Bitcoin is to become legal tender in El Salvador, the country’s president said, making it the first nation to adopt a cryptocurrency for everyday use. Lawmakers in the Central American nation’s Congress passed a bill late on Tuesday that will eventually allow the famously volatile digital currency to be used for many aspects of daily life, from property purchases to tax contributions. “The #BitcoinLaw has just been approved by a qualified majority” in the legislative assembly, President Nayib Bukele tweeted after the vote late on Tuesday. “History!” the president added. The 39-year-old leader said a majority of 62 out of 84 lawmakers approved the bill, which he proposed just last week.  The law passed with the support of Bukele’s allies despite minority opposition parties – who had criticised the speed of the vote – refusing to back it. Cryptocurrencies have soared in popularity due to their use as a store of value, the relative anonymity they offer users and wild price fluctuations that present opportunities for greater profits than investing on the regular stock exchanges of the world. The volatility of bitcoin – currently priced at $33,814 – and its murky legal status have...

Three years of restoration work on Torri L-Abjad (the White Tower) in Marfa were formally completed with a reopening ceremony on Wednesday. The watchtower was built in 1658 by the Knights of St John, along with 12 others dotting the coastline. The newly restored tower will be open to the public for educational purposes. Part of the tower will offer dormitory facilities for groups while another section features information on the cultural heritage of the area. The tower also includes a marine education centre for children. The restoration works were handled by Din l-Art Ħelwa, whose head of restoration, Stanley Farrugia Randon, said the structure was in a state of disrepair. “The first thing we had to do was to dismantle the illegal structures attached to it, and we had to do so without access to electricity, which wasn’t easy,” he said. He detailed the rich history of the building, which was built by Grandmaster de Redin. For a time, while Malta was under British rule, the tower was also used by the British forces. “In 1918 they decided to use the place as a hydrophone station, installing devices to detect any enemy submarines approaching Malta.” “While we were excavating we...

The single case of the Delta variant of COVID-19 found in Malta so far had not been abroad in the previous two weeks, the Superintendent of Public Health, Charmaine Gauci, said on Wednesday. Replying to questions on Times of Malta’s Ask Charmaine programme, Gauci explained that the Delta variant is the variant first identified in India. She said that the patient had been in isolation and close contacts had all tested negative. Replying to various other questions, Gauci said there had been no let-up by the authorities regarding the testing rate, and anyone who felt ill should come forward. “We want to find whatever is out there” she said, adding that Malta always exceeded the minimum testing set by the international bodies. See the programme in full below. Gauci replied to various questions on the EU vaccine certificate due to be used across borders from July 1. She said that Malta was in an advanced testing phase and looked forward to joining the programme. She explained that the certificate, which locally started being rolled out last week, is issued only to people who have been fully vaccinated. Children, who do not take the vaccines, will still need to be tested 72 hours...

UEFA have rejected the appeal lodged by Ħamrun Spartans against the European governing body’s decision of banning the newly-crowned Premier League champions from competing in this season’s Champions League. The Spartans, who last month were declared as the 2020-21 Premier League champions, were banned from the 2021-22 Champions League last week after two club officials were found guilty of match-fixing back in 2013.  The club appealed that verdict, but its bid for inclusion in European football's most prestigious competition was unsuccessful. Malta will now be represented in next season's Champions League by local league runners up Hibernians.  Continue reading this article on SportsDesk, the sports website of the Times of Malta

Updated 2.10pm, adds Birdlife statement Brussels has threatened to take Malta to court over the trapping of songbirds, which it says violates conservation laws.   The European Commission said it had sent the Maltese government a legal opinion on the practice of trapping finches, and gave it one month to reply or possibly face action before the European Court of Justice.  In 2018, the European Court of Justice effectively banned the long-time practice in Malta of trapping protected songbirds. The Luxembourg court declared that, by allowing the live capture of seven species of protected wild finches, Malta had been failing to fulfil its conservation obligations under the EU’s Wild Birds Directive. Still, the government last year went ahead and opened a season under the guise of a scientific study to ring birds and re-release them. In March Times of Malta reported that the government had written to the Commission to inform it that it plans to continue allowing trapping for research purposes this year too. In an announcement made on Wednesday as part of its infringements notices and updates for June, Brussels said it had found Malta’s position “unsatisfactory”.   Bypassing the...

A single new COVID-19 case was reported on Wednesday, the same as on Tuesday. No new cases were detected for the first time in 11 months on Monday. The health authorities said on Wednesday that three patients had recovered, leaving 68 active cases. Malta's positivity rate is now down to 0.1%. The number of vaccination jabs has risen to 564,718 with 243,252 people now fully vaccinated.  Charmaine Gauci, the superintendent of public health, said on the Ask Charmaine programme that major progress had been made since the high number of cases in March and only three people were in hospital as a result of the virus. She insisted that discipline needs to be maintained so that summer can be enjoyed by all. Mitigation measures need to be maintained because the pandemic was still out there and one could not take risks, she said. The irresponsibility of a few could cause other people to suffer, she cautioned.  

The UK government has criticised graduate students at the University of Oxford who removed a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, claiming it represented a colonial past that many found offensive. The move comes as students across the country have played a leading role in protests against historical figures with links to the British empire or slavery. The queen "has become the latest victim of cancel culture", or ostracism of those whose opinions are deemed unacceptable, the right-leaning Daily Telegraph wrote on Wednesday. Graduate students at Magdalen College took down the colourised print of the queen from their recreation room after a majority vote, because "for some students, depictions of the monarch and the British monarchy represent recent colonial history", The Times reported. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson reacted angrily Tuesday night, calling the move "simply absurd". "She is the head of state and a symbol of what is best about the UK," he tweeted. Hanging portraits of the queen is not customary in state educational institutions, but some colleges at Cambridge and Oxford universities have portraits on display. "It was decided that the room should be a welcoming,...

Five people are being sought by court order to appear before a magistrate, the police said on Wednesday. They are  Andres Felipe Quimbaya Nieto, a 23-year-old Spaniard;  Emmi Amanda Kumpulainen, a 21-year old Finn,  Habte Mariam Tsegethans, 31 from Eritrea;Emanuele Rebora, a 36-year-old Italian, and Ibrahim Yassine, a 40-year-old Libyan. Anyone having information was asked to phone even anonymously, on  21224001 / 119 or contact a police station. The police issued pictures of only three of the wanted persons.

Updated 1.50pm with Malta reaction Brussels has taken the first step in the road to legal proceedings against Malta over its new cash-for-passports scheme.   In an announcement on Wednesday, the European Commission said it had decided to send Malta what is known as a letter of formal notice - the first step that could end in Malta being hauled before the European Courts of Justice.   Brussels believes that by selling EU passports, Malta departs from the common basic understanding that nationality is the expression of a special relationship of allegiance, solidarity and a genuine link between the state and its people. Malta has now been given two months to take all measures necessary to address the Commission's concerns. If the government's reply is unsatisfactory, the Commission could take the next step and issue a 'reasoned opinion' before finally taking Malta to the EU's court.  The Commission is also taking similar steps against Cyprus.  "While Cyprus and Malta remain responsible to decide who may become Cypriot and Maltese, the Court of Justice has made it clear on multiple occasions that rules on the acquisition of the nationality of a Member State must do so having 'due...

The phrase “a lot can happen in a year” seems rather fitting for the shipping industry, then employing blanked sailings not to trigger a supply-demand imbalance that could negatively impact the freight rate and ultimately hurt profitability margins. An industry that initially seemed to be sailing in treacherous waters have navigated 2020 well. This, notwithstanding the challenges faced, notably; the introduction of IMO2020 – an environmental regulation set to reduce emissions released from vessels, and disruptions stemming from the unprecedented coronavirus outbreak. Optimistic results achieved by the majority of shipping companies and thus turnaround was a result of; stringent capacity deployment through blanked sailings, lower-than-expected bunker fuel price, and ultimately a less severe decline in global trade volumes than previously anticipated. The outlook, following an uptick in demand and resultant surge in freight rates, improved.  Strong fundamentals; sustained demand  The global pandemic situation, albeit less profound owing to vaccination programmes being well underway, at least, in the developed market world, continues to prevail.  The health crisis and ensuing...

Statements made by a Nationalist MP in parliament took centre stage in court on Wednesday, as Yorgen Fenech’s lawyers argued that the comments linking the Electrogas project to the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia had breached their client’s right to a fair hearing.  Fenech’s lawyers highlighted the statements made by Beppe Fenech Adami during a public accounts committee hearing last week during a brief session at the ongoing compilation of evidence against the man accused of complicity in Caruana Galizia’s murder. “On a day by day basis we are facing inroads and infringements of rights… in hindsight we’ll say that there was a travesty of justice,” started off defence lawyer Charles Mercieca, while making submissions about the application filed by Fenech on June 1.  Running through the arguments made in that application, Mercieca stressed that Fenech Adami had repeated the assertions he made before the parliamentary committee on his Facebook page. Moreover, his fellow MP Karol Aquilina, who had signed the reply to Fenech’s application and who represented Fenech Adami in court on Wednesday, had adopted his colleague’s statement, repeating it on television.  Fenech Adami...

Five months after it became the first major streaming hit of 2021, Lupin will return on Friday with fans desperate to see how Omar Sy’s gentleman-burglar escapes the latest cliffhanger.  Netflix delivered only the first five episodes of the show in January, inspired by the cat-and-mouse novels of Maurice Leblanc from the early 20th century, because the pandemic interrupted filming last year.  Sy plays Assane Diop, a fan of the novels who uses the character of Lupin as he seeks vengeance for his wrongly-accused father. The combination of a charismatic lead, Parisian backdrops and an undercurrent of race relations made it the first bona fide made-in-France hit for Netflix, which is investing heavily in the country. But despite the winning ingredients, Sy himself seemed rather perplexed when asked why it was so popular. “I really don’t know!” he told reporters at a Netflix round-table, laughing.  “When something like that happens the thing is just to embrace it and don’t try to understand. It’s just beautiful, I’m very happy and thrilled.” Writer George Kay, who also helped pen recent TV hits Criminal and Killing Eve, said the season takes a tense turn in the second half.   Assane...

Select restaurants will be handing out €15 vouchers to customers who spend their government vouchers there, as part of a new scheme that launches on Thursday.   The new voucher scheme will allow customers to use their red €15 voucher at restaurants forming part of the scheme, and receive another €15 voucher in exchange, to be used specifically at that establishment.  Customers will be offered the equivalent number of vouchers that they have used at that restaurant.  The new voucher scheme was launched by the Association of Catering Establishments, a sectoral lobby group. Forty of the association's 400 members have pushed the incentive, which will be open to all ACE members.  Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo said the incentive would complement the current government voucher scheme, which kicked off on Monday for residents who downloaded their €100 consumer vouchers to use at retail and catering establishments.  There are four red vouchers of €15 each to be used in restaurants and tourist establishments and four blue vouchers of €10 each for retail and beauty outlets.  “This scheme will strengthen restaurants that had to adapt during the pandemic and means that families get to...

Importing a second-hand car from the EU could soon become cheaper, as Brussels has told Malta to change its registration rules.   On Wednesday the European Commission sent Malta what is known as a reasoned opinion over what it says are discriminatory rules on registering cars and other motor vehicles imported from the EU.   Malta has been given two months to rectify the situation or could face legal action in the European Courts of Justice.   According to Maltese tax rules, cars registered after 2009 and imported from other Member States are taxed more heavily than similar cars registered in Malta before that date.  The rules were put in place by the government in 2008 in a bid to protect local car import companies from far cheaper second-hand imports from the EU.   In its latest infringement update on Wednesday, Brussels said it considers the Maltese rules incompatible with the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, prohibiting discrimination against imported products since cars purchased from other Member States are taxed more heavily compared to domestic cars.  The Maltese car taxation system does not take into account the date of first registration of the vehicle,...

More than a dozen Indonesian McDonald's outlets were temporarily shuttered Wednesday over virus fears as the chain's new BTS meal deal sparked frenzied buying from fans in the K-pop mad country.  Jakarta and several other cities slapped closure stickers on at least 13 outlets that were deluged with online food-delivery drivers picking up a meal set named after the hugely popular Korean boy band.  "We temporarily closed four of six McDonald's stores here in Semarang for a couple of days," said Fajar Purwoto, the city's public order agency head. "I don't want Semarang to be in the COVID-19 red zone again". Indonesia is one of the hardest-hit nations in Asia. Jakarta authorities did not respond to requests for comment.  But local media said five stores in the capital were shut over BTS-meal orders. The meal set of chicken nuggets, fries and a drink, first made available in Indonesia Wednesday, has been on offer in dozens of countries since May. BTS have become global superstars with millions of fans around the world since their debut in 2013.

Spain have set up a “parallel” squad of 17 reserves for Euro 2020 who may have to play if the COVID-19 infections among its players spread, team management said on Wednesday.  In a decision announced just hours after Spain defender Diego Llorente became the second player to test positive for COVID-19, the Spanish football federation (RFEF) announced in a statement posted on its website that it was setting up a “parallel bubble”. The RFEF said it had called in 11 players to join six backups who were already acting as cover for the coronavirus-hit first-choice squad.  Captain Sergio Busquets tested positive on Sunday, just a week before Spain open their Euro campaign on Monday, playing Sweden in Group E in the southern city of Seville.  Continue reading this article on SportsDesk, the sports website of the Times of Malta

Protesters occupied the entrances of the main court house in Bulgaria's capital Sofia on Wednesday, seeking to bar the country's chief prosecutor from his office over allegations he has failed to investigate widespread corruption. The latest protest against Ivan Geshev comes a month ahead of snap elections on July 11 after previous polls in April returned a fragmented parliament with long-time prime minister Boyko Borisov failing to secure a fresh mandate. Critics have accused Geshev of protecting oligarchs since his appointment to the top job in late 2019, with protests against him snowballing into months of public discontent last summer against Borisov's government. Mass protests last summer had also called for Geshev's resignation. The US last week blacklisted six Bulgarians - including notorious oligarch and media mogul Delyan Peevski and ex-gambling tycoon Vasil Bojkov - for their "extensive" roles in corruption, sparking a fresh round of demonstrations.  Several tents put up by dozens of protesters outside the Justice Palace in Sofia carried slogans that called Geshev as a "mafioso" and "disgrace".  They also called for help from the European chief prosecutor, reading...

A national strategy on the rights of disabled persons was formally launched for public consultation on Wednesday. The strategy, “Freedom to Live”, Malta’s 2021-2030 National Strategy on the Rights of Disabled Persons (see pdf link below), was launched by Inclusion Minister Julia Farrugia Portelli. It was developed by the Office for Disability Issues (ODI) within the Office of the Permanent Secretary through a working group made up of key experts over the past years.  ODI representative Alistair de Gaetano said the strategy is made up of 13 objectives each containing a number of actions linked to specific timeframes for implementation. The objectives follow on from the topics covered in Malta’s 2014 National Policy on the Rights of Persons with Disability and address key issues necessary to ensure the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) at a domestic level, with particular attention being paid to Malta’s particularities, strengths and key challenges. Farrugia Portelli emphasised that, aside from mirroring international obligations binding Malta, the objectives are linked to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development...

Devastated, Oleksandr Zinchenko laid face down on the pitch of the Estadio do Dragao in Porto, where his club, Manchester City, lost the Champions League final to Chelsea. An hour earlier, the defender had been partly culpable for allowing Chelsea midfielder Kai Havertz to score what would prove to be the winning goal in the all-English final. It was not only the 24-year-old left-back at fault, but rather the entire City defence, as the club blew their chance to win the Champions League for the first time. “Impossible to describe my feelings right now,” Zinchenko wrote on Instagram.   Continue reading this article on Sports Desk, the new sports website by Times of Malta

The European Parliament on Wednesday approved almost €90 billion in funding for use by the 27 governments of EU states in the next seven years.  Malta stands to receive €124 million at current prices out of that funding pool, which will stretch to 2027. The money is part of the European Social Fund Plus, which pools together several EU funds and programmes targeting youth, health and employment initiatives. Parliament adopted the fund during its first plenary session in Strasbourg since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Funds can be used: for employees to improve their skills through various training courses; for employers to encourage employees to enhance their output and aim at growing within that workplace; for individuals who lost their job during the pandemic and want to find a new place of employment; for the most deprived to be provided with food; for persons with disabilities to be provided with opportunities; through various schemes to ensure that youth are provided with education, training or work; through various schemes run by councils in Malta and Gozo. The MEP vote comes after the European Parliament reached an agreement with the European Council over the...