The government has leased 50 bed spaces from two private homes for the elderly for patients classed as having high or medium dependency. The agreement was reached with Casa Pinto in Qormi and Golden Care Home in Naxxar, which will each make 50 beds available for the purpose. The deal will cost the government €2.4 million annually.  Parliamentary Secretary Anthony Agius Decelis said that despite heavy investment in the government's own homes for the elderly,  demand for such residential services remained high.  

A male nurse accused of raping a fellow female member of the local Pakistani community had made arrangements for the woman to work as a cleaner in Malta, a court was told on Thursday. Aftab Prince, 36, was denied bail last Sunday after pleading not guilty to repeatedly raping the woman over a period of eight months. Prosecuting Inspector Joseph Busuttil explained how before travelling to Malta, the woman claimed to have paid the accused for making the arrangements for her to take up a job on the island. The man had also organized a small gathering to welcome her to Malta, later offering her accommodation at his apartment. Several other meetings between the two took place over the following months, the court was told. The woman later confessed that on those occasions she had been forced to have sex with her alleged aggressor. She had feared to speak out about her ongoing ordeal since Pakistani culture viewed sex before marriage as a taboo subject. However, after opening up to a psychologist and also contacting a lawyer, the woman was advised to inform the police. Magistrate Caroline Farrugia Frendo declared that she would decide upon a request for bail once the alleged victim had...

Could Kylian Mbappe really be about to play his final game for Paris Saint-Germain? And how are the French champions' main domestic rivals shaping up for what looks set to be a summer of transition? AFP Sport looks at the main talking points in France ahead of the final night of the Ligue 1 season on Friday: Mbappe going nowhere?Kylian Mbappe has dominated the headlines and the discussions on television and radio in France this week following his shock remarks at an awards ceremony in Paris on Sunday. The 20-year-old World Cup winner used his victory speech after being named as France's player and young player of the year to drop a bombshell and suggest he could be ready to leave PSG after just two seasons. «I have discovered so many things here, and I feel that maybe it is the time to take on more responsibility. Maybe at Paris Saint-Germain -- with pleasure -- or in a new project elsewhere,» Mbappe said. PSG responded by insisting their star man would be going nowhere this summer, but his remarks have increased speculation that Real Madrid could come back in for a player they tried to sign from Monaco in 2017. So it still seems far fetched that PSG's match at Reims on Friday...

A new niche of Our Lady of Lourdes has been blessed by the archbishop under the Regional Road bridge in Kappara. The niche replaces the one further up the road which needed to be removed when the road was widened. 

Presidential candidate was enticed to speak at a Maltese migrants' club in New York with an offer of pastizzi. Pete Buttigieg appeared to hold his own during a conversation on Wednesday in an exchange on American tabloid news website TMZ. Mr Buttigieg, a 37-year-old mayor of Maltese descent, was caught on camera speaking in Maltese with the president of the Malta club in Astoria, New York. “Alright, my people, Maltese! Doesn’t happen very often”, the surprised mayor says when first coming face-to-face with the Maltese speaker. “Mil-Ħamrun,” Mr Buttigieg is heard saying when asked in Maltese where his family is originally from. His father, academic Joseph Buttigieg, who moved to the US in the late 1970s, died last January. According to TMZ, the man tried to entice the presidential hopeful to speak at the Maltese club with an offer of pastizzi. READ: How Maltese is Pete Boot-edge-edge? Mr Buttigieg announced his candidacy for America’s top job in January 2019. The popular mayor who speaks eight languages and plays classical piano has been the focus of countless news stories and profiles. The fascination has been in no small part due to his background: he would be the youngest,...

A huge queue of climbers has formed near the summit of Mount Everest as expedition organisers Thursday reported two more deaths on the world's highest mountain. More than 200 climbers were taking advantage of clear weather on Wednesday to attempt to summit from both Nepal and China, but teams had to line up for hours to reach the top - risking frostbite and altitude sickness. An American and Indian climber are the latest fatalities, their expedition organisers said, on one of the busiest-ever days on the the 8,848-metre peak. Donald Lynn Cash, 55, collapsed at the summit on Wednesday as he was taking photographs, while Anjali Kulkarni, also 55, died while descending after reaching the top.  Kulkarni's expedition organiser, Arun Treks, said heavy traffic at the summit had delayed her descent and caused her death.  «She had to wait for a long time to reach the summit and descend,» said Thupden Sherpa. «She couldn't move down on her own and died as Sherpa guides brought her down.» Pasang Tenje Sherpa, of Pioneer Adventure, told AFP that Cash collapsed on the summit and died close to Hillary Step as guides were bringing him back.  The deaths take the toll on Everest to four this...

Lewis Hamilton topped the times for Mercedes ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen in Thursday morning’s opening free practice session at the Monaco Grand Prix. In a sombre atmosphere following the death of three-time champion Niki Lauda, the championship leader and defending five-time champion clocked a fastest lap of the famous Mediterranean street circuit in one minute and 12.106 seconds to outpace the Dutchman by 0.059 seconds. Hamilton's Silver Arrows team-mate Valtteri Bottas was third, only 0.072 seconds adrift of the Englishman, ahead of Monegasque Charles Leclerc of Ferrari and his team-mate Sebastian Vettel and Pierre Gasly in the second Red Bull. The two Ferraris were three-tenths and seven-tenths slower than Hamilton respectively. It was the first time a Mercedes car had led a Monaco session since 2017, boosting their hopes of extending their dominant season-opening streak of an unprecedented five one-two triumphs. Nico Hulkenberg was seventh for Renault ahead of Kevin Magnussen of Haas, Kimi Raikkonen of Alfa Romeo, who is due to start his 300th race on Sunday, and Romain Grosjean, in the second Haas. The two Haas cars missed much of the session after being black...

Paris Saint-Germain chief Nasser Al-Khelaifi was on Thursday charged with corruption in the bidding process for this year's world athletics championships in Doha, judicial sources said. Al-Khelaifi, who is also the boss of Qatari television channel BeIn Sports, has been under investigation since March in connection with the bidding process for the 2017 and the 2019 world championships. Another BeIn executive, Yousef Al-Obaidly, a PSG board member, is also under investigation by French justice over the awarding of the 2019 worlds to Qatar. Doha lost out to London to stage the 2017 worlds but beat off opposition to host this year's event from Eugene in the United States and Barcelona. Al-Khelaifi was informed of his «mis en examen», a French legal term that has no direct equivalent in the American or British legal systems but roughly translates as being charged, by letter. He was unable to attend a May 16 court hearing as he was in Qatar for the Cup final. The French term does not automatically trigger a trial but means that prosecutors believe there is strong or corroborated evidence of wrongdoing. The magistrates are looking specifically at two payments of $3.5 million in 2011...

Voters across Europe are about to head to the polls to elect 751 members to the European Parliament from across 28 separate member states, representing more than 512m people. The 2019 elections are a mammoth democratic exercise with profound consequences for European citizens and the global role of the EU. Here are five things to look out for that could shape the future of Europe, and the world. Will populists gain ground? Populist upswings are part of the political cycle the world over. Europe has moved from pro-integrationist parties to populist backlashes many times in its recent history, as have states in North America, Asia and Africa. Current European populist movements tend to be national in type (protesting against key government decisions, like the Gilets Jaunes movement in France) or international (focused against the EU itself, or specific trends like migration and globalisation). The 2019 election is an opportunity for populist movements in Europe to gain ground internationally. Among the most likely populist parties to win seats are Nigel Farage’s Brexit party in the UK, Marine le Pen’s rebranded National Rally from France, and Matteo Salvini’s League from...

Just one and half years after a merger with Vodafone fell through, Melita’s owners have sold the company to an investment firm. Apax Partners and Fortino Capita sold the telecommunications company to EQT, a leading investment firm, for an undisclosed sum. EQT has more than €61 billion in raised capital across 29 funds and around €40 billion in assets under management. EQT funds have portfolio companies in Europe, Asia and the US with total sales of more than €19 billion and approximately 110,000 employees. The company said it plans to upgrade Melita’s fixed and mobile networks and open an additional data centre location on Malta. It will also support Melita’s internationalisation strategy including its expansion in Italy as well as its innovative Internet of Things connectivity proposition. Melita was founded in 1992 by the Gasan Group, which sold it in 2015. It will continue to operate under the leadership of CEO Harald Rösch, who has held the position since April 2016 and who is a “longstanding industrial advisor to EQT”. A spokesman for EQT said the company invests in “good companies across the globe with the aim of turning them not only into great companies but also...

A vocal and harp recital entitled Flowing Emotions by soprano Marita Bezzina and harpist Lydia Buttigieg is being held at Palazzo Falson, Mdina, tomorrow at 12.30pm. The duo will be performing an eclectic programme of well-known and favourite arias. Flowing Emotions is being held at Palazzo Falson, Mdina, by Barocco Foundation, tomorrow from 12.30 to 1.30pm. Entrance is at a suggested donation of €10 and patrons will be invited to visit the museum at a discounted price.  Tickets may be obtained prior to the concert from the venue itself or by e-mailing baroccomalta@gmail.com.

Have you ever wondered whether the party you have always voted for actually embraces your own values and beliefs? A new voting advice application could give you an idea of your actual political leanings ahead of the May 25 European elections.  Times of Malta has teamed up with EUI to provide a free application which invites users to react to 22 statements covering a wide range of contemporary policy issues and political values in European politics. It will link them to the three parties currently represented in the Maltese parliament - Labour, the Nationalist Party and the Democratic Party. Other parties and independent candidates are also contesting the MEP elections.  Most of the questions are tailored to Malta's political, economic and social realities. The results show which parties stand closest to citizens’ preferences, both in their country and all across Europe.  

The number of turtles being injured or finding themselves entangled in marine debris is on the rise, Nature Trust warned. In a statement on World Turtle Day, Nature Trust sent out an appeal for waste to be disposed of responsibly and in the correct waste containers. Last year, three turtles lost a flipper due to marine debris and another died due to ingestion of plastic bags. The organisation appealed to boat owners not to throw waste overboard but, rather, take it with them inland and dispose of it in the correct manner. Watch: Plastics have killed 20 turtles so far this year Marine debris was on the rise because of irresponsible disposal of waste and due to lost, abandoned and otherwise discarded fishing gear, Nature Trust warned. The organisation also appealed to authorities to ensure they implement a single-use plastics ban as soon as possible. «Our planet is urgently calling for action and, today, many international and important entities such as the United Nations are calling for action to climate change and plastic in our oceans,» it said.Anyone spotting a turtle in difficulty may call the rescue line on 9999 9505.

A concert of chamber music by an international ensemble, the Omnia Quartet, will be held at Our Lady of the Visitation Basilica, Għarb, on Saturday at 8pm. The concert is organised by JP2 Foundation to inaugurate a preparatory year marking two major events in 2020 related to St Pope John Paul II. The first is the centenary of Karol Wojtyla’s birth on May 18, 1920. The second is the 30th anniversary of his pastoral visit to Malta and Gozo from May 25 to 27, 1990. The Pope had visited the locality during his visit.  The members of the Omnia Quartet hail from Italy, Poland and Hungary. They have graduated from prestigious conservatories in Europe and are all members of philharmonic orchestras.  They share a common passion for chamber music and demonstrate remarkable versatility, playing music from the early baroque to the 21st century. The international quartet will perform Mozart, Vivaldi, Respighi, Grieg and Tchaikovski.  The concert is being held at the Basilica of the Visitation of Our Lady in Għarb on Saturday at 8pm.  The JP2 Foundation is also hosting the Brecon Cathedral Choir from Wales, the UK. The choir will perform two concerts; the first one taking place at St Anthony...

The Greenfields, Mary Spiteri, Mary Rose Mallia and Tony Camilleri (L-Għannej) will perform some of their best-loved and evergreen songs at a concert entitled Suċċessi Maltin, tomorrow evening at Pjazza Teatru Rjal, accompanied by the Malta Concert Orchestra under the direction of Paul Abela.  Suċċessi Maltin will be held at Pjazza Teatru Rjal, Valletta, tomorrow at 8.30pm. For tickets visit www.kultura.mt/event/353 or call 2247 8100. For more information visit www.pjazzateatrurjal.mt. 

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and Opposition leader Adrian Delia debated abortion, the environment, and migration, among a myriad of other issues in a final TV showdown on Wednesday ahead of the European elections. The two leaders largely stuck to their respective campaign messages but Dr Muscat appeared to be more confrontational than he had been in previous debates with Dr Delia.  Moderator Mario Xuereb rang in the first round with a toughly worded question on abortion for Dr Delia. The PN, Mr Xuereb said, appeared to be approaching the election as one it knew it would lose. Dr Delia was raising the spectre of abortion, but this could not be imposed by the EU, could it? And, by framing the election as a referendum on abortion, surely he had just played into the pro-choice camp’s hands, since it was an open secret he would not be winning this poll? Replying, Dr Delia said the PN had clear proposals for both the EP and the local council elections, giving a brief overview. Turning to abortion, he said the PN was adamantly “in favour of life”. On the other hand, the European socialists were calling for the introduction of a “right to abortion”. The Labour Party, having endorsed...

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar will be played with 32 teams after a proposed expansion of the tournament to 48 sides was scrapped, FIFA announced on Wednesday. World football's governing body said in a statement that «following a thorough and comprehensive consultation process with the involvement of all the relevant stakeholders, it was concluded that under the current circumstances such a proposal could not be made now». «(The tournament) will therefore remain as originally planned with 32 teams and no proposal will be submitted at the next FIFA Congress on 5 June,» FIFA added. An announcement of the final decision hadn't been expected until the congress, which is being held in Paris ahead of the Women's World Cup. FIFA president Gianni Infantino had supported the increase in the size of the tournament. However the statement said that the study «concluded that due to the advanced stage of preparations and the need for a detailed assessment of the potential logistical impact on the host country, more time would be required and a decision could not be taken before the deadline of June». That led to FIFA dropping the idea, despite the organisation recommending in March that the...

Chameleon, Malta's Eurovision entry by Michela, had climbed to third in the Spotify charts despite its disappointing placing at last week's contest. And four days after the curtain came down on the contest, the European Broadcasting Union said it had been forced to revise the result because of an error in the computation of the jury vote in Balarus. There are no changes in the placing of the top four songs. Malta, however, saw its placing improve to 14th from 16th.   «The EBU can confirm, following standard review practices, we have discovered that due to a human error an incorrect aggregated result was used. This had no impact on the calculation of points derived from televoting across the 41 participating countries and the overall winner and Top 4 songs of the contest remain unchanged,» the EBU said.  

The Toronto Raptors closed ranks around hurting star Kawhi Leonard, turning in a total team effort in a 120-102 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks Tuesday to level the NBA Eastern Conference finals. Kyle Lowry led the Raptors with 25 points and Toronto's bench out-scored Milwaukee's 48-23 as the Raptors followed up their double-overtime triumph in game three with a second straight home win. They knotted the best-of-seven series at 2-2 with game five in Milwaukee on Thursday. The winner of the series will take on two-time defending champions Golden State, who completed a Western Conference finals sweep of Portland to reach their fifth straight NBA Finals. Leonard, who downplayed suggestions he was injured after the gritty game-three victory, looked hobbled at times -- wincing noticeably after dunking on Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo in the third quarter. Leonard grabbed a pass from Spanish big man Marc Gasol and drove for the basket, Antetokounmpo's move to stop him coming too late. Leonard landed hard and held his left leg -- although he would play on. «I think he's fine,» Toronto coach Nick Nurse said. "He's logged a lot of minutes. He's certainly tired, like a lot of guys in...

Maltese residents are being squeezed out of the property market and the situation will not be resolved by building more social housing units, environment NGO Flimkien Għal Ambjent Aħjar has said.  It said the recent court decision belatedly recognised landlords' rights on pre-1995 rental property rented at below current market values would increase pressure for low-cost housing and lead to more building congestion. «Besides causing great hardship, the eviction of tenants who are unable to pay higher rents, increases housing demand exponentially. It is now undeniable that homelessness is on the rise in Malta. And yet, mainly because of the total absence of property tax levied on hoarders of multiple properties, there are still too many properties being purposely left vacant by owners waiting for the 'right' offer, » the NGO said. "It is clear that the situation is now such that average Maltese residents are being squeezed out of the property market both as regards sale and rental costs. If the government fails to provide specific solutions to these two situations then it would have shown reluctance at coming out in favour of the common good, which is not the same as economic...

UK House of Commons leader Andrea Leadsom announced her resignation from the government on Wednesday over Prime Minister Theresa May's handling of the Brexit crisis. The senior member of May's Conservative Party gave four reasons for her resignation in a letter to the British leader. “1. I do not believe that we will be a truly sovereign United Kingdom through the deal that is now proposed; “2. I have always maintained that a second referendum would be dangerously divisive, and I do not support the government willingly facilitating such a concession. It would also risk undermining our union which is something I passionately want to see strengthened; “3. There has been such a breakdown of government processes that recent Brexit-related legislative proposals have not been properly scrutinised or approved by cabinet members; “4. The tolerance to those in cabinet who have advocated policies contrary to the government’s position has led to a complete breakdown of collective responsibility.”  

A Labour victory in Saturday’s European Parliament elections is being taken as a foregone conclusion by bookmakers, despite the Prime Minister insisting his party is the “underdog”. This pronounced trend emerged when the Times of Malta analysed the odds given by various online betting companies of the Labour Party obtaining four out of the six seats up for grabs. Betting company Smarkets is giving very low returns if such outcome materialises to the point that punters would only win 2c for every €1 gambled. On the other hand, should the Nationalist Party make a surprise comeback, this would spell bad news for bookmakers and would translate into winnings to the order of €23 for every €1 waged. Betting company Betway is offering similar odds, though, in this case, a PN victory will bring €10 in winnings. However, there is the possibility the two main parties share the spoils, each winning three seats. Still, according to betting company Yobetit, such a result – which would be a repeat of 2014, when the PN had managed to win the third seat due to the transfer of votes despite garnering 34,000 first-count preferences less than Labour – is rather unlikely.  The odds are 4.5, meaning...

UK Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday implored British MPs to back her reworked EU divorce deal but saw pro-Brexit Conservatives and opposition parties savage her bid for a compromise to end months of political crisis. On the eve of European elections Britain had not expected to hold three years after the Brexit referendum, May urged lawmakers who have repeatedly rejected her plan to vote for it in early June so that the country can finally leave the bloc later in the summer. Speaking in the House of Commons where many of her ministers were noticeably absent, May said the opportunity of Brexit was too large and the consequences of failure too grave to risk further delay. «Reject it and all we have before us is division and deadlock.» May outlined a package of «compromise measures» aimed at securing the support of MPs from the main opposition Labour Party, which included giving parliament a vote on holding a referendum on her divorce deal. But Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who last week pulled out of weeks of cross-party Brexit talks citing the government's unwillingness to compromise, said it was «little more than a repackaged version of her three-times rejected deal». "The...

The Democratic Party has proposed “medically accelerating” unwanted pregnancies as an alternative to abortion, following confusion over a pledge seeking to enshrine the abortion ban in the Constitution. “Our position as a party is to support a broad interpretation to the right to life while recognising that there are rare situations that need to be addressed with respect and humanity. I am referring to medical emergencies where the life of the mother or the unborn may be at stake,” PD leader Godfrey Farrugia said. “There are also situations of unwanted pregnancies. We deal with these situations by offering an alternative where delivery is medically accelerated to limit the negative psychological impact on the mother,” he remarked. Dr Farrugia, a medical doctor, said that under this proposal, the psychological state of a woman wishing to abort could be taken as a medical indicator for a pre-term delivery, allowing the child to be born as soon as it was viable and given up for adoption. This alternative solution would reduce the number of women seeking abortions abroad and help prevent the “life-long regret” of many of those who opted for abortion, he added. 'Strange and poorly...

European Commission vice president Frans Timmermans, a socialist candidate for the top commission post in EU elections, on Wednesday called for «no impunity» for priests who sexually abuse children. Speaking in Warsaw, Timmermans, who has acknowledged he was sexually abused by a Catholic priest in the past, also urged other victims not to be silent or shamed. His remarks came as a groundbreaking documentary on child sex abuse among Polish priests has sparked public outrage and a crisis in the devoutly Catholic country's church. The film has put sexual abuse by members of the clergy in the spotlight as a key issue in Poland during the election campaign for the European Parliament.  «To my church, the Catholic church: make sure there is no impunity, analyse the problem, like other churches in other countries have done, get to the bottom of it,» said Timmermans, a Dutchman who leads the Social Democrats' campaign for the weekend elections.  «If people engaged in criminal behaviour, denounce them to the authorities so that they can be prosecuted,» Timmermans said. The Dutch politician, 58, is vying to replace Jean-Claude Juncker as president of the European Commission. He called for...

Voters have only two days left to pick up their voting document before Malta goes to the polls Saturday.  Those who have not yet received or collected their documents can do so from the offices of the Electoral Commission on Wednesday until 10pm and Thursday between 8am and midnight.  Voters registered in Malta should pick up their vote from the counting complex in Naxxar, whereas voters registered in Gozo should go to the ID cards office at St Francis Square in Victoria.  Public transport will start operating earlier than usual on voting day to facilitate the punctual arrival of assistant Electoral Commissioners at 6am at their assigned polling places. Buses shall depart from outstations at 5.00am. The same routes depart from Valletta at 5.30am. The routes are: 1, 2, 3, 4, 13, 14, 16, 21, 22, 24, 31, 35, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 51, 52, 53, 54, 58, 61, 62, 63, 71, 72, 73, 81, 82, 83, 84, 88, 91, 92, 93, 94 and 122. No fare payment is required as long as the individual shows the identification tag issued by the Electoral Commission. Assistant Electoral Commissioners will also find a minibus shuttle service, without payment, to all localities at 10pm, for their use after...

A €20 million project that will see 13,000 square metres dedicated as a green area will be completed within three to four years, Environment Minister Jose Herrera announced on Wednesday.  The project will see the roofing over of a stretch of Regional Road beginning from just after the Santa Venera tunnels and leading up to Triq Misraħ il-Barrieri. The second phase of the project will see the area from the tunnels to Triq il-Blata il-Kaħla also roofed over.  Preliminary studies into the project have been completed and development applications should be submitted by year's end.  «Once the project is completed, we will be joining the urban landscape and the residential area - which had been separated because of the Regional Road project - together,» the Environment Minister added. A parking area accommodating around 150 cars will also be built in the area, he said.  Air filters will also be included in the Sta Venera tunnels to mitigate the levels of vehicle emissions, Dr Herrera said. The project will be undertaken by the Environment and Transport Ministry. Pitching the project's benefits, Dr Herrera said property prices in the area would rise once the area had been...

President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered tonnes of garbage dumped in the Philippines years ago to be shipped back to Canada, his spokesman said Wednesday, escalating a festering diplomatic row. Duterte's spokesman warned also that if Ottawa would not formally accept the shipment of trash it would be dumped inside Canada's territorial waters. The rubbish is stored in dozens of containers which a Canadian firm sent to the Philippines in 2013 and 2014 -- ostensibly for recycling -- and the issue of what to do with it has rankled for years. Last week Manila recalled its ambassador from Ottawa because Canada missed a May 15 deadline to repatriate the garbage. «As a result of this offending delay, the president has instructed the appropriate office to look for a private shipping company which will bring back Canada's trash to the latter's jurisdiction,» Duterte spokesman Salvador Panelo told reporters. «If Canada will not accept the trash, we will leave the same within the territorial waters or 12 nautical miles out to sea from the baseline of any of their country's shores.» Panelo said the order would be carried out «immediately». The Canadian embassy in Manila referred requests for...

Stronger measures need to be taken against those who spread hatred, AD leader Carmel Cacopardo insisted on Wednesday, saying that the cold-blooded murder of Lassane Cisse in April was the result of the growing culture of racism. He said that hatred had even been encouraged by certain politicians, with a number of incidents over the past years whose importance had unfortunately been played down. Acknowledging that the influx of foreigners had had a negative impact on rentals, he said this was no excuse for people to turn against “people with dark skins”. Mr Cacopardo said the EU’s policies were based on solidarity for those who were vulnerable, adding that AD would continue to insist on appropriate levels of burden-sharing. His statement comes days after two soldiers were arrested and charged with the racially-motivated murder of 42-year-old Mr Cisse. 

The imminent EU Parliament elections in Malta carry a significance much beyond the traditional Labour and Nationalist confrontation. The voting result that will emerge will not reveal solely a victory, or a loss, for a party, but will also reveal the extent of Malta’s belief in European values. The Labour Party never had in the past a European vocation and it is questionable if it has it now. In 1970, on winning the election, Dom Mintoff reversed the pro-Europe policy of the Nationalist George Borg Olivier. From a path set by Borg Olivier towards a Common Market affiliation, Malta changed course. Mintoff removed destination Europe and inaugurated destinations China, North Korea and Gaddafi’s Libya. There is no need to elaborate much on the lack of European credentials of Mintoff’s successors, namely Alfred Sant and Joseph Muscat. Our collective memory is still fresh and don’t we all recall the stiff opposition put up by these two gentlemen to Eddie Fenech Adami’s proposal for Malta to become a member of the European Union. The referendum delivered a clear majority in favour of Europe. The majority included a good percentage of rebellious Labour voters.  With satisfaction we then...

The Labour Party in government has discovered a universal panacea for all that is wrong with it. Citing the national interest, they expect us to let them get away with murder. They are drumming this term into their followers’ psyche as being the reason why they and their actions should not be criticised, or even revealed.  They are hiding behind this hollow and thinly-stretched application of a term that they have no right to use to cover misdeeds and wrongdoing. For myself and for the Nationalist Party, the national interest has always been, still is and will always remain our main concern.  Take for example the matter of taxation, over which the Labour Party has been trying to create illusory mirages by blowing a lot of hot air over the past days. Our country has, since EU accession, enjoyed significant economic activity in certain sectors due to our competitive taxation system introduced by the Nationalist government when giving birth to our financial services industry. This system was scrutinised by the European Commission, and, both when we were in government, and as representatives of the PN in the European Parliament, we have fought tooth and nail for this to remain.  We...

It’s important not to exaggerate the importance for Europe of the European Parliament elections starting tomorrow. The Parliament may have grown in power and influence in recent years, but it still plays third fiddle.  It can veto new laws, treaties and appointments, but only the Commission can initiate legislation. The real power rightly lies with the council of ministers, which comprise the elected national leaders of the member states.  Political fragmentation, surging populism and Brexit chaos are set to leave the European Union deadlocked after elections starting tomorrow. An increase in the number of far-right and populist MEPs is expected to complicate key decisions in Brussels this summer and autumn. Neo-fascists are proudly back on the streets of Italy as Matteo Salvini is accused of unleashing the demons of the country’s dark past, giving the far-right its best results ever.  Salvini is trying to recruit European nationalist and populist parties for a new Eurosceptic bloc in the EU Parliament featuring his party, which it is thought should win up to 24 seats, making it one of the largest. Joining him will be Marine Le Pen, with about 20 seats for her National Rally,...

On the same day the police arrested the first of two men being accused of a migrant’s murder, Chief Justice Emeritus Vincent De Gaetano was speaking to university students in Belarus on ‘Hate crimes as a form of discrimination’. Francesco Fenech, 21, of Marsascala, and Loris Scicluna, 22, of Paola, both members of the Armed Forces of Malta, were specifically charged with Lassine Cisse Souleymane’s murder and the attempted murder of two other migrants on grounds of their skin colour and race. Dr De Gaetano, who also sits on the European Court of Human Rights, pointed out to his audience a characteristic feature of hate crimes, which the Maltese authorities, in particular, but also the people in general should note if they do not want things to escalate. It bears quoting him verbatim: “The... impact of (hate crimes) extends beyond the immediate victim or victims. It tends to affect the whole group with which that particu­lar victim identifies himself or herself and can cause social division between the ‘victim group’ and socie­ty at large. It, thus, poses a particular danger to society beyond that which generally stems from an ordinary crime or act of violence. “People within any...

An announcement that works on a home for the elderly will start “in a few weeks” surprised Birkirkara residents as the €12 million project has yet to be approved by the Planning Authority. Social Solidarity Minister Michael Falzon, Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi and the Parliamentary Secretary for Active Ageing, Anthony Agius Decelis, said last week the project would consist of two parking levels, reservoirs and five levels of residential accommodation. According to the Planning Authority website, the development, led by Projects Malta, is still at the vetting stage, awaiting the submission of additional information from the architect in charge. “It shows an election is upon us,” one resident said.  “I feel like they are trying to buy us off with the promise of more parking spaces,” he said, adding that the project did not make sense because the road was already heavily congested. “This is the only open space left in the area and the impact of the project on our lifestyle will be significant, not to mention its effect on the financial value of our residences,” another resident commented in written submissions to the planning watchdog.  “This is not only my opinion but also that...

These are the stories which made it to the front pages of Wednesday's newspapers: The Times of Malta sought reactions to the Prime Minister's statement that the cold-blooded murder of a migrant had affected perceptions, with most saying that nothing had changed. It also reports on a looming battle over another controversial application, this time for an aparthotel. MaltaToday reports MEP candidate David Stellini saying he would never vote against Malta in a resolution unless it mentioned all the other member states guilty of banking fraud and crime. It also reports on the possibility of a second referendum on Brexit. The Malta Independent leads with the Council of Europe report saying that the lack of checks and balances was undermining the rule of law. It also quotes the Chamber of Architects (sic) saying that the Strategic Plan for the Environment and Development had failed. In-Nazzjon reports on Opposition leader Adrian Delia's speech, in which he lamented the negative press being levelled at Malta because of the government's actions. L-Orizzont carries a European Commission statement that legalising abortion cannot be imposed on Malta. It also carries the speech made by...