Gżira United bounced back from last week’s disappointing defeat to Ħamrun Spartans when they battled past Mosta at the Centenary Stadium. It was a mature performance from the Maroons who managed to surge ahead early in the match through Maxuell Maia and from then on they managed to withhold everything that the Mosta forwards threw at them. Despite Mosta enjoying a superior rate of possession, Gżira remained the more dangerous side and they went on to seal the points with a fine strike from Jefferson. With this win, Gżira consolidated their second placing as they have now moved on the 21-point mark while Mosta remained sixth on 14 points. Gżira United were off to a perfect start as they took the lead inside the first six minutes. More details here...

Chinese local authorities apologised after a three-year-old boy died of carbon monoxide poisoning when medical care was delayed because of a COVID lockdown, in a rare admission of responsibility. The northwestern city of Lanzhou has been locked down for nearly a month under China's harsh zero-COVID policy, which has seen millions of people across the country confined to their homes and often complaining of poor conditions, food shortages and slow emergency responses. Local police had earlier confirmed the death of a child in a Tuesday statement but did not mention delays in accessing medical treatment. The same day footage of people desperately administering the child CPR on a flatbed tricycle spread rapidly, along with videos of small neighbourhood protests that evening. The boy's father, surnamed Tuo, wrote on social media Wednesday that he had been denied permission to leave his housing compound by workers stationed at a checkpoint, and that an ambulance did not arrive in time. Over an hour later, he managed to break out of the compound and flag down a taxi to a hospital, shortly after which his son was pronounced dead, he said. On Thursday district health authorities...

The government is trying to identify a site or a building that could house the Gozo law courts situated in the old Citadel and which would be fully accessible for workers, lawyers and visitors, Times of Malta has learnt. A spokesperson for the justice ministry said the government would be identifying a site or property that could adequately host the Gozo courts, as promised in the Labour election manifesto. He said the ministry would provide an update on this matter “in the coming days”. The question arose when only €100,000 from Budget 2023 was voted to the Gozo ministry for the upkeep of the Gozo law courts, which require a major overhaul. The spokesperson clarified that the Court Services Agency, which administers both Malta and Gozo’s courts, was allocated €22 million and a further €600,000 in capital budget, which includes the upkeep of the courts in both Malta and Gozo. Most of this money is spent on administration and general day-to-day running. Relocation of the Gozo law courts has been on the cards for years. They operate from a crammed and inaccessible building that was once a palace for the governor inside the Citadel. Over the years, the caseload increased and the...

Obituaries . PACE. On November 3, LIBERATO (Bert), passed away peacefully at Zammit Clapp Residence for the Elderly, aged 91. Reunited at last with his beloved wife Tessie. He leaves to mourn his loss his children Josanne, widow of Nicholas Micallef, Frankie and his partner Anna, Marica and her husband Oliver, Tonio and his wife Belinda, all his grandchildren and their spouses and his beloved great-grandchildren, his sisters Mary and Carmelina, his sisters-in-law Maryanne, widow of his brother Anton and Lina, widow of Joseph Sultana, all his nephews and nieces, other relatives and friends. The funeral cortège leaves Zammit Clapp Residence on Monday, November 7, for Floriana parish church, where Mass præsente cadavere will be said at 9.15am, followed by interment in the family grave at Santa Maria Addolorata Cemetery. No flowers by request but donations to Puttinu Cares would be greatly appreciated. Lord, grant him eternal rest. The family would like to express their gratitude to all healthcare professionals at Zammit Clapp Residence who supported him during his last years. VELLA BORG. On November 3, at Mater Dei Hospital, CARMEL (Karmnu l-Blu), of Mellieħa, aged 88, passed away...

Ageism is arguably the last bastion of discrimination that society seems unwilling to assail. One example that emerged this week is to do with the erosion of older adults’ ability to manage their own finances. The community-based NGO St Jean Antide Foundation listed some of the problems that the elderly face when trying to access modern-day banking services – from the reliance on ATM withdrawals to extremely long queues at physical bank branches. The foundation says that “many elderly people are choosing not to deposit money at the bank”. This practice exposes them to severe risks, from financial abuse to robbery. This is no less than an injustice. The way to redress it is to make it easier again for older adults to undertake banking transactions. As they become more vulnerable, elderly persons are not vociferous enough to lobby businesses and the government to protect their rights. Because money is so fundamental to subsistence and property, it can be argued that the elderly have a right to age-friendly banking. A number of social research studies confirm there are three main elements preventing the take-up of online services, leading to digital exclusion: lack of appropriate...

Former Prime Minister Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici passed away on Saturday, aged 89. The Cospicua-born and raised Mifsud Bonnici served as prime minister between December 1984 and May 1987, having been chosen by Dom Mintoff as his successor.  The Labour Party paid tribute to its former leader, saying he would be remembered for the conviction of his social democratic ideals. It offered his relatives its condolences.  Robert Abela said the world had lost a gentleman who always kept the downtrodden in mind.  "He loved his country as he loved workers," Abela said. "He will remain an example for many." Opposition leader Bernard Grech described Mifsud Bonnici as someone who “worked doggedly for what he believed in” and offered his family his condolences. Former Labour minister Evarist Bartolo also paid tribute, saying Mifsud Bonnici had entered politics "to serve, not as a slogan.". Culture Minister Owen Bonnici went further, writing that he had "never met anyone as unique" as Mifsud Bonnici. A controversial prime minister Mifsud Bonnici will be remembered as a controversial prime minister, picked for the post by his predecessor and appointed without contesting a general election. Known to...

Pigeons causing problems It is for the umpteenth time that I write (together with others) about problems caused by pigeons. They are dirtying pavements, roofs, public buildings and churches. People file reports but they seem to fall on deaf ears. A friend of mine was telling me she reported the matter to the police who, in turn, referred her to the local council. She did but the reply was: “My dear, even pigeons have to eat.” This is aggravated by people feeding them. Of particular mention is around Mosta Rotunda where people, daily, can be seen feeding them. They should be stopped as, besides being unsightly and causing damage to the building itself, nobody will be pleased if hit by droppings. Years ago, an elderly man in Valletta used to go round collecting money, all along repeating “Penny for the pigeons”, until, finally, the authorities stopped him. Hopefully, some day, someone will do the same and stop the nuisance. Emily Barbaro-Sant – Mosta Socialism I hadn’t heard the word socialism since the days of Dom Mintoff. However, our prime minister, Robert Abela, mentioned it when he was elected leader of the Labour Party. And Finance Minister Clyde Caruana ended his recent...

Weaning a child is a loving step towards food independence and a wider variety of sustenance. The child is no longer dependent on its mother and can develop tastes. At some point, a child matures and the world awaits. The same should have happened during Budget 2023, where the minister for finance should have come up with two main forms of weaning for the nation: off our cars and off government handouts. I won’t delve into the yearly conundrum of whether the budget was ‘good’ or ‘bad’, as I don’t believe that something so complex and nuanced can be reduced to being totally one or the other. What it definitely shows is that we are all becoming poorer and that we are living beyond our means, with our spending power decreasing consistently. That is the consequence of Muscatonomics, where we let everyone do what they want for short-term profit but build in a crippling dependency on our own destruction in the long-term. We are fighting tooth and nail to keep our usual way of life without any changes by indebting the country unashamedly, instead of admitting where we went wrong before. It has become unsustainable to simply live as we have been living but, instead of taking tough...

What Finance Minister Clyde Caruana presented us with on October 24 was undoubtedly a budget as it had many numbers in it. Yet, the budget should never be just a collection of numbers but an expression of our values and aspirations. I am no economist by profession, but I want to have a keen interest in how my country and government raise their finances and eventually spend them on various projects and in various sectors. Of course, I am the last person on earth to feel competent to make any suggestions and proposals to our finance minister as to how better manage the national budget from year to year but, on a personal level and as a taxpayer, I do have every reason to voice my concern if and when I envisage or get a reasonable perception that not all is well with the balancing of the country’s budget. For example, it is not appeasing to read that government debt in Malta increased to €8,672.20 million in the first quarter of 2022 from €8,284.40 million in the fourth quarter of 2021. Neither does the probability that this debt is bound to continue to increase in the coming years have any calming effect on anyone in his or her right senses. Of course, deficits do not in...

The financial estimates, published last week along with Budget 2023, show how the sands of government spending will shift over the next year.  Ivan Martin looks at the ministries that have experienced the greatest changes.  COVID spending eases up  The Health Ministry will be spending significantly less on the fight against COVID as the pandemic peters out.  The approved allocation for COVID supplies stood at €25 million for 2022. The government is now projecting to spend some €10 million less on the fight against the pandemic in 2023 as concern about the virus peters out.   On the other hand, the ministry is investing in the fight against poison. In 2021 the ministry allocated nearly €20,000 to a national poison centre, but the allocation shot up to €600,000 for this year.   Nurse Rachel Grech receiving the first COVID-19 vaccine in Malta. Photo: DOI. The ministry’s contributions to state entities include a whopping €65million towards mental health care, €13million for Karen Grech rehabilitation hospital, and another €4million for the Foundation for Medical Services.   The ministry takes up a large chunk of the government’s budget allocation eating up an estimated €897 million...

Los Angeles FC and Philadelphia Union will battle for the MLS Cup on Saturday in a rare collision of the top seeds in Major League Soccer’s championship showpiece. Los Angeles, who finished top of the Western Conference regular season standings, will host the final at their gleaming Banc of California Stadium home just four years after joining the league. Philadelphia, who topped the Eastern Conference in the regular season, sealed their place in the final last weekend after a battling 3-1 win over old rivals New York City FC at home. Click here for full story. 

Political heavyweights lined up on Saturday morning to pay tribute to the memory of Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, the former Labour Party leader who died aged 89. From Robert Abela to Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, there were words of praise for a man described as a “true Labourite” who “worked tirelessly for workers”. Almost all praised his humility, integrity and strength of conviction. A couple also acknowledged, somewhat tactfully, that his time in power is not remembered especially fondly by most. There were notes of condolences from President George Vella and Prime Minister Robert Abela, as well as a note from Opposition leader Bernard Grech, who described Mifsud Bonnici as someone who “worked doggedly for what he believed in” and offered his family his condolences. One of Mifsud Bonnici’s relatives, his niece Paula, is a PN MP.  "Farewell dear uncle Karm," she wrote. "We will love you forever." Former president Marie Louise Coleiro Preca said Mifsud Bonnici had taught her the value of social justice and “boundless love” for the working class. “Those who lived politics with him know what a GENTLEMAN and SOCIALIST he was,” the former president wrote on Facebook. Deputy prime...

Autumn is pleasantly awarding us with ideal weather for walking and, demonstrably, many ramblers have been turning out vigorously to enjoy the gifts of nature. Thanks go to the volunteer walk leaders for their engaging choice of routes. For it is not easy to make unruffled headway in our forsaken countryside, away from the disturbance of vehicular gridlock that define our streets. It is the reason why the Ramblers’ Association is continuously endeavouring to keep old lanes and pathways easily accessible for all. The numerous offshoot rambling groups that have sprung into life recently, with their numerous patronage, give heartening support to Ramblers in this respect.  It is so civilising to behold such large numbers orderly following country pathways on weekends.  The authorities will do well to recognise the benefits of walking, not only on an ageing population but in circumstances of mundane obesity. Yet, the powers that be are indiscriminately pouring concrete all over country lanes and paths, destroying their quaint rural character insensitively. This encourages easy vehicular access to natural areas, sometimes areas that are scheduled and protected. It also brings about...

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, Ann-Marie Buckle, Pia Zammit and Paul Portelli. The play, certified 14+, is being staged today, Saturday and Sunday and on November 11, 12 and 13. For tickets, log on to kreattivita.org. After today's performance, 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 this weekend, will introduce the little ones to the world of percussion. The performances will be held today at 9.30 and 11am. For tickets, log on to...

The MSE Equity Total Return Index returned to negative territory, as it closed 1.2% lower at 7,623.492 points. A total of 18 issues were active, as gainers and losers tallied to six each.  Total weekly turnover amounted to €0.58m, generated across 76 transactions. Bank of Valletta plc (BOV) saw its equity price gain 1.1% to close at €0.91. Trading activity included 12 deals on a volume of 73,000 shares with a total trading value of €65,904. Furthermore, BOV’s share price traded between an intra-week low of €0.89 and an intra-week high of €0.91. BOV published their interim directors’ report for the period January to September 2022. The bank reported a loss before tax for the year-to-date amounting to €55.7m. Excluding the effect of the settlement of the Deiulemar claim in May this year, the nine-month profit amounted to €47.8m, up by 3% compared to the same period last year.  Revenue for the first nine months of 2022 stood at €202.3m. This constituted an improvement of 16.8%, reflecting the increase in Eurozone interest rates coupled with a rise in volumes in the retail sector, particularly in home lending, cards, and payments. Similarly, Lombard Bank Malta plc saw its equity...

Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso is in desperate need of a win as his side look to turn around their miserable form when they host Bundesliga leaders Union Berlin on Sunday. Having finished third last season, Leverkusen are now third from bottom with just two wins in 12 games after a catastrophic start to the campaign. Spanish 2010 World Cup winner Alonso was brought in to stop the rot in October, but has won only one of his seven games in charge so far. Click here for full story. 

Crouching in his hidden lookout on the edge of a forest, a Ukrainian border guard scans the horizon to the border with Russia and Belarus just a few kilometres to the north. With the rain pouring down and the clouds low, there will be no Russian drones overflying his remote outpost in northern Ukraine, the last one before the frontier.  Clutching a monocular and wearing a balaclava that only shows his eyes, the guard proudly shows off his NLAW anti-tank missile launcher. "Our main objective is to prevent a (new) invasion. But if that happens again here, we'll be ready to stop the enemy at the border and prevent them from coming in," says the 33-year-old who does not give his name.  The Senkivka border crossing is very close. A three-way crossing shaped like a 'Y', it points northwest into Belarus and northeast into Russia with Ukraine to the south.  This is where Russia's 90th armoured division swept in when the war started on February 24, cutting through Ukrainian territory like a knife through butter.  From there, the Russian army reached the gates of Chernigiv, capital of the eponymous region, some 90 kilometres (55 miles) to the south.  But they were never able to take the...

Sevilla defender Marcao will miss the derby clash with Real Betis on Sunday and be out until after the World Cup after suffering a hamstring tear, the club confirmed Friday. The Brazilian centre-back had to be replaced during the 3-1 Champions League defeat by Manchester City on Wednesday after suffering the injury. “He will be out of action until after the World Cup,” said Sevilla in a statement. Click here for full story. 

These are the leading stories in local newspapers this Saturday. Times of Malta reports that the government is, once again, looking to rehouse the Gozo Law Courts in a different building, following multiple health and safety issues with its current setup. The newspaper also teases an interview with Prime Minister Robert Abela that will be published on Sunday. Among topics covered are abortion, corruption and construction. The Malta Independent leads with PN accusing the attorney general of being complicit in a Pilatus Bank cover-up. The AG should identify people who have been spared criminal prosecution in connection with the now-shut bank, it said. The newspaper also quotes the planning minister as pledging to get the Planning Authority to update its urban policies. In-Nazzjon also leads with the PN calls for the AG to say who has been spared prosecution in the Pilatus Bank case.  In another front-page story, the newspaper highlights a PN motion that seeks to ensure that ARMS customers are fully refunded for a billing system shortcoming. L-Orizzont writes that the process to ensure all construction contractors are licenced is close to completion.

Trophies line the Luqa living room of 79-year-old couple Victor and Celia Markham, who discovered their love for ballroom dancing in their 50s and have lately rekindled their passion – this time as part of their treatment for Parkinson’s Disease. Both were diagnosed with the disease five years ago, after their symptoms started a few days apart. They continued to dance but were forced to stop for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, now, the couple – who have won a number of ballroom competitions and have the trophies to prove it – have gone back to the dance floor. “Dance means everything to me. When I’m sad and I suddenly hear the music, I feel happy inside. It’s everything to me,” says Celia. “We can’t do the jumping and turning anymore so we have to do the waltz but at least we’re moving.” Video: Chris Sant Fournier Her husband adds: “This helps us as we are doing a lot of exercise we don’t do at home. Since we started going back two weeks ago, Celia is getting much better. Celia and Victor Markham were in their 50s when they started ballroom dancing. “We are now meeting people who have Parkinson’s and everyone relates their stories.” Victor is referring to the...