Italy's populist Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio on Wednesday dismissed Brussels' formal warning over the country's excessive public spending as «too easy» «For years we've been giving without receiving, or we receive less than what we were due, we've been completely ignored for years on the matter of migrants, for instance,» said Di Maio, from the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S).  «We bear all the weight, and as if that were not enough, they're lecturing us. This won't work, it's too easy,» Di Maio wrote on Facebook. «We will go to Europe and discuss responsibly, so we can construct and not destroy. But it's tough, when you see that every day they find another reason to say bad things about Italy and this government,» Di Maio said. The European Commission on Wednesday formally put Italy on notice over its deteriorating budget deficit and a huge debt mountain equal to more than 130 percent of total economic output, way above the EU's 60-percent limit. The move by the EU's executive arm begins a complicated process that, if approved by eurozone ministers, could result in an unprecedented fine of more than three billion euros ($3.4 billion). Fellow Deputy Prime...

The environment ministry has launched a campaign to discourage littering in the sea. Saving Our Blue, as it has been called, will run through the summer, Environment Minister Jose' Herrera said.  The campaign is especially targeted against plastic waste, which takes hundreds of years to degrade and harms the ecosystem. «Throughout this campaign we will be raising awareness on how slight changes to our lifestyles will go a long way to a more sustainable life,» the ministry said.  Dr Herrera said waste was harming the marine environment. People needed to avoid using products which created a lot of waste, such as packaging, and also dispose of such waste carefully. He praised and thanked voluntary organisations that organise clean-ups but said everyone should do his part in preventing marine litter in the first place.  

The MSE Equity Price Index added 0.12% to 4,826.291 points as the gains in four equities outweighed the drop in MPC. Meanwhile, five other companies traded unchanged with trading activity remaining muted as only €0.19 million worth of shares changed hands. BMIT Technologies plc advanced by 0.9% to the €0.545 level (the highest since late February 2019) on activity totalling 120,000 shares. GlobalCapital plc surged by 5.6% to the €0.264 level albeit on trivial volumes. The company is due to hold its AGM on 26 June. In the property segment, MIDI plc regained the €0.60 level (+3.4%) across 14,200 shares whilst Trident Estates plc moved 1.1% higher to €1.78 (the highest since late April 2018) on just 3,232 shares. MIDI is due to hold its AGM on 11 June whilst Trident’s AGM will be held on 25 June. Conversely, Malta Properties Company plc eased by 0.8% to the €0.635 level on shallow volumes totalling 5,000 shares. MPC is scheduled to hold its AGM on 11 June. Meanwhile, Plaza Centres plc maintained the €1.00 level across 13,300 shares. This morning, Plaza held its AGM during which shareholders approved all resolutions including the payment of a final net dividend of €0.0294 per share.

Napoli captain Lorenzo Insigne said Wednesday that Maurizio Sarri would be 'betraying' his former club should he agree to coach rivals Juventus. Chelsea manager Sarri has been strongly linked with the Juventus job left vacant after Massimiliano Allegri's departure. Insigne played under Sarri at Napoli between 2015 and 2018, finishing twice runners-up in Serie A behind eight-time reigning champions Juventus. «If Sarri went to Juve for us Neapolitans it would surely be a betrayal,» Insigne told a press conference with the Italian national team at Coverciano near Florence. «Choosing Juve will hurt, but we must take note that the coach is a professional and in Naples he gave his all. »It is his own decision, but I hope in the end he will change his mind.« Under new coach Carlo Ancelotti the club once again finished runners-up behind Juventus, with their last Serie A title coming back in 1990.  »Napoli have not won for a long time, and it hurts us, because we're strong and we've often come so close,« said Insigne, who took over the captain's armband in February after Marek Hamsik's departure for China. »The thing I want most is to raise a trophy with this shirt. "I have just turned...

The Nationalist parliamentary group has not met in almost two months and no date has been set yet to debate the ongoing crisis triggered by the latest disastrous electoral results, this newspaper was told. The situation was further compounded by the controversy which erupted over the co-option of an MP to succeed David Stellini, who resigned last week. Sources said the Nationalist MPs last met on April 15, a few weeks before the official start of the electoral campaign. Contacted by the Times of Malta, PN whip Robert Cutajar declined to comment. According to the PN statute, the parliamentary group must meet at least once a month or upon the request of the party leader.  However, there is also a proviso under which it must convene if a formal request is made by at least a third of MPs. Despite having been at the helm since September 2017, Adrian Delia is yet to win over a significant chunk of his own parliamentary group who have privately expressed doubts about Dr Delia both way back during the leadership campaign and, then, when he faced allegations on his personal finances and of having been involved in money-laundering activities more than a decade before his venture into...

It’s normal to feel stressed at work from time to time. But for some people, the stress becomes all-consuming, leading to exhaustion, cynicism and hatred towards your job. This is known as burnout. Burnout used to be classified as a problem related to life management, but last week the World Health Organisation re-labelled the syndrome as an “occupational phenomenon” to better reflect that burnout is a work-based syndrome caused by chronic stress. The newly listed dimensions of burnout are: feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job reduced professional efficacy (work performance). Read more: Extinguished and anguished: what is burnout and what can we do about it? In the era of smartphones and 24-7 emails, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to switch off from the workplace and from those who have power over us. The new definition of burnout should be a wake-up call for employers to treat chronic stress that has not been successfully managed as a work health and safety issue. How do you know if you’re burnt out? If you think you might be suffering burnout, ask yourself...

The National Library of Malta and Malta Libraries are organising two back-to-back public lectures in the ‘Liber Librorum: Texts, Translations & Exegesis’ programme of events at the national library on Thursday at 6.30pm. ‘The Bible in Malta at the time of the Knights’ by Judge Giovanni Bonello will be followed by ‘Reading the Gospel of John: Text, Translation and Exegesis’ by Rev. Dr Martin Micallef.  In the first part of the lecture Bonello will expand on how after having gone through all the available evidence he has come to a shocking conclusion: that in Malta, a country ruled for over 250 years by a religious order, it would follow that the Bible would be central to the religious life of the rulers and of the people. However, research establishes how irrelevant the Holy Scriptures were considered to be in practice.  Micallef will then argue how the application of the historical critical method as an attempt to unfold the genesis of the Gospel of John’s tradition gave grounds for a further consideration that this gospel is not an instant writing, but one that was edited over a period of years.  On the other hand, the emergence and development of a number of competing...

There is consensus among New Zealand policymakers and researchers that GDP is not a good measure of a nation’s well-being. But the debate about what metric should replace GDP is ongoing. Last week’s well-being budget was based on the Livings Standards Framework (LSF), a set of well-being measures that include cultural identity, environment, income and consumption, and social connections. But these provide no overall index of the nation’s performance. Our research uses the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI). It shows that by that measure, New Zealand may be only half as well off, compared to conventional measures such as GDP. Read more: New Zealand's well-being approach to budget is not new, but could shift major issues Accounting for costs and benefits of economic activity Globally, the GPI is the most widely used method to replace GDP. It is essentially a macro-scale analysis of the costs and benefits of activities associated with economic activity. It includes personal consumption of goods and services as one of the largest benefits, but it balances this with costs, which may include social factors such as income inequality and environmental factors such as water pollution...

Updated at 3pm  More than 270 migrants disembarked in Malta on Wednesday following Armed Forces of Malta rescue missions, with a further 99 men, women and children expected to land in the afternoon.  In total, 370 migrants will touch ground in Malta, making Wednesday one of the busiest days for migrant arrivals in recent history.  The first of the missions happened during the night when the AFM rescued 63 migrants who were in distress aboard a drifting rubber dinghy. The boat was within the Maltese Search and Rescue Zone. The men, women and children on board were transferred to the AFM vessel, to be brought to Malta. A short while later, AFM operators received word of a second group of more than 200 people in distress at sea and went to their rescue.  AFM personnel took 61 of those people in distress, placed them aboard the first rescue vessel and brought them to Malta.  The rest of the rescued people, 147 of them, were picked up later in the morning and reached Malta at around 10.30am.  Read: Lawyers accuse EU of 'crimes against humanity' in submission to ICC More rescues coordinated An AFM spokesperson later said that a further 99 people had been rescued at sea and were being...

A US veteran who was parachuted into France during D-Day in 1944 defied his age on Wednesday as he recreated his courageous feat of 75 years ago as part of ceremonies to mark the famous landings.  «It feels great,» 97-year-old Tom Rice said after landing to applause in a field near the French village of Carentan where he flashed the V sign. «I want to go back up and do it again!» READ: World leaders mark D-Day anniversary Rice, who was strapped to a parachutist who controlled their flight during their tandem jump,  was one of several veterans set to jump in northern France, the day before the 75th anniversary of the June 6 landings by 150,000 Allied troops. Thousands of people also gathered on Tuesday in the village of Sannerville to watch British veteran Harry Read jump, but his ambitions looked to have been thwarted by a technical problem with his plane.   

Malta coach Ray Farrugia has finalised the 23-man squad ahead of the Euro 2020 Group F qualifying match against Sweden at the Friends Arena on Friday (kick-off 20.45). Captain Michael Mifsud will not make the trip to Stockholm on Wednesday evening as he is recovering from a minor injury. His condition will be reassessed by the national team’s medical staff after the contingent’s return from Sweden on Saturday. Farrugia and his coaching team had named a provisional 26-strong squad for the away match against Sweden and the home qualifier against Romania this coming Monday but Sliema Wanderers midfielder Ryan Fenech and Leighton Grech, the Senglea Athletic winger, had dropped out with injuries. The final 23-man selection means a first call-up for Mosta’s Dexter Xuereb. Farrugia is relying on most of the players who were part of the squad for the opening qualifiers but there are also some new faces with Ħamrun Spartans midfielder Triston Caruana also getting the nod together with Xuereb. Birkirkara midfielder Matthew Guillaumier and Ħamrun Spartans defender Karl Micallef are sidelined with injuries along with Hibernians striker Jurgen Degabriele and Sliema Wanderers forward Jean...

Roger Federer set up a mouthwatering French Open semi-final clash with Rafael Nadal on Tuesday when he defeated Stan Wawrinka in four sets to become the oldest men's Grand Slam semi-finalist in 28 years. The 37-year-old Swiss beat his compatriot 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 to reach his 43rd major semi-final and eighth at Roland Garros. Defending champion Nadal, bidding for a 12th title at the French Open, blitzed a weary Kei Nishikori 6-1, 6-1, 6-3. Federer trails his head-to-head record with Nadal 23-15 -- despite winning their last five matches -- and 13-2 on clay. The Spaniard has a 5-0 stranglehold over Federer at Roland Garros with Nadal winning their most recent Paris clash in the 2011 final. «The complete dream would be to win the tournament,» said Federer. «Other players won't agree. It will be difficult, but I believe it anyway. »It was hard, really, really hard. Stan played a really good match, I'm really happy to play him here at Roland Garros." The 20-time Grand Slam champion is the oldest man to make the semis at one of the big four tournaments since Jimmy Connors at the 1991 US Open aged 39. Wawrinka saved 16 of 18 break points in a thrilling encounter, but...

US President Donald Trump's son-in-law and Middle East peace adviser Jared Kushner met European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker for talks in Brussels on Tuesday. Kushner arrived in Brussels from London, where his father-in-law is making a state visit. The trip comes at a time when international hopes are dimming for a US peace plan for the Middle East. Trump, whose administration has staunchly backed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, acknowledged doubts about the plan himself on Monday, while Kushner suggested that Palestinians were not ready to govern themselves. The United States is to lay out an economic component of the plan, which has been spearheaded by Kushner, on June 25 and 26 in Bahrain, where Gulf Arab states are expected to make pledges to boost the troubled Palestinian economy.  A commission spokesman said Juncker and EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini «listened to Mr. Kushner's ideas and underlined the fundamental interest of the European Union for a lasting and sustainable peace and stability in the region.» Acknowledging that economic development was «crucial», the EU insisted "it must be accompanied by viable political progress that takes...

Accusations of internal vote rigging against Nationalist Party top official Jean Pierre Debono to sway an internal vote at the PN executive council his way and make it to Parliament, have given Adrian Delia a new, massive blow to his already waning support as party leader. However, although these latest reports have “shocked” the electorate, internal vote rigging and manoeuvring inside political parties is not new. The JPD case Amid an already tense atmosphere following the disastrous MEP election for the PN last month, its Executive Committee met to decide who was to be co-opted to Parliament following the resignation of MP David Stellini.  During the meeting at the party headquarters, a secret vote was taken to choose between Kevin Cutajar, who was next in line for the vacated 13th district seat, or Jean Pierre Debono who, despite being elected to Parliament in 2017, decided to let go so that Dr Delia could become an MP after his election as PN leader. Following the vote, the PN announced that Mr Debono was to be co-opted after winning the ballot 42 votes in favour and 40 against. Both Mr Debono and his wife Kristy, also an MP, took part in the vote. However, while no one...

Train passengers were stuck for six hours in a tunnel outside Paris on Tuesday after their high-speed service suffered a power cut just minutes after departure, leaving them in sweltering heat, without electricity or working toilets. The train bound for Barcelona became trapped in the tunnel in the Yerres area outside Paris. French rail operator SNCF said the power failure lasted only 10 or 15 minutes but the train was unable to restart because of its position.  A new train was sent in to shunt the stalled carriages along, but without success. Passengers were relocated through the tunnel to the working train in front accompanied by SNCF staff, firefighters and police, according to an AFP journalist, who said two passengers were looked after by emergency workers. One tourist, 68-year-old Australian Heather Manton, expressed concern over her reservations in Barcelona and described the experience as «horrible». The passengers were finally on the move by late afternoon.    

From the moment she signed for Lyon in 2017, Lucy Bronze admits there is one thing she has not been able to get out of her mind. «From that second it was always in the back of my mind every time I go on the pitch, every time I play a game for Lyon, that England could be playing the final of the World Cup and lifting the trophy on the field,» the England star tells AFP Sport. Bronze is speaking at Lyon's training ground, which the club's men's and women's teams share, next door to the 58,000-seat Groupama Stadium. It will be a fitting venue for this year's World Cup semi-finals and final. After all, Lyon can already lay claim to being the global capital of women's football. They have just won a fourth consecutive Champions League, destroying Barcelona 4-1 in the final. They monopolise the French league. Bronze, 27, is confident her dream can come true, with Phil Neville's England arriving in France as genuine contenders. Defeats in the semi-finals at the last World Cup and Euros have left the Lionesses determined to take the extra step. 'Hunger' "I know people argue that we haven't won anything yet, but I think sometimes it is harder when you have won it, to keep getting that...

The 2019 Women's World Cup starts on June 7 without its brightest star as Ballon d'Or winner Ada Hegerberg continues her self-enforced international exile. But the event in France offers a rich array of talent and a fabulous platform on which to exhibit it. Here AFP highlights some of the players to watch out for as a watershed tournament for women's football edges closer: Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands) Miedema fired Arsenal to their first Women's English Super League title since 2012, was top scorer in the competition, crashing home 22 goals, and set up another 10 in her 19 appearances for the triumphant Gunners. The 22-year-old was crowned PFA player of the year for her exploits with Arsenal, and after winning the Women's Euro 2017 -- scoring in the semi-final thumping of England and twice in the final -- the prolific striker is set to lead the line for the dark horse Dutch. The former Bayern Munich goal-getter has hit 54 goals in 74 national team appearances. Eugenie Le Sommer (France) The top scorer in the France squad with 74 goals, Lyon star Le Sommer comes into this World Cup fresh from winning her sixth Champions League title and ready to lead 'Les Bleues' to their...

Ryan O'Reilly scored twice, including the game winner, to lift the St. Louis Blues to a 4-2 victory over the Boston Bruins and level the Stanley Cup final series at two games each on Monday. O'Reilly scored the go-ahead marker off a rebound of an Alex Pietrangelo shot halfway through the third period to break a 2-2 deadlock and snap the Bruins' playoff road winning streak at five games. St. Louis came out blazing from the opening puck drop and never trailed, scoring twice in the third period to break open a tight-checking game four at Enterprise Center in the NHL best-of-seven series. «Our team responds pretty well to things,» said Blues coach Craig Berube. «We knew what we had to do tonight to be a better team.» Boston was hoping to take a stranglehold 3-1 series lead. Instead, they struggled to find offense and were outshot 38-23 overall. Their last loss on the road was game three of the quarter-finals against Columbus. Russian Vladimir Tarasenko and Brayden Schenn also scored while rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington stopped 21 shots for the Blues, who killed all three of their penalties after allowing four power-play goals in game three. The Blues were blown out 7-2 in game...

Malta will travel to Sweden for their first away commitment in the EURO 2020 Qualifiers on June 7, before hosting Romania at the National Stadium three days later. Sweden currently sit second in Group F after picking up four points from their opening two qualifiers and will be expecting to add to that tally at home to Malta on Friday. Malta have three points after the first two Group F qualifiers following a 2-1 home victory over the Faroe Islands and a 2-0 defeat to Group F favourites Spain in March, where the Maltese showed defensive strength. The head-to-head record and performances of Sweden and Malta since the latter stages of 2018, suggests that Sweden will come out victorious with under 2.5 goals scored. The result in three of Sweden’s last six and three of Malta’s last five matches resulted in less than 2.5 goals, and odds that we will see a repeat score are at odds of 1.3. Sweden have won their last six games and Malta have lost three of their last six, without scoring in the last seven of their matches against Sweden. The last match between the two countries ended 1-0 and both teams have been involved in a number of matches that have ended with under 2.5 goals being...

Singer, makeup entrepreneur, lingerie designer and now the first black woman to head a top luxury fashion house -- Rihanna has racked up a $600 million fortune to become the world's richest female musician, Forbes said Tuesday. The 31-year-old -- born Robyn Rihanna Fenty in Barbados -- has amassed wealth exceeding that of Madonna ($570 million), Celine Dion ($450 million) and Beyonce ($400 million), whose husband Jay-Z was just named the world's first billionaire rap star. Rihanna's ranking puts into fresh perspective one of her signature lyrics -- «work, work, work, work, work,» which opened her 2016 dancehall smash «Work.» Since bursting onto the scene in 2003, she has spun her triumphs in music into entrepreneurial gold, launching her makeup brand Fenty Beauty -- co-owned by French luxury giant LVMH -- in September 2017 online and with Sephora. The line found success not least thanks to Rihanna's fame both on and offline, with some $570 million in revenue last year after just 15 months of business.  She makes the majority of her money from touring and musical releases, according to Forbes, but also co-owns her Savage X Fenty lingerie line. In May, Rihanna launched a...

It was long the seat of Saddam Hussein's iron-fisted rule, then a sealed-off symbol of US occupation and, more recently, out-of-touch politicians. On Tuesday, Baghdad's emblematic «Green Zone» fully reopens. The move is yet another signal that Iraq is getting back on its feet after decades of conflict - and that its government is searching for political capital to head off summertime protests. The high-security zone in the centre of Baghdad had been totally inaccessible for a vast majority of Iraqis since the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003. Since coming to power last year, Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi has ordered the gradual shedding of concrete blast walls and checkpoints around the area, and opened a few routes to through traffic during set windows. Starting Tuesday, a holiday marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, all main roads criss-crossing the enclave will be open around the clock. «It's great news,» bellowed Abu Majed, a 49-year-old taxi driver caught behind the wheel in one of Baghdad's notorious traffic jams. He hadn't seen the inside of the Green Zone since 2003. For him, the most important impact would be practical.  "There...

Updated 12.50pm President Donald Trump touted  a «very, very substantial trade deal» between the United States and Britain after Brexit as he met Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday for fraught talks held amid street protests. He joked to the outgoing British leader that she should «stick around» and reach a much stronger economic alliance with the United States once her country finally leaves the European Union. «I think we will have a very very substantial trade deal. It will be a very fair deal,» he told her at a meeting with business leaders and ministers, adding: «We're going to get it done.» Despite having repeatedly criticised May's Brexit strategy, Trump said she had done «a fantastic job». Nearby, left-wing activists inflated an orange blimp of a baby Trump dressed in a diaper at a rally outside parliament that brought morning rush hour traffic to a halt. It signalled the start of what are expected to be large protests against the president on the second day of his three-day state visit. «Trump baby is just a mascot for a massive movement against Trump's hateful and divisive politics,» organiser Leo Murray told AFP. 'Fantastic job' The president's visit is...

Jorge Giro will be discussing self and time through the perspective of Buddhism and modern neuroscience in Philosophy Sharing’s talk for the month of June tomorrow at 7pm. He will be discussing how ancient Buddhists suggested that the self and time are just illusions – a philosophy that’s increasingly supported by scientific research. Where do thoughts come from and how are the notions of self and time formed according to Buddhist thought and modern neuroscience? What are the similarities and the divergences between both perspectives? How useful are the findings of both points of view to understand the human condition? This talk wants to constitute a critical and interrogative philosophical reflection about these fundamental topics in the frame of Buddhism and neuroscience. Giro is of Portuguese and German nationality who has been residing in Malta for quite some time. He works as a freelancer in social marketing media activities and is involved in the website and business promotion of Lipozyt Marker UG (Germany). His interest in the talk stems from the study and the practice of Zen Buddhism, which he has been engaging in over the past 30 years. The talk will be held in English...

New emissions rules set to hit the shipping sector from next year risk causing costly harm to vessels, German insurance giant Allianz said in a study published Tuesday. «The worry is that we could see an increase in the frequency and cost of machinery breakdown claims» related to the changeover, senior shipping underwriter Justus Heinrich of Allianz subsidiary AGCS said in a statement. In October, UN body the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) ruled that the maximum sulphur content in ship fuels should drop to 0.5 per cent, from up to 3.5 per cent at present. Ships now face costly refits or fines for non-compliance, with «sniffer drones» set for deployment at major ports to identify polluters, Allianz said. There are also concerns that traffic might be disrupted if ports do not have enough of the less-polluting fuels in stock, the insurer added. Turning to annual data on ship safety, Allianz said total losses of major ships were down by 55 pe rcent in 2018, at 46. Fewer accidents in dangerous waters in Southeast Asia and a calmer hurricane season limited the toll. Claims were down by just 1.0 per cent, at almost 2,700, with the largest number for material damage - such as...

A group of former Maltese and British servicemen who were stationed at Fort St Angelo have recently decided to share their experiences and donate personal artefacts after visiting a temporary exhibition currently on display at the fort in Vittoriosa. Behind Closed Doors: Fort St Angelo and the Royal Navy 1906-1979, which opened in late March, unfolds around the history and use of this military building and the architectural modifications which were required to address the necessities of the time. However, its core focus is on the personal memories of those who worked at the fort during its occupation by the Royal Navy. At the time, this military site, then known as HMS St Angelo, was strictly prohibited to civilians (except for September 7 and 8). Maltese and British servicemen had clearly defined spaces, depending on their work and rank. Only a few individuals were given access to all the areas of the fort. The exhibition features filmed interviews with servicemen, photos and other memorabilia, which have led to strong feelings of nostalgia, joy, remembrance and also elicited a sense of pride among visitors. In fact, since its launch, various individuals have approached...

The former head of European football Michel Platini has blasted FIFA President Gianni Infantino ahead of his re-election saying he has «no legitimacy» and that he previously mocked women's football. «He has no legitimacy, he is not credible as FIFA president,» Platini said in an interview with French sports daily L'Equipe and several other European newspapers. There is no love lost between Platini, who was banned from football activities over a two million Swiss francs (1.8 million euros, $2 million) payment from FIFA, and Infantino, his former right-hand man. Platini claimed that when Infantino was in his previous job as UEFA secretary-general «everyone knew that he was always criticising FIFA». With the women's World Cup set to kick off in France on Friday, Platini even claimed that Infantino, when they worked together at UEFA, never supported the development of women's football. «How can he promote women's football when he always used to make fun of it? He never believed in it,» Platini said. Infantino, who became FIFA chief in 2015 after the scandal-tainted reign of Sepp Blatter, is set to be re-elected unopposed to a second term at a FIFA congress in Paris on...

The north is no longer a Nationalist fortress and the south has squeezed the PN out. Keith Micallef analyses the election results from a geographical perspective The Nationalist Party risks shrinking to a regional political force after losing the local elections by a historic margin of 47,116 votes, even larger than the 42,616 gap in the MEP elections. The PN can now only bank on a majority in a cluster of localities in the centre of the island and has suffered a wipe-out in the south. While this trend was fully exposed in the council elections, unofficial data also show that in the MEP elections the PN only obtained an absolute majority in the 10th district, consisting of Sliema and St Julian’s. As for the rest, it obtained three relative majorities in the eighth, ninth and 11th districts, all of which are in the central-northern region. MEP elections For the PL it was mission accomplished in the elections for the European Parliament. Apart from winning by an unprecedented majority of 16.4 percentage points, the party for the first time won four of the six seats up for grabs. The PN – the party which fought tooth and nail for EU membership – registered its fourth straight loss...

Novak Djokovic on Monday became the first man to reach the French Open quarter-finals for 10 successive seasons while defending women's champion Simona Halep swept into the last eight in just 45 minutes. Top seed and world number one Djokovic continued his bid to hold all four Grand Slam titles simultaneously for the second time by thrashing Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. The 32-year-old will now face fifth seed Alexander Zverev in what will be his 13th appearance overall in the quarter-finals in Paris. «It was tricky with the rain, but that's Paris,» said the 2016 champion after playing in drizzly conditions. «I'm really confident with my serve. I hope it continues like that.» Only Australian great Rod Laver has held all four majors at the same time twice before, after his calendar Grand Slams in 1962 and 1969. German fifth seed Zverev reached his second successive Roland Garros quarter-final with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) win over Italy's Fabio Fognini. Last year he achieved his best run at the Slams, making the quarter-finals where he was defeated by eventual runner-up Dominic Thiem. 'Tough against Novak' "It's going to a great match and a tough battle against...

Pakistan shocked England by 14 runs at Trent Bridge on Monday as they ended a long losing streak in one-day internationals despite two centuries for the World Cup host nation. Joe Root (107) and Jos Buttler (103) were guiding the tournament favourites towards an imposing target of 349 after Pakistan left England needing a World Cup record chase. The pair put on 130 for the fifth wicket but both were out shortly after reaching their hundreds and the tail had too much to do. It was a remarkable turnaround for Pakistan, whose opening match of this World Cup had seen then slump to 105 all out in a seven-wicket defeat by the West Indies at the same ground. That defeat was their 11th straight loss in completed one-day internationals, including the recent 4-0 series defeat by England. But they started strongly at Trent Bridge on Monday and made 348 for eight, Mohammad Hafeez top-scoring with 84. No side had previously made more batting second to win a World Cup match than Ireland, with 329 for seven against England at Bangalore in 2011. England's chase got off to a bad start when Jason Roy was lbw on the sweep to leg-spinner Shadab Khan to leave them 12 for one. Jonny Bairstow, whose...

No Maths and Maltese exams will be held in secondary schools this scholastic year, the Malta Union of Teachers said on Monday. It said it is standing by its directives after the government failed to heed its complaints about a shortage of teachers, particularly in those two subjects. In a statement, the union said teachers' caseload was above what was laid down in the sectoral agreement. it drew the ministry's attention to the situation more than a year ago, underlining the fact that teachers were being over-worked and expected to give too many lessons. This, it said, is stressing them out and affecting teaching. The government, it said, had not heeded its complaints and had not enrolled additional teachers. At this rate, it warned, pupils would end up not only without exams, but without teachers.  Concerned parents told the Times of Malta at the end of last month that they had assumed that, following the half-yearly exams in February, the issue had been resolved. At the time, the education directorate had stepped in, compiling papers from past exam questions and some new material. According to the parents, however, the exam papers had not covered the entire syllabus. “I asked...

The National Archives are to move to a purpose-built building within Ta'Qali national park, while the old Santu Spirtu hospital, where the archives are currently housed, will become a museum of medical history, it was announced on Monday. A ceremony during which land was transferred to the national archives was held on Monday morning. Presiding over the signing were Education Minister Evarist Bartolo, Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg and Parliamentary Secretary for Planning and the Property Market Chris Agius. Mr Bartolo said this was a step about the future because Malta's identity was formed by the memory of its historical experiences across the centuries and its exchanges with other peoples and countries.  Mr Bartolo paid tribute to former Nationalist MP Michael Bonnici, who passed away recently, and who had been heavily involved in voluntary work at the archives. Mr Borg said this would be the first time that the national archives would have appropriate facilities for the conservation of their precious documents.  

The MSE Equity Price Index opened the week slightly lower as it retreated by 0.05% to 4,817.623 points. The drop reflects the decline in RS2 which was partially offset by the increase in the share price of BOV. Trading activity was weak as only €0.09 million worth of shares changed hands. RS2 Software plc shed 2.9% back to the €1.36 level albeit on just 1,110 shares. RS2 is due to hold its AGM on 18 June. Conversely, Bank of Valletta plc regained the €1.34 level (+0.8%) across 45,292 shares. Shareholders as at close of trading on Thursday 6 June will receive one bonus share for every ten shares held. Meanwhile, a single deal of 1,948 shares left the equity of International Hotel Investments plc at the €0.82 level. The hotel chain operator is due to hold its AGM on 13 June. Shareholders as at close of trading on 26 June will be entitled to receive a net dividend of €0.02 per share. Malta International Airport plc retained the €7.50 level also on trivial volumes. Also among the large companies, GO plc held on to the €4.48 level across 3,543 shares. Likewise, GlobalCapital plc and Mapfre Middlesea plc traded unchanged at €0.25 and €2.22 respectively on insignificant volumes. Malta...

The government has appealed against a “landmark” judgment on the unconstitutionality of old property rents but this is not expected to slow the momentum in favour of owners’ rights, according to specialist lawyers. The widely expected appeal does not diminish the impact of the sentence delivered by the First Hall in its constitutional jurisdiction: Mr Justice Lawrence Mintoff’s ruling has paved the way for an entire class of residential property leases to be deemed unconstitutional. “The sentence implies that all residential rents with current annual rent of €209 can be declared unconstitutional because of the principle of proportionality between tenant and owner,” said Edward Debono, the lawyer of the plaintiffs who were awarded €20,000 in damages. “It’s a landmark decision because, while Act X of 2009 had been declared unconstitutional as to commercial rents and requisitioned properties in previous cases, this is the first time that non-requisitioned residential rents have been considered unconstitutional.”  In its legal submissions the government had attempted to draw this distinction: it pleaded that there was no violation of owners’ property rights because the property...

The Independent Police Complaints Board has criticised the police Rapid Intervention Unit for the way it evicted Graffiti activists noisily protesting at the Planning Authority last September. While finding some cases of excessive force, it said no officer could be condemned since no one committing any «suspicious activity» had been identified. “It appears to the board, on the basis of the evidence presented to it, that the eviction operation was carried out in a disjointed manner. It could have been better organised so that the few episodes of excessive force could have been avoided,” the board, chaired by retired Judge Franco Depasquale, concluded in an 18-page report. The activists showed up at a PA board meeting to protest against controversial plans for another new fuel station on Outside Development Zone land. Two of the activists were bleeding as they were forcibly removed from the building by Rapid Intervention Unit officers, witnesses confirmed. Footage showed them being manhandled, sparking anger among the protesters who insisted they were doing nothing illegal. Prime Minister Joseph Muscat had described the police operation as heavy-handed. Report tabled in...

Switzerland's top court said Monday it had temporarily suspended IAAF rules that oblige athletes including double Olympic champion Caster Semenya to lower her testosterone levels in order to compete in certain events. Swiss Federal Tribunal spokesman Peter Josi told AFP that the court had issued a «super-provisional order,» barring the application of the IAAF rules until a further hearing can take place concerning the rules that were previously approved by the Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). «I am thankful to the Swiss judges for this decision,» Semenya, the South African who won the women's 800 metres at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, said in a statement issued by her legal team. «I hope that following my appeal I will once again be able to run free,» she added. The new IAAF rules require women with higher than normal male hormone levels to artificially lower the amount of testosterone in their bodies if they are to compete in races over distances of 400m to the mile. Semenya and Athletics South Africa lost their CAS appeal against the measures. In a split decision, arbitrators at the sports court acknowledged however that the rules were...