Malta is safer now compared to a few years ago as crime in hotspots such as Paceville was on a downward trend, Police Commissioner Laurence Cutajar said on Monday. “We have solved murders which up to some years ago we thought we would never solve, and I feel proud that despite economic growth and a huge influx of tourists, in 2018 crime fell by 7 per cent – the largest drop since 2009,” he said. The current crime rate translates to 34 per 1,000 inhabitants which makes Malta one of the safest countries in the world, Mr Cutajar added. The police commissioner was speaking during a news conference marking the signing of a memorandum of understanding for closer collaboration between the police and the Malta Gaming Authority. Appointed in August 2016, after serving as acting commissioner for the previous three months, Mr Cutajar’s tenure has been controversial from the very beginning. A day after having been appointed as acting commissioner, journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia had published partisan political Facebook comments he had made in support of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat in August 2013. Mr Cutajar has been repeatedly criticised for the way the police have handled, or not...

A collection of 17 quirky oil paintings has been fascinating visitors to Spazju Kreattiv since the exhibition Julinu’s Radioactive Ravioli opened last month. These pop, surrealist works in black and white mark the first solo exhibition of illustrator, fine artist and graphic designer Julian Mallia (aka Julinu).  Mr Mallia is fascinated by the notion of exploring ideas and combines his characteristically witty outlook with traditional fine art techniques to express his innermost thoughts.  The result is alternative visual interpretations of familiar notions. Playing on both words and visuals, works on display include Space Ship, which depicts a luzzu − a perhaps cliché symbol of national identity according to Mr Mallia − and Error 404: Azure Window Not Found, which is a cheeky tribute to the fallen Azure Window in Gozo. A moody atmosphere per­meates the exhibition, which is interlaced with dry humour and social commentary. “There’s definitely an element of dead-pan humour in the exhibition,” Mr Mallia said in a recent interview.  “But Error 404, for instance, is also a poignant reminder of loss and the void it can leave behind. At first you may laugh, but the implied narrative...

A young Spaniard has been ordered to pay damages of €236 he caused to a parked motorcycle. Bittor Barandiaran Fernande, a 25-year-old student was walking home with friends after a boat party when he jokingly sat on the motorcycle, taking photos and a video. At some stage, he took the motorcycle off its stand, causing it to topple over. He was identified by police using CCTV footage and admitted his wrongdoing, stating that he was deeply sorry for his actions. The young man confirmed his admission in court, and also admitted to being drunk in public. Magistrate Charmaine Galea conditionally discharged the man for six months and ordered him to pay the €236 bill, warning him to steer clear of any other offence over the next six months.

Updated 12.50pm A quad bike rider was taken to hospital on Monday morning after hurting himself when he crashed into a wall in Attard.The incident on Valletta Road was reported at around 10.10am, the police said. An ambulance was called to the scene and took the man, who is 55 years old and lives in Birkirkara, to Mater Dei Hospital. His injuries were later confirmed as being serious.

Male actors with a playing age of between 20 and 40 years with great stage presence, wicked comic timing and impeccable diction are being sought to fill the role of Jack Worthing in The Importance Of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, a Manoel Theatre and MADC production. The production, directed by Malcolm Galea, will be performed at the Manoel Theatre early next year. Auditions take place on Tuesday at 4.30pm at the Manoel Theatre Room -1A, entrance through 81, Old Mint Street, Valletta. Chosen Malta-based actors must be VAT registered. Chosen actors based overseas must be able to cover travel and accommodation costs throughout the rehearsal and performance period. To audition, send an e-mail to info@madc.com.mt to book an audition slot and receive an audition pack.

They may be the smallest of insects and mammals and, yet, pollinators – including bees, birds, butterflies and beetles – carry one of nature’s heaviest loads. Indeed, without pollinators, the world would be a very hungry place because, by transferring genetic material that is critical to the reproductive system of flowering plants, they help sustain the production of natural resources.  Some studies even suggest pollinators are responsible for providing us with one out of every three bites of food. World Bee Day is celebrated every year on May 20, today, which coincides with the birthday of Anton Janša, who, in the 18th century, pioneered modern beekeeping techniques in his native Slovenia and praised the bees for their ability to work so hard while needing so little attention. Despite their critical importance, bees and other pollinators, such as butterflies, bats and hummingbirds, are increasingly being threatened by human activities. A world without pollinators would equal a world without food diversity – no coffee, chocolate, cucumbers, blueberries and much more. Pollinators not only help ensure the abundance of fruits, nuts and seeds but also their variety and...

European firms are «caught in the crossfire» of the US-China trade war and fewer are optimistic about their future in the world's second-largest economy, a business survey showed Monday. The clash between Beijing and Washington does not benefit European companies, contrary to what some might have hoped at the beginning of the dispute last year, according to the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China. «Now the trade tensions are seen as another uncertainty on the business environment, something that won't be sorted out quickly whether there is a deal or not,» said chamber vice president Charlotte Roule. «The trade tensions, according to our members, are not good for business». According to the survey, the trade war is one of the top concerns for European firms in China (23 per cent), after the Chinese economic slowdown (45 per cent), the global economy (27 per cent) and rising labour costs in China (23 per cent). The study, which received replies from 585 firms, was conducted in January, as trans-Pacific trade tensions eased. They ratcheted up again in early May with the United States and China slapping steep increases in punitive customs tariffs on each other. But early...

As up to 400 million Europeans prepare to vote for the EU parliament, the populist challenge to the Brussels consensus has been disrupted by scandal. In Austria, the far-right vice-chancellor has resigned in disgrace after falling victim to a hidden camera sting as he appeared to seek Russian backing. Britain's Nigel Farage, the leader of the Brexit Party, has led a strong campaign but has been dogged by questions about where his money comes from. And in France, veteran right-winger Marine Le Pen has been forced to deny that former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon has any role in her campaign. The cloud of scandal partly overshadowed coverage of Italian hardliner Matteo Salvini's pre-election nationalist European unity rally in Milan on Saturday. So far, there is no sign these wobbles will blunt the advance of populist forces in this week's vote, but they have opened space for centrist critics. 'Help slow the advance' German Chancellor Angela Merkel spurred the mainstream counter-attack at the weekend, urging EU voters to reject nationalist «politicians for sale». Matthias Jung of German pollster Forschungsgruppe Wahlen told the Tagesspiegel that the scandal could help "slow...

US internet giant Google, whose Android mobile operating system powers most of the world's smartphones, said Sunday it was beginning to cut ties with China's Huawei, which Washington considers a national security threat. In the midst of a trade war with Beijing, President Donald Trump has barred US companies from engaging in telecommunications trade with foreign companies said to threaten American national security. The measure targets Huawei, a Chinese telecoms giant in Washington's sights that is listed by the Commerce Department among firms with which American companies can only engage in trade after obtaining the green light from the authorities. The ban includes technology sharing. «We are complying with the order and reviewing the implications,» a Google spokesperson told AFP. The move could have dramatic implications since Google, like all tech companies, must collaborate with smartphone makers to ensure its systems are compatible with their devices. Google will have to halt business activities with Huawei that involve transfer of hardware, software and technical services that are not publicly available - meaning Huawei will only be able to use the open source version of...

25 years ago - The Times Friday, May 20, 1994 Freeport loan: du Puis denies MLP’s claims The government has denied Labour Party claims that it was not known how the $205 million international loan taken up by the Malta Freeport to finance a second terminal would be paid back. Rebutting criticism by Labour MPs Charles Mangion and Lino Spiteri, Economic Services Minister George Bonello du Puis said the information had been public and available at the Department of Trade since March. An interest rate of 7.5 per cent was being charged on loan, it was being guaranteed by the government and will be repaid by 2009, he said. Dr Bonello du Puis said the Freeport’s income of $20 million a year would increase soon when the first phase of Terminal One became fully operational and the number of containers it could handle increased from 300,000 to 560,000. The quay had been extended from 650 to 1,000 metres, the equipment was bought, training was taking place and the terminal would be fully functional soon. Terminal Two was in the meantime being built and the first phase would be operational next year. The project is expected to be concluded in four years’ time. Half a century ago - Times of...

She takes photos on a daily basis, and yet, Lisa Gwen is decidedly not a photographer, in the traditional sense. She claims that hers is just an “eye for detail”, a penchant for texture and colour, and that ultimately hers is a quest to chase light and attempt to frame it. She has a simple vision, perhaps more of a desire to share her discoveries with like-minded individuals, in the hope that more people will open their eyes, and see, not only look, at their environment and surroundings, be it urban or rural, be it random or commonplace. Titled The Hunt for Pink and Other Stories, Lisa will be showing a small selection of images captured over the past 18 months, at Solo Vinyl and Books in Msida. Inspired by her door-hunting expeditions, exploratory walks and innately curious nature, the collection of idiosyncratic snaps offer an alternative aesthetic to the picture-perfect postcards often associated with the Maltese landscape.  Like a bee to honey, the colour pink has become a guiding hand, informing her pursuits, so much so, that all the other narratives seem to have become an offshoot of this inexplicable quest.  Besides an innate passion related to all fields of visual art,...

Court services, including most court sittings, ground to a halt last Friday when most magistrates were busy trying to solve clues in a treasure hunt organised for them by the Judicial Studies Committee. Legal practitioners told The Sunday Times of Malta they turned up at court that morning only to discover that their clients would have to return another day as members of the judiciary were on a team-building exercise. “When we asked the court authorities what was going on, we were informed that the magistrates would not be turning up for work on the day as they had some kind of seminar,” a veteran lawyer told this newspaper. “We were even more surprised when later we were informed that most of the magistrates were seen speeding off in their cars to the north of the island taking part in a treasure hunt. At first we thought it was a joke but it seems that it wasn’t,” another lawyer said. The Sunday Times of Malta is informed that the treasure hunt was part of a team-building exercise devised for the magistrates in order to allow them to get to know each other better. Apart from the magistrates, some judges also took part in the ‘extracurricular’ activity. A magistrate, who spoke...

Even though the latest tariff hike (from 10% to 25% on $200bn of Chinese imports) is likely to have a modest direct impact on Chinese and US GDP (-0.2%), neither side has any interest in seeing the trade war intensify for two main reasons. The first being that China has had to implement a major stimulus simply to stabilise its growth and second the effects of tax cuts are waning in the US. As such, more protectionist measures could push growth below its potential level and severely damage the job market just before elections. The increase in tariffs from 10% to 25% will only apply to newly imported goods. It does not affect goods already in transit. Thus the economic impact of new tariffs will most likely be felt until June of this year. This leaves China and the US with time to reach an agreement. The fact that the Chinese did not leave the negotiating table following Donald Trump’s Tweets is good news from this perspective. Last week’s modest market correction was a result of investors believing that the outcome of negotiations between China and the US will ultimately be that of a deal. Nonetheless, the Tweets posted by Donald Trump just before the Chinese delegation’s arrival...

At 4.14am on May 24, 1819, at Kensington Palace on the outskirts of London, a little girl called Alexandrina Victoria was born, the daughter of Edward, Duke of Kent, and his wife Princess Victoria Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. Her father, Edward, was the fourth son of King George III and his wife Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, while her mother Victoria, after whom she was called, was the fourth daughter and seventh child of Franz Frederick Anton, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, and Countess Augusta of Reuss-Ebersdorf. Queen Victoria’s mother had already been married to Charles, Prince of Leiningen (1763–1814), and from 1814 onwards she served as regent of the Principality during the minority of her son from her first marriage, Carl; the regency ended with her second wedding in 1818 to Prince Edward of Great Britain. She was to give her name to one of the greatest eras in British history, and hers is now the second longest reign in British history. The young Alexandrina Victoria was only the daughter of the fourth son of the British monarch; she was not born to reign. Her father was not Prince of Wales. However, fate favoured her. This was because while George III, her paternal...

An explosion struck a tourist bus on Sunday near Egypt's famed pyramids, injuring 17 people including foreigners, security and medical sources said. South Africans and Egyptians were among those injured when an explosive device went off, hitting the bus in Giza, according to the sources. No deaths were reported. Images circulating online showed some of the bus' windows shattered. Sunday's incident comes after three Vietnamese holidaymakers and their Egyptian guide were killed when a roadside bomb hit their bus as it travelled near the pyramids outside Cairo in December. Egypt's tourism sector has suffered for years due to a series of deadly attacks targeting holidaymakers following the turmoil of the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime ruler Hosni Mubarak. Authorities have gone to great lengths to lure tourists back, touting a series of archaeological finds and a new museum next to the pyramids, as well as enhanced security at airports and around ancient sites. The industry has slowly picked up, with tourist arrivals reaching 8.3 million in 2017, compared with 5.3 million the previous year, official statistics showed. But that figure was still far short of the record influx of...

Nine years ago, before anyone knew how huge it was going to be, the HBO TV series’ first season was partly filmed in Malta. Some of those involved look back at those fateful shoots ahead of the final episode out tonight. Every Saturday for the last five years, Malcolm Ellul has loaded up a coach full of eager tourists and set off on a tour around the island, stopping not at temples or churches, but at the place where Ned Stark fought Jaime Lannister, where Daenerys Targaryen gave birth to three dragons, or where Queen Cersei once said: “When you play the Game of Thrones, you win or you die.” As the HBO mega-series comes to a close – and nine years after it filmed its first season in Malta – appetite among fans to see the real-world palaces, gardens and cliff-sides that stood in for Westeros has not yet dried up: nearly all the film tours Mr Ellul runs are now Game of Thrones tours. And all are fully booked, with American, English and German visitors making up the bulk. “I have a lot of people who first book the tour, then book their flights and accommodation. The reason they’re coming here is because of Game of Thrones,” said Mr Ellul, who worked as a background actor when the...

Lijana Sultana has won the Romanian Junior Open. Taking part in the Under 13 Girls event in Bucharest, she won all her matches without dropping a game to win her first European ranking tournament. In the qualifying group, Sultana was superior to her opponents, beating Andra Marin and Anna Kedves to finish top of the group.  In the next round Sultana gave another solid performance to have the better of Alexandra Ghiorghisor.  In the final match, the young Maltese player continued to play well, giving no chance to her opponent Timeea Dumitrascu, to claim her first European title. Since joining the National Sport School, Sultana has continued to improve and is steadily moving up the European rankings. She is currently ranked #25 in Europe and is looking to emulate the success of her squash siblings Colette and Kijan Sultana  Lijana Sultana is supported by Harrow Sports, Malta Squash, MOC and Sport Malta.

Real Madrid delivered a suitably dreadful end to their miserable season, and Gareth Bale was not even given the chance to say a likely goodbye, as Zinedine Zidane's side were beaten 2-0 at home to Real Betis on Sunday. Zidane had indicated this could be Bale's final game ahead of an expected summer departure but the Welshman was left on the bench, made to watch on as three substitutes came on ahead of him at the Santiago Bernabeu. None were able to revive another dreary and disjointed Madrid performance, which concluded both the season and first phase of Zidane's much-hailed return as coach.  As the players saluted the fans at the end, they were greeted by a chorus of whistles.  By then, Bale was already off down the tunnel, perhaps aware that any attempt at a farewell could be given an even colder reception.  When the referee's final whistle blew, Bale received a hug from Betis coach Quique Setien and strode off.  Zidane will rightly not be held culpable for most of Madrid's failings this season, including finishing third in La Liga, 18 points behind Barcelona and eight adrift of Atletico Madrid, not to mention crashing out of the Champions League in the last 16.  He will also...

I think it was former premier of the Soviet Union Nikita Khrushchev who once said that politicians are the same all over the world: “They promise to build a bridge even when there is no river.” We have all heard about the empty promises and in some cases the downright lies; we have been in the crossfire of the mud-slinging and maybe even slung some ourselves, but simply nothing else reeks of manure than the billboards that are routinely put up before every single election to remind us precisely why at this point we probably shouldn’t even bother taking the short walk (or limousine ride) to the voting booth. Cake, figolli and car giving aside, nothing smacks of emotional blackmail like the billboard. Large and looming at almost every crossroad, we cannot help but study them while we wait in the endless traffic jams which one official told us were merely a perception (obviously not around election time). I realise that they are all little pieces of the same large puzzle but in the name of all that is good in the world, do they have to be so horribly out of touch, misdirected and well, sloppy? When the first election billboards went up, I thought the country couldn’t do worse than...

The police believe that the people behind the recent spate of burglaries belong to a gang who came to Malta on “working holidays”. Sources close to the investigation said the police had made little progress in identifying the culprits behind the tens of burglaries of residences that have taken place in recent months, although a slowdown has been noted. The sources said that different groups, each believed to be composed of between four and six men, would come here for a three to four-day stay during which they would target as many households as possible and make off with anything they could fit into their pockets. In all cases, they stole jewellery, cash and watches. Larger items, such as televisions, gaming consoles, hi-fi systems, laptops and computers, were left untouched. The sources said it was also likely that a mastermind was controlling the operation from abroad. The police are also looking into the possibility that the groups kept a hiding place in Malta for stolen items they did not manage to sell on the black market. Rather than using bump keys, as some used to in the past, the burglars gained entry by drilling through the door locks, even those generally considered...

The current season is coming to an end, but before going into summer mode the Manoel Theatre is offering three very different but very high-level concerts with top local and international musicians. The first in line is an evening with string quartets by Quator Arod, one of France’s leading ensembles that has won several prestigious music prizes and has performed on several famous international stages. This young ensemble started in 2013 and consists of Jordan Victoria (violin), Alexandre Vu (violin), Tanguy Parisot (viola) and Samy Rachid (cello). The quartet will bring an exciting combination of well known string quartets by Joseph Haydn, Béla Bartók and Johannes Brahms. The concert takes place on Wednesday at 8pm. On June 3 at 8pm the audience is invited to An Evening with Mozart. For this concert, pianist Joanne Camilleri is teaming up with the Cordia String Quartet, featuring David Lang (violin), Emese Toth (violin), Jacob Portelli (viola) and Frank Camilleri (cello). On the programme two of Mozart’s famous piano concertos, complemented with his String Quartet in F. This concert will take the audience back to Mozart’s time in Vienna. It promises to be a delightful evening...

Floriana Dispensary, 29, Vincenzo Dimech Street, Floriana (2123 3034);National Pharmacy, 17, St Mary Street, Ħamrun (2122 5539);Drugshop Dispensary, De La Cruz Avenue, Qormi (2144 3221);The Local Dispensary, Canon K. Pirotta Street, Birkirkara (2149 3549);Charing Pharmacy, Mimosa Street, Pietà (2123 2954);San Giorgio Pharmacy, Manwel Buhagiar Street, Pembroke (2137 8485);Harley Pharmacy, 1, Nathalie Poutiatin Tabone Street, Sliema (2133 4635);St Michael Pharmacy, Transfiguration Square, Lija (2143 5875);Grognet Pharmacy, 41, Constitution Street, Mosta (2143 2038);St Paul’s Bay Pharmacy, 504, Main Street, St Paul’s Bay (2157 5276);Sonren Pharmacy, Żejtun Road, Tarxien (2167 2757);Milia’s Pharmacy, 73, Cottonera Road, Vittoriosa (2760 0126);May Day Pharmacy, Victory Street, Żabbar (2182 6529);Pompei Pharmacy, 28, Fishermen’s Wharf, Marsaxlokk (2165 1278);Bronja Pharmacy, Sonata, Bronja Street, Żurrieq (2168 2251);De Rohan Pharmacy 24, St Anthony Street, Żebbuġ (2146 4128);St Anthony Pharmacy, 18, Main Street, Rabat (2145 4187);Castle Pharmacy, 2, Independence Square, Victoria (2155 6970);Ta’ Pinu Pharmacy, Franġisk Portelli Street, Għarb (2788 8128). Airport pharmacy: Open from...

The Sunday Times of Malta reports on the arrest of two men suspected of killing a man in a racially-motivated attack last month. The newspaper also gives prominence to its second European election survey, which suggests Labour’s lead has narrowed but remains commanding. The Malta Independent on Sunday leads with extracts from interviews with Joseph Muscat and Adrian Delia and reports on the arrest of two soldiers for having killed migrant Lassana Cisse. Malta Today also focuses on the murder of Mr Cisse, with a headline stating “In cold blood”. The newspaper also teases its own survey, which suggests Labour enjoys a 13-point lead. It-Torċa reports on its own survey results, which indicate a 19.6 per cent lead for the Labour Party, one week before people go to the polls. Il-Mument reports that Chris Fearne appeared on Xarabank last Friday against the Prime Minister’s wishes and says tensions between the PM and his deputy are running high. Illum dedicates its front page to the racially motivated murder, with a front-page editorial and a large-font headline saying “They killed him because he was black”. The newspaper also says that the PN parliamentary group has not met in two...

The latest oil-painting exhibition by Julian Mallia at Spazju Kreattiv (open till May 26) offers the Maltese a taste of something completely different. An artist and personal friend of mine, Julian, known in artistic circles as Julinu, has always been fascinated by the surreal, with animals featuring constantly both in his works and in his imagination. At one point, he was fixated with the absurdly popular image of a fish on a bicycle. If you are into that sort of thing, then you will surely find that his latest exhibition does not disappoint. A surreal experience which begins before it even starts (and you’ll have to find out why yourself – let’s just say you will melt your political worries away with laughter at the entrance, ensuring a visit these coming days to be both timely and appropriate), the exhibition is chock-full of a surrealist’s pipe dream: a place where reality is halted for a Daliesque melted moment and a bizarre environment, ironically and paradoxically more real than reality, takes its stead. All the works exhibited share this paradoxical quality of being amusingly entertaining but also absurdly truthful. As with all surreal works, they must be seen to be...

Before buying a second-hand car most would ask about its service history, whether it has been involved in any major accidents and how well it has been generally taken care of. Cars come with log books but a diligent car owner also keeps records.   According to architects, it is about time we are able to do the same when buying a home.   The Kamra tal-Periti is proposing the introduction of what it calls “post-occupancy certifications”, similar to those currently in place for lifts, which would ensure a building’s compliance with regulations and requirements throughout its lifetime. This means that when you buy a property you will know exactly what you are getting, whether it has been properly maintained and is in line with all the requirements – through one comprehensive document. This could even include the original certificates issued when the property was first built and put on the market.   A complete overhaul The proposal is just one of a huge dossier compiled by the chamber, aimed at overhauling the mess of laws and regulations governing the construction sector today.   Published on Friday, the document, which is open for public consultation, would see the functions of...

Louis Briffa: Bil-Boqxiex: PoeżijiThe author, 2018 ISBN 978-99957-1-206-8 272pp. Hbk. I think it was Samuel Johnson, in that highly coloured voice of his, who once declared to the open world that “No man but a blockhead ever wrote except for money”. If that was true, there would be many more impoverished poets than there are already, especially in our country. At another time, Johnson added, “the only end of writing is to enable the readers better to enjoy life, or better to endure it.” Life, for Johnson, is to be endured rather than enjoyed. That may come very close to Briffa. If not for the money, what does a poet write for? Or why does he write at all? And who does he address? And what does he mean? What is the poet up to? Briffa’s poems raise all these questions and many more. The questions spring like daffodils or crocuses in a prize lawn, as one struggles with a response to the poems. A poem, of course, does not mean: it is. You cannot explain poetry, any more than you can explain a beautifully dusty butterfly blazing with colour over a flowery patch. It is equally so in any work of art, though in aesthetics there can be no absolutes, and contraries there can happily...

Michela placed 16th in the Eurovision Song Contest, as the favourites the Netherlands walked away with the prize. Duncan Laurence from the Netherlands won the festival with his ballad Arcade in a tight race which went straight to the wire. He had been the bookmakers' favourite to win, and went to the top of the leaderboard after the public vote. Laurence, 25, came out as bisexual in 2016 and has used his new high profile to call for tolerance and understanding. Italy placed second and Russia came in third.  Read: How the internet reacted to Michela and Malta Michela entered the final night in high spirits, having made it through Thursday’s semi-final in a nerve-wracking manner, as the last qualifying contestant to be called out. It was the first time in three years that Malta qualified for the final.  The participants were judged by both the voting public as well as panels of expert jurors, with the vote weighting split evenly, 50/50. Each of the 26 competing countries, as well as the 15 countries eliminated in the Eurovision Song Contest semi-finals, had a five-member jury. One of the highlights was the 'queen of pop' Madonna, who performed her 1989 hit Like a Prayer,...

Michela Pace did not seem fazed to be the first singer to perform during Saturday's Eurovision Song Contest final in Tel Aviv, putting on a high-energy performance that delighted fans in living rooms across Malta and Gozo.  But what did the internet make of the 18-year-old Gozitan and her song Chameleon? For many people on Twitter, the upbeat track was the perfect start to the show. 

Roma's hopes of reaching the Champions League next season faded on Saturday with a goalless draw at Sassuolo. There are two Champions League places left to take in Italy behind league winners Juventus and second-placed Napoli. Claudio Ranieri's side, semi-finalists in the elite European competition last season, are now fifth, three points behind Inter Milan, and one adrift of Atalanta who occupy fourth. Both teams have difficult games to come this weekend with Inter Milan travelling to Napoli and Atalanta at champions Juventus, in a game which will be final match at home for coach Massimiliano Allegri. AC Milan are just behind Ranieri's side and can overtake the Romans with a win at home against relegated Frosinone. Torino are seventh, three points behind Roma, and can pull level with with a win at relegated Empoli. Standings provided by Sofascore LiveScore

Lethal Lyon strolled to their fourth straight Women's Champions League crown with a 4-1 win against Barcelona in Budapest on Saturday. A first-half hat-trick from star striker Ada Hegerberg followed an early opener by Germany captain Dzsenifer Marozsan to hand the French giants their sixth title overall. A late strike by Asisat Oshoala was scant consolation for first-time finalists Barca who were bidding to become the first club to win Champions League honours with both their men's and women's teams. The final was settled by the half-hour as Barca were swiftly overwhelmed by Reynald Pedros's powerful, slick-passing side inspired by inaugural Ballon D'Or winner Hegerberg. «This is an incredible night for me personally, scoring a hat-trick in a Champions League final,» the 23-year-old Norwegian, who was later named Player of the Match, told reporters. «Everybody was at their top level today, we were ready on the pitch, you could feel that from minute one,» she said. Pedros stressed that Lyon's stellar performance, especially in the first half, was a «collective effort». "Ada played an awesome game today as the rest of the team did, she just finished her teammates' work, which is...

Teenage singer Michela Pace will be the first of 26 contestants to perform during the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday evening, taking the stage in Tel Aviv with Malta’s hopes riding on her shoulders. The 18-year-old Gozitan will be hoping her performance of Chameleon sticks in viewers’ minds, as they will sit through 25 more performances before the votes start being tallied up.  Michela enters the final night in high spirits, having made it through Thursday’s semi-final in a nerve-wracking manner, as the last qualifying contestant to be called out. “I never felt that good on stage before,” she told Times of Malta on Friday. “Seeing all those people actually calmed my nerves. On that night, I felt very comfortable because I saw people having fun and singing along to the song,” she added. Why will Michela perform first? The running order is decided by contest organisers, who try and ensure there is a mix of tempos, genres and acts throughout the long show. “It’s all about making a good TV show. You don’t want people to get bored,” producer Christer Björkman told Eurovision TV. Statistically, winning entries tend to peform in the second half of the show – which does not...

Manchester City completed the first ever domestic treble in English football in emphatic fashion by dispatching Watford 6-0 at Wembley to claim the FA Cup on Saturday. Raheem Sterling scored a hat-trick, while David Silva, Kevin de Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus also netted to cap a glorious campaign with the biggest margin of victory in a FA Cup final since 1903. Watford's wait to win their first ever major piece of silverware goes on, but after going behind they had little answer to Pep Guardiola's relentless champions as the Catalan picked up the 27th trophy of his coaching career. «It was an incredible final for us and we have finished an incredible year,» said Guardiola after adding the FA Cup to City's Premier League and League Cup titles. «To all the people at the club a big congratulations, especially the players because they are the reason why we have won these titles.» It could have been very different for the Hornets had Roberto Pereyra not missed the first big chance of the game after Watford pounced on one slack pass by Oleksandr Zinchenko to spring a counter-attack. Gerard Deulofeu fed the Argentine, but City goalkeeper Ederson raced from his goal to make a fine save...

Pope Francis on Saturday urged journalists to desist from publishing fake news, saying it could cause harm, and instead «take time to understand» issues before reporting on them. Receiving foreign journalists in the Vatican, the pontiff also urged journalists to remain «humble» saying humility «prevents the rotten flow of disinformation and offers the good bread of truth.» Pope Francis said humility was of great importance as it implies consciousness «that through an article, a tweet, a live broadcast either televised or on radio can do good, but also if one is not attentive and scrupulous, harm.» He also said journalists must be very careful of their choice of words in an era of «hostile language» proliferating everywhere, especially on social media. «Everyone knows how the search for truth is difficult and demands humility,» he said. He also asked the press to speak of «wars forgotten by society». «Who still talks of the Rohingyas?» he said. «Who still speaks of the Yazidis? They are forgotten and they continue to suffer.» About 740,000 Muslim minority Rohingya have fled Myanmar for Bangladesh since a brutal military crackdown began in August 2017. Thousands of refugees...

The MV Nikolaos, a 1987 Ro-Ro passenger ship, will be crossing the Mediterranean from Greece in the coming days to join the three current Gozo Channel vessels this summer. Confirming a Times of Malta story published last Thursday, Gozo Minister Justyne Caruana on Friday posted pictures of her whirlwind visit to Greece to “inspect” the 32-year-old leased vessel. Dr Caruana confirmed that the ship, which used to do crossings between various Greek islands, will be the fourth in the Gozo Channel fleet and had been leased for a short period until a tender is issued to lease another vessel for a longer duration. 'Panic' within ministry The Times of Malta story on the introduction of this old ferry boat, created some ‘panic’ within government circles, particularly at the Gozo Ministry. Plans for the introduction of a fourth vessel at Gozo Channel were being kept under wraps, in order to be ‘announced’ by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat during a Labour political activity in the final days of the ongoing electoral campaign this month. “The minister was furious at the front page of the Times of Malta and immediately instructed officials to put her on the first available flight to Greece so...

Buying a 32-year-old ship to bolster Gozo Channel’s fleet is just not good enough for Gozitans and would just add to the country’s environmental woes, Nationalist Party MEP candidate Michael Briguglio said on Saturday. Speaking alongside PN MP Chris Said, Dr Briguglio accused the Labour government of not taking Malta’s sister island seriously. Times of Malta reported on Thursday that a fourth vessel would join the Gozo Channel's fleet in a few weeks' time. On Friday, Gozo Minister Justyne Caruana confirmed that when she posted Facebook photos of her 'inspecting' the vessel. The fourth vessel will be dedicated to commercial vehicles and will serve as a stop-gap solution until a tender for a longer-term lease is completed.  The PN has however slammed the plans, noting that the ship being brought to Malta is more than three decades old. Speaking in Gozo, Dr Briguglio said the ship had been built in 1987 and compared its age to the average age of ships in Italy and Greece – 20 and 11 years respectively. It was the PN, Dr Briguglio said, which had invested in Gozo Channel to ensure it had three ships in its fleet, which had built terminal buildings in Cirkewwa and Mġarr and which had...