Новости за 25.01.2021

Maltese in virus-free New Zealand and total lockdown in England are living in a parallel universe. Fiona Galea Debono compares normal life in one country with a very new normal in the other. Pandemic life for Maltese in New Zealand and England is poles apart, with masks being an alien concept in one country and a walk in the park the only lifeline for the other. [attach id=1017378 size="medium" align="right" type="image"]David Cilia Vincenti in the New Zealand mountains, unfazed by a travel ban in... Читать дальше...

The Netherlands was hit by a second wave of riots on Monday evening after protesters again went on the rampage in several cities following the introduction of a coronavirus curfew over the weekend. Riot police clashed with groups of protesters in Amsterdam as well as the port city of Rotterdam, Amersfoort in the east, and the small southern city of Geleen near Maastricht, police and Dutch news reports said. Amsterdam police said they had made eight arrests. "At the moment there's a confrontation between police... Читать дальше...

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is to resign Tuesday, in what media reports said was an attempt to build a new government after weeks of political turmoil. He called a cabinet meeting for 9:00am when he "will inform the ministers of his desire to go to the Quirinale (President Sergio Mattarella's office) to resign", his office said. Media reports suggest Conte will seek a mandate to form a new government to run Italy as it battles the coronavirus pandemic, which has left more than 85,000 people... Читать дальше...

The police on Monday arrested five persons in connection with an alleged abduction rooted in the Syrian conflict. The police said the arrests were made by its counter-terrorism unit after days of investigation into information about the case.  Four Syrians and a Libyan all men, were arrested in operations in Safi and Żurrieq. The police said the issue between the aggressors and the victim stemmed from the situation in Syria and the activities of the rebels there. The five are due to be charged in court on Tuesday. Читать дальше...

The European Union has, since 2007, handed Malta almost €22.5 million in funds related to migration, asylum seekers and humanitarian aid, parliament was told on Monday The information was tabled by Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri in reply to a question by PN MP Joseph Ellis. Camilleri said that EU funding is calculated on a period of seven years and Malta had benefited from funding from two such budgets. From 2007 till 2013, Malta was awarded €9,319,677.38 from the General Programme "Solidarity... Читать дальше...

US center Daphnee Frieson has joined Hibernians Basketball Club. The former Stetson player has seen her fair share of different basketball championships before landing in Malta. Following her time with the University of Mississippi and Stetson in the NCAA Division 1 as well as the University of Mobile in the NAIA, the 6’5 player has played in Lebanon, Romania, Lithuania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Puerto Rico, Spain, Albania, and Australia.   Continue reading this article on Sports Desk, the new... Читать дальше...

A public consultation ahead of a review of the child adoption laws has drawn several suggestions, including calls for the medical history of biological parents to be made available to parents who wish to adopt locally and want a clear picture of the medical identity of the adopted child.  The public consultation was launched in November and delved into the process for the adoption of children, with specific attention towards local adoptions and 'open adoptions'.  Giving details during a press conference... Читать дальше...

Barriers and warning signs are to be installed on Ċirkewwa’s south quay after two cars were dragged into the water during a November storm.  Transport Minister Ian Borg said that Transport Malta will be taking additional safety measures in the area by installing more metal barriers and warning signs limiting parking in the area.  The minister was replying to a question in parliament by PN MP Robert Cutajar. On November 29 two cars, a Honda Fit and a Skoda Fabia were dragged from the quay into the sea by towering waves. Читать дальше...

The Commissioner for Standards in Public Life has proposed an overhaul of the rules guiding the appointment of persons of trust by ministers and parliamentary secretaries, saying the government’s legislative efforts were “a major step backwards”. According to commissioner George Hyzler, a Bill currently pending before parliament was not properly addressing the issue and may be constitutionally challenged in court because no changes to the constitution were being proposed. Hyzler made his comments... Читать дальше...

The MSE Equity Price Index opened the week in positive territory as it added 0.12% to 4,015.690 points. The gains in RS2, MPC and BOV outweighed the drop in HSBC whilst six companies closed unchanged. Trading activity amounted to just €0.08 million as various shares traded on negligible volumes. RS2 Software plc rallied 3% to the €2.06 level albeit on insignificant amounts. Last Friday, RS2 provided a detailed update on the Group’s performance in 2020 and the expectations for the 2021 financial year. Читать дальше...

A homeless man was remanded in custody on Monday after he was arrested on suspicion that he stole a laptop from a Floriana office last week. Evgeniy Petrov, a 33-year old Bulgarian national, was arraigned on Monday and  pleaded not guilty to the theft of the laptop, worth over €2,329, on January 19. Police investigations also linked the man to another theft that allegedly took place in Republic Street, Valletta in the late hours of January 12 when a Polish man reported that his bag, containing his Sony Experia Z3 mobile phone... Читать дальше...

Cancer patients who receive treatment at Mater Dei hospital will begin receiving their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as from Wednesday.  Health Minister Chris Fearne told Nationalist MP Kevin Cutajar in reply to a parliamentary question that staff at Mater Dei who have clinical contact have all been vaccinated against COVID-19. With regards to patients, Mater Dei is adopting the prioritisation plan established by the Superintendence of Public Health. “From Wednesday January 27, Mater Dei will... Читать дальше...

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte condemned "criminal violence" on Monday after protesters against a coronavirus curfew went on the rampage in several cities. Police arrested around 250 people after using water cannon and tear gas during demonstrations in Amsterdam, Eindhoven and other towns on Sunday, local media said. The rioters looted shops, burned cars and torched a coronavirus testing station after the country's first curfew since World War II took effect late Saturday.  "It's unacceptable. All... Читать дальше...

The Treasury has published is 2020 borrowing plan, setting a €1.1 billion limit on its borrowing requirement. This amount will be raised mainly through the issuance of Malta Government Securities and Debt Instruments with maturity of more than one year.  A limited amount of €123 million will be borrowed under the SURE Loan Agreement.  Purpose of issuance Funds raised from the borrowing programme shall be applied mainly to finance the central government borrowing requirements for 2021 including: •... Читать дальше...

US pharmaceutical giant Merck announced Monday it was halting work on two potential COVID-19 vaccines, but would continue to develop therapeutics to treat the deadly virus.  The two vaccine candidates "were generally well tolerated, but the immune responses were inferior to those seen following natural infection" and compared with other COVID-19 vaccines, Merck said in a press release. One of the candidates had been pursued in tandem with France's Pasteur Institute, which said it continues to research... Читать дальше...

Malta center Sam Deguara made his Japanese B3 league debut with Tokyo Excellence last weekend with two back-to-back games, getting a fantastic 75%+ field goal percentage in both. The Times of Malta Sportsdesk looks at Deguara and other Maltese professionals plying their trade overseas in another segment of ‘Maltese Abroad’. Sam Deguara made his official Japan B3 debut with Tokyo Excellence – after having played in the Emperor’s Cup – on Friday in a 72-79 loss to Veltex Shizuoka. Deguara started the game... Читать дальше...

A woman is searching for information about her elder brother who left Libya for Europe by boat more than 12 years ago – because she wants to know if he is dead or alive. “I feel like he is alive. I see him in my dreams very often. He is wearing dirty clothes and he tells me, ‘I am alive’,” said Mahla Abdulrahman Bashir, a Sudanese woman now living in Ireland. Mahla is clinging on to hope. But all she really wants is an answer after getting conflicting reports back in 2008 when her brother – Faroog Abdulrahman Bashir ... Читать дальше...

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday dismissed claims by opposition leader Alexei Navalny that he owns a lavish property on the Black Sea, as the opposition urged fresh nationwide demonstrations. Fresh from protests last weekend, Navalny's aides called again for Russians to take to the streets on Sunday ahead of a court case that could see Russia's most prominent Kremlin critic put behind bars for more than three years. The 44-year-old campaigner was detained earlier this month when he returned to Moscow from Germany... Читать дальше...

Applications for admissions to church schools will be open online between January 29 and February 12, the Curia said. The number of places available for ‘Other Applicants’ is 835. The church has already received applications for children from Church homes,  children of Church school employees and siblings of students in Church schools. Applications will be accepted at church.mt/applications. More information may be obtained by calling on 7999 0224, 7951 5491 or 7786 5241 or by email on admissions@maltadiocese.org.... Читать дальше...

Infrastructure Malta is introducing a short diversion for traffic going into the airport because of works on the building of a flyover at the roundabout before the Kirkop tunnels. The agency said the existing access road (Il-Karwija Road) from the Gudja (Airport) roundabout will be closed this evening. Diversion signs are being put up taking traffic to Hal Far Road then left to the temporary airport access road.

US biotechnology firm Moderna on Monday said lab studies showed its Covid-19 vaccine would remain protective against variants of the coronavirus first identified in the United Kingdom and South Africa. But out of caution, the company will test adding a second booster of its vaccine -- to make three shots in total -- and has begun preclinical studies on a booster specifically for the South African variant. "We are encouraged by these new data, which reinforce our confidence that the Moderna COVID-19... Читать дальше...

It’s not the first time that I have expressed my reservations about certain aspects of Toyota’s styling – but I must admit with the new Yaris, Toyota seems to have hit the nail in the head. The car looks awesome from any angle. This is the fourth generation of what consistently remains the most popular model for Toyota in Europe with over 224,000 units sold in 2019 alone.Everything is new, starting from the GA-B platform used for the first time on the Yaris but which is modular with plans for a range... Читать дальше...

A strategic plan aimed at putting tourism at the heart of Malta’s post-COVID-19 economic recovery was launched on Monday by the Tourism Ministry. “This is our time, we need to be the frontliners in the post-Covid era and at the forefront of Malta’s economic recovery,” Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo told a meeting with tourism stakeholders which discussed what the plan should feature.  He said the 10-year plan is being built on three pillars – Recover, Rethink, Revitalise. This, he said, should be a sector which is not afraid to change... Читать дальше...

Malta is negotiating with the EU to ensure a European-wide shortage of COVID-19 vaccine jabs does not impact the country.   Fielding questions from journalists, Prime Minister Robert Abela on Monday said he was “confident” Malta would not be impacted by shortages of the vaccine adding that the country was being pro-active by engaging with EU bodies on the matter.   “We are working hard to ensure we reach our vaccination targets,” he said.  Abela was speaking after a lengthy cabinet meeting, which... Читать дальше...

Prime Minister Robert Abela has ruled out a public inquiry into a Ħamrun house collapse which killed a mother-of-two last year.   Fielding questions from reporters on Monday, Abela said the country's institutions were working well and argued that an inquiry into Miriam Pace's death in March 2020 could hurt separate legal proceedings.  "The institutions are functioning and one should not transfer their competence to a public inquiry. There is also the major risk that if we are to have a parallel investigation... Читать дальше...