Argentine President Alberto Fernandez is looking for a political solution to the country's economic crisis with his appointment of a long-term politician as a new "super minister," analysts say. The South American country has suffered years of economic crisis, with some 37 per cent of its population now living in poverty. Inflation for the first half of this year alone topped 36 per cent, and is predicted to reach 80 per cent by the year's end. With that crisis backdrop, Fernandez on Thursday named Sergio Massa, the current head of Congress' lower house, as a new super minister to oversee the economy, development and agriculture ministries as well as relations with international organizations. Massa, a lawyer by trade who has spent years in politics, replaces economist Silvina Batakis, who had been on the job less than a month. "Massa is not an economist but a politician. But the point is that Argentina's crisis is political, it needs a person with broad shoulders and political skill," analyst Carlos Fara told AFP. One of Argentina's major problems is the ongoing power struggle inside the ruling Frente de Todos political coalition between Fernandez and Vice President Cristina...

Elected officials are supposed to be prudent stewards of public funds. This stewardship requirement applies to day-to-day budgetary operations and long-term use of the taxpayers’ euros. Exposing the truth about alleged abuse of public funds is a fundamental right of all taxpayers. The Montenegro wind farm project was partly financed by Enemalta, a publicly owned entity supported with substantial amounts of taxpayers’ money. Energy Minister Miriam Dalli has refused to commit to publishing a report confirming Enemalta was aware of paying triple the original price to buy shares in the wind farm. Times of Malta and Reuters had exposed how 17 Black owner and murder suspect Yorgen Fenech walked away from the deal with a €4.6 million profit after secretly financing an intermediary used to sell the wind farm project shares to Enemalta. Ministers should be reminded they are just stewards of the public purse and taxpayers have a right to know how their money is being spent. Her declared confidence in the “authorities” to do their work is misplaced. First, it is the people, not ministers, that must have this confidence. Secondly, keeping reports secret undermines the very basis of that...

April is the cruellest month, breeding lilacs out of the dead land, mixing memory and desire, stirring dull roots with spring rain.” These are the opening lines of T.S. Elliott’s famous poem, The Wasteland. Written in 1922, after the devastating aftermath of World War I, his painful bitterness ekes through: “I had not thought death had undone so many.” One hundred years later, Europe is in the midst of another devastating war. Man never learns. Elliott’s poem of dark pain and futility has long been forgotten, at our own cost. “What are the roots that cluster, what branches grow out of the stony rubbish? Son of man you cannot say, or guess, for you know only a heap of broken images, where the sun beats, And the dead tree gives no shelter, the cricket no relief, and the dry stone no sound of water; there is shadow under this rock, (come in under the shadow of this red rock), And I will show you something different from either your shadow at morning, striding behind you or your shadow at evening rising to meet you; I will show you fear in a handful of dust.” That handful of dust is amply provided by the war.  The loss of life, the destruction of heritage, wheat, churches,...

Elon Musk on Friday filed claims against Twitter as he fights back against the tech firm's lawsuit demanding he be held to his $44 billion buyout deal. Musk's counter-suit was submitted along with a legal defence against Twitter's claim that the billionaire is contractually bound to complete the deal he inked in April to buy Twitter, the Chancery Court in the state of Delaware said in a notice. The 164-page filing was submitted as being "confidential," meaning the documents were not accessible by the public, the notice indicated. Rules of the court, however, require Musk to submit a public version of the filing with trade secrets or other sensitive information redacted. A judge has ordered a five-day trial over Twitter's lawsuit against Musk to begin on October 17. The Tesla boss wooed Twitter's board with a $54.20 per-share offer, but then in July announced he was "terminating" their agreement on accusations the firm misled him regarding its tally of fake and spam accounts. Twitter, whose stock price closed at $41.61 on Friday, has stuck by its estimates regarding accounts run by software "bots" rather than people, and argued that Musk is contriving excuses to back out of the...

An across-the-board tax on aviation fuel, currently being discussed at EU level, would eventually raise the cost of flying to Malta, airport CEO Alan Borg has acknowledged. The tax, which is part of the EU’s climate change measures, is under discussion in the European Parliament. Airlines in the bloc have opposed the measure, saying it would make them unable to compete with non-EU rivals. Malta has objected to such proposals for many years, arguing it would put it in an unfair position since it is more heavily dependent on aviation for travel and tourism than countries in continental Europe. Asked about the issue during the airport’s mid-year briefing, Borg echoed concerns that Malta would be “negatively impacted” if the tax is introduced. “Malta is not as close as we think it is to mainland Europe and so the cap means anything above northern Germany will be significantly impacted. Our tourism industry is based on connectivity and, therefore, yes, it is a concern. “The cost to fly to Malta may increase in the medium term,” Borg said. Earlier this month, Labour MEP and former prime minister Alfred Sant said the revised taxation of energy products would not affect the whole of...

THEATRE Il-Kbir Għadu Ġej The smash-hit jukebox musical is returning to the Mediterranean Conference Centre today, promising a bigger and better spectacle than the original show staged in 2019.  Created and directed by Sean Buhagiar, based on the music hits of Freddie Portelli and penned by Malcolm Galea with musical direction by Dominic Galea and choreography by Warren Bonello, the musical is featuring most of the original cast, with some new additions, including Debbie Scerri, Julie Pomorski, Gianluca Mifsud, Sean Briffa and Daron Galea. Kevin Borg is resuming the lead role of Il-Kredu. Ten shows, suitable for all the family, are being held between today and August 15. The show will have surtitles in English. For tickets, click here. The project is supported by Arts Council Malta, Kinnie, and the Valletta Cultural Agency and is produced by Balzunetta Productions. For more information, visit www.balzunetta.com. MUSIC L-Għanja tal-Poplu The final night of the 46th edition of the song festival is taking place this evening at Pjazza Teatru Rjal in Valletta. Sixteen songs made it to the final out of 131 entries. They will be judged by an expert jury and a jury composed of members...

Cristiano Ronaldo has indicated he will feature in Manchester United’s friendly with Rayo Vallecano at Old Trafford on Sunday amid ongoing speculation over his future with the English giants. The 37-year-old Portugal forward, who missed the club’s pre-season tour to Thailand and Australia for personal reasons, reportedly wants to leave the club he rejoined last year. Ronaldo was also left out of United’s squad for Saturday’s friendly with Atletico Madrid in Oslo. But he suggested on Instagram he will face another La Liga side in Rayo Vallecano. More details here...

A US judge Friday ordered the military chief of eastern Libya, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, to compensate Libyan plaintiffs who allege he ordered the torture and extrajudicial killings of their family members. The federal judge in the state of Virginia, where Haftar lived before returning to Libya, ruled that he had not cooperated with the court and that by "default" was ordered to pay damages to the families. Haftar, a dual US-Libyan citizen whose name is spelled "Hifter" in American legal documents, can still appeal the decision, and future hearings will need to be held to determine the level of compensation. Nonetheless, Friday's ruling represents a major setback for the military leader. "Justice has prevailed. Hifter will be held responsible for his war crimes," said Faisal Gill, one of the lawyers spearheading the cases, in a statement shared with AFP. Filed in 2019 and 2020, the civil lawsuits argue that Haftar, as head of the eastern-based Libyan National Army, authorized the indiscriminate bombings of civilians during his unsuccessful 2019 campaign to take Tripoli, resulting in the death of the plaintiff's family members. They are suing Haftar under a 1991 US law, the...

The MSE Equity Total Return Index (MSE) closed lower by 0.4% at 7,750.833 points. Out of 26 active equities, 12 headed north, while another 11 closed in the red. During the week, turnover more than doubled to €0.7m, up from €0.3m last week. Since the beginning of the year, the MSE is down by 5.5%. Last Wednesday, Malta International Airport plc (MIA) approved the group’s interim financial statements for the six months ended June 30, 2022. MIA’s positive interim financial results were reflected in the equity’s share price, as five transactions pushed the equity 0.8% higher to the €6 price level. A total of 16,140 shares exchanged hands, generating a turnover of €96,190. Likewise, International Hotel Investments plc enjoyed a positive week, as it recorded a 4.2% rise in price, closing at the €0.75 price level. This was the result of three deals involving 18,834 shares. Meanwhile, four deals of 2,786 Simonds Farsons Cisk plc shares resulted into a 2% increase in price, as it closed at €7.60. In the banking industry, Bank of Valletta plc (BOV) was the only negative mover, having declined by 5.4%, as 33 deals involving 110,365 shares were executed. BOV closed the week at €0.87, after...

Driven by Charles Degiorgio, Dutch Gigant Well won Friday night’s major event at the Marsa Racetrack. This was a final reserved for class Premier trotters on a short distance of 2140m and formed part of the 41st meeting of the season consisting of seven races all finals for various categories. These Summer championships were organised thanks to the financial support of Malta Equidrome, the company that is presently administering the Marsa Racetrack. It was also a memorable evening for Rodney Gatt who managed to win three out of the seven finals that were held during this meeting. Twelve trotters lined up for the class Premier final. Under the guidance of Charles Degiorgio, Gigant Well upped its pace in the final metres of the race and managed to seal its eighth win of the season from Concerto Royal (Charles Camilleri) and favourite Antoine Du Bourg (Redent Magro). Vencedor (Paul Galea) ended in fourth place. Click here for full story

These are the leading stories in local newspapers this Saturday. Times of Malta reports on the growing anger among food delivery drivers about low pay and poor working conditions, as several of them strike in protest. The newspaper also reports on tourism stakeholder concerns about traffic jams and roadworks “damaging tourism”. The Malta Independent leads with criticism from rule of law NGO Repubblika, which says there is no political will to address challenges identified by an inquiry into the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. The newspaper also gives prominence to Siġġiewi local council flagging a raft of illegalities at an ODZ quarry in the locality. L-Orizzont leads with a statement from telecoms firm GO, defending its handling of a direct debit clash that has led all local telecoms firms to be probed for price fixing. The company says it is incentivising direct debit payments. The newspaper also highlighted an EU report which concluded that Malta’s e-government services are the best across member states. In-Nazzjon notes that Saturday marks the final day of voting for a PN deputy leader. Alex Perici Calascione is the only candidate for that post. The newspaper also reports...

The American University of Malta is to waive tuition fees for Maltese nationals, the academic institution said on Saturday. Maltese students who opt to study at the Cospicua-based institution will only pay registration and admission fees, following discussions by the university’s board of trustees and proposals made by the management. Registration fees currently stand at €200 a year, with admission against a one-time €1,000 payment.  The university said that the decision underlined its “commitment and vision towards the Maltese community to be a high-quality educational institution.” Currently, Maltese nationals are charged €1,000 per semester to study at the AUM. Other EU nationals pay €1,500 while non-EU nationals are charged €3,750 per semester.  Academic courses at the AUM are made up of eight semesters, spread out over four years. Courses range from business administration to engineering, game development or graphic design and animation. The move to offer Maltese students free tuition is likely intended to help the AUM bolster its student population, which has remained far below expectation since it began operating. Its contract with the government sets clear targets about...

Editor’s Note: I told Charlie not to let his birthday go to his head: ‘Drop the car keys, no more beer, you're only a month old.’ The next day, I found an unusual message in my computer. Turns out Charlie can touch type... Weapon-Testing: Today, I peed on my face. Native ‘Smooth’ cooed as she cleaned my eyes; she looked tired so I shouted at her. Her training is going well. Bristles laughed at Smooth. I waited for him to put on a new nappy before I fired off a torpedo. Smooth laughed; Bristles took a deep breath and clenched his fists. His training is going well. Health: My recent torpedoes have been green. As my body is small it can be painful expelling processed milk. Bristles looked at my face as I was straining and said, ‘Isn’t it amazing how babies look like Winston Churchill?’ One day I will vomit on his best shirt. Moon-Feeding Clinic: Smooth and Bristles took me to a white building where Natives go to share diseases. When we reached the Moon-Feeding Clinic, I saw other Agents being taken into a room, stripped and weighed. Smooth sat with me in the clinic. I shouted at her and she gave me the Caramel Moon. At one point there were five fellow Agents drinking together. They...

Sebastian Vettel on Friday tipped his friend and protege Mick Schumacher to be his successor at Aston Martin next season. The retirement-bound four-time world champion, who is close friends with his 23-year-old fellow-German, said he had spoken to team owner Lawrence Stroll and recommended the son of seven-time champion Michael Schumacher. “Obviously, I spoke to Lawrence and told him that I’m not going to continue,” said 35-year-old Vettel.  “We had a very, very brief chat about what might be next. “I do have my opinion. I think very highly of Mick. I’m not entirely objective because I’m very close to him, but I do think he’s a great driver and he is a learner. “He keeps learning when others stall or stop making progress. He does have qualities, but he’s also very young still. He doesn’t have a lot of experience.  “It’s not my decision, but if I’m asked I will give my opinion and not hold back. In the end, the team will have to make that decision.” Schumacher, who is out of contract with Haas at the end of this year, scored his first points finish in Formula One at the British Grand Prix earlier this month and followed it with another strong finish in Austria. As a Ferrari...

Bishop Anton Teuma will today officially inaugurate the revamped Gozo Cathedral Museum. During the last three years, it has been completely renovated in line with modern museum standards and guidelines. A century-old story The museum was first conceived in the early 1920s during the last years of the bishopric of Ġwanni-Marija Camilleri (1889-1924). A number of storerooms at the back of the cathedral were removed and two halls to house a museum were built in their stead. Interest in the venture went into oblivion during the bishoprics of Michael Gonzi (1924-44) and Joseph Pace (1945-67). The wind of change brought about by the appointment of Bishop Nikol Cauchi as apostolic administrator for Gozo in 1967 proved a catalyst for many new ideas. The Cathedral Museum project was resuscitated and the project was launched and unanimously approved by the Cathedral Chapter on February 9, 1969. It was to be situated on the originally projected site. Work started on November 2, 1970, by master mason Karlu Vella on a plan by architect Joe Dimech. Its interior was designed by Carmel Grech, an arts master. Works took longer than programmed  but it was finally inaugurated on October 21,...

Justice Minister Jonathan Attard has pledged to reorganise the Gozo court system and hire more workers for its court house, an association of Gozitan lawyers has said. Avukati Għawdex said that its representatives had met with the minister on Friday to highlight several concerns about the current court system in Gozo. Lawyers on the island had formed their own lobby group and gone on strike last year, as their frustration with ongoing problems reached a head. They say that the court house in Victoria is run-down, too small and inadequately equipped and that there is a lack of court staff, leading to court delays, documents being lost and cases not being notified. Shortcomings within the court building itself led the Occupational Health and Safety Authority to begin court action against the court’s director ġeneral and Court Services Agency chief. They responded by pledging to fix problems within a matter of weeks. In their statement on Saturday, Gozitan lawyers said that the minister was receptive to their complaints and had pledged to address them. The minister also reportedly told the lawyers that the case notification system would be changed, and said that a court marshal...

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland will go head to head with Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez as the Premier League title rivals unveil their expensive new recruits in the Community Shield. Heading into Saturday’s curtain raiser to the Premier League season, the pressure is on Haaland and Nunez to provide evidence they can justify their hefty price tags over the coming months. The pair represent over £100 million ($121 million) of goalscoring firepower as the rivalry between City and Liverpool intensifies. Much has changed at City and Liverpool since Pep Guardiola’s side pipped the Reds to the title by one point after a thrilling come-from-behind victory over Aston Villa on the last day of the season. City’s fourth title in five seasons was just reward for their incredible consistency, but Guardiola’s perfectionist personality ensured he would not rest on his laurels. Guardiola sanctioned the sales of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko to Arsenal, while Raheem Sterling joined Chelsea and Fernandinho returned to Athletico Paranaense. Aware that City’s success last season was achieved despite their lack of a natural central striker, Guardiola made a blockbuster move for one...

A pre-electoral promise made to Air Malta workers by the government is proving impossible to keep, ADPD noted on Saturday as it decried the "cynical ploy". “We have now become used to governments paying lip service to the principles of good governance, but then unashamedly practicing vote buying, reneging on their impossible promises once the election is over,” ADPD chairperson Carmel Cacopardo said. He was referring to reports that a promise to transfer hundreds of Air Malta workers to other public sector jobs at equal pay appears to be crumbling. Air Malta is drastically downsizing its workforce in an attempt to remain solvent. When announcing that plan for the state-owned airline in January, Finance Minister Clyde Caruana had said that all impacted workers would be transferred to other public sector roles with no change in pay or conditions. Almost 70 per cent of the company’s workers applied for a transfer within six weeks of the minister’s announcement. But many workers have yet to be given adequate alternative employment. Earlier this week, the PN claimed that workers were being “bullied” into accepting sub-par alternatives, with “take-it-or-leave-it” offers presented to...

Updated 1.45pm Pope Francis has warned that he must slow down his rate of travel or consider resigning, as knee pain and old age complicate his work schedule.  "I don't think I can go at the same pace as I used to travel," Francis, 85, told reporters on the papal plane as he left Canada.  "I think that at my age and with this (knee) limitation, I have to save myself a little bit to be able to serve the Church. Or, alternatively, to think about the possibility of stepping aside."  It was not the first time Francis has said that -- should his health require it -- he could take a page from his predecessor Benedict XVI, who made history in 2013 by stepping down due to declining physical and mental health.  In 2014, a year into his papacy, Francis told reporters that if his health got in the way of his functions as pope, he would consider stepping down. In May, as reported in the Italian media, Francis joked about his knee during a closed-door meeting with bishops, saying: "Rather than operate, I'll resign." "The door is open, it's one of the normal options, but up until now I haven't knocked on this door," he said Saturday. "But that doesn't mean the day after tomorrow I don't start...

Radiotherapy services for cancer patients will resume next week, with one of the three machines currently out of order to be repaired by Monday.  The health ministry said that one of the linear accelerators, called Synergy, will be up and running by the start of the week.  “We are contacting respective patients to inform them regarding their appointment on Monday,” the spokesperson told Times of Malta.  Radiotherapy services had to be suspended this week, following a technical fault in equipment at Sir Anthony Mamo oncology centre. Initial investigations suggest the fault was discovered in the cooling system which regulated the machine's engines.  While one machine will be functional next week, the other two remain out of order. A ministry spokesperson said there was no further information about those two machines.  Technoline, the company which maintains the equipment, has said it was not responsible for damage to the equipment. Between 60 and 80 patients undergo radiotherapy sessions on a daily basis, according to Oncology department chairperson Nicholas Refalo. Usually, patients received repeated treatments over a period of three weeks. The damage brought a complete halt to...