Times of Malta

In a fake Roman city, built out of wood and scaffolding at Fort Ricasoli, extras swung prop swords and shot off imaginary arrows while a camera crew captured every moment. Yet, in between takes, extras who had signed up to take part in the Gladiator sequel were pulled aside by production staff and asked to step into a camera-filled booth where their likeness was scanned. “It didn’t really feel like we could say no,” one extra said who, months later, has now begun to worry that their likeness will be used in future productions without their knowledge and consent. “If they do have your face, you have no idea if it’s going to be put in a trailer or a film or a video,” another extra said. In June, filming for Ridley Scott’s anticipated sequel to Gladiator began at Fort Ricasoli. Read more at timesofmalta.com or by clicking the link in our bio. 📸: Shutterstock 🖋️: Daniel Tihn

Bicycle Advocacy group Rota has proposed the introduction of government-funded insurance for bicycle users and narrow car lanes for the development of a stronger culture of cycling and sustainable mobility on the island. These are two of 17 proposals they outlined in a document - "A vision for sustainable mobility", which they made public on Monday, ahead of Budget 2024 which will be presented on October 30. Rota It said that the width of a car lane is directly proportional to the speed at which a motor vehicle travels. “The wider a lane, the faster a motorised vehicle is likely to move... Rota recommends that lane width should directly reflect the speed limits put in place across all the road networks,” the document reads. The proposal goes on to say that such a measure will not only ensure greater safety for vulnerable road users, such as cyclists and pedestrians but can also create more space for them. Read the full story at timesofmalta.com or by clicking the link in our bio. 📸: Matthew Mirabelli / Rota 🖋️: Giulia Magri

A GPS-tracked black kite that started its life in the Czech Republic stopped transmitting after it migrated to Malta, Birdlife said on Monday. The reported disappearance comes as hunting at sea is in full flow, as part of the annual autumn hunting season. Hunting at sea was permitted starting October 1. Birdlife said in a statement that it has received reports of multiple species of protected birds coming under fire in the past weeks, from lesser spotted eagles, to a short-toed snake-eagle, black storks, black kites and European honey-buzzards. Enforcement resources, it said, are struggling to keep up with reports of poaching. Read the full story and others at timesofmalta.com or by clicking the link in our bio. 📸: Ian Balzan/Birdlife

Employees who worked at the Ta’ Xbiex Christmas Village say they have yet to be paid for their work, almost a year after the festive attraction closed its doors. One worker said he was so desperate that he begged his boss for half his salary but he still refused to pay him anything. During their month at Christmas Village, most of the employees, all non-EU nationals, worked seven days a week, sometimes clocking 15-hour days. Nine workers, mainly Indian nationals, who spoke to Times of Malta were hired by a subcontracting company, JK Security Services Limited, which provided manpower to the Christmas Village and promised their workers between €6 and €7 an hour. JK Security timesheets seen by Times of Malta show that several workers clocked in over 250 hours throughout the month. “I didn’t even get a single euro to survive, to eat food or pay rent,” one of the workers told Times of Malta. Read more at timesofmalta.com or by clicking the link in our bio. 🖋️: Daniel Ellul

Times of Malta continues to be Malta’s runaway favourite news website, with the latest Broadcasting Authority survey published on Monday showing that 56% of the public list it as their preferred source of local news. This is a slight increase over the 55.3% registered in a similar survey earlier in the year and an increase of almost 5% since last year. In total, the share of people citing Times of Malta as their favourite news source is more than twice that of all other news portals combined. Times of Malta is the preferred source of news for readers of all ages, with over 50% of all saying that the Times of Malta site is their first port of call for local news. This is particularly high among teenage readers, 58% of whom list Times of Malta as their preferred choice. Lovin Malta is now the second most popular news site with 9% of the total share, followed by TVM, Newsbook and Malta Today, all of whom registered under a 5% share of the public's preference. The number of people who say they follow different news portals equally has dipped sharply from 24% in May to just 16% today. Read the full story at timesofmalta.com or by clicking the link in our bio. 📸: Karl Andrew Micallef 🖋️: Neville Borg

The government is looking to introduce minimum standards on pet sitting, boarding, breeding, and grooming following recommendations by the Animal Welfare Commission in 2021. A White Paper was published on Monday morning in which the animal rights ministry is asking people for their opinions and suggestions by November 6. "This is a milestone that continues to put animal welfare at the top of our policy," parliamentary secretary for animal rights Alicia Bugeja Said said. The consultative document comes over two years after animal rights commissioner Alison Bezzina appealed for legislation to regulate the sector and a year after the Malta SPCA made similar calls. Asked about the wait, Bugeja Said said several stakeholders were consulted before the White Paper was drafted. These include people who provide pet-sitting services, veterinarians, the Animal Welfare Commission and the general public, Bugeja Said said. "I wouldn't call it a delay; I would call it a process," she said. "The hasty cat makes blind kittens," the parliamentary secretary said, using the Maltese adage. The document proposes new legislation on pet grooming, boarding, breeding and sitting. Under the proposed legislation, pet sitters must register with the Animal Welfare Directorate, provide suitable accommodation, and have sufficient knowledge of the animals they work with. Read the full story at timesofmalta.com or by clicking the link in our bio. 📸: Times of Malta file photo 🖋️: Daniel Ellul

The trial of Daniel Muka - the man who allegedly pulled the trigger and killed two men in Sliema - has been postponed after the accused objected to being represented by a state-funded lawyer. The 28-year-old Albanian man is being charged with the double murder of Christian Pandolfino and Ivor Maciejowski in 2020. Both men were fatally shot inside their Sliema home, in what is believed to have been a four-minute operation involving three men. His trial was scheduled to start on Monday. But when the stage was all set and the corridors outside Hall 22 were packed with prospective jurors, the judge was informed that the accused was objecting to being assisted by a legal aid lawyer. Lawyer Simon Micallef Stafrace informed Mr Justice Aaron Bugeja about Muka's objection. The court suspended the hearing to decree on the matter. Read the full story at timesofmalta.com or by clicking the link in our bio. 📸: Times of Malta file photo 🖋️: Edwina Brincat

Two car dealers suspected of involvement in a racket linked to Japan-imported vehicles have challenged a court order that they say has practically bought their businesses to a standstill, with their assets frozen and their families in dire straits. Alexander Spiteri, owner of Alexander Auto Sales, and Roderick and Alison Vella, operating Rokku Auto Dealer, have claimed that the investigation and blanket attachment orders issued by the Criminal Court are in violation of their fundamental rights. Both Spiteri and the Vella couple were arrested in October 2022 on suspicion of tampering with the mileage counts of imported cars. The attorney general obtained an investigation and attachment order in both cases, and that order was disclosed to the suspects prior to their police interrogation. The suspects are so far deemed innocent but the orders still stand, having been renewed six months after they were issued. On account of those orders, both Spiteri and the Vellas cannot pursue their business and can no longer lead a decent life, they argue. They have filed separate applications before the First Hall, Civil Court in its constitutional jurisdiction, laying out the hardships they have faced since targeted by such a “draconian” legal measure. Read the full story at timesofmalta.com or by clicking the link in our bio. 📸: Matthew Mirabelli 🖋️: Edwina Brincat

An Għajnsielem resident has called for speed cameras along Gozo’s main arteries after two cars crashed into the facade of her home within two months of each other. “If multiple crashes happen within two months, then there is clearly a problem,” Għajnsielem resident Emma Vassallo Bianchi told Times of Malta. In December 2021, Vassallo Bianchi bought a house on Triq Borg Għarib, a road that forms part of one of Gozo’s main arteries stretching from Qala to Rabat. The road joins up with Triq L-Imġarr that takes visitors from Mġarr port to Victoria. The artery is notorious for crashes, holding the infamous title of Gozo’s most dangerous road. According to information given in parliament, the stretch saw 84 injuries and one fatality between 2013 and 2019. On September 28, an 18-year-old was hospitalised after crashing into three parked vehicles and a wall on Triq Borg Għarib. “This guy could have lost his life or could have taken someone else’s,” Vassallo Bianchi said, saying calls for speed cameras and other safety measures have been ignored. “This could have been avoided had they done something on time.” Just three months into her ownership of her house, a car careened into the front of it. Read the full story at timesofmalta.com or by clicking the link in our bio. 📸: Emma Vassallo Bianchi/Google Maps 🖋️: Daniel Tihn

Robert Abela underlined his socialist principles when concluding Labour’s general conference on Sunday, saying all his actions and those of the government were motivated by socialist ideals. Speaking at the Mediterranean Conference Centre, the prime minister outlined his vision for the next 10 years and insisted the people’s concerns were his own, including the influx of foreigners, traffic, the need for quality tourism and a better environment. The Labour mayor of Gzira, Conrad Borg Manché, resigned on Saturday, saying Labour was no longer socialist. Abela – and other speakers before him - made no direct reference to the resignation, but Abela said Labour’s socialist roots were as strong as ever. He made one of his references to Labour’s socialist belief when he reiterated the government’s plan to regulate temping agencies – the companies which bring foreign workers to Malta. “People are not a business, we must have the people who are needed, where they are needed,” he said. He also said that mindful of the people’s concerns, he had asked the relevant authorities to consider the situation regarding the importation of medicines with a view to announcing a downward revision of prices in the coming weeks. Abela focused much of his 45-minute speech to the next 10 years. He said he was proud of what had been achieved in the past 10 years and was focused on his vision for the next decade. Read the full story at timesofmalta.com or by clicking the link in our bio. 📸: Labour Party 🖋️: Mark Laurence Zammit

When Joseph Burlò, conscious of his stammer, was advised to seek the help of a speech therapist, little did he think that such a personal matter would also be a turning point for his home country. Burlò – an unsung pioneer in the local disability sector – had won a scholarship at Southampton University to study English literature, where, conscious of his speech impairment, he held back from joining class discussions. After overcoming the stammer through therapy, he trained as a speech therapist and eventually introduced the service for children in Malta. This little-known fact about Burlò has come to light in an exhibition organised by the Department of Disability Studies and the University of Malta Library, with the support of his daughter Dr Marian Muscat Azzopardi. A series of documents and photos detailing Burlò’s “life in the service of people with disability in Malta” are being exhibited on the ground floor of the university’s main library. This is the first time such documents, by and about Burlò – who died in 1993 – are being made available to the public. The documents will eventually also be available on the library’s website. Asked about the relevance of such documents to the current challenges, disability studies professor Anne-Marie Callus said the material provided important information about a missing piece in the history of disability in Malta. “Knowing about his work will also help us understand better the past and how it has developed into what we have at present – therefore also understanding better the current situation,” she told Times of Malta. Read the full story at timesofmalta.com or by clicking the link in our bio. 📸: Photo provided by his daughter, Dr Marian Muscat Azzopardi/Photo lent to the University library by Marian Muscat Azzopardi 🖋️: Sarah Carabott

Fighting between Israeli forces and the Palestinian militant group Hamas raged Sunday, with hundreds killed on both sides after a surprise attack on Israel prompted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to warn they were "embarking on a long and difficult war". The conflict's bloodiest escalation in decades saw Hamas carry out a massive rocket barrage and ground, air and sea offensive early Saturday that Israel's army said had killed more than 200 Israelis and wounded 1,000. Gaza officials said intense Israeli air strikes on the coastal enclave had brought the Palestinian death toll to at least 232, with nearly 1,700 wounded. Gun battles raged into Sunday morning between Israeli forces and hundreds of Hamas fighters in at least 22 Israel locations, including at least two where gunmen were holding hostages, the army said. It later added that it had fired artillery on southern Lebanon in response to a shot from the area, without providing further details. "We are embarking on a long and difficult war that was forced on us by a murderous Hamas attack," Netanyahu said on X, formerly Twitter, early Sunday. "The first stage is ending at this time by the destruction of the vast majority of the enemy forces that infiltrated our territory. Read the full story at timesofmalta.com or by clicking the link in our bio. 📸: AFP