From the Queen backing her son Charles for the top Commonwealth role to footage of a plane's engine on fire in Atlanta, these are some of the main news highlights from around the world.

A Scottish woman, 69, was injured when a route bus she was travelling in collided with a car in Blata l-Bajda on Thursday afternoon. The police said the accident, at 1pm, involved a bus driven by an Italian man, and a Toyota Starlet driven by a 46-year-old man from Tarxien.  The woman suffered serious injuries and was hospitalised.  The police are investigating.  

Opposition leader Adrian Delia on Thursday evening demanded action by the prime minister following the latest revelations about his chief of staff Keith Schembri and minister Konrad Mizzi. Speaking on Net Television, he said that it was unfortunate that while Malta was doing well economically, its international reputation was being tarnished, to the extent that it could even lose its voice and risk the risk of application of Article seven in the EU (suspension of voting rights). “We appear to be dealing with concrete facts now. What the people used to be told in the past about 17 Black has been confirmed as one of two companies which Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi were to have as clients.“ While Dr Mizzi had said that his Panama company was for family financial planning, Mr Schembri had now said this was part of a business plan. “So even this, without discussing money, shows that one of the government’s officials is lying. Was it family financial planning or business? Or maybe both of them were lying." It was now known, Dr Delia observed, that funds were deposited into this company (17 Black) with over a million dollars deposited via a Latvian Bank from a company in...

LeBron James scored 46 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers evened their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series at one game apiece with a 100-97 victory over the visiting Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night. James hit 17 of 24 shots and 10 of 13 free throws while pulling down a game-high 12 rebounds. Cleveland's Kevin Love, who left the game with a thumb injury with 3:43 left in the fourth quarter, scored 15 points, and Kyle Korver added 12. Love later said that he will be able to play Friday night in Game 3 in Indianapolis. Victor Oladipo topped the Pacers with 22 points on 9-of-18 shooting. Myles Turner was right behind with 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting, and Darren Collison added 16 points for Indiana. Jazz 102, Thunder 95 Donovan Mitchell scored 20 of his 28 points in the final 13 minutes, and visiting Utah evened its Western Conference first-round series against Oklahoma City at one game apiece. Ricky Rubio contributed 22 points, nine assists and seven rebounds for the Jazz, and Derrick Favors recorded 20 points and 16 rebounds. Rudy Gobert had 13 points and 15 rebounds as Utah halted a 15-game losing skid in Oklahoma City. The series now shifts to Salt Lake City for...

Developers have revived an old application to “extend” a disused cemetery over a large area of agricultural land in the limits of Siġġiewi, to the concern of environmental authorities. The Ta’ Brija Cemetery, close to Girgenti, was once used to bury plague victims and has been abandoned and overgrown with vegetation for at least 50 years. Paul Gauci first applied in 2006 to carry out restoration works, build a prayer room and store, and extend the cemetery over 11,000 square metres of mostly agricultural land, which would be largely paved over. The proposed extension has since been downsized to 3,600 square metres.  The application has progressed in stops and starts since then, but the Times of Malta is informed that it is now being pushed forward once more, and fresh drawings were uploaded to the PA server on April 6. Environmental concerns were first raised back in 2011 by the former Environment Protection Directorate (EPD), which said the proposal was not “an extension to a currently existing cemetery but rather the construction of a new cemetery”. The EPD said the proposal was “disproportionately large” and would entail a significant take-up of land “at the expense of a...

Seventy-two MEPs from across political groups have described Jason Micallef's behaviour in the wake of Daphne Caruana Galizia's murder as undignified and unacceptable and called for his immediate removal from the post of chairman of Valletta 2018. The MEPs referred to a letter published by PEN International and endorsed by 250 international authors that expressed outrage at the behaviour of Mr Micallef. Read: Jason Micallef slammed as 'outrageous' by international writers The MEPs said the vilification of Ms Caruana Galizia, even after her assassination, and the calls for the clearing of the memorial in her tribute in Valletta and for banners demanding for justice to be removed are actions they considered incompatible with those of an official that represents the European Capital of Culture. Mr Micallef created a stir last month when he posted a picture of the big crowd for the St Patrick's Day celebration in St Julian's and in a twist of the last words written by Ms Caruana Galizia, wrote: «St Patrick's Day in Malta. The situation is desperate. There is happy people everywhere you look.» Just hours after this PEN letter was published, Mr Micallef proceeded to continue with...

More than half of wealthy investors around the world expect to live to the age of 100, with almost two in three planning to work longer in life to afford a comfortable retirement, according to a survey on Thursday. The UBS Investor Watch, which tracks the sentiments of more than 5,000 people with at least $1 million in assets, showed nine out of 10 were adjusting spending habits and making long-term investments to finance their longevity. But around one-in-four respondents based in the United States and Britain said they were not making any such financial changes, highlighting a shortfall in retirement planning in two of the world's most important economies as life expectancy rises, especially among the rich. «The idea of living to 100 would have seemed absurd up until recently. Now, it's destined to become commonplace,» Nick Tucker, Head of UK Domestic at UBS Wealth Management, said. Tucker said prospective centenarians needed to plan for a 30 or 40-year retirement. That meant making and protecting wealth across all market cycles during that time, and deciding how to share their money more effectively with descendants. The prospect of living longer and passing a smaller legacy...

Chris Cardona has denied even being at a Siġġiewi bar at the same time as one of the men charged with killing Daphne Caruana Galizia. The Economy Minister is in the eye of a storm after the Daphne Project reported that Dr Cardona's presence at the bar, frequented by at least one of the men suspected of murdering the journalist, had been flagged to the inquiring magistrate.  The story was based on the account of two witnesses who said they saw the minister at the bar before and after the October 16 assassination. Read: Chris Cardona's presence at bar ‘frequented by murder suspect’ flagged to magistrate The Daphne Project is made up of a consortium of investigative journalists from 18 international media houses, including Times of Malta. In replies to the Daphne Project, the Economy Minister had said that he «does not recall» having any discussions with any the three individuals accused of carrying out the car bombing. Brothers George and Alfred Degiorgio stand accused of Ms Caruana Galizia’s assassination, along with Vincent Muscat. The men deny the charges. Asked by Times of Malta on Thursday whether he was ever at the bar while any of the accused men were there, Dr Cardona...

An Italian man who travelled to Malta in search of a job but ended up involved in a fight, has been let out on bail after pleading not guilty in court. Fulvio Ripoli, a 29-year old born in Rome and residing at Fgura, currently unemployed, landed on the wrong side of the law on account of his alleged involvement in the fight which broke out inside a Fgura bar. Another co-national who was involved, ending up suffering eye injuries. The alleged culprit was also slightly injured in the brawl. Mr Ripoli was arrested and charged on Thursday for involuntary grievous bodily harm upon the other Italian man. He was also charged with having assaulted and threatened the alleged victim and with having breached the public peace. Defence lawyer Mark Mifsud Cutajar formally requested the prosecution to retrieve any CCTV footage from the scene of the crime which could shed light upon the dynamics of the incident, thereby making sure that all evidence was preserved. Moreover, the defence lawyer informed the court that his client was formally giving notice of a police complaint which he intended to file against his alleged victim. Although having allegedly explained to the police how he too had...

The €70 million three-year Marsa junction project is «on track», and motorists will be able to commute across three new lanes by summer, according to details given on Thursday. Based on current progress, new lanes on Triq Ġuze Gatt, Triq il-Gvern Lokali and Triq Aldo Moro will be completed as part of the second phase in the coming months, Transport Minister Ian Borg said. Addressing the media with European Commissioner Corina Crețu at the project site, which sees some 8,000 vehicles every hour, Dr Borg said that by the end of the year, €6.2 million would have been invested in the project. This translated into three kilometres of new or rebuilt lanes, 11,500 tonnes of asphalt for new lanes, the demolition of two factory buildings, six kilometres of trenches for utilities or telecommunications networks, 1.7 kilometres of storm water systems and 400 metres of cycle lanes. Apart from drastically reducing waiting time for commuters, less traffic congestion would mean improved air quality for the neighbouring localities of Marsa and Paola, the minister added. The Marsa Junction project will see the elimination of the traffic lights system to allow for uninterrupted traffic flow. So...

A formal complaint calling on the police to investigate Economy Minister Chris Cardona following revelations by the Daphne Project, was made on Thursday afternoon by Occupy Justice. The Daphne Project, a consortium of international media houses, including Times of Malta, reported on Tuesday that Dr Cardona had been seen chatting in a bar with one of the suspects in the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, before and after the crime was committed. Dr Cardona denied the claim, which the journalists said is backed by two witnesses. A crowd of some 100 people gathered outside Valletta police station as officials of Occupy Justice entered the building to file their complaint.  «Rather than investigate whoever put up posters on Monday, the police should investigate these allegations,» an Occupy Justice official said. As the report was filed, the crowd chanted 'Justice, Justice' while some were also heard chanting 'mafia' as Equality Minister Helena Dalli, who happened to be in a nearby restaurant, was seen passing by.   The Valletta event was initially meant to be in support of former Opposition leader Simon Busuttil after his car was spotted carrying posters calling for justice after...

Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando has asked the Commission for the Administration of Justice to look into what he said is a «very serious shortcoming» by Magistrate Anthony Vella when he did not insist on obtaining the laptop used by murdered journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia for the murder inquiry. «It is now public knowledge that Magistrate Vella ignored the request of the police officers investigating the assassination of Mrs Daphne Caruana Galizia to take possession of a laptop withheld from them by family members. This may have been a crucial piece of evidence in this case – a case that has shocked our country and the world,» the former MP said in a letter to President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, who heads the commission.  Six months have now elapsed since this request was made.   «This behaviour may or may not have been influenced by Magistrate Vella’s connections with the aforementioned family,» Dr Pullicino Orlando said. 'An unacceptable and dangerous precedent' The former MP, a frequent target of Ms Caruana Galizia's blogs, and now a chairman of the Malta Chairman for Science and Technology, also wrote on his Facebook page that an unacceptable and dangerous precedent was being...

The Strada Stretta Concept, under the auspices of the Valletta 2018 Foundation is today presenting Re-Routing Roots, a documentary film directed by Astarti Athanasiadou. The documentary aims to depict and embody the former reality elements of Strait Street, such as eroticism, violence, intensity, excitement, passion and the use of live arts (cabaret, singing, acting) as labour for attraction and capital. It also aims to answer questions such as: how does this dissolve in today’s situation? Which images still withhold the essence of the ‘Gut’? How do we recognise them and learn from them? How do we revive the memory of the ‘glorious days’ and attempt to identify today’s ‘glory instead of perpetuating nostalgic reproduction’? Re-Routing Roots is being screened today at The Splendid in Strait Street, Valletta, at 8pm. Entrance is free of charge. 

Magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit has turned down a request for bail for the three men accused of murdering journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, two days after submissions were made. After hearing last Tuesday's oral submissions by the men's lawyers and by the prosecution, the magistrate concluded there were various reasons to justify the refusal of bail. The very serious nature of the offences charged, the protection of public order, the risk that the alleged culprits could possibly commit other offences as well as the risk of absconding, especially in view of the fact they were facing a maximum punishment of life imprisonment, all warranted against the granting of bail. It was precisely on account of the fact that these men, if found guilty, could face a jail term for life that the granting of bail was not “an automatic right,” the court declared in its decree turning down the request in respect of all three of the arrested men. Brothers Alfred Degiorgio (known as Il-fulu) and George Degiorgio (Iċ-Ċiniz) as well as Vince Muscat, (known as il-koħħu) have been under arrest since a dawn raid on a Marsa warehouse on December 4. They were arraigned on the following day. They have...

Although Turtle Doves are strictly protected this spring irresponsible hunters continue to shoot them, the Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) said on Thursday. “As soon as the first flocks of migrating Turtle Doves arrived last week the number of gunshots fired in areas suitable for Turtle Dove skyrocketed ”, CABS wildife crime officer Fiona Burrows said, adding that hunters have been observed shooting from within trees, sitting inside tower hides, throwing rocks into trees and using wires with empty cans to disturb Turtle Doves from trees. “This is what hunters do if they want to shoot Turtle Doves whereas hunting Quail requires a completely different method (drive hunt), dogs and an open environment”, the ornithologist added. Last Thursday, CABS activists observed hunters shooting down several Turtle Doves in the Fawwarra area at around 7 am. The police were informed and searched the area but were not able to apprehend anyone. Shots at Turtle Doves were also recorded on the Marfa Ridge, Ghar Lapsi and Gharghur last week, CABS said. On Thursday morning, a CABS team stationed in Ahrax observed and filmed a hunter killing and collecting a Turtle Dove which fell into a small...

Berlin's Tegel airport has warned passengers to expect disruption on Friday morning when a World War Two bomb discovered near the capital's central train station is defused. The 500-kilogramBritish bomb was found during construction work and all buildings within an 800-metre radius will be evacuated from 9am local time. Planes coming in to land at Tegel, which is about seven kilometres away from the central station, may therefore need to be re-routed to avoid flying above the defusing site. «Air traffic will be significantly limited tomorrow morning before and during the defusal,» the airport operator told passengers via Twitter. Bus travel to and from the airport is also set to be disrupted. A spokeswoman for Berlin Airports said more details would be made available during the day. Berlin police said a decision on whether to close the air space will be done by the bomb deactivation team. More than seven decades after the end of World War Two, Germany still discovers more than 2,000 tonnes of live bombs and munitions every year. Tegel airport was also briefly closed last August after a Russian-made bomb was discovered, forcing flights that evening to divert to the city's other...

With Le Syndrome Ian, Christian Rizzo takes us back in his memory to his first clubbing experiences mixing performative and social dancing, ecstasy and melancholy.

Volkswagen will report earnings on the 26th of the month as Western European car sales continue trending strongly at an adjusted +2.3% year on year in the first quarter of 2018 driven a good demand in Germany, France and Spain. The US and China also produced good figures despite headwinds. The first quarter of 2018 is expected to be solid for Volkswagen. Taken individually all VW Group brands appear to be visibly doing well or making solid progress. A flurry of new models for Skoda, Seat, Audi and even the core VW brand seem to have injected renewed optimism. Volkswagen to outperform peers in the auto sector due to a quick recovery from the diesel emissions scandal and a reduction in the cost base due to evolving manufacturing processes. Diesel scandal The diesel scandal that came to light in September 2015 has so far required VW to make €25.8 billion of provisions to counter litigation, fines and compensation charges. Financial results as a consequence suffered. However, the worst fallout from the scandal was the impact on VW’s reputation. While the VW group recovered relatively quickly form the effect of the scandal, winning back customer trust is much more difficult. VWs...

The first season of Nuna Palk performances for children at Teatru Salesjan will come to a close in May with Land of the big word factory by Theatre Anon. Hailed as one of Malta’s most innovative theatre companies, Theatre Anon has devised an inventive performance with beautiful puppetry, music and live projections. The show presents an imaginary land where all words are produced in a huge word factory. No word may be spoken unless it is bought and swallowed. In this world, the rich get to speak more often and use more powerful words. Poorer people cannot afford to buy these words and must use more common, less effective words, if they can afford any words at all. A young boy, Phileas, must find his own way of expressing his love for a young girl Cybele. But what can he do when he can only afford a few words? Set up in 1994, Theatre Anon is made up of performers and theatre makers who all contribute directly to the creative process including composition, costume, set and light design, stage direction and physical work with the aim of ensuring that audiences enjoy a highly theatrical and entertaining experience. Land of the big word factory is directed by Chris Gatt and performed...

Airlines are improving their baggage management practices, with the rate of mishandled bags falling by 70.5 per cent over the last decade to a record low as technology allows for better tracking, according to a report released on Thursday. Delayed, damaged and lost bags cost airlines an estimated $2.3 billion in compensation, transport and other imposts last year, the report from Swiss aviation technology group SITA shows, down 46 per cent from a decade ago. «In every service industry 'the mistake' is very expensive,» SITA CEO Barbara Dalibard said in an interview before the report was released. «If you reduce drastically the number of events of this kind you make huge savings. It also reduces anxiety for the passengers.» In 2017, 5.57 bags were mishandled for every 1,000 passengers, a record low. That added up to 22.7 million bags globally. To help cut down on mishandled bags, International Air Transport Association members, representing 83 per cent of the world's air traffic, have agreed to keep track of each bag at specific points in the journey from this June. The carriers will have to share that information with all involved in delivering those bags back to passengers at...

“Ludicrous and abhorrent” is how the pro-life group Gift of Life’s chief executive, Paul Vincenti, defined the new IVF Bill before Parliament. “Slowly but surely we have seen a decline in the protection of human life, brought about by small, radical groups that seem to have a hold on the present government,” Mr Vincenti said. The changes being proposed to the IVF law will allow the freezing of embryos, provided prospective parents agree to give up unclaimed embryos for adoption. The Gift of Life Foundation said in a statement that it was concerned that many embryos would be destined to remain frozen indefinitely, “creating an enormous ethical dilemma and myriad legal complications”. The majority of the Maltese population was against the proposals, Mr Vincenti remarked, wondering why they appeared to be so powerless. “It is because we have a government that thinks it has a right to push these things through,” he added. Mr Vincenti encouraged people to remain hopeful, urging them to sign a parliamentary petition against the new law. The petition calls for the Embryo Protection Act to remain unchanged. It has attracted more than 5,000 signatures in just under two weeks. The...

The leaders of Germany and France meet on Thursday to try to work out a common position on reforming the eurozone, a sensitive issue that is testing the new government in Berlin just a month after it took office. Chancellor Angela Merkel, who hosts President Emmanuel Macron for the working meeting, is under pressure from her conservative bloc in parliament not to agree to any reforms that result in German taxpayers funding what they see as profligate eurozone peers. Macron's vision includes turning Europe's existing bailout fund into a European Monetary Fund (EMF), to act as a buffer in any future financial crisis in the bloc. He has also suggested the eurozone have its own finance minister and, at one point, floated the idea of a budget for the currency bloc worth hundreds of billions of euros. «We have lots of institutions, why another one?» asked Ralph Brinkhaus, deputy leader of Merkel's conservative bloc in parliament and a budget expert. «And on the eurozone budget, why should the eurozone, in addition to the European Union, have an extra budget?» he told broadcaster ARD. «Why something else again?» At a meeting with conservative lawmakers on Tuesday, Merkel trod a...

The Malta Robotics Olympiad, Malta’s largest technology event being held this week, is inviting schools and hobbyists to test their skills in one of this year’s three main challenges – CodesprintMT, Lego Sumo and DIY Bots. This year’s event is set to be the largest and most exciting edition yet with a range of competitions, workshops and presentations for all the family. The event is being held at the MFCC in Ta’ Qali between tomorrow and Sunday. For more information and competition registrations, visit www.mromalta.com.

Artificial pancreas systems are «safe and effective» for people with type 1 diabetes, a new study suggests. Type 1 diabetes patients' immune systems destroy their insulin-producing pancreatic cells and they need to inject insulin to stay alive. To achieve the proper blood sugar levels patients need to constantly monitor blood glucose levels - usually through finger pricking - and endure multiple daily injections or use an insulin pump. An emerging treatment is an artificial pancreas, a device that is designed to release insulin in response to changing blood glucose levels in a similar way to a human pancreas. A new study, published in the journal BMJ, examined all of the research to date on the use of such items. Researchers from Greece and the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, examined 40 trials on the topic. They found, although there were some limitations with current research, that: «Artificial pancreas systems are an efficacious and safe approach for treating outpatients with type 1 diabetes.» Their study found that patients fitted with the devices had longer periods of normal blood sugar throughout the night and over a 24-hour period. The authors concluded: "In view of...

Home Affairs Minister Michael Farrugia on Thursday declined to comment on reports that the three men accused of murdering journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia were tipped off prior to their arrest. The Daphne Project has reported that the police believed the murder suspects were informed about their impending arrest prior to a raid last December. Dr Farrugia insisted he would not discuss the investigation when asked about the matter, adding that members of the journalist’s family had warned him they would hold him responsible if he divulged any information about the murder probe. “I’m threatened by the family that if I divulge anything about the investigation I will be held liable and they will accuse me of interfering and will expose myself to five years in prison,” Dr Farrugia replied when asked whether he had looked into the recent reports. The police arrested 10 people last December, three of whom – brothers George and Alfred Degiorgio, along with Vincent Muscat – were eventually charged with carrying out the car bombing. The men deny the charges. The slain journalist’s family warned the minister last November that a statement he had made in Parliament about the investigation...

Facebook's chief executive Mark Zuckerberg came under pressure from EU lawmakers on Wednesday to come to Europe and shed light on the data breach involving Cambridge Analytica that affected nearly three million Europeans. The world's largest social network is under fire worldwide after information about nearly 87 million users wrongly ended up in the hands of the British political consultancy, a firm hired by Donald Trump for his 2016 U.S. presidential election campaign. European Parliament President Antonio Tajani last week repeated his request to Zuckerberg to appear before the assembly, saying that sending a junior executive would not suffice. In his letter to the Facebook CEO, Tajani said the company should bear in mind that lawmakers play a key role in crafting tough rules governing online tech giants. «Let me also stress that one of the Parliament's future priorities will be to reinforce the regulatory framework to ensure a well-functioning digital market with high level protection for our citizens,» he wrote. EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova, who recently spoke to Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, said Zuckerberg should heed the lawmakers' call. "This...

Manchester United tightened their grip on second place in the Premier League after goals in each half by defender Chris Smalling and substitute Romelu Lukaku gave them a clinical 2-0 win at Bournemouth on Wednesday. The result left United, who suffered a shock 1-0 home defeat by bottom team West Bromwich Albion on Sunday, second on 74 points from 34 games, 13 behind champions Manchester City and four ahead of third-placed Liverpool. With one eye on Saturday's FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley, United manager Jose Mourinho made seven changes to the side beaten by West Brom and his reshuffled team delivered at Vitality stadium. Smalling fired the visitors ahead with a close-range finish in the 28th minute and Lukaku sealed the win with a superb strike in the 70th, burying his shot over advancing keeper Asmir Begovic after he was put through by Paul Pogba. Bournemouth - Manchester United Live Score  

Napoli twice came from behind to beat Udinese 4-2 in Serie A on Wednesday and cut Juventus' lead to four points after the Turin side were held 1-1 at relegation-threatened Crotone. Fiorentina forward Jordan Veretout scored a hat-trick but was on the losing side in a 4-3 home defeat by Lazio in which two players were sent off in the first 15 minutes, visiting coach Simone Inzaghi was dismissed and a penalty was revoked by VAR. Raul Albiol, Arkadiusz Milik and Lorenzo Tonelli scored in the last half hour to keep Napoli in the title race ahead of Sunday's showdown with Juventus. Alex Sandro gave Juve an early lead but Simy equalised midway through the second half for Crotone. Juventus lead with 85 points, followed by Napoli on 81 with AS Roma, who beat Genoa 2-1, and Lazio on 64 in the other two Champions League places. Standings provided by Sofascore LiveScore  

Paris St Germain took a big step towards a domestic treble when they reached the French Cup final with a 3-1 win at Caen on Wednesday. Kylian Mbappe's double and a last-gasp goal by Christopher Nkunku set up a final showdown against third division Les Herbiers on May 8 at the Stade de France. PSG, who were crowned Ligue 1 champions on Sunday and won the League Cup, went ahead on 25 minutes when France striker Mbappe scored from close range when he deflected home Edinson Cavani's attempt on goal. Caen pushed for an equaliser they got two minutes before the break, Ismael Diomande beating Kevin Trapp with a 20-metre shot. PSG doubled their tally nine minutes from time as Mbappe latched on to Cavani’s cross. The visitors sealed the win one minute into stoppage time when Nkunku netted from close range after a neat one-two with Dani Alves. Caen - Paris Saint - Germain Live Score  

Cristiano Ronaldo's superb backheel late in the game earned Real Madrid a point in a 1-1 draw with Athletic Bilbao at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium on Wednesday in La Liga. The Portuguese forward flicked Luka Modric's low drive into the back of the net in the 87th minute with a deft touch, his 24th league goal of the season cancelling out a first-half chipped goal from Inaki Williams for the visitors. Real were set for defeat until Ronaldo, who also hit the bar with a header early on, struck with his 24th league goal of the season to snatch the draw that leaves them third on 68 points after 33 games. They are three points behind their cross-city rivals, second-placed Atletico Madrid, who play their game in hand at Real Sociedad on Thursday. Barcelona lead the way on 83 points, 12 clear of Atletico. Raul Garcia wasted an excellent chance to double Bilbao's lead before Ronaldo's goal, striking the crossbar with Keylor Navas out of position after a scramble in the box. Bilbao came close to earning their first victory at the Bernabeu since 2005 but Ronaldo denied them, finally netting for Madrid after the hosts wasted a string of chances. Athletic goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga made...

The man who injured his father in a heated family row on Tuesday morning in Għargħur has been granted bail after pleading not guilty to multiple charges he faces. Steven Azzopardi, a 31-year old Għargħur resident, was arrested shortly after the incident which broke out at 9.00am in a field just off Sqaq ix-Xaqquf in his hometown. During his arraignment on Wednesday, it emerged that father and son had allegedly quarrelled over some family property. As the situation escalated, the younger man reportedly fired a weapon, with the bullet striking his father’s shoulder. He was arrested shortly after the episode and was today marched to court facing 15 charges, including attempted homicide, causing slight injuries to the victim, whilst being in possession of a firearm. The man pleaded not guilty and was granted bail by duty magistrate Marse-Ann Farrugia. Inspector Roderick Spiteri prosecuted. Lawyers Franco Debono and Amadeus Cachia were defence counsel.

Turkey's Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday called a snap presidential and parliamentary election on June 24, more than a year earlier than planned, saying the country urgently needed to make the switch to an executive presidency. Bringing the elections forward means that they will take place under a state of emergency that has been in place since a July 2016 attempted coup and was extended by parliament on Wednesday for another three months. In 15 years of rule as prime minister and later president, Erdogan has transformed a poor country at the eastern edge of Europe into a major emerging market. Yet Turkey's rapid economic growth has also come with increased authoritarianism, as Erdogan has accelerated a crackdown on dissent since the failed coup. Erdogan and his ministers had previously dismissed the prospect of early polls. Last year he narrowly won a referendum to change the constitution and create an executive presidency, which will come into effect with the next presidential vote. He said Turkey's military operations in neighbouring Syria «and the developments in our region of historic importance, have made it mandatory to remove the election issue from our agenda». In a speech...

Updated at 7pm Opposition Leader Adrian Delia challenged Labour deputy leader Chris Cardona on Wednesday to explain what lay behind the allegations that he had met one of Daphne Caruana Galizia's alleged killers. He was speaking in Parliament after the Wednesday evening sitting was adjourned by Deputy Speaker Claudette Buttigieg, following Dr Delia's invocation of standing orders seeking an urgent public debate on the allegations.  Times of Malta revealed on Tuesday that patrons of a bar in Siġġiewi have alleged that Dr Cardona was seen chatting with one of the three men charged with Ms Caruana Galizia's murder, both before and after the assassination.  Dr Cardona said he could not recall any such encounter.  “Six months ago, the Prime Minister said that the government would spend all necessary to find out who was behind the murder. Who was behind the murder? People have a right to know,” Dr Delia said on Wednesday. “There are procedures already underway about who carried out the crime but not who commissioned it and that it what the world wants to know.” DAPHNE PROJECT: $1.6m wired to Mizzi and Schembri's 'target client' “And did police commissioner know about this? Did he...

Health officials in the UK are set to give the green light to a new treatment for a condition which has not seen any advances in almost six decades. The British National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is to issue guidance recommending tocilizumab for patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA) for use in the NHS in England. Pharmaceutical giant Roche said that until now there has not been any new treatment options for nearly 60 years. Giant cell arteritis, also known as temporal arteritis, causes inflammation in the walls of the arteries in the head and neck, and less commonly the aorta. Patients can suffer symptoms including headache, jaw pain, fatigue and muscle and joint pains. More serious complications include vision loss, stroke, aortic aneurysm and heart attack. They are usually treated with a type of steroids but large doses can be coupled with other adverse affects. Around 15,000 people in the UK develop GCA each year. Tocilizumab, also known as RoActemra, is also used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. The drug, given as an injection, works by blocking a protein called IL-6 - the protein is involved in the body's management of inflammation and...

A Singaporean tutor has pleaded guilty to helping six Chinese students cheat in school exams in a «highly sophisticated» operation using video calling and skin-coloured earphones, court documents seen by Reuters on Wednesday showed. Private tuition is big business in Singapore with parents paying as much as S$700 (€431) for four-session courses and some tutors have become millionaires from the business.  Singapore's reputation for a good education system attracts students from across Asia and beyond. Tan Jia Yan, 32, worked for a tuition centre that offered money-back guarantees to Chinese students if they failed to pass exams and get a place in a Singapore polytechnic. Tan pleaded guilty on Monday to 27 charges of cheating. Together with her colleagues, Tan helped attach «wearable Bluetooth devices» and skin-coloured earphones to the students which were connected to discreetly placed mobile phones when they sat their exams in 2016. Tan then sat the exams herself as a private candidate and used a camera phone attached to her chest to send video footage of the paper to her colleagues via Facebook's Facetime app . Her colleagues would then call the students to tell them the...