Новости за 28.01.2021

The White House said Thursday it is "outraged" at the order by Pakistan's Supreme Court to release the British-born militant convicted of masterminding the 2002 murder by jihadists of US journalist Daniel Pearl. The administration is "outraged by the Pakistani Supreme Court's decision," President Joe Biden's chief spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters. She called the ruling "an affront to terrorism victims everywhere" and called on the Pakistani government to "review its legal options." Late Thursday... Читать дальше...

A steering group has been set up to draft a strategy for Malta’s post-COVID economic recovery. Claudia Calleja spoke to its head on the need for computer literacy.  The pandemic has highlighted the need for everyone, including the elderly, to be computer literate, the person in charge of the country’s post-COVID strategy, says. “COVID emphasised more than ever before the need for computer literacy. The digital gap needs to be addressed,”Simone Borg says. Borg, who is head of the department of environmental law at the University of Malta... Читать дальше...

Former Floriana player Yannick Bolasie has completed a loan move to Championship side Middlesbrough. Bolasie, 31, is currently on the books of Everton with whom he played 32 games, scoring twice and registering four assists in the process. His career began as a 16-year-old with Rushden & Diamonds before moving to Malta, at Floriana. Continue reading this article on Sports Desk.

NIO’s new ET7 electric saloon has been unveiled, bringing cutting-edge features and an impressive 620-mile (998-kilometre) range. The new ET7 follows on from the EC6 SUV and has been initially launched in China, with prices starting from ¥448,000 (around €57,329) for the entry model and rising to ¥526,000 (circa €67,446) for the range-topping version.  The Chinese manufacturer focuses on electric vehicles and launched a battery-swapping service in August last year that would allow buyers to purchase a car without a battery... Читать дальше...

A man who allegedly set a policeman’s car on fire on new year’s eve, later claiming that he had meant to target someone else’s vehicle, was granted bail by a magistrate on Thursday. Denilson Manicaro, 21 of Paola, was arrested earlier this month on suspicion of setting a Toyota Vitz on fire in Tarxien.  The policeman took the witness earlier this week in ongoing proceedings against the alleged arsonist whom he claimed to know through previous investigations in the course of his duties. The car was extensively damaged and original documents... Читать дальше...

US President Joe Biden has a higher approval rating after one week in office than Donald Trump did in his entire presidency, a new poll found Wednesday. A Monmouth University poll showed 54 percent of Americans approving of Biden's performance and 30 percent disapproving.  Trump spent most of his presidency with ratings in the low 40s, and left office on January 20 with a Gallup poll approval of just 34 percent, a record low. A Morning Consult tracking poll published Monday gave Biden 56 percent approval and 34 percent disapproval. Читать дальше...

The MSE Equity Price Index added 0.19% to 4,041.793 points as the gains in MPC, RS2, Farsons and PG outpaced the declines in the share prices of BOV and MIA whilst another three companies closed the day unchanged. Trading activity remained muted as only €0.06 million worth of shares changed hands. Malta Properties Company plc extended its recent rebound with a further gain of 3.8% to a seven-month high of €0.55 across 30,281 shares. RS2 Software plc (5,500 shares) and Simonds Farsons Cisk plc (1,779... Читать дальше...

Prime Minister Robert Abela’s idea of postponing the upcoming mid-term school holidays, usually held over carnival, has been shelved after the teachers’ union rejected it. On Wednesday, Abela said it was his “wish” to postpone the mid-term break so that children could stay at school and the number of new COVID-19 cases did not spike.  Abela made his remark in line with recent comments by the Superintendent of Public Health, Charmaine Gauci, that the opening of schools meant that families went out less and therefore mixed less... Читать дальше...

Data showing a growing number of Maltese who are over-qualified for their jobs should be a matter of concern, the Nationalist Party said on Thursday. The party observed that according to a Eurostat jobs and skills survey, over the past 10 years, the percentage of Maltese workers considered to be over-qualified for their jobs had risen by 5% to 12.8% of the workforce. Such workers have a tertiary level of education, which their jobs do not require.  The EU data also showed that 23.7% of the Maltese... Читать дальше...

Cristiano Ronaldo broke coronavirus travel restrictions with a trip to a mountain resort, according to media reports Thursday. Juventus striker Ronaldo allegedly travelled to Courmayeur, 150 kilometres north-west of the Serie A club’s Turin headquarters, for his girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez’ birthday. When contacted by AFP, Juve declined to comment.   Continue reading this article on Sports Desk, the new sports website by Times of Malta

The EU on Thursday extended until the end of this year the easing of European state aid rules and gave governments freer rein to salvage firms struck down by the pandemic. The extension comes as the coronavirus pandemic drags on, with the European economy not expected to enter a recovery before later in the year as a vaccine rollout stumbles. The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, said it will lift the state aid rules until December 31, prolonging the previous deadline by six months. "We... Читать дальше...

The Mediterranean Conference Centre (MCC) has insisted that both the Malta Book Festival and the Cirque du Soleil can be held at the same time as there is enough space for both events. It was reacting to the Malta Book Council’s complaint that it would not be allowed to use the main hall at the conference centre for the festival. Cirque du Soleil is a Montreal-based entertainment company and considered the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. MCC CEO Pierre Fenech told Times of Malta... Читать дальше...

The Malta Under-21 team will face Spain, Russia, Slovakia, Northern Ireland and Lithuania in Group C of the 2021-23 European Championship qualifying campaign, scheduled to kick off in March. The Malta U-21 team will be led by a new coach in this upcoming competition with Gilbert Agius taking over from the long-serving Silvio Vella who will be taking up a new role within the Malta FA technical sector.   Continue reading this article on Sports Desk, the sports website by Times of Malta

Malta national coach Devis Mangia is encouraging Maltese clubs to be more brave and give more opportunities to young players which would guarantee them a more solid future. Mangia was speaking alongside Fr Hilary Tagliaferro during the latest edition of Sports Talk which discussed the results of the national team and football development in Malta. The national teams head coach said that when he took the role in January last year one of the main objectives was to lower the average age of the national team players. Читать дальше...

Some 120 migrants have left Malta to be distributed among other EU countries, the Ministry of Home Affairs said on Thursday.  It said the relocation exercise was coordinated with the European Commission in line with Malta’s calls for the fair sharing of responsibility for migrants reaching Europe’s shores. The migrants will be able to pursue their claim for asylum in the member state participating in the relocation exercise, the ministry added.  Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri emphasised the... Читать дальше...

Malta has become a hub for the thriving European online gambling industry.  An operating licence granted by the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) allows online gaming companies to operate legally across the EU. This is desirable because back in 2015, Europe accounted for 48 per cent of worldwide gambling revenue.  The MGA vets all applicants for licences against things like money laundering or suspicious transactions.  Types of gambling regulation in the UK and Malta The Malta Gaming Authority is Malta’s gaming control authority ... Читать дальше...

Germany’s vaccine commission STIKO on Thursday said it was recommending the use of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine only for under-65-year-olds, due to insufficient data on its effectiveness on older people. The panel of scientific experts said the vaccine, jointly developed with the University of Oxford, should only be used for “persons aged 18 to 65 years old based on available data”. “There is currently insufficient data to assess the efficacy of the vaccine for persons aged 65 years and older,” it said.

Malta has joined a group of UN member states that have pledged their contribution to the UN peacebuilding fund. The fund is aimed at sustaining peacebuilding efforts in countries affected by or at risk of conflict. Foreign Affairs Minister Evarist Bartolo announced Malta’s contribution during a high-level virtual conference on Wednesday that brought together partner states in their efforts to support the fund. Including funds received for 2020, 39 member states have contributed or pledged over US$439... Читать дальше...

TV presenter Pablo Micallef has been appointed a director on the board of the Public Broadcasting Services. His appointment follows the resignation of Oliver Scicluna following his co-option as a member of Parliament. Micallef is perhaps best known as co-host of the 2014 TVAM, Television Malta's breakfast show. The PBS board was formed in September last year and is tasked with carrying out reform of the national broadcaster. It is chaired by media expert and University professor Carmen Sammut and has eight directors. Читать дальше...

Ukranian's low cost airline Skyup has announced it will operate a new direct flight from Malta to Kiev from May. The move comes despite the impact of COVID-19 on travel that has seen nearly half of Malta's air routes cancelled in less than a year.  In a statement encouraging its customers to "get prepared for summer on the islands", Skyup said the flights would operate on Wednesdays and Saturdays from from May 29. Tickets are already available on the airline’s website.  Ukraine is currently not one of the 40 countries on Malta's amber list... Читать дальше...

Born amid the horrors of war in Iraqi Kurdistan, Danish author Sara Omar now uses her voice to denounce violence inflicted on women in the name of reactionary Islam, a "calling" that has left her living under police protection. "I broke the taboo. I talk about the things you are not supposed to talk about. If I don't do this, who will?" the 34-year-old tells AFP in an interview in Copenhagen. Her first novel Dead Washer sold more than 100,000 copies in Denmark when it was published in 2017, a literary... Читать дальше...

The Maltese film, Luzzu, will be premiering on Friday January 29, at the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at the Sundance Film Festival. The screening itself is geo-blocked to the United States, but there will be a live Q&A, featuring the Maltese cast, after the screening, at 10.44pm, which can be watched from across the globe, including Malta.  Luzzu follows the story of Jesmark, a struggling Maltese fisherman who is forced to turn his back on generations of tradition and risk everything by... Читать дальше...

French chipmaker STMicroelectronics said on Thursday its 2020 net profit rose 7.2 per cent to $1.1 billion (€0.9bn), bolstered by increasing demand across the industry, especially from the vehicle sector. Sales were up 6.9 per cent at $10.2 billion, it said, noting it had a much stronger-than-expected fourth quarter. “Programmes launched with our clients in personal electronics, plus the continued acceleration in demand, notably in the automobile sector and micro-controllers, were the main factors... Читать дальше...

Two-thirds of small and medium enterprises do not see their business surviving beyond this year, under the circumstances brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to “shocking” survey results.  The biggest concern of 230 businesses that participated in a survey by the Malta Chamber of SMEs is the low sales levels (26%). This concern was followed by worries about cashflow (17%), and difficulty in collecting payments (15%). Asked how long they think their business can survive in the current situation... Читать дальше...

In the world of classic Porsches, Singer Vehicle Design is one of the biggest names in the business. The US-based company restores and reimagines old 911s with an exquisite attention to detail, and one of its models will shortly go up for sale in the UK through Collecting Cars. The 1990 Porsche Reimagined by Singer starts with an accident-free 964 donor car, which gets stripped back to its monocoque before being rebuilt with carbon-fibre exterior panels. The base model was a UK-registered car, so this is a right-hand-drive model. Читать дальше...