The Renault Megane R.S. is one of those classic hot hatches that people often reference as the ideal ‘daily’ performance car. Needless to say, Renault isn’t planning on letting the Megane rest on its laurels, which is why it’s given it a little mid-life lift. The exterior has been sharpened, while the option of a manual gearbox has been ditched in favour of a sole automatic choice as a result of stricter emissions-based tax rules in the car’s native France. What else does it have to offer? Let’s take a look. Though many purists will be sad to see the manual gearbox depart, they have been compensated by a boost in power from the car’s 1.8-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine. The track-orientated Cup chassis is now reserved only for the range-topping Trophy version, so this ‘regular’ R.S. makes do with the more pliant Sport version. For everyday drivers, however, this is likely to come as a benefit. You still get four-wheel-steering as before, while inside the Megane benefits from Renault’s latest infotainment setup. It’s far from a comprehensive set of changes, but it’s enough to keep the R.S. feeling fresh. The R.S. uses the same size engine as before – a 1.8-litre...

Asian markets fell further on Friday after Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell failed to soothe fears of a surge in inflation fuelled by the expected global economic recovery, which many warn could force the central bank to hike interest rates earlier than thought. While the rollout of vaccines, slowing infections, easing of lockdowns and an imminent new stimulus are breathing life back into economies, investors are increasingly worried ultra-loose monetary policies – a key pillar of a year-long equity surge – will be wound down to deal with an expected spike in prices. That has led to a sharp sell-off across world markets with the tech-rich Nasdaq on Thursday almost sinking into correction territory – a 10 per cent drop from recent highs – having touched a record peak last month. Powell reiterated that the Fed would not tighten its policies until its goals of full employment and consistently high inflation had been met, and that was likely to be some time away. As the economy recovers, he said “you could see prices moving up” but those increases are likely to be transient. “And this is a difference between a one-time surge in prices and ongoing inflation.” Mona Mahajan, at...

The role of women in entrepreneurship and the business world is gradually evolving into greater empowerment. Despite this, gender disparities continue to limit business potential around societies worldwide.  ‘Women in Entrepreneurship and Business’ is the next free webinar to be hosted by The Gozo Business Chamber in collaboration with Bank of Valletta and supported by the Ministry for Gozo NGO Assistance Scheme, a funding programme for Voluntary Organisations on the Island of Gozo. The webinar will be held on Thursday, March 11 between 2pm and 3:30pm.  The key speakers during this webinar will be Elaine Camilleri, Partner Tax Services at ACT; Alda Bugeja, an entrepreneur in the local crafts and artisanal sector; Marie Grech, Director at Frank Salt Real Estate; and Victoria Azzopardi, EU & Institutional Affairs Analyst at Bank of Valletta.  During the week of international women’s day, these four women, entrepreneurs or in business, will share their experiences, motivations, difficulties faced and what it means to be a woman in their respective role.  This webinar is one of a series of webinars organised or co-hosted by Bank of Valletta with the purpose of providing the best...

The government should not introduce national legislation on the right to disconnect, the Malta Chamber and the Malta Business Bureau said on Friday. Moreover, "jumpstarting" a process at European level was "neither necessary nor time appropriate", they said. The right to disconnect allows workers to cut off from work-related activity during out-of-office hours, giving them the right to not respond to emails or phone calls in the evenings or weekends, for instance. Last month, MEP Alex Agius Saliba told The Malta Independent minister Carmelo Abela had indicated to him that the government wanted to introduce the right to disconnect before the EU passed its own directive on the issue.  The proposal has already been met with strong objection from the Malta Employers Association. On Friday, Malta Chamber president David Xuereb said that European legislation such as the Working Time Directive, which is transposed into national law, already set out rules on working and rest time.  “These rules are adequate, and no further legislation is required. Future legislation, particularly if modelled on a recent Malta-led report in the European Parliament, raises many questions on how this could...

Ahead of International Women’s Day, employees at HSBC Bank Malta and HSBC Global Services (UK) Limited’s Contact Centre in Swatar, are coordinating donations of toiletry items for more than 150 women in need. These items will be donated to various non-governmental organisations (NGOs) who support female victims of violence, mental health problems and homelessness. Donna Falzon, head of Contact Centre at the HSBC in Swatar said: "This is the fourth consecutive year that HSBC employees in Malta have organised this initiative. Unfortunately, the impact of COVID-19 means that the need this year is even greater as the number of people which these NGOs support increases while resources and donations decline. As in previous years we are asking the public to support this initiative and also donate items to the NGOs we are supporting.” Members of the public who wish to make a donation can do so directly by contacting the NGO of their choice and coordinating delivery in a safe way to their premises. Due to the current restrictions, HSBC regrets that it is not in a position to accept donations from the public at any of its premises. The beneficiaries of this year’s initiative include: Dar...

The government and the nurses' union have reached an agreement that will reduce bureaucracy for foreign nurses and their immediate family by increasing the validity of their residence permit to three years.  The government is also pledging to process the residency application within 15 working days and has substantially cut the costs linked to the permit. Identity Malta bureaucracy has been cited as one of the main reasons why some 140 nurses, equivalent to over a fifth of the nurses who are third-country nationals working here, have either already quit or were in the process of submitting their resignation. In January, Times of Malta reported that the country was bracing itself for an exodus of foreign nurses – mostly Indian, Pakistani and Filipino – who are being poached by the UK as part of its efforts to control its COVID-19 situation. The government said on Friday that following two meetings led by Principal Permanent Secretary Mario Cutajar, and MUMN president Paul Pace, in consultation with Identity Malta, changes will be implemented with immediate effect. It has also been agreed that all necessary medical examinations will be free of charge for non-EU state employees.

A newly renovated colossal mausoleum for the founder of the Roman empire Augustus has reopened to the public in the Italian capital after centuries of neglect. “Until now we have always known it as a ruin, but it is one of the most important monuments of antiquity,” explained Alessia, a masked guide taking a small group of visitors on the labyrinthine route through five concentric enclosures. “It was so majestic, they had never seen anything like this in Rome.” The mausoleum was built on the banks of the River Tiber between 28 and 23BC. It is a vast, towering monument to Augustus, the great-nephew of Julius Caesar who built the Roman empire during his 40-year rule. The cylindrical base has a diameter of 90 metres, on top of which was planted a mound of cypress trees. On the summit, a bronze statue of the emperor stood guard, taking the total height to 45 metres. At the centre of the mausoleum, originally clad in white marble and travertine, was a burial chamber reserved for Augustus and his wife Livia, while around them were further rooms reserved for members of their dynasty. But it had fallen into such a state of disrepair, in ruins and overgrown with weeds, that modern-day...

A 17-year-old activist has dropped charges against two people who threatened her online after they apologised in court. Eve Borg Bonello, activist and president of the PN's youth wing, Team Start, said she faced threats of death and sexual violence after she spoke up at protest calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat in 2019. She was 16 at the time.  Soon after the speech, during the political crisis sparked by developments in the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder case, she said she was warned she could end up assassinated like the journalist.  Two of four people accused of hate speech appeared in court on Thursday in front of Magistrate Ian Farrugia. Through her lawyer, Paul Borg Olivier, the teenager said she was ready to drop the charges if the two accused, Ganesh Azzopardi and Kelly Camilleri, made a public apology in court and vowed not to harass or molest her again or resort to hate speech in the future. Magistrate Farrugia sternly warned them that their crime could have sent them to prison. One of the accused, a mother-of-three, told the magistrate she did not want anyone to hurt any of her children after the court asked how she would have reacted if the...

Full-time employment increased, while part-time employment as a primary job decreased last October when compared to the same month in 2019, according to national data. The National Statistics Office said on Friday data provided by Jobsplus shows that the labour supply, excluding part-timers, increased by 4.7 per cent. The highest increase in employment was brought about by administrative and support service activities and human health and social work activities. Registered full-time employment in the private sector went up by 7,272 people to 181,710. Public sector full-time employment increased by 1,792 persons to 50,432. Full-time employment for men and women went up by 3.6 per cent and 4.7 per cent respectively. Registered part-time employment meanwhile decreased by 3.1 per cent when compared to the same month in 2019.

The PN is calling for the publication of the magisterial inquiry into allegations of money laundering and graft by former OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri and ex-Allied Newspapers managing director Adrian Hillman. The party is also calling for swift action by the authorities. Earlier this week Times of Malta reported that the inquiry, conducted by Magistrate Josette Demicoli, was handed over to the State Prosecutor’s office for consideration. Former Opposition leader Simon Busuttil had requested the inquiry in 2017, based on information found in a leaked FIAU report, following fear that the police covered them up. That report detailed how Schembri had filtered over €650,000 to Hillman in over 30 “suspicious transactions” between 2011 and 2015. Hillman was also found to have deposited €225,000 in cash into his personal HSBC account between January 2011 and February 2016. On Friday the PN said that four years on, the Labour Party had not uttered a word on the matter. "The PN urges the institutions to refrain from dragging their feet and immediately take all the necessary action against those who committed serious acts of corruption and money-laundering," spokesperson Karol...

All magistrates and judges have been instructed to defer any non-urgent court cases until after April 11, amid soaring COVID-19 cases. In his directive, Chief Justice Mark Chetcuti said the court must help stop the spread and protect not only court workers but also those who must attend court. The Chamber of Advocates said it has taken note of the instruction and urged its members to cooperate with it and request deferrals of any non-urgent sittings.  The courts will, however, remain open.  Members of the public, court workers and lawyers have repeatedly expressed their concern about the potential spread of coronavirus from within the halls of court. Though measures have been taken to contain the spread, many have complained about crowded halls and corridors with no ventilation.  On Thursday, the government instructed all restaurants to shut down until April 11 and introduced a number of measures to try to contain the record number of COVID-19 cases.

The Church is organising a fundraiser to help distribute healthy meals and clothes to those in need. This year's Lenten campaign called Itma’ u Libbes is being organised by the Archdiocese of Malta through the Caritas Parish Diaconia Network, Newsbook.com.mt and 103 Malta’s Heart. Archbishop Charles Scicluna noted that although this is a Lenten initiative, the Church hopes that through people’s generosity it will be able to continue relieving the hunger of those in need and clothing those who find it difficult to make ends meet. According to national data, there were 82,700 people who were at risk of poverty in 2020, while a further 40,000 were living in severely deprived conditions. This means that one in every four people in Malta is either poor or only managing to keep their heads above water, the Church said in a statement. "Moved by these figures and constant contact with people who cannot meet their daily needs, the Archdiocese of Malta and Beacon Media Group have teamed up to campaign for food and clothing for those who cannot afford these daily needs." Providing daily healthy meals People can help provide vouchers for daily meals which will be cooked by professional...

Murder suspect Yorgen Fenech and Revenue Commissioner Marvin Gaerty exchanged messages about a story written by “that witch”, an inquiry board heard on Friday.  Confronted about the message during the public inquiry into journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia’s death, Gaerty claimed not to know who “the witch” Fenech had referred to was.  The journalist’s detractors, including political figures, often derided her publicly as “the Bidnija witch”.  The February 2019 exchange centered on foreign holdings that Fenech told Gaerty he had paid taxes on in 2016, and which “the witch” first wrote about in 2017.  Caruana Galizia had first made a cryptic reference to Fenech’s company 17 Black in February 2017. She was blown up by a car bomb outside her home eight months later.  Fenech has been charged with complicity in the murder. He denies the charges. Caruana Galizia family lawyer Therese Comodini Cachia told the court that Gaerty replied to Fenech’s message by telling him not to worry or play into anyone’s hands [Tpaxxi lil ħadd].  'I never broke the law' Confronted by the lawyer about his familiarity with Fenech, Gaerty struck an apologetic tone, claiming he [Gaerty] was going through a...

The Bavarian village of Gundremmingen is so proud of its nuclear power station that its coat of arms is graced with a giant golden atom. But change is coming to the village, with the plant facing imminent closure under Germany's decision to abandon nuclear energy following the 2011 Fukushima meltdown in Japan. Former mayor Wolfgang Mayer's house has direct views of the imposing complex with its two 160-metre cooling towers - taller than the spires of Cologne Cathedral. The plant still produces 10 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of power per year, though parts of it have already been shut down - enough to provide the entire Munich metropolitan region with electricity. The power station will be decommissioned on December 31, 2021, along with two other facilities in northern Germany. By the end of 2022, Germany will have achieved its goal of completely phasing out nuclear power, set by Chancellor Angela Merkel on May 30, 2011. The plan represented a dramatic change of course by Merkel's ruling conservatives, who just a few months earlier had agreed to extend the lifespan of Germany's oldest power stations. It was met with widespread public support in a country with a powerful...

Police have called on the Premier League and English Football League to boost cooperation with officers in the drive to stamp out racist abuse in the game. A number of players including Manchester United trio Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Axel Tuanzebe have been targeted on social media in recent weeks. Deputy Chief Constable Mark Roberts wrote to Premier League chief executive Richard Masters and English Football League chairman Rick Parry in January but only received replies this week, according to the BBC. Continue reading this article on Sports Desk.

It took an average of 80 days last year for customers to settle invoices, according to a survey carried out by the Malta Association of Credit Management. This was three days more than the year before and relatively high when compared to the European average, the association said. The average in other European countries was 60 days for 'business-to-business' transactions, 30 days for 'business-to-customer' trade and 68 days for the public sector. The association did not provide a breakdown for Malta in its press release. The figure is known as the Average DSO – ‘days sales outstanding’. The association represents suppliers selling credit in Malta and other creditors hailing from all sectors of the economy.  It noted that the aim of good credit management is to contribute directly to profitable sales growth. Therefore, sales and revenue should not suffer at the expense of reducing DSO.

Updated 3pm with Azzopardi's reply Nationalist MP Jason Azzopardi was branded a "false and hypocrite MP” by the Labour Party amid reports that he had failed to declare his income tax returns.  During a news conference at the Labour headquarters, minister Clayton Bartolo and PL whip Glenn Bedingfield said opposition leader Bernard Grech is not credible with people like Azzopardi within his party's ranks. Azzopardi was propelled into the limelight after he alleged that permanent public secretary Mario Cutajar had abused his power to intimidate a former high-ranking inland revenue official in 2013. His accusation elicited a counter-attack from the Labour ranks, who accused him of not having filed a tax return for his 2018 income. "We have a clear demonstration of how the PN talks a lot but does not apply its own standards to itself, especially in light of Grech's own issues with the tax authorities,” Bartolo said. However, both failed to answer reporters' questions about whether the government is actually investigating Azzopardi’s claims, arguing instead there was no reason to disbelieve what Cutajar is saying. “All I know about the allegations is what is in public domain. As an...

Pulling golden thread with her frail fingers, elderly Christian Karjiya Baqtar has embroidered a precious prayer shawl to gift the most cherished visitor to her Iraqi hometown – Pope Francis. Francis will visit the northern town of Qaraqosh, ravaged in 2014 by the Islamic State jihadist group, on the third day of his history-making trip to Iraq.  Baqtar, a petite woman with veiny hands and wisps of hair gently brushed back from her face, has worked with other Christians in Qaraqosh for two months on the stole vestment. The two-metre stole is entirely locally produced – from the checkered red and black fabric to the Syriac prayers hand-stitched along its edges in glimmering gold. It was designed by Ammar Yaqo, the priest at the Al-Tahera Church in Qaraqosh.  “Khaya Baqtar wove the fabric, while Karjiya and Miss Adhraa Daaboul embroidered it,” Yaqo told AFP proudly.  The 'Our Father' and 'Hail Mary' prayers are carefully stitched on either side in Syriac, a dialect of the language spoken by Jesus Christ and still used in Qaraqosh. “This is the first time this kind of stole has been produced in Qaraqosh, and it represents the heritage of this town,” said Yaqo. Also known as...

Italian club Spezia on Friday confirmed goalkeeper Ivan Provedel was among two coronavirus positives after this week’s Serie A game against Juventus, who also have a case. Italian Provedel, 26, tested positive on Thursday along with a member of the team’s staff. “A first team staff member and the footballer Ivan Provedel tested positive for the molecular nasopharyngeal swab carried out yesterday (Thursday) and are currently in isolation,” the promoted side confirmed. Continue reading this article on Sports Desk. 

Today, more people are using a digital wallet to pay in-store. Being able to pay with your phone has many benefits, with convenience being one of the biggest. You no longer have to fumble around for your purse or wallet at the checkout – instead, you can whip out your mobile and enjoy a contactless transaction.  When it comes to digital wallets, there are two main contenders: Google Pay and Apple Pay. Below, we explore the differences between them and exactly how to use a digital wallet. Google Pay vs Apple Pay All digital wallets have the same concept. Essentially, they contain digital versions of your debit cards that are stored on your mobile phone. To keep everything secure, the card number and personal information are not stored. It's easy to set up and once you've got your cards on there you can use them in any shop that accepts contactless payments. You can also use your digital wallet when shopping online; some sites allow you to use your mobile instead of having to enter your card details for every purchase. Our online casino uses Google Pay to make transactions smooth and efficient. Apple Pay Of course, there are differences between Google Pay and Apple Pay. Apple...