The doyenne of Maltese literature

October 27, 2019, 12:14 am

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This year’s Malta Book Festival puts the spotlight on Lillian Sciberras, whose contributions to Maltese literary culture earned her the 2018 National Book Prize Lifetime Achievement Award. Interview by Ramona Depares. How have you seen the Maltese literary scene evolve since the 1960s? Like many of the Moviment Qawmien Letterarju cohort, I belong to the immediate post-war generation, born at a time when Dun Karm, Francis Ebejer, Rużar Briffa, Anton Buttigieg, and other distinguished names in the Maltese literary canon potentially still had years of writing ahead of them.  With deference to the writers who came before, the Moviment was a defining moment that for Maltese literature marked the leap into the global literary currents of the 20th century. Evolution is of course an incessant process, and new authors continue to emerge and enrich the field of Maltese writing, sometimes quite rightly challenging the status quo and breaking new ground, even irreverently. Besides, there are now a good number of valid women writers who are breaking barriers and overcoming the obstacles that hampered those that came before.  To go back to older writers, a poet of great calibre like John...

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A bittersweet tale

October 27, 2019, 12:16 am

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Falkun Films was set up by Pierre Ellul in 2007. Anika Psaila Savona joined in 2009. They have just wrapped their first feature film together, Carmen. Paula Fleri-Soler reports Carmen is a charming story set in a Maltese village in the early 1980s. The protagonist is a woman who rediscovers life and love after a lifetime looking after her brother, a priest. Inspired by true events, the story follows Carmen, played by the wonderful British actress Natascha McElhone, on a transformative journey which also brings change to the village in which she lives.  “Carmen is bright, quirky, magical, funny and at times a little sad,” says Anika Psaila Savona. “It is written and directed by Maltese-Canadian filmmaker Valerie Buhagiar. Valerie was inspired by the life of her aunt who from a very young age was required to go and live with her brother, a priest, to take care of his domestic needs for the rest of his life. When we first read Valerie’s script, we knew that this was a story that had to be told. Natascha loved it too and with her on board it gave the project a whole new dimension.”   Since inception, Falkun Films has gone from servicing international productions filmed in Malta, to...

Milan need to be patient before being competitive again, says Baresi

October 27, 2019, 1:00 am

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Milan legend Franco Baresi admitted it might take some time for the Rossonerii to be competitive again. The Italian was in Malta as the guest of honour at San Ġwann’s unveiling of their newly refurbished pitch. The former defender, who made over 500 appearances for the club believes that the lacklustre performances and struggles which Milan are going through are “a problem which happens in every club at certain stages.” “We need to have patience in this situation in order to see Milan being competitive again,” Baresi explained. Milan have had 11 coaches in the last ten years, Massimo Allegri being the longest serving (four seasons) while the majority were all sacked after just one season. Asked about the club’s new coach Stefano Pioli, Baresi told the Times of Malta that it is still early days. [attach id=783534 type="video"]Video: Matthew Mirabelli[/attach] “Well, at this moment we all need to wait,” Baresi said. “We must remain positive because the change has happened at the beginning of the season, so we have enough time to review and evaluate him.” Baresi was one of San Gwann Football Club’s esteemed guests on Saturday morning as they got his endorsement following their...

Economic weakness weighs on US and European corporate earnings

October 27, 2019, 1:26 am

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With the third quarter of the financial year behind us, earnings season is in full swing on both sides of the Atlantic as public companies prepare to release their financial results covering the months from July to September. Investors eagerly anticipate the release of financial results from one quarter to the next as these results are used to gauge both the health of the overall economy and that of the individual companies. Overall, while investor sentiment is somewhat subdued given the global economic backdrop and the never-ending flow of negative economic news, it is safe to say that investors are not overly optimistic on the third quarter results. However, market participants are expecting US companies to fare more favourably when compared to their European counterparts due to the perceived robustness and resilience of the American economy. Given this scenario of expected stock market weakness, investors last week flocked to safe haven assets, as risky assets, such as the main European stock indices, traded in negative territory, while less risky assets, such as European and US government bonds, saw their yields drop further. Gold also traded in positive territory. While the...

Definitely a new regular haunt

October 27, 2019, 6:29 am

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Ta’ Ċelita1, Sir Harry Luke StreetMġarrTel: 2157 3705 Food: 8/10Service: 7/10Ambience: 7/10Value: 8/10Overall: 7.5/10 I never have the urge to seek out a Maltese restaurant. If I want something like ross il-forn or braġioli, I visit my mother’s house or make it myself. Admittedly, it tends to be more the former than the latter, but either way, I don’t really look for a restaurant that specialises in local cuisine. That is, unless I have family visiting from whatever foreign country they inhabit. This realisation dawned on me very recently, brought about by the fact that my eating habits at home do tend to be very local in a sense. I always have a loaf of Maltese bread available for my breakfast, which consists of ġbejniet smeared across a couple of warm slices. If I see a Maltese sausage, I will buy one (and yes, I will eat it raw) and I add kunserva to anything that can conceivably have kunserva added to it. I live for good home cooking but I never tend to seek it out when it comes to outside catering. This, of course, is a foible of my own making. Truth be told, I could probably eat imqarrun every day for a solid week and still crave more as it is a weakness of mine... one of...

Learn how to control the level of your cholesterol

October 27, 2019, 7:36 am

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A Google search on the best diet to improve people’s health may sometimes be confusing. Looking at the various types of diets claiming fast weight loss, one even wonders what the truth is. Various studies have been carried out to identify which diets support a healthy lifstyle. These diets need to include a variety of items from the major food groups: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products and lean protein, including beans and other legumes, nuts and seeds, and healthy fats. Food portions are a major issue in weight gain, so healthy diets should provide guidelines on how much food to choose from each group; after all, this involves adapting a lifestyle, so it needs to fit one’s taste, way of life and budget. Statistics show that hypercholesterolemia is a common condition among the Maltese population. Cholesterol is a fatty sub­stance known as a lipid and is vital for the normal functioning of the body. It is mainly made by the liver but can also be found in some foods. Cholesterol is carried in your blood by proteins. When the two combine, they are called lipoproteins. The two main types of lipoprotein are: high-density lipoprotein (HDL), which carries...

Updated: Osaka beats Kvitova, Barty blasts Bencic in thrilling WTA Finals opener

October 27, 2019, 7:39 am

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Naomi Osaka and Ashleigh Barty both won three-set matches at the WTA Finals Sunday in a gruelling opening day of the $14 million round-robin tournament. Barty joined the Japanese sensation at the top of Red Group with a 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 victory over Belinda Bencic in one hour and 56 minutes. The result secured the year-end No.1 ranking for the Australian. "I gave Belinda too many looks at second serves in the first set," Barty told reporters. "That was the key for the second and third sets ... try to dominate a little bit more with the first serve." In-form Osaka outlasted Petra Kvitova 7-6 (7/1), 4-6, 6-4 in two hours and 39 minutes to notch her first victory at the WTA Finals after a winless campaign in her debut appearance last year. She stretched her current winning streak to 11 matches having claimed titles in Osaka and Beijing. In a rematch of this year's tense Australian Open final, world No.6 Kvitova came out with intent until she stuttered in the eighth game of the opening set with three double faults to squander the game. Osaka held off two break points in the ninth game before dominating the tiebreak to draw first blood. It seemed to shake the Czech's confidence but...

‘Call me avukat’: Barrister goes to court over her title

October 27, 2019, 7:50 am

≫ Next: Manners, civility and politeness in antique Malta

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A woman who qualified as a barrister in the UK has filed proceedings in court against the authorities for refusing to allow her to use the equivalent Maltese title ‘avukat’ (lawyer). Sarah Engerer practices as a barrister in Malta as her warrant to practice law is recognised in Malta and throughout the EU, but the Maltese authorities are refusing to allow her to adopt the Maltese equivalent of barrister – avukat. The mother-of-two said the court case was the last resort as her efforts over the past six years proved futile. The 38-year-old barrister filed the case in the First Hall of the Civil Court against Justice Minister Owen Bonnici and Attorney General Peter Grech. She is requesting the recognition of her British warrant as valid in Malta and the authorisation to use the equivalent Maltese title to her warrant: ‘avukat’. She told the court she returned to Malta in 2014 and began working as a barrister after she was given a certificate in line with the legal notice, which provides for the mutual recognition of qualifications of the legal profession across EU member states. In March 2015, she filed the first application to the President of the Republic to revert to the...

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Manners, civility and politeness in antique Malta

October 27, 2019, 8:33 am

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For the purposes of civility and polite manners, it was one major stroke of good fortune in geography’s lottery that Malta found Italy as its closest neighbour rather than Great Britain, its colonial owner for a 150 years. Civility, the art of pleasantness to others, got energised in Italy. Other countries eventually learned it too, some later than others, but always looking up to Italy as the unchallenged tutor of refined conduct. Acquired good manners, gentility, in time also reached England, laboriously, but in his 1561 book The Courtyer of Count Baldessar Castilio, Thomas Hoby could still plead for foreign works on polite deportment to be translated into English, “so that we alone in the world may not still be counted barbarous in our tongue as in time out of mind (immemorial) we have been in our manners”. It is surely not a coincidence that the very first three books that attempted to teach the British how to behave civilly, were all translations from Italian authors: Baldassare Castiglione’s Book of the Courtier, 1528, translated by Hoby, Giovanni della Casa’s Galateo, 1558 (first English version, 1576), and Stefano Guazzo’s Civil Conversation, 1574 (rendered into English...

Air Malta adds Lyon, Prague and Cairo to its winter schedule

October 27, 2019, 8:42 am

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Air Malta is planning to raise the number of passengers it carries in winter by 10 per cent to 70,000, Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi and airline chairman Charles Mangion said on Sunday. They said the airline will operate 25 routes during the winter  - Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Cairo, Catania, Casablanca, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Lisbon, London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Lyon, Kiev, Milan, Moscow, Munich, Palermo, Paris Charles De Gaulle, Paris Orly, Prague, Rome, Tel Aviv, Tunis, Vienna and Zurich. Ten destinations will be served with daily or multiple daily frequencies,primarily to major European hub airports. Lyon, Prague and Cairo, already part of the summer schedule, have been added to the winter network. There will be three flights a week from Lyon and twice weekly from Prague. Flight frequency is being increased to other destinations, notably London Heathrow and Gatwick, Brussels and Palermo.  The purpose, he said, is to improve connectivity to airports where potential tourists can link-up from medium and long-haul destinations such as Japan, China, South Korea, Australia, the US and Canada. Dr Mangion said he looked forward to concluding talks on a collective agreement...

Early Renaissance painting found in French kitchen fetches €24m

October 27, 2019, 8:56 am

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A rare masterpiece by Italian early Renaissance master Cimabue that was discovered in a French kitchen was sold on Sunday for €24 million  including fees, the Acteon auction house announced. It did not identify the winning bidder for the 14th-century painting, "Christ Mocked", at the sale in Senlis, outside Paris, for nearly five times the estimate of between €4m and €6 million.                   

Sculptor Antonio Chircop and religious icons

October 27, 2019, 9:17 am

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Works of art, particularly those found in our churches, give us a hint of God’s beauty. Sacred art does not only manifest the capabilities of the artist, but also exalts the community’s level of faith, since the beauty of what is human leads us to reflect on what is spiritual. This was the two-pronged achievement of Senglea-born Maltese sculptor Antonio Chircop. Religious iconography in Malta is very old, and one finds countless such works of art in our churches. However, at the beginning of the 17th century, very few parish churches thought a titular statue should figure among their art treasures. Eventually, statues of particular devotion started being carried in processions. First among these was Senglea, which since 1618 had a statue of Maria Bambina (the Nativity of Our Lady), the oldest titular statue in Malta. The custom grew more popular until it became the norm for each parish church to have a titular statue. [attach id=783918 size="medium" align="right" type="image"]The statue of the Assumption as originally sculptured for the Qrendi parish church in 1837. Photo: St Mary’s philarmonic society, Qrendi[/attach] During the first half of the 19th century, a group of...

Only love can drive out hate

October 27, 2019, 9:39 am

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It’s a funny old world the one we live in. Jews who have been oppressed and vilified throughout history now oppress Palestinians for being born on ‘their land’; a huge number of first- and second-generation settlers in the UK voted in favour of Brexit because ‘they didn’t want more foreigners coming’. And in Malta, we seem to be holding vile name-calling matches about people who came here to find a better life, much like half our nation’s grandfathers did when they went to Australia in the 20th century (a time when Maltese people weren’t even classified as white by the rest of the world). Everyone now has a clear-ish idea of what happened a few days ago at the open centre in Ħal Far which, yes, should by all means be condemned throughout the length and the breadth of the country. The people who were hit by the riot definitely didn’t deserve to be put in that situation. However, thanks to the curtain of filthy muck that has been seen on social media, it’s not too hard to see how this was an inevitable outcome to an in­creasingly dark situation. Just a few months ago, Ivorian national Lassana Cisse was killed for sport while walking home allegedly by two men whose sole role is to...

Sirens bounce back with Balzan win

October 27, 2019, 9:43 am

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BALZAN 2 Correa 44; Majdevac 51 SIRENS 4 Menezes 9; Espindola 45; Okoye 79, 88 Sirens bounced back from last week’s defeat to leaders Floriana as they defeated Balzan 4-2 in a highly-entertaining clash. Balzan went in search of an early goal and after just two minutes, Alfred Effiong exchanged the ball with Ljubomirac with the Malta international forward’s low shot being saved by Cassar. However, on the ninth minutes, Sirens were awarded a penalty after Romario Menezes tried to round with Nenad Sljivic with the latter handling the ball From the penalty spot, the same Brazilian striker made no mistake to put Sirens ahead. Thiago Espindola went close with a free kick from the right which was turned into a corner on 14 minutes and three minutes later, the St. Paul’s Bay side threatened once again with a shot from outside the area by Menezes which ended just wide. Balzan replied with a cross from the right by Ljubomirac for Effiong whose first attempt was partially saved by the goalkeeper and off the rebound, Effiong hit wide. Sirens, however, went close once again on 29 minutes with Emmanuel Okoye serving Wellington; the latter tested the Balzan goalkeeper following some fine...

Federer beats De Minaur for 'unbelievable' 10th Basel title

October 27, 2019, 10:07 am

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Roger Federer won his 10th Basel title on Sunday, smothering young Australian Alex De Minaur 6-2, 6-2 to secure what the Swiss legend described as "an unbelievable" success at the home-town tournament where he used to work as a ballboy. The 38-year-old had to control his emotions as he drew a loud and heartfelt standing ovation from his home public during the presentation for his 103rd career trophy. The 20-time Grand Slam champion said it was as a ballboy at the St Jakobshalle more than two decades ago that he got his first taste of tennis. "Being a ballboy really inspired me," he said. "But I cannot believe that I've won here 10 times. "I never even thought that I would win it once, this has been an unbelievable week for me." With his wife, children and parents watching, Federer was presented with a metal sculpture depicting a life-sized hand ready to toss a tennis ball in honour of his landmark title. Federer broke twice per set against his 20-year-old Australian opponent in a win lasting just over an hour in front of a full-house of 9,000. Federer defeated the 28th-ranked De Minaur in their first meeting. "Alex has had a great year," Federer said. "It's not easy to win...

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Is this even Senglea? Restoration plans get mixed reaction

October 27, 2019, 10:29 am

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An video of the government's proposed revamp of the entrance and some of Senglea's ramparts drew a mixed response when it was uploaded to Facebook, with many even questioning whether that was Senglea at all. The video was uploaded by Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi, hours before a large number of people from Senglea protested about plans by the American University of Malta to extended its footprint, taking over open space near Il-Maċina.   The €2m project was announced in the Budget. Dr Mizzi told a press conference on Friday that the project will restore public access to part of the bastions which is currently unavailable, and create an open space and a square for the historic city. The minister also said that the number of trees will not be reduced.  The project will have two phases, the first focused on restoration of the gate and parts of Fort St Michael and the Senglea clock tower and the second on the square, the city entrance and 3000 square meters of paving. The boċċi club will be relocated to create a new square under the Belvedere accessible through a new staircase and a lift. 

Seven-goal Atalanta run riot to close in on Juventus

October 27, 2019, 10:47 am

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Luis Muriel hit a hat-trick as Atalanta put their midweek Champions League humiliation behind them with a crushing 7-1 win over 10-man Udinese on Sunday that moved them to within three points of Serie A leaders Juventus. Gian Piero Gasperini's side consolidated third place with 20 points from nine games, two adrift of second-placed Inter Milan and three ahead of Napoli, who were held 1-1 at lowly SPAL. Defending champions Juve stay top despite drawing 1-1 at Lecce on Saturday thanks to Antonio Conte's Inter also collecting just a point with their 2-2 draw with Parma. Gasperini said his side, top scorers with a Serie A-record 28 goals after nine games, had felt bitterness after their 5-1 humbling at Manchester City, their third Champions League defeat in as many games. "We're trying to use the Champions League to gain experience and it helps us become better in Serie A," said Gasperini. "We make mistakes, but we have also been scoring regularly for 18 months now and it really helps us to fight back from difficult situations, as when we went behind today." After falling behind after 12 minutes following Stefano Okaka's first away goal for Udinese this season, the Bergamo side got...

Prisoner dies after being found unconscious in cell

October 27, 2019, 10:59 am

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A Maltese man has died after having been found unconscious in a prison cell at Corradino Prisons. The Correctional Services Agency said the man was found unconscious on Saturday evening. He was immediately assisted by prison officers and taken to hospital, but he passed away on Sunday. The statement did not say anything about the circumstances of the death. The agency said a magisterial inquiry is underway, as well as an internal investigation. The shadow minister for home affairs, Beppe Fenech Adami, said this was the third death at the prisons within a few months. He demanded an explanation of what has been going on.  

Would you like a Loch Ness drink?

October 27, 2019, 11:15 am

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A doctor and a former detective revive illicit pleasures on the banks of Loch Ness. Kevin Pilley hears their story. Dr Lorien and Kevin Cameron-Ross run the Loch Ness Spirits micro-distillery at Dores, making small-batch premium gin as well as the once infamous absinthe. “Kevin and I met at Aberdeen University and got married the day after our finals. Twenty years ago,” says Lorien. “We have five kids and six grandchildren to date. Kevin is the main distiller and is mainly self-taught, al­though studied with the Institute of Brewers & Distillers. He is in charge of the day-to-day practical running of the company.” “I am also the reality checker. As Lorien’s ideas sometimes don’t make much sense,” says the Aberdeen-born ex-detective. “They have a tendency to go down rabbit holes!” Lorien, who was born on the banks of the loch in Aldourie Castle, served in the Royal Army Medical Corps until 2006. This included a tour of Iraq with an infantry battalion. “I returned to my hometown of Inverness to join the NHS as a GP. I have worked in almost every GP setting. Urban, remote and rural, emergency department, military and civilian in England, Scotland and Canada. I am currently the...

Strip of land up for tender holds key to 26-floor hotel

October 27, 2019, 11:17 am

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A strip of land put up for tender by the Lands Authority this month holds the key to plans to build a massive 26-floor hotel overlooking Wied Għomor. The strip of public land cuts right down the middle of the site where the hotel is planned, in an area that businessman Silvan Fenech of the TUM Invest Group claimed he already fully owns through a declaration to the Planning Authority. TUM Invest is an offshoot of the Tumas Group. One source familiar with planning processes said the Lands Authority made it very difficult for anyone other than the developer to bid on.  [attach id=783633 size="large" align="left" type="image"]The tender for the public land superimposed over the planned hotel development. [/attach] “This tender appears to have been tailor-made by the Lands Authority for the developer. Who else would put up a €14,000 bid bond and a minimum offer of €5,000 for a 45-year emphyteusis for a strip of land that must be maintained exclusively as a green zone? “It is basically like a game of chess. Once the developer gets his hands on the middle ground, he gets his hotel.” Another source said the land put up for tender could be used by the developer to satisfy legal...