A landmark UN report on the state of nature, obtained by AFP, makes for grim reading, showing how humanity has wreaked havoc with the environment.  The 1,800-page draft document, set to be finalised after a biodiversity summit in Paris this week, depicts a planet ravaged by rampant over-consumption and drowning in pollution, where hundreds of thousands of species risk extinction.  Here is a rundown of the report's key findings, which read like a charge sheet against history's most destructive creatures: ourselves. Pollution  Earth's population has doubled in 50 years. Not only are we living longer than ever before, we are also consuming more. Today, humans extract around 60 billion tonnes of resources from Nature each year -- a rise of 80 percent in just a few decades. And we are leaving our mark in other ways.  Since 1980, manmade greenhouse gas emissions have doubled, adding at least 0.7C to global temperatures.  We dump up to 400 million tonnes of heavy metals, toxic sludge and other waste into oceans and rivers each year. The report, compiled from more than 15,000 academic papers and research publications, estimates that 75 percent of land, 40 percent of oceans and 50...

25 years ago - The Times Wednesday, May 4, 1994 Second Freeport terminal: £200m contract to be awarded Malta Freeport has received five tenders from local companies for the building of a second container terminal. It will be “one of the biggest infrastructural projects ever seen in Malta”, the annual report published by the Ministry of Economic Services says. The committee studying the tenders is expected to award the contract in a month’s time, Dr George Bonello Du Puis said when presenting his report. Electoral system commission appointed The prime minister has appointed a commission to draw up a report to improve the electoral system. The commission, proposed in the White Paper entitled ‘The Change Continues’, will be chaired by the Speaker of the House of Representatives Dr Lawrence Gonzi. Other members are Dr Austin Gatt, nominated by the Nationalist Party, Dr Paul Lia, nominated by the Malta Labour Party, and Dr Wenzu Mintoff, nominated by Alternattiva Demokratika. Half a century ago - Sunday Times of Malta Sunday, May 4, 1969 Plans to open international school Mrs Diana Leffler, who arrived in Malta with her husband and daughter aboard their yacht Chantelle about a year...

Most Thais have never witnessed a coronation -- it has been almost 70 years since the last one, when the young Bhumibol Adulyadej was crowned in 1950. But while Bangkok may have changed from a slow-moving capital to a bustling modern city, the spectacular coronation of King Maha Vajiralongkorn will tack closely to intricate traditions. From sacred water purification and a diamond-encrusted crown to a grand procession, here are five rituals to look for when King Vajiralongkorn is crowned Rama X this weekend. Royal purification The entire coronation ceremony extends over three days from May 4-6, but Saturday is the one to watch. The first day rituals represent a symbolic transformation from the human to the divine for the monarch. First, at the auspicious time of 10:09 am - some speculate the hour reflects Rama X's reign, while '9' in Thai sounds like the word for 'progress' - the royal purification ceremony begins. Wearing a white robe, the king will enter a pavilion at the Grand Palace, where he will be doused in sacred water from five rivers and four ponds in Thailand. In the distant past water was collected from specific rivers in India, reflecting the influential blend of...

Patients in hospitals will be voting for the European and local elections as follows, the health authorities said on Friday. Boffa hospital Residents at Boffa Residential Home will vote at the home on May 18. Patients in the Boffa Hospital Dermatology Ward will vote on May 25 in their town or village, as indicated on their voting document. Mater Dei, Mt Carmel, Gozo Hospital and KarinGrech Patients who are at Mater Dei, Sir Anthony Mamo Oncology Centre (Samoc), Mount Carmel Hospital, Karin Grech Rehabilitation Hospital and the Gozo General Hospital up to 6pm on May 20 will vote at the relative hospital on May 23 between 7am and 10pm. Patients who will be recovering at these hospitals after 6pm on May 20 will vote on May 25 at their respective localities. How voting will be organised The doctor responsible for the patient will have to write down in the patient’s history whether they can leave hospital to vote, and if so, using what form of transport. Patients will either be able to use transport offered by the department or else make their own arrangements. Those using prearranged transport will be accompanied to their respective polling station and back to hospital.  Relatives...

The proposal to allow 16-year-olds to run for the post of mayor has been ditched following public consultation on the local councils' reform that will kick in after May 25. Sixteen-year-olds will however be able to contest local elections. The reform will see a «substantial increase in the honoraria» handed out to regional presidents, mayors, deputy mayors, local councillors, and the head of the local councils' association. The proposal to do away with administrative committees has been included in the reform. Instead, a councillor will be responsible for particular hamlet communities. Each councillor will also be assigned particular responsibilities such as taking care of cleanliness, physical education and activities in the locality, social integration and animal welfare among others. Meanwhile, Regional Committees will be rebranded into Regional Councils. Both regional and local councils will enjoy the same Local Government status, and the Constitution will be amended to reflect this change. Among others, regional councils will have the responsibility to coordinate the public's access to school facilities during after-school hours. They will also carry out scientific research...

Britain's two main parties suffered a drubbing Friday in English local elections as voters vented their frustration with the prolonged Brexit deadlock. Prime Minister Theresa May's governing Conservatives lost control of several local authorities and hundreds of seats - but the main opposition Labour Party also lost ground, with voters instead turning to smaller parties and independents in Thursday's polls. «There was a simple message from yesterday's elections to both us and the Labour Party: just get on and deliver Brexit,» May said. Britain's bitterly-divided MPs have been unable to agree on a divorce deal with the EU, with the two main parties in talks on breaking the impasse that have produced little fruit so far. «This is a difficult time for our party and these election results are a symptom of that,» May told the Welsh Conservative Conference, having faced down a heckler calling for her to quit. The results do not bode well for the Conservatives and Labour ahead of the European Parliament elections, set to take place in Britain on May 23. After voting in June 2016 to leave the European Union, Britain was meant to depart on March 29 this year. However, its exit date has...

Best-known for sporting a swimsuit on television and for her strident support for Brexit, Penny Mordaunt made her public debut Friday as Britain's first female defence secretary. The 46-year-old's appointment this week continues a rapid rise through the ranks that has fuelled speculation that she might run for Prime Minister Theresa May's job when the time comes. For now, however, she says she is «delighted» to take a role for which she has rare experience and which she is said to have been long angling for. Mordaunt was promoted from international development secretary on Wednesday after Gavin Williamson was summarily sacked as defence secretary following an inquiry into a leak from the government's National Security Council. She took her place alongside military chiefs and Prince William at a ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London on Friday marking 50 years of Britain's at-sea nuclear deterrent. Unlike many cabinet ministers, Mordaunt has experience in her brief: she is a Royal Navy reservist and has served as a junior defence minister. Her father was a paratrooper, who reportedly named her after a World War II cruiser, HMS Penelope, and she also represents the naval city of...

A man who allegedly encouraged his underage girlfriend to falsely report that she had been raped by a friend of the couple has ended up being charged with defilement himself. The 25-year-old technician from Ħamrun was escorted to court under arrest on Friday afternoon, where he pleaded not guilty to charges of defiling the girl, who is 10 years his junior, engaging in sexual acts with her and creating circumstances for the purpose of having a third party falsely accused of violent rape. The man was further charged with causing his girlfriend to fear violence, breaching bail conditions and being in possession of cannabis which he failed to prove as being for personal use. He was also charged with being a relapser. Although details were scanty during the hearing, sources said that the man had accompanied his girlfriend to the police station to report that a friend of theirs had forced himself upon her, engaging in non-consensual sex. However, once inside, the girl had admitted that she was having sex with her boyfriend and that her earlier story had not been true. So the girl’s boyfriend was arrested. No request for bail was made at this stage. The court, presided over by...

Dentists working in the public sector will start benefiting from improved working conditions after the government and the UĦM Voice of the Workers finalised a new sectoral agreement.  This will be the first new agreement for dentists since 1993, Health Minister Chris Fearne said ahead of the signing.  «Dentists were working with an agreement that was almost historic. There were talks, even industrial action, but today we will be signing a new agreement. Obviously, the new conditions are better. I am glad to see that this will ensure that patients will be offered a better services,» Mr Fearne said, noting that discussions were held in the context of a number of issues with the public dentistry department. Read: Calls for foreign dentists are undermining local ones, union complains Acknowledging that there are still people on the waiting lists, Mr Fearne said that the new agreement will address this because the number of new dentists will increase significantly. In the past, he said, dentists often opted to work in the private sector because their salaries there would be better.  On his part, UHM chief Josef Vella said that the process to come to an agreement was not a short one,...

A 61-year-old woman was seriously injured on Friday when she was crushed against a wall in Marsalforn. The woman, a Chinese national who lives in the Gozitan seaside town, was walking in Pjazza San Pawl when a parked Iveco van rolled towards her. It crushed her against a wall.  The police said the accident was reported at noon. The woman was taken to Gozo General Hospital by ambulance. Police said they are investigating.

Gozo commuters had to wait in long queues at Mġarr Harbour on Wednesday after the Labour Party chartered one of the three Gozo channel ferries in service for its May Day rally in Valletta, Times of Malta was told.  Gozo University Group president Rachel Galea said last year the chartering of the vessel to transport Labour supporters to Valletta was becoming an annual affair, despite complaints. Yet, last year’s complaints seem to have fallen on deaf ears, with commuters again reporting finding problems to make the crossing. “They did not inform people beforehand,” a commuter who said he remained stuck in Gozo, said. The sentiment was shared by many who were faced with a “chaotic” situation, which they did not expect. Traffic congestion appeared to get worse at about 7pm, when the chartered ferry was on her way to take Gozitan Labour supporters back home, some of those affected said. However, Gozo Channel chairman Joe Cordina insisted the situation was “much better” than previous years because May Day this year did not fall on Monday or Friday. It was always worse when Workers’ Day fell on a long weekend, he noted. Mr Cordina questioned the interests of the commuters who...

Ira Losco's new single and video strikes at the core of injustices and those who are mistreated for daring to be different.  For her video High, the singer/songwriter has again teamed up with award-winning director Steven Levi together with D.O.P. Matthew Muscat Drago.  The pair have previously worked together on award-winning video Bad Habits and Losco’s hit song Hey Now. The song was produced and mixed by Howard Keith at Jagged House Studios. Losco has long been an artist who has actively spoken in favour of minorities and lends her support to many in need. The video features actors depicting individuals wronged by society and who are not afraid to put to light their ‘labels’ but also shed them once and for all.  High is the 7th single off the double album No Sinner No Saint, which is Losco’s most recent work. “I love challenging myself and this time Steve Levi suggested I try aerial dance. I loved every second of it and my trainer Masha seemed to be quite happy with the result," Losco said. Meanwhile, Losco is preparing for a summer of performances where she gets to showcase her repertoire, which has now surpassed a hundred songs.  

Western fears of Chinese telcoms giant Huawei infiltrating their technological infrastructure are rooted in fears of China’s rise. Three of the “Five Eyes Network” of English-speaking states that share intelligence – the US, Australia and New Zealand – have blocked their local firms from using Huawei tech in building their 5G networks. The UK and Canada are under pressure to follow suit. But a lot of these fears are misplaced and cutting Huawei out of the picture could backfire in the long run. Not only would it limit Western access to new, state-of-the-art technology, it could create a world split along technological lines.  Depending on who you talk to, you’ll get vastly differing portrayals of Huawei. Many of the concerns are based on the idea that the company is in bed with the Chinese government and point to founder, Ren Zhengfei’s background as a People’s Liberation Army engineer. Yet Ren only owns about 1.4% of the company’s stock – the rest is owned by more than 80,000 of Huawei’s employees and it is a private company, not a state-owned enterprise. Some say Huawei has committed systematic intellectual theft. Yet its rivals Nokia and Ericsson have been slow to release...

Scientists in the UK recently reported that a bone that was thought to be lost to evolution is making a comeback. The little bone, known as the fabella (little bean), is found at the back of the knee – if it is found at all. The scientists discovered that people were nearly three-and-a-half times more likely to have the bone in 2000 than in 1900. Its exact purpose, however, remains a mystery. The fabella is not the only variation in human anatomy. Variants occur as a result of genetics, environmental factors, mistimings in embryological development, or simply a failure of structures to disappear as part of normal development. Most variations are benign and don’t cause disease. Here are some of those that are well known to us anatomists… Teeth X-ray of person with supernumerary teeth. Albert/Wikimedia Commons People have 20 primary teeth (milk teeth), which are lost and replaced by 32 permanent teeth. But up to 2% of people have extra teeth. Most of these people have one or two extra (supernumerary) teeth, but there are medical reports of people with many more extra teeth, with one female having 19 supernumerary teeth. Nipples Males and females have nipples because, early on in...

Another month passed by and yet another positive month for risky assets across the spectrum. One would not have been at fault at presuming that, following the positive start to the year we had in the first quarter, sell-offs would take centre stage in April. And to a certain extent, April did have its fair share of bouts of heightened volatility as well as trading sessions whereby investors were swift to take profits, resulting in muted weakness. Overall, April was once again a positive month for credit and risky assets, with spreads on high yield bonds across both sides of the Atlantic tightening further. It must be said that the euphoria we had seen in the first three months of the year seemingly dissipated in April, but was nonetheless strong enough to clock in yet another positive month. No major news updates. No particular surprising economic data releases, but merely an extension of the positive sentiment bolstered in January by the ECB and US Federal Reserve. With earnings season in full swing, investors had much to scrutinise, but there were no major surprises; corporates remain in good shape, earnings robust, and more importantly, balance sheets remain healthy. US...

At least 90 people, including 65 children, are believed to have been infected with the HIV virus in Pakistan by a doctor using a contaminated syringe, officials said Friday. «We have arrested a doctor after receiving complaints from the health authorities,» said Kamran Nawaz, the local police chief heading the case in the southern city of Larkana. «We are told that the doctor also has HIV,» he said. Authorities were first alerted last week after 18 children from a town on the outskirts of the city tested positive for the virus, which causes AIDS, prompting health officials to carry out wider screenings.   Dozens more infections were found. «More than 90 people have tested HIV positive and the number of children is around 65,» Dr Abdul Rehaman, a district health official in Larkana, told AFP. A second official confirmed the outbreak, although gave slightly different figures. Authorities said they traced the outbreak to a single doctor, who appears to have been using a contaminated syringe on patients. Azra Pechuho, Sindh province's health minister, confirmed his arrest. «The blood of the parents of the infected children was also tested, but their results were negative,» Pechuho...

Malta joined the European Union 15 years ago last Wednesday, following a debate lasting a total of 25 years. Yes the debate as to whether to join the European Union lasted that long. The idea of EU membership was first put forward by the Nationalist Party way back in 1979, when it was in Opposition. It needs to be stated that, even when Malta was about to gain independence from the United Kingdom in 1964, the Maltese government of the time had floated the idea of membership of the Common Market (as the EU was known then). Once the PN was elected to govern the country in 1987, it set into motion the process of submitting a formal application, which it did in 1990. That application process was frozen between end of 1996 and end of 1998 and it was reactivated once the PN was back in government after the 1998 general election. This broad historical background is important because it shows that the decision to become a member of the EU was not taken lightly. I would go as far as saying that those who had initially opposed EU membership have helped to ensure that Malta really negotiated the best possible conditions. The old adage of the thesis and antithesis merging into a synthesis...

As part of the Gozo Alive weekend of cultural activities, Il-Ħaġar Heart of Gozo Museum, St George’s Square, Victoria, is hosting an event for Melitensia book lovers and collectors tomorrow from 10am to noon. Various authors, including Christian Attard, Charles Cassar, Henry Frendo, Charles Gauci and William Zammit will be present to meet visitors and their books will be available for sale at discounted prices. The museum is also hosting various temporary exhibitions and other events, including Ferroni & Coccetta: Exploring Light, an exhibition on Italian artists Walter Coccetta and Gianfranco Ferroni; Ave Verum Corpus, an exhibition on crucifixes; and Expectant and Mishap, a multimedia exhibition by Stephania Grima and Giuseppe Attard. Tomorrow, the museum’s cultural centre will remain open until midnight. Admission is free.

Arsenal took a huge step towards the Europa League final as a double from Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's late strike earned a 3-1 semi-final, first leg win over Valencia on Thursday. The Spanish side's bright start was rewarded with Mouctar Diakhaby's away goal, but Lacazette quickly turned the game around with two goals in eight minutes before Aubameyang's late intervention gave the Gunners a two-goal advantage to defend at the Mestalla on May 9. Arsenal boss Unai Emery is a Europa League specialist having won the competition three times when in charge at Sevilla. And the Spaniard's decision to start Lacazette and Aubameyang together against his former side was richly rewarded despite a terrible start from the hosts. Arsenal are desperate not just for silverware in Emery's first season but the guarantee of Champions League qualification for next season that winning the Europa League would bring. Arsenal still have work to do with their terrible away record this season likely to give Valencia plenty of encouragement. However, they moved much closer to booking their place in Baku when Aubameyang turned home at the back post in the final minute.

A first-half strike from Pedro gave Chelsea a slender advantage in their Europa League semi-final tie as they were held to a 1-1 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday. Pedro's equaliser gave Chelsea a potentially crucial away goal after a hard-fought semi-final clash in a spine-tingling atmosphere at the Commerzbank Arena.  Fired on by the home crowd, fearless underdogs Frankfurt surprised Chelsea in the first half before being outclassed for long periods after the break. It remained a fiercely contested game after the break, and Chelsea midfielder Jorginho had to be bandaged up after a clash of heads with Rode.   Always a step ahead of Frankfurt in the second half, the visitors nearly took the lead when David Luiz struck the bar with a fizzing free-kick.   Frankfurt had a penalty appeal waved away 12 minutes from time, and both David Abraham and substitute Goncalo Paciencia came close to snatching a late winner.  The Bundesliga club will travel to Stamford Bridge for the return leg on Thursday, May 9.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said he would rather see foreigners, rather than Maltese, carry out certain non-skilled jobs, such as picking up rubbish or doing manual labour out in the sun. Dr Muscat made the contentious statement during a televised debate on Thursday night with Opposition leader Adrian Delia ahead of the European Parliament and local elections later this month. “I want the Maltese youths to get the skilled jobs. If I had to be given a choice, I would want Maltese workers to be managers or doctors. I would want them to move ahead as teachers and then I would get those helping workers in the sun to be foreigners. “If possible, I do not want the Maltese to be picking up rubbish from the streets. Every job should be dignified but I do not want a situation where the foreigner is comfortable and the Maltese breaking their backs,” Dr Muscat said during the debate on TVM weekly show Extra. Quick to react to Dr Muscat’s claim, Dr Delia said that this was a “fundamental statement” which translated to “a classist system”. This, he added, was not what the Nationalist Party wanted, insisting that instead it was crucial that the country’s limitations are...

Facebook has banned controversial black activist leader Louis Farrakhan, far-right icon Alex Jones and several others in a heightened crackdown on hate content at the leading social network. «We've always banned individuals or organisations that promote or engage in violence and hate, regardless of ideology,» Facebook said in a statement. The most prominent to be banned were Farrakhan, head of the Nation of Islam, accused of being anti-Semitic and black supremacist; and Jones, the far-right conspiracy theorist best known for calling the 9/11 attacks an inside job and describing the Sandy Hook school massacre as a hoax. Jones's organization Infowars was also banned by Facebook. Others banned Thursday from Facebook and Instagram were Paul Nehlen, a political candidate espousing white supremacist views; Milo Yiannopoulos, known for neo-Nazi rhetoric; and conspiracy theorists Paul Joseph Watson and Laura Loomer. Facebook announced the bans on the grounds they violated policies against dangerous individuals and organizations. «Individuals and organizations who spread hate, or attack or call for the exclusion of others on the basis of who they are, have no place on Facebook,» a...

America's top law enforcement official refused to appear before Congress Thursday to explain his handling of the special counsel's report on Russian interference, infuriating Democrats who quickly threatened to censure him for contempt. Attorney General Bill Barr had been grilled a day earlier in the Republican-led Senate, where Democrats accused him of whitewashing the report to protect President Donald Trump. But he was a no-show at a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee, after its leadership announced it would have lawyers cross-examine him following a round of questioning by the panel's elected members. Barr's absence appeared to antagonise the top congressional Democrat, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who accused the attorney general of misleading lawmakers. «He lied to Congress,» Pelosi said, apparently referring to Barr's testimony under oath before lawmakers in April. In that hearing he claimed not to know whether Mueller supported his controversial memo summarising the Mueller report and that he did not know why members of Mueller's team would be frustrated over the summary. It emerged on Tuesday however that when Barr said this he was already in possession of a...

Julian Pace Bonello, the MOC president, sounded positive on Team Malta’s chances on bettering the result achieved in San Marino two years ago as the local governing body of elite sport announced the contingent that will take part in the 2019 GSSE in Montenegro at the end of the month. Team Malta will be formed by over 80 athletes for the Montenegro expedition and they will be taking part in eight disciplines at the Small Nations Games which will be held between May 27 and June 1. Two years ago, Team Malta returned home with 29 medals – four gold, nine silver and 16 bronze and although this time around the Games will feature a fully-fledged Montenegro contingent for the first time since its first appearance in the Games in 2011, the MOC chief still thinks that the Maltese athletes can achieve better results. “We are heading to the Montenegro GSSE with a stronger group of athletes than two years ago,” Pace Bonello said. “During the last two years our athletes showed significant improvement in track and field events and swimming while this time around we are also fielding our men’s basketball team who won gold in the European Small States Championship last year. “I firmly think...

The southern US state of Alabama is set to enact a law that would mean jail for doctors performing abortions, even in cases of rape and incest - part of a push by conservatives countrywide to curb family planning services. Those backing the move say they hope it is challenged all the way to the Supreme Court, forcing a review of the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that unduly restrictive state regulation of abortion is unconstitutional. The measure, approved by the Alabama House of Representatives, sets prison terms of between 10 and 99 years for doctors who perform abortions. The only exception would be instances where the mother at serious risk or where the child would not survive outside the womb because of some lethal condition. The measure needs approval by the state's Republican-controlled senate before it can be signed into law by Republican Governor Kay Ivy.  Deeply conservative and religious Alabama would then file an appeal to any successful legal challenge in the US Supreme Court, hoping the case sets a new precedent overturning legal abortion nationwide. «This bill is simply about Roe v. Wade,» said its author, Republican representative Terri Collins, during debates...

MALTA              18 CZECH REPUBLIC           10 (5-3, 6-1, 3-2, 4-4) A splendid collective showing helped Malta obtain a berth in the U-17 European Championships to be held in Georgia this August. Having relied heavily on Jake Muscat’s scoring prowess to beat Poland and Switzerland in the opening day, the Maltese youngsters yesterday got their act together against opponents who had not answer to the collective play of Karl Izzo’s side. It was a fine all-round display for the Maltese youngsters who have assured themselves of a top-two finish with a game to spare. It was another brisk start as Malta netted five times with the Czechs responding with three goals to stay two in arrears at the end of the first session. Izzo’s boys clearly held the upperhand in the match. The basis for this second session’s superiority was Jake Muscat’s sense of anticipation, confirming his all-rounder qualities. Operating from position no.4, Muscat showed his good blocking abilities and skills in exploiting openings in the offensive phase. The third session developed into a tighter scoring affair. Gianni Farrugia, twice and Sebastian Busuttil showed their opportunism when scoring Malta’s goals in...

Two diners in Austria bit off more than they could chew when they dared to complain about a mix-up in their food order and were compelled to run for safety from the enraged restaurant owner, police said Thursday. Police in Upper Austria said they were called to a restaurant in Bad Schallerbach, about 200 kilometres from Vienna late Wednesday, when the owner went beserk and hurled abuse - as well as dinner plates piled with food - at two customers who pointed out that he had got their order wrong. «After being confronted with a complaint about an order mix-up, the 56-year-old innkeeper... threw plates and their contents in the customers' faces,» the police said in statement.  The two customers - a Hungarian and a German national aged 40 and 41 - suffered facial bruises and a cut lip, the statement said. The owner then turned on a group of four other diners who wanted to leave the establishment following the incident and repeatedly hit a 43-year-old man and his 71-year-old father.

The French government on Thursday accused radicals of storming a famed Paris hospital during a fiery May Day, an incident that risks further raising tensions between authorities and a nationwide protest movement. Doctors at the Pitie-Salpetriere hospital - where Diana, Princess of Wales died in 1997 after a car crash in Paris - also said protesters had forced their way into the hospital and even tried to enter an intensive care unit. The break-in drew a sharp response, with Prime Minister Edouard Philippe denouncing it as «totally irresponsible» and Interior Minister Christophe Castaner describing it as an «attack» on an intensive care unit.  But supporters of the «yellow vest» movement, whose protests have shaken the government of President Emmanuel Macron over the past half year, insisted the demonstrators were merely seeking refuge from tear gas fired by police. The incident came during a hugely tense May Day which saw police clash with hardline protesters on the sidelines of the annual labour union march. The hospital is close to the Place d'Italie where the march ended, with more than 30 people arrested over the break-in, prosecutors said. Hospital director Marie-Anne Ruder...

Two important paintings found in the parish church of the Assumption of the Virgin in Mqabba have just undergone extensive restoration and will be unveiled in a ceremony on Sunday. The paintings in question are the main altarpiece depicting the Assumption of Mary (Filippo Fortunato Venuti, 1897) and a 17th-century painting of the Immaculate Conception which was badly damaged during World War II. For many decades, the titular altarpiece was thought to have been executed in 1896, until a study published two years ago by Rev. Dr Jonathan Farrugia − a resident of Mqabba for the past 32 years − revealed that it was painted by Venuti a year later. Rev. Farrugia had previously also published a detailed study about Venuti’s ancestors from the 17th century until his sojourn in Malta in the late 19th century. Mqabba’s Assumption is considered to be his masterpiece. The baroque painting of the Immaculate Conception is mentioned for the first time in the pastoral visit made by Bishop Cocco Palmieri in 1686, where it is described as “recently executed”. It is considered to be the work of Maltese painter Stefano Erardi. When the church was bombed on April 9, 1942, the altar of the...

The Cleansing and Maintenance Division within the Secretariat for Consumer Rights, Public Cleansing and Support for the Capital City has invested in human resources, machinery and cleaning equipment to increase efficiency in cleaning and maintaining Valletta. The bulk of the €250,000 investment was spent on three new low emission vehicles, which comply with a legal notice that came into force last year which regulates how, at what time and what type of vehicle must collect waste. The other €50,000 worth of investments include a pedestrian mechanical sweeper, water bowsers so that streets and pavements can be washed at night, and specific machine for pavement cleaning. Several waste containers, including a side container for recyclable waste, and a number of ashtrays were also installed. A number of workers have been specifically assigned to clean the streets of Valletta any time during the day, while technical staff were also recruited. Interventions were made to repair and maintain street furniture, traffic bollards, paving, fountains, rainwater drains and decorative light bulbs. Anyone who encounters the need to report illegal waste can make use of the Cleansing and...

An elderly couple in Australia were the surprise recipients of an illegal drug shipment after signing for a wrongly delivered parcel containing millions of dollars' worth of methamphetamine, police said Thursday. The Melbourne couple immediately called police when they discovered bags containing the white powder in the parcel on Wednesday, a police spokesman said. The package contained what police said were 20 kilograms of methamphetamine with an estimated street value of AU$10 million (US$7 million). Police subsequently searched a house in another part of Melbourne where they found 20 more kilograms of the drug and arrested a 30-year-old man. He was charged Thursday with importing a marketable quantity of a controlled drug and was due to appear in court later in the day, police said. Police asked that the unwitting couple who helped catch the man not be identified by the media out of concern for their safety.

Water is essential for life on Earth and is one of our most precious natural resources. But considering how our planet formed, it is quite surprising how much water we still have. The Earth aggregated from a cloud of gas and dust – a protoplanetary disk – and was incandescently hot for the first few million years. Its surface was kept molten by impacts from comets and asteroids. Earth’s interior was also (and still is) kept liquid by a combination of gravitational heating and the decay of radioactive isotopes. That means that if there were any initial water (and organic compounds) on the Earth, it should have boiled off quickly. So how come there’s plenty of water on our planet today – where did it actually come from? A surprising new study, published in Science Advances, suggests that a type of asteroid we didn’t think contained very much water could be responsible – simultaneously demonstrating that the solar system is probably a lot wetter than had previously been thought. Scientists have long debated exactly where the Earth’s water comes from. One theory suggests that it might have been captured from the asteroids and comets that collided with it. Another argues that water...

Two tourists sustained serious injuries after they were beaten by two bouncers after they allegedly tried to re-enter a club they had been ejected from. Andrew Michael Wunder, 25, claims two security guards attacked him and his friend, Cameron Abbott, when the two tried to get back into the Paceville establishment. «My friend got kicked out when he unbuttoned his shirt because he did not know it breached the rules. I went to tell them to let him back in and apologise but they started getting aggressive and calling us names,» Mr Wunder said. «I got frustrated and deliberately spilled a drink on the floor, at which point the two bouncers attacked me,» Mr Wunder told Times of Malta. He also claimed the two bouncers adopted a very «condescending» and «homophobic» tone when they were addressing the two men.  Mr Abbott then tried to pull the bouncers off Mr Wunder but was pushed hard into a metal rod erected outside the establishment.  Photos uploaded on social media show Mr Wunder's bleeding face, while Mr Abbott sustained arm injuries. The two resorted to help from police patrolling the area but when the bouncer was confronted, the police «blindly believed» his version of...

Two foreign-owned firms are expected to share the profits from some €70 million worth of public road-rebuilding contracts, outpricing major Maltese competitors who are now fuming, Times of Malta is informed. In contrast, industry sources pointed out, taxpayers should be relieved knowing they would save millions of euros because a Turkish and a Sicilian company were likely be doing the job considerably cheaper than Maltese contractors would have done. Infrastructure Malta issued a €70 million call for tenders last February for the rebuilding of about 150 roads as part of the government’s €700-million pledge to redo all thoroughfares. Because of the volume of work involved, the tender was divided into six lots, so contractors could bid for different jobs, allowing them to share the work with others. However, the sources said, at the closing date of this tender, it resulted that the various Maltese consortia formed specifically for the project had submitted bids that cost much more than those of foreign competitors. The indications were that Turkish firm, Excel Sis Enerji Uretim Construction, whose major shareholder is based in Istanbul, would likely snatch four of the lots, as...

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange told a court on Thursday he would oppose extradition to the United States as the legal process began in London, a day after he was jailed for breaching his bail conditions in a former case. He appeared via videolink at Westminster Magistrates Court, where a lawyer for the US authorities briefly set out his alleged involvement in the release of classified documents. «I do not wish to surrender myself for extradition for doing journalism that has won many awards and protected many people,» Assange told the judge, who set the next hearing for May 30. The Australian was jailed on Wednesday for 50 weeks for breaking his bail conditions in 2012, when he fled to Ecuador's London embassy to avoid extradition to Sweden. He was accused of sexual assault and rape but strongly denied the claims, saying they were linked to the whistleblowing work of WikiLeaks. Assange feared they were a pretext to get him in custody and eventually transfer him to the United States to face prosecution. He was dragged out of the embassy and arrested on April 11 after Quito gave him up. The Swedish claims had been dropped, but he was later that day convicted of skipping...