Новости за 20.09.2021

After hiking for hours across the mountain and a vast expanse of white, Swiss glaciologist Matthias Huss crouches down near the middle of the massive glacier and checks the measurements. Analysis of the data gathered from Aletsch, the largest glacier in the Alps, paints a dire picture of the toll that climate change is taking on the behemoth. Aletsch glacier alone holds about a fifth of the total ice volume found in all of Switzerland’s around 1,800 glaciers. Matthias Hüss is at the forefront... Читать дальше...

EU chief Charles Michel on Monday accused the United States of a lack of loyalty after Australia cancelled a mega-contract with France to buy US nuclear submarines. "The elementary principles for allies are transparency and trust, and it goes together. And what do we observe? We are observing a clear lack of transparency and loyalty," the European Council chief told reporters at the United Nations. He said that the Europeans need "to clarify and to try to understand better what are the intentions... Читать дальше...

Coach Giovanni Tedesco is back in Malta after he was forced to part ways with UAE club Ras Al Khaimah after their sporting project floundered due to financial problems. The former Birkirkara and Gżira United coach headed to the Middle East this summer to join the newly-formed Dubai-based club where he was expected to be at the helm of this new project. Tedesco took a number of players who had a connection with the Maltese Premier League in the Middle East. These included Rowen Muscat, Jean Paul Farrugia... Читать дальше...

Fears of COVID-19, a US debt default and the meltdown of Chinese property giant Evergrande hammered major Wall Street indices in Monday trading, sending them decisively lower around midday. At about 1700 GMT, the benchmark Dow Jones Industrial Average had dropped 2.2 per cent to 33,823.70. The broad-based S&P 500 also lost 2.2 per cent to 4,333.72 and the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index fell 2.7 per cent to 14,638.88. Traders have headed for the exits over fears surrounding Evergrande, one... Читать дальше...

Updated 9pm Malta should aim to become a global technology hub capable of attracting the likes of Google, Facebook and Apple, Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech argued on Monday. In an hour-long speech held on the eve of Independence Day, the PN leader also accused the Labour Party of stealing his party's ideas and challenged his counterpart Robert Abela to a debate.  "You pick the date, time and moderator," he said.  Investment The PN leader argued that Malta needed to significantly improve... Читать дальше...

Updated 9.25pm Discussions about the possible introduction of an underground mass transportation system would start being discussed in the coming days, Prime Minister Robert Abela said on Monday.  Addressing the first mass political rally since taking over the PL in 2020, Abela told the party faithful that it was time to ask whether the country was ready for a major shift by introducing a metro system.  “We need to ask ‘is the country ready?' Ready to make the personal sacrifice, to change the... Читать дальше...

An iron manufacturing firm is developing a €3 million industrial plant on 3,500 square metres of Ħal Far land given to it by the government, the Economy Ministry said on Monday.  General Maintenance Ltd. will be adding around 20 new jobs to the 50 employees already on its books, among them engineers, designers, CNC programmers, welders and fabricators. The company, which is majority-owned by Marco Camilleri, manufactured a 110m long iron structure used in the Blata l-Bajda pedestrian bridge project... Читать дальше...

Robert Abela and Bernard Grech will both address party supporters at Independence Day events on Monday evening, in the first political rallies since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Labour leader Abela will speak at the MFCC at Ta’ Qali while Nationalist leader Grech will speak at the Granaries in Floriana. Both events, which are only open to seated attendees and must abide by public health rules for mass events, are scheduled to begin at 7pm. Times of Malta will provide streams for both party leaders’ speeches. Читать дальше...

Economy Minister Silvio Schembri was among the passengers aboard Malta’s first scheduled commercial flight to Libya in years on Monday.  Malta is the first EU member state to resume flights to Libya.  The resumed air link – a weekly flight between Malta International Airport and Libyan capital Tripoli – was first discussed several months ago, with Prime Minister Robert Abela having revealed the plans in April. It marks a key step in the consolidation of diplomatic relations between the two countries... Читать дальше...

Roger Federer said his injury comeback was not yet in sight but insisted he was over the worst as the 40-year-old tennis great targets a return to the courts. Federer had been out for more than a year with two surgeries on his right knee before getting back onto the tour this year. But he played only 13 matches, and underwent a third operation following his quarter-final defeat at Wimbledon in July. “I’m doing very well; the rehab is progressing step by step,” the Swiss star said at an event in Zurich with sponsors Mercedes-Benz. Читать дальше...

Poland on Monday accused Russia and Belarus of orchestrating a wave of illegal immigration at its land border, a day after four migrants were found dead at its Belarusian frontier. Thousands have been trying to cross from Belarus into EU members Latvia, Lithuania and Poland in recent weeks.  The EU suspects the influx of people mostly from the Middle East is being orchestrated by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in retaliation for sanctions on his regime. "We're dealing with a mass organised... Читать дальше...

The UK government was on Monday holding an emergency meeting with energy and consumer groups, as the country experiences record gas prices that threaten huge bills for households as well as undermining food supplies and casting doubt on energy firms’ futures. Prime Minister Boris Johnson sought to reassure consumers fearing surging winter power bills and the possibility of more small British energy firms collapsing from higher costs. Faced with a fast-moving situation, Business Secretary Kwasi... Читать дальше...

Building on its rich heritage in electric vehicle development, Nissan has achieved a quarter of a million fully electric vehicle sales in Europe – marking a new step in a decade of success for Nissan electric mobility. As the EV revolution continues to accelerate, Nissan has celebrated the latest milestone in its commitment to advancing electric mobility, with the iconic LEAF achieving 208,000 sales and the highly versatile e-NV200 van securing 42,000 customers in Europe. Both innovative models... Читать дальше...

European citizens at the Conference on the Future of Europe, held over the weekend in Strasbourg, discussed common concerns. Two Maltese participants told Jessica Arena about the debate on the citizens’ panel. Unequal treatment in the enforcement of laws on tax evasion was one of the issues on which European citizens, including two from Malta, found common ground last week during a conference held at the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Jane Pace said it was clear from the conversations that... Читать дальше...

Paul Rusesabagina, the "Hotel Rwanda" hero who became a fiercely outspoken government critic, was found guilty of terror charges on Monday after what his supporters labelled a politically motivated show trial. He was convicted by a high court in Kigali of forming a rebel group blamed for deadly gun, grenade and arson attacks in Rwanda in 2018 and 2019. "He founded a terrorist organisation that attacked Rwanda, he financially contributed to terrorist activities," Justice Beatrice Mukamurenzi said at the end of a seven-month trial. Читать дальше...

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen pleaded on Sunday for Congress to raise the debt ceiling in order to avoid a “historic financial crisis”. In an editorial published in the Wall Street Journal, Yellen points out that the United States has always raised the debt ceiling before exceeding its limit. “The US has never defaulted. Not once.” “Doing so would likely precipitate a historic financial crisis,” Yellen wrote. “Default could trigger a spike in interest rates, a steep drop in stock prices and other financial turmoil.” The debt ceiling... Читать дальше...

Transport Malta and LESA officers can move vehicles causing obstructions themselves and do not need police officers to get involved, the Malta Police Union has said while filing a trade dispute.  The union says that officers are being overwhelmed by requests to intervene in such cases, stretching already strained resources to the limit. It cited one such example, on September 6 in Valletta, when a Transport Malta official told police officers to contact the owners of 53 different cars to get them... Читать дальше...

Leander Thomas wanders around the Silent City, capturing some of its most majestic buildings and more I never cease to be amazed at what Malta’s old capital and silent city has to offer its visitors, locals and foreigners alike.  Mdina, today populated by less than 300, mainly elderly residents, is one of the few remaining medieval and renaissance fortified cities in Europe, indeed a gem of a bygone age.  St Paul’s Cathedral The Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, Normans, Spaniards, the Knights of Malta... Читать дальше...

Drug runners used secret compartments hidden in cars to smuggle cocaine into Malta via a local ferry company, according to Italian court documents.  Italy’s finance police on Tuesday busted an international cocaine-smuggling ring run by the ’Ndrangheta crime group after cracking a secret code they used to communicate on popular messaging platforms. Over 400 officers carried out dawn raids across Italy, armed with 57 arrest warrants after a four-year investigation dubbed ‘Crypto’ into over 90 suspects, many from known mafia families. Читать дальше...

Fears were mounting in Afghanistan on Monday as the Taliban tightened their grip on women's rights, slashing access to work and denying girls the right to secondary school education. After pledging a softer version of their brutal and repressive regime of the 1990s, the Islamic fundamentalists have been stripping away at freedoms one month after seizing power. "I may as well be dead," said one woman, who was sacked from her senior role at the foreign ministry. "I was in charge of a whole department... Читать дальше...

Matchday Two of this season’s BOV Challenge League saw Group A leaders Pembroke Athleta replicate the 4-1 score from their first game of the season as newcomers Mġarr United and Luqa St Andrews registered their first positive results since their promotion from the National Amateur League. The Times of Malta looks at the weekend’s matches across the Division’s two groups…   Continue reading this article on Sports Desk, the new sports website by Times of Malta

Pfizer and BioNTech on Monday said trial results showed their coronavirus vaccine was safe and produced a robust immune response in children aged five to 11, adding that they would seek regulatory approval shortly. The vaccine would be administered at a lower dosage than for people over 12, they said. "In participants five to 11 years of age, the vaccine was safe, well-tolerated and showed robust neutralising antibody responses," US giant Pfizer and its German partner said in a joint statement. Читать дальше...

FIFA has invited football’s domestic governing bodies to an online summit on September 30 to discuss its controversial proposal to hold the World Cup every two years instead of four. The topic is set to be discussed with FIFA’s member associations as part of plans to reform the international calendar. “There is a broad consensus within the game that the international match calendar should be reformed and improved,” FIFA said in a statement Monday. “Following invitations to stakeholders, including all confederations... Читать дальше...

The Island Car Club organised the third round of the Transport Malta England Insurance National Hillclimb Championship in Miżieb, limits of Mellieħa, on Sunday. Keith Camilleri finished the day first overall and was followed by his brother Kurt Camilleri and Fabio Camilleri. It is worth mentioning, that Luigi Mifsud was the fastest driver on a Front Wheel Drive Car, Amadeo Dingli was on top on a Rear-Wheel-Drive Car, and Chris Aquilina was the quickest in a Four Wheel Drive Car on his Subaru Impreza. Читать дальше...

Kalkara residents are strongly opposing a proposal to build 10 fully detached villas instead of a cluster of derelict agricultural rooms on an ODZ zone close to Smart City – equivalent to the size of three football pitches. The imposing corner project, abutting Triq Santu Rokku, Sqaq Tewma and Triq Joseph Calleia, is located outside the development zone, in an area of ecological importance due to its proximity to Rinella valley. The development, covered by PA5037/21, is being proposed by Duncan... Читать дальше...