The Eco School committee of Gozo College Rabat Primary School recently organised a plastic clean-up at Ramla Bay. The activity involved students, educators and parents, who removed plastic litter, including thousands of small pieces which end up into the sea or get embedded into the surrounding soil. Participants were enlightened how small plastic pieces can become harmful to wildlife. Animals are killed by plastics every year, from birds to fish to other marine organisms. Nearly every species of seabird eats plastics. Plastic breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces with the consequence that plastic microfibers are found in drinking water systems and drifting through the air. The activity was part of a series of clean-ups organised by schools as part of the ERASMUS+ project ‘Stop Marine Litter’.

Barcelona’s Gerard Pique announced his retirement on Thursday after a decorated career.  “Saturday’s match (against Almeria) will be my last at the Camp Nou,” the 35-year-old posted on Twitter. The veteran defender bows out with three Champions League titles for his childhood club and the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012 with Spain. “I wanted to tell you that I’ve decided the moment has come to end this journey,” he said in a video clip of the star watching images of himself as a small boy wearing the Barcelona shirt, or chasing after autographs. “There’s no other team after Barca,” he added. Click here for full story

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Thursday he will meet with Kyrie Irving in the next week to push for an apology from the Brooklyn Nets star for publicizing anti-semitic material. The move came a day after Irving announced he will make a $500,000 donation to groups working to eradicate hate and admitted a film slammed as anti-semitic which he boosted on social media had a “negative impact” on the Jewish community. Irving ignited a firestorm of controversy last week after posting a social media link to “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America” — a 2018 film widely lambasted for containing a range of anti-semitic tropes that was criticized by, among others, Nets owner Joe Tsai. Click here for full story. 

Manchester United failed to usurp Real Sociedad at the top of Europa League Group E despite a 1-0 win in San Sebastian, as Arsenal did secure their place in the last 16 on Thursday. United now face a tricky playoff against one of the sides dropping down to the Europa League from the Champions League in February with Barcelona and Juventus potential opponents. Alejandro Garnacho scored the only goal of the night at the Reale Arena after just 17 minutes to surpass George Best as United’s youngest ever non-English scorer in Europe at 18. Click here for full story. 

More than two-thirds of people in Malta believe the country’s air quality has deteriorated in the past 10 years and the majority are afraid their health is suffering more as a result of the pollution. The Maltese are the most concerned among Europeans about the impact of poor air quality on their health, a Eurobarometer survey shows. The survey was conducted between March and April, shedding light on European citizens’ views on their country’s air quality. Sixty-seven per cent of locals said they believe the quality of Malta’s air has gotten worse in the past decade, the highest rate in Europe alongside Cyprus. The survey revealed the Maltese are also the most concerned about the impact of air pollution on their health. When asked about respiratory diseases resulting from poor air quality, for instance, 75 per cent of Maltese respondents said they deem this to be “a very serious problem”. When asked about asthma, the rate was even higher, with 78 per cent calling it a serious problem. This figure dipped slightly to 67 per cent as regards heart disease. All three of these rates, gauging concerns over specific conditions, were the highest in Europe. 'Go for low emission...

The 23rd Gozo Philatelic Society exhibition will open its doors today, Friday, at the Gozo Ministry hall, St Francis Square. Adult and junior philatelists will be exhibiting a variety of topics, including numismatic coins marking the 50th anniversary of Malta’s first decimal coins. Queen Elizabeth II is strongly represented with a diversity of items. Exhibits from around Europe and further afield, Italian postal markings and British authors are also represented. The exhibition is also an attraction to non-philatelists. Malta Post is the main sponsor of the exhibition. Mementos and gifts will be distributed to all participants during the society’s annual general meeting. The exhibition is on until November 11, including Saturday and Sunday morning). Entry is free.

Obituaries INCORVAJA. On November 2, MARIE-LOUISE, passed away peacefully comforted by the rites of Holy Church, aged 71. She leaves to mourn her loss her sister Joyce Scalpello, née Incorvaja, and her husband Robert Scalpello, her nephews Marcello and Massimo, her nieces Roberta and her husband Manuel Gellel, Eliza and her husband Ronnie Micallef and Marchéta and her beloved grand-nieces and nephews, Gabriel, Hannah, Rhys, Elena and Ilaria, other relatives and numerous friends. The funeral cortège leaves Mater Dei Hospital tomorrow, Saturday at 1.30pm for Ta’ Ġieżu church, St John Street, Valletta, where Mass præsente cadavere will be celebrated at 2pm, followed by interment in the family grave at Santa Maria Addolorata Cemetery. No flowers by request but donations to Id-Dar tal-Providenza, Siġġiewi, and Puttinu Cares would be greatly appreciated. Lord, grant her eternal peace. MALLIA. On November 2, at St Vincent de Paul residence, G. NEVILLE, ex-local councillor from San Ġwann, aged 82, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family and comforted by the rites of Holy Church. He leaves to mourn his loss his beloved wife Joyce, his children Etienne, Giselle and her husband...

On the left of the entrance to the Pietà military cemetery, one tombstone marks the final resting place of Robert Hutchinson Booth. His tombstone reads: “And when I die and from those I love depart, may the name of England be found deeply engraven on my heart.” The tombstone gives us some information; he was born in Turton and was 32 years of age when he died on January 1, 1916 as a result of “wounds received in Gallipoli” on December 22, 1915. However, it is bereft of other details. Other sources shed some light on his life beyond the battlefield. Captain Booth was born in 1883. The son of John and Mary Agnes Booth, he was known to his family and friends as Robin. He enlisted in the East Lancashire Regiment as a territorial officer in 1905 and transferred to the Army Service Corps in 1910. In 1914, he was deployed to Egypt. He served with the 42nd East Lancashire Field Ambulance at Gallipoli when he was injured and died merely 10 days after being transferred to Malta to treat his injuries. This young officer was married to Elsie and they lived at Horrobin Fold, Bolton. Their son, Robert Arthur was born six weeks before his death on November 17, 1915. Captain Booth was an active...

Opera is Gozo Xlendi going to the dogs. It started going down the slippery slope a long time ago but now the motion is accelerating. The waterfront is also shabby. You should compare it with the waterfronts of Cottonera. Tragedy is Gozo. The long wrangling over who should operate the fast ferry smells foul of shady dealings in the government. And, now, adding insult to injury, the service(!) has been downgraded. Let’s not forget how the project of the Gozo aquatic centre stood still for a long, long time. Where will our Year 7 and Year 8 students play when their school is ready? And is there enough sunshine? Apart from bad management and not wanting to listen to who protested for the good of our adolescents, it is also the result of lobbying by a group to have a museum taking the lion’s share of what was once the educational complex. Tragedy is Gozo. No major new road project on the cards. Just covering with tarmac country lanes or doing emergency works. This is not the way to better the tourism product. Farce too is Gozo’s destiny. See how we are conducting a scientific study by hunting down turtle doves. This is cuckoo or should I say fishy and foxy? Gozo should be harmony.

As the bulwark protecting citizens and the ‘conscience’ of public administration, the ombudsman and his commissioners deserve the utmost respect rather than the affront they have been subjected to. What is worse is that, this time, the culprits are not irritated top civil servants having enough of a nosy ombudsman. This time, it was members of parliament who provoked the ombudsman in using some very harsh language in his Ombudsplan 2023. The comments made by outgoing Ombudsman Anthony Mifsud are not only a legacy to his successor but also an indictment of both the house of representatives and some quarters in the public administration. He complains of lack of coordination and the “realistic and material” detachment between his office and parliament. Elements within the public administration, especially some regulators and public entities, Mifsud remarks, still consider the ombudsman as an unnecessary hindrance which they reluctantly have to tolerate. The ombudsman, together with the auditor general and the commissioner for standards in public life, are the three main – if not only – institutions that could really and truly be said to be doing their utmost to keep the government...

Pakistani former prime minister Imran Khan was recovering in hospital on Friday after an assassination attempt that left him with a gunshot wound to the leg. The attack on his convoy, apparently by a lone gunman, killed one man and wounded at least 10 others, significantly raising the stakes in political crisis gripping the country since Khan's ousting in April. Khan "was stable and he was doing fine" at Shaukat Khanum hospital in the eastern city of Lahore, his doctor Faisal Sultan told AFP Friday morning. The 70-year-old former international cricket star had been leading a campaign convoy of thousands since last week from Lahore to the capital Islamabad when he was attacked. Khan escaped with at least one bullet wound to his right leg when a gunmen sprayed pistol fire at his modified container truck as it slowly drove through a thick crowd in Wazirabad, around 170 kilometres (100 miles) east of Islamabad. "Everyone who was standing in the very front row got hit," former information minister Fawad Chaudhry, who was standing behind Khan, told AFP. Senior aide Raoof Hasan told AFP it was "an attempt to kill him, to assassinate him". Several leaders of Khan's Pakistan...

The number of text messages sent by SMS is plummeting every year, indicating that people in Malta are dumping the technology in favour of free chat apps like WhatsApp and Messenger. According to the Malta Communications Authority (MCA), the average mobile phone user last year sent 267 SMSs, a drop of 52% from 2017. Over the same period, the number of mobile calls, voice minutes and data use all increased. As a whole, the country sent 10.7 million fewer SMSs in 2021 than in the previous year, the MCA’s annual report said. It said this “could potentially indicate the higher usage of... platforms such as WhatsApp and Messenger”, from Meta, the company formerly called Facebook. The report also indicates another way that people’s smartphone habits are changing. More time spent on mobile calls While the average user has only marginally increased the number of mobile phone calls they make each year, the minutes spent on a voice call have increased by more than a quarter. In 2017, the average subscriber made 774 calls, rising slightly to 786 last year. However, the number of minutes the average consumer spent on voice calls rose from 1,463 to 1,855. Overall, mobile voice call minutes...

The following are the top stories in Malta's newspapers on Friday. Times of Malta reports that the two brothers who recently admitted killing Daphne Caruana Galizia have demanded a new trial. The newspaper also reports a proposal for Hondoq Bay was turned down, ending a 20-year saga.  The Malta Independent also reports on the Hondoq Bay case. In a second story,  it reports about the brothers demanding a new trial. In-Nazzjon leads with brothers' request, while in a second story it reports comments by the PN calling for culture and Local Councils to be protected. It also reports about a meeting between EP president Roberta Metsola and Italy prime minister Giorgia Meloni. L-orizzont focuses on the Hondoq case while in a second story it says the Labour government spent 150 per cent more on arts and culture than PN governments. 

Egypt will be hosting the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP27) in Sharm el-Sheikh from November 6 to 18. The world leaders’ summit will take place on November 7 and 8, where many heads of state and of government will sit together to discuss different aspects and challenges related to climate change. COP27 comes at a very challenging time, where the international community is facing multiple challenges, from geopolitical ones, to food security, energy prices and, most important of all, finance challenges such as debt burden to increasing interest rates. Probably the most dangerous development is what we sense as a retreat from some countries regarding their policies and pledges related to climate action. This is happening while climate change impacts are worsening and science is telling us the situation will not get any better if we continue on the current path. Egypt has assumed the presidency of COP27 with a clear realisation of the importance of global efforts on climate change and an appreciation of the value of multilateral action as the only means to address the global threat. In this context, we are engaging with all stakeholders and major...

UEFA will introduce the Nations League system in the women’s game as from next season. The European football governing body announced that the new competition will be launched in next year’s autumn and will lead up to the 2025 UEFA Women’s European Championships. The same format will be also applied for the following European qualifiers for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Click here for full story. 

Mosta FC will be bidding to confirm their status as the dark horses in the race for a European berth this season when they face Gżira United at the Centenary Stadium on Friday evening (kick-off: 7.30pm). The Blues have been a huge revelation in the past few weeks as they managed to upset some high-profile opponents such as Valletta and Birkirkara which has seen them climb to sixth place in the standings on 14 points, just three points adrift of Birkirkara, Hibernians and Gudja United who are sharing third place. On Friday, Joe Grech’s team faces another major test of their credentials when they take on second-placed Gżira United who are still licking their wounds following last week’s 2-1 defeat to leaders Ħamrun Spartans. A win against the Maroons this evening will no doubt put Mosta as a serious candidate for a top-four finish this season. Mario Muscat, Mosta’s technical director, said that he is delighted with the performances of the players so far this season but warned that it’s important that the team maintains a high level of consistency if they are to have lofty ambitions. Click here for full story

Music’s A-listers will celebrate a new crop of legends entering the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this weekend, among them country queen Dolly Parton and rap agitator Eminem. Pop futurists Eurythmics, smooth rocker Lionel Richie, new wave Brits Duran Duran, confessional lyricist Carly Simon and enduring rock duo Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo round out the class of 2022. The Cleveland-based Hall of Fame – which surveyed more than 1,000 musicians, historians and industry members to choose the entrants – will honour the seven acts in a star-studded gala concert on Sunday at Los Angeles’s Microsoft Theater. The inclusion of Parton, 76, prompted a characteristically humble response from the beloved icon, who initially requested her name be taken out of the running. “Even though I’m extremely flattered and grateful to be nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I don’t feel that I have earned that right,” said the music pioneer, who’s penned thousands of songs including Jolene and I Will Always Love You. But voting was already underway, and the Hall of Fame insisted she was far more than a country star. Eminem. Photo: Leon Bennett/Getty Images North America/AFP “With her trailblazing...

THEATRE Spring Awakening Adrian Buckle, in collaboration with the Malta Drama Centre, is presenting the German classic play Spring Awakening by Frank Wedekind at Spazju Kreattiv. Adapted for today’s audiences by Brad Birch and directed by James Grieve, the play is about a group of children growing up and the issues they face in society. The cast includes Alex Weenink, Jamie Busuttil Griffin, Anne-Marie Buckle, Pia Zammit and Paul Portelli. Costumes are by Masquerade Malta.The play, certified 14+, is being staged tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday and on November 11, 12 and 13. For tickets, log on to kreattivita.org. After the performance tomorrow, a Taħdita Teatru will see Birch and Grieve discussing the process behind this play, from page to stage. Colin Fitz will be moderating the discussion. Read this Times of Malta interview with director Grieve. Baby Series: Benji Beats The Manoel Theatre’s TOI TOI Learning and Participation Programme is reintroducing the Baby Series with a series of shows for children aged zero to four. The first show, taking place today and tomorrow, will introduce the little ones to the world of percussion. The performances will be held on both days at 9.30...

MAPFRE MSV Life is extending its special offer on Unit Linked Personal Pension Plans up to the end of the current year. “We are pleased to announce that, following the excellent response that we have received to our special offer, we have decided to extend it up to December 31,” Michael Galea, chief business development officer at MAPFRE MSV Life, said. Under this special officer, MAPFRE MSV Life is making a €175 top-up to new Unit Linked Personal Pension Plans when the policy is set up and the first premium paid by the client is allocated. Furthermore, given that MAPFRE MSV Life Personal Pension Plans are qualifying schemes, customers can benefit, subject to eligibility, from the tax credits made available by the government. The tax credit for 2022 is 25 per cent applicable to a maximum contribution of €3,000 (resulting in a maximum tax credit of €750 per person). “We are extremely satisfied with the response to our campaign so far, with hundreds of customers having already benefitted from our special offer as they have started saving towards their retirement with a MAPRE MSV Life Unit Linked Personal Pension Plan,” Galea said. “We continue to encourage people to start saving...

The electoral commission to start receiving nominations by candidates for the St Julian's local council seat vacated by newly elected PN MP Albert Buttigieg.  The former mayor became a 10th district MP after the death of Robert Arrigo in October. In a statement, the commission said it would accept nominations for the local council seat vacated by Buttigieg between Monday and Wednesday. The commission said candidates may submit their nomination personally at the Electoral Office at the Counting Complex in Naxxar between 10am and noon or online through https://electoral.gov.mt/nominati. Prospective candidates must present their identity card and in case of illness or being abroad, the nomination form needs to be submitted by a representative of the candidate. The representative must present a power of attorney drawn up exclusively for this purpose and authenticated by a notary public. A deposit of €90 is applicable with every nomination, the commission said. Nomination forms for prospective candidates may be obtained from the Office of the Electoral Commission during nomination days.