Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia will start Sunday’s Dutch MotoGP in pole position after the Italian again topped qualifying in Assen ahead of reigning world champion Fabio Quartararo. The Frenchman, who leads the standings by 34 points after 10 of 20 races this season, sets off second on his Yamaha with Spain’s Jorge Martin (Ducati-Pramac) completing the front row. It is the fourth time in six races Bagnaia has claimed pole, but he has failed to finish in three of his past four outings. “Pecco has just been incredible, like usual in qualifying,” said Quartararo. “I did my best so I’m happy, our rhythm is good for tomorrow.” Bagnaia has won his last two completed races — at Jerez and Mugello — but was visibly angry last weekend after crashing out of the German MotoGP, where Quartararo took the chequered flag. Continue reading this article on SportsDesk, the sports website of the Times of Malta

Ukraine's Severodonetsk was "fully occupied" by the Russian army, its mayor said on Saturday, after weeks of fighting over the key eastern city. "The city has been fully occupied by the Russians," mayor Oleksandr Striuk said. The Ukrainian army on Friday said it would withdraw its forces from the city of some 100,000 inhabitants before the war to better defend the neighbouring city of Lysychansk. Striuk said civilians had started to evacuate the Azot chemical plant, where several hundred people had been hiding from Russian shelling. "These people have spent almost three months of their lives in basements, shelters. That's tough emotionally and physically," he said, adding they would now need medical and psychological support. Pro-Moscow separatists said Russian and pro-Russian forces had taken control of the Azot factory and "evacuated" more than 800 civilians sheltering there. The forces have "taken full control of the Azot plant industrial zone", a separatist representative Andrei Marochko said on Telegram. Another separatist spokesman, Ivan Filiponenko, said that around 800 civilians who had taken refuge in the plant during weeks of fighting had been "evacuated". The Russians...

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday offered to upgrade Belarus' warplanes to make them capable of carrying nuclear weapons, amid soaring tensions with the West over Ukraine. "Many Su-25 (aircrafts) are in service with the Belarusian military. They could be upgraded in an appropriate way. This modernisation should be carried out in aircraft factories in Russia and the training of personnel should start in accordance with this," Putin said after Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko asked him to "adapt" the planes in a televised interview.

Mosta FC completed their first signing of the summer transfer window when they reached an agreement to sign Ghana midfielder Patrick Mensah. The Ghana defensive midfielder put pen to paper on a two-year deal. The 22-year-old was a member of the Ghana U-20 team that won the AFCON in Mauritania a year ago. Mensah is seen as an upcoming player who can leave his mark in the BOV Premier League last season. The midfielder started his career in his country’s League 1 when he was on the books of Heart of Lion. Continue reading this article on SportsDesk, the sports website of the Times of Malta

A grass fire in Delimara on Saturday blocked access to and from the area, as  firefighters fought to contain the blaze. The fire broke out at around 6pm and barred vehicles from using the narrow Triq Delimara, which snakes through the area, the police said. Firefighters put out grass fire in Delimara. High temperatures over the last few weeks have caused a number of blazes around the islands.  

San Ġiljan asserted their superiority over Sirens when they stepped into the driving seat from the word ‘go’ to keep their pristine start to the season. Sirens gave their more-quoted opponents a two-goal start when Andreas Galea converted two penalties and then Mattias Ortoleva made the most of a Sirens’ indecision to make it 3-0. At the other end, Jerome Zerafa Gregory was well fed in the centre and he made no mistake with seconds to go for the end of the first session. A snap-shot by Ortoleva on a cross pass by Galea before Nikolai Zammit filtered through to flock in and make it 5-1. Sirens missed their first man-up but then an open goal from Jacob Sciberras reduced the deficit for them. The deployment of Ortoleva on the left and left-hander Zammit on the right flank was stretching the Sirens’ defensive shield as the Northenders changed ends in arrears by six goals. Continue reading this article on SportsDesk, the sports website of the Times of Malta

The following are the main stories in Sunday’s newspapers. The Sunday Times of Malta says the government is in talks with the owners of 10 properties around Malta and Gozo as part of its efforts to avoid several towns and villages ending up without a band club. In another story, the newspaper says Anthony Scerri, a police inspector responsible for several high-profile corruption cases has resigned. The Malta Independent on Sunday says families are scared to adopt Maltese children for fear of retribution. MaltaToday says graduate lawyers are being asked to declare mental health problems. Illum says parents of children with disabilities are having to pay for their children’s learning support educators because of a shortage in the state sector. It-Torċa says the inflation rate is forecast to reach 2% in 2024.

Malta’s foreign policy strategy document launched in February continues to focus on Malta’s vocation and commitment to international peace and security. In pursuing this objective, Malta does not hesitate to assume high-profile responsibilities, to punch above its weight, as some would say.  Sitting on the United Nations Security Council for the next two years (2023-2024), after being elected on June 9 at the 76th United Nations General Assembly with 97 per cent of the votes cast will be another opportunity for Malta to consolidate its respect and credibility among the international community. Malta has already achieved several conspicuous successes at the United Nations and played seminal roles in a number of multilateral initiatives. Among them, one can mention the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the International Maritime Law Institute and the International Institute on Ageing, both hosted by Malta.   The Security Council is the most prominent and powerful organ of the UN, having as its primary responsibility the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers include the establishment of peacekeeping...

The therapeutic effects of the environment are well known. There’s clearly a sense in which regular walks in the countryside, away from the noise and pollution of city life, an energetic swim in the clear blue sea, a holiday in the Alps, can work wonders for your health. In cases such as these, the natural environment can literally help you get rid of a physical ailment, or cure you of a disease, by offering you the kind of sensory or sensual experiences – pleasures of sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste – which you won’t get in an urban setting. That’s why those who misappropriate parts of the natural environment are depriving the rest of us of a good that we can’t find elsewhere; and that obviously produces a stultifying, atrophying effect on us in many ways. We all know what happened to Humpty Dumpty when he fell off the wall and “all the king’s horses and all the king’s men could not put him back together again”. That’s what happens to the environment when it takes a tumble. Environmental degradation leads to physical and psychological disruption. When the ties between a person’s life and their natural and cultural environment are severed, they experience anomie, a deep...

Money laundering fuels serious crime and terrorism. It is an essential tool of the corrupt, authoritarians and organised crime groups to benefit from their illicit activity, move dirty money and extend their influence. Drug gangs, gun traffickers and people smugglers need to launder their illicit cash to make it appear legitimate. This contributes to a host of societal issues, including the high cost of living, inequality and job losses, while strengthening organised crime. That is why tackling money laundering needs to be a priority for all governments. Unfortunately, far too often, it is not. As the global anti-money laundering and terrorist financing standards watchdog, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) sets international standards, assesses countries and publicly names those not doing enough to stop money laundering. The FATF identified serious issues in the effectiveness of Malta’s anti-money laundering and counterterrorist financing system in 2019. As an international financial centre, and gateway to the EU market and citizenship, the deficiencies posed a risk to the global financial system. After being given the opportunity to carry out reforms, Malta had a number of...

People in Gozo have become blind, deaf and silent as a dirty game continues to be played right in our midst. We are living a new experience, different to the Gozitan character I know. Personally, I remain tied to the roots of our forefathers and a letter I received from a friend of mine in Rome reinforces my resolve. “Dear Fr Charles, I know how much you love Gozo, which is very evident in the various books you have published, copies of which you kindly gave me. I cherish them because every word, every photo in them reminds me of what you always told me. “I am writing this letter after I read in the media what Pope Francis said during his visit to Malta and Gozo last April: ‘Fight building mania, greed and corruption. Eliminate illegality, corruption and land speculation.’ “I couldn’t believe that those words were referring to the islands of Malta and Gozo, which I visited some years ago. Unbelievable! To me Gozo is a haven of peace, beauty, harmony and uniqueness, in other words a paradise on earth. “Allow me to implore: please, stop these vandals, opportunists and thieves before it becomes a jungle, a mess or, worse, a landfill. I am very curious to know what the minister...

The Malta Basketball Association is set for a busy week of international competitions as both the men’s and the women’s selections will be in action at the European Championship for Small States. The men’s team, under the charge of the newly-appointed coach Alan Walls, will be hopeful of a strong home showing when they are in action at the Ta’ Qali Pavilion. On the other hand, the women’s selection spearheaded by coach Angela Adamoli, are playing in Cyprus. All the attention of the Maltese basketball lovers will be at the Ta’ Qali Pavilion on Tuesday when the tournament kicks off with the opening matches which will see Malta take on Azerbaijan in their Group B opener at 6.30pm. Paul Sultana, the Malta Basketball Association president, said that it was the governing body’s wish to stage this international tournament at the revamped Ta’ Qali Pavilion and hopes the Maltese fans will fill the stands and give their support to the home side. Continue reading this article on SportsDesk, the sports website of the Times of Malta

That the semitic element of the Maltese language is somehow more Maltese than its romance counterpart is a cherished superstition – one recently iterated by the president of the republic, George Vella, during the launch of a new campaign issued by his office and seven Maltese language organisations titled L-Ilsien Malti għal Qalbi (the Maltese language at heart). Vella’s speech was aimed chiefly at urging the Maltese to be better custodians of their Siculo-Arabic tongue, claiming they shouldn’t use such words as informazzjoni, vettura and assistenza when words like tagħrif, karozza and għajnuna are available. The reason for this is that he fears the Semitic elements of our language may be withering away through underuse. The difference between the two sets of words is largely a question of etymology: informazzjoni is an Indo-European word of romance origin while tagħrif is a semitic word coming from Arabic. While the lexical richness of languages like English is often celebrated and admired, the same phenomenon in Maltese seems to be a source of anxiety. The result is the occasional drive to ‘preserve’ the more archaic elements of our language lest Maltese were to fracture...

ARTS FESTIVALS Malta International Arts Festival The Malta International Arts Festival comes to an end this week. Wednesday, June 28, will see the third edition of M.A.D. (Music and Dance), featuring three new choreographies set to contemporary music by dance artist Dmytro Grynov and Sarah Vella, among other works. Musicians will perform live during the event, which is taking place at the Valletta ditch. Rito, a performance that involves the five senses to celebrate human aspects and the strengths of nature, is then taking place at the Valletta Campus Theatre on June 29 and 30. It features the OtraDanzaCompany accompanied by a string quartet. ŻfinMalta and KorMalta are participating in a double bill programme titled Sunrise Mass on July 1 at the Manoel Theatre, featuring Belgian string quartet Boho4 and choreographies by Paolo Mangiola. The festival wraps up with Les Nuits Barbares Ou Les Premiers Matins Du Monde (The Barbarous Nights or the First Dawns of the World), a performance inspired by the history of the Mediterranean basin and featuring choreography by Hervé Koubi at the Valletta ditch. For more details, visit www.festivals.mt/miaf. Some productions which premiered last...

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C: Today’s readings: 1 Kings 19:16b, 19-21; Galatians 5:1, 13-18; Luke 9:51-62   In October 1998, at the start of my second year of formation, a project was proposed to us seminarians: each was to choose a scriptural text that would inspire and guide him throughout the year. The passage that initially caught my attention is today’s gospel. On his journey towards his passion and death in Jerusalem, Jesus encounters three prospective disciples. He does not mince his words in some pathetic attempt to portray discipleship as appealing and fun; quite the contrary, he appears rigid and inflexible. To the man who offers to follow him wherever he goes, Jesus counters that – unlike foxes and birds – he has no place to lay his head. To the man who wishes to bury his father before following him, Jesus replies with the apparently callous command: “Let the dead bury their dead; but you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” And to yet another man who is willing to follow him but wishes to first bid farewell to his family, Jesus says: “No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” As a rather naive seminarian, I had...

A police inspector responsible for several high-profile corruption cases has resigned. Anthony Scerri, who in January led a search on former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat’s home, has quit his role as an inspector within the police’s financial crimes investigations department. Muscat was tipped off about the search, leading to concerns about leaks within the investigation. Police sources say Scerri resigned because he had become disillusioned with life in the corps. One source says Scerri has taken up a job with a government entity. Having joined the corps back in 2003, his resignation sees him fall five years short of being eligible for a pension after 25 years of service. Scerri was the lead inspector in the magisterial inquiry into the Vitals hospitals scandal, triggered by rule of law NGO Repubblika. He was also one of the prosecutors in the case against John Dalli over an alleged €60 million bribe solicited by a former Dalli aide, and also led the revived probe into Ryan Schembri, who was extradited to Malta in March after years of inaction. Scerri’s resignation comes as part of a wider exodus from the police force, which has been put down to waning morale within the...

Air traffic is booming this summer, but after European vacations are over will passenger demand hold up? The question was the focus of the annual congress of the Airports Council International (ACI) Europe in Rome this week, held at the cusp of the approaching peak season. The summer period is shaping up to be by far the best since the beginning of the coronavirus crisis that has severely affected the airline industry since 2020. Some airlines, such as Ryanair, and countries, in particular Greece, have already recovered or even exceeded their 2019 daily flight numbers, according to Eurocontrol, a pan-European air traffic agency. Across the continent, air traffic was last week at 86% of the same period in 2019, Eurocontrol said, and expected to reach up to 95% in August under its most optimistic estimate. And companies are filling seats for the coming weeks despite the sharp rise in ticket prices, long lines in various airports from Frankfurt to Dublin to Amsterdam and strikes by flight attendants, pilots or air traffic controllers.   But after that?  "Visibility is low because there is a lot of uncertainty," said Olivier Jankovec, director-general of ACI Europe.  "We're now in a...

Imagine you have just parked your car in a parking area, and you see and hear someone slamming their car door shut, catching their fingers in the door frame. In that moment you wince and cringe with a facial expression of “ouch that must have hurt!” This happens because of neuron clusters in the brain called mirror systems. These neurons make it possible for humans to perceive and feel other humans’ actions, emotions, and sensations by replicating them in their own brain. Neuroscientists believe that this is what makes empathy possible. An article entitled ‘The Mind’s Mirror’ by Lea Winerman, from the American Psychological Association quotes renowned neuroscientist Vittorio Gallese as saying that “this neural mechanism is involuntary and automatic. We can tell what people are feeling or doing without having to reason it out. At the root, as humans we identify with the person we are facing as someone like ourselves.” The capacity for empathy in humans is critical for our survival as a species. By being able to put ourselves in other people’s shoes and experience thoughts and feelings as they experience them, we can connect with, understand, and support each other. This creates a...

Maltese sport on Sunday woke up to the terrible news that former cyclist and national coach Jack Schiavone had died at the age of 52 years. Schiavone was a prominent figure in the sport of cycling in Malta and will long be remembered for his huge contribution he gave to the sport not only as a cyclist but also as a promoter of the sport. In a statement, Joe Bajada, the Malta Cycling Federation secretary-general, paid tribute to Schiavone’s contribution to the sport. “Jack was known by many as a person with a big heart and who loved the sport of cycling from a very young age,” Bajada said. “Many cyclists know Jack as a bubbly person with a great sense of humour. Jack was a two-time national road champion, in 1999 with Melita CC and in 2002 with Birkirkara St Joseph. He also won the national time trial championship in 2003 and 2004 with Pamsons club. Continue reading this article on SportsDesk, the sports website of the Times of Malta

Fifty employees from the Archbishop’s Curia participated in a clean-up event at l-Aħrax tal-Mellieħa on the occasion of World Environment Day, on June 5. The employees spent nearly two hours clearing a large amount of litter, such as beverage cans, plastic bags, plastic bottles, food packaging and cigarette butts. The litter was then placed at a pinpointed location for collection by waste services. “Littering is becoming a major issue in Malta. Furthermore, it can cause serious consequences to the environment such as damaging the ecosystem. We hope that our little contribution to make Malta a better place, serves as an example to encourage other people to leave the place clean when going out and enjoying the Maltese landscape,” Rebecca Gatt, HR director at the Archbishop’s Curia – Archdiocese of Malta, said. This clean-up initiative was held as part of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme of the Archbishop’s Curia to become more environmentally conscious and promote a cleaner environment. It was organised in collaboration with the Mellieħa local council.