Ajax are hopeful David Neres will be fit for their Champions League semi-final second leg against Tottenham Hotspur, with coach Erik ten Hag admitting there was «a small question mark» surrounding the fitness of the talented Brazilian winger. «There is perhaps a small problem with David, but he will train and we expect him to play,» Ten Hag said at a press conference on Tuesday at the Johan Cruyff Arena. Ajax take a 1-0 lead into Wednesday's game after Donny van de Beek's early goal separated the teams in London last week. Neres, who scored a brilliant equaliser in the 1-1 draw at home to Juventus in the quarter-finals and hit the post late in the first leg against Tottenham, came on as a second-half substitute in the Dutch Cup final at the weekend as Ajax beat Willem II 4-0 in Rotterdam. It was the first leg of a potential treble for the Amsterdam side, who are top of the Dutch Eredivisie and hoping to reach the Champions League final for the first time since 1996. They have already dumped out the holders, Real Madrid, and beaten Juventus to reach this stage, and now they are hoping to finish the job against Spurs. "The intensity against a Premier League team is a little...

Jan Vertonghen will be back for Tottenham Hotspur when they face Ajax in the return leg of their Champions League semi-final on Wednesday, coach Mauricio Pochettino confirmed. The Belgian defender came off in the first half of last week's 1-0 defeat in the first leg after suffering a nasty head knock, and missed Tottenham's trip to Bournemouth at the weekend as a result. «He didn't suffer anything more than the cut on his nose. A lot of players keep playing in the same situation. It wasn't a big issue,» insisted Pochettino at a press conference in Amsterdam on Tuesday evening. «I think he's ready to play.» The Spurs coach also suggested that reports Vertonghen would wear a face mask were wide of the mark. In addition, Erik Lamela has been back in training and could feature, while Son Heung-min is available after missing the first leg due to suspension and then being sent off as Tottenham lost 1-0 at Bournemouth. Harry Kane, Harry Winks and Serge Aurier are all out, though, as Spurs look to reach the final of the Champions League for the first time.

Another year and, it seems, another round of sewage problems at the popular Ras il-Ħobż dive spot in Gozo. Footage taken by divers last week shows murky discharge flowing freely into the sea from an underwater pipe, the latest in a series of incidents dating back years. Similar problems at the coastal area beside Mġarr ix-Xini, and close to a sewage treatment plant, have been reported by divers since at least 2013, with no enduring solution yet found. Għajnsielem deputy mayor Kevin Cauchi, who has repeatedly flagged issues at the site, yesterday called on the authorities to address the “unacceptable situation” and put long-term solutions in place. “Even if the outflow has been treated, it is not a pleasant scene in a dive zone, especially when divers come from abroad and spend a lot of money specifically to visit sites like this,” Mr Cauchi told the Times of Malta. He said the authorities had made progress in addressing a related issue at the same site, where clogged manholes were leading to sewage outflow over the land, but had so far failed to tackle the underwater situation. The Water Services Corporation could not be reached for comment yesterday but a spokesman had said the...

A joint Spanish and Equatorial Guinea naval operation has rescued 20 crew members on a merchant ship from a hijacking by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea, the Spanish defence ministry said Tuesday. The captain of the Maltese-flagged vessel sounded the alarm on Sunday after their ship was approached by armed pirates, the ministry said, with the crew taking refuge in an emergency compartment. «Once on board, the pirates used a megaphone to demand the crew surrender and give them all the money on board,» the ministry added. When the captain refused to comply, the pirates fired into the emergency compartment, the ministry said. No one was injured by gunfire. The Spanish «Serviola» patrol ship, which carries out security and surveillance tasks in the region, received reports of the hijacking and conducted a rescue operation with an Equatorial Guinea navy vessel. Ten pirates were arrested, according to the Equatorial Guinea authorities. «I congratulate the heroic action of our armed forces,» said Vice President of Defence and Security in Equatorial Guinea, Teodorin Nguema Obiang, in a statement read out on state radio on Tuesday. He said the navy intervened after "a call for help from a...

A group of Gozitan farmers and livestock breeders risk being forced to shut down their operations due to increasing expenses and an uneven playing field. Six farmers spoke on how the number of people working in the sector has diminished drastically, and that those who remain in business only do so because they have invested too much money to afford to pack it in now. “Farming is in my blood, my family is made up of livestock breeders. It has always been my wish to continue the family tradition but I wanted to do it properly, aided by technology and maintaining modern standards,” one young chicken farmer said. Encouraged by what he described as “promises that the farming sector would be given the attention it so desperately needed by the authorities”, he decided to take up a funding scheme that supports investment in cost-effective and environmentally efficient systems, in order to set up what he believed would be a worthy enterprise. “Like most funding schemes, this one does not finance 100 per cent of the capital outlay required, so I – and many others like me – had to take out a substantial bank loan that runs into hundreds of thousands. We were all led to believe that the...

Four men have been found not guilty of defrauding and exploiting a group of Pakistani nurses employed at Mater Dei Hospital. Raymond Bonavia, David Athwal, Frankie Agius and Stephen James Grech were accused of involvement in a criminal conspiracy to exploit and defraud the nurses, even through violence and harassment, as well as breaching employment laws. It all began in 2011 when the Health Ministry issued a call for applications for the engagement of nurses at Mater Dei. The call was open to both EU and third country nationals. A number of Pakistani nurses offered their services through a recruitment agency in their homeland, Deluxe Company Ltd. A Maltese company, Chrism Services Ltd, represented by Bonavia and Athwal, was handed a power of attorney to facilitate the transfer of the successful candidates upon completion of the selection process which involved two Skype interviews organized by the Health Ministry. The chosen candidates eventually moved to Malta where they signed a second agreement with the local agency which also offered them accommodation against payment, as well as mobile, internet and television services. Each nurse was to fork out €3,000, paid out of their...

The government is to plant 8,000 trees in a site perviously earmarked for the expansion of the freeport in what will be Malta's biggest afforestation project to date.  Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi said an application to extend the freeport inward at Bengħajsa, limits of Birżebbuġa had been withdrawn, making way for the «massive» afforestation project. Instead, the freeport will now continue to grow towards the sea, away from people. «The previous administration had earmarked this land for an extension of the Freeport terminals, effectively turning it into a container terminal,» Dr Mizzi said. Instead, part of the land behind the freeport will be developed into a park. Another area will be developed as a camping site, Environment Minister Jose' Herrera said. In total, 87 tumoli of land will be used and 8,000 endemic trees will be planted, he said. Maintenance for the camping site will be entrusted to an as yet undetermined NGO, Dr Herrera said. The €400,000 afforestation project will also include the renovation of an underground bunker dating back to the British rule.  The inconvenience the Freeport creates on residents of Birżebbuġa had to be addressed, the Environment...

James Harden scored 38 points and the Houston Rockets held off the Golden State Warriors 112-108 Monday to knot their NBA playoff series at two games apiece. The reigning champion Warriors head home for game five of the best-of-seven Western Conference clash on Wednesday with a lot of work to do in a series in which each game has been decided by six or fewer points. It was a different story on Monday in the East, as Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 17 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter to propel the Bucks to a 113-101 victory over the Celtics in Boston and a commanding 3-1 series lead. Milwaukee will try to punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference finals when they host game five on Wednesday. In Houston, reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Harden made sure the Rockets didn't fall into a similar hole. Harden scored 13 of his 18 first-half points in the second quarter and added another 13 in the third, when the Rockets stretched their lead to as many as 17. The Warriors responded with an 11-0 scoring run in the third period, and put together a 7-0 run late in the fourth, when they pulled within 108-110 on a Stephen Curry three-pointer with 19.3 seconds left. Down...

An armed man has taken four hostages in a convenience store in Blagnac, near Toulouse airport, according to initial reports. His demands are not known. Other areas of the store have been evacuated. The area has been surrounded by police.   More to follow. 

A €2 million facility tailored for the needs of residents aged under 60 will be built at the St Vincent de Paule residence. The centre, Narċis, is aimed at younger residents - primarily people with a disability - who have so far been living with elderly residents at the main facility. The project will include the development of a specialised multi-disciplinary programme tailored to younger patients' physical and psychological needs, and is being put forward as a step towards residents reintegration in society. There are currently some younger 16 residents at St Vincent De Paule. «The ultimate goal is for every person to be living in their own home in their community,» Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said while unveiling the project on Tuesday. «This should not be seen as a final destination or just another ward at St Vincent de Paule, but as a point of transition for people who have spent years living in a facility that was not directly aimed at them. »We also recognise that some people, because of their needs, will be living here for the rest of their lives, and so it is important that the centre feels less like an institution and more like a home." The setting-up of the...

A 40-year-old man was grievously injured when an iron tool fell on him while he was working at a construction site in Floriana on Tuesday. The police said the accident happened in Triq il-Kapuċċini at 10am. The victim, a Serbian national who lives in Msida, was taken to Mater Dei Hospital by ambulance. The police are investigating.

The Office of the United Nations’ High Commissioner for Human Rights has expressed concern at how three teenagers who stand accused of leading an alleged hijack at sea are being handled. In a statement on Tuesday, a spokesman described the charges the three suspects face as “exaggerated” and urged prosecutors to reconsider them. The three accused – aged 15, 16 and 19 - have been charged with crimes amounting to terrorist activity. Last month, Times of Malta revealed they were being held at Corradino Correction Facility, a prison for adults. The two minors were subsequently moved to a prison for juvenile offenders.   The El Hiblu 1 was taken over by Armed Forces of Malta personnel and brought to port late in March after its captain issued an alert saying the vessel had been hijacked by a group of migrants rescued at sea. According to accounts in court, some of the migrants brought aboard the vessel grew restless after discovering that the captain was taking them back to Libya. Many exhibited signs of torture, ill-treatment The OHCHR also expressed alarm at the way in which the three were originally held in custody. Read: Teens ordered hijacked ship to 'go Malta', captain...

Maree Azzopardi’s new works continue the artist’s ongoing engagement with theses of the human body, religious symbolism and the polarities of earth and water. Her photographs act as memorials for the people or place they remember and record. They include personal memories and family narrative and the works explore themes of loss, retrieval, commemoration and bearing witness. For the first time, the artist has printed photographs onto linen. These works harness the symbolic power of linen in Catholic ritual and iconography, especially altar cloths and the practice of shrouding the dead. The exhibition, open until June 2, is free and on display at Space B, Spazju Kreattiv, Valletta. It is open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays between 9am and 9pm. On Saturdays and Sundays, opening hours are from 10am to 9pm.

EU leaders will meet in Sibiu on May 9, as suggested by President Juncker in his 2017 State of the Union address, to discuss the EU's next strategic agenda for the period 2019-2024. They will exchange views on the challenges and priorities for the EU for the years to come. The current agenda was agreed in June 2014 by the European Council and was shaped into the 10 political priorities of the Juncker Commission. “Five years on, efforts to deliver on those priorities have brought tangible results for citizens, despite unpredicted difficulties along the way, which continue to pose serious challenges for our Union. Building on the policy recommendations for how Europe can shape its future presented last week, the Commission is today looking back at what has been accomplished over the past five years,” the EU said on Tuesday. “When I took office, I said it was our last chance to show Europeans that their Union works for them. I have spent the last five years working tirelessly to deliver on the promises we made. In some areas, I believe we have surpassed expectations, in others, we may have fallen short of them,” European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said.“But I believe...

For the first time in over two decades, member states of the Arctic Council failed to agree on a final declaration at their bi-annual ministerial meeting on Tuesday, due to a US refusal to mention climate change. At the start of the 11th gathering of Arctic foreign ministers, in the Lapland town of Rovaniemi, Finnish Foreign Minister Timo Soini announced a change to the planned agenda, saying the final joint declaration would be replaced by ministerial statements.  Several sources said it was because member states were unable to reach an agreement, with the United States alone refusing to mention climate change in the final text. «I don't name and blame anybody,» Soini, who chaired the meeting, told reporters. «But of course it is clear that climate issues are different from the different viewpoints and the different capitals,» he said. In place of the traditional declaration, the council released a shorter «ministerial statement», which set out future goals for the organisation but conspicuously made no mention of climate change. But Soini also took the unusual step of releasing much of the rejected declaration - complete with climate goals - as a «chair's statement». "The hang...

The trial of an American «self-help» guru who for years presided over a secretive society of women sex slaves begins Tuesday in New York, where his former female supporters may be called to testify against him. Six people had been due to appear in the dock, but 58-year-old Keith Raniere will now be the only one to stand trial.  The other five - all women who held management positions in various organisations headed by Raniere, including US actress Allison Mack - have pleaded guilty one by one and avoided going on trial.  «Vanguard», as Raniere was also known, was the leader of Nxivm, a purported executive coaching organisation which according to prosecutors served to extort money from followers and enable him to exploit women sexually.  More than 16,000 people over two decades passed through Raniere's self-help workshops, which promised to develop their «human potential», charging $5,000 for a 5-day course. Many who signed up quickly became indebted and ended up having to work for Nxivm (pronounced Nexium), the main organisation, to pay their fees. Victims branded From the beginning Raniere is believed to have had a circle of 15 to 20 women under his influence, with whom he had...

An Indonesian volcano erupted Tuesday, sending a massive column of ash and smoke 2,000 metres into the air, coating local villages in debris. Mount Sinabung on Sumatra island - which has been rumbling since 2010 and saw a deadly eruption in 2016 - spewed the thick plume after activity picked up recent days. Disaster agency officials said the eruption has the «potential» to affect flights, but it had not issued a formal notice for planes to avoid the area. Local residents living along rivers near the crater were advised to be on alert for possible lava flows. There were no reports of injuries or deaths after the latest eruption and the disaster agency did not issue an evacuation order. No one lives inside a previously announced no-go zone around the volcano. Sinabung roared back to life in 2010 for the first time in 400 years. After another period of inactivity it erupted once more in 2013, and has remained highly active since.  In 2016, seven people died in one of Sinabung's eruptions, while a 2014 eruption killed 16.  Indonesia is home to around 130 active volcanoes due to its position on the «Ring of Fire», a belt of tectonic plate boundaries circling the Pacific Ocean where...

A site formerly used by the British military to strengthen the defences of the western part of the island has undergone painstaking restoration and will now be used for didactic, research and outreach purposes as an observatory and field centre. A collaboration between the HSBC Malta Foundation, the University of Malta and the Mġarr local council, the I-Land Observatory and Field Centre represents a unique new concept in natural and cultural heritage management in Malta. The parties had originally embarked on plans for this project nearly eight years ago with restoration works getting under way in 2013. The centre overlooks Fomm ir-Riħ Bay and spans the area formerly known as the Kunċizzjoni Electric Light Engine Room, built between 1897 and 1917, and features rare military building characteristics. According to Alex Torpiano, dean of the Faculty for the Built Environment at the University of Malta, the site used the latest military technology available for its time. Although only a few upright sections remain in the perimeter, the site made early use of barbed wire for coastal defence. Other defence features included prickly pear plants, the scarping of part of the perimeter...

A Ryanair flight from Edinburgh to Malta was forced to divert to the Netherlands after a passenger fell ill during the flight. The aircraft took off from Edinburgh at 7am on Tuesday and was due to land in Malta later this morning, but was diverted to Eindhoven after declaring a 'mid-air emergency'. The passenger got off the plane and was treated by medics. The plane then re-departed for Malta. Ryanair said it apologised to everyone on board for the delay.

The nurses' union is issuing a series of directives to its members working at the Intensive Therapy Unit as a «long-standing» shortage of 15 nurses persists. The situation in the department is in such a dire state that the union said it is now fearing that a major accident would mean it would not be able to cater for an influx of patients. Malta Union of Nurses and Midwives head Paul Pace said on Tuesday that the staff compliment in ITU has been depleted to the extent that unsafe practices have become the day-to-day “norm”. “Despite the stress, anxiety and burnout, the nurses still managed to maintain a sterling service to their patients." ITU has a total of 15 vacancies which have been long standing and not addressed, Mr Pace said. According to the union head, the situation has not improved despite the MUMN asking that the matter is addressed. Should there be a major incident causing a sudden increase in patients, Mr Pace said, the ITU does not have the reserve to cater for such incidents. “The situation has become very unsafe and such responsible nurses in ITU, who have the wellbeing of the patients at heart, have to take a stand,” he went on. As from May 15, the union has...

China said Tuesday its top trade negotiator will visit the United States for talks with American counterparts this week even as Washington stepped up pressure with plans to hike tariffs and complaints that Beijing was backtracking on its commitments. The commerce ministry confirmed in a statement that Vice Premier Liu He, President Xi Jinping's pointman on trade, would visit the US on Thursday and Friday. The trip is taking place a day later than expected after President Donald Trump jolted global markets by announcing that tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese merchandise will more than double to 25 per cent on Friday. Confirmation of Liu's travel plans lifted Chinese stock markets as his presence could raise hopes that a deal is still possible. The Chinese foreign ministry had said Monday that a delegation would still visit the US but it dodged questions over whether Liu would lead it. The tariffs announcement tanked stock markets worldwide and frightened US farmers and businesses caught in the crossfire who have been banking on a resolution to the year-long conflict that has engulfed $360 billion in two-way trade. But US shares recovered late in the day on Monday as investors...

England's Judd Trump defeated John Higgins 18-9 to win snooker's World Championship final at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre on Monday. Victory gave Trump, beaten in the 2011 final by Scotland's Higgins, his maiden world title and saw him join the list of snooker players to have completed a career Grand Slam following previous successes in the UK Championship and Masters tournaments. Higgins's defeat meant the four-time world champion had now lost the last three Crucible finals. Trump was on the brink of victory at 16-9 when Monday's evening session got underway and the 29-year-old made quick work of securing the two frames he required to be crowned champion with breaks of 94 and 62. Trump had been outstanding in winning eight frames in a row on Sunday to establish a 12-5 overnight lead against Higgins. But the impressive overall standard of both players in this match was shown by an afternoon session on Monday that started with Higgins nearly achieving a maximum break of 147 and ended with Trump just falling short of the landmark. The 43-year-old Higgins potted all 15 reds, including an outlandish double on the last, as he closed in on a maximum before missing a relatively simple...

Manchester City moved to within one win of retaining the Premier League title as captain Vincent Kompany's thunderous strike earned a nervy 1-0 win over Leicester City on Monday. The English champions were not as their fluent best, but got the one moment of real quality they needed from an unlikely source as centre-back Kompany unleashed a long-range shot into the top corner 20 minutes from time. City move back one point clear of Liverpool and will become the first side in a decade to retain the title at Brighton on Sunday as long as they match or better the Reds' result at home to Wolves. After edging past Newcastle 3-2 on Saturday night, Liverpool, who have not won the league since 1990, were left praying that former manager Brendan Rodgers could do them a favour at the Etihad. Leicester's marked improvement since Rodgers took charge in February was on show in an impressive display from the visitors as City were made to sweat but just got over the line for a vital three points. Ricardo Pereira scored the winning goal for the Foxes when the sides last met in December and was first to threaten again with a purposeful break into the box before his shot was blocked by...

Milan revived their Champions League hopes with a 2-1 win over Bologna on Monday as tempers flared with three players sent off and a bust-up between French midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko and coach Gennaro Gattuso on the sidelines. Gattuso's side move back into fifth place -- three points behind Atalanta who occupy the final Champions League berth -- with three games left to play this season. Milan had dropped out of the European places after a draw against Parma and loss to Torino but now move level on points with Roma who are sixth. Champions Juventus and second-placed Napoli are already assured of Champions League football next season but the battle for the final two berths remains tight with Inter Milan on 63 points, followed by Atalanta (62), AC Milan (59), Roma (59) and Torino (57). Spanish winger Suso opened for Milan on 37 minutes with the game springing to life in the second half with Fabio Borini tapping in the second on 67 minutes. Bologna's Mattia Destro pulled one back on 72 minutes, with Milan playing the final quarter of an hour a man down after midfielder Lucas Paquetá was sent off for arguing with the referee. In a nervy finale Bologna finished the game with nine...

Jamal Murray scored 34 points, including six clutch free throws down the stretch to lift the Denver Nuggets to a gritty 116-112 NBA playoff win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday. The 22-year-old Canadian Murray combined with Serbian Nikola Jokic to form a dynamic scoring duo as the Nuggets squared their second round Western Conference series at two games each. It was a quick turnaround from the Trail Blazers' 140-137 quadruple overtime victory in Friday's game three. Game four didn't last nearly as long as that three hour, 35 minute marathon, but it was another back-and-forth battle highlighted by Murray's precision shooting and a fourth playoff triple-double from Jokic. «The biggest part was mental,» said Murray on playing two playoff games just 40 hours apart. «We know what to do physically but that was a draining game and we had to come back with energy and face a great team. »We were able to get what we wanted on offence and the stops on defense." Jokic had 21 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists for his second straight triple-double and Murray, who led all scorers, was a perfect 11-for-11 from the free throw line for Denver, who handed Portland their first playoff...

Without tougher European Union rules for excessive debt, Italy could put the entire eurozone at risk, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz told Italy's La Stampa newspaper on Monday. Sanctions for debt-laden EU members «will prevent Italy, for example, ending up a second Greece thanks to irresponsible debt policies,» the centre-right leader said. This is the only way «we can avoid Italy putting the entire eurozone at risk,» Kurz said, targeting Italy's big-spending populist coalition government. Italy's public debt is currently around €2.3 trillion  or 132 per cent of Italy's GDP - way above the 60 per cent EU ceiling. The ruling coalition of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) and anti-immigrant League party has also increased the budget deficit since coming to power last June as it implements big-spending election promises, including tax cuts and generous income support. League leader Matteo Salvini has expressed interest in joining the conservative European People's Party (EPP) bloc in the European parliament, of which Kurz's centre-right People's Party (OeVP) is also a member. Kurz on Friday expressed scepticism over any cooperation between the EPP and parties...

Updated at 3.49pm The Duchess of Sussex gave birth to a baby boy on Monday, her husband announced on Monday. Prince Harry said his wife Meghan Markle had given birth to a «healthy» baby boy and was doing fine.  «Both Meghan and the baby are doing well,» he said. «We're still thinking about a name».  Buckingham Palace had announced that a royal baby was imminent early on Monday afternoon, saying «the Duchess went into labour in the early hours of this morning» and that an announcement would be made «soon».  Prince Harry and Meghan revealed they were expecting their first baby in October, at the outset of a 16-day tour of Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga. Commentators at the time believed the baby, Queen Elizabeth II's eighth great-grandchild and seventh in line to the throne, was due in late April. The 34-year-old prince and Meghan, 37, have reportedly opted for a home birth at their new Frogmore Cottage residence, on the grounds of Windsor Castle west of London. Request for privacy Buckingham Palace also said last month Prince Harry and Meghan wanted to keep the arrival of their first child «private». That would also contrast with Prince William and Kate, whose newborns...

A woman who blamed a driver for a traffic accident which caused her a 10 per cent disability has been found to have been partly responsible for the crash, which happened when she tried to get intimate with him as he drove. The man had denied responsibility, claiming he was startled by the woman's actions.   The case happened in San Ġwann in September 2012 when the driver and the woman had been heading home after having allegedly been drinking in a bar in Għargħur. The car crashed into a tree on a centre strip. Following the crash the woman suffered severe head injuries to the extent that she was in an induced coma for some time, and subsequently suffered disabilities which affected her social life and her work. The woman subsequently sued the driver, his mother as owner of the vehicle, and Gasan Mamo Insurance. Gasan Mamo successfully argued that the vehicle was insured on the driver’s mother and ‘any driver over 25’ but the driver was still 24 at the time. The mother said she had not known that her son was not covered by insurance. The driver said the woman, whom he had hardly known, was solely responsible for the accident as she had startled him when she tried to be intimate...

Speeding, Malta’s number one killer on the roads, appears to be less of a menace than it used to be, according to spot checks carried out by the police using recently acquired speed guns. The police believe these speed monitoring devices are themselves serving as a deterrent and they have issued a call to double their number.  The state-of-the-art equipment is being used randomly on various roads, especially where drivers tend to exceed the speed limit. Among the notorious spots are the Mrieħel Bypass, the Coast Road and the road from Marsa to the airport. The police last month took part in a European exercise to monitor speeding and the results, according to Police Inspector Pierguido Saliba, were encouraging: Malta fell within the EU average, an improvement over recent years when it was always above average in terms of speed. Read: Speed guns are catching around 26 motorists an hour “We caught just over 30 motorists overspeeding at each roadside check of up to two hours in several different locations all over Malta and Gozo throughout this week-long operation. This is within the European average. “Most of those we caught were just over the speed limit while 20 per cent were...

Pope Francis told Syrian and Iraqi refugees at a camp in Bulgaria that their experiences were «a cross for humanity» as he continued his visit to the Balkans on Monday. Arriving in Bulgaria on Sunday, Francis begun his three-day tour by urging his hosts to open their hearts to refugees, in a country where public opinion has generally been negative towards migrants.  On Monday, he visited the Vrazhdebna refugee camp on the outskirts of the capital Sofia, which has a capacity of more than 300 but currently hosts around 50 asylum seekers. «Today the world of migrants and refugees is a little like a cross for humanity, a cross suffered by so many people,» Pope Francis said. He spoke of the «horrors» they had suffered in «leaving their own country and seeking to integrate themselves in another».  In April 2018, the Council of Europe rights group voiced concern about Bulgarian efforts to integrate Middle Eastern refugees, with most relying on help from volunteers and NGOs. A small but energetic choir of refugee children welcomed Francis with two songs in Bulgarian before presenting him with brightly-coloured drawings, after which he greeted the other refugees at the camp...

A website and online newspaper for Italian speakers all over the world – www.italiani.it – is the subject of the next talk in the Magic Box series, which takes place on Tuesday at the Italian Cultural Institute, Valletta at 6.30pm. The website/online newspaper was created to promote all aspects of ‘Italian-ness’ throughout the world, and to enhance and promote Italy’s best traditions and all its beautiful regions. It is also a useful online meeting point for Italians wherever they are. The speaker is Paola Stranges, an Italian publisher who has been living in Malta for 10 years. She runs www.italiani.it together with her husband and a team that in­cludes individuals in Italy, through itCittà, which offers extensive information on diverse Italian cities, and in several other countries. After a question-and-answer session, the event will close with the serving of a glass of wine and some treats, courtesy of Enocult E&B e Caffè Letterario Idea. Paola Stranges’ presentation on www.italiani.it takes place tomorrow  at the Italian Cultural Institute, St George’s Square, Valletta  at 6.30pm. Admission is free.

A public garden in Paola featuring around 75 trees and more than 25,000 plants is now open to the public following a significant revamp. Named after former Prime Minister Dom Mintoff, the garden cost around €1 million to restore and will add some 9,000 square metres of recreational space to the area, the ministry said. The government had pledged the revamp ahead of the 2017 general election and works had quickly started, only to then come to a halt while the ministry «improved designs» for the project.   The garden also includes an underground reservoir, created at a cost of €400,000, which will be used to store rainwater which will then irrigate the garden’s various trees and plants. Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi led the inauguration ceremony, with Energy Minister Joe Mizzi also present.

Updated at 11.39pm Forty-one people are believed to have died after a Russian passenger plane made an emergency landing at Moscow's busiest airport and caught fire, investigators said on Sunday. «There were 78 people including crew members on board the plane,» the Investigative Committee said in a statement. «According to the updated info which the investigation has as of now, 37 people survived.» Dramatic footage shared on social media showed the Russian Aeroflot-owned aircraft, flames and black smoke pouring from its fuselage, land at Sheremetyevo international airport. Passengers could be seen leaping onto an inflatable slide at the front and running from the blazing plane as huge black columns of smoke billowed into the sky. The Russian-made Sukhoi Superjet-100 carrying 73 passengers and five crew members had just left Sheremetyevo on a domestic route when the crew issued a distress signal, officials said. «Flight Su-1492 took off on schedule at 6:02 pm (15H02 GMT),» said a statement from the airport. «After the take-off, the crew reported an anomaly and decided to come back to the departure airport. At 6:30 pm, the aircraft made an emergency landing,» it added. The tabloid...

Arsenal's chances of qualifying for the Champions League via a top-four finish in the Premier League were all but snuffed out on Sunday as they were held 1-1 by lowly Brighton. The draw leaves Unai Emery's men in fifth spot, three points behind north London rivals Tottenham, who have a far superior goal difference, and means they can no longer catch Chelsea, who have 71 points. Leaders Liverpool and Manchester City have already sealed the top two spots ahead of the final round of Premier League fixtures next weekend. Arsenal can also reach the Champions League by winning the Europa League and they are in a strong position to reach the final, 3-1 up after the home leg of their semi-final against Valencia. Emery made five changes for their final Premier League home game, juggling the club's league ambitions with Thursday's second leg in Valencia, including recalls for Nacho Monreal, Lucas Torreira and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Arsenal were impressive in the early stages at the Emirates and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang struck from the penalty spot in the ninth minute after Monreal was brought down in the area by Alireza Jahanbakhsh. The visitors, whose Premier League survival was assured...

ST ANDREWS 1 Davis 12 STA LUCIA 4 Teixeira Maia 10, 75 pen.; Mendoza 17, 60 Sta Lucia will be playing in the local top flight for the first time in their history after emphatically beating St Andrews in the relegation-promotion play-off and gain back-to-back promotions. They now join champions Sirens and Gudja as the three promoted teams in the premier league. The first fire-cracker was provided by St Andrews. Joseph Farrugia set free by Martin Davis, headed fiercely towards goal only for Ryan Caruana to fling himself to the right and pull off a smart save. On 10 minutes, St Andrews went surging forward again and this time it was Vukovic who denied them when fending off Aidan Friggieri’s effort on the line with Caruana beaten. Sta Lucia quickly transferred the ball forward to Patrick Teixeira Maia who lifted a fine strike over stranded Matthew Calleja Cremona. Sta Lucia’s joy was short-lived since from the ensuing charging-down by Davis, the Jamaican hit a low drive, with the ball nestling into the net behind Caruana. On the quarter of the hour mark, Calleja Cremona tipped a Jurgen Suda’s effort to a corner. From the ensuing flag-kick, Teixeira Maia chipped a perfect cross...