Новости за 14.09.2021

Italy's finance police on Tuesday busted an international cocaine-smuggling ring run by the 'Ndrangheta crime group after cracking a secret code, the operation's commander said. Over 400 officers carried out dawn raids across the country armed with 57 arrest warrants after a four-year investigation dubbed "Crypto" into over 90 suspects, many from known mafia families. Those arrested are accused of shifting large quantities of cocaine from northern Europe and Spain to Italy, hiding it in false bottoms of car boots... Читать дальше...

Substitute Jordan Siebatcheu struck with the last kick of the game as Swiss side Young Boys claimed a sensational 2-1 Champions League win over 10-man Manchester United on Tuesday after Cristiano Ronaldo had earlier opened the scoring. USA striker Siebatcheu pounced on Jesse Lingard’s short back-pass to tuck the ball past David de Gea for a 95th-minute winner in front of a delirious crowd at the Wankdorf Stadium. Ronaldo had earlier put United ahead with his third goal in two games since returning to Old Trafford. Читать дальше...

Igor Tudor has taken over as coach of Verona, the Serie A club said on Tuesday, hours after Eusebio Di Francesco was sacked following just four games in charge. Last season former Croatia international Tudor, 43, was Andrea Pirlo’s deputy at Juventus, winning the Italian Cup and Super Cup for the club where he won two league titles as a player. Di Francesco, 52, was shown the door by Verona after failing to obtain a single point from his team’s first three Serie A matches, his only win coming... Читать дальше...

Currency printing company De La Rue is investing "millions" in its Malta plant, extending its factory here and increasing its workforce, Prime Minister Robert Abela said on Tuesday. The investment will result in an additional 100 jobs and a doubling in the size of the company's plant in Malta. Photo: Jonathan Borg Addressing an event at the factory, Abela said the works will start imminently and the plant will become the company’s largest one. He did not say how much De La Rue would be investing in the expansion. Читать дальше...

RB Leipzig head coach Jesse Marsch said his side may not be ready to face Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday after being thrashed at home by Bayern Munich. Leipzig, last season’s Bundesliga runners up, have lost three of their first four league games after Saturday’s 4-1 home defeat to Bayern. Marsch took charge of Leipzig this season after Julian Nagelsmann left to coach Bayern, but the American must pick his team up for their first Champions League game at Premier League holders Man City on Wednesday. Читать дальше...

Boeing said on Tuesday that the commercial aviation market should fully recover by 2024 from its pandemic slump, as the industry giant lifted its aerospace forecast for the next decade. Boeing projected a $9 trillion aerospace market over the next decade, up from the $8.5 trillion outlook a year ago, according to its annual market outlook report.   “As our industry recovers and continues to adapt to meet new global needs, we remain confident in long-term growth for aerospace,” said Boeing chief strategy officer Marc Allen. Читать дальше...

President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday he expected the Russian-made Sputnik V jab to protect him as he started to self-isolate after coronavirus cases were detected in his inner circle. Putin said it will be a "natural experiment" as Russia struggles with stubbornly high coronavirus infection rates and a vaccine-sceptic population. Putin had been due to travel to Tajikistan's capital Dushanbe for a regional summit later this week but in a call with President Emomali Rakhmon said he would not be able to attend in person, the Kremlin said. Читать дальше...

A part-time secretary, charged with defrauding her former employer out of some €500,000 by misusing signed blank cheques, was remanded in custody upon her arraignment on Tuesday. Josephine Baldacchino, a 48-year old mother from Mosta, wept as the court turned down her request for bail, rejecting her lawyer’s plea that the decision would negatively impact her child.  The woman pleaded not guilty to misappropriation, fraud, falsification of documents, misuse of signed cheques and also money laundering. Читать дальше...

US consumer price inflation slowed in August, rising just 0.3 per cent compared to July, while the annual rate eased to 5.3 per cent, according to government data released on Tuesday. Rising petrol prices remain a key driver of the consumer price index (CPI), but excluding volatile food and energy prices, “core” CPI rose just 0.1 per cent – its smallest increase since February, the Labour Department reported. Over the past 12 months, core CPI rose four per cent, three-tenths slower than the yearly jump in July. Читать дальше...

A Nationalist government would ensure that no development takes place on ODZ land, party leader Bernard Grech said on Tuesday. Speaking during a party question and answer event in Paola, Grech pledged that a government under his leadership would make sure that no ODZ land was ever developed again unless the project was approved by two-thirds of MPs.  "ODZ land will remain out of development zone land. This is a clear and determined declaration by the PN. But it is not enough for the party to make this declaration on its own," Grech said. Читать дальше...

The government will be stepping in to help farmers threatened with eviction from privately owned land. In a statement late on Tuesday, the Agriculture Ministry said it will be providing farmers with technical and legal support to alleviate the financial burden of court action.  The ministry is also willing to deposit the rent in court on their behalf in cases where landlords have not accepted the annual rent.  The announcement comes two days after Times of Malta published comments by farmers who... Читать дальше...

Three young players from Sliema Aquatic Sports Club, Benji Cachia, Liam Galea, and Jamie Gambin, are set to spend the waterpolo winter season in foreign leagues after agreeing on moves to Spain and Italy respectively, the club announced. Cachia, Galea and Gambin are seen as some of the brightest prospects for the Blues, and no doubt the opportunity to play in foreign leagues will be a great chance to continue to nurture their talents. Cachia and Galea have reached an agreement to join Spanish club CN Poble Nou... Читать дальше...

A man who was caught on camera masturbating at a playground has been granted bail after pleading not guilty.  Ahmad Osman Ibrahim, a 36-year old Somali refugee living in Marsa, was arraigned on Tuesday after the alleged public indecency that led to his arrest.  Prosecuting inspector Sarah Zerafa explained that the police had received reports about the man and his offensive habit in the presence of children who happened to be at the playground.  He was arrested on site. When he was later shown CCTV footage of the suspect... Читать дальше...

Maurizio Sarri has been banned for two matches after the Lazio coach was sent off following an on-pitch row with Alexis Saelemaekers during his team’s weekend defeat at AC Milan, Serie A announced on Tuesday. Sarri started arguing with Saelemaekers at the final whistle of the 2-0 loss at the San Siro, with Serie A saying that Sarri had gone onto the pitch “looking for an argument with an opposition player while assuming intimidatory behaviour and using threatening language”. He claimed Belgium... Читать дальше...

Four men have been charged with money laundering after allegedly placing a total of €21,000 in bets that did not tally with their declared income.  Brothers Charlston and Redent Cassar, 29 and 26, Jerome Azzopardi, 24 from Cospicua and with Josef Majri, 24 from Tarxien, appeared on court on Tuesday following months of police investigations sparked by a confidential tip off. Two of the men lived off social benefits but were able to gamble thousands of euro at four betting shops in the south during June 2020, the court heard. Читать дальше...

A man accused of violently assaulting social media personality Terry Muscat headbutted a courtroom door and screamed 'I'm going to die in there' when he was denied bail.  Gareth Chlach, 22, pleaded not guilty to all charges when he appeared in court on Tuesday. Muscat, better known as 'Terry Ta' Bormla' shared pictures and live-streamed video of her facial injuries on Facebook last week following the alleged incident. The court heard how she filed a report with the police's domestic violence unit... Читать дальше...

Amazon announced plans on Tuesday to hire 125,000 more workers in the United States as it broadens its logistical footprint amid strong e-commerce growth during the pandemic. The new jobs will be in transportation and e-commerce “fulfillment” – the picking, packing and shipping of goods. The roles will offer a starting wage of more than $18 (€15.25c) an hour, Amazon said. Signing bonuses of $3,000 are available for some of the roles. An Amazon press release also stressed health benefits and other perks... Читать дальше...

Copenhagen restaurant Noma, one of the world's top eateries, on Monday picked up a coveted third Michelin star. The new entry on the restaurant in Michelin's Guide to the Nordic countries said: "It has a strong connection to nature and its holistic approach sees unusual seasonal ingredients showcased in creative and complex dishes." Noma has regularly ranked in the top 10 of "The World's 50 Best Restaurants" list, including number two in 2019 and number one for three years running from 2010 to 2012. Читать дальше...

There are no active COVID-19 cases linked to Paceville, according to the health authorities, which insist that most recent cases are “sporadic”.  A health spokesperson told Times of Malta there are no Paceville clusters and that most of the positive cases being investigated recently are sporadic cases.  The popular destination sees large crowds of people every night, amid reports that revel-lers and establishment owners are not sticking to the pandemic regulations enacted by the health authorities. Читать дальше...

Chris Fearne has promised to relax Malta's strict travel restrictions following calls to allow residents arriving from dark-red countries to quarantine at home. The health minister did not give any details about the proposed changes but said they would involve quarantine rules. More information will be announced in a news conference on Wednesday.  Anyone who arrives from more than 100 countries and regions on a dark-red list must quarantine for 14 days in a hotel at a cost of €1,400. More to follow... Читать дальше...

An Interpol operation targeting illegal gambling during Euro 2020 led to 1,400 arrests and the seizure of $7.9 million (6.7 million euros) in cash, the Lyon-based global crime agency reported on Tuesday. Thousands of raids in Asia and Europe also resulted in the confiscation of computers and mobile phones connected to almost $465 million in bets. “While most of us were watching the UEFA European Football Championship as simple fans, hundreds of specialized officers across 28 countries were targeting... Читать дальше...

The budget will tackle tax repayment agreements which aren’t honoured,  Finance Minister Clyde Caruana said when asked about political party media companies that owe millions in unpaid tax.  Earlier this month, Times of Malta revealed how the Labour Party’s ONE and the Nationalist Party’s Media.Link owe more than €5 million between them in unpaid VAT and have been warned to settle their dues. Asked about it on Tuesday, Caruana said that in the October budget he will announce measures to address companies with tax arrears. Читать дальше...

A strong public speaking ability presents people with the opportunity to elevate their career success. An ability to speak effectively in every business or social situation can have an extraordinary effect on life.  When people know they can influence and inspire others in a variety of ways, they will have a great sense of personal power and accomplishment. The best news of all, is that these skills are learnable. The programme, Award in Public Speaking, accredited by MFHEA at Level 5 with 2 ECTS... Читать дальше...

Dante Alighieri is chiefly remembered as the author of the Divine Comedy and as the father of the Italian language. On the 700th anniversary of his death in the night between September 13 to 14th, 1321, here are five things to know about a titan of world literature.  Father of Italian language Dante is credited with helping create the Italian language by using the Tuscan vernacular of his time – rather than Latin – to write his masterpiece. The Divine Comedy, originally called simply Comedy, is an imaginary journey through hell... Читать дальше...

A Maltese resident who could not afford the exorbitant quarantine hotel rates had no option but to spend 14 days in isolation in a small, "filthy" room with a stranger, despite having her own home in Malta.  Charity O'Fate, who is a Maltese resident and rents a home, had no option but to self-isolate at one of the government's quarantine hotels upon her return from Nigeria after visiting family in August. Nigeria is one of many countries on Malta's so-called dark red list, meaning anyone who travels... Читать дальше...