Новости за 17.01.2021

Business operators have spoken about the way they were forced to reinvent themselves and shift operations online to survive as the pandemic dramatically shifted consumer habits. Nearly a year since COVID-19 hit Malta, the “absolute majority” of businesses have invested to shift online and offer delivery services, according to Malta Chamber of SMEs chief executive Abigail Mamo. While a level of eCommerce was in place, no business was really geared up to be able to cater for the full amount of customers to migrate online. Читать дальше...

Last updated 7.20pm Russian police detained Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny at a Moscow airport on Sunday, shortly after he landed on a flight from Berlin. Navalny's spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh confirmed he had been detained, saying on Twitter: "Alexei was taken away by police officers at the border. With no explanation given."  Navalny arrived on Sunday evening after his flight was diverted at the last minute from Vnukovo Airport where his supporters and media had gathered. Earlier, Russian police detained top Navalny allies at Vnukovo Airport. Читать дальше...

A register of contractors launched in July 2019 is no longer available online, as much-vaunted reforms to the construction sector continue to progress at a slow pace. The register was meant to provide more information about the details of contractors and  lead to a licensing regime by the end of 2019, following a number of building collapses triggered by adjacent construction works. The licensing regime has not yet been put in place pending legislative reforms. Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg, who used to be responsible for the sector... Читать дальше...

STA LUCIA                           1Alan 58 pen ŻEJTUN CORINTHIANS       1 Bonfim 20 STA LUCIA C. Farrugia-6.5; T. Tabone Desira-5 (46 M. Camilleri-6); A. Prates-6; K. Correia-6; A. Magri Overend-0; Alan-6 (90 A. Vella); K. Rosero-6.5; L. Filho-6; J. Zerafa-6; R. Tachikowa; K. Xuereb-5 (46 A. Caseres-6). ŻEJTUN CORINTHIANS C. Cassar-6; L. Moreira-6; K. Reid-5; Robeiro-5; T. Bonfim-6; C. Grech-6; S. Da Silva; V. Vieira-6; Washington-6 (77 G. Bugeja); E. Herrera-5; N. Tabone-5. Referee: Stefan Pace. Читать дальше...

A nine-year-old boy who recently started communicating by pointing at a letterboard is raising awareness about what it feels to be trapped inside the body of a child with non-verbal autism. For years, Beppe Caruana sat quietly in class or in the back of his parents’ car. But when his mother, Olivia Galea Seychell, found a way to communicate with him, she soon realised that Beppe had absorbed every detail around him, mastering English and Maltese, mathematics and other subjects. Beppe aspired to become a biomedical engineer. Читать дальше...

Lorenzo Insigne scored twice and set up another as Napoli thumped Fiorentina 6-0 on Sunday to move into third in Serie A. Napoli got back to winning ways in their newly-named Diego Armando Maradona Stadium after falling to promoted Spezia in their last home match. Gennaro Gattuso’s side came out firing despite the absence of midfielder Fabian Ruiz who tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday. Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen was also missing. Continue reading this article on Sports Desk, the sports... Читать дальше...

Two poems by local artist Mary Anne Zammit have made their way into a global anthology reflecting on the COVID-19 pandemic. “Without doubt, the mere mention of COVID-19 sends shivers down our spines,” Zammit told Times of Malta. [attach id=1015499 size="medium" align="right" type="image"]The book Musings During a Time of Pandemic aims to helps create hope for those affected by COVID-19. [/attach] “It has changed our lives, created restricted lockdowns, social distance and separation from our loved ones. Читать дальше...

Hibernians have parted ways with Lithuanian striker Karolis Laukzemkis. In a statement, the Premier League club said that they had reached a mutual agreement with the Lithuanian international to go separate ways. "International striker, Karolis Laukzemis, has been released by the club on mutual agreement," the Premier League club said in a statement. Continue reading this article on Sports Desk, the sports website by Times of Malta

Josephine was in her 80s when I met her, still sprightly and sharp. She had always been interested in learning as much she could about everything around her, and archaeology was just one of the subjects she had adopted. She learnt in a way most of us would envy: through none other than experts Sir Temi Zammit and Lord Strickland. When she was younger, she would go with them on their “digs”. Perhaps because she was there when Malta’s substantial heritage was literally being unearthed in the second decade of this century... Читать дальше...

141 new COVID-19 cases were reported on Sunday. The Health Ministry said 136 patients had recovered, leaving 2,753 active cases. The ministry also reported 239 deaths from the virus, one higher than on Saturday, but no details were given.   [attach id=1015640 size="large" align="left" type="image"][/attach] The new cases are still being assessed. Of Saturday's 175 cases, the ministry said 38 were traced back to family members who tested positive, 31 were contacts with work colleagues who also tested positive... Читать дальше...

Perhaps one of the best-known and very popular episodes of the Maltese islands’ medieval history relates how the populace heroically rose against their local lord, Don Gonsalvo de Monroy (or Monroi), in 1426-27. A sizeable number of local historians have devoted ample space to this episode but all the authors were at a loss when they tried to explain why the Maltese revolted against Monroy but not against his predecessor, Don Antonio de Cardona. The well-known recounted story ran thus: in January 1420... Читать дальше...

Malta’s return to normality after the COVID-19 pandemic will take longer because the government is ignoring the experts’ advice, Opposition leader Bernard Grech said on Sunday.  In a speech to Nationalist Party supporters, Grech said that instead of heeding health experts’ advice, Prime Minister Robert Abela was forging ahead with his own ideas.  This, he said, would ultimately hamper Malta’s efforts to return to normality.  “Prime Minister, stop lying to people. The vaccine rollout is too slow. The experts are telling him [Abela] this. Читать дальше...

The 17th century was quite unfair when it came to distributing literary excellence. It proved generous with some European countries, and rather mean with others. In neighbouring Italy, with inevitable exceptions, literature in the seicento overall lagged, rarely reaching the summits of previous or later centuries. Italian visual art and music peaked, but not so with literature. [attach id=1015478 size="medium" align="right" type="image"]Grand Master Antoine de Paule, who ruled over Malta when knight... Читать дальше...

The process of civil reforms should continue and there should be a discussion on euthanasia, prime minister Robert Abela said on Sunday. Speaking at a Labour Party event, he noted that Labour deputy leader Daniel Micallef had spoken in favour of euthanasia following his experience of seeing a man die after much suffering. But, Abela said, he had himself recently gone through an experience where a friend from Qormi was in the hospital’s ITU suffering from COVID-19. Doctors had said he stood no chance for recovery... Читать дальше...

The MFSA has been working extensively since 2019 to bring about wholesale changes to the company service providers (CSPs) regulatory regime.  The recently published CSP (Amendment) Act 2020 marks the first step in implementing this reform.  As part of its efforts to reform the sector, the authority launched an updated rulebook for consultation, which is fully aligned with the act and which establishes detailed rules on the governance systems, core functions and capital requirements expected of CSPs. Читать дальше...

Ħamrun Spartans have confirmed the signing of French defender Claude Dielna. It was the Times of Malta who on Wednesday revealed that they had reached an agreement to sign the 33-year-old defender. The Reds were looking to bolster their defence this month in their bid to stay in the hunt for a title push as they are currently leading the Premier League standings, two points clear of Hibernians.  Continue reading this article on Sports Desk, the sports website by Times of Malta

At the end of the 19th century, the Czech artist Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939) ranked among the pioneers of the Art Nouveau movement. Virtually overnight, he became famous in Paris thanks to his posters of star actress Sarah Bernhardt. But at the height of his fame, Mucha left Paris to realise his lifetime project The Slav Epic. He worked on the monumental cycle of paintings for 18 years – only to meet fierce criticism upon completion.

Supporting artists and collectives by exhibiting at The Mill has been a core principle of the Gabriel Caruana Foundation but also of Gabriel and Mary Rose Caruana, the founders of The Mill – Art, Culture and Crafts Centre. Raffaella Zammit, executive director of the foundation, highlights the ethos of the foundation and discusses the forthcoming SPRING v1.1 exhibition with The Sunday Times of Malta. A selection of artworks and ephemera by the emerging artists Noura Abdelhafidh, Stephania Micallef... Читать дальше...

Ministers have been presented with plans to take back control of the three state hospitals that were handed over to US healthcare giant Steward.  Government sources confirmed that cabinet was given a lengthy presentation by Heath Minister Chris Fearne and Finance Minister Clyde Caruana last month about plans to redraft the government’s hospitals agreement.    If agreed, the plan would see Malta take back control of the St Luke’s, Karin Grech, and Gozo hospitals.   Steward Healthcare, the US giant running the three hospitals... Читать дальше...

Healthy joints are a matter of nature and nurture. There is a hereditary cause for the onset of arthritic afflictions, but manual and physical labour as well as our lifestyle can certainly exacerbate the onset and progress of certain joint diseases. Physical non-impact exercise is greatly beneficial to the health of the joints. It reduces pain and joint stiffness. The cyclical joint movements that take place with indoor biking, cross trainer and swimming aid in maintaining a healthy cartilage layer... Читать дальше...

Technological advancements over the past 25 years have not only transformed our lives but also resulted in significant changes in the manner organisations collect and process personal data. In response to such technological advancements, there was a need to revise existing rules in order to protect the personal data privacy of EU citizens. In 2016, the EU adopted the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which came into force on May 25, 2018, giving member states two years to fully implement the regulation. Читать дальше...

Staff nurse Rachel Grech became the first Maltese to take the second dose of the fizer COVID-19 vaccine on Sunday morning, having been the first Maltese to receive the first dose three weeks ago. The jab was administered at Mater Dei Hospital, where she works.  Last Thursday, Health Minister Chris Fearne said 13,275 COVID-19 jabs will be administered in Malta by Monday. He said vaccination rate in Malta is twice the EU average. He said that up to last Monday, Malta had received 26,550 doses, nearly all by Pfizer. Читать дальше...

Like most other cultural institutions on the island, the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra has felt the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, this has not dampened its sprit and has instead spurred the orchestra to expand its repertoire. Executive chairman of the MPO Sigmund Mifsud speaks to Lara Zammit on how the national orchestra faced the pandemic and what plans it has for the future.  When COVID-19 struck the island in March 2020, its effect on local cultural institutions was devastating, not... Читать дальше...

With the 2020 behind us, investors are shifting their attention to new investment opportunities and strategies. In this article, we will look at some investment trends for the year that just started. So, what are the 2021 investment trends that will impact the market? The UK government agreed a trade deal with the European Union, avoiding a no-deal scenario. While the details about the agreement remain scarce, the trade deal is welcome. Question marks, however, remain for instance over the ability of the UK to sell services... Читать дальше...

Two COVID-19 survivors speak of their suffering from the long-term effects of the virus Sufferers of prolonged symptoms of COVID-19 should be offered a follow-up package, including heart and lung checks, as well as counselling sessions, to put their anxious minds at rest, one coronavirus ‘long-hauler’ has suggested. Long COVID, the informal name for the condition characterised by long-term symptoms after the typi­cal convalescence period, including fatigue, headaches, shortness of breath and brain fog... Читать дальше...