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Tirannosawru reks now roams the Maltese language

August 23, 2018, 12:15 am
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For the first time, T-Rex and his dinosaur family have an actual name in Maltese. Tirannosawru reks, veloċirattur and spinosawru have just been added to the Maltese vocabulary, after a local publisher worked with expert translators who undertook research to come up with the correct terminology. Translator Jeantide Naudi told Times of Malta that having Maltese equivalents for dinosaurs – or dinosawri – and other animal species, as well as thematic terminology popular with children, was very important as it not only enriched the language but also allowed them to play, imagine and dream in their native language without having to continuously switch from Maltese to English. In what is a first for Maltese books, Merlin Publishers this summer launched a book about dinosaurs for children aged six and over. Called Id-Dinosawri, the book is a translation by Rachel Portelli of the original work penned by Emmanuelle Ousset. Ms Naudi, who came up with the terminology, noted that the dinosaur names in this book were mainly referring to the genus, a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of organisms. Most languages would have their equivalent of the genus. The English term is...
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Maltese doctor behind the 'Rosetta Stone of prostate cancer' honoured by the Queen

August 24, 2018, 10:00 am
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A Maltese doctor, who spearheaded a breakthrough in the fight against prostate cancer, is being awarded a prestigious professorship by Queen Elizabeth. The professorship celebrates Johann de Bono’s world-leading research in the clinical development of cancer treatment. London’s Institute of Cancer Research, where Prof. de Bono heads the clinical studies division, is one of only 12 across the UK to be awarded the Regius Professorship marking the Queen’s 90th birthday. The award falls on the 10th anniversary of the news that a team of British researchers, headed by Prof. de Bono, had made a dramatic breakthrough following drug tests that began at the Royal Marsden Hospital, in London. He made headlines after trials on a new pill showed it could shrink tumours in up to 80 per cent of cases. The new drug – Abiraterone – was at the time still being tested and not yet on the market. READ: Doctor tempers hype surrounding cancer 'wonder drug' Prof. de Bono said the drug, which has been rolled out as standard treatment for at least 300,000 patients diagnosed with prostate cancer, had revolutionised the treatment of this number one killer among men. “On average, men on this treatment...
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'Cruise ships with highest emissions will double' - BirdLife Malta

August 23, 2018, 6:25 am
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Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi

The types of cruise ships with the highest emissions coming to Malta will almost double by the end of the year, according to BirdLife. The environmental NGO is warning that all cruise liners calling at Valletta are largely in the worst category based on emissions. Throughout 2017, 65 ships with this ranking visited Malta, while 58 cruise liners have already visited Malta so far this year. This will reach 112 port calls by the end of this year, according to the Valletta Cruise Port’s schedule, BirdLife said. Read: Prospects for cleaner air over Grand Harbour as new rules push cruise ships to LNG fuel The “shocking number” was revealed on the Cruise Ship Ranking list for 2018. The list was compiled by BirdLife Malta’s German partner The Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU), as part of the ongoing Together against Air Pollution from Ships project. Its data also shows that just one newly built cruise ship has renounced the use of Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) in exchange for cleaner and less polluting fuel. “AIDAnova will be the first cruise ship using LNG, while giants such as MSC Cruises, Carnival Cruise and Royal Caribbean persist in using HFO, without mitigating their...
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Scooter rider seriously injured

August 24, 2018, 2:45 am
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A 58-year-old Italian man was seriously injured after the scooter he was riding was involved in an accident on Friday. The incident happened in Triq il-Mosta in St Paul’s Bay at 9am. The police said that the other vehicle was being driven by a 22-year-old woman from San Ġwann, who was not injured. Investigations are still under way.
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Nexia BT gets another €19,000 for public conveniences study

August 25, 2018, 12:13 am
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Audit firm Nexia BT has been given close to €19,000 to update a study it carried out a few years ago on public conveniences, the Times of Malta has learnt. The contract was awarded by the Foundation for Tourism Zones Development, which falls under the political responsibility of one of the audit firm’s clients, Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi. Dr Mizzi used Nexia BT to secretly set up a Panama company in 2015, via the Panama Papers law firm Mossack Fonseca. Nexia BT had conducted a €17,000-study on public toilets in 2016. A spokesman for Dr Mizzi said the previous analysis carried out by Nexia BT was based on a different scope and covered other locations. The first study had to be updated because the previous demand analysis was based on different assumptions by local councils and the cleansing services directorate. Collection of primary data did not form part of the previous engagement and, hence, was included in the new feasibility study, the spokesman said. The localities selected by the foundation to form part of the previous engagement focused on centrally-located regions like Ħamrun, Balzan, Birkirkara, Santa Venera and Qormi. “The selection of localities was reconsidered...
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Anticipated massive petard fails

August 25, 2018, 1:04 am
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The anticipated massive Żurrieq petard failed to light up the heavens last night, to the dismay of many firework enthusiasts. The so-called “shell of shells” was set to be let off from a barge some three kilometres off the coast of Wied iż-Żurrieq at around 10pm. The event formed part of the Valletta 2018 cultural events. Manufactured by Manwel Gauci and the Żurrieq St Catherine’s Fireworks Factory, the firework had an astounding diameter of 135cm, surpassing the current record of 96.5cm. But the largest ever petard manufactured in Malta seemed to have exploded before it hit the sky, fireworks enthusiasts believe. The organisation Malta Records, which monitors national records, thanked the organisers and people who turned up to the event. Birdlife Malta had criticised the site chosen to fire the shell, saying it would negatively impact Natura 2000 sites.
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Maltese priest gets involved in Brazilian politics

August 24, 2018, 8:00 am
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A Maltese missionary has written to Brazil’s chief justice in support of the presidential candidature of imprisoned Lula, the country's former president and currently its most popular politician. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, universally known as Lula, registered his candidacy for the October presidential election from jail. In the coming days, the Brazilian judicial system is expected to decide whether it will bar him from running. The UN human rights committee has already said that the imprisoned leftist leader cannot be disqualified from the elections because his legal appeals are ongoing. The two-term former president is serving time for corruption, but he is leading the electoral polls. Read: Lula vows to undo sale of Brazilian assets if returned to office Fr John Caruana, who has spent more than three decades in the South American country, is calling on the President of the Supreme Federal Court Cármen Lúcia to save the reputation of the Brazilian Judiciary.  Based in the Archdiocese of Maringa in Parana, Brazil, Fr Caruana sent a letter to the Supreme Judge in support of Lula’s liberty. Inspired by “the sacrifice of six noble citizens" who are in the fourth week of their...
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Italy ‘never fulfilled pledge’ to take migrants from Malta

August 24, 2018, 9:01 pm
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Italy never fulfilled its pledge to take 50 migrants from Malta, the Times of Malta is informed, undermining Rome's political posturing as it continues to lash out at EU States for failing to do their part in relieving arrivals. Migration sources have hit back at Italy's right-wing Deputy Prime Minister, Matteo Salvini, who singled out Malta, Germany, Portugal, Spain and Ireland for not taking the migrants they promised to absorb from a boat of 450 that landed in Pozzallo last month. “Italy should stop naming and shaming countries when it is the one which is often holding up the process,” said a source, speaking on condition on anonymity. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte had promised Joseph Muscat that Italy would accept 50 of the migrants rescued in the MV Lifeline stand-off last June. The Maltese authorities were surprised to learn shortly afterwards that Italy dispatched officials to interview 27 of the migrants who had arrived in Malta with the intention of taking 25 – and not 50 – to Rome, according to the sources. Yet, more than two months later, the migrants remain in Malta’s detention centres after Italy never followed up on the process. When a group of 450...
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Is this the most expensive water bill ever?

August 24, 2018, 11:49 pm
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Updated Saturday 2pm with ARMS Ltd reply An ARMS consumer urged the public to inspect their utility bills after he received a water bill of a whopping €21,450.72... for two months.  Charles Sammut from St Julian's provided a copy of the bill to Times of Malta to prove he was not making up the story.  The bill was charged for utilising total of 91 cubic metres of water in what appears to be a clear mistake. "Imagine had it been on a direct debit mandate and they deduct that amount from your bank account! I doubt this is an isolated case. It's a disgrace," Mr Sammut wrote. The reader said he had sent a colourful letter to the billing department to lodge his complaint.  "The public should be advised to check their water and electricity bills thoroughly before they pay and also to monitor the direct debit." Issue has been resolved - ARMS Ltd In a reply, ARMS Ltd said that following the customer’s request to update the meter readings of this non-residential account, the system computed the bill assuming that the water meter was re-commenced. "Normally the billing system flags exaggerated consumption for further verification. The limit assigned to non-residential accounts, as in this...
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'I was imprisoned in Libya but I'm desperate to return'

August 25, 2018, 1:30 am
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A Dutch activist formerly detained in Libya desperately wants to the north African country, despite spending over two weeks in prison in Tripoli. “I want to help the country and I love the people there,” Yvonne Snitjer, 49, said. The woman, who is currently living in Malta, spent time behind bars after she was accused of filming a riot that took place in Tripoli, Dutch authorities had said. Ms Snitjer also said she was detained for 17 days while authorities checked her papers. In May 2017, Ms Snitjer had parked outside a café to make use of the free Wi-Fi, when she was promptly approached by Libyan police. “Their commander came and he asked me for my passport and the work I was doing. I had recently got my paperwork signed in another city – Misrata – so they needed to confirm the paperwork with authorities there,” she said. Tripoli and Misrata had been at odds at the time, with fights from the two separate militias taking place a few days before. “They kept asking ‘who do you know from Misrata, what where you doing there’?” she added. Eventually, Ms Snitjer was asked to hand over her computer and cell phone and taken to the police station. She was detained by the Rada Special...
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Those accusing Church of not helping migrants are 'misinformed' - Emigrants Commission

August 24, 2018, 11:00 am
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The Church provides accommodation to some 400 migrants in shelters across the country, according to the head of the Emigrants Commission. Mgr Alfred Vella told the Times of Malta that those asking why the Church had not opened its doors to migrants living in poor conditions were “misinformed”. “The Church has opened its doors, and has been doing so on a constant basis for decades,” he said.  Mgr Vella said the Church had 14 community homes, across seven localities, that offered shelter to varying degrees for migrants who had come upon hard times. “This is an initiative that has been going on for years,” he said. Mgr Vella was contacted after a number of Times of Malta readers asked why organisations like the Church had not  offered a group of homeless migrants a place to live.  The government has said the group of migrants who were found living in inhumane conditions on a cow farm last week, would soon be sent back to Italy. The 120 migrants were evicted from the cow farm in Qormi by the Planning Authority and the police last week. The migrants were living in cow stalls, which had been converted into a shanty dormitory with wooden partitions separating makeshift bedrooms. The...
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Formal EU complaint filed on mega direct contract

August 25, 2018, 7:06 am
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Updated Saturday with reactions The Democratic Party's MPs have filed a complaint with the European Commission to have a formal investigation opened on what it said was a breach of EU procurement regulations involving the St Vincent de Paule residence.  The government is failing to administer the tax money and the country's assets entrusted to it by the people in a just, transparent, and accountable manner, PD said in a statement.  Times of Malta has carried reports on how a €60 million contract for meals and a new kitchen morphed into a €270 million contract for the management of a new 500-bed hospital at the Luqa home for the elderly. Read: Record quarter billion euro direct order approved Local and EU regulations and practices have been infringed at the expense of taxpayers’ money, PD said. "The money being spent on a large, centralised building would be much better spent if we had smaller residential homes in our towns and villages where our elderly can be cared for within the community they are familiar with." Meanwhile, the Nationalist Party has also asked the Auditor General to investigate the contract. Through its three members on the Public Accounts Committee, the...
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Sensors on bridges could help detect deterioration

August 25, 2018, 4:03 am
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Sensors installed on bridges could help monitor their state and overall “health”, an expert in concrete materials has said. Concerns about the safety of bridges have been on the rise after a motorway bridge collapsed in Genoa, killing 43 people. Architect Ruben Paul Borg, senior lecturer at the University of Malta, has recommended sensor network systems which would transmit data to a central station monitored by a team of experts. “This can help monitor the bridges for both early detection of damage for intervention and emergency repair,” Dr Borg said. A pilot project on the Civil Abattoir reinforced concrete water tower in Marsa is already under way. The project – Reshealience – is a collaboration between the University of Malta and other international partners. It is supported by the Planning Authority and the Environment Ministry. Sensors installed at the water tower are set to measure different parameters, such as moisture levels, alkalinity in the concrete and the corrosion of reinforcement structures. Dr Borg hopes the knowledge gained could then also be applied to monitor bridges in Malta in the long term, to enable early detection in cases of degradation. “This would...
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Air Malta leases two new A320 Neo aircraft

August 25, 2018, 6:22 am
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Air Malta has concluded talks and the necessary paperwork to lease two new A320 Neo aircraft which will replace two of the current older aircraft. The delivery of the new aircraft is expected to happen during the first half of 2019. According to sources, the seat configuration of these planes will optimise the space in the aircraft, which allows Air Malta to be able to offer a high number of seats while providing adequate leg-space for passengers on the aircraft. The two new Airbus A320 NEOs will also see Air Malta improve its in-flight experience, including a renewed business class offer with better seats and better service. The upgrade of the business class product was announced by Minister Konrad Mizzi following the launch of the new buy on board service and new catering menu for economy class. The new NEOs will reduce the environmental impact of Air Malta, in terms of emission of pollutants and noise. The NEO is quieter and more efficient of the older comparable aircrafts which Air Malta already has. It reduces the noise footprint by half, 15 per cent less fuel consumption, reduced Co2 emissions and NOx emissions which are 50 per cent better than current industry...
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Banners remind Malta of Daphne Caruana Galizia

August 25, 2018, 10:07 pm
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Posters reminding people that the masterminds behind Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder remain at large were put up by activists in Bidnija and Sliema overnight, marking what would have been the journalist’s 54th birthday. The posters, one in English and the other in Maltese, read “Daphne: Assassinated for exposing the truth” and are the work of activist group Reżistenza. In a statement, the activists said that Ms Caruana Galizia fought corruption and abuse of power without fear for decades, and despite “decades of demonisation” which created “the ‘perfect’ environment’ to assassinate her. Ms Caruana Galizia was blown up in a car bomb explosion just as she was leaving her home in Bidnija last October. Three men have been arrested and charged with her murder, but the masterminds remain at large. Reżistenza said that Malta was currently “witnessing glimpses of fascist ideas”, with impunity the rule. “Those who speak up against corruption become akin to committing treason,” the activists said. “We are convinced that such instances confirm what has long been perceived: Daphne was eliminated because she exposed the truth”.
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Muscat to Salvini: 'Politics is not done by tweets'

August 26, 2018, 2:09 am
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Prime Minister Joseph Muscat criticised Italy’s deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini on Sunday morning, saying “politics is not done by tweets but through persuasion”. Dr Muscat made this remark in the wake of the ongoing stand-off involving a group of 137 migrants which are not being allowed to disembark at the port of Catania after being intercepted by the Italian navy vessel Diciotti. Italy is insisting that it will not budge from its position until EU members states agree to share the migrants among themselves. Thirteen of the 150 people brought to Catania by the Italian navy were taken ashore on Saturday on doctors’ orders due to concerns about their health. Interviewed on One Radio, the Prime Minister said that this incident was testament to the fact that the hard line approach on migration being advocated in certain quarters would lead to nowhere. “The lesson from this standoff is that solutions do not depend on the size of the country or the number of tweets but through persuasion. Malta faced much more complicated cases, but managed to find solidarity from other member states as well as political solutions for cases which were not within its responsibility,” Dr Muscat...
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From 'shell of shells' to damp squib: petard always had a high chance of failure

August 26, 2018, 1:50 am
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There was no more than a 50 per cent chance that the “shell of shells” – the largest petard ever manufactured in Malta – would be successful, according to fireworks enthusiasts. The petard of record-breaking size failed to light up the heavens on Friday night, to the dismay of thousands who had driven to the outskirts of Żurrieq to watch the anticipated spectacle. Instead, the firework appeared to go off just as it was exiting its base on a barge some three kilometres off the coast of Wied iż-Żurrieq at around 10pm, falling far short of the potential display. “There was always going to be a high risk that it wouldn’t work,” said one enthusiast connected with the event. “In any fireworks display, you get many unexploded petards falling to the ground.” The fact that the barge could be rocked by the waves and that the petard was being let off from a fully exposed tube, rather than one buried in the ground, may have added to the risk of failure, the man explained. Knowing this would probably not have eased the disappointment felt by the members of the public who arrived in droves expecting to be awed. People could be spotted all the way from Ħal Far along the coast of...
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Teen boys sexually abused in exchange for food and money

August 26, 2018, 4:07 am
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A 70-year-old man was jailed for three years on Sunday after he admitted to having sexually abused two 15-year-old boys, giving them money or food in exchange for oral sex. Police were put on John Zammit’s tracks by an anonymous tip-off and the accused subsequently admitted to the charges while being interrogated by police. Mr Zammit, a Valletta resident, worked part-time at a pastizzi shop, a court heard.  Asked by magistrate Audrey Demicoli about the frequency of such acts, inspector Joseph Busuttil said there had been three incidents with one minor and two with the other. Legal aid Dustin Camilleri had sought a suspended sentence for his client, considering that he was a separated man with grandchildren and his police conduct was nearly clean. He added that the accused had said he was sorry for his acts.
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Trees gone, farmland taken as Tal-Balal gets widened

August 25, 2018, 11:50 pm
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A number of trees have been uprooted, others transplanted, and an undisclosed area of agricultural land is being sacrificed in Tal-Balal for a new traffic lane to alleviate congestion. The project, which is spearheaded by Infrastructure Malta, will improve the traffic flow between Naxxar, Għarghur, Iklin and San Ġwann. It will see new lanes, pavements and cycling-friendly infrastructure, and will improve the efficiency and safety of the roundabouts along the way. According to a spokesman for Infrastructure Malta, the upgrade will see users travelling along Triq tal-Balal reduce their travel time by 30 to 40 per cent. This improvement will also lead to a decrease in the vehicle emissions caused by long queuing times. The project extends from the roundabout at the northern end of the road linking Triq tal-Balal with Naxxar, Iklin and Triq Margaret Murray to and from Għarghur and all the way to San Ġwann. The road’s existing street lighting and vehicle restraint systems will also be upgraded. The spokesman said the project also included rebuilding Triq tal-Balal’s four roundabouts, new bypass lanes and improved junction designs. The road upgrade will use the existing footprint by...
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SVDP wrecking ball is ‘another scandal’

August 26, 2018, 1:00 am
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Updated 3.43pm - Added PN statement The consortium awarded a €274 million government direct order at St Vincent de Paul residence demolished the industrial kitchen there before it had even signed the contract to tear it down and rebuild it, The Sunday Times of Malta can reveal. The move was described as “another scandal in the series” by a senior government source close to the consortium, made up of James Caterers and Malta Health Care (a subsidiary of db Group). The consortium is already mired in controversy over the manner in which the €274 million contract was handled, which according to lawyers was in breach of EU regulations. “The consortium knocked down the whole kitchen without the knowledge of the Department of Contracts, even though there was no contract signed with the government yet,” the source told The Sunday Times of Malta. “This situation was very embarrassing for the department, as it basically forced their hand in the negotiations they were conducting on the whole tender for catering services.” Instead of halting the process and issuing a new call for tenders, the department decided to close negotiations with the consortium rapidly and sign the contract, so that...
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