Updated 5.30pm President Donald Trump, repeating his claim that «walls work,» announced Friday that he will declare a national emergency in order to build a barrier on the US-Mexico border without funding from Congress. «I'm going to be signing a national emergency,» Trump said, repeating his claim that a wall is needed to stop an «invasion» of drugs, gangs, human traffickers and undocumented migrants over the US border with Mexico. «Everyone knows that walls work,» said Trump, whose declaration will enable him to reprogram other federal funds towards the contested wall project. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Trump's Democratic nemesis in Congress, earlier warned that declaring such an emergency would be a «gross abuse of the power of the presidency.» New York state Attorney General Letitia James said Friday she would challenge the move. «Declaring a national emergency without legitimate cause could create a Constitutional crisis,» James said in a statement. «We will not stand for this abuse of power and will fight back with every legal tool at our disposal.»

India and Pakistan's troubled ties risked taking a dangerous new turn on Friday as New Delhi accused Islamabad of harbouring militants behind one of the deadliest attacks in three decades of bloodshed in Indian-administered Kashmir. At least 41 paramilitary troops were killed on Thursday as explosives packed in a van ripped through a convoy bringing 2,500 troopers back from leave not far from the main city Srinagar, police said. Local media reported that the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed Islamist group claimed responsibility, with the vehicle driven by a known local militant, Aadil Ahmad alias Waqas Commando. Kashmir has been split between India and Pakistan since independence from Britain in 1947 with both nuclear-armed countries, which have fought three wars, claiming it as their own. Jaish-e-Mohammed is largely considered to be one of the most active Pakistan-based insurgent groups fighting in Kashmir.  India's foreign ministry said that Jaish-e-Mohammed head Masood Azhar «has been given full freedom by Pakistan to operate and expand his terror infrastructure in territories under the control of Pakistan and to carry out attacks in India and elsewhere with impunity». "I want...

The MSE Equity Price Index eased by 0.04% to just under 4,490 points as the declines in BOV, IHI, RS2 and Plaza marginally outweighed the strong uplift in Farsons. Meanwhile, six other shares closed the day unchanged while aggregate trading volumes surged to €1.41 million on the back of very high activity in MIA. Malta International Airport plc traded flat at the €6.40 level on robust volumes totalling 158,400 shares having a market value of €1.01 million. MIA will be publishing its annual financial statements on February 20. Also among the large companies, GO plc retained the €4.36 level (the highest since August 2006) on low volumes of 3,300 shares. On Friday, the Malta Stock Exchange issued an announcement confirming the admission to listing of the entire issued share capital of BMIT Technologies plc on the Official List. Trading in the shares is expected to commence next Monday, February 18. Three deals totalling 33,718 shares left the equity of PG plc at the €1.37 level. In the property segment, MIDI plc, Malita Investments plc and Trident Estates plc all closed the day unchanged. MIDI opened at €0.645 but recovered to €0.65 on a total of 70,360 shares. On the other hand,...

Along with the rest of the body, being pregnant can have a huge impact on feet. More than half of expectant mothers experience some form of foot problem during pregnancy. But foot issues are often neglected, with other medical aspects of pregnancy given more attention. The good news is, however, that many of these conditions can be effectively and safely treated without medication. Listed below are the four most common pregnancy-related foot problems along with simple and effective advice on how to manage them. Nine months is a long time to be uncomfortable, but by making simple changes expectant mothers can be back on their feet in no time. 1. Collapsed arches Gaining weight quickly, particularly during the first few months of pregnancy, can have an impact on foot structure, and cause the arch to collapse. The body also releases a hormone called relaxin during pregnancy, which allows the pelvis to open for delivery. But this can have the effect of relaxing ligaments in the feet and ankles too, making them more flexible, and contributing to the appearance of flat feet. This can be painful as tendons, ligaments and muscles in the feet and legs all have to work harder to help...

How many times have you thought about starting a company, taking a year out to write that novel or leaving a loveless relationship but ended up doing nothing about it? A fear of regret – which is a powerful driver of maintaining the status quo in our lives – may be to blame. As research in psychology, neuroscience and behavioural science has unveiled, regret can have a huge impact on our lives. Money and relationships are arguably the two issues that consume most of our emotional and mental resources, and regret affects our behaviour in both. When it comes to money, a famous bias linked to regret is the “disposition effect”. This describes how investors hold on tight to losing assets. Whether it be a mutual fund, a specific stock or even the cryptocurrency Bitcoin, we are extremely reluctant to sell an asset at a loss. In fact, we rather hang on to it as it keeps dropping in value, hoping it will pick up again – regardless of whether that is likely.  The driving force behind this behaviour is our fear of regret, which makes us stick with the status quo even if our reasoning or intuition says we shouldn’t. We are unwilling to sell the asset at a loss because, if we do, we have to...

Kaċċaturi San Ubertu has objected to the hunting federation FKNK's lack of consultation over hunting turtle dove in spring, saying that the federation does not represent all hunting organisations in Malta and fails to recognise them. “If the cooperation of the remaining three organisations is being requested, the least that is expected is for these to be consulted before any decision that would affect their members is taken,” it said, referring proposals presented to the Prime Minister and the Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture and Fisheries which were not shared. KSU has proposed an open spring hunting season for quail between April 5 and April 26 – but not for turtle dove. “Under these current circumstances, based on legal advice, KSU refer to the recent finch trapping derogation being found illegal by the European Court of Justice and is not prepared to take any risks with regards to turtle dove spring hunting - where any uncalculated decisions could lead to further Court action resulting in catastrophic consequences for future derogation on any form of spring hunting. KSU said that it was working on lifting the moratorium but said that as had happened with the...

10 years ago - The sunday Times Sunday, February 15, 2009 Soldier’s family demand answers The family of the soldier who was submerged for 10 minutes during a military exercise at Chadwick Lakes before being discovered by his colleagues are still in dark over what happened to the 19-year-old. Matthew Psaila’s critical condition took a turn for the worse last night, as his family kept vigil by his bedside at Mater Dei’s Intensive Therapy Unit, tormented by questions that nobody has so far answered.  Neither the army nor the Office of the Prime Minister was in a position to say if Private Psaila’s commanding officer was aware he could not swim, or whether he was last in line as the soldiers trudged through the lake against the current on a cold winter’s day.  Labour makes €7.2 million State funding proposal  Labour is proposing that political parties receive an annual contribution from the State of €5 for each vote obtained at the last general election – a move that would cost the taxpayer €7.2 million over five years.  The PL is also insisting that political parties should disclose the identity of those making donations and has proposed that the Auditor General audits the...

An investigation by the Ombudsman into controversial promotions made by the Armed Forces of Malta found that the process was “vitiated”, lacked integrity and was intended to “produce a desired outcome”. Ombudsman Anthony Mifsud said one of the main issues that led to the process being simply “a screen for the choice made” was that two of the members on the selection board had been persons of trust without any specialisation in military affairs. The controversial promotions in September 2013 included that of the present commander, Jeffrey Curmi, who had leapfrogged from major to brigadier – four promotions – in a matter of months. The investigation itself had ended up as a legal wrangle in court when former home affairs minister Manuel Mallia filed a case against former Ombudsman Joseph Said Pullicino. Dr Mallia, who eventually resigned when his official driver was involved in a shooting incident during a traffic accident, argued that the Ombudsman lacked jurisdiction to hear complaints by army officers who did not resort first to the ordinary remedy granted by law. Two years later, Mr Justice Lawrence Mintoff ruled that the Ombudsman had authority to investigate complaints by...

The China Cultural Centre in Malta (CCC), annually sends a group of Maltese artists to China, to get a first-hand experience of the cultural, artistic and social milieu and transform this experience of feeling, sentiment and emotion into a tangible creative expression through painting, sculpture and photography.  In turn the artists can then share the experience with Maltese and foreign visitors to the exhibition.  The exhibition tours several venues in Malta and Gozo to facilitate and increase exposure. Debbie Bonello, Andrew Borg, Damian Ebejer and Lucienne Spiteri are the participants in the 2018/2019 project, the sixth in the series. Bonello’s work is characterised by what she terms as ‘loose brushstrokes’, which in reality are forceful, energetic, vigorous and dynamic strokes that convey a joie de vivre. The source of her expressionistic tendencies is probably Impressionism. Her landscapes convey a sense of space, of location, mood and atmosphere and demonstrate her love for en plein-air painting: studies of sky, clouds, vast stretches of water and open spaces.  Borg shows an earnest endeavour to inject emotion in his creative compositions and to break away from his...

The JP2 Foundation is hosting three concerts by the Papplewick School Choir. The school is a boys’ day and boarding prep school in Ascot, UK, opposite the famous racecourse. There are about 210 pupils and although a non-selective school, Papplewick has an impressive record for boys achieving scholarships to the major public schools such as Eton and Harrow. The school is proud to have been chosen as the Tatler ‘Prep School of the Year’ in 2019. Membership of the chapel choir is keenly sought. The boys rehearse daily and lead Saturday Matins with a weekly anthem, supported by staff and parents. They also sing at school concerts and musicals. They have recently taken part in the Wellington College Choral Day and sang in a Royal School of Church Music Young Voices Festival. Many of the boys play instruments to a high standard and there is a long tradition of choristers gaining music scholarships. This is Papplewick Choir’s first overseas tour and the boys are very excited and pleased to be performing in Malta. Choir director Chris Goodwin, appointed organist at Papplewick eight years ago, was organ scholar at Pembroke College, Cambridge and subsequently studied organ under John...

Australia's centre-left Labour party has warned would-be migrants considering the boat journey from Indonesia they will be forcibly returned if it wins May's election, embracing hardline policies of the current government. As right and left fight in Europe and the United States brawl over Mediterranean rescues and border walls, Australia's bickering political factions head to elections in lock-step on one of most contentious issues in modern politics. The conservative government has been pilloried worldwide for its policy of intercepting boats and leaving would-be refugees to languish in remote Pacific detention camps for years in conditions that have been roundly condemned by human rights organisations. The Labour party is ahead in opinion polls and is tipped to oust conservative Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his government in elections due by mid-May. But fearful of being accused by the electorate as favouring soft borders, shadow immigration minister Shayne Neumann told AFP on Friday that migrants would still be intercepted at sea and forced to return under a new administration. "It does not matter who is the Australian Government –- you will be turned back and you will...

Bank of Valletta may never be able to retrieve the entire €13 million stolen during Wednesday’s cyberattack because reversing such transactions was no easy feat, Times of Malta has been told. Speaking a day after the bank was forced to temporarily shut down all its operations after it identified a breach, chief business development officer Kenneth Farrugia said that although the 11 transactions made by the hackers had been immediately traced it was not as straightforward to actually reverse the transactions to get the money back. “We know where the money went and into which banks but what happened at that touchpoint we do not have the visibility to know. “It’s not simply a matter of asking the banks for the money to be reversed. It does not work like that and there are banking procedures that have to be implemented,” Mr Farrugia said. He would not even give an indication of how much, if any, of the stolen money had already been retrieved, insisting it was “still too early”. Neither would he go into whether the bank had any information on how much it could eventually get back. All of the bank’s operations – branches, ATMs, mobile banking and even e-mail services –were suspended...

Facebook gathers intelligence from its platform to identify people who threaten the firm or its workers, the social network said Thursday in response to media reports of the security tactic. CNBC reported that it interviewed more than a dozen former Facebook security employees, some of whom questioned the ethics of what was portrayed as an unclearly defined practice at the leading social network. Facebook spokesman Anthony Harrison told AFP that the company's physical security team exists to keep workers safe and that strict processes are in place to protect people's privacy. «Any suggestion our on-site physical security team has overstepped is absolutely false,» Harrison said. «They use industry-standard measures to assess and address credible threats of violence against our employees and our company, and refer these threats to law enforcement when necessary.» Facebook keeps a routinely updated list of people that members of its security team should «be on lookout» for due to threatening statements, according to CNBC. The so-called «BOLO» list purportedly includes former employees whose actions at the social network came under scrutiny. Facebook mines the social network for...

The Maltese archipelago is a small island state of 316 square kilometres with the total population standing at 475,701 people, up by 3.6 per cent when compared to 2017. Of these, 55,000, or 11.15 per cent, are non-Maltese nationals, an increase of 354 per cent over the 2005 census, when the number of non-Maltese nationals stood at 12,112, or three per cent of the total population. In the coming years, 13,000 new foreign workers are expected annually. Due to its small size, together with its population, Malta by far ranks first among all EU member states in terms of population density, with an average 1,507 persons/square kilometre, compared with the EU average of 117 persons/square kilometre. The second most-densely populated country within the EU is the Netherlands, with 495 people per square kilometre, whereas Sweden was the least densely populated, with an average of 23 peeople per square kilometre. The high-density rate was even more pronounced when analysed at regional and locality level. Mainland Malta was more densely populated than Gozo, with an average 1,602 people per square kilometre, compared with Gozo’s 557 people per square kilometre. The channel tunnel, if and...

Obituaries BONELLO. On Wednesday, February 13, at Mater Dei Hospital, JOSIE of Sliema, aged 80, comforted by the rites of Holy Church. He leaves to mourn his loss his wife Adelina, his sons Hadrian and Brian and his wife Sandra, his granddaughters Daniela and Isabella, his brothers and sisters, in-laws, other relatives and friends. The funeral leaves Mater Dei Hospital tomorrow, Saturday, February 16, at 1.30pm, for Balluta parish church where Mass præsente cadavere will be said at 2pm, followed by interment in the family grave at Santa Maria Addolorata Cemetery. No flowers by request but donations to Id-Dar tal-Providenza, Siġġiewi, will be appreciated. Lord, grant him eternal rest. CREMONA. On Wednesday, February 13, MARIELLA of Sliema, aged 46, comforted by the rites of Holy Church. She leaves to mourn her loss her brothers Lino and his wife Hilda, Sandro and his wife Sharon, her nephews and nieces JeanClaude and his wife Stephanie, Rebecca, Whitney and Luana, other relatives and friends. The funeral leaves Mater Dei Hospital tomorrow, Saturday, February 16, at 8.15am, for St Gregory’s parish church, Sliema, where Mass præsente cadavere will be said at 8.45am, followed by...

Since the mid-1990s a spirit of change has spread through Malta’s vineyards and wineries. Little did we know then that the first modern-styled bottles that rolled out would go on to foster today’s enthusiasm for Malta’s wines. At the time of Malta’s accession to the EU in 2004, people still talked about discovering wines from far-flung countries, but the real excitement was happening here, right under their nose. Some of our winemakers were busy overhauling their cellars and planting vineyards with a wide selection of international varieties never before grown here. The first wines made from these new trellised grapevines proved to be some of the most individual, notable interpretations of Mediterranean wine. And, to the delight of many a wine enthusiast, they still are. In 2000, for example, a new garnet-coloured wine by Delicata was released and it quickly became affectionately known as Medina ‘red’. It’s such as popular household term that few customers bother asking for it by the names of its varietals. Yet, the label has mentioned the same three complementary grape varieties it’s made from in big block capitals for the last 19 years, namely Grenache, Syrah and...

Chelsea claimed a 2-1 victory at Malmo in the Europa League last-32 first leg on Thursday to ease some of the pressure on beleaguered coach Maurizio Sarri, while Arsenal suffered a shock loss to BATE Borisov. Visitors Chelsea desperately needed a response after back-to-back humiliating away losses, with last Sunday's 6-0 thrashing by Manchester City following a 4-0 reverse at Bournemouth. Ross Barkley took advantage of a defensive lapse by the home team to put Chelsea ahead on the half-hour mark, with Olivier Giroud adding a 58th-minute second before Malmo's late goal gave them a glimmer of hope ahead of next week's return match at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea face Manchester United in the FA Cup on Monday, before facing City again in the League Cup final on February 24. «I am happy because we played with confidence and it wasn't really very easy after the last match (the defeat by City),» Sarri told BT Sport. «I think I am always confident but sometimes we had the wrong approach with matches so we need to be careful in every match.» Sarri named a strong team, although he did leave Gonzalo Higuain and Eden Hazard on the bench. Chelsea found themselves up against a spirited Malmo...

Arsenal face an uphill battle to progress in the Europa League after a 1-0 defeat by BATE Borisov in the last-32 first leg which saw Alexandre Lacazette sent off on Thursday. Stanislav Dragun put BATE ahead just before the break in Barysaw and Arsenal never threatened an equaliser, with Lacazette's late dismissal also ruling him out of next week's return game at the Emirates. Unai Emery's side have now won just two of their last nine away matches -- last weekend's victory over the Premier League's bottom club Huddersfield and an FA Cup win against third-tier Blackpool. Arsenal enjoyed plenty of the ball in the opening stages, but it was the hosts who almost grabbed the lead as debutant Nemanja Milic flicked Igor Stasevich's cross onto the outside of the post. The visitors' best chance in the first half fell to Lacazette, only for the Frenchman to head over when unmarked at the back post. BATE made him pay when they snatched the advantage on the stroke of half-time as Dragun climbed highest to send a header from Stasevich's free-kick looping into the top corner. Arsenal were struggling on a difficult pitch in Belarus, and even when Lacazette did find the net just before the hour...

Giannis Antetokounmpo posted a triple double with 33 points 19 rebounds and 11 assists as the Milwaukee Bucks extended their longest road winning streak in 33 years with a 106-97 win over Indiana. Antetokounmpo had a hand in every basket by the Bucks in the first quarter and led them back from a 10-point deficit in the fourth. The three-time all-star from Greece carried the NBA-leading Bucks to their seventh consecutive win on the road on Wednesday. It is the longest road winning streak since the 1984-85 season. Milwaukee has also won eight of their last nine games just before the league's all-star break. The Pacers couldn't contain Antetokounmpo, who scored a dozen points as the Bucks went on a 30-11 scoring burst to end the game. In the first quarter he made five of their nine baskets and assisted on the other four. Bojan Bogdanovic scored 20 points and Darren Collison added 14 to lead the Pacers, whose their six-game winning streak ended with this one. Antetokounmpo made consecutive layups to tie the game 95-95 with just under four minutes to go in the fourth. He then fed Ersan Ilyasova for a layup to make it 97-95 and the Bucks ran away with it from there with superior...

The White House confirmed Thursday that President Donald Trump will declare a national emergency in an attempt to bypass Congress and get more funding for his Mexico border wall project. Trump will also sign off on a congressional bill that would authorize a much smaller amount of wall money than the president had been demanding. «President Trump will sign the government funding bill, and as he has stated before, he will also take other executive action -- including a national emergency -- to ensure we stop the national security and humanitarian crisis at the border,» spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said. 

The director-general of the Fisheries Department who was suspended after reports of a cosy relationship with a Spanish tuna kingpin accused of running a massive illegal fishing racket, insisted on Thursday she never acted incorrectly, and payments were only made to her in her official capacity of director. Andreina Fenech Farrugia was suspended on Tuesday after a media report in Spain revealed extracts of phone calls between her and the Spanish tuna rancher.  “I always acted in a professional, ethical and fair manner in terms of the law, and I was always impartial and fair with all operators and individuals involved in the sector,” she said in a lengthy statement. She said the allegations being made against her were based on summaries of alleged telephone conversations she could not confirm as having been made. Even worse, these were not word-for-word transcripts of the alleged calls, but summaries which may have been misinterpreted or taken out of context. Poor use was made of the Spanish language, a factor which may have further contributed to such misinterpretation. 'Normal to communicate with all operators every day' Dr Fenech Farrugia said she was appointed director general...

Illegal dumping of animal waste into the sewerage system has clogged the Gozo sewage treatment plant, forcing its shut-down, the Water Services Corporation said on Thursday. It said expensive equipment had been severely damaged at the plant, which supplies treated water to farmers.  Operations are expected to resume on Friday. The corporation said it was collecting the necessary information to be handed to the police.  «The sewage infrastructure is very complex and delicate and it is damaged by  improper use of the urban sewer system. »It is therefore very important that only human toilet waste and degradable toilet paper are discharged in the system," it said in a statement.  Any suspected foul play or problems with the sewer can be reported to the corporation on 8007 6400, customercare@wsc.com.mt, through live chat at  www.wsc.com.mt or on social media.

A Magistrates’ Court is to decide whether the host of TV show Exodus, Ivan Grech Mintoff, is to be admitted as a defence witness in ongoing criminal proceedings against the whistleblower behind the alleged medical visas racket. Syrian-born Khaled Ben Nasan is facing fraud and extortion charges following his allegations that Neville Gafa', former Projects Director within the Health Ministry, had pocketed some €38,000 for the granting of medical visas to Libyan nationals. Mr Grech Mintoff, nephew of former Prime Minister Mintoff and an MEP candidate, was summoned to testify in defence. He was asked to explain his capacity as witness, thus stating that as the host of a political TV show, he sought to bring together different personalities across the political divide to discuss a variety of topics. That was how he met Mr Ben Nasan, who had proceeded to supply him with details about the alleged visa racket, Mr Grech Mintoff explained. However, further questioning was brought to a halt by Magistrate Doreen Clarke, who asked the witness to momentarily leave the courtroom while the parties discussed the fact that Mr Grech Mintoff was apparently to testify in his role as an investigative...

British Prime Minister Theresa May on Thursday suffered another defeat in parliament over her Brexit strategy, just 43 days before Britain leaves the EU. The House of Commons rejected a government motion intended to express MPs' support for May as she seeks to renegotiate her Brexit deal with the European Union. Hardline eurosceptics in her Conservative party abstained from voting on the government's non-binding motion, which they believed raised the chances of avoiding a no-deal Brexit. Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn said the defeat «shows there is no majority for the PM's course of action in dealing with Brexit.» «She cannot keep on just running down the clock and hoping that something will turn up that will save her day and save her face,» he said of May, who was not in parliament for the defeat. Leading Brexiteer Liam Fox earlier warned colleagues that defeat would raise doubts about whether a renegotiated deal could get through parliament, making the EU less likely to make an offer. «Our European partners will be watching our debate and listening today to see if they get the impression that if they were to make those concessions parliament would definitely deliver,» trade...

A consortium lobbying for an “immersed tunnel” on the seabed between Malta and Gozo claims its proposal is the best solution as it would leave open the option to introduce a monorail system later. It also believes that the government’s proposal to excavate a tunnel under the seabed would probably be costlier and would not offer such flexibility. These arguments were made by a spokesman for the Malta Gozo Fixed Link Consortium in an interview with the Times of Malta. Based on the principle of laying prefabricated concrete tunnel parts, which would be joined underwater, the project came to the fore last month when the consortium uploaded a short video presentation on the internet. Though it stoked debate, it also raised many questions on its viability. Spearheaded by Luke Chetcuti, the son of the late Paceville magnate Hugo Chetcuti, who originally came up with the proposal about two years ago, the consortium is still “in formation”. The spokesman declined to name the other investors saying it would be “premature at this stage” but he did say that a letter of intent had been signed with an undisclosed foreign financier – “a huge financial company involved in the insurance...

The following are the top stories in Thursday’s newspapers. Times of Malta leads with the cyber attack which has crippled Bank of Valletta and says there is no indication of when operations will return to normal. In another story, the newspaper says the Malta police have discussed the tuna racket probe with Europol. L-Orizzont says no money was lost in the BOV cyber attack. The Malta Independent says neither the minister, nor the parliamentary secretary, had been contacted, directly or indirectly, by the Spanish tuna kingpin. In-Nazzjon quotes PN leader Adrian Delia saying that to have a roof over one’s head should be a right and not a gift that the government chose to give.

Is it not hugely ironic that, while the economy is doing so well, the national minimum wage is below the European Union’s average? Healthy economic growth rates are bringing out income inequality in sharper focus. Minimum wage earners and pensioners may have received increases lately but these are nowhere near what they actually require to raise their living standard to a decent level. This is not to mention the plight of those who are in poverty or on the brink of poverty and those who are no longer able to afford house rents being asked for today. At €762 a month, the figure given by Eurostat, the national minimum wage is considerably lower than the EU average of €924 and a glance at the rates in more advanced countries shows a huge disparity. When an agreement was reached last year among the social partners for a rise of €8 per week in the minimum wage, it was remarked that this was the highest that could be given without endangering the country’s competitiveness. However, it fell far short of the social campaigners’ expectations. Some, like the Democratic Party, argued it was too little and others felt it was insignificant. If the country is doing so well, how much stronger...

Bank of Valletta said on Thursday it had resumed a number of its services during the night. The bank shut down all its operations on Wednesday morning after hackers broke into its systems and moved €13 million into foreign accounts. The resumption of services follows rigorous overnight testing of the bank’s IT systems which were successful. Customers may now once again make use of BOV services through the bank’s branch network across Malta and Gozo, ATMs, internet banking, mobile banking and by making use of their BOV cards when effecting purchases. Payments to third parties is currently the only service not yet activated. The bank again reassured clients that customer deposits and customer accounts were in no way affected by the attack. “This unfortunate incident proved that the contingency plans in place and the preventive measures taken by Bank of Valletta were appropriate and that these measures safeguarded the bank, its customers and stakeholders.” Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said on Wednesday that four fraudulent international transactions had been made by hackers at Bank of Valletta, transferring €13m to banks in four countries. The funds had been traced and the process...

All companies listed on the Regulated Main Market of the Malta Stock Exchange have a financial year ending in December except for five, namely Simonds Farsons Cisk plc, PG plc, Trident Estates plc, MaltaPost plc and Santumas Shareholdings plc. The Listing Rules issued by the Malta Financial Services Authority stipulate that companies must publish their annual financial statements within four months of the year-end period and therefore the next few weeks will be a hectic period with several company announcements being issued. The annual reporting season commences on February 19 with the publication of the financial statements of HSBC Bank Malta plc followed by Malta International Airport plc the day after. Unfortunately, only a few companies have so far announced the dates when their annual financial statements will be published. Therefore, the exact timing of many of these announcements is still uncertain although in most cases many companies tend to keep a similar date as in previous years. Another matter worth highlighting is that some companies opt to first publish a preliminary set of results followed by the complete financial statements at a later date within the stipulated...

10 years ago - The Times Saturday, February 14, 2009 Young soldier critically injured during training A 19-year-old soldier is fighting for his life after almost drowning during military training at Chadwick Lakes yesterday morning. Private Matthew Psaila was walking against the current through the lakes with colleagues when he suddenly went under the water, which was quite deep following the heavy rains of the past days. The authorities said it was still unclear why he went under and remained in the dirty water. His family said the young soldier could not swim. The family said colleagues did not realise he had fallen into the water until they emerged at the other side of the bridge they were walking under about 10 minutes later, by which time he had lost consciousness. Scores of footprints, probably caused by his colleagues’ heavy boots, could still be noticed imprinted in the mud yesterday afternoon and the broken plants on both sides of the bridge are witness to a flurry of activity as they ran back to find their fellow soldier among the discarded plastic bottles and aluminium cans. Once they brought him onto the bank, they immediately called for assistance and he was rushed...

Having a roof over your head should be a right, and not a gift that the government chooses to give you, Adrian Delia told supporters in San Ġwann on Wednesday. The PN leader was referring to comments by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat that the government will not be dishing out housing units like Father Christmas. Dr Delia reiterated that the government had no plan when it came to social housing. “This is an acute problem that will continue to grow because of this government’s policies of increasing the population through the importation of foreigners. This will have long-term effects that we are already feeling the brunt of,” he said. On the other hand, the PN was guaranteeing a roof over the head of every Maltese person when elected to government, Dr Delia added. The Opposition leader criticised “lack of long-term planning in every sector” -  while people could not afford to buy a house and youths did not afford to rent an apartment, students were being taught in containers. Dr Delia was referring to news that children in some state schools have to attend lessons in mobile classrooms because no more space is available since a planned building programme is behind schedule. He...

Racing Point unveiled its new look for the 2019 Formula One season on Wednesday, showing off a striking pink livery branded with the logo of African betting company Sportpesa. At a formal media presentation at the Canadian International Autoshow in Toronto, Racing Point's car was displayed alongside drivers Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll. The team was rebranded as Racing Point after a consortium led by Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll took over Force India last year ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix. Racing Point principal Otmar Szafnauer said the team was targeting a top four finish in the world championship this season after failing to make a podium in nine races last year. «The long-term aim is to take this team to the very top of the sport,» Szafnauer said. «We want to be fighting for podiums on merit and aiming for a strong top four finish in the championship.» Mexican driver Perez retained his drive after recording five podium finishes with the team in its Force India guise after joining in 2014. The 29-year-old said he hopes to benefit from the removal of the uncertainty surrounding the team's ownership. "We have stability and strong leadership at the top, which is...

Maltese football was rocked by the news that Benny Casha passed away aged 48 years. Casha had been actively involved with Premier League club Senglea Athletic and was currently filling the role of vice president. The Malta Football Association issued a statement to honour the memory of Casha. «Casha was synonymous with Senglea Athletic, the club he has served in different capacities for several years. »A respected official and football enthusiast, Casha was the vice-president of Senglea Athletic, having previously occupied the post of president and also represented his hometown club in the Malta FA Council. He played a key role in the club's rise to the Premier League in recent years. «The Malta FA extends its profound condolences to the family, relatives and friends of Benny Casha during this difficult time.» Apart from his involvement in football, Casha also played a starring role for Senglea's rowing club. He was also known for his contribution in the entertainment seen with Bronk Productions. 

Tottenham took a huge step towards reaching the Champions League quarter-finals as Son Heung-min inspired their 3-0 win over Borussia Dortmund in the last 16 first leg on Wednesday. Mauricio Pochettino’s side had been under the cosh as Dortmund dominated the first half at Wembley, but Hugo Lloris kept them level with a series of fine saves. That set the stage for a sublime second half from Tottenham, who were sparked into life by a fine finish from South Korea forward Son. Son’s fourth goal in his last four appearances took him to 16 for the season, but none have been as priceless as this one. Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen capped his own powerful performance when he swept in their second goal in the closing stages and substitute Fernando Llorente’s late third put the seal on a remarkable result. Although Tottenham still have to survive the second leg at Signal Iduna Park on March 5, they have a golden opportunity to reach the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time since 2011.   Tottenham - Borussia Dortmund Live Score

Real Madrid needed a late winner from Marco Asensio and VAR’s debut in the Champions League to beat a spirited Ajax 2-1 in the first leg of the last 16 on Wednesday. Ajax have not beaten Madrid in 24 years and thought they were on their way at the Johan Cruyff Arena when Nicolas Tagliafico headed home after a Thibaut Courtois error. But referee Damir Skomina judged Dusan Tadic to be offside upon review and Madrid showed no pity on their youthful opponents, Karim Benzema and Asensio scoring two precious away goals in the second half. Hakim Ziyech’s equaliser at least keeps Ajax in touch heading into the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu but Asensio’s 87th-minute winner was a sucker-punch in a match the Dutch team had largely dominated. Their ruled out opener will likely only add to the sense of what might have been and it was no surprise to see a cluster of red and white shirts surrounding the officials at the final whistle. VAR has been introduced to the Champions League for the first time in this year’s knock-out stages and leaflets were distributed to the media before kick-off, one of the points explaining that reviews should only be made for “clear and obvious mistakes”.