Almost a decade into the recovery from the great financial crisis, and following years of ultra loose monetary policy, inflation seems to be numb to the economic developments achieved so far, particularly in the US. With the economy growing at above average growth rates quarter after quarter and unemployment running at very low levels for an extended period of time, monetary authorities are still grappling with low inflation as price pressures struggle to gain steam. The Federal Reserve’s preferred measure of inflation, as calculated via the personal consumption expenditure (PCE) index, was at 1.6 per cent in March 2019, coming down from two per cent in June 2018 – the highest it has been since the peak in March 2012. In fact, during the economic expansion since 2009, the average core PCE inflation rate was of circa 1.5 per cent, materially undershooting the Fed’s target of two per cent The Federal Reserve has long maintained that upward price pressures would result from the tight labour market conditions while the economic slack is reeled back in. In anticipation of this, the Fed has increased interest rates nine times over the last three years and initiated a gradual wind-down...

10am The President receives a courtesy call by Antonio Palumbo at the Palace, Valletta. 11am The President receives a courtesy call by Turkish Ambassador Kerem A. Klratlil at the Palace, Valletta. 11.30am The President receives a courtesy call by Joseph Filletti, Malt’s Ambassador to the Council of Europe, at the Palace, Valletta. 12.15pm The President receives a courtesy call by representatives of the Malta Tourism Authority at the Palace, Valletta. 1pm The President receives a courtesy call by Marcello Basile Cherubino, Honorary Consul for Bangladesh and Vice Dean of the Consular Corps, at the Palace, Valletta. 2pm The President receives a courtesy call by the Commission for the Administration of Justice at San Anton Palace, Attard. Tuesday 10am The President receives a courtesy call by the Leo Brincat, Member of the European Court of Auditors, at the Palace, Valletta. 11am The President receives a courtesy call by the board of directors of the AME Health and Services Ltd at the Palace, Valletta. 12.30pm The President receives a courtesy call by Alexander Downer, former Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, at the Palace, Valletta. 2.30pm The President receives a courtesy...

Ruth Portelli, a versatile female performer from Gozo, recently won the Best Voice award at the Discovery International Pop Music Festival following a stunning rendition of Think of Me, from the hit movie-musical Phantom of the Opera and Determinata, an original song composed by Mark Scicluna with lyrics by Emil Calleja Bayliss. As a result, Portelli continued Malta’s successful tradition at this festival where Mark Tonna, Marvic Lewis, Olivia Lewis, Julie Zahra, Ludwig Galea, Roger Tirazona, Eleanor Spiteri, Janvil, Domenique, Deborah C and Janice Mangion have performed and  won several awards and trophies in the past. Since its inception back in 1992, the festival has featured up and coming stars from all over Europe including former Junior Eurovision Song Contest representatives Alina Eremia and Marios Tofi, Romanian iconic popstar Laura Stoica, and former Eurovision Song Contest representatives Luminita Anghel, Nico, Aleksandra and Konstantin, and Mihai Traistariu. After having taken part in L-Għanja tal-Poplu – Festival tal-Kanzunetta Maltija, the Kon­kors Kanzunetta Indipendenza, and a local productionof Joseph & the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, during the past 12...

Iraqi leaders have warned of the risks of war during a visit by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, whose country is locked in a tense standoff with the United States. Zarif's visit to neighbouring Iraq -- which is caught in the middle of its two allies the US and Iran -- follows a decision by Washington to deploy 1,500 additional troops to the Middle East. Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi warned of the «danger of a war» during a meeting with Zarif on Saturday night, his office said. Abdel Mahdi pleaded for the «stability of the region and the upholding of the nuclear deal,» it said, referring to a 2015 agreement between Tehran and major powers. Iraqi President Barham Saleh discussed with Zarif «the need to prevent all war or escalation,» his office said. On Saturday Zarif called the deployment of extra US troops to the region «very dangerous and a threat to international peace and security.» It follows a US decision in early May to send an aircraft carrier strike force and B-52 bombers in a show of force against what Washington's leaders believed was an imminent Iranian plan to attack US assets. Washington says the latest reinforcements are in response to a...

Raymond C. Grech:’il barra mill-prIŻMI (beyond the prISMS)A collection of poems; self-published; 2018; 117 pp. A sequel to Qasab Iċaqċaq (Creaking Reeds), this is Raymond Grech’s second collection of poems in a projected trilogy that glorifies not only poetry per se, but also the fervent pursuit of a poet’s soul towards inner peace. In a way, Grech’s line of thought is very reminiscent of Dante’s own quest for salvation through the turmoil and sufferings of life as portrayed in his Commedia. In this collection the prevalence is on the suffix ism as a point of departure to all the nouns that Grech has chosen as a recurring theme throughout the whole collection. And this gives the poems themselves a plausible feel and broad brush strokes of originality that further enhance the poems that were written before as well as those in this volume and, eventually, the ones to come. In his fine introduction to the collection, Oliver Friggieri once again stressed the binding factor between all (real) poets: the quest for peace and happiness in a chaotic world, but particularly the need itself for libe­ral thought and self-expression. And here, Grech has, once again, further enhanced his own...

Israel said it eased on Sunday fishing restrictions off the blockaded Gaza Strip with the aim of preventing a deterioration in humanitarian conditions in the Palestinian enclave. The move came just three days after Israel had reduced the offshore fishing limits in response to Palestinians floating balloons fitted with incendiaries over the border. COGAT, the defence ministry unit that oversees such regulations, said the fishing zone was being «expanded to 15 nautical miles,» back up from 10. It restores the fishing zone to the limits set in April ahead of Israel's general election, and is the largest allowed in years. «This measure is part of the civilian policy for prevention of deterioration in humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip and is consistent with the policy of distinguishing between terrorists and the unimplicated population,» COGAT said in a statement. Palestinians in Gaza have frequently floated balloons fitted with firebombs over the border to damage Israeli property and have succeeded in setting fire to large areas of farmland. The additional nautical miles are important to Gaza fishermen as they bring more valuable, deeper water species within reach. Around 80...

Regent Pharmacy, 70, Merchants Street, Valletta (2124 5135);Darwin Pharmacy, 152, St Joseph High Road, Ħamrun (2122 1512);Collis Williams St Venera Pharmacy, 532, St Joseph High Road, Santa Venera (2123 8625);St Paul’s Pharmacy, Brared Street, Birkirkara (2144 2135);Deby’s Pharmacy, 1, Quarries Square, Msida (2122 7920);J.V.’s Pharmacy, Swieqi Valley, Swieqi (2137 1062);Drug Store: Anglo Maltese Dispensary, 382, Manwel Dimech Street, Sliema (2133 4627);St Joseph Pharmacy, 172, Main Street, Lija (2141 4051);Naxxar Pharmacy, 21st September Avenue, Naxxar (2141 1438);Remedies Pharmacy, 111, George Borg Olivier Street, Mellieħa (2152 3462);Brown’s Paola Square Pharmacy, 64/65, Antoine De Paule Square, Paola (2182 1646);Verdala Pharmacy, 57, Bull Street, Cospicua (2182 4720);Felice Dispensary 95, Sanctuary Street, Żabbar (2182 7939);Britannia Pharmacy, 5, Pretty Bay Street, Birżebbuġa (2165 8622);Safi Pharmacy, St John Street c/w Bieb il-Ġarra Street, Safi (2164 9552);Menelo Pharmacy, Dr Nicholas Zammit Street, Siġġiewi (2146 2957);Nova Pharmacy, 142, College Street, Rabat (2145 4247);Abela Pharmacy, 42, G.P.F. Agius De Soldanis Street, Victoria (2155 6170);Tony’s Pharmacy, Qbajjar...

Retirement is a phase in life which most people look forward to. And after years of hard work, most people imagine themselves living in a comfortable manner, at least at the level of comfort enjoyed prior to retirement. But will that be the case? It is an accepted fact that a person will require at least two-thirds of pre-retirement income in order to maintain the same level of lifestyle upon retirement. While some might argue that old age would bring new additional costs, these will be largely offset by other costs that end upon retirement, mainly the end of bank loan repayments, which usually do not go beyond retirement age, as well as commuting costs, among others. However, not everyone will be eligible to receive two-thirds of their current income, mainly due to the fact that the State pension is capped. In fact, as at 2019, the maximum pensionable income stands at €24,194 for those born after 1962. This will provide a maximum State pension of €16,129. It therefore stands to reason that all those people earning more than €24,194 will be short of their two-thirds State pension. The higher their income, the higher the shortfall. Based on our accepted argument, a person earning...

Anton Belousov, better known as the Blind Pianist, is interviewed by The Sunday Times of Malta ahead of his upcoming performance in aid of the ongoing restoration works at St Augustine’s priory, Valletta. Anton Belousov, 26, is considered a musical prodigy, having been born blind and starting to learn to play the piano at the age of seven, under very difficult conditions. He is currently performing as a solo pianist and orchestra pianist with the Philharmonic Orchestra of St Petersburg and the Ryazan Philharmonic Orchestra. You were born blind but became a professional pianist. It is already very difficult for a person who can see to become a professional pianist, so it must have been even more difficult for someone who cannot see. What is your story? What motivated your decision? I was very young when I decided deep in my heart to become a pianist. I was almost four years old. We moved quite a lot because of my father’s work and always lived in flats. In one flat there was a very old piano and a friend of my mother started to come regularly to our flat to play the piano. I was fascinated. I loved to hear the melodies, and when she went away I started to repeat the melodies I...

Mademoiselle Perle u AktarTranslated by Toni Aquilina. Published by Horizons Guy de Maupassant’s work carries the imprint of his own image: prolific, brilliant, full of paradoxes. The man learnt his ropes at the hands of the best masters. He was a disciple of Gustave Flaubert, and participated in the soirées de Médan in the company of Zola. If he left his native Normandy to triumph in Paris, as did Georges Duroy, the protagonist of Bel-Ami, if he travelled little, compared to many of his contemporaries, he was first of all a tireless worker. He is the author of more than 300 short stories, half a dozen novels, and as many plays (although forgotten), as well as some major critical texts. Anthony (Toni) Aquilina, translator of Alphonse Daudet, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Albert Camus, André Gide, Samuel Beckett, Yasmina Reza, Sébasteien Thiéry, Eric-Emanuel Schmitt, Daniel Rondeau, Annie Ernaux, Jean Anouilh and now Maurice Maeterlinck, has been applying his talents for several years to translate into Maltese as much as possible of the work of Guy de Maupassant, who is one of our greatest prose writers, by providing several collections of short and long stories, reflecting of...

Robert Lewandowski scored a brace as Bayern Munich wrapped up a domestic double with a 3-0 win over RB Leipzig in the German Cup final on Saturday. Goals from Lewandowski and Kingsley Coman sealed victory for Bayern in an enthralling game at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. The win sees Bayern lift the golden German Cup trophy for the 19th time in their history, just a week after securing a seventh successive Bundesliga title last Saturday. Both sides probed rather frantically for an opener in the first half, and Manuel Neuer denied Yussuf Poulsen with a reflex save on ten minutes. It was Bayern who broke the deadlock, though, Lewandowski flicking in a superb header after a fine move on the left from Coman and David Alaba. Coman had a free run at goal and rounded goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi shortly before half-time, but his shot was cleared on the line by Ibrahima Konate. Emil Forsberg had a similar chance for Leipzig just after the break, but came off second best in a one-on-one with Neuer. A breathless second half saw chance after chance fall at either end, until Coman's 77th minute strike put Bayern out of reach. The Frenchman found the top corner after elegantly bringing down a...

Relegated Chievo ended a miserable Serie A season in the worst possible fashion on Saturday when they set an embarrassing points record thanks to a drab goalless draw at also-down Frosinone. Chievo, who had three points deducted for false accounting before the start of the season, ended the campaign with 17 points following Saturday's non-event at the Stadio Benito Stirpe. That is the lowest in the three-points-for-a-win era since the league returned to 20 teams in 2004. The Flying Donkeys, who drop down to Serie B after 11 years in the top flight, gathered one point less than Pescara did in 2017/18. The main action is set to take place on Sunday, when Atalanta, Inter, Milan and Roma duke it out for the final two Champions League places, while a similarly dramatic day awaits at the bottom of the table. Serie A's head-to-head tiebreaker format means that 15th placed Fiorentina are in danger of being relegated alongside Chievo and Frosinone. The Tuscan outfit are three points ahead of 18th-placed Genoa ahead of the pair's do-or-die clash in Florence but have lost five straight in the league and haven't won a game in any competition since mid-February. Should they lose to Genoa and...

MEP candidate Arnold Cassola expressed his disgust at the “hypocrisy” of Joseph Muscat and Adrian Delia for harbouring “racists” within their ranks and presenting them as candidates. He said the two leaders had shed crocodile tears on discovering that two soldiers entrusted with the security of the country, were the alleged authors of a cold-blooded racial murder. A few years ago, recalled Prof. Cassola, one man (Alfred Grima) had hoped that a Somali migrant would kidnap EU Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom because of her support for migrants. Dr Muscat now presents him as star PL candidate for St Paul's Bay local council. «Will we now have a Labour racist mayor in multi-ethnic St Paul's Bay?” the former Alternattiva Demokratika chairman said. A few years ago, a Labour MP (Joe Sammut) had suggested in Parliament that a separate bus service for migrants ought to be introduced on the Birżebbuġa route. This man was again presented as an MEP candidate, said Prof. Cassola Another person (Dione Borg) “has been ranting that migrants are taking over shops in Marsa and Ħamrun and that this is affecting the Ħamrun and Marsa community. »And what does Adrian Delia do? He now presents him as an...

Cyril Ramaphosa vowed a «new era» Saturday after he was sworn in as president of South Africa at a colourful ceremony in the capital, as he looks to revitalise his push to revive the economy and fight corruption. Foreign heads of state from more than 40 countries were among 36,000 people who witnessed the event replete with pomp, military honours and an airforce flyover at a rugby stadium in Pretoria. Ramaphosa, who became president last year through internal politics in his African National Congress (ANC) party and won a popular mandate in elections on May 8, faces an uphill battle to drive through reforms in a country suffering from chronic jobless rates, inequality, crime and endemic corruption.   «A new era has dawned in our country. A brighter day is rising upon South Africa,» said Ramaphosa, promising that the nation was beginning «a new era of hope and renewal». «This is a defining moment for a young nation like ours. It is a time for us to make the future that we yearn for,» added the 66-year-old. The former trade unionist played a prominent part in the struggle to end white-minority rule -- at one point seen as a protege of Nelson Mandela -- before becoming a successful...

Movistar's Ecuadorian climber Richard Carapaz shot to the top of the Giro d'Italia overall standings on Saturday when he soloed to victory at the stage 14 summit finish. The 25-year-old edged ahead of Primoz Roglic in the standings after breaking from the chief contenders on the Giro's toughest hill yet, while Britain's Simon Yates was second after attacking on the last kilometre. «I worked so hard for this, it's a real dream come true,» said an exuberant Carapaz at the winning post. «I felt good this morning. We knew the altitude was good for me. I gave it everything because I knew the entire Giro was at stake. The 30 seconds I gained on the penultimate climb were enough to allow me to build the lead I needed.» Man-to-beat Roglic and two-time winner Vincenzo Nibali kept a close eye on each other all day with the Italian testing the Slovenian with a daredevil descent on the penultimate climb the Colle San Carlo. It was on that hill that overnight leader Jan Polanc ran out of gas and gave up the pink jersey and lost almost eight minutes on the day. The win, his second of the Giro after a surprise bunch sprint triumph in stage four, and the show of power with which it was...

A motorcyclist sustained grievous injuries following a hit-and-run traffic accident in Żebbuġ on Saturday morning, the police said.  The incident happened in Triq Dun Karm Psaila around 11am when the 43-year-old motorcyclist from Żebbuġ collided with a vehicle which fled the scene.  A medical team rushed to the scene to assist the motorcyclist, who was then taken to hospital for treatment.  The police are investigating.  

A construction worker suffered serious injuries after falling off a ladder at a site in Naxxar. Police said the incident happened around 10.50am at a construction site in Triq Burmarrad. A 46-year-old Moroccan national who was working on site, fell off the ladder as he was working, the police said.  He was rushed to Mater Dei Hospital for treatment.  Police are investigating the incident.  The incident comes just hours after it was divulged that an African construction worker is in a coma after falling down four storeys and left at the gates of Mater Dei by his employer.

A Dutch website set up to record UFO sightings was flooded early Saturday with reports after a «train of stars» was spotted crossing the Netherlands' skies, sparking fears of an alien invasion. But what some thought to be a close encounter of the third kind turned out to be a string of some 60 satellites launched by US-based SpaceX hours earlier as part of its «Starlink» constellation. The row of satellites which are part of a plan by billionaire Elon Musk's firm to provide internet from space, glided across Dutch skies around 1am. Shortly afterwards, Dutch website www.ufomeldpunt.nl was inundated with more than 150 sighting reports, with astonished spotters describing a «bizarre train of stars or lights moving across the skies at constant speed». «There's a long line of lights. Faster than a plane. Huh?» one spotter reported, while another called it a «star caravan» and one saying «I have it on film». «I didn't know what to make of it,» an unnamed witness later told the NOS public broadcaster. «Is it Russia attacking the US? Are they UFOs? Seriously, I didn't know,» the witness said. One of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets blasted off without incident from Cape Canaveral in Florida at...

Celtic claimed an unprecedented third consecutive domestic treble after coming from behind to win the Scottish Cup by beating Hearts 2-1 thanks to Odsonne Edouard's double at Hampden on Saturday. The Hoops were on course for a first domestic cup defeat in 27 games when Ryan Edwards shot Hearts into a shock lead seven minutes into the second half. However, Celtic quickly responded when Edouard levelled from the penalty spot and the Frenchman sealed another clean sweep of silverware by racing clear to score the winner eight minutes from time. Uncertainty still surrounds who will be the Celtic manager next season with this Neil Lennon's final match in charge as caretaker. Despite consolidating an eight-point lead when Brendan Rodgers left the Scottish champions to take charge of Leicester in February to win an eighth straight Scottish Premiership, and now the Scottish Cup, Lennon has faced criticism for his side's performances and style of play. Celtic were again disjointed for long spells and could easily have been beaten but for a bit more quality and composure from a Hearts side missing a host of key players through injury. Edouard had the only decent chance of a poor first 45...

MFA WOMEN XI 2 Carabott 35 Bugeja 46 BOLTON LADIES 1 Howard 80 A selection of the Malta women’s national hosted Bolton Ladies in a friendly appointment, defeating them 2-1 at the MFA Training Grounds, yesterday.  Coach Mark Gatt handed newcomers Anna Vincenti and Emma Lipman a starting XI role with the former between the sticks and latter pairing Stephania Farrugia as a central defender.  The Maltese enjoyed more possession but Bolton were proving to be a tough nut to crack. The English side, on their part, were looking to catch the Maltese on the break with their pace on the flanks.  Malta came close to score on minute 22 through an Ylenia Carabott shot just to be denied by the Bolton custodian. A minute later, Lipman had a close-range header sailing over the bar before Maria Farrugia saw her shot from outside the box deflected into corner.  From the resultant set-piece, Lipman, who plays for Roma, came close to put Malta ahead but the Bolton goalkeeper produced a finger-tip save before Farrugia’s rebound struck onto the crossbar.  On the half-hour mark, skipper Dorianne Theuma attempted a trademark long-range shot but it was not enough to threaten Bolton.  Four minutes later,...

The Cannes film festival ends Saturday with the race for the Palme d'Or wide open and a cracking crop of movies vying for the top prize. With the jury now deliberating in secret in a villa overlooking the Mediterranean, four films have emerged as the favourites from a field The Guardian described as «outstanding». The Spanish auteur Pedro Almodovar has made the running almost from the start of the 12-day marathon with his most personal film yet, «Pain & Glory», in which Antonio Banderas plays an ageing gay director not unlike the maker of «All About My Mother». Almodovar, 69, has yet to win the Palme d'Or in six attempts, but has brought up the big emotional guns this time, with Penelope Cruz playing his mother. Whether a jury led by the Oscar-winning Mexican tyro Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu of «Birdman» and «The Revenant» fame will be swayed by such an array of Latin talent remains to be seen. Nor is there much arguing with the star power of Quentin Tarantino's «Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood», which brings Tinseltown's two most dashing leading men, Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio, together on screen for the first time. Is it Tarantino's year?  Many critics loved the...

An elderly couple fear leaving their Sliema apartment and going outside after being mugged in broad daylight, a situation both believe is a reality for the majority of people their age. Speaking to Times of Malta as a nurse tended to wounds on both her husband’s arms, the 87-year-old woman said the mugging occurred last Saturday while returning from Mass. “We fear leaving our house. The owner of a small shop nearby has offered to deliver groceries and neighbours bring us food, which we appreciate because we do not feel safe going outdoors,” she said. Though eager to come forward with their harrowing story to help raise awareness because they are certain there are many others who, like them, are living in fear, they admitted they were too scared to have their names published. 'He knocked him off the pavement' Unlike what some people might have assumed when the attack made headlines last week, the two were not walking alone in the dark nor were they wearing any flashy jewellery when an unknown man approached them, ripping a necklace off her neck and punching her husband, 91, before running away, she pointed out. “We went to the 6.30pm Mass and, as we were walking out, we met a...

Updated 3.20pm with video clip A blind woman who wanted to vote for Democratic Party leader Godfrey Farrugia was told there was no “Dr Farrugia” on the ballot, the PD has alleged in a complaint filed with the electoral commission. Dr Farrugia, who is running to become a Member of the European Parliament, also expressed concern that electoral officials at a polling station in Żebbuġ were striking off cancelled votes using a pencil, rather than pen or permanent marker. The electoral commission promptly responded to the PD leader's two complaints, explaining its rules and procedures, though that reply did not satisfy Dr Farrugia.  Written complaint Local voters are casting their ballots to elect six new MEPs as well as councillors for 68 local councils across Malta and Gozo on Saturday. In a written complaint sent to electoral commissioner Joseph Church and seen by Times of Malta, the PD leader said that he had seen officials at the polling station writing ‘cancelled’ in pencil rather than pen on ballot papers which voters had returned for a replacement. “I immediately objected and asked why they weren’t using the biro or permanent marker they had,” Dr Farrugia wrote. “They told...

A 49-year old man accused of domestic violence was let off with a reprimand after his wife begged the court in tears to send him home, refusing to testify against him.The man, whose name cannot be published by court order, was arraigned on Saturday charged with causing his partner to fear violence, slightly injuring her, insulting and threatening her. Inspector Jonathan Ransley, leading the prosecution, said the man had been arrested after a “high risk” assessment by social workers. However, the man’s wife and alleged victim took the stand and begged for her husband to be sent back home with her, declining to give any evidence against him. Magistrate Joe Mifsud said there was therefore no evidence on which to convict the man on the first or second charges, and accepted the woman’s plea for the couple to solve their problems outside court. He found the man guilty only of the third charge - that of insulting and threatening his wife - and handed him a reprimand and one-year €2,000 guarantee to keep the peace. Lawyer Ryan Ellul appeared for the accused.

The deaths of an Irish and a British climber on Mount Everest took the toll from a deadly week on the world's highest peak to 10, expedition organisers said Saturday. British climber Robin Fisher, 44, reached the summit Saturday morning but collapsed when he had got just 150 metres back down the slope. «Our guides tried to help but he died soon after,» Murari Sharma of Everest Parivar Expedition told AFP. On the northern Tibet side of the mountain, a 56-year-old Irish man died Friday morning, his expedition organisers confirmed in a statement on their Facebook page. The man decided to return without reaching the summit but died in his tent at the North Col pass at 7,000 metres (22,965 feet). Four climbers from India and one each from the United States, Austria and Nepal have already died on Everest in the past week. Another Irish mountaineer is missing presumed dead after he slipped and fell close to the summit. A traffic jam of climbers in the Everest «death zone» has been blamed for at least four of the deaths, heightening concerns that the drive for profits is trumping safety. Nepal issued a record 381 permits for mainly foreign climbers, costing $11,000 each, for the spring...

Police in France were on Saturday hunting a suspect following a blast in a pedestrian street in the heart of Lyon that lightly wounded 13 people two days ahead of hotly contested European Parliament elections. President Emmanuel Macron called the Friday evening explosion, from a package believed to have been packed with shrapnel, an «attack» and sent interior minister Christophe Castaner to Lyon. Police issued an appeal for witnesses on Twitter as they sought the man believed to be in his early 30s, who was picked up by security cameras on a mountain bicycle immediately before the explosion. An image of the suspect, wearing light-coloured shorts and a longsleeved dark top, was posted. He was described as «dangerous». Justice minister Nicole Belloubet told BFM television it was too soon to say whether the blast was a «terrorist act». The case was nonetheless handed to the Paris prosecutor for anti-terrorism that deal with all terrorist cases. The number of wounded stood at 13 people, with 11 taken to hospitals. None of the injuries was life-threatening but included eight women and a 10-year-old girl as well as four men. A police source said the package contained «screws or bolts».

Liam Debono was remanded in custody after being charged on Saturday with breaching his bail conditions. The teenager, who is accused of the attempted murder of police constable Simon Schembri last May, was arrested on Friday after being caught driving in Luqa by an off-duty police sergeant. He was arraigned before magistrate Joe Mifsud, where he denied the charges but did not request bail. Slouched in his seat Police sergeant Kevin Curmi testified that he had been driving his personal vehicle close to the airport roundabout at around 5.45pm on Friday when Mr Debono passed in front of him in a beige Fiat Uno. He said the driver caught his attention due to the way he was slouched low in his seat. He recognised Mr Debono as he had been part of the investigating team on the attempted murder of Simon Schembri. He followed the car while calling in for support. When Mr Debono heard the police sirens he drove into a side street and attempted to swap seats with a passenger; when police caught up, Mr Debono was sitting in the passenger seat while the passenger was outside the vehicle, about to get in to the driver seat. Inspector Fabian Fleri told the court the passenger had admitted that...

An “incomplete” application for a master plan covering the building of a new hospital in Gozo and the refurbishment of the existing one no longer appears on the Planning Authority public database, the Times of Malta has learnt. According to the controversial public private partnership agreement signed by the government in 2015, Steward Health Care had to complete the building of a new hospital by May 2018 and the refurbishment of the current one, four months later. However, milestones set in the deal have still to be reached and development plans on the projected works still in an embryonic stage. Confirming the delays in the delivery of the projects, the planning watchdog recently removed from its public database all details of the application, which it considers to still be incomplete. “The Gozo hospitals plan is not yet considered an application in that it is related to a screening request,” a Planning Authority spokesman said. “If/once the applicant (Steward) completes the application as requested in the screening letter of the Planning Authority, the application will be published and made available to the public,” he added. A spokeswoman for Steward, however, disagreed.

Charles Leclerc made local knowledge pay and thrilled his fans on Saturday morning when he topped the final practice times for Ferrari ahead of Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix. The Monegasque driver, who was called afterwards to see the stewards for a potential infringement, clocked a best lap in one minute and 11.265 seconds to outpace nearest rival Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes by just 0.053 seconds. His lap ended the Silver Arrows domination after they had topped both sessions on Thursday in cooler conditions. Championship leader and defending five-time champion Lewis Hamilton was third in the second Mercedes, two-tenths adrift, ahead of Max Verstappen and his Red Bull team-mate Pierre Gasly. Antonio Giovinazzi was sixth for Alfa Romeo ahead of Daniil Kvyat of Toro Rosso, Kevin Magnussen of Haas, Kimi Raikkonen in the second Alfa and Alex Albon in the second Toro Rosso. On a mixed day for Ferrari, Leclerc’s team-mate four-time champion Sebastian Vettel crashed at the first corner after only 18 minutes. He was unhurt, but unable to run in the remainder of the session, leaving Ferrari with emergency repairs to the front suspension before the later qualifying. The Mercedes cars ran...

Voters were called out for a third day in EU parliamentary elections on Saturday as populists hoped to win a major breakthrough and disrupt European politics for the next five years. Polls were open in Malta, Slovakia and Latvia, with most of the bloc's 28 member states - including big players Germany, France and Italy - to vote on Sunday. More than 400 million people are eligible to elect 751 members of the European Parliament with the first official results to be announced late Sunday once voting in all EU countries is over. Polling has shown for months that populists and the anti-immigration far right could make big gains in the vote, which will also help determine who replaces Jean-Claude Juncker as head of the European Commission as well as other top jobs. Read: Malta votes in European and local elections An exit poll after voting in the Netherlands on Thursday however showed a surprise victory for pro-EU socialists, giving hope to establishment forces elsewhere in the bloc that the populist tide could be limited. «To all our friends across Europe still campaigning, this one is for you too!» said Dutchman Frans Timmermans, the lead socialist candidate and one of the main...

Heritage Malta is inviting the public to join a curator’s tour of Fort St Angelo and to a visit of the current exhibition Behind Closed Doors: Fort St Angelo & the Royal Navy 1906-1979. On the day, the exhibition catalogue will be offered at the discounted price of €10. The tour, being held tomorrow, will focus on different areas of the fort, including its upper part, which today is managed by the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. Interestingly, during its occupation by the Royal Navy, this military site was strictly prohibited to civilians (except for September 7 and 8). Even the Maltese and British servicemen who worked there had clearly defined spaces where they were allowed to enter according to their work and rank. In fact, at the time, only a few individuals had ever visited all the areas of the fort. The discussion about the current exhibition, which was set up to mark the 40th anniversary since the departure of foreign military forces from Malta on March 31, 1979, will reveal some interesting information and anecdotes. Tickets are limited to 50 people on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets are available from all Heritage Malta museums and sites and online. The...

The Nationalist Party A small country like Malta will always face challenges in the sports sector for various reasons including the lack of human resources and the investment needed. Notwithstanding the fact that other countries – including those with a small population – managed to make a success in various sport, reality is that Malta faces a different scenario as apart from our small size we are also an island. Above all, if we want to make a paradigm shift towards professional sports, we need to change our mentality. If those involved in sports keep on considering sports and approach it from an amateurish perspective rather than the professional side, this sector will continue to be tied to the old mentality that has hampered its development to date in our country. The shift toward professional sport must be linked with sustainability. The fact is that sports in Malta is not generating enough financing to sustain itself. For example football is being sustained by a number of club presidents that personally finance their clubs, otherwise it would have faced a drastic decline in terms of activity. Without such club presidents and the few sponsors they manage to attract,...

The World Health Organisation has praised Brazil's move to sue two global cigarette makers and their local units for costs of treating tobacco-related diseases, but the firms said Friday they were still waiting for details of the lawsuit. British American Tobacco (BAT), Philip Morris International and their Brazilian subsidiaries were named by the attorney general's office (AGU) as the targets of the lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court. The AGU wants to recover at least some of the billions of dollars spent over the past five years on treating patients suffering from 26 diseases linked to smoking tobacco products or exposure to cigarette smoke.  Since the targeted companies take the profits from cigarette sales abroad, «it is only fair that they pay for the burden they are leaving Brazilian society,» prosecutor Davi Bressler said in a statement. The WHO said Thursday it applauded the «Brazilian government's action.» The amount of compensation sought would be calculated if the lawsuit was successful, the AGU said.  Philip Morris spokesman Ryan Sparrow said the company had not yet been served with the complaint and cast doubt on the AGU's chances of success.  "It is worth...

It’s been more than four years since a magnitude 7.8 earthquake devastated Nepalese cities, claiming thousands of lives. Since then, there have been thousands of aftershocks. Yet when I spoke with residents of Bharatpur – Nepal’s fourth largest city – as part of my ongoing research, beginning in 2014, I was surprised to discover they were more concerned about wild animal attacks than the prospect of another high-magnitude quake. Understanding what people worry about is crucial to preparing for natural hazards such as earthquakes and mitigating their effects. To prevent disasters, local people, municipal authorities and national governments all need to pull in the same direction – especially when budgets are low for disaster planning. But if residents feel that their everyday fears are ignored by those in power, they may disengage, leaving authorities unable to influence their behaviour in a time of crisis. Throughout my research into the way cities are governed, I have investigated what people worry about, how they cope, how they raise their concerns and what role local authorities play in addressing them. I have consistently found that people tend not to worry about things they...

More than 200 migrants were rescued by Armed Forces of Malta officials late on Friday in two separate rescue missions. The 216 rescued people were saved as they were crossing the Mediterranean on dinghies. At least one pregnant woman and a number of minors are believed to be among them. An AFM spokesperson said early on Saturday that the migrants had been rescued in two separate missions within Malta’s search and rescue area. The AFM rescue crew had headed out to sea to respond to a distress call and rescued an initial group of migrants and was heading back to Malta when a second call came in, prompting a change of plan and second rescue. The rescued men, women and children were expected to reach Malta at around 8.15am, the AFM spokesperson said. Once in Malta, they will be examined by a doctor, have their paperwork processed and be given the opportunity to apply for asylum, in accordance with their rights under international law.