran's leaders were "much more reasonable" in private but added that "if they don't make a deal, it's going
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday he ordered his cabinet to open direct talks with Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah and establish "peace relations" between the two countries. "In light of Lebanon's repeated requests to open direct negotiations with Israel, I instructed the cabinet yesterday to begin direct negotiations with Lebanon
DISCLAIMER: This article contains graphic details that some readers might find disturbing. Court proceedings have begun against Joseph Zahra, who stands accused with 13 offences, including rape and non-consensual sexual acts involving a woman residing at the Ħal Far Open Centre. The 43-year-old was arraigned on 27 March, as police inspectors testified
The TVM news bulletin will start featuring automated subtitles in Maltese as part of a pilot project. The initiative forms part of the SaqWI project, a corpus of questions and answers funded by the Microsoft AI for Good Lab at the Maltese Language Centre in collaboration with the Department of Artificial Intelligence at the University of Malta. They
A 54-year-old man was jailed for eight years and fined after reaching a plea deal and admitting to importing cocaine. Stanley Anayo Chukwu Chukwukere, a Nigerian national, was accused of importing almost 1kg of cocaine hidden in his stomach and of being in possession of the drugs in circumstances that denoted it was not for personal use. The man was
A man with a 50-page criminal record was jailed for six years on Thursday after he was found guilty of breaking into a St Paul’s Bay shop and over €8,000 worth of objects and cash. Matthew Camilleri, 39, who was already serving time for a separate case, told the police he was willing to cooperate and name accomplices in the 2020 burglary, in exchange
A pilot project introducing automated Maltese subtitles for news broadcasts has been launched, as part of a wider initiative aimed at strengthening the language's presence in the digital and artificial intelligence sphere. The project forms part of SaqWI - a questions and answers corpus funded by Microsoft's AI for Good Lab, and is being developed
Senior health officials are perplexed by Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela’s initiative to host a mega-party celebrating the 350th anniversary of the Medical School in Malta at the same time that a project to have a new medical school next to Mater Dei, announced in 2019, remains at a complete standstill and in limbo. Hundreds of invitations have been
Local councils were briefed on a €750,000 government scheme to fund the development of dog parks and cat cafés, with up to €50,000 available per project, a government statement said. A meeting was held with local councils to provide further details on a new scheme supporting the development of dog parks and cat cafés in local communities, following
The Planning Authority has approved a development consisting of 174 apartments, 250 garages and three retail outlets in Msida. The project, filed under application PA/03117/23, includes 20 one-bedroom, 128 two-bedroom and 26 three-bedroom apartments. The proposal also features pools at different levels. The site is located on Triq ta’ Boxbox and Triq
A wrecked boat that ran aground in Santa Marija Bay in Comino during Storm Harry in January has been removed by Transport Malta. Following a notice to mariners, TM started an operation to remove the wreck, together with other debris, on Tuesday, and completed the work on Thursday. The work was carried out by divers assisted by the vessels Sea Express
An animal welfare charity has revealed it rescued more than 250 dogs from one UK home, with a photo of the scene prompting "disbelief" and false claims that the image was generated by artificial intelligence. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) said the more than 250 poodle-cross breeds were found at the property in an
A number of NGOs on Thursday slammed the government’s “cowardly attempt” to revive past plans of a controversial pedestrian bridge near the Kulleġġ bus stop in Msida as they called for consultation for a better pedestrian-focused solution. On Wednesday, Times of Malta revealed the footbridge was approved by the Planning Authority despite concerns raised
A new MRI machine has been inaugurated at St Vincent de Paul with an expenditure of around €1.8 million, the Health Ministry and the European Funds Ministry said in a statement. The MRI 1.5T represents a significant upgrade in healthcare services, enabling more complex and precise examinations that will lead to better diagnosis and more effective treatment,
The second edition of Festa Ħaddiem - Minn Id il-Public Works, will take place on 2 and 3 May at Ta' Qali, building on last year's event with expanded activities, new experiences and a wider celebration of Maltese craftsmanship. Following the success of the first edition, the Parliamentary Secretariat for Public Works, together with the Public Works
A new MRI inaugurated on Thursday at St Vincent de Paul Hospital will lead to more effective treatment for patients and help ease pressure on Mater Dei, the Health Minster said. The 1.5T MRI, which cost around €1.8 million and was co-financed by European funds, represents “a significant leap” in the quality of services offered as it allows for more
A 46-year-old Żabbar man asked a court “what’s the minimum punishment?” after indicating he would admit to a string of thefts from parked cars, before being remanded in custody on Thursday. Eman Zammit was accused of stealing from three parked vehicles in his hometown, making fraudulent use of stolen bank cards and handling stolen goods. He was also
A new MRI scanner has been inaugurated at St Vincent de Paul Hospital following an investment of approximately €1.8 million, co-financed through European funds. The inauguration was attended by Minister Jo Etienne Abela, Minister Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi and Parliamentary Secretary Malcolm Paul Agius Galea. It was explained that this investment in a
Court expert Jeremy Harbinson dissolved his firm after completing work related to the Vitals magisterial inquiry, a court heard on Thursday. The court continued hearing evidence in proceedings concerning freezing and seizure order related to the hospitals concession case. During the hearing, testimony was given by Dorothy Brown, the liquidator of Harbinson