Новости за 03.06.2021

The Tokyo Olympics are “100 percent” certain to go ahead, the chief organiser said Thursday, but warned that a major coronavirus outbreak mid-Games could slam the door shut on fans. Tokyo 2020 president Seiko Hashimoto made the comments exactly 50 days before the pandemic-postponed Olympics, which remain plagued by public opposition. “I believe that the possibility of these Games going on is 100 percent that we will do this,” Hashimoto told BBC Sport, adding that fans could be locked out during the Games. Читать дальше...

A hearing of the appeal made by the American University of Malta from the Planning Authority's refusal of an extension to the Cospicua campus was put off on Thursday. The university's architect put in a last-minute request for a postponement with the Environment Planning Review Tribunal. In November 2019 the Planning Authority unanimously rejected the application for  the building of a four-storey dormitory block and an underground parking facility in a public car park off Senglea Gate. The university... Читать дальше...

The late arrival of a quartet of Premier League stars is set to give Germany a timely boost as head coach Joachim Loew looks to fix his misfiring side in their final preparations for Euro 2020. The Chelsea trio of Champions League winners Timo Werner, Kai Havertz and Antonio Ruediger, as well as Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, had all joined the squad by Thursday. They were given extra time off after Saturday’s European final. Their arrival boosts the Loew’s side, who hit the woodwork... Читать дальше...

The Euro 2020 Cup is here and to celebrate this massive event, IZIBET are bringing you an exciting new competition. If you know your football, this will be a walk in the park! Challenge your wit and take part in a fun new quiz and you could be walking away with a Samsung 50-inch UHD 4K Smart TV from Sound Machine! How awesome is that? In order to take part, go to IZIBET’s Facebook page and follow the link that will take you directly to the quiz, or simply click here. Once you’ve registered and accepted the terms and conditions... Читать дальше...

Alleged murder mastermind Yorgen Fenech has, through his lawyers, flatly denied a claim by Daphne Caruana Galizia's son, that he was funding or had funded the defence of two brothers charged with having a role in the journalist's assassination. Fenech’s lawyers described the claim as “baseless and unfounded” and accused Matthew Caruana Galizia of attempting to “distort and adversely influence” their client’s trial. “For the avoidance of doubt, any claim that Mr Fenech funds the defence of the Degiorgio brothers is being categorically denied... Читать дальше...

People in Malta feel more uncertain, frustrated and fearful over the pandemic than those in other EU countries, a fresh EU survey has shown. According to the data, 65 per cent of the people surveyed in Malta said the pandemic had led them to have feelings of uncertainty. This was notably higher than the EU average of 45 per cent. Similarly, while the EU average for feelings of fear stood at 22 per cent, in Malta this climbed to 35 per cent. And the ongoing struggles with the pandemic also led... Читать дальше...

Nexia BT partners Brian Tonna and Karl Cini have filed an application asking a court to vary their bail conditions so that they can go swimming. The two, who are undergoing court proceedings for alleged money laundering, are currently forbidden from approaching the shore. They also asked the court to change their curfew time, which currently limits them to stay at home between 9pm and 7am. Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech said she will decree in chambers. She noted that the Attorney General had not objected... Читать дальше...

United Airlines announced plans Thursday to buy 15 planes from airline startup Boom Supersonic in a move that could revive the high-speed form of air travel. Under the commercial agreement, United would purchase Boom's "Overture" aircraft once the planes meet "United's demanding safety, operating and sustainability requirements" with an aim to start passenger travel in 2029, the companies said in a joint press release. The agreement covers 15 planes and includes an option for United to obtain another 35 aircraft. Читать дальше...

Multiple trips by the Gozo Fast Ferry were cancelled or ran late on Wednesday, as the company dealt with "teething problems" and "logistical challenges" one day after the launch of the service between Malta and Gozo. On Tuesday two fast ferry operators - Virtu Ferries and Gozo Fast Ferry - began carrying passengers between the two islands from a newly built terminal in Valletta.  But by Wednesday passengers started complaining about delays and “multiple cancelled trips” by the Gozo Fast Ferry. Читать дальше...

Infrastructure Malta is extending its shore-to-ship electricity network in Grand Harbour to include Dock 6 and Parlatorio Wharf at the dockyard, addressing complaints by Cottonera residents about ships keeping their engines running =all day. The government agency said in a Facebook post that cable laying works at the Palumbo shipyard started this week. The €50 million shore-to-ship network project was announced in 2018 as a measure to drastically reduce air pollution over Grand Harbour. Works... Читать дальше...

A rich crop of past Palme d’Or winners and arthouse favourites are set to return to the Cannes Film Festival in July as organisers announced a bumper selection for its competition on Thursday. Among the 24 directors whose films are heading to the Cote d’Azur for July 6-17 are Sean Penn for his new film Flag Day, Italy’s Nanni Moretti (winner in 2001) with Tre Piani and France’s Jacques Audiard (winner in 2015) with Les Oympiades.  They join three big auteurs that had already been announced: Wes Anderson (The French Dispatch)... Читать дальше...

Rewind to March 2020 and Bettina Muchmore and her sister Philippa Cassar (now Naudi) of The New Victorians were working on their latest theatre production Publico, with a cast of local and foreign actors and musicians at the Manoel Theatre. “Two weeks before the show opened, at the peak of rehearsals, we received a call telling us, ‘You have to go home. The show is cancelled’,” Bettina recalled. This was to be a more exclusive, experiential show in which the audience were being put on the Manoel stage. Читать дальше...

Malta failed to make it to the UK's travel green list when the latest update was announced on Thursday.   No countries were added to the list, and Portugal, which was put on the green list three weeks ago, was relegated to amber.    The announcement is a blow to Malta's tourism sector which usually depends on UK visitors for a major chunk of its business. Malta had hoped to make it to the list since it has the lowest coronavirus case rate in the EU, according to ECDC data, and one of the highest vaccination rates in the world. Читать дальше...

Serie A champions Inter Milan have named Simone Inzaghi as their new coach following the departure of Antonio Conte, the club announced on Thursday.  Former Lazio boss and Italy international Inzaghi, 45, has signed a two-year deal at the San Siro. Eight of the clubs that finished in the top 10 of Serie A have changed coach since the end of the season. Inzaghi, the younger brother of former Juventus and AC Milan striker Filippo, left Lazio last week after a five-year spell in charge, turning down... Читать дальше...

An application to demolish a disused farm and turn it into a warehouse has been refused by the Planning Authority, in a victory for residents and fireworks enthusiasts in Luqa. Eleven of the 12 PA board members present for the hearing on Thursday voted against granting the application, while the 12th did not appear to be present for the vote which was taken virtually. The application, by developer Raymond Zammit and architect Tancred Mifsud, would have seen the demolition of a farm and the construction... Читать дальше...

Photographs of a pencil-thin development in Gozo have gone viral on social media, with many incredulous that permits were granted for its building. The three-storey building in Għajnsielem rises above its neighbours and appears to be the width of an average door. It's been dubbed "coffin court", "the wedge" and an "extension fit for a Chihuahua". However an aerial image of the area reveals it widens out into a larger property at the rear, where a larger main entrance is situated. The development... Читать дальше...

Israel's longtime premier Benjamin Netanyahu is set to lose power after a diverse coalition united in an 11th-hour deal against him, raising questions about the next steps in his ongoing corruption trial. Here's a look at what could lie ahead for the first Israeli prime minister to have been indicted in office:  Immunity? If Netanyahu loses the premiership, it "wouldn't change anything in the case itself, because he didn't have immunity anyway", Amir Fuchs, an analyst at the Israel Democracy Institute, told AFP. Читать дальше...

Last week, Amber celebrated her 30th birthday, hence the album is titled 1991, being the year of her birth. The album invites her followers to celebrate this milestone with her. Throughout the past week, she has been teasing her followers on social media by dropping subtle hints every day related to the album title, which eventually led to the official announcement of the album today. 1991 features 12 tracks which includes Free nanna’s song, Alive and her latest release Put Away Your Money which topped the local charts. Читать дальше...

Top seed Ashleigh Barty retired injured midway through the second set of her French Open second-round match against Poland’s Magda Linette on Thursday. The Australian, who won the title on her last visit to Roland Garros in 2019, left the court for medical treatment after losing the first set 6-1. She had struggled with a hip problem during her first-round win and called it quits at 2-2 in the second set on Court Philippe Chatrier. Continue reading this article on SportsDesk, the sports website... Читать дальше...

The Nationalist Party will be asking parliament to consider changing the law to stop government agencies from abusing an exemption that allows emergency works without a permit. The change will be proposed in a private member’s bill that will be tabled by the Opposition in the coming days, weeks after the Ombudsman said that works carried out in Comino under this exemption broke the law. The works consisted of the construction of a service culvert on a dirt road to the Blue Lagoon, raising vociferous objections from environmental NGOs. Читать дальше...