James
Debono

James Debono is MaltaToday's chief reporter on environment, planning and land use issues, and one of the newspaper's main political analysts. Apart from blogging regularly on politics, James Debono won the IGM national press awards' environmental reporter of the year in 2011 for his report showing how a beverage company that extracted over 51,000 of cubic metres of water every year from the national water table for free, was awarded an environmental award by the University of Malta. Debono also heads Mediatoday's survey unit, which has conducted polls on all electoral appointments since 2008, correctly predicting the outcome of all elections and the 2011 divorce referendum.

He read history and obtained his Masters' degree from the University of Malta, and in the past worked for TV production house Where's Everybody before joining MaltaToday in 2005. A co-founder of Moviment Graffitti and active in Moviment ghall-Ambjent, he served as a media officer for Alternattiva Demokratika - the Green Party. James is married and has a son. His interests include listening to music and reading.

MaltaToday survey: Labour strengthens lead despite record abstentions
Data & Surveys
MaltaToday December survey shows Labour retaining only 60% of 2022 voters and...
Maltese students below OECD average in maths, reading and science
National
Only 64% of Maltese students attain basic level of proficiency in reading, 10...
Abolish 1c and 2c coins, majority of Maltese say
National
3% mentally convert to old currency for everyday shopping
Superintendence objects to supermarket in disused Marsaskala ODZ quarry
Townscapes
The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage is opposing the  development of...
PA approves Labour councillor’s old people’s home in the ODZ
Townscapes
Three storey high old people’s home proposed instead of one storey high...
Three new floors could be approved on Paceville’s listed townhouses
Townscapes
A proposal to add three floors to a row of nine listed Grade 2 townhouses in...
Second interconnector set to be approved in January
National
A second interconnector is essential for meeting the forecasted increase in the...
Beefbar appeals PA’s refusal of Buġibba pontoon for boats
Townscapes
The Beefbar owners have filed an appeal in a bid to overturn the Planning...
Macina hotel lift proposal raises ‘grave concern’
Townscapes
Isla Macina hotel operator wants glass lift but heritage watchdog is concerned...
Cannabis growing facility proposed in Victoria
National
First cannabis growing facility in Gozo will be on a gentle slope between...
Msida council objects to flats on farmland overlooking Valley Road
Townscapes
The Msida local council is objecting to residential development on an...
Free no more: A price tag on groundwater
Townscapes
For the first time ever, the state intends to impose a tariff on ground water...
Graffitti tells PA: ‘Remove illegal parking before considering Wied Babu villas’
Townscapes
Moviment Graffitti demands reinstatement of a 4,900 sq.m illegal parking to its...
Towering trees along Valley Road to get a shaving
Townscapes
No trees will be uprooted but canopies will be reduced by six metres in...
Maltese companies most likely in EU to import workers from outside the bloc
National
Maltese companies are the most likely in the European Union to resort to labour...
[ANALYSIS] Is Bernard Grech opening the floodgates for Norman Lowell?
National
With MEP elections looming on the horizon, Bernard Grech tries to milk the...
Five-storey development proposed along Mosta’s Wied il-Ghasel
Townscapes
Development height aligned to that of the opposite Casa Arkati • Proposed...
Government scrapes pass mark again, but outlook remains gloomy
Data & Surveys
In the aftermath of the budget, government scores 2.6 marks out of five on...
Lands Authority to discuss transfer of its land in Qajjenza after PA decision
Townscapes
The Lands Authority will wait for the Planning Authority’s verdict on a...
‘Eye-candy’ photomontages can fool planners
Townscapes
Photomontages showing how a development will look like to any person standing...