Новости за 08.09.2021

Zach Zammit has enjoyed a very positive summer in the Hillclimb scene. In fact, the former Malta champion has been in hot form when competing in the British Hillclimb series. Late in July, Zammit produced a very strong performance at the Prescott Speed Hillclimb where he managed to place seventh overall and second in his class. A week later he continued to impress when he managed to finish first in the J2 class, open for Racing Cars over 1100cc up to 1600ccc. He clocked a time of 24.68 to finish... Читать дальше...

All Afghan athletes who competed in the recent Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, as well as two hoping to qualify for the 2022 Beijing Winter Games, are “outside the country”, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach said Wednesday. The new Taliban interim government began work in Afghanistan on Wednesday, after the militant group ousted the US-backed administration on August 15. Bach said the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee had already expressed concerns for its athletes on August 8... Читать дальше...

Rules to regulate campsites will be published in the coming days after Comino’s Tal-Ful area made the headlines because of a free-for-all situation, where semi-permanent tents take over year-round, elbowing other campers out. The Environment and Resources Authority said the new rules will empower it to take action after the environment on the Natura 2000 island was exposed and accusations made that the site was being “stolen”. The ERA said it has been monitoring the issue closely and has coordinated... Читать дальше...

Recycled limestone waste will soon be on the market for building after 10 years of research, offering a possible solution to the challenges faced by the construction industry. A decade of laboratory testing by architect Franco Montesin and Dion Buhagiar established that the properties of the recycled stone are similar to, if not better than, globigerina limestone, meaning low-rise residential buildings could be constructed from this material. Globigerina limestone for building is an increasingly limited resource and is undervalued... Читать дальше...

Greece’s Euro 2004-winning captain Theo Zagorakis announced on Wednesday that he has resigned as president of the country’s football federation after just five months in the position. The 49-year-old former midfielder earned 120 caps between 1994 and 2007. While Zagorakis did not give an immediate reason for his surprise resignation, local media reported he could not tolerate the situation he encountered in Greek football and the “war in the background” for control of the federation.   Continue reading this article on Sports Desk... Читать дальше...

A man and a woman from St Julian's were seriously injured on Wednesday afternoon in a collision between two cars in Valley Road, Birkirkara. The police said the two, aged 56 and 58, were travelling in a Ford Ka that was involved in a collision with a Renault Megane, driven by a 30-year-old man from Birkirkara. The accident happened at 1pm.  The injured were assisted by a medical team and rescuers from the Civil Protection Department before being taken to hospital. 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken vowed Wednesday to press the Taliban to start charter flights out of Afghanistan after criticism the administration was not doing enough to allow evacuations. "Let me be very clear -- those flights need to be able to leave," Blinken told reporters on a visit to Germany. "We are working to do everything in our power to support those flights and to get them off the ground," Blinken said. Blinken said that the Taliban were preventing flights from leaving because of some passengers lack travel documents. Читать дальше...

Alex Albon will return to the Formula One grid next season after agreeing a deal to race for Williams, the British-based team announced on Wednesday. The London-born Thai will take George Russell’s seat following confirmation of the British driver’s deal to join Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes in 2022. Albon, 25, was replaced by Sergio Perez at Red Bull after he struggled to keep pace with Max Verstappen in his first full season with the team in 2020.   Continue reading this article on Sports Desk... Читать дальше...

The US government will run out of money at some point in October unless Congress acts to increase the federal borrowing limit, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Wednesday. Congress suspended the debt limit in 2019, but the two-year suspension lapsed on July 31, resetting the cap at $28 trillion and forcing Treasury to begun taking "extraordinary measures" to continue funding government operations without breaching the limit. In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Yellen warned that if the ceiling was not raised... Читать дальше...

Carlos Queiroz was appointed Wednesday as Egypt’s new coach following the sacking of Hossam El-Badry after an unconvincing start to qualifying for the 2022 World Cup. The Egyptian football federation said Queiroz, a former Manchester United assistant and Real Madrid manager, would be supported by Diaa El-Sayed and long-time former national team goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary on his coaching staff.  It is the latest in a long line of international jobs for the 68-year-old Queiroz, who took Portugal to the 2010 World Cup. Читать дальше...

An elderly man’s account has been debited almost €2,500 for a water and electricity bill that stretches back 25 years for a residence he says is not his. In 1995, Kenneth Scifo, 76, of Qawra, started to receive utility bills for an address that he neither owned nor signed for, he told Times of Malta. Since then, he has lost count of the number of times he has called Enemalta and, later, ARMS, Ltd to get his name removed from the bill. In the meantime, the arrears accumulated to €2,470.30. “At first... Читать дальше...

A 19-year-old woman is seeking millions of euros in damages after it emerged that she was accidentally swapped with another newborn at a Spanish hospital nearly two decades ago. The babies were mixed up in 2002 after they were born five hours apart and placed in incubators at the San Millan de Logrono in northern Spain, due to a “one-off human error,” regional health authorities said. The error was discovered four years ago after one of the girls who was switched underwent a DNA test as part of dispute over child support payments. Читать дальше...

The police on Wednesday called for public help to locate Robert Losif Galambos, who is required to appear in court. Anyone knowing his whereabouts should call police headquarters, even anonymously on 21224001/119 and quote number 5/2021.

The Malta Tourism Authority is to give financial assistance to Mellieħa's three bands, in what it said is a pilot project to promote cultural initiatives for the benefit of domestic and international tourism. Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo, whose electoral district includes Mellieħa, made the announcement on Wednesday. The Vittoria Philharmonic Society, the Imperial Musical Society and the Choral and Orchestral Society Maria Bambina will all receive MTA funding, with the authority saying in... Читать дальше...

Porsche is a big fan of tweaking its line-up, refining and sharpening in order to keep its products at their tip-top best. It’s the case with the Macan, which has now been given a second, subtle update for 2021, prior to a fully electric version hitting the roads in 2023. So to keep things fresh up until then, the current Macan now gains revised looks, a more streamlined engine line-up and a less button-heavy interior than before. And though the previous Macan was by no means behind the times... Читать дальше...

Nationalist MEP Roberta Metsola could be in the running to become a candidate for president of the European Parliament, after one of the favourites announced he will not contest. Metsola, of the European People's Party, has been the parliament's first vice-president since November. She is understood to be gauging her support for the high-profile position that could become vacant in January.  She did not rule out entering the race when approached by Times of Malta. Instead she said she was "speaking... Читать дальше...

Google on Wednesday ramped up cloud collaboration tools for businesses, expecting “hybrid” work routines to remain even after the pandemic has ended. The internet titan competes with Microsoft, Zoom, Facebook and others with online services that employees can use to collaborate remotely. Tech giants turned to their own tools after abandoning campuses early in the pandemic, which fuelled a fierce remote work trend. “We’ve seen a radical transformation, and a lot of that transformation is here to... Читать дальше...

A new Nationalist government would invest in two new ferry ships for Gozo, expand the Mġarr harbour and hold a referendum on the proposed tunnel between the two islands, PN electoral candidates have said. The proposals were first made by the party early in August and reiterated by  Gozitan PN MPs Joseph Ellis and Kevin Cutajar, as well as the PN’s main spokesman Peter Agius, on Wednesday.   They said a PN government would ensure two new vessels, one of which would be exclusively reserved for cargo... Читать дальше...

French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi announced on Wednesday its second acquisition of a US firm in as many months, buying transplant drug company Kadmon for $1.9 billion (€1.6bn). Sanofi has been on a buying spree in recent years and last month finalised its acquisition of US firm Translate Bio, which is working on an mRNA Covid vaccine, for $3.2 billion. Kadmon makes Rezurock, a treatment for patients as young as 12 who suffer from chronic graft-versus-host disease, a complication that can occur after a bone marrow or stem cell transplant. Читать дальше...

Two splendid diamond bracelets that belonged to French queen Marie-Antoinette will go under the hammer in Geneva later this year, the auction house Christie’s said Wednesday.  The bracelets, coated with 112 diamonds in total, will be sold together and are estimated to fetch between $2-4 million when they go under the hammer on November 9. That estimate “includes not only the intrinsic value of the diamonds, but also the possibility to wear jewellery that was once worn by the famous queen Marie-Antoinette,”... Читать дальше...

The Malta national team left the Oktyrin Stadium in Moscow with a tinge of disappointment following their gutsy display in a 2-0 defeat to Russia in the 2022 World Cup qualifying match on Wednesday night. In the post-game interview, Malta forward Luke Montebello pointed out that while the players were pleased with their performances, they were disappointed at their failure of picking up points against their more-quoted opponents The Birkirkara player’s comments underlined the change in mentality... Читать дальше...

A group of people have been caught on camera illegally starting a fire on top of a military heritage site using a protected plant. The incident happened at Ras Il-Waħx in Mellieħa, which is part of the Majjistral Nature and History Park. Park rangers came across the group at around 8am on Wednesday after the fire was started on the British military clifftop defence post. Police were called and the group will now face a fine or court action.  According to the site’s legal notice, visitors are not allowed to start open fires or barbecues... Читать дальше...

Infrastructure Malta will be building two shore protection structures in Marsaxlokk in an effort to limit coastal erosion in the tal-Magħluq area of the southern bay. The temporary structures, known as groynes, will be built using hundreds of large limestone rocks and will protude in a perpendicular line with the quay around 70 metres. The aim is for them to stop sand and other sediments from being carried away to sea. Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg announced the €2 million project during a visit to the area. Читать дальше...

A pilot project offering youngsters in Marsa a safe place to grow and develop their skills has been given fresh impetus following a three-year agreement signed between the Malta Trust Foundation and NGO Right to Smile.  First launched by the foundation four years ago, Programm Tbissima has helped close to 100 children aged five to 14 access non-formal education. The programme offers practical skills, such as food preparation and computer learning, a homework club, counselling, job and career guidance... Читать дальше...

Embattled Chinese property giant Evergrande on Wednesday suffered a second credit rating downgrade in two days, raising fears the world’s most indebted company will default and sending its shares tumbling below their listing price 12 years ago. The Hong Kong-listed firm has run up a mountain of liabilities totalling more than $300 billion (€253bn) after years of borrowing to fund rapid growth and a string of real estate acquisitions as well as other assets, including a Chinese football team. But... Читать дальше...