Новости за 30.06.2021

Students currently reading for a postgraduate degree in translation at the University of Malta have created audio description texts for three artefacts at the National Museum of Archaeology – the Sleeping Lady, the Venus of Malta, and the Standing Statue. The recordings were made through a collaboration between Heritage Malta and the Department of Translation within the University of Malta. The audio descriptions are set to be voice recorded and integrated into the existing museum audio guide. Читать дальше...

A new disaster recovery fund could help Malta face future crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a government document published on Wednesday.   The fund is part of the government’s post-pandemic strategy that was unveiled on Wednesday (see PDF below) by Post-COVID Strategy Minister Owen Bonnici. Announcing the government’s plans at a press conference, Bonnici said it was important to learn from the pandemic and take action to increase Malta’s ability to respond to future crises. ... Читать дальше...

A group of banks in Denmark, Finland and Norway said on Wednesday they plan to merge their mobile payment apps to create one of the biggest services of its kind in Europe. Denmark’s Danske Bank said in a statement that it will merge its MobilePay app with Vipps, which is operated by a consortium of Norwegian banks, and Pivo, which is owned by Finnish financial services provider, OP Financial Group. “Serving 11 million users and over 330,000 shops and web shops, the company will be one of the largest... Читать дальше...

Swimmer and anti-pollution activist Neil Agius is in the final stretch of his attempt to beat the world record for the longest open water swim. Agius is due to reach Malta on Wednesday but the location depends on whether he will complete the 130km or go for a further 20km. In an update earlier in the morning, his team said he was on "super" form and by midday, he had covered 100km after 25 hours of non-stop swimming.  "He's coming home!" the update said. The former Olympian hopes to beat the previous world record for the longest continuous... Читать дальше...

Malta’s credit rating will not be immediately impacted by its FATF greylisting but the risk of reputational damage could reduce foreign investment, Fitch Ratings have said.  The US-based rating agency said that the structural weaknesses identified in Malta’s anti-money laundering framework by the Financial Action Task Force were already baked into its A+/Stable outlook rating for Malta, as well as its BBB/Negative outlook rating for local banks.  Fitch said that it expects the overall impact of... Читать дальше...

Floriana’s recruitment of young players continued on Wednesday after the Premier League club announced that they had signed wing back Adam Magri Overend. The Malta U-21 international looked set to agree terms on a new contract with Sta Lucia FC but talks stalled and Floriana FC made an offer to the player which he accepted and put pen to paper on a three-year contract. “Attacking right-back Adam Magri Overend has agreed terms to become a Floriana Football Club player as from season 2021/22,” the Premier League club said in a statement. Читать дальше...

Social benefits had a “mildly neutralising effect” on inequalities in spending power, narrowing the gap between the poorest and the wealthiest, a University of Malta study has found. The study found that the top 20% of earners in Malta were obtaining a higher proportion of income - 37%, with the bottom 80% of the population sharing the remaining 63% of total incomes in 2018.  “Had there been no direct taxation and social transfers, income inequality would have been more pronounced among the poorest population. Читать дальше...

Milan's La Scala theatre is venturing outside its hallowed walls to offer free, open-air concerts at venues around the northern Italian city in mid-July, director Dominique Meyer announced Tuesday. "It's a sign of recovery, going to meet the public," he told reporters at a press conference, adding that "opera, music and ballet is for everyone". From July 11 to 13, the orchestra, choir and ballet of La Scala will put on 14 concerts around Milan with a repertoire running from jazz to Vivaldi and Donizetti, via Brahms, Bach and Rachmaninov. Читать дальше...

Updated 2.15pm Malta has detected a second case of the highly infectious COVID-19 Delta variant, Health Minister Chris Fearne confirmed on Wednesday.  Speaking during a press conference marking the opening of a new Mater Dei unit, Fearne said the second case of the virus variant was detected in recent days.  He said those in contact with the patient have tested negative, although they remain in isolation.  Asked by Times of Malta whether the case was imported, Fearne said this did not seem to... Читать дальше...

Iran's use of the death penalty for crimes committed as minors does not mean it violates human rights, a senior Iranian official has insisted to AFP in response to UN criticism. The Islamic republic executes convicts for crimes they committed while under-age "three to four times" a year, argued Majid Tafreshi of the state-run High Council for Human Rights. Such uses of capital punishment are "not a symbol of violations of human rights," he said in an interview with AFP, charging that criticism of the practice was "not fair". Читать дальше...

In recent years, financial literacy, the online availability of information and an increasing quality of life have contributed towards more people making investments.  Yet this has not made investing hard-earned money easier – a degree of advice and knowledge remains critical in making sure that risk is reduced and that investments bear fruit.  It is for this reason that APS Bank is organising a series of sessions – to increase awareness about certain key topics, while helping people become more fluent in the world of investment. Читать дальше...

The Attorney General has failed in a bid to obtain a freezing order against former Progress Press financial controller Claude Licari after withdrawing a similar claim against suspended director Michel Rizzo. This was the outcome of a judgment delivered on Wednesday by the criminal court upon an application by the AG seeking to overturn a decision by the magistrates’ court in ongoing criminal proceedings against the two men as well as Progress Press Ltd. The prosecution’s request for a freezing... Читать дальше...

Thomas Mueller admits his crucial miss at Wembley for a late equaliser in the 2-0 defeat to England which knocked Germany out of Euro 2020 “hurts like hell”. With England 1-0 up in Tuesday’s last 16 clash thanks to a Raheem Sterling goal, Mueller managed to break clear of the England defence with nine minutes left, but fired agonisingly wide with the goal at his mercy. “To get that opportunity and then have it go to waste, it hurts like hell,” Mueller wrote on Instagram Wednesday under a picture... Читать дальше...

Every relationship will often go through maturity and sometimes, you or your partner will forget how to take things more romantically. Having said that, being busy with all sorts of stuff such as family issues, kids and career can’t stop you from trying to maintain a healthy bond with your partner. You should always remember to take care and value the bond you have with each other since it can help you have a more satisfying and happy life. To strengthen your bond as a married couple, you should consider fun and new things to experience. Читать дальше...

Nadur in Gozo is mostly renowned among the Maltese for its spontaneous carnival, but few may know that it boasts of a unique museum housing a treasure trove of naval memorabilia. The Kelinu Grima Maritime Museum is privately owned by the church. It was founded in 1999 by the late Kelinu Grima, a primary school teacher who spent some 65 years collecting hundreds of maritime objects. Exhibits include models, naval uniforms, flags, photographs, vessel parts and other priceless objects such as authenticated... Читать дальше...

Earphones embedded in pearl earrings, a smartwatch that measures body temperature, a diamond ring that monitors sleep patterns: The wearable gadgets market has boomed as the pandemic boosts interest in health monitoring and working from home. While worldwide sales of smartphones slumped last year, a record 527 million wearables were sold in 2020, up from 384 million in 2019, according to research firm Strategy Analytics. It was the first time that global wearable sales topped half a billion and analysts expect the trend to continue... Читать дальше...

Five people tested positive for COVID-19 overnight and there were no recoveries for the third day in a row, according to health authorities' data. The new cases were found on a day when healthcare workers carried out 2,374 swab tests. No COVID-19-linked deaths have been reported since June 17. This means that Malta's known active COVID-19 cases have now risen to 45. One week ago that figure stood at 27.  Vaccinations A total of 320,604 people residing in Malta are fully vaccinated against the virus... Читать дальше...

The Lands Authority has been left without an internal audit chief after the incumbent was “redeployed” following a scathing report about the regulator’s inner workings. In a bid to improve transparency within the authority, an internal audit directorate headed by a chief audit officer was created to independently scrutinise transactions over €100,000 which the authority’s board and CEO entered into. Charlene Muscat, who was handed the role in 2018, authored a critical report in response to being shut out of board meetings... Читать дальше...

Russia on Wednesday reported 669 coronavirus deaths over the past 24 hours, a record number of fatalities for the second day in a row, according to a government tally. The country is grappling with a spike of infections spurred by the highly infectious Delta variant and sluggish vaccination rates. One of the pandemic hotspots is the city of Saint Petersburg, which is due to host a Euro 2020 quarter-final on Friday in front of thousands of fans, many of them flying in from abroad for the match. Читать дальше...

Amazon on Tuesday said that its Alexa digital assistant can now be a reading buddy for children, coaching them when they get stuck on words. A ‘Reading Sidekick’ feature gives people with Echo smart speakers and subscriptions to Amazon Kids+ service a way to help children ages between five and 10 years of age become better readers, according to the Seattle-based internet firm. Alexa will read stories aloud to children while also encouraging them to participate. "With the arrival of Reading Sidekick... Читать дальше...