These are the leading articles in today’s local newspapers. Times of Malta reports that Daphne Caruana Galizia murder suspect Yorgen Fenech and his associates have been charged with money laundering  The newspaper also reports how lifeguards saved two children from drowning over the weekend. The Malta Independent also leads with news that Fenech has been charged with money laundering while it also reports that the PA board is set to discuss the new Manoel Island masterplan on Thursday.  L-Orizzont leads with about industrial action by the GWU at the Central Bank. The newspaper also reports on the situation in Afghanistan. In-Nazzjon leads PN's criticism that after a month, the government had yet to act on the findings of the public inquiry into the murder of Caruana Galizia. It also reports on how a PN government would tackle obesity.  In a third story, the newspaper says Prime Minister Robert Abela is watching the gap between the two parties get smaller as the Labour Party deals with "internal problems".

Obituary MICALLEF. On August 29, JOAN, of Gżira, aged 70, passed away peacefully comforted by the rites of Holy Church. She leaves to mourn her loss her nephew Kenneth Micallef Doublesin and his wife Mariella, her niece Liliana Overend née Micallef Doublesin and her husband Ruben, her beloved grandnephews Maya, Jamie, Giuliana and Antonio, many other relatives and friends. Mass praesente cadavere will be celebrated on Thursday, September 2, at 8.30am, at the parish church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Gżira. Mass will be followed by a private interment in the family grave at Santa Maria Addolorata Cemetery.Lord, grant her eternal rest. The family would like to thank the staff at Sir Anthony Mamo Oncology Centre at Mater Dei Hospital and all the nurses at Hospice Malta. In Memoriam LUCAS – DAVID. Yesterday, the 28th anniversary of his passing on to the eternal life. May our Lord Jesus Christ grant him eternal rest. Deeply missed and fondly remembered by Ian and all the family. SAID – CARMELA. Treasured memories of a dear mother, grandmother and great-grand-mother, today being the 27th anniversary of her demise. So sadly missed by her family. May she rest in peace. SMITH. In...

Recently, questions arose regarding the sentencing procedures applied by our courts. While such a discussion never ceases in the legal camp, the recent case of two Turkish mothers found travelling with falsified documents gave rise to a different set of questions. Was the first court’s decision proportionate? Was enough consideration given to the entirety of the situation? Should children’s rights play a role in these decisions? If so, what extent of scrutiny should be afforded? The appellate court thoroughly considered the above and concluded that, while the first court’s decision was within the parameters of law in its sentencing procedure, not enough consideration was afforded to the extraordinary and mitigating circumstances. The first court’s impulsive decision to imprison the women for six months failed to consider that they are mothers and the primary caregivers to two young boys, which would lead to the children being ripped away from their mothers’ arms, with no other familiar face to offer them comfort. What does this rash decision say about our system and its treatment of human rights and children’s rights? Didn’t we, as a nation, voluntarily sign the Convention on...

The expression ‘fake news’ began to be widely used under the legislation of Donald Trump and it gave rise to what is known as the ‘post-truth’ era where what is sought for is not the reporting of objective facts but lies or half-truths disguised as real facts that appeal to the emotion rather than to reason. People believe this news not because it is true but because it seems right. In our tiny Malta, we have had our fair share of fake news. But the latest attacks on individuals such as Manuel Delia and news sites or blogs such as Truth be Told, Newsbook, Lovin’ Malta, Net News and the Repubblika website have taken this deceit to alarming proportions. In all these cases, their online pages have been copied exactly to look like the real thing, only what is put into them is completely false and distorted. Interestingly, these fake news are mainly in English and some really make an effort to copy the authors’ style in order to lure readers into believing that what they are reading is either true or written by a poisoned mind.  This results, as our great author Immanuel Mifsud has pointed out, in mass confusion which he labels ‘dizziness’ (sturdament) because people are so confused...

The Taliban joyously fired guns into the air and offered words of reconciliation on Tuesday, as they celebrated defeating the United States and returning to power after two decades of war that devastated Afghanistan. The last of 6,000 US troops who oversaw a desperate evacuation effort flew out of Kabul airport on Monday night, ending the war that has diminished the United States' status as a superpower. Taliban fighters quickly swept into the airport and fired weapons into the sky in jubilation, an astonishing return after US forces invaded in 2001 and toppled the hardline Islamists for supporting Al-Qaeda. "Congratulations to Afghanistan... this victory belongs to us all," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told reporters hours later from the runway of the airport. Mujahid said the Taliban's victory was a "lesson for other invaders". However the Taliban have repeatedly promised a more tolerant and open brand of rule compared with their first stint in power, and Mujahid continued that theme. "We want to have good relations with the US and the world. We welcome good diplomatic relations with them all," he said. Many Afghans are terrified of a repeat of the Taliban's initial...

Simon Schembri was one of the many in blue who, away from the limelight, day in day out, do their duty to protect society. The officer was unknown but became a national hero when he was almost killed and lost part of his arm when he was dragged under a speeding car he tried to stop. This incident again brought to the fore the fact that being a policeman is not an ordinary job. Schembri’s daughter could not have put it better when, in a tribute on social media when her father retired, she wrote about “25 years of saving lives, helping others, going through fire for people…” It is, therefore, not only imperative that the contribution made by police officers to society is fully acknowledged in tangible and pecuniary ways but also that the police force has the best people. ‘Join the blue’, says a document titled A guide to joining the Malta police. “To be the best we can be, we need to attract the best,” it says. Regrettably, judging by the latest news, the force is not only failing to “attract the best” but even having difficulty ensuring that those who leave are replaced and we speak here only of quantity, not quality. The blue the document speaks about, obviously referring to the...

Defending champion Naomi Osaka stretched her Grand Slam win streak to 16 matches on Monday at the US Open while Greek third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas struggled past Andy Murray in five sets. Osaka, seeking her third US Open crown in four years, defeated 87th-ranked Czech Marie Bouzkova 6-4, 6-1 at a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium to book a second-round matchup with Serbian qualifier Olga Danilovic. “It feels kind of crazy to play in front of everyone again,” Osaka said. “I feel really comfortable here. I’m just glad I won.” Osaka beat Bouzkova in their only prior meeting in the first round of this year’s Australian Open on the way to her fourth Grand Slam title. Continue reading this article on SportsDesk, the sports website of the Times of Malta    

Simone Biles said on Monday the mental health concerns that led to her dramatic withdrawal from several events at the Tokyo Olympics had begun before she even arrived in Japan. The US gymnastics superstar caused a sensation at the Olympics last month after pulling out of the team final competition before later withdrawing from the individual all-around competition. Biles, 24, regarded by many as the greatest gymnast of all time and who had been strongly tipped to win multiple gold medals in Japan, said she had withdrawn in order to prioritize her mental health. In a video conversation with her mother released by sponsors Athleta on Monday, Biles said her problems had built up over time. Continue reading this article on SportsDesk, the sports website of the Times of Malta

Melita Ltd has opened a new outlet in the centre of Paola. As with all other Melita outlets, the new premises features the latest technology and processes required to deliver the best possible customer experience while ensuring the safety and well-being of all. Kevin Borg, director of sales at Melita Ltd, said: “While many of our customer interactions now happen through digital channels or over the phone, a physical presence in the community is still very important for Melita and for our customers. In recent years we have continued to invest in our outlets to ensure we have the adequate technology and processes in place to serve customers well while ensuring that all our employees get the best training possible. “The introduction of intelligent queuing systems and a self-installation process are just two examples of innovations that have improved customer service but also helped us safeguard everyone’s safety during the COVID pandemic.” Melita’s new outlet in Paola, as is the case with all Melita outlets, also includes a self-service machine which allows customers who wish to settle their bills via a cash payment to do so quickly and directly through this machine without the...

Blitz Valletta is today holding an online public conversation between artist Adrian Paci, Amanda Means, trustee of the John Coplans Trust, and Blitz curator Sara Dolfi Agostini. The artist is currently participating in Gravity, a group show with Kane Cali, John Coplans, Jesse Darling, Simon Fujiwara, Eva Kotátková and Pierre Portelli, at Blitz in St Lucy Street. Paci, who was born in Shkodër, Albania, studied painting at the Academy of Art of Tirana. In 1997 he moved to Milan, Italy. Throughout his career he held numerous solo shows in various international institutions and participated in many group shows. His work has also been featured in the 14th International Architecture Exhibition at the Venice Biennale, Italy (2014); the 48th and the 51st International Art Exhibition at the Venice Biennale, Italy (respectively in 1999 and 2005); the 15th Biennale of Sydney, Australia (2006); the 15th Quadriennale of Roma, Italy, where he won the first prize (2008); the Biennale of Lyon, France (2009); and the 4th Thessaloniki Biennale of Contemporary Art, Greece (2013). He teaches painting and visual art at Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti NABA, Milan, Italy. He has also given art lectures...

A 54-year-old man had to be rushed to Mater Dei Hospital on Monday afternoon after he fell off a ladder at a house in Cospicua.  In a statement on Tuesday, the police said the accident, which happened at a house in Sur Santa Liena in Cospicua, occured when the man fell of a ladder. He was rushed to Mater Dei where his injuries were found to be grievious.  The police said investigations are still underway. 

The front pages of Times of Malta from 25 and 10 years ago.  Become a Times of Malta premium member to gain full access to our archive dating back to January 1930.

The European Union on Monday recommended that its member states reimpose travel restrictions on US tourists over rising COVID infections in the country. The European Council, which represents the bloc's 27 governments, said it was taking six territories off its list of locations exempted from restrictions on non-essential travel during the coronavirus pandemic. "Israel, Kosovo, Lebanon, Montenegro, the Republic of North Macedonia and the United States of America were removed from the list," a statement said. The move is not binding on national capitals, which may yet choose to allow fully vaccinated US travellers to visit despite concerns about rising numbers of COVID cases in the country. But most EU members have followed Brussels' travel advice during the crisis so far. "This is without prejudice to the possibility for member states to lift the temporary restriction on non-essential travel to the EU for fully vaccinated travellers," the statement said.  Non-essential travel into the bloc from outside the EU and eight associated countries -- Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican -- has been restricted. Some countries and...

At the G10 Meeting in Rome 1971, US Treasury Secretary John Connolly proclaimed to his (mainly European) counterparts: “The dollar is our currency, but it’s your problem.” President Joe Biden in 2021 might as well have expressed himself to his European allies in similar terms on the Afghan withdrawal: “The US military is our resource. What we choose to do or not do with it is your problem.” Shock and dismay have been the European reactions to the chaotic, rushed and unedifying US pullout from Afghanistan, without much consultation with NATO allies. No amount of cajoling from Britain or France could shake President Biden’s determination to be out of there by today – and damn the consequences. It is easy to paint this as a post-Trump America continuing to disengage from the world, despite Biden’s warm words following his election. That the US has started to pursue, above all else, what it believes to be in its national interest and what plays well to a domestic audience. But the reality is that the US, like all other countries, always has and always will pursue its national interest. Governments are elected in the expectation that they will do just that for their citizens. And...

You click on a link and the outline of a familiar news site appears on your screen. The article that loads makes some incredible claims, but something is not quite right. The website address, or URL, is very similar to that of the site you thought you were on. But it is not exactly the same.  Welcome to the world of website spoofing – a technique used by internet criminals and tricksters to fool people into visiting fraudulent websites by mimicking legitimate and recognised ones. Spoof sites will often look extremely similar to the website they are imitating and will also have a very similar web address, for instance, www.timesofmalta.eu rather than www.timesofmalta.com.   Spoofing is a form of phishing - a social engineering online attack in which a person or entity dupes a victim into handing over their data, including passwords or credit card information, by posing as a trusted person, company or website. Locally, phishing attacks have risen exponentially over the past year, with online fraudsters posing as several local companies and even the COVID-19 vaccine service to try and steal user data.  Common theme to local spoofs A concerted disinformation campaign targeting Malta...

Fabio Spiteri will embark on another gruelling challenge as plans to cycle around Sicily non-stop in under 48 hours to collect funds for animal shelters in Malta and Sicily. In 2020, ultra-athlete Spiteri cycled around Sicily in two days and eight hours covering 950km in the process. Spiteri bettered his previous time by 16 hours and was the third-fastest cyclist in history to do so. Although Spiteri is all too familiar with the Sicilian coastline having trained there for his many Ironman triathlons, last year’s challenge was perhaps the most arduous.  If the distance and the time limit he set himself weren’t enough, he had to contend with the appalling weather conditions which battered him and his backup team for hours on end. Continue reading this article on SportsDesk, the sports website of the Times of Malta

Traders took a step back in Asian trade on Tuesday as they struggled to extend Wall Street’s rally, with sentiment jolted by data suggesting China’s economic recovery was slowed down by an outbreak of the fast-spreading Delta COVID variant. The positive energy stoked by a pledge from Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell to be cautious in withdrawing the bank’s vast financial support appeared to have dissipated, replaced by fresh concerns over Beijing’s crackdown on private enterprises and the ever-present spectre of the coronavirus. Further records for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq in New York were not enough to spur buying on Tuesday after China released figures showing activity in the services industry contracted last month for the first time since February 2020. Authorities imposed strict travel restrictions on swathes of the country this month to contain its worst outbreak of COVID since the beginning of the pandemic last year with dozens of cities affected and tens of millions of people subject to containment measures. The moves saw flights cancelled and tourist spots closed while events were called off in a bid to nip the flare-up in the bud. The “data again reflected the outsized...

Good morning and welcome to the Times of Malta transfer deadline day blog. The summer transfer window comes to an end today and the future of several football players such as Kylian Mbappe and Mauro Icardi will be decided today. Stay with us to follow all the latest transfer news from all over Europe, including the Maltese Premier League. 08.00 We kick off with some news on the biggest transfer saga in the last few days... Kylian Mbappe's desire to move to Real Madrid from Paris St Germain. SkySports News is reporting that PSG have no chance of convincing Mbappe to sign a new contract. The player told PSG again on Monday night he would not sign a deal. He will be professional and keep giving 100 per cent for PSG until next summer when his contract runs out. He is planning to sign a pre-contract agreement with Real Madrid in January. He knows all the biggest clubs will want him next year but he wants to sign for Madrid. Continue reading this article on SportsDesk, the sports website of the Times of Malta

The entire board of Iceland’s football federation (KSI) has resigned after a woman accused it of covering up claims of alleged sexual assault by a national squad player. KSI chairman, Gudni Bergsson, already stepped down late Sunday and the association issued a statement acknowledging that its board had not handled the situation correctly. Now, following an emergency five-hour session on Monday, the board’s other 16 members resigned as well, KSI said in a statement later that day. On Friday, Thorhildur Gyda Arnarsdottir, now 25, had told public broadcaster RUV that a member of the national team had grabbed her crotch and grabbed her by the neck, before assaulting her with another individual, in a Reykjavik nightclub in September 2017. Continue reading this article on SportsDesk, the sports website of the Times of Malta

A 101-year-old driver has been given the chance to get behind the wheel of an electric vehicle, 90 years after his first driving experience. Born in 1920, Harold Baggott’s first driving experience came behind the wheel of a Ford Model T at the age of 10. He would drive his family’s milk delivery float on a local farm. Baggott got his driving licence in 1936 in the first year they were introduced, and got his first car one year later. He bought the Ford 8 Popular for £100, and replaced it with a Ford Anglia the following year. Read the full story at timesmotors.com