It is poor water management, not bad weather, that is to blame for Maltese roads flooding following heavy rains, the ADPD has argued. Malta’s green party noted that some laws – most notably that requiring all new buildings to have a well – were being ignored by the Planning Authority and Water Services Corporation, resulting in huge amounts of water being dumped into sewage systems, overflowing them. The ADPD had already argued this point back in September, when the first rains following summer led to flooding in some areas.   “Even though no one can control how much it rains there is a lot we can do to minimise its impact. It’s not bad weather that floods our roads but lack of adequate management of this water resource over many years,” said party chairperson Carmel Cacopardo. Cacopardo was speaking during an online press conference held on Saturday morning, one day after Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg attributed widespread flooding of roads on Thursday to climate change and extreme weather events. One month’s worth of rain fell on Malta in the space of just a few hours on Thursday morning, flooding roads, fields and homes and requiring the Civil Protection Department to...

Real Madrid will need to capitalise on their excellent run of form to extend their lead at the top of La Liga when they face third-placed Sevilla on Sunday.  Madrid have won seven and drawn one of their last eight games in all competitions and look by far the most reliable team in Spain after a stop-start few weeks for their rivals.  Sevilla are only two points behind Carlo Ancelotti’s side ahead of their visit to the Santiago Bernabeu but they are yet to establish the kind of solidity and consistency that kept them in the race at the top almost to the end of the last season.   Continue reading this article on Sports Desk, the new sports website by Times of Malta

A Civil Protection Department training exercise in a Gżira high-rise caused some traffic confusion on Saturday morning, with Sliema-bound motorists diverted away from the seafront. The training exercise, at the 17 East tower, is focused on ensuring CPD firefighters are prepared to handle emergency situations in high-rise buildings. It was announced by the CPD on its Facebook page. Several CPD fire trucks and ambulances lined Triq ix-Xatt for the training, with police officers blocking off traffic heading towards Sliema.   Although originally scheduled to run from 9am to 12pm on Saturday, eyewitnesses told Times of Malta that officials on-site were advising motorists that the road would remain closed until 2pm.   Heavy traffic in the area on Saturday morning.

Ninety-five new COVID-19 cases were reported on Saturday, as the number of virus patients requiring hospital treatment remained unchanged at 12. No deaths were reported overnight.   Data released by the Health Ministry showed that 47 virus patients recovered over the past day. As a result, the number of active virus cases currently stands at 1,051.  On Friday, 12 virus patients were being treated at Mater Dei Hospital,  with two of them undergoing intensive treatment.  One of those ITU patients has since been moved out of intensive care, the figures indicated, with just one COVID-19 patient currently in ITU.  The number of COVID-19 cases and deaths has steadily risen over the past two weeks, with six people dying in the past seven days and the number of active cases doubling in 14 days to rise past the 1,000 mark.  With concerns mounting over a rise in cases and potential global spread of a new variant of concern, Omicron, authorities have said that they intend to speed up the rollout of booster vaccine doses. So far, more than 110,000 booster doses have been administered so far, with priority given to the elderly, healthcare workers and frontline educators and the...

It is clear that major projects led by Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg have failed, Opposition leader Bernard Grech said on Saturday, after Borg blamed climate change for the flooding of recently completed roads.  After heavy rains caused several parts of the island to flood and turn roads into rivers, journalists confronted Borg on Friday for an explanation as to how multi-million projects such as the Marsa Junction and Tal-Balal road had flooded, despite works having been completed on them relatively recently.  He deflected criticism and blamed the flooding on “extraordinary rain” caused by climate change.  “Hearing Ian Borg say this is climate change makes you realise how much he doesn’t respect people’s intelligence,” Grech said in a radio interview on Saturday morning.  “Climate change didn’t start this year. Works on these roads have just been finished, are you telling me that you weren’t aware of climate change two or three years ago when these projects were being planned? Weren’t you aware that these roads flooded?” “To me, it is gross incompetence if new roads cannot handle floods, particularly when they’re spearheaded by a minister who thinks of himself as some sort...

The 60th edition of Perry Magazine is out tomorrow with The Sunday Times. A high-quality, full colour production, the magazine focuses on quality properties that are currently for sale or rent with Malta’s leading real estate company – thus giving readers an in-depth insight into what is currently available on the market. This sought-after magazine – which is also a collectible – also includes various interesting features, including a tour of a very interesting property in Attard with a connection to Malta’s past romance with trains, and the colourful history of a Valletta palazzo. In the commercial section of the magazine, Perry’s expert commercial hub offers practical, strategic, and market-led advice as well as insights for businesses on the impacts of COVID-19 on pricing. Founded in 1981, Perry Estate Agents have been at the forefront of the property market for over four decades, with an experience and expertise that spans the Maltese islands.

Nurses’ union MUMN has threatened to escalate industrial action at health centres unless a government order to stop all overtime for phlebotomists is not reversed within 48 hours. The MUMN accused the Health Ministry’s permanent secretary, Joseph Rapa, of seeking to intentionally punish phlebotomists and said the order was a form of “illegal punishment”. It said it expected Rapa to resign, in a statement in which it attacked the top ministry official, saying he had a “destructive attitude” and “careless approach”. The MUMN broadside represents the latest chapter in a long-running dispute between the union and government over conditions for phlebotomists, who draw patients’ blood, and decontamination sterilization technicians. Both categories of workers have been ordered to limit the number of patients they see every day, stop tackling waiting lists and stop outsourcing work, as part of MUMN-ordered industrial action.  The situation has irritated doctors, who are now forced to carry out those tasks themselves to ensure patients are seen to. “We are repeatedly being faced with directives that harm patients and this has to stop,” the Medical Association of Malta said earlier this...

A group of Libyan nationals suspected of illegally moving millions of euro through the airport are to be charged with money laundering and tax evasion. Times of Malta is informed that the Libyan nationals are being held at the police’s Financial Crime Investigation Department.  They are expected to be charged on Saturday afternoon after having been held for questioning for nearly 48 hours.   The case revolves around a cluster of some five Malta-registered companies which the group controls.  Sources said the financial crime probe, which involved different branches of the police, had uncovered how the Libyan nationals were dodging tax.  Police then received intelligence that the suspects would routinely move large sums in cash out of the country via Malta International Airport in Luqa.  More to follow 

Italy’s financial police have searched Juventus’ offices in a probe into player transfers, with prosecutors looking into potentially false information on the Serie A club’s balance sheets. In a statement released late on Friday, the Turin public prosecutors office said they were investigating deals that took place over the past three seasons, and the way annual financial results between 2019 and this year had been formulated. Juve are being investigated for making false communications to investors and issuing invoices for non-existent transactions, prosecutors said. According to Italian media six Juve directors are under investigation, including chairman Andrea Agnelli, vice-chairman and former player Pavel Nedved, and former sporting director Fabio Paratici, who is now at Tottenham Hotspur. Continue reading this article on SportsDesk, the sports website of the Times of Malta

World nations gather Monday to thrash out whether to pursue a pandemic treaty setting out how to handle the next crisis -- which experts fear is only a matter of time. The three-day meeting at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva comes with the planet still besieged by Covid-19, nearly two years on from the first recorded cases. The economic turmoil and millions of lives lost have triggered calls for new international defences strong enough to prevent a repeat disaster. "We will have more pandemics in the future. The question is not if, but when," Jaouad Mahjour, the WHO assistant director-general for emergency preparedness, told reporters. The World Health Assembly -- the WHO's decision-making body comprising all 194 member states -- is holding an unprecedented special session to consider developing a new accord on pandemic preparedness and response. The meeting should conclude with a resolution on the way forward. The desired outcome -- whether a treaty or another formulation -- will come later down the line, potentially as far off as 2024. But how far countries are prepared to go in agreeing binding terms on getting ready for the next outbreak, and effective systems...

For the first time in hundreds of years, a Grand Master will be buried in the crypt of St John’s Co-Cathedral, its foundation has said. Fra’ Matthew Festing will be the 12th Grand Master to be laid to rest in the crypt – the burial place of L’Isle-Adam, who brought the Order of the Knights of St John to Malta in 1530, and La Valette, who won the 1565 Great Siege and founded the city of Valletta. The 79th Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta, Fra’ Festing died, aged 71, after feeling ill in Malta and being hospitalised earlier this month, the Grand Magistry had announced. He served as Grand Master from 2008 up to his resignation in 2017. Fra’ Matthew Festing The last Grand Master to be buried in the crypt was Vasconcellos in 1623, although it is understood, despite a lack of documentation, that it is also the resting place, in an unmarked grave, of Ximenez, who died in 1775, said St John’s Co-Cathedral Foundation CEO and curator, Cynthia de Giorgio. The tradition was that the Grand Masters would be buried underground, but from 1623, their remains would be moved to the chapel of their langue in the co-cathedral after a year in the crypt for the “special indulgences it was...

Miss Universe Malta 2021, Jade Cini, is on her way to Israel to compete with the representatives of 85 countries in the Miss Universe competition. This year the finals will be held on 13th December and will mark the 70th edition of Miss Universe. Last year's winner was the representative of Mexico, Andrea Meza.  Once she arrives, Cini will be involved in various photoshoots, events, and interviews while respecting all COVID-19 measures, explained Miss Universe Malta director Alan Darmanin. Cini won the title of Miss Universe Malta last September after competing against 24 other candidates. She was representing Valletta.   

Arsenal got back on track with a 2-0 win over Newcastle on Saturday as Eddie Howe suffered his first defeat as manager of the Premier League strugglers. Mikel Arteta’s side saw their 10-match unbeaten run in all competitions come to a painful end in last weekend’s 4-0 thrashing at Liverpool. But second half goals from Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli at the Emirates Stadium made it four wins from their last five league games. Written off after their poor start to the season, Arsenal are fifth, level on points with fourth-placed West Ham, as they chase a berth in next season’s Champions League. Rejoining the race for European places represents significant progress for Arteta, but few opponents will be quite as obliging as woeful Newcastle. Continue reading this article on SportsDesk, the sports website of the Times of Malta

Britain on Saturday confirmed its first two cases of the new Omicron strain of Covid-19, both linked to travel from southern Africa, and expanded travel restrictions on the region. "After overnight genome sequencing, the UK Health Security Agency has confirmed that two cases of Covid-19 with mutations consistent with B.1.1.529 (Omicron) have been identified in the UK," a government statement said. "The two cases are linked and there is a link to travel to southern Africa," it said. One case was detected in the central English city of Nottingham, and the other in Chelmsford east of London, officials said. "We have moved rapidly and the individuals are self-isolating while contact tracing is ongoing," Health Secretary Sajid Javid said. He added that the government was placing another four African countries on its travel "red list" -- Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Angola -- effective from 4:00 am (0400 GMT) on Sunday. Britain has already said it is banning travel from six southern African nations because of the emergence of Omicron: South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Botswana. The government was widely criticised for its travel and quarantine policy earlier in...

FLORIANA         1 Agius 49 SIRENS               2 Zammit Lonardelli 35 Gavrila 69 FLORIANA G. Kitanov-5, A. Magri Overand-4.5 (46 A. Garzia-4), C. Rutjens-5, O. El Hasni-5, Z. Cassar-5, A. Caseres-5 (46 K. Keqi-6), J. Arias-5 (72 E. Rebenja), A. Ciolacu-5, N. Garcia-5, B. Paiber-5.5 (46 D. Agius-6), R. Camenzuli-4 (72 B. Sciberras). SIRENS J. Debono-6, B. Gavrila-6 (82 D. Jackson), K. Reid-8, F. Brandan-7.5, D. Albanese-6, A. Borg-6, J. Walker-6, C. Zammit Lonardelli-6.5, A. Cini-6, F. Avoce-5 (90 A. Bianco), C. Riascos-7. Referee: Stefan Pace. Yellow cards: Walker, Arias, Borg, Ciolacu, Camenzuli, Rutjens, Zammit Lonardelli, El Hasni, Avoce. BOV player of the match: Bogdan Gavrila (Sirens). Sirens bounced back from their 6-1 drubbing to Balzan with an impressive 2-1 win over Floriana. Winston Muscat’s side dominated proceedings as Floriana were below par for much of the game and only substitute Kristian Keqi showed some appetite for the task at hand. Sirens climbed sixth and leapfrogged champions Ħamrun Spartans while Floriana, who prior to kick-off were sharing second place with Valletta, failed to close the gap with leaders Hibernians. Kemar Reid set up the opener with a...

The library at Mosta’s Maria Reġina College primary is undergoing a €25,000 upgrade, with funds donated by Residency Malta Agency. Works include the installation of parquet flooring, new LED lighting panels and oak units that will house fiction and non-fiction titles in both Maltese and English. The new library will benefit the whole school population of over 300 students aged between 8 and 10, Head of Maria Reġina College Network, Patrick Decelis, pointed out. It will also include a dedicated room where the love of books is encouraged and promoted through various reading and creative writing initiatives like writing scripts and poems, and journal keeping, he added. "The library upgrade will enable us to also organise storytelling sessions, puppet shows, paired reading and buddy reading sessions. Our intention is also to invite authors to talk about their books and encourage students to read and write," he said. Parliamentary Secretary for Citizenship and Communities Alex Muscat emphasised that spending on education is one of the best investments the government can make. “It is heartening to see children immerse themselves fully in books and the world of stories, fantasy and...

The furious owner of a Birkirkara band club building who has not received rent in over 30 years has called on the government to fulfil its promise to buy such properties or allow him to evict his tenants. Paul Borg Grech has been trying to take legal action to oust the Duke of Connaught’s Own Band Club. However, he is also willing to consider selling the property to the government to resolve the long-standing dispute. In September, the government announced that it is willing to buy properties used by band clubs that are facing threats of eviction so that they can be rented out to the clubs at a reasonable price. “I am ready and willing to discuss a way forward. I have provided the evaluation costs of the premises too but I have heard nothing from the authorities whatsoever,” Borg Grech told Times of Malta. “There are only two outcomes: the government buys the property, and the band club provides them rent, or the band club is evicted.” Borg Grech’s appeal comes months after the Constitutional Court declared as unconstitutional changes to the law meant to safeguard band clubs from eviction from their leased premises. For the past seven years, Borg Grech has been in court trying...

Updated: 7.15pm Germany on Saturday confirmed its first two cases of the new Omicron strain of COVID-19, in travellers who arrived at Munich airport from South Africa, regional officials said. "Two suspected cases of the new virus variant Omicron classified by the World Health Organization as a variant of concern have been confirmed in Bavaria," the health ministry of the southern state said in a statement.

Liverpool crushed Southampton 4-0 to put pressure on Premier League leaders Chelsea, while Arsenal got back on track with a 2-0 win over Newcastle as Eddie Howe suffered his first defeat as Magpies manager. Diogo Jota scored twice for Jurgen Klopp’s side to warm the Anfield faithful on a bitterly cold afternoon. Liverpool’s third consecutive victory in all competitions since losing at West Ham moved them into second place. The Reds sit one point behind Chelsea, who host Manchester United on Sunday. Third-placed Manchester City would go back above Liverpool if they beat West Ham on Sunday. Continue reading this article on SportsDesk, the sports website of the Times of Malta

Updated: 7.05pm Britain on Saturday announced tougher entry rules for all arriving passengers and the return of a masks mandate, after confirming its first two cases of the new Omicron strain of COVID-19. The cases were both linked to travel from southern Africa, and the government also expanded travel restrictions on the region with the addition of four countries to a "red list". Prime Minister Boris Johnson said face masks would again be required in shops and on public transport, after controversially ditching the mandate in July when he reopened the UK economy after a prior nationwide lockdown. He signalled no new lockdown now, vowing a review of the new measures in three weeks and expressing hope that Britons could look forward to a more festive Christmas than last year. "But we now need to go further and implement a proportionate testing regime for arrivals from across the whole world," Johnson told a hastily arranged news conference, hours after the government confirmed the first two Omicron cases.  "So we are not going to stop people travelling... but we will require anyone who enters the UK to take a PCR test by the end of the second day after their arrival, and to...