Новости за 23.08.2021

Tenishia Thornton was in action at the European Youth Championships on Monday evening. The young Maltese weightlifter took part in the 55kg category. Thornton was in excellent form when she managed to complete all her attempts successfully. The young lifter finished in seventh place overall when she lifted 63kg power snatch and then managed an 80kg power clean and jerk. Thornton headed into the competition not in her best physical condition after battling a number of knee injuries in recent months. Читать дальше...

Malta coach Devis Mangia said that this month’s World Cup qualifying triple-header could provide an opening for players who are not regular for the national team to show their ability. The Italian was addressing the media after last week named a 30-man squad for the national team’s commitments against Cyprus, at home on September 1, away to Slovenia on September 4 and a trip to Russia on September 7. For these matches, Mangia is forced to make do without a number of regular members of his squad... Читать дальше...

In a wide-ranging interview with Times of Malta's editor-in-chief Herman Grech, former prime minister Joseph Muscat speaks about his legacy, corruption and the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. He is interviewed for the first time on camera since a public inquiry into the murder found the state should shoulder responsibility. During the 80-minute sit-down, published in full on Monday, Muscat said he would never "ditch" his old friend and former chief of staff Keith Schembri.  And he refused to... Читать дальше...

Two kayakers who completed a 1,000km journey around Sicily to raise money for charity received a hero's welcome when returning home on Monday, despite not being able to paddle back to Malta as planned. Albert Gambina and Dorian Vassallo left Malta on their kayaking trip to Sicily on July 24 at 5am in their two-seater kayak, the VKV Anita.  Gambina, 60, and Vassallo, 63, had planned to paddle back to Malta after circumnavigating Sicily. However, the weather had other ideas. With strong winds forecast... Читать дальше...

Business activity in the eurozone is hovering near a 15-year high despite slightly cooling in August due to supply pressures, a closely-watched survey by IHS Markit showed on Monday. The PMI Composite reading measuring corporate confidence slipped to 59.5 in August, just under the strong 60.2 figure given in July. A figure above 50 indicates growth. The dip was explained in part by some business concern over the effects of the Delta variant of the coronavirus, but especially by demand outstripping... Читать дальше...

President George Vella on Monday issued a statement to “remind” the public of the work he has done to implement the recommendations of a public inquiry into the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.   Published last month, the inquiry found the state should shoulder responsibility for her death.  The 437-page report also concluded that a culture of impunity was created from the highest echelons of power leading to Caruana Galizia’s murder. Ultimately, the inquiry concluded that former prime... Читать дальше...

The MSE Equity Price Index drifted lower for the fourth consecutive session as it fell by a further 0.40% to 3,850.756 points. The declines in MIDI, GO and Lombard outweighed the gains in BOV and MPC. Meanwhile, HSBC closed unchanged as overall trading activity amounted to just under €0.1 million as the interim reporting season continued. GO plc lost 1.8% as it returned to the €3.34 level across 19,158 shares. Today’s worst performing equity, MIDI plc, plunged by 15.5% to the €0.354 level on two deals totalling 19,960 shares. Читать дальше...

A man facing charges of having shot at the front door of a fellow Żejtun resident had previously clashed with the victim and had once threatened to kill him, it was alleged in court on Monday.  Errol Grech, 41, was denied bail earlier this month after pleading not guilty to the shooting incident which took place in the early hours of August 5 at Żejtun.  His alleged victim had filed a police report at 6.15am that day, following damage to the front door of his house.  Senior inspector Melvyn Camilleri... Читать дальше...

The US Food and Drug Administration on Monday fully approved Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, a move expected to trigger a new wave of vaccine mandates as the Delta variant batters the country. "The FDA's approval of this vaccine is a milestone as we continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic," acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock said in a statement. "While millions of people have already safely received COVID-19 vaccines, we recognize that for some, the FDA approval of a vaccine may now instil additional... Читать дальше...

They call it the Paris of the East – a comparison it shares with countless other cities. But Istanbul is more than that – this city of 18 million is a universe that spreads across two continents; two halves that look at each other across the Bosphorus. They also call it the city where East meets West. Again, the verb ‘meet’ here is an understatement – because the continents hug – and from that hug bursts a thrill of colour, sound and food. Istanbul is all about food – from the fishers passing... Читать дальше...

The rate of change at Hyundai over the past 18 months or so has been tremendous, with the South Korean brand launching new versions of just about every car it sells. And we’re not talking light model-year updates either, but proper facelifts, next-generation cars and even brand-new models. Among those to be refreshed is the Sante Fe – the brand’s flagship car in the UK, though one that largely goes unnoticed. It’s the brand’s longest-running model that’s evolved from a rugged 4×4 to a premium SUV over the years... Читать дальше...

The Taliban warned on Monday there would be "consequences" if the United States and its allies extend their presence in Afghanistan beyond next week, as chaos continued to overwhelm Kabul airport. The hardline Islamists' takeover of the country last weekend shocked Western nations, coming just two weeks before an August 31 deadline for all troops to fully withdraw from the country. To manage the chaotic airlifting of foreigners and Afghans -- many of whom fear reprisals for working with Western... Читать дальше...

Police have gained access to data from Keith Schembri’s mobile phone, and Yorgen Fenech’s lawyers are saying that it contains “essential” evidence supporting the businessman’s claims. This unexpected twist is the focus of an application filed by Fenech in constitutional proceedings seeking to have lead investigator superintendent Keith Arnaud kicked off the probe into the 2017 car bomb that killed Daphne Caruana Galizia outside her Bidnija home. On June 2, the case was put off for judgment in November at the end of a tense... Читать дальше...

The Malta Business Registry and the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit have signed an agreement to share information and collaborate on investigations into the ultimate beneficial ownership of financial structures, in a bid to get Malta off an anti-money laundering grey list.  Shortcomings in acting on this sort of information was cited as one of the leading reasons Malta was placed on the FATF grey list earlier this year.    In a statement, the MBR and FIAU said that over the years they had... Читать дальше...

Three operators of fish farms that are set up in the southern area of Malta have been ordered by the environmental watchdog to clean up slime that reached the coast over the weekend. The Environment and Resources Authority is meanwhile looking into reports of slime off Pembroke and St Julian's. It said in a statement on Monday that after confirming sightings of slime in the southern area of the island, it had asked three farm operators to clean up St Peter’s pool, il-Bajja ta’ San Tumas and Marsascala swimming zones. Читать дальше...

Maltese young weightlifter Rylee Borg was in action on Monday at the European Youth Championships in Poland. The 14-year-old Borg, who is the only male representative in the Maltese team at the championships, placed seventh overall in the U-15 age group 67kg category. Borg had an excellent debut at the championships when he topped the Group B standings by a whopping 13kg over the second-placed lifter when totalling 191kg. He then moved into Group A where he also managed to leapfrog two lifters to finish seventh overall. Читать дальше...

Lawyer and former Labour Minister Joe Brincat is claiming that the public inquiry into the Daphne Caruana Galizia assassination breached the rule of law and is calling upon the State Advocate to kickstart an inquiry into the matter.  Brincat had already gone public with his disagreement with various conclusions reached by the inquiry board, which was made up of three judges. He has now taken his arguments before the courts, claiming that as a citizen of Malta and member of the State, he had every right to do so. Читать дальше...

Todamusica are back with yet another collaboration. Cool shade is the latest track to be released, this time round, they collaborated with vocalist Desi Campbell. Desi has been on the music scene for over 30 years, a career which has seen him perform not only in Malta but across the UK, Europe, Asia and the USA performing with many internationally renowned artists, including Aretha Franklin, Paul Weller, Errol Brown, Was [Not Was] Floy Joy & Everyday People.  His unique and versatile voice... Читать дальше...

The MUMN has ordered its nurses to avoid all work linked to robots at Mater Dei Hospital, which, it claims, are dispensing the wrong medicines and turning drug administration into a "nightmare". The robots, called Mario, started arriving at Mater Dei Hospital in 2019, with the aim of training doctors and nurses before the eventual rollout of the new system across the entire facility by this year. An accompanying software program, known as Sofia, is meanwhile meant to weed out human error and wastage of medication. Читать дальше...

Updated 4.10pm Anyone with information about the people responsible for dousing a friendly street cat named Tommy in petrol and burning it alive will receive a €1,000 reward, following two pledges made by an NGO and restaurant.  The Real Animal Rights Foundation made a €500 reward offer on Monday, with co-founder Romina Frendo saying it would pass all relevant information to the police while protecting the confidentiality of anyone providing information.  That pledge was doubled to €1,000 later... Читать дальше...

Foreign minister Evarist Bartolo’s former communications chief Daniel Attard has been appointed as deputy high commissioner to the UK. Attard, a law graduate and PL Mtarfa mayor, joins former minister Manuel Mallia at the London posting.  Speaking to Times of Malta, he confirmed that he will be resigning as mayor. Asked about his experience for the post, Attard said he had served as a technical attaché to the international labour office in Geneva on a fixed-term contract following a public call for applications. Читать дальше...

A total of 57 people tested positive for COVID overnight, while a further 37 recovered, according to fresh health authorities data. The figures show that there were no deaths linked to the pandemic over the past 24 hours, meaning Malta has a total of 687 active cases. Of these, 39 are at Mater Dei Hospital, three of whom are receiving intensive care. Vaccinations So far, a total of 409,183 people have been fully vaccinated against the virus. In all,  791,292 J&J, Astra Zeneca, Pfizer and Moderna jab doses have been administered. Читать дальше...

Lamborghini Seoul has commissioned an ultra-limited edition version of the Italian firm’s flagship model. The Aventador S Roadster Korean Special Series is destined for the Korean market and is limited to just two examples. It has been developed by Centro Stile, Lamborghini’s design centre, which aimed to create ‘a symbolic model that connects the spirit of Korea and Italy’. The main exterior colour of Green Ocno is said to symbolise the ‘warm Korean sentiment’, while the second car’s Blue Emera is a nod to intelligence and wisdom. Читать дальше...

As Malta urges people to get vaccinated against the coronavirus and remains the only EU country refusing recovery certificates for entry, a US study confirms the jabs offer better protection than natural immunity alone. The study by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention shows that unvaccinated people are more than twice as likely to be reinfected with the virus than those who were fully vaccinated after initially contracting the virus. The research, carried out this summer in Kentucky... Читать дальше...

Customs officials on Sunday discovered a total of €165,548 in undeclared cash on a Somali passenger headed to Turkey. The passenger was escorted to the departures customs office after K9 Sophie sniffed out the cash and alerted the officials. The passenger told customs he was carrying 1,600 dollars, however, the officials found more than €10,000 in his personal belongings. A further €155,000 was found on the plane in his checked-in luggage, bringing up the total of undeclared cash to €165,548.... Читать дальше...