Last week, the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority (MCCAA) launched the seventh edition of Premju Servizz bi Tbissima in Pjazza Tigné, Sliema.  During the launch, the Minister for Inclusion, Voluntary Organisations and Consumer Rights, Julia Farrugia Portelli, said economic operators offering a quality sales service stand out through such initiatives. “Consumers’ appreciation towards good service sellers drives businesses to further improve the quality of their service, enhances their reputation and stimulates growth,” said Farrugia Portelli. She thanked the Consumer Authority for its work to further strengthen the relationship between consumers and retailers, and called on consumers to participate enthusiastically in this competition and thus thank sellers who give them a service with a smile. MCCAA chairperson Helga Pizzuto said the Service with a Smile Award recognises the importance of the relationship between buyers and sellers because when there is a good relationship, any problems that arise are resolved quicker. Pizzuto spoke about the role of the Office for Consumer Affairs at the MCCAA in providing continuous support to local consumers. Last year, the...

Russian missile strikes hit a residential complex in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early Sunday, wounding two people and burying others under rubble, the city's mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Four explosions were heard at around 6:30 am (0330 GMT), half an hour after air raid sirens sounded in the capital, which has not come under Russian bombardment for nearly three weeks. "Several explosions in the Shevchenkivsky district," Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram. Video: AFP "Ambulances and rescuers are on site. In two buildings, the rescue and evacuation of residents is under way," he added. Klitschko, who visited the scene, later said that "there are people under the rubble". "Some of the inhabitants have been evacuated, two wounded people have been hospitalised," he added. A seven-year-old girl had been rescued from under the rubble, he said. "She is alive," he said on Telegram, adding that rescue workers were trying to "save her mother". Klitschko said it was a Russian missile strike intended to "intimidate Ukrainians" ahead of a NATO summit in Madrid from June 28-30. The state emergency service said on Telegram that "as a result of enemy shelling, a fire broke out in a...

The USS San Jacinto (CG-56) will enter Grand Harbour on Sunday. While in Malta, the officers and crew will enjoy shore leave and have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the cultural and historic heritage of Malta. US chargé d’affaires Gwendolyn Green welcomed the arrival saying these ships are a visual reminder of the strong partnership to keep the Mediterranean safe and an opportunity for the Armed Forces of Malta and the US Navy to share maritime expertise.    The USS SAN JACINTO (CG-56) is a Ticonderoga-class cruiser.  The ship honours the April 21, 1836 battle by the San Jacinto River in Texas, where General Sam Houston and his greatly outnumbered Texas soldiers defeated Mexican Army forces.   Captain Christopher E. Marvin is the commanding officer. A native of rural northeastern Pennsylvania, he boasts over 20 years of service in the US Navy and is a recipient of the US Navy Commendation Medal; Iraq Campaign Medal; and various other unit and service awards. 

Hospital admissions due to COVID-19 were more than double those recorded last week after the figure had tripled the week before, new data shows. A weekly review of the global COVID-19 situation compiled by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) shows that Malta’s hospital admissions were at 14.1 per 100,000 patients in the week ending June 19, up from 6.9 per 100,000 the week before. The week before, the admission rate had tripled from 2.3 per 100,000 patients. The rate includes every patient admitted to hospital who tests positive for the virus, irrespective of whether COVID-19 was the cause. Speaking to Net TV on Thursday, Public Health Superintendent Charmaine Gauci said there were 65 COVID-positive hospital patients, with 30 of them experiencing symptoms and the other 35 tested prior to being admitted. Two people are in intensive care due to the virus. The ECDC data is the highest in about two months. Malta’s admission rate has not gone above 20 per 100,000 since the week ending April 10, when 24.03 patients per 100,000 were being hospitalised. Infection rates by age groups show that the highest number of cases was detected among the 50 to 64 age...

Controversy around the participation of transgender women in elite women’s sport has been raging for quite a while now. It is probably one of the most delicate and tricky subjects the sporting world has ever faced: on the one hand, every sport needs to be as inclusive as humanly possible. But on the other hand, that inclusivity can’t be at the expense of fairness. However, over the last week or so, more and more governing bodies are starting to decide that the cost of inclusivity may be too high, and protecting the integrity of competition takes precedence. And it’s hard not to agree with their conclusions. Last week, swimming rule makers FINA voted to restrict transgender athletes in women’s elite competition while Rugby League followed suit by banning transgender women ‘until further notice’. Rumours suggest that athletics will go down a similar path sooner rather than later, while cycling, rugby union and Australian rules football have already put transgender restrictions in place. Although rugby, as a contact sport, pointed out potential safety concerns, the primary concern of most of these ruling bodies is protecting the level playing field – ensuring biological women are...

A 65-year-old man was grievously injured on Saturday in a traffic accident in Qormi. The police said the accident happened in Triq l-Imdina at 6.45pm. The victim, was riding a Honda CB that was involved in a collision with a Honda Fit that was being driven by a 44-year-old man who lives in Qormi. He was given first aid by a medical team on site and was then transferred to Mater Dei Hospital by ambulance. The police are investigating.  

Building a group of over 500 property specialists and a franchise network of 37 offices doesn’t happen by chance. Part of this success is attributed to the continuous growth Zanzi Homes, the sales division of the QuickLets (ql.mt) and Zanzi Homes (zh.mt) Group, experienced since its inception. Driven by the mantra “diverse, innovative and purposeful”, the team behind Malta’s largest real estate group share their secret to success. “It all starts with a vision and a desire to tackle a problem in the market,” explains Steve Mercieca, co-founder, and CEO of the group. “We felt that the market was in dire need for a fresh, different, engaging brand that was in tune with the customer needs of the day. We had already launched our letting agency, QuickLets, with which we had already made our mark by presenting ourselves as a diverse and innovative, future focused brand. Our landlords started asking us to sell their property too with the same dedication we rented it for them, and so we started the journey of launching Zanzi Homes,” he continues. The choice of the distinctive clear-sky blue and location symbol in which a parachute pin is inconspicuously placed, tell a story as well as...

In recent years, Fabio Spiteri has made a name for himself by taking on some daunting challenges. The experienced triathlete has managed some impressive feats over the years which has seen him go from successfully completing an ironman to setting sights on even more challenging feats such as finishing a double ironman, a triple ironman and most recently managing to ride almost 1,000km around Sicily in just under two days. But Spiteri is still hungry for more and tomorrow he is set to undertake an even bigger challenge as he plans to take part in the Quintuple – which sees participants racing in five consecutive ironman races in Colmar, France. “This is a World Cup race that has seen only 16 athletes from around the world apply for it and I will be the only Maltese on the starting line,” Spiteri said. Continue reading this article on SportsDesk, the sports website of the Times of Malta

The 2021 season was a strong finish for Sliema ASC, after securing two winter trophies: the Enemed Cup and Winter League, winning the latter title for the first time in nine years.  With the extension of senior head coach Beto Fernandez’s contract for another two years, the club is confident that summer will be just as spectacular. This is already evident in the positive results of the preliminary rounds of the current national championship. “It goes without saying that I am extremely happy to have been appointed as head coach of this glorious club. My sole ambition now is to restore the club to its past glories; something I am looking forward to undertaking,” Fernandez said. The club is buzzing with activity. Last winter saw the most expensive signing in local water polo ‒ that of Dino Zammit from San Ġiljan. Four Sliema players also had the opportunity to play overseas: Jamie Gambin played with Lazio Nuoto in Serie A1, while Matthew Mifsud, Liam Galea and Benji Cachia played in the Catalan League. The club also recruited Zoran Maslovar as academy head coach.   Sliema ASC youths Jayden Cutajar and Sam Engerer won ‘Player of the Year’ in the U15 and U13 categories respectively,...

Over 380 so-called ‘normal’ human embryos have been cryopreserved since the embryo freezing law came into effect in 2018. The fate of these embryos is still uncertain. The recently proposed bill to introduce pre-implantation genetic testing for monogenic diseases (PGTM) involves the testing of early embryos to detect particular genetic diseases. Embryos found to carry these genetic variants are to be frozen indefinitely. It will not be an instant death, as is the fate of many embryos in countries where these are simply discarded or used for research. For many of these frozen embryos, possibly for all, it will be a delayed death. Assuming that these ‘genetically abnormal’ embryos will be adopted is absurd and utterly misleading. It is highly unlikely that gene therapy would be developed in the near future to offer them a viable future. This is something that should concern us deeply, because the dignity of the human being is at stake. At the point of fertilisation, an individual human being has begun, whether this happens naturally or through IVF. This is a scientific and biological fact, not a matter of opinion. A human embryo is more than a ‘clump of cells’; it is a living,...

It has been 60 years since a small group of bankers, led by Louis E. Galea, set up a local banking school – an institution set up by bankers for bankers. At that time and for a considerable period thereafter, it was known as ‘The Malta Institute of Bankers’, and, 60 years later, ‘IFS Malta’. IFS Malta president, Kenneth B. Micallef, presenting a joint IFS Malta and London Institute of Banking & Finance (formerly known as The Chartered Institute of Bankers) certificate to lifelong member and past IFS Malta president, Dr John Consiglio, to commemorate the Institute’s 60th anniversary. Since then, banking, or financial services as it is most commonly referred to today, has developed considerably. The Institute is proud to have been present all along. IFS Malta was always fortunate to be led by practitioners who immediately understood the need to support the dynamism of the sector, acting as an enabler and facilitator. The Institute started as a local centre of the London Institute of Bankers and, over time, evolved into a fully-fledged school licensed to deliver and award further and higher education certification. Thanks to the vision of all my predecessors and to the members who...

A 75-year-old man was hospitalised on Sunday morning after he was injured in a fire at his home in Birkirkara. His condition is not yet known but he is not in danger, the police said. They said the incident took place in Sqaq it-Torri at 7.30am. The victim had just replaced the regulator on a gas cylinder situation on the roof of his property and then lit the oven.  A spontaneous combustion threw the victim forwards but he quickly rose and tried to control the fire until the Civil Protection Department, who eventually put it out, arrived on site. It is understood that the man injured his nose when he fell. The victim was taken to Mater Dei Hospital by ambulance.

Local bathroom and furniture company Casafini has recently donated Inspire Malta a brand-new kitchen installation in support of the foundation’s mission. The kitchen was installed at Inspire’s Gozo centre, and it has replaced an older one which had been used for several years. Commenting about the generous donation, Ann Camilleri, Inspire’s manager for Gozo Services, noted that the new kitchen provides a more dignified, quality experience to both staff and learners receiving services in Gozo.  “It is with such generous donations, from charitable businesses such as Casafini who contribute to our operation, that we can continue to focus on our core mission to make a difference in the lives of many persons with a disability, and their families every day,” she said.  “On behalf of all those who use our centre, I would like to express my immense gratitude and appreciation. Of course, our appeal to other businesses who may be in a position to help us either financially, or in kind remains live and active as we continue to deliver service to our current learners and to new ones we welcome in the future.” Chris Fenech, general manager at Casafini, expressed his satisfaction about the...

Fearing a data dragnet weaponised against women seeking abortions and those helping them, privacy groups are warning that pregnancy-related information online might present a serious legal risk and demanding tech companies take action in the wake of America's revocation of abortion rights. As states move to ban or restrict the procedure after the Supreme Court's landmark reversal, worries grew that social media posts or information on apps could be used by authorities to build cases. For example, geolocation data or an internet search history might serve to incriminate women or those who help them in states that opt to ban abortion. "This decision opens the door to law enforcement and private bounty hunters seeking vast amounts of private data," said Center for Democracy and Technology president Alexandra Reeve Givens. "Tech companies must step up and play a crucial role in protecting women's digital privacy," she added. Google, Facebook parent Meta and others track their users in order to sell ultra-targeted and personalised advertising space.  Though that information is anonymised, it remains accessible to authorities with a warrant. The Supreme Court ruling on Friday gives...

A very rare pamphlet in the Portuguese language was published in 1755 in Lisbon by the publisher Domingos Rodriguez, entitled Nova noticia, e estupenda relaçam do nacimento, vida, costumes, e morte de Gaspar del Cuviello, homem astuto, sagaz, e facinoroso, que por seos muitos crimes mereceo ser justiçado em cadafalso publico na nobre ilha de Malta (Latest news and great commentary of the birth, life, customs and death of Gaspar del Cuviello, a cunning, shrewd and fascinating man who for his many crimes was sentenced to the public gallows in the noble island of Malta). A rare copper engraving of Grand Master Manuel Pinto de Fonseca (1741-1773) by Francesco Zucchi. 335mm by 230mm. Private Collection The pamphlet consists of eight pages and has a large woodcut decorative vignette on the title page. The grand master during this period was Manuel Pinto de Fonseca (1741-1773), a Portuguese nobleman who ruled Malta for 32 long years. This first and only edition, of which only two copies are known to exist, is a fascinating account of a master thief, Gaspare del Cuviello, who claimed to have come to Malta from Naples on a French ship, and who was fluent in Italian, Spanish, French,...

The role of company secretary in Malta is not one that should be taken lightly. Most people presume that the company secretary is an administrative secretary and little are they aware that the role of the company secretary is an officer role that is regulated by the Malta Companies Act (MCA), Chapter 386, of the Laws of Malta. Every Malta-registered company must have a company secretary, who must be a physical person but is not necessarily by law a Maltese resident. A body corporate is entitled to hold the office of company secretary in a Maltese registered company if it is licensed as a services provider under the Corporate Services Provider Act (CSPA), Chapter 529, of the Laws of Malta as specified in the MCA in article 138 (1)(c). The company secretary’s job is to maintain effective governance throughout the company’s life cycle, from inception to dissolution. When a company is wound up, the powers of the directors and company secretaries are revoked and a liquidator is appointed. By ensuring that board policy and procedures are followed and by organising the timely completion and dispatch of board agenda and briefing material, the company secretary plays a key role in...

Sustaining local councils through more investments and continuous stakeholder communication Following the General Election held in March 2022, Local Councils now fall under the portfolio of the Parliamentary Secretariat for Local Government within the Ministry for National Heritage, Arts and Local Government. Local councils represent the Central Government on a local basis – these are run by permanent executive secretaries together with mayors and councilors, who, like members of parliament are elected by the electorate. Whereas the Parliamentary Secretariat for Local Government serves as a link between the Central Government and Local Councils. Investing in human capital Human capital is one of the most important resources for the effective and efficient implementation of strategies within any organization. As such, the parliamentary secretariat for Local Government is committed towards preparing a continuous investment development program that focuses on the development of skills for elected and administrative local council members, in line with the Central Government’s vision with regards to Local Councils governance. Nonetheless, training programs are already being offered...

There I was, in the basement of a pub on Bloomsday, about to behold an 18-part odyssey into, or around, James Joyce’s Ulysses. The show ran on Maltese time, so it started a little late. I decided to sip at some whiskey to prime my palate in the meantime (thinking whiskey, rather than whisky, would be the more fitting option given the occasion). While waiting for Ulysses: A Portrait of the Artist on Fire to begin, I took a moment to gather my assumption. I assumed the play would include some element of stream of consciousness and would somehow involve the mundane, given that Ulysses is a novel on ordinary lives told in 2,000-word sentences. Considering the piece was co-written and directed by Vikesh Godhwani, I assumed it would be no ordinary rendition. Given the strange setting, I assumed the play would turn out rather odd… I suppose my assumptions were correct in isolation, but I could not have foreseen how the show would transpire. Emma Johnson In effect, Ulysses: A Portrait of the Artist on Fire is a play about failure. The protagonist and co-writer Emma Johnson plays what seems to be some version of themselves – the artist who catches fire. It takes us a moment to realise...

Audit, tax, and advisory firm Mazars in Malta has further reinforced its management team with the appointment of two new directors, Fiona Custo Pearson and Alicia Vella, and three new managers, namely Anthony Montanaro, Lorraine Camilleri and Alan Borg Olivier. Fiona Custo Pearson, who has been appointed Finance Director, started her working career in 1989 as a Junior Accounts Clerk with a well-established tourist handling agency in Malta. Along the years, the vast experience and knowledge of the industry she acquired allowed her to progress in her career within the agency. For five years, she also worked as an Accounts Executive for a language school within the same group of companies. Her employment within this group lasted for 22 years, with an interval of three years (2006 – 2008), during which she worked as an Accounts Executive for a multinational listed company within the manufacturing industry, and for Mazars in Malta, where she was responsible for maintaining the accounts of several clients in various sectors. Fiona re-joined Mazars in Malta in 2011 as head of finance and administration. Fiona is ACCA qualified and a member of the Malta Institute of Accountants. Alicia...

Does quantity come at the expense of quality? Do we need to reinvent our tourism product? And what is the way forward for Malta’s tourism? On Wednesday, June 22, Times of Malta hosted a business breakfast at Radisson Blu Resort Malta, to discuss Malta’s tourism product, strategy, and way forward. The event was addressed by Minister for Tourism Clayton Bartolo, Alfred Pisani, chairman of the Corinthia Group, and by Carlo Micallef, recently appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Malta Tourism Authority. Three discussion panels were moderated by Times of Malta journalist Claire Farrugia – during the panels, various related issues were discussed, including the post-pandemic approach to tourism, quality and quantity, and niche markets. The Times of Malta Business Breakfast was supported by Radisson Blu Resort Malta, Ministry for Tourism, Malta Tourism Authority and Malta International Airport. The discussion panels were moderated by Times of Malta journalist Claire Farrugia. Minister for Tourism Clayton Bartolo Alfred Pisani, chairman of the Corinthia Group Malta Tourism Authority CEO Carlo Micallef Guests at the Times of Malta business breakfast.