Mount Etna in southern Italy has burst into life, spitting molten lava high into the sky, though cloud cover Saturday ruined the view for those brave enough to venture up the flanks of Europe's highest volcano. The National Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanology (INGV) said there was «lively spattering» as fire and hot ash spewed high into the sky in an eruption which began Thursday and had slowed slightly by Saturday but still posed a risk to climbers. The lava came from two eruptive fissures on the northeastern and south-southeastern sides of the New Southeast Crater. The volcano on the island of Sicily previously erupted in December. The latest lava show was not expected to pose any problems for nearby residential areas or for flights at the closest airport at Catania.

Serena Williams suffered her earliest Grand Slam exit since 2014 when she crashed out of the French Open on Saturday, ending her bid to win a record-equalling 24th major, just hours after world number one Naomi Osaka also suffered a shock defeat. Williams was beaten 6-2, 7-5 by US compatriot Sofia Kenin, who wasn't even born when the American legend made her Paris debut in 1998, in the third round. Top seed Osaka's hopes of winning a third successive Grand Slam ended when she was knocked out by unheralded Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic, 6-4, 6-2. Their losses mean that 14 of the top 20 seeds in the women's draw have failed to make the second week in Paris. It was 37-year-old Serena's earliest exit at the Slams since a third round loss to Alize Cornet at Wimbledon in 2014. Three-time Roland Garros champion Williams was attempting to equal Margaret Court's record of 24 majors. «She played really well, especially in the first set where she hit pretty much within an inch of the line all the time,» said Williams. The America veteran, who played just one clay court match in Rome before suffering a knee injury in the run up to the French Open, said she had expected to...

Mohamed Salah scored one of the fastest ever goals in a Champions League final and Divock Origi struck late as Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in Madrid on Saturday and won the trophy for the sixth time. Less than two minutes had been played when Salah smashed in his spot-kick after Moussa Sissoko had been penalised for handball in the area. A disappointing final never truly got going after that, but Liverpool will not care, as they saw Alisson Becker make several confident saves in the latter stages before substitute Origi drilled in the killer second in the 87th minute. That led to an explosion of joy from their supporters inside the Metropolitano Stadium as Jurgen Klopp's side made up for their defeat in last year's final against Real Madrid and the deflation of missing out on the Premier League title to Manchester City. Salah has his redemption after injury ruined his night against Real in Kiev, and the revered Klopp has his first trophy as Liverpool manager, three and a half years on from his arrival at the club. The German ends a run of six straight defeats in finals. More importantly, Liverpool have their sixth European Cup, further cementing their status as one of...

Defending world champion Marc Marquez snatched pole position for Sunday's Italian MotoGP with the Honda rider setting a new lap record in the closing seconds of qualifying at Mugello. The Spaniard clocked 1min 45.519sec to break a lap record that was only a few hours old and pip France's Fabio Quartararo, riding a Yamaha, by 0.214sec on the Tuscany circuit. Italy's Danilo Petrucci, who had earlier achieved a new lap record, was third fastest on a Ducati at 0.362. Five-time MotoGP champion Marquez will start on pole for the 56th time as he targets a fourth win this season in the sixth round of the world championship series. «It was very hard to achieve,» said Marquez, who tailed Italy's Andrea Dovizioso on the very quick Tuscan circuit where the Ducati rider had earlier set the fastest time ever in MotoGP of 356.7 km/h. Marquez has won three of the last five races and has an eight-point lead on Dovizioso in the overall world championship standings, having lost points by a fall at the Grand Prix of the Americas. The 20-year-old Quartararo continued to impress after becoming the youngest ever competitor to achieve pole position in Spain last month, in his debut MotoGP season. "Marc...

A minute's silence will be held for Jose Antonio Reyes before the Champions League final after the former Arsenal, Real Madrid and Spain forward was killed in a car crash on Saturday. Reyes was 35. Reyes shot to fame at Sevilla and secured a switch to Arsenal, where he was part of the unbeaten 'Invincibles' 2003-2004 Premier League winners, before spells at Real and Atletico Madrid. UEFA announced they would hold a minute's silence in his honour ahead of the final in Madrid between Tottenham and Liverpool. The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) also confirmed there would be a minute's silence held before all official Spanish league games this weekend. But the RFEF said the seven Segunda Division games would be postponed, including Cadiz against Extremadura, the club Reyes had joined in January. Former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger signed Reyes on the back of Spain's Under-19's European championships win where he played alongside Fernando Torres and Andres Iniesta, and a dazzling series of matches with Sevilla the following season. «I am devastated to hear the terrible news about Jose,» Wenger said. "To his family and friends, all support from everyone in the Arsenal family. He will...

Nationalist leader Adrian Delia fired a strong missive against fellow MP Jason Azzopardi, saying he will be «ignoring him», hours after a stormy executive meeting which saw the resignation of its president and the co-option of Jean Pierre Debono to parliament.  Dr Azzopardi took to social media hours after PN executive committee head Mark Anthony Sammut resigned from the role, saying he felt the administration needed to carry responsibility.  The MP said on Facebook «those who had nothing to do with the political strategy resigned while those who strategised could not be bothered».  Asked about the comments, Dr Delia said: «I am going to ignore Jason Azzopardi - this is not the first time he has done this,» he said. «This does not help the party. Dr Azzopardi should also carry political responsibility and see and explain to people whether his attitude in public is helping the party,» he added. The PN leader did not elaborate on what this meant in concrete terms, however, he said he would not be asking Dr Azzopardi to resign. «You do not ask people to resign over a comment unless it breaches certain limitations,» he said. "But I will not waste any more time on him,” he quickly...

Team Malta had one silver medal to show on the final day of competition at the Montenegro GSSE in Budva, Montenegro. After Friday’s heroics in athletics and shooting, tennis players Francesca Curmi and Elaine Genovese were beaten by Cypriot duo Raluka Serban and Elena Louka 6-3 6-2 in the women’s doubles final to finish second in the tournament. That result meant that Team Malta returns home with 27 medals – six gold, 12 silver and nine bronze, which ranks as one of the best performances in a GSSE held away from our shores. Curmi and Elaine Genovese were the only athletes vying for another gold medal yesterday. Buoyed by their impressive showing against the tournament second seeds Montenegro in Friday’s semi-final, there were hopes that the Maltese duo could upset the highly-rated Cypriots. However, Serban and Louka were soon in control breaking the Maltese players twice early in the first set to easily win the opener 6-2. In the second set the Maltese tried to fight back and they did managed to pull counter-break one of the two breaks of serves they conceded to their opponents but still it was not enough as Serbian and Louka cruised home to complete a 6-2 6-3 victory. “It...

Colombian rider Miguel Angel Lopez lashed out at a spectator who made him crash on the final climb of the Giro d'Italia on Saturday. The 25-year-old, wearing the white jersey as the best young rider, hit out twice at the man who cowered on the ground faced with the fury of the Astana rider. The crash occurred on the final climb at Monte Avena, some six kilometres from the finish line, of the 20th and penultimate stage through the Dolomites in northern Italy. A clearly frustrated Lopez got back on another bicycle but finished in 18th position, 1min 49sec behind Spanish teammate Pello Bilbao who won the stage. Pink jersey holder Richard Carapaz now has one hand on the trophy as he leads former two-time winner Vincenzo Nibali and teammate Mikel Landa going into the final day, a time-trial around Verona. Lopez, nicknamed «Superman», remains sixth overall but has lost time on his pursuers, notably Russian Pavel Sivakov, also a candidate for the white jersey. Slovenian Primoz Roglic was punished after another spectator pushed him for up to 15 seconds on the penultimate climb at Croce d'Aune, without any objections from the Team Jumbo–Visma rider. Roglic was issued a ten-second...

NORWAY After spending the 2018/2019 season at England's Burnham FC, youth Kyle Mifsud is currently on trial at Norway's Aalesunds FK.  SPAIN Miguel Micallef played in Cornella's final game of the season in the Spanish youth league as they eased past Marianao 8-1, to place in eighth place on 49 points after 30 games. IRELAND Jacob Borg played in Finn Harps' two of the last three games, where they were defeated twice by Derry City 4-0 and Bohemians 5-3 as they slip back to the bottom of the table with just 10 points to show.  Elsewhere, Dany Testa played in the last game of the season for Greystone United as they suffered a 2-1 defeat in the cup final against Celbridge FC, with Testa grabbing the assist for his team.  DENMARK Godwin McKay's B.93 side has moved to ninth in the Danish third-tier after two straight wins against AB and Bronshoj.  SCOTLAND Beppe Mangion was between the sticks for Partick Thistle U-16's as they eased past Dundee United 5-2 in their latest league match. AUSTRALIA Two defeats for Mitchell Mallia and James Baldacchino at Marconi Stallions. First, they fell to 1-3 defeat to Wollongong Wolves before a 4-2 defeat against APIA Leichhardt with Mallia scoring...

At least 38 people were injured in a blast at a major explosives plant in central Russia on Saturday, local news agencies reported, citing emergency services. The blast took place at the «Kristall» factory in Dzerzhinsk about 400 kilometres east of Moscow, in the Nizhny Novgorod region. Earlier reports said 19 people were injured in the accident and two were missing. «Thirty eight people are injured, four of them are in a serious condition,» a spokesman for local emergency services told the TASS news agency. He said 25 are in a state of «medium» severity while nine others had «light» injuries. Nobody was killed in the blast, the source told TASS. Earlier health ministry officials told news agencies that the wounded had «shrapnel wounds of mild and moderate severity» and that they were receiving medical assistance. The deputy governor of the Nizhny Novgorod region, Dmitry Krasnov, told Russian state television that «two people are missing.» Russia's Investigative Committee said it had opened an investigation into potential violations of industrial safety at the plant. Local emergency services told news agencies that more than 300 people and 50 technical vehicles were taking part...

A court has ordered a company owned by Malta’s Ambassador to Montenegro, Karl Izzo, to pay €120,000 in contested VAT and import duties. Mr Izzo, a personal friend of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, is the co-owner of the retail fashion business Dizz Group, together with his wife Diane. Read: Karl Izzo approved as non-resident ambassador to Montenegro Madam Justice Lorraine Schembri Orland ordered the payment of the contested tax arrears on imports dating back to 2003 and 2004. The company was found to have brought over a number of fashion items under certification that exempted it from paying duties on items imported from Europe. An inspection by Customs officers found that the origins of some of the imported clothing items could not be verified because they did not have labelling indicating they came from Italy. When the findings were referred to the Italian authorities, confirmation was received that, although the certification was authentic, it was not possible to verify whether all the products in the consignment had originated from Europe and were, therefore, covered by the exemption certificate. Mr Izzo insisted in court the Italian company Dizz Limited, from whom they...

A soldier was arraigned on Saturday, charged with stealing fuel, following an investigation sparked by the Armed Forces of Malta.  In a statement, the AFM said that it ordered the investigation after suspicions were raised in the quantities of the army's fuel storage. Upon confirming the illegalities, the AFM relayed the case to the police, which led to the arrest of the soldier.  «The AFM took a number of measures to stop the abuse and has started modernising the system of fuel storage,» it said. The arraignment comes days after two soldiers were arraigned with murdering a black migrant in Ħal Far in a case which shocked the country. 

Since the earliest days of virtual chess and solitaire, video games have been a playing field for developing artificial intelligence (AI). Each victory of machine against human has helped make algorithms smarter and more efficient. But in order to tackle real world problems – such as automating complex tasks including driving and negotiation – these algorithms must navigate more complex environments than board games, and learn teamwork. Teaching AI how to work and interact with other players to succeed had been an insurmountable task – until now. In a new study, researchers detailed a way to train AI algorithms to reach human levels of performance in a popular 3D multiplayer game – a modified version of Quake III Arena in Capture the Flag mode.  Even though the task of this game is straightforward – two opposing teams compete to capture each other’s flags by navigating a map – winning demands complex decision-making and an ability to predict and respond to the actions of other players. This is the first time an AI has attained human-like skills in a first-person video game. So how did the researchers do it? The robot learning curve In 2019, several milestones in AI research...

Temperatures pushed towards 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit) across much of India on Saturday as an unrelenting heatwave triggered warnings of water shortages and left locals fearing for their livelihoods. The western, desert state of Rajasthan recorded 49.6 Celsius on Friday - India's hottest day of the year so far, the weather department said. Water and health warnings have been issued with temperatures hovering around 47 Celsius across many western, northern and southern states, with no letup in sight for at least two more days. In the capital, New Delhi, the Indian Meteorological Department issued a red alert extreme weather warning as temperatures hit 47 Celsius. It said residents should not go out during the hottest hours of the day. Several cities have reported fears of water shortages as lakes and rivers start to dry up. In the western state of Maharashtra, farmers struggled to find water for thirsty animals and crops. «We have to source water tankers from nearby villages as water reserves, lakes and rivers have dried up,» said Rajesh Chandrakant, a resident of Beed, one of the worst-hit districts. "Farmers only get water every three days for their...

Former Arsenal, Real Madrid and Spain star Jose Antonio Reyes has been killed in a car crash, his hometown club Sevilla said on Saturday. He was 35. We couldn't be confirming worse news. Beloved Sevilla star Jose Antonio Reyes has died in a traffic collision. Rest in peace,« Sevilla, where he spent two four-year spells, said on Twitter. Current club second tier Extremadura also went on to announce the news. »With broken hearts we announce the news of our player Jose Antonio Reyes' death in a car crash and we ask for you to pray for his soul," the club said.

Labour’s efforts to entice youths and women to politics were reaping fruits, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said on Saturday. Speaking after the Labour Party secured a historic electoral margin in the local council elections on Friday night, Dr Muscat said he was excited about the results achieved by two PL programmes aimed at attracting youths and women to politics. The PL he said had fielded nearly 100 youths for this election and out of these 16 had been elected as mayors and another 16 had made it to deputy mayor. “We are ensuring that from the seeds we are sowing today, this movement will reap the benefits for years to come,” he said. Dr Muscat said that some 98 per cent of the youth candidates which had come through Forum Zgħazagħ Laburisti’s START campaign, had been elected to local council seats. Woman had also played a strong role in these council elections, with the PL electing 73 women. This meant that 27 per cent for the Labour councilors were women. Around four in every five women who had participated in the PL’s LEAD programme, aimed at attracting women to politics, had been elected. “I cannot but thank [MEP] Miriam Dalli who headed this programme, which was a...

A concert by Anton Belousov, The Blind Pianist, followed by a dinner, will be held on Wednesday at 6pm in aid of the restoration project at St Augustine’s priory church, Valletta. Belousov, 26, was born blind and started playing the piano aged seven. Despite very difficult conditions he completed his Master’s degree in piano with distinction and went on to win many international prizes and honours. He currently performs as a solo pianist and orchestra pianist with the St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra and Ryazan Philharmonic Orchestra. After concert there is a dinner during which patrons will be able to meet and greet the pianist. To watch a video of Belousov performing, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFINxj4XAcg. For further information and bookings call Fr Alex Cauchi, prior at St Augustine’s Priory, on 7928 6785 or 9947 7344.

The medieval chapels of Ħal Millieri, Bir Miftuħ and the Msida Bastion Historic Garden in Floriana will be open to the public tomorrow morning from 9am to noon and tours will be offered by volunteers of Din l-Art Ħelwa.  The chapel of the Annunciation at Ħal Millieri is best found by taking the second turning to the right after the duck roundabout outside Żurrieq, while with traffic deviations at the Addolorata Cemetery, it is best to find Bir Miftuħ after the roundabout outside the Malta International Airport by passing through Qormi or Luqa. The Msida Bastion Historic Garden is situated further in the public library in Floriana. In the garden there will also be stalls selling bric-a-brac, used books, plants and refreshments. Admission is free but donations for the upkeep of these historic sites would be appreciated.

Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has told the club he wants to leave after a single season to join Italian champions Juventus, according to reports on Saturday. Sarri has been an uncomfortable fit with fans at Stamford Bridge and despite winning the Europa League this week and finishing third in the Premier League, there is a perception the chain-smoking coach is unwilling to adapt tactics when things go wrong. Sarri has been widely linked with Juventus, who are seeking a successor to Massimiliano Allegri, although sports daily Gazzetta reported Saturday that Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino was also on their radar. Sarri held talks with Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia on Friday and informed her that he wanted to return to his homeland, the reports in Britain and Italy said. Granovskaia, it is said, has promised to talk to club owner Roman Abramovich about his future, but it would seem Chelsea will seek compensation from any suitor. Sarri succeeded Antonio Conte as Chelsea manager last summer after spending three years at Napoli. The 60-year-old enjoyed a tremendous start at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea went unbeaten in 18 games. But Sarri endured consistent criticism from a...

France eked out victory in their final warm up for the Women's World Cup when they beat China 2-1 in Creteil in the Paris suburbs. France won without several of their regular starters, including captain Amandine Henry, striker Eugenie Le Sommer and a third Lyon star Amel Majri. France open their campaign against South Korea on June 7 and viewed China as presenting similar problems. China kick off their campaign the next day against another European power, Germany. France took the lead after 30 minutes when striker Valerie Gauvin found herself in the right place after a shot from Marion Torrent was blocked. After that the home team created few chances as China presented a tougher test than Thailand, who France beat 3-0 in their previous match. Defender Wang Shanshan levelled after 52 minute, set up by Paris Saint-Germain playmaker Wang Shuang France's best attacking player Kadidiatou Diani, a PSG left winger, rescued the home team with an unstoppable shot six minutes later. «We responded well,» said French coach Corinne Diacre. «It's already better than last week,» she said. «And I hope it's not as good as next week.» Henry added to France's injury problems earlier in the...

Malta-based business representatives met senior officials from prominent Japanese companies who have a base in Italy, during a business forum organised by the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry in cooperation with the Embassy of Japan in Italy and the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Italy.  Malta Chamber president David Xuereb welcomed the delegation led by Japanese Ambassador Keiichi Katakami. He highlighted the Chamber’s role as an influential interlocutor for fostering existing and new business relations between Malta and Japan. The president also remarked on the fact that both Japan and Malta are part of Enterprise Europe Network, which facilitates the internationalisation and partnering opportunities of Maltese and Japanese companies.  Ambassador Katakami lauded the significant improvement in commercial and economic ties since the visit of the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe and announced the imminent opening of the Maltese Embassy in Japan by the end of the year. Japan is the third largest economy in the world and a well-established market for high-quality products. Earlier this year, an EU Japan Economic Partnership agreement was signed...

Sports, health and style take the spotlight for the June edition of Sunday Circle, out tomorrow with The Sunday Times of Malta and available digitally on www.tom-mag.com for free. Gracing the cover is young tennis star Francesca Curmi, who shares the trials and tribulations that come with the territory. Ms Curmi also shares a video interview on the digital version of the magazine, available via the TOMMag App. The app also includes a video interview with Davide Tucci, who tells readers all about his journey as actor and model. The magazine this month also focuses on well-being, with a very touching interview about one man’s journey out of drug abuse and how a residency at San Blas was instrumental in helping him rebuild his life. A writer details her challenges living with gluten intolerance, while best-selling author Jacob Burak gives an insight into the real meaning of self-help. There’s also arts, fashion, shopping and personality interviews to enjoy, while the digital edition of the magazine offers readers the opportunity to win the new 100 ml Eau de Toilette by YSL, Y. Since its launch in October, the digital App keeps attracting a strong and loyal following, with...

Powered by 32 points from Cameroonian forward Pascal Siakam, the upstart Toronto Raptors defeated the defending champion Golden State Warriors 118-109 in Thursday's opening game of the NBA Finals. Speedy Siakam made 14-of-17 shots from the floor in the biggest scoring playoff game of his career while Kawhi Leonard added 23 points and both players pulled down eight rebounds and passed out five assists. «For me it was just running and whatever basket I can get at the rim,» Siakam said. «Getting some easy buckets in transition, something I haven't really been able to do all playoffs.» Siakam scored the most points in an NBA Finals debut since injured Golden State star Kevin Durant in 2012, and he was the most accurate-shooting 30-point scorer in the finals since Shaquille O'Neal in 2004. «Siakam was brilliant. He was hitting shots from everywhere,» Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. «Their defense was great and it wasn't our best night. We just got outplayed.» Spanish center Marc Gasol added 20 points and Kyle Lowry had nine assists for the Raptors, who seized the lead in the best-of-seven championship series that resumes Sunday in Toronto. «We're playing an amazing team,» Siakam said.

Italy's Mount Etna is once more in eruption, due to the opening of two eruptive fractures according to the volcanologists of the Ingv Etna Observatory.

The dream of a 20-year-old afflicted by three bouts of cancer was fulfilled after his death when his family met Pope Francis in Rome this week. Jerome Frendo had been diagnosed with a malignant and rare cancer – Ewing’s Sarcoma that targets bones and soft tissue – when he was just 16 years old. Read: Today is another day worth living - 19-year-old diagnosed with cancer twice Outlived by his inspiring messages, Jerome also lives in Smiling with Jerome, a foundation set up by his parents. Before he died, the young man had asked his mother to support others in their same situation. His parents Kenneth and Josette, his brother Jethro and aunt, Sister Rachel, on Wednesday presented to Pope Francis a book written in his memory. Mr Frendo told Times of Malta his son had always felt inspired by Pope Francis and had once written a letter to the Pontiff, who replied with a personalised letter, addressed directly to Jerome and referring to his particular circumstances. He added that during the long nights they spent in hospital when Jerome was battling cancer, his son used to express his wish to meet the Pope. Soon after his death in October of 2017, Jerome’s family started looking into...

A young man who tried to run over a policeman while driving a stolen car had his driving licence suspended for a year on Friday and was placed under a three year probation order. The court, condemned the car owner for leaving the car unlocked. The incident happened in October, when the accused, whose name cannot be published by court order because he is a minor, stole a silver convertible Nissan March from Msida. Police officers spotted the stolen car while on patrol and stopped the driver, who was accompanied by a female passenger. At the time, the car was stationary but when the police got out of their vehicle to approach the Nissan, the driver had unsuccessfully tried to run an officer over, before leading the officers on a car chase around Kirkop. The chase ended when the accused turned to go up a one-way street and found himself staring at a van coming from the opposite direction. The accused’s girlfriend had told the police the accused had told her he had found an abandoned vehicle and asked her to ride with him. Although the court, presided over by Magistrate Joseph Mifsud, had no hesitation in believing the prosecution’s version of events, it also had harsh words for the...

The drastic increase in hotels and restaurants on the island was posing a risk to the sectors’ profitability, the author of a nationwide study warned on Friday. Conducted by ‘big four’ accounting firm Deloitte, the study found that while tourist arrival trends were still positive, the increases were less pronounced than in previous years and the sector was now facing “a number of challenges”. “Results aren't what we got used to. We had a number of years when the graphs kept going up,” Raphael Aloisio, from Deloitte, said. Why was the sector facing a tougher reality today? While the study gives a variety of reasons, Mr Aloisio gave a blunt explanation of his own: if supply (of hotels and restaurants) continued to increase at a faster rate than the demand for rooms and tables, then the results would keep going down. The number of permits for hotels being issued had shot up from 15 in 2012 to 119 in 2017, he said, describing this as “alarming”. His warning prompted grunts from the hoteliers and restauranteurs gathered for the presentation and was quickly followed by a slight change of tone on Mr Aloisio’s part for industry players not to take any drastic decisions in reaction to...

More than 4,000 bottles of non-alcoholic beverages on which taxes have not been paid were found by at a garage in Swatar. The Customs Department said on Friday that a long investigation by the Joint Enforcement Task-force into the business of a Cospicua Barber Shop led customs officials and tax inspectors to the Swatar garage, which was being used for storage purposes by the owner of the Barber Shop. A total 4,134 bottles of non-alcoholic beverages imported in Malta without taxes being paid were found. The business owner also did not hold the necessary registration to import and trade excise goods.

HSBC Bank Malta plc is continuing to offer customers support to purchase a home through a range of home loan options. The bank has also made significant improvements in its home loan service. The bank announced this during an exclusive networking event held for real estate agents, notaries, architects and other interested parties. In view of the ongoing debate around the sustainability and future of the residential property market, the bank invited Gordon Cordina, a consultant economist, to present the findings from a study he has just conducted on the recent performance of the residential real estate market in Malta. The study concluded that the increase in the residential real estate market turnover in 2018 appears to continue to be supported by economic fundamentals, and that conditions are set for a continued, but possibly more moderate, increase in turnover in 2019 and 2020. The study also highlighted that the north harbour area, where the average price of property is twice the national average, accounted for 30 per cent of total market turnover and 40 per cent of its growth in 2018. On the other hand, the highest rates of price growth and the highest relative growth in...

A Florida man escaped from a police officer during a traffic stop and then called the 911 emergency number to complain. «What do we pay you guys for?» 19-year-old Nicholas Jones said on the call. «I've driven past four cops.» An audio recording of the call was posted by the Florida Times-Union on its website.  Jones was pulled over during a traffic stop May 4 in St Johns county, Florida. He made the 911 call about an hour after fleeing in his car. The startled 911 dispatcher asked Jones to explain what he was talking about. «I mean he (the police officer) turned his lights on me and got behind me and as he was walking up to my car I did a donut around him and left him,» Jones said. «OK, you want to now see the officer. Or... What's your question?» the dispatcher said. «Like... My question is ... I'm assuming he put an APB (all-points bulletin, or broadcast) out that has someone looking for my car... so like he definitely got the plate number but I've passed like four cops just driving around ... Like what are you guys doing?» The dispatcher then responded: «Well we're working on many calls sir.» Jones, who was wanted on a warrant in a separate incident, was arrested a day...

A volcano on the Indonesian island of Bali erupted Friday, spewing a plume of ash and smoke more than 2,000 metres into the sky. Mount Agung, about 70 kilometres from the tourist hub of Kuta, has been erupting periodically since it rumbled back to life in 2017, sometimes grounding flights and forcing residents to flee their homes. The latest eruption shortly before noon on Friday shot a cloud of volcanic ash high into the sky, but caused no disruption to flights, Indonesia's geological agency said. Agung remained at the second highest danger warning level, and there is a four-kilometre no-go zone around the crater. Last summer, dozens of flights were cancelled after Agung erupted, while tens of thousands of locals fled to evacuation centres after an eruption in 2017. The last major eruption of Agung in 1963 killed around 1,600 people. Indonesia is situated on the Pacific «Ring of Fire», a vast zone of geological instability where the collision of tectonic plates causes frequent quakes and major volcanic activity.

Be it an investment in a simple money market instrument and/or a bank term deposit, a short term investment or a trade for the longer term (such as an investment in a fund, bond or equity or a combination of either), preservation of capital and making money should be at the forefront of any investment decision. Let’s face it – any investor wants to make money, and taking informed decisions and being disciplined in line of thought are key traits any investor should hold dear to. Taking informed decisions, both for the seasoned and amateur investor need to be at the forefront of any investment. And this entails reading, carrying out research, take an interest and most importantly take that initiative of knowing where people’s own hard earned money is being invested. More importantly, becoming accustomed about which factors could impact the value of an underlying investment. It is important to get to know the key market forces, the way markets operate, political and geopolitical events, ongoing global economic conditions, interest rates, growth rates, understanding the operations of the individual companies where investor money is placed as well as knowledge, on how to analyse...

What’s in a name? A lot, according to research. Your name can have a huge influence on your prospects in life. Much of this is due to bias, stereotyping and other rules of thumb that people employ when making judgements about others. In hiring this can be a huge problem. While there are nine characteristics in UK legislation that are protected from discrimination, it is difficult for humans (or even artificial intelligence) to make unbiased judgements. The characteristics that are protected from discrimination include things like your gender, whether or not you have a disability, your race, religion and sexual orientation. But even if you don’t disclose these features on your CV, our names can suggest much about us. Here are four ways your name can affect your job prospects: 1. Ethnicity After the Race Relations act of 1965, sociologists decided to investigate how common racial discrimination in hiring was. They sent pairs of identical CVs to prospective employers. The only difference was that one used a traditional English name and one used an “ethnic” name. The “white-sounding” names received far more favourable responses, despite the fact that they had exactly the same...

William Chetcuti won his first ever international medal in the trap competition after taking silver in a tense shoot-off against Cypriot Nikolas Kyriakou at the 2019 GSSE competition in Budva, on Thursday. It was a brilliant effort from the Manikata-born shooter who has only taken trap shooting 18 months ago after his original discipline, double trap, was scrapped from the Olympic Games. Buoyed by a strong first-day showing, which saw him finish second only to Montenegro shooter Ivo Stanisic, the Manikata shooter stepped up the gear in the final two rounds to post a straight of 25 and a 23 to finish joint-top with Andreas Makri, of Cyprus. A shoot-off was needed to determine who would hold the no.1 in the final, that would provide the upperhand on a tied score, and Chetcuti had the better of the Cypriot. The final turned out to be a nervy affair with all the six shooters showing signs of nervousness Kyriakou with a score of 22, one clear of Chetcuti and Makri. From then on, the final turned out to be a nervous affair, with Chetcuti showing great composure to sail through to a gold medal shoot-off against Kyriakos as both hit 44 from 50. Here, it was a psychological battle of the...

Andrew Chetcuti added one more medal for Team Malta on the final day of the swimming competitions as the veteran swimmer placed second in the 50 metres fly in Podgorica. Chetcuti’s silver medal takes Malta’s tally in these Games to a record ten – five silver and five bronze. Racing in late five Chetcuti produced storming swim to touch home in a time of 24.61 seconds… just behind Luxembourg swimmer Julien Henx (24.30) Harry Stacey was sixth in 25.67. “I’m pretty happy to have finished off these Games with three silver medals,” said Chetcuti after landing his first individual medal in Montenegro and a remarkable 16th overall for Malta in GSSE history. “To be honest, I didn’t know after only returning to training six months ago but it has been a great experience. We are a very good bunch of swimmers who go very well together and support each other and certainly there is a bright future. “No doubt, this result fills me with great encouragement to start training properly with my team in the US and hopefully it will not be long before I return to the level I was a couple of years ago and even go a step higher, especially with the Tokyo Olympics coming up soon.” Earlier, Chetcuti and...