Новости за 01.01.2021

A 35-year-old Romanian man was grievously injured after being hit with a hammer in St Julian's. In a statement on Friday the police said that at around 3.15pm on Friday, the Romanian man together with a 45-year-old Colombian man told police officers stationed at the St Julian's that they had been attacked by a man. Soon after, a 35-year-old Maltese man dropped by at the same police station and said he had had an argument with two people. The Romanian man was rushed to Mater Dei. According to police investigations... Читать дальше...

A car bomb detonated near a Russian military base in northeastern Syria on Friday, in the first such jihadist attack in the area against the ally of Damascus, a war monitor said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported several wounded in the attack after midnight in the Tal Saman area in Raqa province, but did not give an exact figure. There was no immediate Russian report of the incident, which occurred in a broader area controlled by Kurdish-led forces but where the Syrian regime and its ally Russia are also present.

A night of New Year’s Eve revelry took a violent turn when two men got into a fight that was caught on camera.  Footage of the outburst, seen by Times of Malta, shows two men assaulting each other on Valletta’s Old Theatre Street as onlookers try to get out of their way. [attach id=1009179 type="video"]The fight was caught on video. [/attach] A police spokesperson said the incident took place at 1.20am on Friday.  A 22-year-old man and 51-year-old man, both from Floriana, were arrested over the incident and are being questioned. Читать дальше...

A 94-year-old woman has become the first elderly person in Malta to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Mary Pizzuto received the jab at St Vincent de Paul, where she lives, on Friday.  Another 40 elderly residents and 15 staff members will also be vaccinated throughout the day. Elderly people in other residences will be vaccinated in the coming days. [attach id=1009185 type="video"][/attach] Speaking at the residence, Minister for the Elderly Michael Farrugia thanked frontliners who for months have been working with the elderly. Читать дальше...

Ferry company Gozo Channel is expecting to register its best weekend in a year after long queues of people and cars headed to the sister island for a locked-down new year in hotels and farmhouses. On Wednesday, hundreds of cars were seen lining up at Ċirkewwa terminal to board the ferries, prompting concern that people could be planning social gatherings despite several warnings from health authorities. While not going into details on passenger numbers, Gozo Channel chairman Joe Cordina told Times... Читать дальше...

Six people were found driving under the effect of alcohol on New Year's Eve following an inspection of 520 vehicles, the police said. Another driver was not allowed to drive after refusing to take a breathalyser test. The vehicles were stopped by the police on Thursday night during traffic controls. The police said several other people were fined for breaching regulations, including driving without a valid licence, not using a safety belt, driving without a valid road licence and insurance, and driving without registration plates.

Valletta FC became the second Premier League club to be put into a mandatory quarantine after more COVID-19 cases emerged from a round of swab testing to their first-team squad on Friday. Earlier this week, the Citizens had two players who tested posted for COVID-19 and the club decided to put the whole first-team squad and members of the technical staff to a routine swab test on Friday. Results on Friday morning produced more COVID-19 tests among players and members of the technical staff, forcing... Читать дальше...

Dar tal-Providenza director Fr Martin Micallef told Times of Malta that he was “on the road to recovery” as the charity begins its annual fundraising marathon.  Micallef, who in June revealed he was undergoing treatment for cancer, said that his health had taken a turn for the better and that his prognosis had begun taking steps in the right direction.  A residential home that cares for the needs of 115 people living with disabilities, Micallef said that the COVID-19 pandemic had foisted new and unexpected challenges on the home... Читать дальше...

Malta started the new year with 135 new COVID-19 cases - the highest number of daily cases in more than three weeks.  A further 57 people recovered, according to data published on Friday.  In their daily update on Facebook, the health authorities said Malta now has 1,512 active cases of coronavirus. 2,779 swab tests were taken in the past 24 hours. So far 219 COVID-19 patients have died [attach id=1009098 size="large" align="left" type="image"][/attach] The country on Wednesday registered its first three cases of the virus's UK variant... Читать дальше...

Mater Dei Hospital has insisted it caters for all dietary requirements after a vegan patient was offered meat-based meals for two days. Brandon Galea was admitted to hospital on Monday with a lung infection but says that his requests for vegan food were met with smirks and claims that the caterer didn't provide for a plant-based diet. "On Monday I was offered chicken pie with mashed potato and vegetables and on Tuesday I was offered some kind of meat in sauce, also served with potato and vegetables," he told Times of Malta. Читать дальше...

Cross-Channel freight traffic between Britain and France was moving smoothly on Friday in the first hours after London's exit from the EU customs union, dispelling fears of immediate snarl-ups in the wake of the historic change. Hundreds of lorries had crossed into France and left the country for the United Kingdom through the Channel Tunnel while dozens more were carried on ferries, with no reports of any major hold-ups.  Almost 200 lorries passed through the tunnel after Britain formally left the... Читать дальше...

The Stone Pony in New Jersey’s Asbury Park has hosted dozens of musicians on their ascent to stardom – including none other than Bruce Springsteen – but for months it’s sat dark due to the coronavirus pandemic. And like hundreds of other cultural institutions across the US its owners are hopeful relief is finally on the way: the latest COVID-19 bill recently signed into law by President Donald Trump includes $15 billion for beleaguered arts venues to survive the ongoing crisis. [attach id=1009080... Читать дальше...

Updated 6.30pm with Police statement Police unholstered taser guns and wrestled civilians to the ground as a brawl among some 50 revellers broke out in Paceville on New Year’s Day.   The incident, caught on video by civilian bystanders, saw several people arrested and at least three sustain injuries.  In a statement late on Friday the police said three people - a 33-year-old Libyan man, a 34 year-old-man Libyan man and a 36-year-old Irish woman - were rushed to Mater Dei Hospital. Their condition remains unknown. Читать дальше...

A second round of vouchers for use in retail and hospitality outlets are expected to begin making their way to Maltese families by mid-January, the government told the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA). MHRA president Tony Zahra told Times of Malta that the association had been informed by the relevant authorities that vouchers would be issued to consumers roughly half-way through this month.  “The first round was a good system, it worked very well, so the system and distribution should... Читать дальше...

Wall Street stocks concluded a roller-coaster year on a high note on Thursday, reflecting optimism about 2021 despite continued weakness in the economy due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Dow and S&P 500 closed at fresh records, capping a year in which they scored significant gains along with the Nasdaq, even amid elevated joblessness, rising hunger and acute pain in sectors such as hospitality, airlines, oil and gas and the performing arts. “For Main Street it was a terrible year,” said Briefing.com... Читать дальше...

A 71-year-old man from Żebbuġ was grievously injured on Thursday when he lost control of his car crashed into a wall in Rabat. The police said the accident happened in Triq Għajn Kajjet at 7.15pm. He was given first aid on site by a medical team and taken to hospital by ambulance. The police are investigating.

Chemimart Pharmacy, 14, St Anne Street, Floriana (2123 9310);National Pharmacy, 17, St Mary Street, Ħamrun (2122 5539);Anici Pharmacy, Anici Street, Qormi (2148 7162);Mint Care Pharmacy, 7, Brared Street, Birkirkara (2144 2135);Charing Pharmacy, Mimosa Street, Pietà (2123 2954);St Andrew’s Dispensary, Qasam Street, Swieqi (2137 6153);Mrabat Pharmacy, 5, Mrabat Street, Sliema (2131 3535);Misraħ Kola Pharmacy, Pitkali Street, Attard (2143 4137);St Mary Pharmacy, 14, Rotunda Square, Mosta (2143 3833);Promenade Pharmacy... Читать дальше...

2020 has been a watershed year for most global economies. However much we yearn for the return of normality, it is unlikely that any economy will be able to resume functioning any time soon in a business-as-usual mode. What is more likely is that we will have to get used to re-engineering some of our economic models. The year started with a sense of confidence in the general direction of economic growth globally. The debates in economic circles centred on the impact that artificial intelligence, robotics... Читать дальше...

Amid the constant barrage of bad news on the environment and the regular studies depicting, ever more distinctly, how close we actually are to tipping our climate beyond a point of no return, a sparkle of positivity shone throughout the corridors of Brussels last week. During a highly anticipated, all-night meeting, the EU’s environment ministers agreed to bold climate-related measures that go beyond their current emissions reduction targets. As a result of the meeting, the union and its member states... Читать дальше...

Britain on Friday began a new year and life outside Europe, after leaving the bloc's single market trading rules to go it alone for the first time in nearly half a century. Brexit, which has dominated politics on both sides of the Channel since 2016, became reality an hour before midnight, ending the UK's 48-year obligation to follow Brussels' rules. Free movement of over 500 million people between Britain and the 27 EU states ended. More rigorous customs checks returned for the first time in decades... Читать дальше...

Happy New Year. The following are the main stories in Friday’s newspapers. Times of Malta says Malta enters 2021 with a “shot of hope” after the devastating coronavirus pandemic that left 219 families bereft. In another story, the newspaper says a Dutch woman who was made to search her own excrement for drugs has lost her case against the police over her claim that they violated her human rights. The Malta Independent says renewable energy accounted for 25.7% of energy used in heating and cooling in Malta in 2019. Читать дальше...

Company presents a donation of €70,000 in aid of the Istrina campaign  Notwithstanding the challenging times, GO still honoured its CSR commitments with continued support and donations of funds and equipment to several NGOs and charity organisations. Besides supporting the annual Istrina campaign with a monetary donation of €70,000, GO is this year further cementing its support to the Malta Community Chest Fund Foundation with the signing of a new four-year agreement to help it achieve its more long-term goals. Читать дальше...

The editorial ‘Not-so-golden later years’ on December 17 paints too dire a picture of the living conditions of persons aged 65 and over in Malta.  The relative poverty statistics quoted in the editorial do not tell the full and proper story. Let me admit right away that the relative poverty statistics relating to old-age people are rather disappointing.  The word ‘relative’ needs to be emphasised, because this does not mean that the persons concerned are living in absolute poverty.  Far from it.  In fact... Читать дальше...

Obituaries FARRUGIA. On December 30, at St Vincent de Paul Residence, ELFRIDA, widow of Joseph, passed away peacefully, comforted by the rites of Holy Church. She leaves to mourn her irreparable loss her children Martin and his wife Suzanne, Gordon, Simon and his wife Sue, and Joselle, her beloved grandchildren Benjamin, Shaun, Matthew, Mark, Nicholas and Carla, her in-laws, cousins and friends. The funeral leaves St Vincent De Paul Residence tomorrow, Saturday, January 2, at 7.45am, for the Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady... Читать дальше...

Malta enters 2021 with a “shot of hope” after the devastating coronavirus pandemic that left 219 families bereft. Superintendent of Public Health Charmaine Gauci, who became the face of the pandemic with her constant updates on the virus, said the new year could begin on a note of optimism. “When the airplane with the first doses of the vaccine landed at the Malta International Airport last Saturday, I experienced what I could imagine the Maltese felt when the Santa Maria Convoy arrived at our shores in 1942 ... Читать дальше...