Новости за 11.06.2021

Six environmental NGOs have called on the Planning Authority to explain why their representative on the board was advised to recuse herself for the hearing on the controversial db Group project in Pembroke. The €250 million project was approved on Thursday with four votes in favour and three against despite unprecedented opposition from councils, residents and environmental groups. It will see the construction of a 12-storey hotel and two 17- and 18-storey residential towers on the former ITS site. Читать дальше...

The Pulitzer Prize Board awarded a "special citation" on Friday to the teenager whose video of the murder of George Floyd by a white police officer sparked worldwide protests against racial injustice. Eighteen-year-old Darnella Frazier was honored as New York's Columbia University announced the 2021 prestigious journalism awards in a virtual ceremony. Frazier was being recognized "for courageously recording the murder of George Floyd, a video that spurred protests against police brutality around the world... Читать дальше...

It was a case that left doctors astounded and a family devastated. One year ago, 13-year-old Fran Vella suddenly fell seriously and inexplicably ill and died two days later. Now, her parents, Berta and Kevin, have mustered the strength to set up and launch The Remembering Fran Foundation, a social fund in their daughter’s honour that they hope can help other seriously ill children by providing life-saving medical equipment. “She was a beautiful, very smart 13-year-old, with plans for a bright future,” her heartbroken mother said. Читать дальше...

Europe's new top graft fighting body will probe the "powerful", "rich" and "dangerous", its head warned Friday on her first visit to an EU member since taking up her post. The Luxembourg-based European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO), headed by Laura Codruta Kovesi, a former Romanian anti-corruption chief, started work this month. The independent outfit has the job of cracking down on fraudulent use of EU funds and fight cross-border VAT fraud, money laundering, and corruption. "We will investigate... Читать дальше...

A man who stole a mobile phone on Thursday morning, merely days after being placed under probation has been jailed for six months.  Francis Grech, a 55-year-old Valletta resident, was tracked down by police as the suspect behind the theft of an iPhone 6 from a Valletta restaurant on Thursday, some time after 8.30am.  The man, whose criminal record reflected past brushes with the law, was linked to another theft of two cameras, which had gone missing from a retail store on a busy main street at Ħamrun on May 20 afternoon. Читать дальше...

A Maltese entrepreneur and haircare brand inventor has landed a business deal after pitching her business and products on hit UK TV show Dragon's Den.  Yanika Cordina left the show with £75,000 (€87,500) secured from businesswoman Sara Davies, in exchange for equity in her firm.  Dragon’s Den is a popular British television programme shown on BBC One in which entrepreneurs present their business ideas to a panel of five wealthy investors, better known as “dragons”, in the hope of securing investment. Читать дальше...

Forty-nine restaurants across Malta and Gozo have signed up to a voucher scheme that will match government vouchers with dining credits of their own. The 49 eateries (see below) range from cafes to upmarket restaurants and are all members of the Association of Catering Establishments, which launched the scheme on Wednesday. No list of participating restaurants had been provided during the initiative's launch.  Diners who visit any of these restaurants and use €15 government vouchers when settling... Читать дальше...

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin ruled out abandoning disciplinary action against Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus, telling AFP in an interview on Friday that the Super league trio have “lost the moral and sporting battle”. European football’s governing body on Wednesday suspended legal action “until further notice” against the three teams who have refused to give up on the breakaway European Super League. “The process will resume for sure,” Ceferin told AFP in an interview before Euro 2020 kicks off in Rome later on Friday. Читать дальше...

A German bishop gave a nod to blessing same-sex couples on Friday, following a meeting with Pope Francis who has voiced his opposition to the practice. "If they (same-sex couples) ask for some blessings, why not?" said Bishop Franz-Josef Overbeck of Essen, in western Germany, responding to questions from journalists at the Vatican.  The bishop, one of the vice presidents of the European Union's Commission of Bishops' Conferences (Comece), had been received by the 84-year-old pope along with other members of the delegation. Читать дальше...

In the world of electric vehicles, the premium SUV has quickly become king. It makes sense – EVs can be expensive, which is easier to justify in a premium car, while everyone in this market wants an SUV. The Audi e-tron was one of the first electric SUVs to market, and now we have this, the e-tron S. It follows a similar recipe to other Audi S models, in that it takes the regular car’s practicality and adds a little more performance, sportier looks and some dynamic tweaks and changes that make it more fun to drive. Читать дальше...

The Institute of Religious Works (IOR), better known as the Vatican’s bank, said on Friday its profits remained relatively stable last year despite “very challenging” coronavirus-related circumstances. The IOR posted a 2020 net profit of €36.4 million, down from €38 million in 2019, the bank said in a statement. It added that three-quarters of the sum, around €27 million, will be turned over to Pope Francis – who has a personal charity fund – or other targeted Holy See entities. The IOR, which... Читать дальше...

The business partner of a man murdered in Gozo in 2018 and who was with him just a few hours before he was killed told a court on Friday that he never thought the victim was in any kind of trouble.  He said the last thing he did before he left his apartment that evening was bring him some beers he had bought from a bar close by.  “I had known him for around 18 months. Some eight months before he died, we took on a job together and we were both happy. I did not socialise with him. We were work colleagues... Читать дальше...

A payment processing company fined by the financial services watchdog for alleged regulatory breaches has filed a constitutional challenge claiming that its rights to a fair hearing were breached. Phoenix Payments Ltd is challenging the Malta Financial Services Authority’s (MFSA) power to act as investigator, prosecutor and judge when it slapped it with a €32,400 fine in March.  While the company is appealing the decision, it argued that aggrieved parties have no effective remedy to the MFSA’s decisions. Читать дальше...

Thirteen Old Master paintings from an international private collection have been loaned on a long-term basis to MUŻA, the Malta National Community Art Museum. The works include paintings by renowned artists such as Peter Paul Rubens and François Boucher and others attributed to Leonardo da Vinci and Giovanni Bellini, among others.  Until the end of October, the artworks, ranging from the late 15th to the mid-18th centuries, will be displayed together in an exhibition “Masterpieces at MUŻA”. They... Читать дальше...

Birkirkara striker Paul Mbong and Senglea Athletic defender Andre Scicluna have announced that they have settled their differences following racist allegations late last year. The case goes back to December last year when Birkirkara FC had formally written to the Malta FA asking for an investigation on the incident that happened towards the end of their Premier League match against Senglea Athletic where their player Paul Mbong has alleged that has suffered racial abuse. Mbong accused Scicluna... Читать дальше...

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin told AFP on Friday that the teams would have to deal with “a special situation” to complete Euro 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic. “It’s not the usual Euro because it’s in 11 countries and on top of it there’s a pandemic which makes travelling even more difficult,” Ceferin said in Rome.  “So every team will have to adapt to a special situation to finish this Euro.” Continue reading this article on Sports Desk. 

Johann Said has been reappointed as the president of Floriana FC, the Premier League club announced. For Said this will be his second spell as the club supremo after he had been at the helm of the Premier League club between 2009 and 2011, a two-year spell that was highlighted by the club winning the FA Trophy after defeating arch rivals Valletta in the final. The appointment of Said was made during the newly-elected club committee’s first meeting that was held on Thursday night. The club committee... Читать дальше...