Three teenage party goers had their partying plans cut short on Wednesday when they landed themselves on the wrong side of the law, pleading guilty to the unlawful possession of drugs upon their arraignment on Thursday.Bradley William James, Paul Bailey Mullarkey and Grace Olivia Murray, all 19-year old British citizens, were arrested while partying at the Splash and Fun Park, the venue of one of several parties taking place around the island at Wednesday’s public holiday.Members of the Drugs Squad dispatched to the particular venue, had arrested the three youths after finding them in possession of psychotropic and other restricted drugs.A search had also been carried out later inside a room shared by all three suspects at a St Paul’s Bay residence, the prosecution explained, when outlining the circumstances leading up to Thursday’s arraignment.All three were charged with unauthorised possession of ecstasy and ketamine. Mr James was separately and additionally charged with possessing cocaine without proving that the drug was for his personal use.All three were arraigned separately, pleading guilty to the charges.Mr James, who had possessed fixed ecstasy pills and 1.237 grams of...

Years of putting up with parked caravans in Mistra has driven a restaurateur up the wall, forcing him to pack up his business and consider leaving Malta. Claude Camilleri has been losing clients since campers started parking their caravans just outside his terraced restaurant around 2008. “People come to dine here for the view and instead end up eating right next to caravans, rowdy people barbecuing and swearing. “We have flagged the issue with ministers, the Malta Tourism Authority, the police and the local council among others, and even filed a criminal complaint against the police for their lack of enforcement,” he said. Mellieħa mayor John Buttigieg told Times of Malta that while motor caravans could park by the side as they have a road license and insurance, the owners cannot place barbecues, chairs, tables and other beach furniture beside the vehicles, or pull out an extendable canopy. Meanwhile, towed caravans need a parking permit, and the council does not issue permits for such campers anywhere in the locality. “The council has drawn the attention of the police and Transport Malta as it’s an issue of enforcement,” he said. The mayor added that every year beachgoers...

Sri Lanka's Catholic Church has cancelled plans to resume Sunday services following a «specific threat» of fresh bomb attacks against at least two places of worship, a spokesman said. The archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, had wanted to resume regular mass from May 5, but the new information made them put it off indefinitely, his spokesman told AFP Thursday. «On the advice of the security forces, we have decided not to have Sunday masses in any of the churches,» the spokesman said. «There is a specific threat against two locations.» The Church had planned to resume Sunday public services for the first time since the Easter Sunday attacks that killed 257 people. Last Sunday the cardinal conducted a private memorial mass that was broadcast live on television after cancelling all public services. On Tuesday, he said he was closely monitoring investigations into the April 21 suicide attacks against three churches and three luxury hotels and wanted to be sure of the security situation before returning to regular services. The services were cancelled a day after all political parties scrapped May Day rallies amid fears of bomb blasts. The cardinal had hoped to start...

A lecture by the curator of the exhibition Behind Closed Doors: Fort St Angelo and the Royal Navy 1906-1979 is being held by Heritage Malta tomorrow from 7.30 to 10pm at the Egmont Hall, Fort St Angelo, Vittoriosa. The lecture will provide details about the Royal Navy use of the fort and details about the daily life of the staff who worked at the fort until March 31, 1979. After the lecture, visitors can view the exhibition. Admission is free and on a first-come, first-served basis. The lecture will be delivered in English. For further information, visit www.heritagemalta.org.

Jurgen Klopp admitted Lionel Messi was “unstoppable” on Wednesday after he left Liverpool needing a miracle to reach the Champions League final. Luis Suarez poked in against his former club before Messi hit a late double, the second a stunning free-kick for his 600th Barca goal, as his team took a 3-0 lead from a pulsating semi-final first leg ahead of next week’s return at Anfield. “He’s unstoppable,” said Klopp afterwards. “Obviously we couldn’t defend the free-kick. What a strike. Messi is a world-class player but I knew that already. It’s no surprise.” Klopp could only smile after Messi’s curling shot nestled in the top corner but this result was harsh on his side.  They matched Barcelona in the first half, dominated them early in the second and could still have left with an away goal after Messi’s brilliant brace, only for Mohamed Salah to hit the post.  “I said to the boys I was proud of how we played against a side like this,” Klopp said. “If you lose away it’s not a massive problem as long as you score a goal. That’s our problem tonight - it doesn’t make our life any easier.” Messi and Suarez did what they have done all season, their tallies now at 47 and 27 goals...

AD has filed an objection to the proposed construction of a six-floor hotel in Għadira. Mellieħa council candidate Luke Caruana and chairperson Carmel Cacopardo said the objection was being submitted primarily because the proposed hotel fell within the valley and was outside development zone. Mr Caruana said valleys should be protected and outside development zones should not be considered for development under any circumstance. Development areas were already too large and there iwas no reason to extend them for commercial interests to the detriment of the environment. He said the proposed construction was located right next to the Omm il-Ħniena Cemetery. This created additional issues with the development application. If approved, it would impede possible extensions to the cemetery which by its very nature can only exist in an ODZ.”

The horror film Us will be screened at Spazju Kreattiv Cinema, St James Cavalier, Valletta, on Saturday at 8.30pm. It stars Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o  as Adelaide Wilson, a woman returning to her California beachside childhood home with her husband, Gabe (Winston Duke), and their two children, Zora and Jason for an idyllic summer getaway. Haunted by an unexplainable and unresolved trauma from her past and compounded by a string of eerie coincidences, Adelaide feels her paranoia elevate to high alert as she grows increasingly certain that something bad is going to befall her family. After spending a tense day at the beach with their friends, Adelaide and her family return to their vacation home to discover the silhouettes of four figures standing in their driveway. Us pits an ordinary American family against a terrifying and uncanny opponent: doppelgängers of themselves. The film is directed by Academy Award winning visionary Jordan Peele. Us will be screened at Spazju Kreattiv Cinema, St James Cavalier, Valletta, on Saturday,at 8.30pm and on May 10 at 7.30pm. For tickets, visit https://ticketenginex.kreattivita.org/?eventname=Us.

Fixed income and equity assets have had a remarkable run over recent months, with bond yields (sovereign and corporate, investment grade and high yield) at record lows and (most) equity indices trading at record highs (or perhaps slightly off their highs at the time of going to print). Despite this, I can jot down a number of arguments why, at least in the short-to-medium term, it still makes complete sense to continue building up on (or at least maintaining) current exposures as I feel that there still is a decent amount of money to be made, across both asset classes. However, there will come a time when the cyclicality of markets will take its course and bonds yields will start to rise and equity valuations decline. I have read a number of research reports and it is difficult to come up with a consensus as to when markets will reverse; some argue that the point of inflexion could be imminent; others believe that a bear market (a market where equity prices are falling) is miles to come. What is sure is that the time will come, and in those times, investors must fight it cumbersome, or rather, find it difficult to justify investing money in a falling market. They can be worried...

Facebook is stalking you! More specifically, Facebook is using data about you to make money. For example, Facebook uses your interests and your personal information, such as marriage status and job title, to tailor advertisements shown to you. Facebook understands the value of data about its users and exploits it to make its advertising more effective. Facebook is only one of many online services that use data about their users (or generated by the users) as the central product in their business model. In fact, data is quite popularly considered to be the 21st-century oil. The use of data is also not limited to a business environment, but it has become an essential part of products and services throughout all sectors of society. Exploiting the true value of data will enable businesses to become more competitive, for example by having greater knowledge of their customers, by taking more informed decisions, by finding new innovative uses for the data, by controlling risks and cutting costs, and also by innovating upon this data. The importance of data usage and exploitation is also highlighted in local efforts. On March 21, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) strategy for public...

Doctors for Choice Malta, a group of independent medical professionals that advocates for safe, accessible, comprehensive, evidence-based reproductive healthcare in Malta, including safe access to abortion, has been established.  In a statement, the doctors said abortion was a criminal offence in Malta and women continued to be denied true autonomy over their bodies. «They are deprived of their right to seek safe, high quality healthcare. Women who require abortion services do so because of unique, and often complex, medical, psychological or social reasons. Malta’s present legislation results in a violation of human rights and denial of patients’ right to safe health services. This ultimately leads to poorer health outcomes.» They said that like all reputable international health organisations, which include the World Health Organisation, the Royal Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Federation of International Gynaecologists and Obstetricians, they believed that safe access to abortion was a healthcare issue. Criminalisation of abortion made it dangerous for women who needed this health service. As doctors from a variety of specialties, the existing Maltese...

Unai Emery's first season in charge at Arsenal is in danger of imploding unless the Spaniard can again prove himself to be a Europa League specialist and cover up an alarming dip in the Gunners' Premier League form. Arsenal have lost four of their past five league games to Everton, Crystal Palace, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leicester City to slip down to fifth and relying on more favours from Chelsea or Tottenham to have any chance of a top-four finish. However, winning the Europa League would also offer a much-needed return to the Champions League next season after a two-year absence. For 20 years under Arsene Wenger, Arsenal enjoyed the riches and the glamour of the Champions League and the impact of missing out has had serious implications on the budget Emery has had to work with. In January, he revealed the club could not afford to make any permanent signings. Emery is a specialist in Europe's second-tier competition, winning it three times when at Sevilla, and he is also well acquainted with Arsenal's semi-final opponents, Valencia, who he managed between 2008 and 2012. Emery also did a stellar job at the Mestalla, leading Valencia to three consecutive third-placed...

The second edition of the Gozo Alive weekend of cultural activities will be held from Friday evening to Sunday. The activities include music concerts, dance, fashion shows, visual and digital arts, historical exhibitions, visits to museums and other touristic attractions. On Saturday evening Victoria’s various main streets, public areas, chapels and churches will host an array of activities. The following are some highlights of the events: Tomorrow: at 8.30pm, Tribali will perform a concert near Xewkija heliport.; On Saturday: from 9am to 3pm there will be visits to the underground flour mill and grain silos in Xlendi; from 10.30am to 1.30pm – historical re-enactments at the Ċittadella; from 6pm to 11pm a vintage cars exhibition in lower Republic Street; from 8pm to 9.30pm – Parata samba by Tikka Banda and Gremio Recreativo Escola de Samba Roma-Rio in Republic Street; from 8.30pm to 11.30pm – fire eaters, fire spinners, jugglers, falconry displays and stilt walkers in Republic Street; from 8pm to 10.30pm – Feminine Allure, a spring/summer fashion collection display on the Ċittadella visitor centre roof; 9pm to 9.30pm – 316km2 spring/summer fashion show by Charles and Ron. On...

There's a €90 million lottery jackpot up for grabs in the biggest pan-European lottery and it's no longer out of reach for residents of Malta. EuroJackpot ticket sales have opened across the continent but buying tickets in Malta has not been possible until now. Malta residents can now participate in the upcoming €90 million EuroJackpot draw from Malta by purchasing official tickets online at theLotter, the world’s leading lottery ticket purchasing service. EuroJackpot is a transnational European lottery that has been staging a Friday night draw since 2012 but the lottery may not be as familiar as EuroMillions, the other multi-national European lottery. One of the main differences between the two lotteries is that the odds of winning Euro Jackpot’s top prize are better, and this results in more frequent jackpot winners. To participate in the weekly draw all you need to do is pick five main numbers (from a guess range of one to 50), and two additional Euro Numbers (from a guess range of one to 10). Match all the numbers that come up in the draw and you would win the EuroJackpot jackpot, which now stands at €90,000,000. If you don’t match all the numbers, you could still win prizes...

25 years ago - The Times Monday, May 2, 1994 Insurance market ‘in a state of uncertainty’ The insurance market in Malta is in a state of uncertainty because of rapid developments in the commercial and financial sectors of the economy, the Association of Insurance Brokers said. The overused word ‘liberalisation’ seemed to be the favourite cliché in financial circles, but there appeared to be different opinions on the meaning and intention of the word. A lobby within the market wished to define the term ‘liberalisation’ as meaning the removal of the 30 per cent reinsurance cession, the association said. Former champion cyclist injured A former Malta champion cyclist, 53-year-old John Magri, of Mosta, was seriously injured in a traffic accident yesterday. He was hit by a car while cycling at Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq in the morning. Magri, who represented Malta in international events, including the Mediterranean Games, suffered serious head injuries. The car, driven by John Barbara, of Ħamrun, was also involved in a collision with an oncoming car driven by Ingerborg Dougelt, of Germany. Half a century ago - Times of Malta Friday, May 2, 1969 Workers celebrate May Day Speaking after Mass...

In an environment filled with partisan hectoring, the wish to retreat to some sort of halfway point and to define that as a sensible middle is becoming very tempting. This phenomenon has given rise to a political landscape which is dominated by a centre that is large and diverse but unified by frustrations with the policies of the major political parties. The dominant political belief is that however polarized the political divide may appear to be, it is this political centre that highly influences the outcome of an election. Like all other human beings the constituents forming part of this middle class are on the lookout for something better, bigger and tastier. This is what makes a major part of the electorate whimsical in their attitudes, beliefs and expectations. This frenzied set of expectations, lurking in the stream of consciousness, tends to get higher in degrees when the economy is registering growth. Indeed it makes a number of workers believe that affluence can be within their reach if they can tune their skills and knowledge to the imperatives of the booming economic market.  The quest to reach or satisfy these high expectations may indeed fit with the political...

Lost Bob Marley records discovered rotting in a London hotel basement by a Maltese businessman will go under the hammer later this month at an auction expected to reach tens of thousands of pounds. The 24-track tapes, known in music circles as “the lost masters”, feature previously-unheard recordings of some of the Jamaican reggae superstar’s greatest songs, recorded live at the Lyceum and Rainbow in London and the Pavilion in Paris in the 1970s. It was just chance, and a painstaking restoration process, that saved them from being lost forever. Two years ago, Joe Gatt, who has lived in the UK since 1971, received a call from a friend who worked for a clearing company, informing him he had found some discarded and severely-damaged Bob Marley tapes sitting in cardboard boxes in a waterlogged basement. Mr Gatt, already a great Marley fan who had been in the audience for the storied 1975 Lyceum performance, immediately knew he was onto a potential treasure but the extent of the damage the tapes had endured made it seem unlikely they could ever be heard in their full glory. “There were fragments falling off the reel and white gunge on them,” he told the Times of Malta. “I spoke to a...

Recent reports of horses being slaughtered in an unlicensed rural farm on the outskirts of Siġġiewi have given rise to concerns that the meat could be making its way to consumers’ plates. However, sources in the equine sector say that though they were certain some of the uncertified meat was being served to some restaurant diners, the major buyers of this black market produce were believed to be the owners of big cats, like lions and tigers. A veteran in the horse-racing community says that a person he describes as being quite known slaughters retired racehorses for a few hundred euros and then sells the meat to people who have private zoos or keep exotic animals like tigers or jaguars. He admitted he too had been approached in the past by third parties offering to slaughter any racehorses he might have wanted to get rid of. Many would, no doubt, be aghast at what is being reported, not only because – coming hard on the heels of recent reports of illegal dog fighting – of what it tells us about the way some animals are being treated in this country and the public health and ethical implications for meat consumers but also because it is a stark reminder that, in this tiny island,...

The following are the main stories in Thursday’s newspapers. Times of Malta says 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. In another story, the newspaper says Maltapost is asking for a 10c tariff increase for single-piece mail items over a three-year period on grounds it has been delivering the service at a loss for a number of years. The Malta Independent quotes Prime Minister Joseph Muscat saying that the vision of his government is based on the three pillars of infrastructure, inclusion and innovation. L-Orizzont also leads with the Prime Minister’s May 1 address during which he called on the people to be protagonists rather than spectators. In-Nazzjon leads with statement by PN leader Adrian Delia that the Nationalist Party was the voice of the people.

Edward Hili has been appointed chief executive officer of Hili Company Limited with immediate effect. The ACCA fellow, who already served as an executive director at the family firm, will now run and develop its various businesses as company CEO. Cambridge-educated Hili’s appointment was made public in a company announcement issued by Mariner Finance, which is majority owned by Hili company-owned Mariner Capital. The 33-year-old joined the family business in 2008 as a financial analyst with its terminals and logistics branch, Mariner, taking on more roles over the ensuing years. He is now responsible for driving the strategic growth and development of the group across all business sectors. Over the years, he has played a key role in expanding the group’s portfolio. He jointly developed the group’s finance arm, Enacap, and its investment management arm, Trumpington Street Capital. Hili Company’s business ranges from real estate to energy, financial services and yacht repairs and marina projects. Earlier this year, the company was given the green light by the Planning Authority to develop a solar farm in Bengħisa. Hili Company is the sole shareholder of Mariner Capital Ltd, which...

Daniela Molinari dreamed of offering a drink to the famous Mona Lisa and asking her all about the great Leonardo Da Vinci. On Tuesday night she enjoyed a very special night at the museum, at the famous Louvre in Paris. The Italian-Canadian art conservation student was chosen from over 180,000 entrants in a competition, launched by the Louvre in Paris and the home-sharing platform Airbnb, to mark 30 years since architect I.M Pei's glass pyramid was erected in the art museum's courtyard. It is the first time that any member of the public has been allowed to sleep in the famous museum overnight. The experience also included a special guided tour by an art historian, like those previously offered only to the likes of Barack Obama, Beyonce and Jay-Z. All the contestants had to do was answer the question: «Why would you be the Mona Lisa's perfect guest?» «I wrote about offering a drink to Mona Lisa, to ask her about Leonardo... we would share a spritz, because she never had a chance to taste one,» the 26-year-old Molinari wrote. «I didn't take it seriously, I didn't think it would work,» she added. Dinner with Venus de Milo The night was spent sleeping beneath the iconic Pyramid in...

SWITZERLAND 5 MALTA 16 (0-5, 1-4, 3-5, 1-3) The Malta U-17 waterpolo national team continued where they left off this morning when they overcame a slow start to beat Switzerland handsomely 16-5 in the second match. This was the team's second win in the qualifying campaign and will all but secure qualification to this summer's European finals in Georgia should they beat the Czech Republic this evening. In fact a win against the Czechs would secure Karl Izzo's boys a top-two placing in the group ahead of Friday's tough match against Greece. Spurred by Miguel Vassallo’s early penalty save, Malta banged in the goals again supplied mainly by Jake Muscat who went on to add eight more, to a total of 15 goals.After opening a five-goal gap by the end of the first session, that advantage was eventually extended eight goals by the change of ends. Muscat defied the ill-effects of cramp and battled on bravely to strike eight times, before leaving the water early in the third session. He was followed by Ben Cachia and Sebastian Busuttil who scored three apiece. Switzerland: P. Gazzini, E. Mathis 1, F. Rickenbach, M. Meier, C. Greb, F. Carminati, R. Regalado Rabasa 3, M. Pittet 1, D. Cikotic, D.

A 44-year-old man murdered just a few weeks ago left behind three children in the Ivory Coast, his friends said.  Lassana Cisse was killed on April 6 in a drive-by shooting in Ħal Far that has provoked shock among the migrant community. Two other men were injured in the attack.  Around 100 friends and well-wishers gathered last weekend to honour the memory of Lassana, who was shot to death by a mystery killer in a crime that has puzzled investigators. During that event, friends told Times of Malta that Mr Cisse's children had been told of their father’s murder. Known to his friends as ‘Lass’, Mr Cisse was described as a gentle man who never had any problems with anyone.  Ousmane Dicko, who had known Mr Cisse since 2011, said people were shocked by the news. “What had he done to this person for them to kill him,” Mr Dicko said. “When they kill a person like this, you do not know if tomorrow it is going to be you.” The rest of the migrant community now lives in fear, he admitted. The man appealed for the authorities to find the person responsible and ensure that this never happens again.  According to Mr Dicko, migrants are sometimes on the receiving end of comments telling them...

Britain's opposition Labour Party on Wednesday called for «real action» after parliament became the first in the world to vote to declare a climate emergency. «Thanks to pressure from the Labour Party, the UK just became the first country to declare an environment and #climateemergency,» the party said on its Twitter page. «Now it's time for real action to tackle climate change.» Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said he hoped the vote «will trigger a wave of action from parliaments and governments around the world». He hopes the move will increase pressure on the government and is demanding that the country takes action to help avoid more than 1.5 degrees centigrade of warming, requiring global emissions to be cut by almost half of 2010 levels by 2030. The vote was taken following 11 days of protests organised by climate activists Extinction Rebellion that brought several London sites to a standstill. Extinction Rebellion called the vote a «first step in the government telling the truth about the climate and ecological emergency.» «Pressure on our politicians will now increase as nothing but decisive action will suffice,» they added.

Lionel Messi left Liverpool needing a miracle to reach their second Champions League final in as many years as his brace helped Barcelona win a pulsating Champions League semi-final first leg 3-0 on Wednesday. Barca have one foot in next month's final ahead of Tuesday's second leg at Anfield after former Reds striker Luis Suarez gave Barca the lead during a breathless opening 45 minutes before Messi struck twice late on, the second a stunning free-kick and his 600th Barca goal. Jurgen Klopp could only smile after Messi's curling shot nestled in the top corner but this result was harsh on his side. They matched Barcelona in the first half, dominated them early in the second and could still have left with an away goal after Messi's deadly double, only for Mohamed Salah to hit the post. But Messi and Suarez did what they have done all season, their tallies now at 47 and 27 goals respectively in all competitions. It had been a breathtaking contest befitting two of Europe's most exhilarating teams. The first half was electric, a reel of chances, breaks and blocks, while the second was tense, a tactical battle where Barca dared Liverpool to over-exert. Messi wanted a penalty when...

FC Porto goalkeeper Iker Casillas was rushed to hospital on Wednesday after suffering a heart attack during training. The legendary World Cup-winning goalkeeper was taken to CUF hospital in Porto after falling ill during a morning training session.  In a statement, FC Porto confirmed that the 37-year-old had suffered a cardiac arrest and been hospitalised.  «Casillas is well, stable and his heart problem has been resolved,» FC Porto said in its statement. Casillas holds a record 167 national caps for Spain, has been nominated for the Ballon d'Or and won the Champions League three times with Real Madrid.

Maltese squash player Colette Sultana has struck gold at the 2019 Arafura Games in Darwin, Australia on Wednesday. The 23-year-old was Malta’s only representative at the Games which hosted over 1,500 athletes from 40 countries in 17 different sports. Sultana started with a bye in the first round then went on to win her next three rounds without dropping a single game. The Maltese faced Australian qualifier Ashley Eckford in the second round, winning comfortably 11-2 11-5 11-4. In the semi final, Sultana was up against another Australian Rachel Lewis and after a tight first game 14-12 Sultana went on to close the match 11-3 11-7. In the final Colette took on talented Malaysian player Chloe Chieng who had made a few upsets throughout the tournament. Sultana maintained very high focus and played an outstanding game of squash to win the final 11-8 11-5 11-8. This is Sultana’s maiden PSA professional satellite title showcasing the hard work that the Maltese athlete has been putting in following her move to Brisbane, Australia to train squash professionally last September.  Sultana has some more singles professional events coming up in the next few months and is also training hard for...

Photos of «Yeti footprints» posted online by the Indian army triggered a social media storm on Tuesday, with users ridiculing the military for propagating theories debunked by science. The army tweeted three images late on Monday showing a series of foot-shaped impressions, each almost a metre long in the snow in the Himalayas near the Nepal-China frontier. «For the first time, an #IndianArmy Moutaineering Expedition Team has sited Mysterious Footprints of mythical beast 'Yeti',» the apparently serious tweet on the army's official account said. It added the «elusive snowman has only been sighted at Makalu-Barun National Park in the past», referring to footprints reported by British explorer Eric Shipton in 1951 on the west side of Mount Everest. Legend has it the «Yeti» or «Abominable Snowman» lives in the Himalayas - but no proof of the large creature has ever been produced. Social media users were quick to jump on the Indian military for its tweet, while scientists said the prints were probably made by a bear and elongated and misshapen by the elements. "With all due respect, institutions such as yours should be more responsible and careful before going ahead and declaring the...

The Planning Authority has received a new application to develop a 400-year-old garden at the crossroads of the Three Villages in a fresh attempt to forge ahead with a project that has already been refused.  The refusal came following a storm of objections to the request to demolish the large garden and the adjacent baroque residence on the corner of Triq Annibale Preca in Lija and Triq Sant’Antnin in Balzan.  The original proposal would have seen the excavation of the 17th-century garden measuring around 920 square metres, including protected citrus trees and garden rubble walls, to create eight basement garages and six two-storey townhouses with swimming pools. All of the proposed dwellings are four-bedroom units, having a gross floor area exceeding 200 square metres. Alterations to the existing townhouse, which includes baroque-period architectural features, were also mentioned in the application. On appealing the decision not to grant permission, the developer submitted fresh plans that re-duced the number of proposed two-storey townhouses to three.  However, the garden itself will still be taken over, particularly with swimming pools.  According to industry sources, the...

Marko Glumac has set his sights on helping Sta Luċija become the first Division One side to win promotion to the Premier League via the promotion play-off when his team takes on St Andrews on Sunday. The Saints assured themselves of finishing third in Division One when they crushed Lija Athletic on Sunday to finish three points clear of Naxxar Lions. “We want to go on into the history books by becoming the first Division One side to beat a Premier League side in a play-off,” Glumac said. “Yes many are considering us to be the underdogs, but we are not afraid of playing St Andrews. I think we have the quality to put on a strong performance and defy the odds. We are a small club with a big heart.” The Saints needed just one point to wrap up third place but they put on a storming first-half performance which saw them surge into a four-goal lead. Sta Luċija took the lead after eight minutes through a Jurgen Suda header before Patrick Teixeira Maia added a second five minutes later. On 16 minutes Kevin Ante Rosero made it 3-0 after a fast break. Lija pulled should have pulled a goal back on 33 minutes but Erjon Beu missed a penalty. The Saints continue to stretch their lead courtesy...

As Malta gets ready to rock Tel Aviv with this year’s Eurovision Song Contest entry, the spectre of political allies and strategic voting has already raised its head. This year’s entry is an upbeat, dance-friendly track that will see 18-year-old Michela Pace shimmying to Chameleon in front of thousands. Many are wondering whether it will face the same fate as Christabelle’s Taboo last year. However, new data released by Casumo reveals a previously-unsuspected ally for Malta – Croatia. The data, which the online gaming company published after analysing the voting records of every Eurovision final between 1956 and 2018, shows that of the 23 times Malta has been given top marks, most times these came from Croatia and Bosnia.  Malta has, in fact, received more ‘maximum point’ votes from Croatia than any other country in the competition. Other countries that appear to give Malta a favourable eye include Denmark, Ireland, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden and the UK, each of which have awarded Malta top vote twice.  We were also the favourites for Luxembourg, Norway, Russia, Spain and Turkey once. Malta itself seems to be a firm believer in good neighbourly relations, with its biggest...

Passengers booked on a Ryanair flight to Treviso woke up in the dead of night early on Wednesday to make sure they made it on time for their 6.50am departure. Almost 10 hours later, they were still at Malta International Airport, waiting for their flight to leave. “It’s dreadful,” a passenger told Times of Malta. “They could have sent us home and told us to come back in the afternoon. Instead they told us nothing.” Flight plans seemed to have been derailed shortly before take-off, the passenger wrote on Facebook. Passengers were herded out of the MIA departures terminal in preparation for boarding. “We could see the plane. Little puffs of black smoke kept coming out of it,” he recalled.  A short while later, an airline representative told passengers to return inside – where they remained all day. At the time of writing, the flight was scheduled to depart at 5.10pm. Times of Malta sought comment from Ryanair. The airline had yet to reply at the time of writing. While many were sympathetic to the passenger's complaints about a lack of communication, others too exception to his post.  "Be thankful because in Malta we have incredible and very professional engineers and I'm sure...

Senglea Athletic’s impressive season turnaround was not far off from being described as a ‘Great Escape’. The Cottonera outfit proved their critics wrong by making amends to some mistakes committed in the first round and retain their Premier League status for a second successive season. Next season, the Yellow Reds will be among the big dogs for a third time in a row – a remarkable feat for a club that before their promotion three years ago had not played top-flight football for more than 30 years. After managing to keep their place in the top-flight in 2017-18, Senglea were looking to pull themselves clear from danger as early possible this season, banking on the experience of the previous year. However, a dismal start to their campaign saw them slip to the bottom of the standings with just four points to show after 13 outings. A radical change in the team personnel during the January transfer window propelled Senglea to a staggering 22-point tally in the second round, only bettered by Valletta and Hibernians who collected 30 and 27 points respectively. Led by Vincenzo Potenza, Senglea made sure of avoiding the drop after defeating a much-quoted Birkirkara side 3-2 on the final...

A Din l-Art Ħelwa volunteer will lead a 90-minute tour of Msida Bastion Historic Garden on Saturday at 10am. And on Sunday the garden will be open to the public from 9.30am to noon. The garden served as Malta’s main Protestant cemetery from 1806 to 1856. At least 528 people were buried there, mainly British servicemen, officials and businessmen and their families, some of whose descendants still live in Malta today, as well as some Maltese, including Mikiel Anton Vassalli, known as the father of the Maltese language. The cemetery contains many marble headstones and funerary monuments as well as indigenous and exotic trees, some of which are 200 years old. It was restored by Din l-Art Ħelwa in collaboration with government ministries and the British High Commission over a 10-year period between the 1980s and 1990s, and was awarded the Silver Medal by Europa Nostra in 2002. In 2004, a small Museum of Maltese Burial Practices was opened adjacent to the garden. During the Saturday event, the tour guide will recount stories regarding duels, suicides, heroism and explain the funeral and military architecture, symbols of death. On Sunday, Din l-Art Ħelwa volunteers will also be...

The Nationalist Party on Wednesday called for industries with «higher value added» investment, reiterating calls for a long-term plan in economic growth.  Speaking on Labour day at the party headquarters, PN MP Karl Gouder said the economic plan being pushed by the Labour government would create trouble for the country in both the short-term and long-term.  The government was depending on population growth for economic growth, Mr Gouder said, adding that foreign workers being brought into the country were not being treated well. It was unacceptable that workers were being paid as little as €1 an hour, he added.  Despite economic growth, EU data show wages in Malta had the lowest increases, he added. «We expect that in a good economic climate, we would be doing better than this,» Mr Gouder said. MEP candidate Michael Mercieca reiterated calls for sectors with higher value-added investment, saying industries should not depend on workers with lower wages to thrive.  Turning to statistics showing Malta had the second number of early school leavers in Europe, Mr Mercieca said the country needed to ensure there would be no «skills-gap».  Students and workers should be able to compete...

The Missionary Society of St Paul (MSSP) will be holding a short course – The Liturgical Life Formed Into Worship – led by Fr Martin Cilia, this month.  The course will discuss the participation of lay people in the liturgical life of the Church. It will also focus on liturgical time and spaces, symbolic language and development of ministries. The four-session course will be held on May 7, 14, 21 and 29 from 7.15 to 9pm at the MSSP Oratory in Birkirkara. Participation is against a €15 donation. To book a place, e-mail oratorju@mssp.org.mt or call 9927 7648 or 9948 9462.