Special Counsel Robert Mueller said Wednesday that charging Donald Trump with a crime of obstruction was not an option because of Justice Department policy not to indict a sitting president. «Under longstanding department policy, a president cannot be charged with a federal crime while he is in office,» Mueller said in his first public comments in two years. «That is unconstitutional. »A Special Counsel's Office is part of the Department of Justice, and by regulation, it was bound by that department policy,« Mueller said. »Charging the president with a crime was therefore not an option we could consider,« the former FBI director said. »The Constitution requires a process other than the criminal justice system to formally accuse a sitting President of wrongdoing,« Mueller added, in what appeared to be a suggestion that any further action would lie with Congress. At the same time, Mueller reiterated that his report into Russian interference in the 2016 election and potential obstruction of justice did not exonerate the president. »It would be unfair to potentially accuse somebody of a crime when there can be no court resolution of the actual charge,« he said. »Those were the...

Roger Federer breezed into the third round of the French Open for the 15th time on Wednesday by seeing off German lucky loser Oscar Otte, while 11-time champion Rafael Nadal and Stefanos Tsitsipas also progressed. The 37-year-old Federer held off a persistent world number 144 Otte, saving all four break points he faced in a 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 win on Court Philippe Chatrier. Next up for the 20-time Grand Slam title winner is a clash with Norway's Casper Ruud who put out Italian 29th seed Matteo Berrettini 6-4, 7-5, 6-3. «The Grand Slams are incredible. You can meet a player who qualified who (you) have not heard of before,» said Federer, who last played at Roland Garros in 2015. «It was difficult, he really played a great match.» Federer's only French Open trophy came in 2009, and 10 years on he faces a daunting task to grab a second, potentially needing to beat Tsitsipas, Nadal and world number one Novak Djokovic in order to come out on top. He was on his game against Otte, though, breaking once in each set and serving strongly. Nadal continued the strong start to his bid for a record-extending 12th title with a comfortable victory over German qualifier Yannick Maden. The 32-year-old...

The Nationalist Party is bracing itself for more political haemorrhage as vote-counting for the elections held on Saturday in 67 local councils starts on Wednesday afternoon and continues until Friday. Localities have been divided into three groups for vote-counting purposes. The localities being counted on Wednesday are - Birzebbuġa, Għajnsielem, Dingli, Balzan, Tarxien, Zebbuġ, Valletta, Fontana, Marsa, Mellieħa, Qrendi, Nadur,  Xewkija, Zejtun, Zurrieq, Għasri, Iklin, Mqabba, Pembroke, St Julian’s, St Paul’s Bay, Sta Venera and Ta’ Xbiex. The local elections were held together with the European Parliament. Labour won a majority of 54.2 per cent, with a gap of 42,656 from the Nationalist Party in the EP elections on a turnout of  70.12%. Turnout for the council elections was 60.46%. With thousands of PN-leaning supporters believed to have stayed away, a large number of localities may turn red from blue, including Valletta and traditionally PN-supporting towns, such as Siġġiewi. PN general secretary Clyde Puli admitted his fears in a Net TV interview on Monday, but added that a party analysis of the way votes were cast in the 2017 general elections showed that had the council...

I am proposing that all those involved in culture and sports would come together on September 6 to thank God. I have in mind artists, singers, composers, musicians, actors, scriptwriters, poets, authors, etc., and all those who practise a sport, whatever it is. We should thank God during Mass for the talents such people have been gifted with. Those interested, can write to me at PO Box 16, Msida so an organising committee can be set up.

Nationalist Party exponents Simon Busuttil and Jason Azzopardi have tried to block the appointment of three judges and three magistrates. Their reasoning was that the appointments are being made by the government, despite the fact that the six members of the legal profession, three of whom were already members of the judiciary as magistrates, were approved by the Judicial Appointments Committee, which is a truly independent body headed by the President of Malta. Still, according to Busuttil and Azzopardi there is no guarantee the appointed members of the judiciary would be impartial and independent in their decisions. This is nothing less than a grave affront to all past and present members of the judiciary who have all been appointed by the government of the day. In fact, prior to 2016, all judicial appointments were made by the government in office. It was this government that introduced the necessary reform and set up the Judicial Appointments Committee. Ironically, the European Commission has just stated that the majority of the Maltese have full trust in our judiciary. The PN only trusts the judiciary when the courts decide in its favour.

I can just about accept the partisan attitude taken by supporters of political parties during major elections, which is a well-known phenomenon throughout all democratic countries. However, I fail to understand why the same happens when there are local council and MEP elections. The bottom line is that in both instances it is about giving and getting the best for our islands and a better Europe. In the case of the local elections, irrespective of which political party has the majority of members in a council, all councillors will be voting on and overseeing issues that benefit the entire locality and not just families who lean towards the party with the majority of seats. Everyone should be equal and be served well by the council. In the MEP elections, here again, there should be no political antagonism because these members now form part of the European Parliament and should strive for a better Europe, which our country forms part of. They should also become good ambassadors of our country. It is my profound belief that people volunteering themselves for these two types of positions should have no affiliations to any political party and, when elected, solely follow the...

The Britain’s Got Talent adventure came to an end for young Maltese singer Giorgia Borg on Tuesday, as she fell short of one of the top two spots needed to book a place in the final of the UK top TV talent show. Her elimination in the live semi-final was met with boos from a section of the crowd, who had cheered Giorgia through a powerful performance. Giorgia, 10, had catapulted into the semi-finals after stunning audiences and judges in her first performance last month, earning herself a Golden Buzzer for her efforts. In Tuesday’s semi-final she took to the stage with an original song, Be Free, promising in a pre-performance interview to “blow the judges and crowd away like a leaf-blower”. “You are a gutsy little thing, your confidence is quite extraordinary,” Simon Cowell told her after her performance. “I really believe you are going to have a career in this business.” Cowell did seem less taken with Tuesday’s performance than with her first, suggesting the backing track had overwhelmed her vocal abilities, but the other judges were full of praise, with David Walliams calling her a “fantastically-talented 10-year old girl who sings like a dream”. But in the end it wasn't...

The Maltese swimmers provided the perfect finale for Team Malta at the end of Day One of the 2019 GSSE after scooping five medals at the Podgorica Pool on Tuesday. The swimmers’ fine performances lifted the spirits of the whole Maltese clan who will now head into today’s competition with a tally of six medals – three silver and three bronze – and hopefully more podium placings will be on their way particularly in the athletics programme that gets under way in Bar. Harry Stacey was the star performer of the Maltese swimming selection as the 16-year-old scooped two silver medals. Stacey made his intention clear in his opening race, the 100m freestyle as he touched home in second place with a time of 51.10 seconds. He was a mere 0.05 seconds off gold medal winner Julien Henx, of Luxembourg. Andrew Chetcuti looked on course for a place on the podium as he was second after the first 50 minutes but ended a disappointing sixth in 51.58 seconds. Stacey then teamed up with Chetcuti, Dylan Cachia and Matthew Galea to storm home in second place in the 4x100 metres freestyle relay in 3:28.67. “I’m very happy with my two medals,” Stacey told the Times of Malta. “I really hoped I could win a...

Jeremy Saywell handed Malta its first medal of the 2019 Montenegro GSSE when he placed second in the 66kg category in Cetinje, on Tuesday. It was a fine performance by the 25-year-old judoka who was making a return to the biennial Games after missing San Marino 2017 due to a shoulder injury. Isaac Bezzina was just seconds away from a bronze medal in the 100kg category but he suffered an Ippon just as time passed to miss out on a place on the podium. Saywell was the top performer for Malta on the Cetinje tatami. He first overcame the challenge of Andorra’s Joel Rossel Fort via an Ippon and then defeated Andrea Fritsch of Luxembourg in the semi-final with another Ippon. In the final, he was up against Montenegro’s Jussuf Nurkovic. Saywell tried to surprise his more-quoted opponents but Nurkovic showed all his talent when floored Saywell late on to seal his gold medal. “When you come to the GSSE you always target the gold medal but I have to admit that Nurkevic proved better than me in the final,” Saywell told the Times of Malta. “However, I’m still very pleased with my overall performances. I fought very well in my first two bouts and it’s really satisfying for me to take home a...

Opposition MPs took aim at the shabby state of ‘Product Malta’ during a Parliamentary debate on Tuesday, arguing that this could not be overcome by hoteliers’ commitment to investing in the quality of their own services.Speaking during a debate on the Malta Tourism Authority financial estimates, Opposition MP Robert Arrigo said there had been an overall decrease in visitors to the Maltese Islands - excluding non-EU workers - and that individual spending had also decreased.It was essential to ensure that the “package price” paid by tourists coming to Malta on holiday represented value for money, he said. Referring to a new cohort of tourists who travelled to Maltese villages with the intention of staying in rental properties, including through AirBnB and similar services, he said it was important to ensure that villages had the necessary services in place.He congratulated the government on the replacement of various bus stops, but asked whether a tender had been issued for the purpose of these works and how much each bus stop had cost.He also asked the Minister to confirm rumours that Air Malta continued to lose money and that One News broadcaster Karl Stagno Navarra had been...

Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri suggested that Wednesday's Europa League final will not definitely be his last game in charge of the club as he confessed his «love» for English football. The Italian only took over at Stamford Bridge last year but is now being strongly linked with a return to Serie A, with media in his home country suggesting he will take the vacant coaching position at champions Juventus. «I want to think only to the final. I have a contract with Chelsea for two years, so first of all I will speak with Chelsea, but now is not the moment,» Sarri said of the Juventus speculation at a press conference in Baku on Tuesday ahead of the final against Arsenal. The 60-year-old could replace the departing Massimiliano Allegri in Turin after a difficult season in London, and reports have said that Chelsea would not block his departure. However, he insists his first season in charge after arriving from Napoli can be classified as a success regardless of what happens at the imposing Olympic Stadium here. He did not lose a Premier League game until late November and despite his team's form tailing off after that, they still finished third in the table, ahead of both Tottenham...

A report on the state of the world's children released Tuesday notes major progress in health, education and safety in dozens of countries over the past two decades. Save the Children said in its global childhood report that conditions had improved in 173 out of 176 countries, with Singapore ranking as the country that best provides for children. The non-governmental organization estimates that 690 million children are being robbed of their childhood because of sickness, deaths, child marriage, early pregnancy, malnutrition or no schooling, down from 970 million in 2000. Sierra Leone, Rwanda and Ethiopia were cited as countries that had significantly improved the lives of children over the past two decades. Globally, child deaths have dropped and there are 49 million fewer stunted children, with China and India accounting for more than half of the global decline. Of the eight indicators used by Save the Children to measure progress for children, only one was on the rise -- the number of displaced children from conflict. Some 420 million children live in conflict zones -- more than double the number in 1995. After Singapore, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Slovenia, Germany, Ireland,...

Nationalist MP David Stellini has stepped down as Nationalist Party MP, just days after failing to win a seat in the European Parliament.  Mr Stellini previously worked as a press advisor with the European People's Party in Brussels before winning a seat in the Maltese parliament in the 2017 general election.  Sources said he will be returning to Brussels to assume the post with the EPP. Mr Stellini was elected to Parliament for the first time in the casual election on the 13th district for the seat vacated by Nationalist MP Marthese Portelli, who was elected on two districts. His resignation will prompt a co-option, allowing the PN to select any person to be appointed as an MP. Mr Stellini, who also serves as president of the PN's administrative council, obtained 3,600 first-count votes in the MEP elections last weekend. 

The Britain’s Got Talent adventure came to an end for young Maltese singer Giorgia Borg on Tuesday, as she fell short of one of the top two spots needed to book a place in the final of the UK top TV talent show. Her elimination in the live semi-final was met with boos from a section of the crowd, who had cheered Giorgia through a powerful performance. Giorgia, 10, had catapulted into the semi-finals after stunning audiences and judges in her first performance last month, earning herself a Golden Buzzer for her efforts. In Tuesday’s semi-final she took to the stage with an original song, Be Free, promising in a pre-performance interview to “blow the judges and crowd away like a leaf-blower”. “You are a gutsy little thing, your confidence is quite extraordinary,” Simon Cowell told her after her performance. “I really believe you are going to have a career in this business.”Cowell did seem less taken with Tuesday’s performance than with her first, suggesting the backing track had overwhelmed her vocal abilities, but the other judges were full of praise, with David Walliams calling her a “fantastically-talented 10-year old girl who sings like a dream”. But in the end it wasn't...

Opposition MP Beppe Fenech Adami has accused Prime Minister Joseph Muscat of sowing the seeds for the murder of Ivorian migrant Lassana Cisse.Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, Dr Fenech Adami said the April 6 murder, alleged to have been racially-motivated, was the fruit of the Prime Minister’s past stance towards migration. The two soldiers accused of committing the murder, he added, had probably cheered for Dr Muscat as he called for push-backs in 2013. Dr Fenech Adami said it was a failing of Maltese society that there were some who found it easy to shoot and kill in such a way, pointing out that the accused were both members of the Armed Forces of Malta and also dedicated supporters of the Labour Party who had joined the army after Labour was elected.The government had destroyed the army, he concluded, as even the army was accepting members into its ranks depending on their political colour.Dr Fenech Adami was reacting to a ministerial statement by Home Affairs Minister Michael Farrugia, who said that he had been disappointed and saddened by the fact that those accused of the crime were members of the disciplined forces. He did not go into specific details concerning the...

Reigning champion Simona Halep started her French Open title defence with an ultimately comfortable victory on Tuesday despite a second-set blip against Australian Ajla Tomljanovic. The Romanian was pegged back on Court Philippe Chatrier but raced through the decider to win 6-2, 3-6, 6-1. Halep, seeded third, will face Poland's Magda Linette in the second round. The 27-year-old, who won her maiden Grand Slam title in Paris last year after three previous final defeats, looked to be in total control after taking the first set in under half an hour. Tomljanovic, who reached the last 16 in 2014, hit back though to level the match. But Halep, like world number one Naomi Osaka in the preceding match on the show court, avoided an upset by easing through the third set despite being broken when initially serving for the match. Halep finished an accomplished display with 19 winners and 22 unforced errors.

Island Insurance Brokers hosted an event to celebrate its first 30 years of operations. The reception for the company’s clients and employees was held at the Marsa Sports Club and was also attended by Alison Hill, chief executive officer at the Argus Group and Finance Minister Edward Scicluna. Island Insurance Brokers Limited forms part of Argus Group Holdings Limited, a company based in Bermuda after Argus Group acquired Island Insurance Brokers in 2016 as part of its strategy to diversify and expand its global business operations. Addressing the guests present, Lawrence Pavia, managing director of Island Insurance recalled the company’s journey and expressed his satisfaction at seeing the company celebrate such an important milestone. “We have come a long way from our humble beginnings, through relentless hard work, dedication and commitment from all past and current employees. Today Island Insurance is one of Malta’s top insurance brokers, managing the insurance business on behalf of a very healthy portfolio of companies and organisations,” he said.  “We are where we are today because throughout these past years, we remained loyal to our clients and to our commitment to offer...

Japan's Naomi Osaka battled back from a set and a break down to defeat Slovakia's Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 0-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-1 on Tuesday to reach the Roland Garros second round. Osaka, bidding to add the French Open to her US and Australian Open titles, was within a whisker of becoming just the second top seed to lose in the first round in Paris in the modern era after Angelique Kerber in 2017. World number 90 Schmiedlova, who hadn't won a match at the tournament since 2014, twice served for the tie in the 10th and 12th games of the second set. At one stage, she was just two points away from a famous victory. But Osaka, who had arrived in Paris still feeling the effects of a hand injury suffered in Rome, battled back to set-up a second round duel with former world number one and two-time major winner Victoria Azarenka. «I was really close, so it hurts I lost so many chances,» said Schmiedlova. «Maybe I felt like it was against the world number one. It was not easy in my head.» Osaka was broken three times in the opening set, losing it in just 20 minutes. The 21-year-old hit 13 unforced errors while the Slovakian didn't need to hit a single winner such was the error-strewn show...

Coach Gennaro Gattuso has left Milan by mutual consent amid reports of financial cutbacks, the seven-time European champions announced on Tuesday. Gattuso, who was under contract for another two years, was a controversial appointment in November 2017, but failed to qualify the club for next season's Champions League, finishing one point behind Inter in the battle for the fourth and final qualifying spot. He played for the club between 1999 and 2012, winning both the Champions League and the Serie A title twice. «Rino has given everything to our efforts this season, and has worked tirelessly, always taking full responsibility, putting the club above every other consideration. I want to say from the bottom of our hearts, thank you Rino,» CEO Ivan Gazidis said in a statement. The former battling midfielder joins ex-players in Filippo Inzaghi, Clarence Seedorf as recent coaching flops at the San Siro. Sporting director Leonardo also announced his resignation after less than a year in the job on Tuesday. Italian media reports said Gattuso and Leonardo's decisions were in response to spending curbs imposed by the side for the summer transfer window. Faced with mounting debts and...

Juventus fans are set for a welcoming visit as club legend Alessandro Del Piero will be visiting Malta for a Gala Dinner at the Intercontinental Hotel, in St Julian's, on June 3.  This event, called 'A night with a legend... Alessandro Del Piero', is being organised by Music Hall Events with the collaboration of three supporters club that are located in the Maltese Islands - Juventus Club Cuore Bianconero Malta (Marsa), Juventus Club Vero Amore Malta (Birkirkara) and the Juventus Fan Club, in Gozo, who will have a number of tickets each for the interested members.  Tickets for this event are on sale here while more information in relation to the Gala Dinner can be acquired directly from the company by contacting them on 79970017 or 79962061, or else through email at musicahallevents@gmail.com. Considered as one of Italy's greats, Del Piero played 705 games for Juventus scoring 289 goals in the process. He won numerous Serie A titles but his greatest achievements remain the 1996 Champions League success and the World Cup.

Malta ranked high in a global tax haven index that scored countries' tax systems based on the extent to which they enable corporate tax avoidance. On a scale of 0 (best) to 100 (worst), Malta was given an overall score of 74 by the Tax Justice Network, a UK-based NGO, indicating a corporate tax policy that was «corrosive» to the global economy. Malta ranked 23rd in the Corporate Tax Haven Index, faring worse than countries like Panama, the Seychelles and Botswana. The island scored a 79 in transparency, with the study criticising reporting of tax avoidance schemes. The country report also found that Malta’s treatment of foreign investment income was unhealthy. On patent boxes, a special very low corporate tax regime used by countries to tax patent revenues differently from commercial revenues, Malta was also given the worst possible score.  Anti-avoidance laws were heavily criticised, scoring 93 out of a 100 in the study. This is not the first time that Malta has been described as a tax haven. Earlier this year, anti-poverty organisation Oxfam said the country should be blacklisted as an EU tax haven. The European Parliament later went on to approve a motion voting in favour of...

The former King Albert II of the Belgians has accepted to submit to a DNA test and avoid daily fines of €5,000, his lawyer said on Tuesday. The test will be a major moment in the long battle between Albert II and sculptor Delphine Boel, who launched proceedings before a top Brussels court in 2013 to have Albert's paternity recognised. «After having taken note of the judgment handed down on May 16 by the Brussels Court of Appeal... HM King Albert decided to submit to the expertise ordered by the Court of Appeal,» his lawyers said in a statement. Boel, born in 1968, claims she is the child of a long affair between her mother, Sibylle de Selys Longchamps and the then crown prince Albert, married since 1959 to Paola Ruffo di Calabria. The 81-year-old former monarch, who reigned from 1993 until 2013, has always refused to acknowledge that he could be her father. Last October, the Brussels Court of Appeal ruled in favour of Boel and ordered Albert II to submit to a genetic sample in order to finally decide the matter. Albert had refused any test, which led to this month's order at the appeals court in Brussels. The ex-king will now report to an appointed forensic expert who, on the...

A suspected thief, chased down a Tal-Virtu’ street on Sunday by a resident who captured the whole episode on video, was remanded in custody after pleading not guilty to aggravated theft on Tuesday. Valletta resident Patrick Mangion, 46, was captured on camera by a vigilante resident hurrying off down a quiet side street in Rabat, hooded and wearing black, while swearing at the person shooting the footage, who repeatedly branded him «thief». In the video, which quickly made the rounds on social media, the suspected thief tried to shrug off his pursuer for several minutes before being whisked away in a getaway car driven by a third party. He was ultimately arrested, releasing a detailed statement about the events of that Sunday morning. The man was escorted to court on Tuesday, pleading not guilty to having stolen some €20 in cash from a parked Fiat, uttered obscene words in public, insulted the man who had chased him after the alleged theft, as well as breached two earlier bail decrees. Defence lawyer Alfred Abela, when making submissions on bail, pointed out that the man had personally contacted the police and turned up to release his statement, alleging that he had been acting...

Team Malta is currently in Montenegro to take part in the 18th edition of the Games of the Small States of Europe. Expectations are high that the Maltese athletes could improve on the haul of 29 medals won in San Marino two years ago. Stay with us to follow all the latest results and achievements of the Maltese athletes in Montenegro. 4.40pm Team Malta has added a couple of medals to its tally, as Harry Stacey finished second in the 100m freestyle while Mikhail Umnov placed third, in the 200m butterfly race.  4.35pm Jeremy Saywell has just won Malta its first medal at the Montenegro GSSE, after finishing second in the 66kg category final of Judo. In the final, he lost to Jussuf Nurkovic who is representing the host nation of Montenegro.  4pm Team Malta are set to collect their first medal of these Games as Jeremy Saywell will take on Jussuf Nurkovic of Montenegro in the Judo final.  Will the first medal be gold or silver? 3pm The afternoon session is set to provide some emotions for Team Malta as Jeremy Saywell is gunning for gold in judo while team-mates Isaac Bezzina and Clive Camilleri are fighting for a bronze medal. 1.35pm Tennis matches have yet to get under way as all...

Another wave of regime air strikes on Tuesday struck a jihadist bastion in northwest Syria where more than 40 civilians have been killed in several days of heavy bombardment, a war monitor said. Four children were among 10 people killed on Tuesday in government fire on several towns in the Idlib province and neighbouring Aleppo countryside, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. A hospital in the Idlib town of Kafranbel was hit by artillery shells on Tuesday, said David Swanson, a spokesman for the UN humanitarian office. «The facility is reportedly out of service due to severe structural damage,» he told AFP. Tuesday's attacks follow two days of intensified regime bombardment on the region that killed a total of 31 civilians on Sunday and Monday, according to the Britain-based Observatory. Rescue volunteers and civilians were seen pulling dust-covered victims from the rubble of destroyed buildings in the wake of those strikes. Idlib and parts of the neighbouring provinces of Aleppo, Hama and Latakia are under the control of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a jihadist group led by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate. The region is supposed to be protected from a massive government...

Arsenal are aiming to win a first European trophy in a quarter of a century in distant Baku on Wednesday and their hopes of doing so appear to rest at the feet of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette. After missing out on a top-four place in the Premier League, the assessment of Unai Emery's first season in charge of the Gunners will be far kinder if they can end the campaign with victory in the Europa League final. It all comes down to this London derby in an unlikely setting by the Caspian Sea -- if Arsenal win, they will have a first piece of European silverware since raising the Cup Winners' Cup in 1994 and with it the additional prize of a return to the Champions League. And while the Gunners have frequently toiled defensively this season, conceding 51 goals in the Premier League, Emery knows he is the envy of almost every coach in Europe with Lacazette and Aubameyang in his ranks. They have scored 50 times between them this season, with Lacazette getting 19 goals and being named the club's player of the year by Arsenal supporters. Golden Boot His goal tally has been put in the shade by Aubameyang, who has netted 31 times, including a hat-trick in the second...

A frantic call for help by a man who claimed that a former flatmate had turned up outside his home, threatening violence against him, landed the caller in custody after police discovered some five kilos of cannabis inside the flat. Ivaniciuc Valentin-Ciprian, a 31-year old Romanian residing at Qawra, was escorted to court under arrest hours after his call to the police had brought investigators rushing to his home. Prosecuting Inspector Clayton Camilleri explained how the man had allegedly told police that a gang of four, among whom was a former bodybuilder flatmate, had turned up outside his apartment, banging on the door. The terrified occupant had allegedly taken to his heels, jumping over adjoining verandas to get away from his aggressors. However, upon their arrival at the flat, the officers immediately sensed the strong odour of cannabis, eventually tracking down traces of the drug inside the washing machine, the dustbin and also stowed away beneath a number of garbage bags stacked on the veranda. The total amount of drugs allegedly stood in the region of five kilos, the inspector explained, adding that some €4,000 in cash had also been discovered inside the man’s flat,...

The largest pension fund in Norway announced Tuesday it was blacklisting companies profiting from alcohol, gambling and pornography, and said it was divesting shares in well-known companies like Carlsberg and William Hill.  KLP, which manages some $80 billion in assets, has sold its shares in about 90 companies that receive more than 5.0 per cent of their revenue from alcohol or betting.  The holdings accounted for about $320 million of the fund's assets. «Responsible alcohol consumption and gambling can be positive elements in people's lives,» KLP's CEO Sverre Thornes said in a statement. «We acknowledge, however, that alcohol and gambling addiction have major negative consequences for individuals and their loved ones, as well as great costs for society,» he continued. The decision affects major brands, such as brewers Carlsberg, Heineken and Royal Unibrew as well as spirit makers Diageo, Pernod Ricard, Remy Cointreau and Moet Hennessy, the wine and spirits arm of the luxury giant LVMH. Online betting groups, such as William Hill or Betsson, were also dropped from the portfolio. The pension fund also decided to ban companies who earn revenue from the production of pornography...

Dani Alves will replace Neymar as the captain of the Brazilian national team in the Copa America, the country's football federation (CBF) announced Monday. «The decision was communicated to Neymar by (coach) Tite on Saturday,» CBF said in a statement about the striker, who was handed a three-match suspension for lashing out at a spectator following Paris Saint-Germain's shock defeat by Rennes in the French Cup final earlier this month. Eight-time winners Brazil face Bolivia, Venezuela and Peru in the group stage, which starts on June 14, after two friendlies against Qatar and Honduras. Neymar, 27, missed the humiliating 7-1 World Cup semi-final defeat by Germany in 2014 due to injury after fracturing his back in the previous round. A year earlier, he was named player of the tournament at the Confederations Cup as Brazil won the competition for a record fourth time.

Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant will not play in the opening game of the NBA finals against the Toronto Raptors on Thursday because of a calf injury, coach Steve Kerr reiterated on Monday. Durant injured his right calf on May 8 in game five of the Western Conference finals against the Houston Rockets. «KD's not playing game one,» Kerr said after Monday's practice. «I think we already announced that, and we'll see where it goes from here. This is where the fact that there's a lot of days in between games during the finals helps us, so we'll see.» Kerr said it has yet to be determined whether Durant would travel with the Warriors to Toronto when the team charter leaves Tuesday. He said that Durant has been working out on his own but is not doing a full practice. «He's been out kinda shooting some shots, but I haven't talked to (trainer) Rick (Celebrini) today, so I'm not exactly sure what he's done today.» Kerr also said that injured centre DeMarcus Cousins (quadriceps) is listed as «questionable.» Cousins tore the quad muscle in his left leg in game two of the first round of the playoffs against the Los Angeles Clippers on April 15. The injury did not require surgery.

Days after a colossal electoral defeat, the Nationalist Party's immediate future - and that of its leader Adrian Delia - remain open to question. Entrepreneur Ivan Bartolo has some ideas of how to go about fixing the party, though not all of them will be music to its ears.  Watch the full #TimesTalk interview with Mr Bartolo on Wednesday morning on our website. 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's favoured successor Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer sparked outrage on social media on Tuesday with an apparent call for limits to free speech around elections.  The CDU chief's comment came after her party and its centre-left coalition partner SPD suffered their worst scores in Sunday's European election - a result partly blamed on the fact that some 70 YouTube stars had urged Germans not to vote for either party. Addressing the issue on Monday night, Kramp-Karrenbauer said if 70 newspaper editors had called to boycott parties ahead of an election, that would be classed «clearly as propaganda». «The question is... what are rules from the analogue realm and which rules should apply to the digital realm? »I'll tackle this discussion quite aggressively," said Kramp-Karrenbauer, or AKK as she is dubbed in Germany. Her comments immediately sparked a storm on social media with #AKKRuecktritt (AKKresign), #annegate, #Zensur (censorship) and #Meinungsfreiheit (freedom of opinion) making up the top four topics trending on Twitter in Germany. Many users pointed to article five in the German constitution guaranteeing freedom of opinion, speech and writing. The...

Spanish police were carrying out an operation on Tuesday against several footballers, ex-players and club executives accused of fixing matches in the first and second divisions, a source close to the case said. The source, who refused to be named, said that matches were allegedly fixed in the first and second divisions during this season and the 2017-2018 one. Among these were several games played by the Real Valladolid, a club majority-owned by former Brazil striker Ronaldo since September. Sources close to the case named several players involved to AFP. They include Raul Bravo, a former Real Madrid player, Borja Fernandez who played for first division Real Valladolid, Carlos Aranda, a retired player who appeared for a string of Spanish clubs, Samuel Saiz, a Leeds player loaned Getafe this season, and Inigo Lopez Montana, who played for Extremadura and La Coruna in the second division this season. The president of SD Huesca, another football club that climbed into first division this season before being relegated again, was also targeted. There have been several detentions but it is unclear who exactly was being held as the operation was continuing late morning. When contacted...

An Aston Villa side managed by lifelong fan Dean Smith ended their three-year exile from the Premier League on Monday with a 2-1 win over Derby County in the Championship playoff final at Wembley. A year after losing in the playoff final to Fulham, Villa were celebrating a return to English football's lucrative top-flight that will be worth at least £170 million ($216 million) and as much as £200 million ($253 million) to the Birmingham club. Anwar El Ghazi put Villa ahead with a header on the stroke of half-time before John McGinn capitalised on a goalkeeping error to score Villa's second just shy of the hour mark. Derby substitute Jack Marriott ensured a nervous finish for Villa with a goal nine minutes from time but it could not prevent County losing in the playoffs for the fourth time in six seasons. Rams boss Frank Lampard, in his first season as a manager, recalled former Chelsea and England team-mate Ashley Cole and Tom Huddlestone into his starting side. Cole replaced suspended Scott Malone at left-back, while midfielder Huddlestone took over from Duane Holmes, injured in the semi-final victory over Leeds. Villa manager Smith, made one unenforced change by bringing in...

The tussle for top EU jobs got under way Monday after European Parliament elections delivered a fragmented result, with gains for eurosceptic and green parties as the traditional mainstream groups took a hit. The main centre-right and centre-left groups lost their combined majority in the 751-seat parliament in the face of a challenge by eurosceptic and nationalist forces of Marine Le Pen, Matteo Salvini and Nigel Farage - although the populist wave was less than some had predicted. There were big wins for the Greens, who posted double digit scores across Europe's biggest countries, and the Liberals, with both parties likely to play a major role in any future parliamentary coalition. Each previous EU election since the first in 1979 has seen turnout fall, but figures from across the 28-nation bloc were at a 20-year high of 51 per cent, suggesting this year's culture clash mobilised both populists and those who oppose them. Boosted by French President Emmanuel Macron's Renaissance Movement, the Liberal ALDE group will finish with more than 100 seats and is expected to push hard for Margrethe Vestager to win the plum European Commission presidency. Britain will send a large...