Iconic British artist Marianne Faithfull fears she may never sing again after a brutal dose of COVID-19 last year, but a new album of poetry set to music has given her a beautiful outlet. The 74-year-old spoke to AFP by phone from her home in London, but sounded even further away, her voice heavy with fatigue.   "I caught it really badly and nearly died and now I've got what they call long-term COVID," she said.  "It's not the virus but it certainly feels like it. It's in my lungs so I can't talk for very long." Asked if she will sing again, she is saddened: "Darling, I don't know. I hope I can. I do singing practice once a week. A friend comes over and plays my lovely guitar and I practice.  "It's an awful thought," she added. "Whatever happens, I can't change it." But far from defeated, she has spent the past few months completing an album begun before the pandemic.  It features her reading some of her favourite poetry – Byron, Shelley, Keats and other 19th century romantics – with backing music from an all-star cast that includes Warren Ellis, Nick Cave and Brian Eno.  It was Cave that suggested She Walks In Beauty as a title. She had wanted a different line from Byron – "So...

Tesla reported a jump in first-quarter profits on Monday on surging electric vehicle sales, and the manufacturer said it was on track to boost automotive capacity at factories in three countries. The electric car maker set production and delivery records in the quarter, with the car industry upstart’s Model 3 becoming the best-selling premier sedan in the world, according to chief executive Elon Musk. “We’ve seen a real shift in customer perception of electric vehicles and our demand is the best we’ve ever seen,” Musk said on an earnings call. “Only three and a half years into production and with just two factories, for Model 3 to be out-selling its combustion engine competitors is quite remarkable.” Musk’s electric car company has faced questions in recent days following a fatal car crash in Texas and sharp criticism of the company on social media in China. But Monday’s results were strong as Tesla essentially maintained its output from the fourth quarter despite “multiple” challenges that included the semiconductor shortage that has roiled the car industry worldwide. The company reported first quarter profits of $438 million compared with $16 million in the year-ago period,...

Language schools received 10,711 bookings for the second and third quarter of this year, but these numbers will be lost and the language sector doomed if it remains shut because of extended COVID-19 measures, the federation which represents the sector warned on Tuesday. Throughout the pandemic, ELT schools, members of the Federation of English Language Teaching Schools (FELTOM), have been incessantly marketing themselves and their courses and the result of these efforts has been very positive, the federation said.  Each student booking means an average stay of three weeks. Language schools are currently restricted to just online teaching as a result of the pandemic measures. According to the survey, the extended closure over the past months for English language schools led to 2,124 cancellations. Schools also reported an additional 2,849 English language learners who postponed their travel plans indefinitely. “The English language teaching industry in Malta has, for the past 14 months, experienced financial devastation with no end in sight. The industry has been respectful of and compliant with government measures from the start and has been lobbying with the government for...

EU lawmakers voted to lift the immunity of Greek MEP Ioannis Lagos, a former leader of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party sentenced to jail in his homeland, the European Parliament said Tuesday.  Legislators overwhelmingly approved the move, with 658 backing it and only 25 opposed in a secret ballot held on Monday. The vote was held following a request from the Greek authorities after Lagos was handed a 13-year jail term along with other leaders of the far-right Golden Dawn party in October for charges including running a criminal organisation.  The ruling could not be enforced in the case of Lagos, 48, who had immunity because he was elected to the European parliament in 2019.  The marathon trial of the Golden Dawn chiefs, including founder Nikos Michaloliakos, was seen as one of the most important in Greece's modern political history.  The jail terms capped a stunning downfall for the leaders of a party which was the country's third most popular in 2015. The crackdown was sparked by the late-night murder of a 34-year-old anti-fascist rapper, Pavlos Fyssas, stabbed to death in front of a cafe in the western Athens suburb of Keratsini in September 2013. Michaloliakos, and the...

Prime Minister Robert Abela agrees with calls for a discussion on making former MPs ineligible for the post of Commissioner on Standards in Public Life. Abela was replying to a question during an unrelated press conference on Tuesday amid criticism by Labour MP Glenn Bedingfield last week addressed at the commissioner, George Hyzler, a former Nationalist parliamentary secretary. The prime minister stopped short of criticising the commissioner. He said this was an important post and one should always consider improvement, including holding a discussion on whether former MPs should be made ineligible for the post. On the possibility of having a committee of judges to evaluate reports by the commissioner, Abela said he personally disagreed. Asked about the citizenship scheme following media reports last week on how conditions for eligibility were circumvented,  the prime minister lauded the financial benefits of the scheme, including the way how, he said, it contributed to the  government efforts to support society during the pandemic.  “We cannot continue to have this targeted attack on the country,” he said, insisting that the due diligence process introduced in the IIP programme...

On Monday, April 26, Lindex opened its first store in Malta in the newly renovated Bay Street Shopping Complex, St Julian’s. Lindex also launched the online shop yesterday, so customers can also shop at www.lindex.mt. The store, which spreads over close to 700 square metres, is one of Malta’s largest fashion stores for women and kids. The customers are offered a modern shopping environment and the store has the Lindex latest interior concept that focuses on the brand’s Scandinavian heritage and sustainable mindset. Lindex’s collection within all business areas, women’s wear, kids’ wear, lingerie and cosmetics will be offered to the Maltese costumers. “We experienced a strong interest for our fashion in Malta and we are happy to finally open in this beautiful country. Usually, we like to do store openings with a lot of people but in these challenging times, our priority was to take care of each other, so we didn’t do an opening event in order to avoid any crowds," said Johan Isacson, director of franchise in Sweden. Lindex on Malta is operated by Lindex Franchise partner John Manché that has a long experience within retail on Malta. “We are very happy to open a store in Malta...

“I’ll try,” said Eden Hazard when asked in his first press conference at Real Madrid if he could now become the best player in the world.  Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi were the immovable duo but still, the suggestion was not that Hazard settle for third, a position he had already come to hover around following seven brilliant years for Chelsea.  Hazard had been the Premier League’s oustanding attacking talent and at Real Madrid, where the demands would be higher and the supporting cast more prestigious, it was not out of the question there could be more to come.  He could replace Ronaldo, fill Madrid’s creativity gap, launch a new era and perhaps even win the Ballon d’Or. “If everything goes well, why not?” said Hazard. “It’s in my head but I’m not thinking of it every day.”    Continue reading this article on Sports Desk, the new sports website by Times of Malta

The European Parliament votes Tuesday to ratify the EU's post-Brexit trade deal with Britain, but not without issuing bitter final warnings that trouble lies ahead in cross-Channel ties. The 705-member chamber is expected to overwhelmingly back the bare bones trade deal that was sealed on Christmas Eve after nine months of bad-tempered negotiation. This will officially seal Britain's new relationship with the 27-member union five years after British voters shocked the world by voting to end its 47-year membership. But the vote comes amid multiple feuds over the UK's implementation of Brexit agreements and angry finger-pointing about the supply of the Covid-19 vaccine from AstraZeneca. "We know it will not always be easy and there is a lot of vigilance, diligence and hard work ahead of us," EU chief Ursula von der Leyen told a session of parliament ahead of the vote. "But while today's vote is obviously an end, it is also the beginning of a new chapter," she said. Britain left the EU on January 30 2020, but its new life with Europe only really began after a transition period ended on December 31, when London was no longer bound by the bloc's laws and rules. Officially called a...

A total of 55 cars a day were added to our streets every day in the first quarter of this year, as the stock of licensed motor vehicles stood at 404,303, a whopping increase of 29,262 cars in just three years. The stock of licensed motor vehicles increased by 1,876 in the first quarter of 2021, when compared to the same period last year, official statistics released on Tuesday show. Out of this total, 76.5 per cent were passenger cars, 13.9 per cent were commercial motor vehicles, 8.5 per cent were motorcycles/quadricycles and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), while buses and minibuses amounted to less than one per cent. Newly-licensed motor vehicles put on the road during the period under review amounted to 4,921. A total of 67.2 per cent were passenger cars, followed by motorcycle/Ebicycle/PA-Bicycle with 970 or 19.7 per cent. Newly-licensed ‘new’ motor vehicles amounted to 2,241 of the total, whereas newly-licensed ‘used’ motor vehicles totalled 2,680 or 54.5 per cent.  Electric/hybrid make up 1.7% of stock During the first quarter of 2021, 7,513 motor vehicles were taken off the road due to a restriction. Out of these, 35.2 per cent were put up for resale, 33.7 per cent were...

A special edition Ferrari 812 Superfast is on the way, boasting the most powerful V12 ever fitted to one of the firm’s road cars. The new model is described as ‘the ultimate expression of Ferrari’s concept of an extreme front-engined berlinetta’, designed to bring the firm’s race track knowhow to this high-performance model. Want to read the full article? Visit timesmotors.com 

Germany and France on Tuesday voiced support for a call from the United States to impose a global minimum corporate tax of 21 per cent, a move which targets huge multinationals like Amazon and Google. “People are fed up with big companies for not paying their fair share of taxes,” French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told Die Zeit weekly. The minister said his country had suggested 12.5 per cent, but if the rate suggested by Washington “is the outcome of negotiations, then we would also agree to it”. Germany’s Finance Minister Olaf Scholz added in the joint interview that he had “nothing against the US suggestion”. Washington announced in early April the push for concerted action on a minimum tax rate targeting multinationals, to ensure that digital giants like Amazon pay their fair share of taxes in countries where they are generating revenues. US President Joe Biden expressed outrage that many of the world’s biggest companies have moved to tax havens or used loopholes and pay little to no tax, far less than some individuals. Germany’s Scholz said there was “now the right momentum to reach a deal in the summer” given the US push.   France in 2019 enacted a digital tax of up...

Artistes have reacted angrily to comments, or rather a slip-of-the-tongue by Culture Minister Jose' Herrera where he implied that they lack the "IQ for business". The culture minister said that reporting of his comments was "disloyal" and in a Facebook post he uploaded his video comments to reporters. He later also issued a lengthy explanation and acknowledged he could have used 'a more appropriate terminology to avoid misinterpretation'. The remarks were made after the signing of a cooperation agreement between Arts Council Malta and Malta Enterprise. Herrera had said when questioned that while creative artists in Malta were excellent in art and culture which improved the quality of life, the "IQ" of those who saw this as a vocation was not much business-oriented. It was for this reason, he said, that Arts Council Malta and Malta Enterprise had signed a Memorandum of Understanding for closer collaboration.  He pointed out that some 12,000 people are employed directly in the sector and several thousand more worked part-time. The sector contributed some 8% of GDP. 'Horrified' by minister's comments Edward Mercieca, director of a Stagecoach Malta, said he was horrified and...

Julian Nagelsmann will take over as Bayern Munich coach from next season to replace Hansi Flick, the reigning German and European champions announced on Tuesday. Nagelsmann, 33, will move from RB Leipzig on a five-year contract after Flick, whose relationship with the club’s powerful sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic has deteriorated, asked to be released from his contract. “FC Bayern agreed to current head coach Hansi Flick’s request to have his contract terminated on 30 June 2021, two years earlier than its original expiry date,” the club said in a statement. Continue reading this article on SportsDesk, the sports website of The Times of Malta

45 new COVID-19 cases were reported on Tuesday, the highest number since 60 cases were reported on April 19, but there were no new deaths from the virus. The number of active cases dropped to 400, the lowest since September 11, as 67 more patients recovered. The number of vaccine jabs increased to 318,706 with 102,535 being second doses,  1,512 swab tests were made in the past 24 hours. 

German Football Association (DFB) president Fritz Keller apologised on Monday after comparing his deputy to a Nazi judge. Keller said during a meeting last Friday that vice-president of the DFB Rainer Koch was like Roland Freisler, the head of the Nazi party’s court during the 1940s.  Freisler was also a participant at 1942’s Wannsee Conference, where it was decided that 11 million Jews should be sent to death camps. “Sometimes during controversies words are used that shouldn’t be,” Keller said in a statement. “I apologised in person and in writing to Rainer Koch, who had the goodness to accept it, my comparison was totally inappropriate, notably towards the victims of Nazism, which I deeply regret,” he added.   Continue reading this article on Sports Desk, the new sports website by Times of Malta

Malta has put Britain on the 'amber' list, allowing travel between the two countries. Britain had previously been on the 'red' list meaning that travel was banned except for exceptional cases, such as the return of nationals. But new COVID-19 cases in the UK have since dropped significantly. "After a review of the epidemiologicalnational studies in the United Kingdom, it was decided that the region will no longer be considered in the red zone for travelling, but will be lifted to the amber zone," the Malta health authorities said.  Any traveller arriving in Malta from any of the countries on the amber list is required to present a negative PCR Covid-19 test performed no more than 72 hours prior to arrival in Malta. Travellers arriving in Malta who fail to produce such a test will be submitted to testing in Malta and may be subject to quarantine. 

A court, presiding over money-laundering proceedings against Zenith Finance Limited and two former directors has directed the prosecution to “streamline” its evidence after questions were raised about its relevance. On Tuesday morning several witnesses, summoned by the prosecution, presented documentation linked to money-laundering charges faced by Matthew Pace, Lorraine Falzon and the company they owned. The sitting kicked off with an overview of investigations by prosecuting Inspector Joseph Xerri who recalled Pace’s statements to the police explaining that it was Nexia BT's Brian Tonna who had introduced him to former OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri. Schembri had then advised Adrian Hillman and Vincent Buhagiar, former managing directors of Allied Newspapers, to use the services of MFSP - the predecessor of Zenith Finance Ltd. Pace recalled how Schembri and Hillman had gone to him personally together and told him that Hillman was tendering media consultancy services to Schembri. Presented with auditor statements, Pace claimed to have “peace of mind” about the source of funds. That was between 2010 and 2012 when current legislation was not applicable, the witness...

Maltese athletes stole the show during the third edition of the International EAP Sicily World Meeting held last weekend in Catania claiming no less than 14 medals, six of which were gold. Competing against a quality field comprising of Italian and other international athletes, the 28 Maltese athletes – the largest foreign contingent, representing ten local clubs – obtained excellent results in all fields, dominating particularly in the middle and longer distances as well as in field events. Besides the significant medal haul, Maltese athletes broke four event records, three in the senior category and one in the Under 18 category, the latter of which is an EAP Under 18 record. Continue reading this article on SportsDesk, the sports website of The Times of Malta

Deborah Schembri has been appointed the new director-general of the Malta Developers Association, the lobby group announced on Tuesday. The former Labour MP and junior minister replaces another ex-politician, former Nationalist MP Marthese Portelli, in the MDA role.   In a statement announcing her appointment, the MDA described its new director-general as “a target-oriented person, known for her excellent communicative skills and calm demeanour.” “The MDA is confident that Dr Schembri enjoys the trust of both its members and the general public and has full faith in her capability,” it said. Schembri brings significant experience of Malta’s property and planning sector with her to the MDA, having served as parliamentary secretary for planning during her time in politics, which began in 2013 and ended in 2017 when she failed to get reelected. She was then handed a consultancy deal at the Lands Authority which she had set up during her time as junior minister, serving as a legal counsel to the authority. She later also landed another consultancy job at the Planning Authority, another agency she led during her time as a politician. The MDA said Schembri has now relinquished her...

Telecoms company Epic has started the roll-out of a new fibre network which will see users benefit from speeds up to 2000Mbps – a speed which has never been available for households in Malta up to now. Company officials said at a press conference that the new network is part of its “Great Network, Great Value” pledge. The company observed that according to the most recent MCA Key Market Indicators, published in April 2021, close to half of broadband connections in Malta are still slower than 100 Mbps whilst the average broadband price in Malta has increased by 10% since 2016. "Epic wants to take a bold step to accelerate take-up of Gigabit speeds. The company will do so by offering 20 times faster speeds than a basic 100Mbps Fibre internet connection available in the market today. This is also double the top speed from other broadband providers. The new Epic 2000Mbps service is as affordable as the price of a basic connection on the market, starting from €24.99 per month," they said. For business customers, Epic is launching a special package with double the upload speeds and Dedicated Business Support. Epic also displayed its new Fibre Box which boasts of a Future WIFI...