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Airbnb should not accept unlicensed properties – MHRA

April 23, 2019, 3:01 am
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The government should hang its head in shame at the news that 1,500 properties have been registered as short-term tourist accommodation, when there are known to be thousands registered on Airbnb alone, the president of the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association Tony Zahra told #TimesTalk. He stressed that something needed to be done to ensure a level playing-field, saying that failure to do so would merely push property prices up even further for the Maltese. Watch the full interview as of Wednesday.
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2018 surplus boosted by €133.7 million from citizenship scheme

April 23, 2019, 3:24 am
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The general government made a surplus of €250.8 million in 2018, a considerable shift from the €70.2 million deficit registered in the so-called government’s ‘consolidated fund’. The National Statistics Office explained that the former figure – used for reporting under the Maastricht Treaty criteria – comes from taking the finances on an accruals-basis (rather than cash), and includes various ‘extra-budgetary units’ (EBU) – most significantly income from the citizenship scheme. Most of the surplus came from the EBUs, which reached €176.8 million, €21.1 million less than a year earlier. The NSO did not breakdown the contributions of each of the various EBUs, which range from the national orchestra to Heritage Malta. It did specify, however, that the National Development and Social Fund – which gets 70% of the contributions from the Individual Investor Programme – was responsible for €133.7 million, meaning that even without these funds, the surplus would have been over €117 million. There are other contributors to the gap between the consolidated fund’s deficit and the surplus registered by the general government, made up of €208 million from various categories, with €62.5...
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Mizzi’s rights would be breached by corruption inquiry – lawyer

April 23, 2019, 3:42 am
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Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi’s rights would be breached by a corruption inquiry requested by former Opposition leader Simon Busuttil and NGO Repubblika, his lawyer John Bonello told a Constitutional Court on Tuesday. Dr Mizzi has demanded that no decision on whether an inquiry is needed should be taken until his human rights breach claim has been heard. Lawyer and Nationalist Party MP Jason Azzopardi told the court that Dr Mizzi did not want to be investigated for corruption despite claiming he was innocent. The Tourism Minister was not present for his human rights breach case. Dr Azzopardi told the court the request inquiry would not impinge on the minister’s rights. The inquiry was being requested because his clients were arguing that Dr Mizzi is “corrupt and taking bribes”, Dr Azzopardi said. The PN MP argued that Repubblika should be allowed to intervene in Dr Mizzi’s human rights breach case, as it was allowed to do in a similar case last December. This request was upheld by the court. Read: Simon Busuttil embarks on new Panama Papers battle Dr Mizzi’s lawyers gave notice of appeal against the decision. Mr Justice Joseph Zammit Mckeon told the minister’s lawyers that they...
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PN has already lost a third of councils by not fielding enough candidates - Labour

April 23, 2019, 4:02 am
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The PN headquarters in Pieta.

The Nationalist Party has already lost a third of local councils in Malta and Gozo, ahead of next month’s election, after failing to field enough candidates, the Labour Party said on Tuesday. In a press conference, the PL this afternoon said that the PN had fielded 100 less candidates than the PL for the upcoming election in May. Labour has put forward 399 candidates while the PN presented 296. This meant that that PN had already forfeited winning 21 of the 68 local councils across the archipelago, the PL said. Party president Daniel Micallef said the PN was trying to play an electoral “game”. Read: PN councilors pressured to pledge loyalty to Delia "Not a single Sunday passes without the PN preaching about democracy. But with the first electoral appointment coming up in a few weeks, the PN is trying to play around with democracy," he said.  The PN, he added, was trying to ensure that there were no elections in certain localities. Had it not been for the PL fielding more than enough candidates, certain localities would have ended up without an election, he said. “It is clear the PN does not believe in local councils any more, if it ever did,” he said. Deputy leader for party...
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Oil prices shoot to 2019 highs on Iran crackdown

April 23, 2019, 4:27 am
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World oil prices struck fresh 2019 peaks on Tuesday, boosting energy shares prices.  Crude futures extended Monday's sharp rally, which was triggered by a US crackdown on Iranian oil exports. Brent North Sea crude reached $74.70 per barrel Tuesday, the highest point since early November. WTI hit a similar near six-month high at $66.19 per barrel.  "UK markets have returned from their long break with solid gains for the FTSE 100, led by strength in oil stocks thanks to the surge in crude prices over the past 24 hours," noted Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG trading group. Brent had rallied more than two dollars per barrel on Monday and WTI jumped $1.70.  The White House on Monday announced it was calling an end to six-month waivers that had exempted countries from unilateral US sanctions on Iranian oil exports. Starting in May, these countries - China, India, Turkey, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Italy and Greece - would face sanctions if they continue to buy oil from Iran. "This points to a big drop in the supply side, which boosts the commodity's price," said Margaret Yang Yan, market analyst at CMC Markets Singapore. "Iran's daily oil output amounts to 1.3 million...
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€40m in public tenders ‘negotiated’ with unsuccessful bidders

April 23, 2019, 5:36 am
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Finance Minister Edward Scicluna has given the green light to the Department of Contracts to ‘negotiate’ some €40 million worth of public tenders with private companies despite the latter not meeting the requirements specified in the original offer. According to information submitted in Parliament recently, under Prof. Scicluna’s direction, the ministry approved some 17 public tenders, mostly of a substantial value, to be awarded through a so-called “negotiated procedure”, allowed by European Union public procurement rules to be used only in extreme instances of urgency. EU public procurement rules dictate that a ‘negotiated procedure’ is a sort of last resort tool, available only in very specific circumstances with the approval of the Director of Contracts, since it implies that a contract may be awarded without prior publication, such as in cases of extreme urgency. However, industry sources said that it seemed the government was resorting to this exception more often in order to dish out contracts directly, instead of using the procedure only as a last resort. “The government is increasingly resorting the ‘negotiated procedure’ instead of issuing a new tender when none of the...
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Four arrested after dramatic heist at Tirana airport

April 23, 2019, 6:17 am
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Four people have been arrested over the Hollywood-style theft of several million euros of cash on the tarmac of Tirana's airport, police said. The suspects, all residents of Albania and aged 25 to 38, have been charged with armed robbery and illegal possession of weapons, police said in a statement Monday evening. "During the checks carried out, police found evidence that will help the investigation" and "has been handed over to the prosecutor's office," the statement said. It did not specify when the group was taken into custody. The armed and masked gang gained access to the runway of the capital's Mother Teresa airport on April 9 and stole money that was about to be loaded onto an Austrian Airlines flight and destined for a bank in Vienna. Police have not revealed the amount stolen but local media reports range from six to 10 million euros, whisked away in less than five minutes.  One of the suspects, a known criminal cast by the media as the likely ring leader, was killed in a shootout with the police during a chase.  According to Albanian media reports, among those in custody is an Islamist who studied theology in Yemen and went on to fight with the Taliban in Afghanistan,...
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Russian overflights: Neutrality does not mean closing an eye – PM

April 23, 2019, 6:30 am
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Prime Minister Joseph Muscat on Tuesday defended the government’s decision to reject a Russian request to use Malta’s airspace for military aircraft to fly to Venezuela. Fielding questions during a press conference, Dr Muscat said Malta’s neutrality did not mean closing an eye to "situations". Dr Muscat said the government had taken the best decision based on the information at hand. Malta approved a similar request in March, and Russian military planes and personnel were eventually spotted in the Venezuelan capital Caracas. The Russian government has dismissed as “absurd” reports suggesting it could try and interfere in next month’s local elections in retaliation. A statement by the Russian government acknowledged that Malta had exercised its sovereign right but said the decision was not a “friendly” one. The decision was applauded by the US State Department. Air Malta arrangements 'above board’ Asked about government funding of Air Malta, Dr Muscat insisted that commercial arrangements between government-owned companies and the airline were all above board. He said there was no government interference in this respect and Air Malta’s accounts had been audited by an...
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Notre Dame: how Christ's Crown of Thorns has survived over and over again

April 23, 2019, 6:30 am
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When the spire of Notre Dame cathedral collapsed in a fiery blaze on Monday April 15, it looked as if the priceless treasures inside would be lost forever. This includes sacred paintings, tapestries, sculpture, stained glass windows, as well as a cherished collection of holy relics. So it was wonderful to see, the next morning, that the cathedral’s Gothic fabric – which is more than 850 years old – held strong. Its sweeping vaults are damaged but intact – testifying to the brilliant engineering of medieval masons and the bravery of the Parisian firefighters. As the news of the destruction unfolded, we learned that Father Jean-Marc Fournier orchestrated the rescue of many relics in the cathedral treasury with the firefighters’ help. With minutes to spare, they formed a human chain and managed to save some of the most ancient and holy treasures in all of Christendom – including the relic of the Crown of Thorns. Priceless and revered: the Crown of Thorns relic from Notre Dame cathedral. The Crown of Thorns in the circular reliquary in crystal of 1896 Preserved in a gilded, crystalline reliquary and exposed to the faithful every year for a special service on Good Friday, the crown...
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China plastic waste ban throws global recycling into chaos

April 23, 2019, 6:31 am
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From grubby packaging engulfing small Southeast Asian communities to waste piling up in plants from the US to Australia, China's ban on accepting the world's used plastic has plunged global recycling into turmoil. For many years, China received the bulk of scrap plastic from around the world, processing much of it into a higher quality material that could be used by manufacturers. But at the start of 2018, it closed its doors to almost all foreign plastic waste, as well as many other recyclables, in a push to protect the local environment and air quality, leaving developed nations struggling to find places to send their waste. "It was like an earthquake," Arnaud Brunet, director general of Brussels-based industry group The Bureau of International Recycling, told AFP. "China was the biggest market for recyclables. It created a major shock in the global market." Instead, plastic is being redirected in huge quantities to Southeast Asia, where Chinese recyclers have shifted en masse.   With a large Chinese-speaking minority, Malaysia was a top choice for Chinese recyclers looking to relocate, and official data showed plastic imports tripled from 2016 levels to 870,000 tonnes last...
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UAE woman comes out of coma after 27 years

April 23, 2019, 7:31 am
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A woman from the United Arab Emirates has spontaneously come out of a coma after 27 years, her family has revealed.   Munira Abdulla suffered a brain injury in a car crash in 1991 and remained in a coma until she regained consciousness last year in a German hospital. Her recovery has only just been revealed. Over the years, she had been treated in the UAE and London, before being transferred to Germany. The case came to light after the family decided to speak of their ordeal to UAE newspaper The National. Her 32-year-old son, who, aged four, had been in the car with her at the time of the crash, told doctors: “I was expecting her to start talking again and they told me ‘you are running wild with your imagination. We are only doing rehabilitation to fix her quality of life’.” One day, she started to stir and three days later, he woke up to the sound of her calling his name. Ms Abdulla has over the months become stronger and more responsive, and is still receiving treatment in Abu Dhabi. “I shared her story to tell people not to lose hope on their loved ones,” her son told the newspaper. “Don’t consider them dead when they are in such a state. All those years, the doctors told me...
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N.Korea's Kim, Putin to hold first talks in Russia's Far East

April 23, 2019, 7:44 am
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Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin will meet in Russia's Far East on Thursday, the Kremlin said, as the North Korean leader looks to rebuild ties with an old ally amid a standoff with the United States. Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said the meeting - the first between the two men - would take place in the Pacific coast city of Vladivostok, before Putin heads to Beijing for another summit. "The focus will be on a political and diplomatic solution to the nuclear problem on the Korean Peninsula," Ushakov told a briefing on Tuesday. "Russia intends to help consolidate positive trends in every way," he said.  Anticipation for the summit had been building since the Kremlin announced last week the two men would meet by the end of April.  Russian and North Korean flags were already flying on lamp posts Tuesday on Vladivostok's Russky island, where the summit is expected to take place at a university campus.   Ushakov said the talks would begin one-on-one and then move into an "expanded format", without providing further details. He said no joint statement or signing of agreements was planned. Russia's Ria Novosti news agency quoted sources in the country's rail service as saying...
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First dip on schedule for San Girgor celebrations

April 23, 2019, 8:01 am
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Following a wet and windy start to the week, the weather forecast is promising a brighter and warmer day just in time for Wednesday's San Girgor celebrations which, for many, marks their first dip in the sea. In reality, however, the centuries-long tradition is much more than that.  The feast, which has been marked since at least the 1500s, is celebrated on the first Wednesday after Easter Sunday. In the past it used to consist of a procession by confraternities from all Maltese parishes starting from Mdina and ending with a religious ceremony at the Żejtun parish church. Nowadays, the pilgrimage is considerably shorter as it starts from the chapel of St Clement in Żejtun.  From there, participants, accompanied by the Archbishop, the archpriest and the clergy, head to the Żejtun parish church where the Miserere mei, Deus (Have mercy on me, O God) Psalm is sung.  They then continue to Żejtun’s old parish church, popularly known as San Girgor, where the clergy will be joined by horse-drawn carts and the participants will be dressed in traditional local costumes.  Following Mass, Festivals Malta will ensure that this year the Żejtun festivities continue with folk music by...
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From rubbish bags to the archives’ centrepiece

April 23, 2019, 8:01 am
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Forgotten age-old fragments that no one can read have been lying on shelves at the notarial archives in St Christopher Street, Valletta, for decades. Most were deformed during World War II in the basement of the Auberge d’Italie and then disposed of in different places across the island. They were only rediscovered recently at the archives in Valletta, with the most tattered of them packed in bags ready to be thrown away, consultant historian for the archives Joan Abela said. Instead, the fragments, of which it is estimated that there is almost half a kilometre worth of shelving, recently inspired photographer Alex Attard to document them with all their deformities and make them the centrepiece of an exhibition. They were also documented in the first ever publication focused entirely on the archives, and will live on as artefacts in the new extended premises once refurbishment is completed.  Mr Attard was asked by Dr Abela to come up with something artistic in a bid to reach out to those who might not be interested in the documents for their historical documentation. Like several people, he had no idea of the existence of these fragments, but when he first looked at the...
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Historic bones to tell their story on Tuesday

April 23, 2019, 8:01 am
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For the past 50 years, several human remains have been beckoning from the silent end of a secret passage in the old church of St Gregory in Żejtun, in order to reveal their story.  Ten years after their accidental discovery in 1969, palaeopathological and anthropological studies were done but no more scientific research followed, leaving several unanswered questions and debates.  After being granted funds from the Small Initiatives Scheme of the Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector, NGO Wirt iż-Żejtun, with the collaboration of Heritage Malta and the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, has set up the project 5KOPERTA to study the human skeletal remains and other related finds. Today, on the eve of the feast of St Gregory, Wirt iż-Żejtun will be launching this project through a discussion about the intriguing 1969 discovery.  This event will include the participation of Grezzju Vella and Charles Debono, who were involved in the original find, scientist Matthew Grima (Heritage Malta), archaeologist and osteologist Bernardette Mercieca Spiteri (Superintendence of Cultural Heritage), architect Ruben Abela (founder and president of Wirt iż-Żejtun), and journalist Fiona Vella who...
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GO recaptures the €4.90 level

April 23, 2019, 8:02 am
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The MSE Equity Price Index slipped by 0.2% to 4,710.919 points, largely reflecting the declines in BOV and HSBC while only GO and MaltaPost trended higher. Meanwhile, another four shares closed the day unchanged including MIA and RS2. Trading volumes improved to €0.31 million compared to €0.23 million last Thursday. GO plc advanced by 1.7% to recapture the €4.90 level across 7,280 shares. Shareholders as at close of trading on Wednesday will be entitled to the total net dividends of €0.55 per share which will then be paid on May 30, 2019. In contrast, Bank of Valletta plc dropped by 1.9% to the €1.315 level across 51,818 shares. The bank is due to hold its annual general meeting on May 9. Within the same sector, HSBC Bank Malta plc eased by 0.6% to the €1.73 level after opening at an over two-month high of €1.75 (+0.6%). A total of 13,952 changed hands. The other negative performing equity on Tuesday was Tigné Mall plc with a drop of 2.1% back to the €0.94 level on activity totalling 24,600 shares. Shareholders as at close of trading on June 18, 2019 will be entitled to a final net dividend of €0.0131 per share. A single deal of just 2,710 shares lifted the equity of MaltaPost...
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Why protesters should be wary of '12 years to climate breakdown' rhetoric

April 23, 2019, 8:16 am
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I was invited to speak to a group of teenagers on climate strike in Oxford recently. Like many scientists, I support the strikes, but also find them disturbing. Which I’m sure is the idea. Today’s teenagers are absolutely right to be up in arms about climate change, and right that they need powerful images to grab people’s attention. Yet some of the slogans being bandied around are genuinely frightening: a colleague recently told me of her 11-year-old coming home in tears after being told that, because of climate change, human civilisation might not survive for her to have children. The problem is, as soon as scientists speak out against environmental slogans, our words are seized upon by a dwindling band of the usual suspects to dismiss the entire issue. So if I were addressing teenagers on strike, or young people involved in Extinction Rebellion and other groups, or indeed anyone who genuinely wants to understand what is going on, here’s what I’d say.  My biggest concern is with the much-touted line that “the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says we have 12 years” before triggering an irreversible slide into climate chaos. Slogan writers are vague on whether...
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Watch: Two dead, 19 injured in Libya detention centre attack

April 23, 2019, 8:35 am
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Two migrants were killed and around 19 people were injured when a detention centre in Tripoli was attacked by gunmen, according to reports. The victims, housed in the Qasr Ben Ghashir detention centre hosting some 980 migrants, appears to have been caught up in a Tripoli battle which is spiralling out of control, Times of Malta is informed.  In a statement, the UNHCR said the situation is still fluid and details about what sparked a group of gunmen to charge into the centre and open fire on asylum seekers is still unknown. However, reports say two people were killed in the shooting.  "We are working with partners to provide assistance if access is granted to the area given the ongoing conflict," the UN Refugee Agency said. The clashes, which have raised fears of a worsening conflict in Libya, began after the commander of the self-styled Libyan National Army, Khalifa Haftar, ordered his forces to seize Tripoli from the UN-recognised rival Government of National Accord  on April 4. Mark Micallef, senior fellow from the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, said the area has been one of the main axes of the ongoing war south of Tripoli since fighting erupted. It...
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Samsung delays launch of folding Galaxy smartphone

April 23, 2019, 9:11 am
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Samsung said Monday it was delaying the launch of its folding smartphone after trouble with handsets sent to reviewers. Some reviewers who got their hands on the Galaxy Fold early reported problems with screens breaking. Samsung said it decided to put off this week's planned release of the Fold after some reviews "showed us how the device needs further improvements."  The South Korean consumer electronics giant planned to announce a new release date for the Galaxy Fold in the coming weeks. Initial analysis of reported problems with Galaxy Fold screens showed they could be "associated with impact on the top and bottom exposed areas of the hinge," Samsung said. There was also an instance where unspecified "substances" were found inside a Galaxy Fold smartphone with a troubled display, according to the company. "We will take measures to strengthen the display protection," Samsung said. "We will also enhance the guidance on care and use of the display including the protective layer." A handful of US-based reporters were given the flagship Galaxy Fold phones, priced at $1,980, ahead of the model's official release, and they reported screen issues within days of using the...
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Overseas tests for pesticides taking up to a year - urgent need for local lab

April 23, 2019, 9:38 am
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The government urgently needs to invest in a well-equipped and accredited laboratory system to test local produce and to deliver results to farmers “in a timely and efficient manner”, according to the chairman of the National Hub for Ethnobotanical Research. The use of pesticides in local produce has been the subject of much controversy in recent months, after an EU report placed Maltese fruit and veg at the top of the EU pesticides list. But Mario Gerada insists that, while true that pesticides are a major cause for concern, a holistic approach to tackle the problem is needed. “We cannot demonise the farmer. As part of the Hub’s research, we have met with the farmers and listened to their concerns. With respect to pesticides, they brought up a number of issues, such as when are the crops sampled. And how? When and where are they tested?” Mr Gerada said. READ: Authority's pesticide test was 'flawed' - Environment Ministry The results of this series of meetings were then collated into a list of policy requests from the farmers, combined with recommendations by the Hub and presented to Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture Clint Camilleri.  “The current system sees produce being...
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