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Poisoned Yulia Skripal has been discharged from British hospital-BBC

April 10, 2018, 12:23 am
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Yulia Skripal has been discharged from a British hospital, the BBC reported on Tuesday, just over a month after being poisoned with a nerve agent along with her father Sergei, a former Russian double agent. The Skripals were found unconscious on a bench on March 4 in the southern English city of Salisbury and they were in a critical condition for weeks until their health began to improve rapidly. Britain says they were poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent and has blamed Russia for the attack. Moscow has denied any involvement in the incident which has plunged its relations with the West to a post-Cold War low. Yulia, who Russia's RIA news agency had reported was seeking political asylum in Britain, was taken to a secure location after being discharged from hospital late on Monday, the BBC said. On Friday, doctors said both Yulia, 33, and her 66-year-old father had got much better and last week Yulia Skripal issued a statement to say her strength was growing daily. A spokesman for the hospital declined to comment.
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German strike results in cancelled flights to Munich and Frankfurt

April 10, 2018, 12:43 am
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Lufthansa/Air Malta's codeshared flight to Munich on Tuesday morning and a Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt due to leave Malta at 12.50pm were cancelled as a strike shut down four German airports. Thousands of passengers at the German airports, including the biggest hub Frankfurt, were stranded on Tuesday as ground staff and other public sector workers staged walkouts across the country to increase the pressure in a pay dispute. Lufthansa said on Monday it was cancelling more than 800 of its planned 1,600 flights on Tuesday and Frankfurt airport operator Fraport has warned of disruption. As well as Frankfurt, airports in Munich, Cologne and Bremen were hit.  The industrial action also affected nurseries, rubbish collection services and swimming pools in several German states. "We want to send a clear signal to employers with these massive strikes," Frank Bsirske, head of Verdi, Germany's biggest labour union for service sector employees, said. "We expect an offer to be made for the third round of talks that is worthy of discussion so we can reach a good solution." He said the union would escalate the dispute if employers did not present an offer next week. The third round of talks...
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Pensioners with unexpected weight loss should get urgent cancer tests - study

April 10, 2018, 12:47 am
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Pensioners who visit a GP with unexpected weight loss should be referred for urgent tests to investigate for possible cancer, researchers have said. The call comes after a study found over-60s who go to their family doctor after unintentionally shedding weight have a greater than 3% chance of having one of 10 cancers. These patients "warrant rapid investigation" for cancer and possibly multiple types, according to research published in the British Journal of General Practice. The study, the first systematic review of existing evidence, found the risk with weight loss increases with age and if another sign of cancer is present. As a symptom of cancer, weight loss was recorded as the second highest risk factor for colorectal, lung, pancreatic and renal and myeloma cancers, and the third highest in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and gastro-oesophageal. It was also linked with an increased risk of having ovarian, prostate and biliary tract cancers. The review suggests patients aged 60 and over who present to primary care settings with "weight loss that prompts a clinical record entry warrant rapid investigation for possible cancer, potentially across multiple sites," the researchers...
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Piano recitals by rising stars

April 10, 2018, 12:48 am
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Daniel Zak Borg

Daniel Zak Borg, Francis James Camilleri, Daphne Delicata and Jean Marc Fabri will perform piano recitals today and tomorrow at 7pm at Palazzo De La Salle, Valletta, as part of the Rising Stars Concert Series I and II of the ongoing International Spring Orchestra Festival. The programme of the two concerts features Schumann’s Kinderszenen, Rachmaninoff’s Preludes Op. 32 nos 5 and 12, Scriabin’s Etudes Op. 2 no. 1 and Op. 8 no. 12, Debussy’s 3 Preludes and Liszt’s Après une lecture de Dante, Bartok’s Two dances in Bulgarian Rhythm nos. 1 and 6, Beethoven’s Sonata no. 22 in F major Op. 54, Chopin’s Etudes Op. 10. no.12, Op. 25. no. 1, no. 2, no. 12, Etude Nouvelle no.1, Nocturne Op. 55 no. 1, Impromptu Op. 29 no. 1 and Ginastera’s Danzas Argentinas Op. 2. Both concerts will be held today and tomorrow at 7pm at Palazzo De La Salle, Valletta. Admission is free. For details, visit www.iso-festival.com or call 2124 6389.
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UK watchdog to scrutinise quality of hires at top auditors

April 10, 2018, 12:56 am
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Britain's top six accounting firms will come under increased scrutiny from the audit watchdog, including checks on their top hires, after corporate scandals raised questions about the quality of book-keeping. The Financial Reporting Council, whose effectiveness as a supervisor has also been questioned by some lawmakers, said it was introducing a "new approach" to supervising the "Big Four" - PwC, KPMG, Deloitte and EY - and the next two down, BDO and Grant Thornton. The FRC samples their audits each year and from June will also report on checks to see how firms avoid "systematic deficiencies" within their networks of accountants, disruption in mandatory audits, and instability in the financial sector. It will also look at hirings. "We will discuss with firms how well candidates for key leadership and governance roles such as independent non-executives, heads of audit and ethics partners meet our expectations in terms of experience, skills and attributes," said Melanie McLaren, executive director of audit and actuarial regulation at the FRC. Where the regulator does not have specific powers to take action, it will look for the firm's cooperation, she added. Lawmakers have...
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Man suffers 'thunderclap' headaches after eating world's hottest chilli

April 10, 2018, 1:04 am
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A man sought emergency treatment for excruciating headaches and neck pain after eating the world's hottest chilli. The 34-year-old developed agonising symptoms after trying the "Carolina Reaper" during a hot pepper competition, medics have revealed. A scan showed several arteries in his brain had temporarily narrowed, causing severe episodic "thunderclap" headaches. Doctors warned that taking part in hot chilli contests could have unexpected consequences, as they published details of the incident in journal BMJ Case Reports. The man, who has not been identified, immediately began dry heaving after sampling the chilli, the US authors said in the paper. Over the following days, he developed "intense" neck pain and headaches, each of which lasted just a few seconds. The pain was so severe that he sought emergency treatment and he was tested for multiple neurological conditions, the results of which all came back negative. However a CT scan showed several arteries in the man's brain had constricted and he was diagnosed with reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS). The condition - a temporary artery narrowing often accompanied by "thunderclap" headaches - can be caused...
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Cosby paid accuser $3.4m in civil suit, prosecutor tells jury

April 10, 2018, 1:06 am
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Comedian Bill Cosby paid a woman who accused him of sexual assault $3.38 million as part of a 2006 settlement of a civil lawsuit, prosecutors said on Monday in the opening of his retrial on criminal charges stemming from the same accusations. Prosecutors in Pennsylvania's Montgomery County revealed the payout for the first time in their opening statement of Cosby's second criminal trial, almost a year after a different jury failed to reach a verdict, prompting a mistrial. Andrea Constand, 44, has accused the once-beloved father from "The Cosby Show" of drugging and sexually assaulting her in 2004. She is one of more than 50 women to level similar accusations against Cosby. Her case is the only one that has resulted in criminal prosecution because the others were too old under the statute of limitations. Cosby, 80, has said all of the encounters were consensual. If convicted of aggravated indecent assault, he could face up to 10 years in prison. A judge barred mention of the settlement or the civil lawsuit during the first criminal trial but agreed the jury could hear about it this time around. Cosby's defense team had sought the right to reveal the settlement, attempting to...
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Backdrop remains benign for emerging markets

April 10, 2018, 1:18 am
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Without a doubt, emerging markets haven’t experienced the type of volatility that they did in the first quarter of 2018 since the last few months of 2015 and initial months of 2016. Indeed, let’s not hope that the first quarter of 2018 is anything to go by for the remainder of the year, as we could well be in for a bumpy and painful ride in the next nine months for emerging markets and the global economy. Extremely difficult to say how things will turn out; still early days. EM Credit has shown signs of frailty and weakness, and from this point, the cracks can either become exacerbated or simply get patched up. The fragility was brought about by the global sell-off and not due to any idiosyncratic risk. At this juncture, with markets clearly and inevitably hanging by a thread, the US economy showing some signs of weakness and central banks slowly beginning to unwind their monetary policies, we could be in for an interesting ride ahead. Yet emerging market economies remain robust and resilient, given their strong fundamental positioning. The backdrop in EM economies is benign, both for equity and credit assets, but what is going to be key is the tone and communication of the...
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Where were PN MPs during Żejtun farmland committee hearing, PL asks

April 10, 2018, 1:27 am
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Nationalist MPs were nowhere to be seen during a parliamentary committee meeting concerning farmers in Żejtun, the Labour Party noted on Tuesday morning.  The Monday night environmental committee meeting saw government MPs announce that they would be de-zoning 100 per cent of the area originally earmarked for development, effectively returning the area to its pre-2006 state.  The government had previously advanced plans to hand over 120,000 square metres of land - the equivalent of 12 football pitches - to industrial development.  Monday evening's pledge by government MPs built on an earlier one, made early in March, to ensure less than 25 per cent of the land was handed over to development. The government pledge came following pressure from NGO Wirt iż-Żejtun, residents and the town's local council to ensure agricultural land was not turned over to Malta Industrial Parks.   Partit Demokratiku have also cranked up pressure for the government to act, filing an application to list the area as being in the public domain and noting that despite its professions, the government had not promised to reverse a 1988 decision and redefine the Bulebel industrial boundary.  In its Tuesday...
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Esplora gets European recognition

April 10, 2018, 1:29 am
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The Esplora Interactive Science Centre, Kalkara has been selected by the European Commission as one of the emblematic projects for the 30th anniversary of Cohesion Policy. Esplora will feature in an exhibition tp be held by the Commission in Brussels together with other member states.Esplora opened its doors to the public in October 2016. This project was the first of its kind in Malta, led by the Malta Council for Science and Technology.“We are very proud of the recognition that has been given to the years of dedication and hard work that went into making Esplora one of the foremost Interactive Science Centres in Europe and a leading visitor attraction in our country. I would like to personally thank our government for all the support given to us and each and every one of my team members, past and present. I feel honoured to be part of this great group of outstanding and committed individuals.”The renovation of a historic building which was in an imminent state of collapse into Esplora Interactive Science Centre took almost three years to complete and cost around €26 million. €14.5 million of the funds came from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), under Operational...
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‘Join’ Italy’s famed cycling tour this evening

April 10, 2018, 1:45 am
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The famous Giro d’Italia Italian cycling tour is the topic of this month’s ‘Magic Box’ series of events, which will be held today at 6.30pm at the Italian Cultural Institute, Valletta. The speaker is Efrem Noli, who besides having had a long career as an Italian language and literature lecturer in Sardinian secondary schools, is a former cyclist, besides having other interests, such as going on long walks in the countryside and honeybee breeding. Last year the Giro d’Italia started in northern Sardinia, passing along the Emerald Coast, Supramonte, Barbagia and heading south, via Arbatax and the beautiful Costa Rei sandy beaches, with its final leg in the Sardinian capital Cagliari. Noli’s presentation, which will be accompanied by beautiful pictures, will deal with the history of the Giro, which started in 1909, and with his personal experiences as a cyclist. It will end with a question-and-answer session and the serving of refreshments. All are welcome and admission is free. Efrem Noli’s presentation on the Giro d’Italia will be held at the Italian Cultural Institute, St George’s Square, Valletta, today at 6.30pm.
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Nine kept in hospital following double-decker bus tragedy

April 10, 2018, 2:01 am
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Updated 11.30am - Added video Nine of the 50 people injured in Monday afternoon's tourist bus crash in Żurrieq remain in hospital, with four kept at Mater Dei Hospital's intensive treatment unit.  Three of the patients still hospitalised are children, Health Minister Chris Fearne told Times of Malta, with two children in intensive care and another at the hospital's Fairyland unit.  Two people were killed on the spot and 50 others injured when a tourist bus double-decker struck a tree in Żurrieq on Monday afternoon, prompting Mater Dei Hospital to institute emergency procedures.  Initial reports suggested that the bus struck low-lying tree branches, though photos of the tree in question seem to suggest that bus struck one of the tree's main boughs.     The 24-year-old bus driver, who was reportedly working his first shift since returning to the job he first did last summer, remains in shock and is being kept in hospital, the sources said.  Hop-on, hop-off City Sightseeing Malta buses run circuit routes of Malta's most popular attractions, with passengers - generally tourists - able to hop on and off at various stops at will.  It is an franchisee of City Sightseeing...
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Progress on non-performing loans – but not out of the woods – ECB

April 10, 2018, 2:15 am
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The quality of banks’ assets has improved markedly, with the overall non-performing loan ratio steadily decreasing from 6.49 per cent in the third quarter of 2016 to 5.15 per cent in the third quarter of 2017, the European Central Bank said in its 2017 report on bank supervision. Non-performing loans (NPLs) on systemically-important banks’ balance sheets stood at almost €760 billion in the third quarter of 2017, down from €1 trillion in early 2015. However, much work needs to be done, and it stressed that there were parts of the banking sector where NPL levels remain far too high. “Clearly, NPLs are a sizeable problem for the European banking sector. This is because NPLs weigh on the balance sheets of banks, drag down profits, divert resources from more productive uses, and keep banks from lending to the economy. It is therefore necessary for banks to address NPLs,” the report said, noting that this was one of ECB Banking Supervision’s most important supervisory priorities in 2017. Looking across the euro area, the ratio differd significantly from country to country. In the second quarter of 2017, Greek and Cypriot SIs had the highest NPL ratios (with country-weighted averages...
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Nestle to launch ruby chocolate KitKat in Europe and Americas

April 10, 2018, 2:20 am
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A KitKat Chocolatory Sublime Ruby is seen on a table at Nestle's Product Technology Centre in York

Nestle will launch a ruby chocolate version of its KitKat brand in Europe next week after it made its debut this year in Japan and South Korea, the Swiss food group said on Tuesday. KitKat became the first consumer brand to market the new chocolate variety developed by Barry Callebaut. The move is part of a wider effort by Nestle, the world's largest packaged food company, to push its confectionery creations upmarket with special innovations. The four finger KitKat made with ruby chocolate will be available exclusively at Tesco stores in Britain from April 16 for 85 pence (€0.97) a pack, Nestle said. "Following the UK launch, the product will be introduced to consumers across Europe and the Americas," it said. Germany will be the next European market to get the product in early May, a spokeswoman said. She gave no other details on the rollout timetable. Swiss cocoa and chocolate specialist Barry Callebaut unveiled the ruby variety in September, creating a fourth kind of chocolate in addition to dark, milk and white. After more than 10 years of development, it is the first new kind of chocolate in decades. Ruby chocolate is made from the ruby cocoa bean. No berries, berry...
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Lunchtime concert at St Augustine Monastery

April 10, 2018, 2:32 am
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Soprano Christabelle Formosa is performing a lunchtime concert today, entitled The Voice of Spring, at the St Augustine Monastery, Valletta. The programme features a selection of operatic arias and songs, including Bellini’s Per Pietà bel idol Mio, Handel’s Farewell ye limpid springs and floods, Vivaldi’s Un Certo non so che, two works by Massenet from his opera Manon, namely Adieu Notre Petite Table and Duparc’s L’Invitation au Voyage, an excerpt from Puccini’s La Boheme – Quando me’n vo and Strauss’s Zueignung. The soprano will be accompanied by pianist Maria-Elena Farrugia, who will also play two solo pieces. After the concert, visitors may visit the monastery for free. Soprano Christabelle Formosa’s concert The Voice of Spring will be held at the St Augustine Monastery, Old Bakery Street, Valletta, today at noon. Tickets will be on sale at the venue 30 minutes before the concert. Proceeds will go to the Augustinian monastery restoration project. For details, call 7968 0952 or e-mail baroccomalta@gmail.com.
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Employment up

April 10, 2018, 2:40 am
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Registered full-time employment increased by 5.4% in November, while part-time employment as a primary job increased by 3% when compared to the corresponding month in 2016. The National Statistics Office said that according to administrative data provided by Jobsplus, over a period of one year, the labour supply, excluding part-timers, increased by 4.9%, reaching 197,770. This was mainly attributed to a year on year increase in the full-time gainfully occupied population (10,048) and further complimented by a drop in registered unemployment (775). Registered full-time employment in the private sector went up by 9,053 persons to 149,302. Public sector full-time employment increased by 995 persons to 46,222. The number of persons registered as full-time self-employed rose by 798 when compared to November 2016, while the number of persons registered as employees increased by 9,250. Full-time employment for males and females went up by 4.3% and 7.2% respectively over 2016 levels. Registered part-time employment Registered part-time employment in November went up by 6% when compared to a year earlier. The number of part-timers who also held a full-time job amounted to 26,360, up by...
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The new Chief Justice’s task

April 10, 2018, 10:17 pm
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The government announced last night it would ask the President to appoint Mr Justice Joseph Azzopardi as the new Chief Justice, succeeding Silvio Camilleri who reaches the age of 65 on April 25 and must, therefore, retire. The new Chief Justice will have quite a daunting task if he is to heed the advice made by Dr Camilleri late last year. The outgoing Chief Justice had dedicated his speech at the opening of the forensic year to the rule of law: “… I intend to embark immediately on expressing some ideas about certain fundamental principles upon which, in past years, I did not consider necessary to elaborate too much upon because, in my view, they were too basic and elementary in a modern democratic society to require discussion. “Today, I am of a different opinion. Today, I believe that we need to go back to the basics in order that these are not forgotten and in order that we always keep in mind the very reason for the existence of the judiciary and that which should motivate us as judges.” It is, of course, the responsibility of all members of the judiciary to ensure that “certain fundamental principles” are constantly respected by all. As primus inter pares, the Chief Justice...
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Roman anchors in Malta and ancient maritime religion

April 10, 2018, 10:18 pm
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A presentation entitled ‘A lucky throw every time: ancient maritime religion and Roman anchors from Malta’ will be held today as part of the Archaeological Society’s lecture programme. The speaker will be Amelia Brown, senior lecturer in Greek history and language in the classics and ancient history discipline of the School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry at the University of Queensland, Australia. Several lead anchor stocks of the Roman era retrieved from the sea off Malta connect the island to the ancient network of traders and travellers who frequented Roman Malta, from the 3rd century BC into late antiquity. The anchors bear images in relief, ranging from the names of the Egyptian gods Isis and Sarapis to astragaloi, knucklebones used as dice in the ancient world. Each bone is shown with a different face up, showing good luck, especially for sailors at sea, as enacted and replicated whenever the ancient sailors cast this anchor overboard. They provide important evidence of symbolic and practical pagan maritime rituals. The presentation will take place today at 6pm at the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, 173, St Christopher Street, Valletta. It forms part of The...
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Developers plan square cutting right through Balluta’s Villa St Ignatius

April 10, 2018, 10:41 pm
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The proposed public open space (highlighted) will cut through part of the existing villa. Graphic: Design Studio

Developers behind the controversial demolition of part of Balluta’s Villa St Ignatius have now applied to create a public square cutting right through the remaining part of the historic building. The new zoning application comes despite a conservation order issued by the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage (SCH) and an imminent court ruling on whether developer Paul Gauci should face contempt proceedings for demolishing a wing of the villa last November, allegedly in breach of a court order. The application, submitted on March 19 and scheduled for publication on Wednesday, seeks a “change in alignment to include a pedestrian road within site” and would zone a large area of the site as public open space, which plans show will cut through the existing villa. Mr Gauci did not respond to questions on Tuesday on the reasons behind the proposal and whether further demolition was being planned. Public consultation on the application is open until April 26 before it is assessed by the Planning Authority. Villa St Ignatius, in Scicluna Street, is part of a larger property which once housed the first Jesuit’s College in Malta, and which was mentioned as a landmark building in an 1839...
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Strong investor demand for Merill SICAV plc Funds

April 10, 2018, 10:53 pm
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In less than two years, assets managed by Merill SICAV plc have surpassed the €60m mark as at the end of January 2018. This was stated by Jesmond Mizzi, chairman of Merill SICAV plc at the annual general meeting of the company held last month, in which all resolutions before shareholders were approved. The fund management company manages three fund strategies, the first of which was launched in 2016. The more recent two funds were launched during the second quarter of last year and bring to the market two highly diversified strategies aimed at generating income and growth. All three funds are managed by Jesmond Mizzi Financial Advisors Ltd. Following the AGM Mr Mizzi addressed SICAV investors and said that through investment funds investors can easily diversify away the various risks inherent when holding direct investments. Over the years the company directors set up strong relationships with international fund houses. Moreover, a robust internal analysis process helped the fund manager identify the best investment funds on a risk-adjusted basis. The experience which the directors gained throughout the years in managing clients’ portfolios has led the company to bring to market...
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