Schwarzenegger out of hospital after heart procedure

April 7, 2018, 12:48 am

≫ Next: Watch: Record-breaking Zammit Stevens seventh in weightlifting

≪ Previous: 'Solo: A Star Wars Movie' to get world premiere at Cannes festival

$

0

0

Arnold Schwarzenegger has left hospital after a heart procedure, his spokesman said. The spokesman, Daniel Ketchell, said in an email the 70-year-old Terminator actor and former California governor is "home and doing incredibly well". Schwarzenegger underwent a scheduled procedure March 29. A pulmonic valve originally installed in 1997 for a congenital heart defect had to be replaced. He has been tweeting from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for several days. On Monday he wrote: "It's true: I'm back! I went to sleep expecting to wake up with a small incision and woke up with a big one - but guess what? I woke up, and that's something to be thankful for."

---

Watch: Record-breaking Zammit Stevens seventh in weightlifting

April 7, 2018, 12:53 am

≫ Next: 14 killed as hockey team bus crashes with lorry in Canada

≪ Previous: Schwarzenegger out of hospital after heart procedure

$

0

0

Yazmin Zammit Stevens produced Malta's best performance at the Commonwealth Games so far after she placed seventh in the 63kg category of the weightlifting competition. Zammit Stevens, who is the only member of Team Malta who qualified for the Games on her own merit, set three new national records on her way to an overall score of 174kg, a new national record, that placed her seventh from 16 lifters. The Maltese lifter produced an impressive performance in snatch with record lifts of 77kg and 79kg. Canada's Maune Charron wont he gold medal with a total of 220kg. England's Zoe Smith (207kg) took silver ahead of Mona Pretorius, of South Africa, who settled for bronze on 206kg  

14 killed as hockey team bus crashes with lorry in Canada

April 7, 2018, 1:02 am

≫ Next: 217 years to bridge the global gender gap

≪ Previous: Watch: Record-breaking Zammit Stevens seventh in weightlifting

$

0

0

A crash between a lorry and a bus carrying a junior hockey team in western Canada has left around 14 people dead and others seriously injured, Canadian police say. The bus was carrying the Humboldt Broncos of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League to the town of Nipawin for a play-off game. It collided with a transporter truck. "There have been multiple fatalities - our whole community is in shock," said Kevin Garinger, president of the Humboldt Broncos of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. Mr Garinger said parents from across western Canada are rushing to the scene as they struggle to cope with the tragedy. "It's a horrible accident, my God," said Darren Opp, president of the Nipawin Hawks hockey team. "It's very, very bad." Mr Opp said the truck hit the side of the players' bus, adding that the coaching staff and players from the Hawks are waiting to help. "They are sitting in the church just waiting to hear any good news," he said. "There's uncles and moms and dads waiting to hear whether their sons and nephews are OK." Pastor Jordan Gadsby at the Apostolic Church in Nipawin said more than a hundred people gathered at the church. "Some of them are waiting to hear if their...

217 years to bridge the global gender gap

April 7, 2018, 1:10 am

≫ Next: Dance festival in Ta’ Qali

≪ Previous: 14 killed as hockey team bus crashes with lorry in Canada

$

0

0

Global gender disparities in terms of employment opportunities and salaries are becoming worse and according to recent indicators by the World Economic Forum it will take an estimated 217 years to bridge the gap. President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca expressed this concern when delivering the opening speech at the first Personal Empowerment Day in Malta organised by BPW Europe. Ms Coleiro Preca said Malta cannot afford to be complacent, especially in the wake of the findings of the European Institute for Gender Equality. According to the institute, Malta is one of the worst performers in terms of gender employment gap in Europe. In comparison to men, Maltese women work in lower-paid sectors, for longer hours and face a longer wait to be promoted, the President said. While noting that the female participation rate in Malta is on the rise, Ms Coleiro Preca said that the rate of Maltese women in top management boards in the largest companies was just 3.8 per cent, when compared to the EU average, which stood at 21.7 per cent. The disparity was also pronounced when it came to decision-making positions, as Maltese women accounted for less than 20 per cent, she said. Looking ahead, the...

Dance festival in Ta’ Qali

April 7, 2018, 1:18 am

≫ Next: Michael Laus performs Haydn, Schubert and Beethoven

≪ Previous: 217 years to bridge the global gender gap

$

0

0

The Malta National Dance Council is organising the fourth La Vallette Open Dance Festival in conjunction with the British Association of Teachers of Dancing tomorrow. The event will see various competitions, ranging from freestyle to ballroom and Latin American dancing and from beginner to the highest level. This event has attracted local and foreign competitors from over 13 established dance schools. An international adjudicating panel will be officiating over the event. The Malta National Dance Council’s main objective is to promote dancing by organising functions and competitions in a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. The dance competitions are scheduled to start at 10am and are to run up to 7pm. A dance show by Italian couple Davide Fumagalli and Debora Macaluso will follow straight after. The event is taking place at the Ta’ Qali Basketball Pavillion tomorrow, with doors opening at 9am. Everyone is welcome. For more details, call 9963 2249.

Michael Laus performs Haydn, Schubert and Beethoven

April 7, 2018, 1:19 am

≫ Next: Strawberry feast

≪ Previous: Dance festival in Ta’ Qali

$

0

0

Teatru Manoel presents a piano recital by Michael Laus on April 11 at 8pm at Teatru Manoel.Michael Laus is one of Malta’s foremost and celebrated musicians both as a pianist and conductor. He graduated in piano, harpsichord and composition at the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi of Milan in 1982 and has since had a remarkable career as the Principal Conductor of Malta’s national orchestra for twenty-five years and now its Resident Conductor. He has conducted the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra in symphonic concerts in Malta, Belgium and Italy as well as other orchestras including the Bournemouth Symphony, the Slovak Philharmonic, the New Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Orquesta Sinfonica de Asturias.He was the founder and first music director of the Malta Youth Orchestra and of the Goldberg Ensemble, a group specializing in baroque music. In 2016, he conducted the first European performance of Arvo Pärt’s Greater Antiphons. He opened the first edition of the Valletta International Baroque Festival with Vivaldi’s Quattro stagioni. Michael Laus has conducted the Bournemouth Symphony, the Slovak Philharmonic, the New Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Orquesta Sinfonica de...

Strawberry feast

April 7, 2018, 2:01 am

≫ Next: Watch: Malta women's fours beat India to reach Commonwealth semis

≪ Previous: Michael Laus performs Haydn, Schubert and Beethoven

$

0

0

The annual strawberry festival, Festa Frawli, is being held tomorrow in Mġarr, Malta. Besides the sale of fresh strawberries and food and treats made of the fruit, there will plenty of activities for children while entertainment will be provided by folk groups, deejay Pierre Cordina and other local talent. For the first time, there will also be organised trail walks and photo hunts around the area and the megalithic Ta’ Ħaġrat temple will be open at a reduced price, with guided tours in Maltese and English between 9.30am and 2.30pm. Tickets for the temple can be purchased on the day. One can reach Mġarr tomorrow with buses no. 44 and 238 from Valletta and 101 from Ċirkewwa. A park-and-ride shuttle service will be provided from the open-air gym at Ta’ Qali and there will be parking areas in nearby fields.

Watch: Malta women's fours beat India to reach Commonwealth semis

April 7, 2018, 2:03 am

≫ Next: Daphne Caruana Galizia to be honoured in the US

≪ Previous: Strawberry feast

$

0

0

Malta’s chances of winning a medal at the Commonwealth Games received a major boost after the women’s fours reached the semi-finals in the lawn bowls competition on Saturday. The Maltese quartet, formed by Sharon Callus, Rosemarie Rixon and her daughters Rebecca and Conneigh-Leigh came from behind to beat India 13-11 in Gold Coast. It was a fighting display from the Maltese players who trailed their Indian opponents for much of the encounter. Infact India held a two-point lead for most of the opening nine ends and Malta’s hopes seemed to have received a damaging blow when they trailed 11-7 after the 12th end. But the Maltese players refused to throw in the towel and they scored six points without reply in the final three ends to score a dramatic victory. This was Malta’s second victory over India after beating them 20-15 in the group stage. Malta will now face South Africa in Sunday’s semi-final after the latter beat New Zealand 16-8. The winner of the match will proceed to the gold medal final while the losers will contest the play-off for a bronze medal.

---

Daphne Caruana Galizia to be honoured in the US

April 7, 2018, 2:14 am

≫ Next: Turkey says 108 Kurdish militants 'neutralised' in past week

≪ Previous: Watch: Malta women's fours beat India to reach Commonwealth semis

$

0

0

The American Society of Journalists and Authors has awarded its prestigious Conscience in Media Award to slain journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. The Conscience in Media award recognises journalists who knowingly have endured great personal costs while pursuing the highest tenets of their profession, ASJA president Sherry Beck Paprocki said. This selective award has been presented only 12 times since 1975. Ms Caruana Galizia, 53, was murdered in a car bomb last October. Since the murder, the journalist and blogger has been showered with overseas honours.  “Daphne Caruana Galizia represents the highest ideals of journalism: Courage, sacrifice and a firm commitment to the truth,” said Sally Wendkos Olds, chair of ASJA's First Amendment Committee. "Her bravery and dedication are especially inspiring to us as fellow independent writers. Ms Caruana Galizia's son Matthew added: "Before the assassination that finally silenced her, her house was set on fire on two occasions while family members, including the children, were inside. “After the second arson, police concluded that the attackers were from the military (the Armed Forces of Malta), but they were never able to make an...

Turkey says 108 Kurdish militants 'neutralised' in past week

April 7, 2018, 2:50 am

≫ Next: More than 6,000 Maltese Facebook users have had their data harvested

≪ Previous: Daphne Caruana Galizia to be honoured in the US

$

0

0

Some 108 Kurdish militants have been "neutralised" in operations targeting southeast Turkey and northern Iraq over the past week, Turkey's armed forces said on Saturday. The military uses the term "neutralised" to refer to operations in which opposition forces have been killed, wounded or captured. In a weekly roundup, it said it had neutralised 31 militants from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in the southeastern provinces of Tunceli, Mardin, Diyarbakir and Sirnak. It said 77 other militants had been neutralised in cross-border operations. Earlier on Saturday, the military said it had neutralised six militants in an air strike targeting northern Iraq's Hakurk region. Turkey regularly carries out air strikes against PKK targets in northern Iraq, where the group is based in the Qandil mountains, but has also recently threatened to push its operations to Sinjar. Ankara has long complained that PKK fighters are being given free rein to operate out of Sinjar against Turkish targets. President Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would do "what is necessary" if an Iraqi operation against the militants failed, raising the prospect of a possible direct Turkish military...

More than 6,000 Maltese Facebook users have had their data harvested

April 7, 2018, 3:01 am

≫ Next: The Citadel – 150 years as a non-active fortress

≪ Previous: Turkey says 108 Kurdish militants 'neutralised' in past week

$

0

0

Personal data from more than 6,000 Maltese Facebook users was shared with analytics firm Cambridge Analytica, it has emerged, after the European Commission revealed 2.7 million EU citizens may have fallen victim to the scandal.  More Maltese citizens were targetted than Estonia, Latvia and Luxembourg, countries with higher population. No further details are available. Figures show the Maltese are among the highest users of social media in the EU, especially Facebook.  The European Union said on Friday Facebook has admitted up to 2.7 million people in the 28-nation bloc may have been victim of improper data sharing involving political data-mining firm Cambridge Analytica. EU spokesman Christian Wigand said justice commissioner Vera Jourova will have a telephone call with Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg early next week to address the massive data leaks. The EU and Facebook will be looking at what changes the social media giant needs to make to better protect users and how the US company must adapt to new EU data protection rules. Mr Wigand said EU data protection authorities will discuss over the coming days "a strong co-ordinated approach" on how to deal with the...

The Citadel – 150 years as a non-active fortress

April 7, 2018, 3:25 am

≫ Next: Watch: The valley of immortals (ARTE)

≪ Previous: More than 6,000 Maltese Facebook users have had their data harvested

$

0

0

April 1, 1868, brought a long chapter in the millennial story of Gozo’s Citadel to a close. The unceremonious handover of the keys of the casemates, barrack rooms and two small buildings from the War Department to the deputy collector of the Land Revenue at Gozo, marked the delisting of the ‘Castle of Gozo’ from the roll of active fortresses and its formal transfer to civil government. This anniversary is being marked today with a series of free events, including a day seminar, historical re-enactments between 10am and 5pm and a creative writing activity for children between 3 and 5pm. Visitors can also enjoy a temporary exhibition at the Visitors’ Centre. Admission to the Gozo Museum of Archaeology, the Gran Castello Historic House, the Gozo Nature Museum, the Old Prison, the  Ċittadella Visitor Centre and the Grain Silos will be free of charge. Visit www.visitgozo.com for more information.

Watch: The valley of immortals (ARTE)

April 7, 2018, 3:43 am

≫ Next: Free Panini sticker album with The Sunday Times

≪ Previous: The Citadel – 150 years as a non-active fortress

$

0

0

The province of Bama claims to have the highest number of centenarians in China. In a country fascinated by longevity the region has become a magnet for tourists.

Free Panini sticker album with The Sunday Times

April 7, 2018, 3:59 am

≫ Next: Russell Crowe sells Gladiator outfit as part of divorce settlement

≪ Previous: Watch: The valley of immortals (ARTE)

$

0

0

The popular Panini football sticker album will be distributed free with The Sunday Times of Malta tomorrow. The official licensed sticker album features the teams and footballers of every squad competing in the 2018 World Cup in Russia. The album includes six free stickers, a calendar of the matches and an information section of the world's biggest national football event. The tournament kicks off on June 14 with Russia hosting Saudi Arabia.  Make sure you have the free sticker album in the biggest selling newspaper in Malta tomorrow. 

Russell Crowe sells Gladiator outfit as part of divorce settlement

April 7, 2018, 4:04 am

≫ Next: 'Do not bury us alive' - Pembroke residents appeal ahead of mega project

≪ Previous: Free Panini sticker album with The Sunday Times

$

0

0

The torso armour Russell Crowe wore for his Oscar-winning role in Gladiator has eclipsed expectations at a Sydney auction, selling for 125,000 Australian dollars. Sotheby's Australia had estimated that the stunt cuirass worn in the 2000 blockbuster would fetch between AU$20,000 and AU$30,000. But much of the movie memorabilia auctioned Saturday by the Australia-based New Zealander as part of his divorce settlement exceeded expectations. Most of the film Gladiator had been shot in Malta.  A cheerful Crowe, who turned 54 on Saturday, made an appearance after a woman sang Happy Birthday and the crowd gave him three cheers immediately before Lot 31, a violin by Leandro Bislach, sold for AU$135,000. The violin was the most expensive sale in the early part of the night and is likely to bring the highest price of the auction.

---

'Do not bury us alive' - Pembroke residents appeal ahead of mega project

April 7, 2018, 4:09 am

≫ Next: The week at a glance - April 8, 2018

≪ Previous: Russell Crowe sells Gladiator outfit as part of divorce settlement

$

0

0

The massive construction project including a tower and mega-hotel in Pembroke is giving residents nightmares of clouds of dust, toxic traffic congestion and dismal quality of life. A gathering of residents, local councils and NGOs today heard concerns that the project proposed by the db Group on the former ITS site will have significant adverse effects on the surrounding community. The project, which will consist of a 37-storey residential tower and a 19-storey hotel resort, has stoked controversy, not least because it will overshadow an already densely populated area. The hotel is expected to have a whopping 455 rooms, and also include a casino and a large shopping mall. Holding placards that read: “Do not bury us alive”, residents expressed shock at studies that estimate the development will produce some 336,085 tonnes of waste during the demolition and excavation phase alone. “Can you imagine breathing in air while 10 huge excavators are drilling and digging for four months straight? It will be a disaster,” one resident said. Another mother said that after having moved to Pembroke, her two children's separate medical conditions had improved – this was now all at risk. “One...

The week at a glance - April 8, 2018

April 8, 2018, 12:19 am

≫ Next: Lawn bowlers to go for bronze after semi-final defeat

≪ Previous: 'Do not bury us alive' - Pembroke residents appeal ahead of mega project

$

0

0

Fuel stations hearing disrupted Environmental activists brought a Planning Authority hearing on an ODZ fuel station in Luqa to a lengthy halt on Thursday after storming the public meeting. They demanded that the hearing be suspended and that no fuel station permits be considered until the conclusion of a promised review of the controversial policy governing such developments. The stand-off lasted for about an hour before PA chairman Vince Cassar ordered the meeting moved to different premises where activists were denied entry by the police. What made the headlines Acid attack suspect ‘not fit to stand trial’: A man suspected of stabbing a 50-year-old woman, Jacqueline Dipasquale, with a screwdriver before dousing her with acid is not fit to stand trial and cannot be charged with the attempted murder yet, the Times of Malta revealed. Sources said the man, Noel Calleja, 38, from Santa Venera, was not interrogated by the police who immediately took him for psychiatric examinations when they saw signs that he was emotionally unstable. He was sent to Mount Carmel Hospital. Whistleblower ‘mistreated by police’: The Russian whistleblower who alleged that Prime Minister Joseph Muscat’s...

Lawn bowlers to go for bronze after semi-final defeat

April 8, 2018, 12:26 am

≫ Next: ‘Fimbank rights issue will be a milestone development in 2018’

≪ Previous: The week at a glance - April 8, 2018

$

0

0

Malta's lawn bowlers teams will be playing a play-off for a bronze medal on Monday after they lost their respective semi-finals in the men's pairs and women's fours competition in Gold Coast on Sunday. Brendan Aquilina and Shaun Parnis were beaten by Scottish duo Paul Foster and Alexander Marshall 18-8 in the semi-final of the men's Pairs competition. Aquilina and Parnis had made a bright start to the match taking a slight lead in the opening exchanges. But Foster and Marshall took control and managed to pull clear of the Maltese duo to secure a comfortable victory. Scotland will now face Wales in Monday's gold medal final after the Welsh beat Cook Islands 21-14. Malta will be facing Cook Islands in the play-off for a bronze medal. In the women's fours semi-final, Malta's team, formed by Sharon Callus, Rosemarie Rixon and her daughters Rebecca and Conneigh-Leigh, lost to South Africa 14-8. The match was evenly balanced until the 11th end when the South Africans led 9-7. But the Maltese could not step up their momentum as the South Africans surged clear to secure victory. On Monday, Malta will now play for bronze against Canada who were beaten by Australia 10-9. The Aussies will...

‘Fimbank rights issue will be a milestone development in 2018’

April 8, 2018, 12:43 am

≫ Next: The sum of two halves

≪ Previous: Lawn bowlers to go for bronze after semi-final defeat

$

0

0

Fimbank chairman John C. Grech talks about the salient elements leading to the bank’s growing profitability, the $7.7 million profit for 2017, the recently announced rights issue and the outlook for the future. In June 2013, the group saw the joint acquisition of Fimbank by Burgan Bank and United Gulf Bank. What role did they play in the progress registered by the bank? The acquisition of an 80 per cent stake in Fimbank by two prestigious institutions such as Burgan Bank K.P.S.C. and United Gulf Bank BSC was a pivotal development in the history of the bank. Through this measure, the Fimbank Group fell within the orbit of a major institutional investor, the Kipco Group, a major player in the Middle East. This meant that as a group, we could benefit from new business opportunities and better funding resources, together with the possibility of consolidating and further strengthening our operating performance. It also meant that we had a partner in Burgan Bank who could provide hands-on assistance, through their expertise and experience in risk management, financial crime and reducing credit loss, to help ensure the success of our turnaround strategy. The bank has reported a net...

The sum of two halves

April 8, 2018, 12:45 am

≫ Next: Farewell boys and girls

≪ Previous: ‘Fimbank rights issue will be a milestone development in 2018’

$

0

0

Michael Bugeja catches up with Betamax and Danalogue, who together form Soccer96, ahead of their performance at this year’s edition of the Rock The South festival. They’ve been blazing a highly visible trail since 2013 as two-thirds of cosmic jazz act The Comet Is Coming (TCIC) but, even before that, Danalogue and Betamax were already getting noticed for the mind-blowing music they were creating under the name of Soccer96. I caught up with the band ahead of their upcoming performance in Malta. Before you formed Soccer96, what was it that attracted you to the psychedelic side of the music spectrum? I used to like the idea that music is penetrating your brain on all the levels at once. Looking at music as a way of messing with perceptions and enhancing reality and stuff. This is fundamentally true of all music but I think the ‘psychedelic’ description shows an understanding of the music’s power to change things we don’t understand in our psychology and general brain operation. One comes under the influence of music, and it’s kind of like letting a musician go deep into your head using the magic of sound, embracing insanity and letting go.  How do your influences from way back...