This is the first in a series of autobiographical short stories by author Rita Antoinette Borg, collectively titled A Funny Thing Happened to Me…. A funny thing happened to me after going to the hospital for my coronavirus booster shot. Wintry, grey clouds wrung unceasingly and everyone knows the results; Malta mutates to a sunken, lost island under the sea. Yet, this is not the point of my story, not by a long shot. As I entered my home, I met the unwelcoming pose of my dog, Dakota. She peered at me with canine anger, pretty much saying, “Finally…. out again? Where did you go this time? What took you so long…?” I hadn’t been interrogated like this since my teenage years by my father. Dakota wouldn’t come next to me for our usual welcome home cuddle. Instead, she sauntered to the kitchen stepped gingerly into the living room, jumped on the sofa and closed her eyes. She would have nothing to do with me. Her disgust showed big time. This would have to suffice for comfort as I waited for what the hospital nurse warned me about this booster shot, “Be prepared for ill effects for at least two days.” Though tired, hungry and hugging an aching arm, I craved some doggy loving before the...

Marsaxlokk and Pietà Hotspurs were the final two teams added to the list of promoted sides to next season’s Premier League. While Pembroke Athleta and Żebbug Rangers have yet to face each other in a Championship decider on April 23 for the overall winner of this year’s Challenge League, Pietà and Marsaxlokk can finally rest knowing the promotion battle, which went down until the final matchday, is now over.   Continue reading this article on Sports Desk, the new sports website by Times of Malta

Two years ago, Christian Galea spent his lucky birthday alone in hospital because, as the coronavirus pandemic hit Malta, he was undergoing immunotherapy to rid his body of cancerous cells before heading to the UK for a bone marrow transplant.  His mother, Dorianne, sent a birthday cake which he shared with doctors and nurses since relatives and friends were not allowed to visit him during the three months he was in hospital. The stakes were too high. His immune system was too weak to risk contracting the dreaded, and then novel, COVID-19. This was one of the hardest times of his three-year battle with cancer. Sitting in the living room of his Naxxar home, with his mother beside him, Christian recounts how the symptoms started in 2018. He was preparing to return home after spending a year as a researcher in France, a post he got after completing his doctorate in IT. He started getting tired but blamed it on travel preparations. On his return, he kept feeling tired and noticed a swollen lymph node in his neck. He went to various doctors and consultants and carried out several tests. But there was nothing. “I was a bit unconvinced as I kept feeling unusually tired and it was...

Following the international appointments which involved the senior women’s national team in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifications and the U-19’s selection in the 2022 UEFA U-19’s European Championship qualifiers, the attention will now shift to the U-16’s women’s side. Coached by Kathleen Saliba, the young girls will be the hosts in this year’s UEFA Women’s U-16’s Development Tournament. This annual competition serves as a platform for these girls to start absorbing the international experience while representing their national teams from a young age. Continue reading this article on Sports Desk. 

Trinity Rodman, the daughter of former NBA star Dennis Rodman, scored her first international goal as the United States thrashed Uzbekistan 9-0 in a friendly on Tuesday. Rodman, 19, rifled home a low shot in the 72nd minute after coming on as a second-half substitute for the reigning world champions at Subaru Park, home of Major League Soccer’s Philadelphia Union. Rodman’s first international goal came in her third appearance at the international level. Continue reading this article on Sports Desk.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has insisted a looming FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City will have no impact on his team selection for Wednesday’s Champions League tie at home to Benfica. Last weekend the Reds, still in the hunt for an unprecedented quadruple of trophies in the one season, drew 2-2 with City to remain just a point behind the Premier League leaders. They will face City again in the last four of the FA Cup at Wembley on Saturday but before then the six-time kings of Europe play Benfica in the second leg of a Champions League quarter-final at Anfield.   Continue reading this article on Sports Desk, the new sports website by Times of Malta

The first Good Friday processions since 2019 might be hit by high winds that could possibly turn into a gale, according to weather forecasting sites. After a two-year hiatus forced by COVID health restrictions, devotees are looking forward to taking part in, or watching, the traditional Good Friday processions that take to the streets in several localities across the island in two days' time. However, those plans might be impacted by dire weather conditions. According to the airport's meteorological office, force six east-northeast winds on Thursday will increase to force seven winds by Friday. The temperature will also drop slightly from a high 19°C and low 14°C on Thursday to a high 18°C and low 13°C on Friday. Windfinder is meanwhile predicting stronger gusts reaching up to force 10 on Friday. According to the online site, the wind force will reach 29 knots (force seven) with a gusting force nine (42 knots) on Thursday afternoon.  By Friday, the wind force is forecast at a gale force of 34 knots (force eight), with a gusting force 10 (49 knots). 'Preparations in full swing' Good Friday procession organisers who spoke to Times of Malta said preparations are in full...

A court has provisionally upheld a request by BirdLife to stop spring hunting for turtle dove and will consider the merits of the case in a sitting on Tuesday. "This automatically means that the spring hunting season for the Turtle dove cannot open this coming Sunday," BirdLife said in a statement on Wednesday.  The NGO instituted the case against the government, arguing that it had given the go-ahead for hunting for the vulnerable Turtle Dove in breach of EU rules. “We are satisfied that the local law courts have understood the urgency on this matter and that they have the responsibility and the power to safeguard the European Directives in our country. Our law courts are also European law courts with full powers provided to them by the European Union’s directives themselves. As a member state we need to abide by EU regulations and directives and the local law courts are a way for any citizen and civil society to seek remedy for breaches of the European directives, including the EU Birds Directive,”  the NGO said. It said it will be writing to the Commissioner of Police and the head of the Wild Birds Regulation Unit (WBRU) to ensure that no one can hunt Turtle doves before the...

Universal’s publishing arm will represent Elvis Presley’s song catalogue, according to the terms of a new deal announced Tuesday by the company and Authentic Brands Group, an intellectual property management outfit. The companies did not provide the financial terms of the deal, which builds on a pre-existing relationship between them. The agreement comes just months before the June release of Baz Luhrmann’s anticipated biopic Elvis, starring Austin Butler and Tom Hanks. Presley, who died at 42 years old in 1977, is among music’s best-selling artists with more than 500 million records sold, with hits including Can’t Help Falling in Love and Viva Las Vegas. ABG’s portfolio also includes stars like Marilyn Monroe and Muhammad Ali.   The agreement is the latest development in a music rights rush that’s seen companies pay enormous sums for the catalogs of superstars including Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. Earlier this year Universal also acquired Sting’s publishing catalogue.

The new Mazda2 Hybrid is available to order now from the Mrieħel car showroom of GasanZammit. The smart city car is expected to arrive in Malta in the coming months, combining stylish exterior and interior design with a smooth and refined drive. No doubt the new Mazda2 Hybrid will be one of the most desirable hybrids on the Maltese roads. This hybrid vehicle brings self-charging full hybrid powertrain technology to the Mazda model range for the first time. The Mazda2 Hybrid is a self-charging, full hybrid that combines a 1,490cc 93hp three-cylinder petrol engine with a 59kW electric motor for a total system power of 116hp. This new model is the latest outcome of a long-standing collaboration between Mazda Motor Corporation and Toyota Motor Corporation. The Mazda2 Hybrid will only run in electrical mode. This will not only ensure a quiet running during urban environments, but will also offer zero emissions. After that, during normal driving, the power will adjust between the petrol engine and the electric motor. The high-performance battery will be charged during deceleration and under braking when the kinetic energy will be recovered as electrical energy. The car is equipped...

Home to one of Malta’s most enduring legends, Maqluba in Qrendi played host to the inaugural edition of the Intersport 5km and 10km Road Running Series on Sunday morning.  Having built a reputation for creating some of Malta’s most attractive running race routes, the Intersport Maqluba edition provided athletes with the right combination of a challenging yet scenic route in one of Malta’s possibly lesser-known areas.   Charlton Debono emerged the winner of the 10 kilometres race, having asserted his position in front of the pack from the word go and setting the pace for the route which started off with a hill within the first few hundred metres.  Behind Debono was Matthew Xuereb who also was in fine form and gave a determined performance to finish in second place.  Continue reading this article on SportsDesk, the sports website of the Times of Malta

Charmaine Gauci, superintendent of public health, has indicated that Malta will enjoy a mask-free summer, though fully removing mask mandates will ultimately depend on the number of new COVID-19 cases and patients in hospital. Masks are currently still mandatory in indoor public places and on public transport. The change, which Gauci hinted at while answering questions on the Ask Charmaine show hosted by Times of Malta, would mark the first time since the start of the pandemic that masks will not be required indoors.  “We hope that they can be removed soon, as cases keep going down,” she said. She explained that Malta had a peak of new cases when the Omicron variant of COVID-19 struck, with a testing positivity rate of 16% in the first week of January. As that went down, the BA2 more transmissible sub-lineage struck and there was a peak of new cases last week with a positivity rate of 21%, but now the positivity rate was back down to 16%. Standards of self-testing kits – results not in the official tally Gauci said that in allowing the introduction of COVID-19 self-testing kits in Malta, the authorities had made sure that only the more reliable brands could be imported to...

A total of 408 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the previous day while two people died while infected with the virus. The two additional deaths mean that a total of 669 people have died while infected with the virus since the virus was first detected locally in March 2020. Data published by the Superintendence of Public Health showed that there are currently 8,683 active virus cases in the country.  Public health chief Charmaine Gauci said during the Ask Charmaine show that there are currently 131 patients in hospital - but that 70% of those patients are in hospital for conditions unrelated to COVID-19. Health authorities have been gradually unwinding COVID-19 restrictions in recent weeks, with masks coming off in classrooms this week and outdoor events now possible without any pandemic-related restrictions whatsoever. Public health chief Charmaine Gauci has also indicated that the intention is to fully remove all mask mandates by the summer.   

Cardiovascular disease is a silent killer. It is up to us to mitigate the risks by committing to a healthy lifestyle and keeping our cholesterol in check. Consultant cardiologist Dr Alexander Borg tells Adriana Bishop how patients can help themselves. If there is one thing we have all learnt in the past two years it’s that there is nothing more precious than our health. And yet, finding time to dedicate to our health is always a struggle, something that needs to fit in with the rest of our life.  Keeping our body in good running order is a lifetime commitment. But committing to changing our lifestyle and our diet for the sake of our health is invariably met with: “No chance, too busy.” “It’s hard to justify being too busy to care for your health,” is the prompt response from consultant cardiologist Dr Alexander Borg who has ditched his car and cycles everywhere, in an attempt to squeeze exercise targets into his packed schedule. “People make excuses all the time about physical activity and we need to break out of that mentality”.  The odds are stacked against us. Malta holds the ignominious record as the most obese country in the EU. On top of that we’re also the least active of...

Three years after a devastating fire, Notre Dame cathedral in Paris is mostly cleared of a thick layer of soot as an army of craftsmen race to meet a deadline to reopen in time for the 2024 Olympics. Ahead of the anniversary of the blaze on Friday, the mammoth cleaning job of the walls, vaults and floor is almost completed, restoring the cathedral to its original whiteness.  The inferno that engulfed the 12th-century Gothic landmark on April 15, 2019, caused its central frame to collapse and ravaged the famous spire, clock and part of the vault – shocking millions around the world.  The cathedral typically welcomed nearly 12 million visitors a year, as well as hosting 2,400 services and 150 concerts.  As an icon of the globally beloved city, the fire triggered an outpouring of generosity with nearly 844 million euros in donations collected from 340,000 donors in 150 countries to date, according to the public body overseeing the restoration.  A staff member use a vacuum cleaner inside Notre-Dame de Paris. The gaping hole left in the building is now filled by a forest of scaffolding.  The first stage of the titanic project involved clearing the rubble and burnt beams, reinforcing...

The Nationalist Party will this month convene its General Council to confirm or replace Bernard Grech as party leader after last month’s crushing defeat at the polls. The party statute lays down that, following a general election, party councillors must be given the chance to vote on whether to confirm the leader in office or elect a new one. That process kicked off last week with a meeting of party’s administrative council and will continue with a meeting of the party's executive council, which includes MPs. Following Tuesday's casual elections to fill the seats vacated by Nationalist Party MPs elected on two districts, the PN parliamentary group held its first meeting on Tuesday evening. During this meeting, 13 PN MPs were chosen as the members of the party executive with voting rights. These are: Darren Carabott, Jerome Caruana Cilia, Julie Zahra, Janice Chetcuti, Ian Vassallo, Ivan Castillo, Ryan Callus, Alex Borg, Rebekah Cilia, Karol Aquilina, Paula Mifsud Bonnici and Ivan Bartolo,  Charles Azzopardi and Graziella Galea will split the term since they got an equal number of votes. The other members of the parliamentary group sit on the executive but without voting...

A British judge on Wednesday sentenced Islamic State group follower Ali Harbi Ali to a whole-life prison term for murdering lawmaker David Amess in a knife attack last year. "This is a murder that struck at the heart of democracy," judge Nigel Sweeney said as he handed down his sentence at London's Old Bailey courthouse, noting the 26-year-old defendant had shown "no remorse or shame". Sweeney added he had no doubt it was an "exceptional case" that merited the sentence, which comes two days after a London jury unanimously found Ali guilty of the ferocious knife attack last October. It was the second murder of a British MP in five years and prompted calls for better security for elected representatives. Ali, who pursed his lips briefly as the judge handed down his sentence, had told the trial that he had no regrets about killing father-of-five Amess in revenge for votes in parliament for air strikes in Syria in 2014 and 2015. He stabbed Amess more than 20 times with a foot-long carving knife as he met constituents in a church in Leigh-on-Sea, southeast England, before being apprehended at the scene of the murder. In a statement following the sentencing, Amess' family said it...

A company linked to an alleged kidnapper with ties to the prime minister has been awarded a government tender to the tune of nearly €250,000 .    Princess Operations Ltd, linked to alleged kidnapper and suspected money launderer Christian Borg, this month secured a government contract to supply the government with 41 vehicles.   Borg, 28, was one of four men charged with a botched kidnapping in February. A court has heard how he and his associates allegedly threatened to torture their victim and rape his sister.   Borg is a central figure in a suspicious property deal involving prime minister Robert Abela. Borg uploaded this photo of his luxury Porsche sports car with an image of Prime Minister Robert Abela's face on its bonnet. He went on to describe him as his legal adviser and close friend. The deal, first exposed by Times of Malta, had netted Abela €45,000 but the timeline of events raises suspicions over why he entered a contract to buy a field only to transfer his stake in that contract to Borg just a few months later. At the time, Abela had been the Planning Authority’s legal advisor and he entered the deal only after permits had been issued to develop the plot.  ...

A company linked to an alleged kidnapper with ties to the prime minister has been awarded a government tender to the tune of nearly €250,000.    Princess Operations Ltd, linked to alleged kidnapper and suspected money launderer Christian Borg, this month secured a government contract to supply the government with 41 vehicles.   Borg, 28, was one of four men charged with a botched kidnapping in February. A court has heard how he and his associates allegedly threatened to torture their victim and rape his sister.   Borg is a central figure in a suspicious property deal involving prime minister Robert Abela. Borg uploaded this photo of his luxury Porsche sports car with an image of Prime Minister Robert Abela's face on its bonnet. He went on to describe him as his legal adviser and close friend. The deal, first exposed by Times of Malta, had netted Abela €45,000 but the timeline of events raises suspicions over why he entered a contract to buy a field only to transfer his stake in that contract to Borg just a few months later. At the time, Abela had been the Planning Authority’s legal advisor and he entered the deal only after permits had been issued to develop the plot.     Borg,...

Bayern Munich CEO Oliver Kahn has dismissed as “nonsense” reports that their top-scoring striker Robert Lewandowski could leave when the season finishes next month. Lewandowski chalking up his 47th goal this season in Tuesday’s 1-1 draw at home to Villarreal which saw Bayern knocked out of the Champions League with a 2-1 aggregate defeat in the quarter-finals. However, Lewandowski, who turns 34 in August, is out of contract next year. Continue reading this article on Sports Desk.