Новости за 06.10.2021

Spain brought Italy’s record 37-match unbeaten run to an end on Wednesday with a 2-1 win to reach the Nations League final. Ferran Torres’ first-half brace won the Final Four clash for Spain at the San Siro, where Luis Enrique’s side will face either France or Belgium in Sunday’s final. Lorenzo Pellegrini pulled a goal back with seven minutes left but the European champions failed to complete what would have been a memorable comeback. Continue reading this article on Sports Desk. 

Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and the ex-boss of UEFA Michel Platini are heading towards a trial for fraud and abuse of confidence, Swiss prosecutors told AFP on Wednesday. It is the clearest indication yet of the direction the prosecution intends to take in the long-running case involving a payment of two million Swiss francs (1.8 million euros, $2.15 million) made to Platini in 2011 on Blatter’s orders. “The parties have been informed by letter that the investigation by the prosecutor’s... Читать дальше...

The restoration of artworks in the prison chapel has been psychologically challenging for Fr Charles Vella, who has found himself shifting from conservator to confidante as inmates tell him their stories in the penitentiary setting. Among the differences on the job, he has strict instructions to leave any chemicals and tools under lock and key when he is not around to avoid abuse. “I was mentally and physically drained when I completed the first canvas painting,” Fr Vella said. Fr Charles Vella... Читать дальше...

Pet adoptions could be made simpler by setting up a website where anyone seeking to adopt an animal would find a list of all cats and dogs in need of a home, Animal Welfare Commissioner Alison Bezzina is recommending. This would help address the overpopulation of animals in sanctuaries and free up space for rescues, she said. This was one of the recent proposals put forward to the Animal Rights Ministry by Bezzina who took on her role almost a year ago. Since then she has made various recommendations... Читать дальше...

Union Berlin said Wednesday they have banned one of their supporters for anti-Semitic abuse aimed at visiting fans of Israeli club Maccabi Haifa during a match in Berlin. “There is no tolerance whatsoever for discrimination at Union Berlin,” club president Dirk Zingler said in a statement. “We have therefore taken all measures available to us to remove this person from our ranks.”   Continue reading this article on Sports Desk, the new sports website by Times of Malta

Democrats are expected to be thwarted Wednesday in a vote to overcome a Republican roadblock on suspending the US debt limit -- with just 12 days left to avoid a cataclysmic credit default. The vote, a procedural hurdle for moving forward on House-passed legislation to lift the debt ceiling, needs 60 senators to pass, but all 50 opposition Republicans in the evenly divided upper chamber are expected to block it. "Republican obstruction on the debt ceiling over the last few weeks has been reckless... Читать дальше...

Artists and printmakers Jesmond Vassallo, Lino Borg and Justin Falzon came up with the concept of iMprint in 2015, with the aim of promoting original printmaking in Malta, particularly intaglio printing processes, through a series of curated exhibitions.  Judging by the large number of artists who submit their work in the hope of it being chosen for the next iMprint edition and judging also by the visiting public that expects a level of high artistic competence, I think we can safely assert that... Читать дальше...

Barcelona chief executive Ferran Reverter said Wednesday the club was “technically bankrupt” when Joan Laporta took over as president in March, and would have been “dissolved” if it was a public limited company. The Spanish giant’s financial woes were laid bare in August when they were forced to allow Lionel Messi to join Paris Saint-Germain after admitting they could no longer afford to keep the six-time world player of the year. The new board inherited debts of 1.35 billion euros ($1.56 billion)... Читать дальше...

The prison monitoring board has been ordered to investigate allegations by an ex-inmate that he was strapped to a chair for hours and refused water. In the latest claim of abuse at the hands of prison authorities, the former prisoner said he was humiliated by the prison director Alex Dalli. It was the first time anyone confined to the so-called 'punishment chair' had spoken up about their treatment. In a statement, a spokesperson for Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri said that any inmate can... Читать дальше...

Nationalist MP Jason Azzopardi demanded an explanation on Wednesday over how the Egrant inquiry had not been reopened despite an order made by the magistrate who carried out the inquiry into Pilatus Bank. Speaking in Parliament, Azzopardi observed that Magistrate Ian Farrugia had called for the reopening of the Egrant inquiry to establish whether particular financial transfers to Pilatus Bank had been made. The Egrant inquiry was held by then Magistrate Aaron Bugeja. It investigated whether then... Читать дальше...

A highly protected bird of prey has been shot, just days after four flamingos were illegally killed, according to activists. BirdLife Malta said the injured osprey - or Arpa in Maltese - fell from the sky in Bidnija, and was later certified to have been shot at. It is the second time in a week that protected species have been hit. On Saturday, the four flamingos were killed over Qawra on Saturday morning. A 23-year-old hunter has been charged with the crime.    In a statement, BirdLife Malta said... Читать дальше...

Malta Airport last month saw the highest number of passengers since the outbreak of COVID-19, but that was still only half pre-pandemic levels for the month. The airport said it welcomed 418,473 passengers in September, down by 45.1% from September 2019, before the pandemic struck. Seat-occupancy levels remained below pre-pandemic levels at just over 70%. The United Kingdom retained its spot as Malta Airport’s top driver of passenger traffic with over 108,000 passengers departing or arriving from this destination in September. Читать дальше...

Parallels, a global leader in cross-platform solutions, has announced at a virtual press conference its plans to enlarge its research and development (R&D) team in Malta by 50 per cent and enter into a significant collaboration with the University of Malta to invest in artificial intelligence (AI). The press conference was attended by Prof. Alfred J Vella, Rector and Prof. Ing. Carl James Debono, Dean Faculty of Information & Communication Technology of the University of Malta as well as Nathalie Farrugia... Читать дальше...

Golden State forward Andrew Wiggins has had a change of heart and got the COVID-19 vaccine, making him eligible to play in Warrior home games this season. Coach Steve Kerr made the announcement at Sunday’s practice but did not say when the 26 year old Canadian got vaccinated or which vaccine he received.  Wiggins had applied to the NBA for a religious exemption last month, but was denied.   Continue reading this article on Sports Desk, the new sports website by Times of Malta

The four government MPs on the Public Accounts Committee on Wednesday refused to censure former minister Konrad Mizzi for having decided not to appear before the committee to answer questions related to the Electrogas deal. The MPs refused to vote in favour of an Opposition motion deploring his decision and asking him again to appear before the committee at another sitting. Instead, they moved their own motion, which was limited to a fresh request to appear before the committee. While Nationalist MP Karol Aquilina... Читать дальше...

British supermarket giant Tesco on Wednesday posted a near 70 per cent surge in first-half net profit on the back of higher pandemic sales and its “resilient” supply chain. Profit after tax jumped to £781 million (€917m) in the six months to the end of August, the nation’s biggest retailer said in a statement. That compared with £465 million a year earlier, when the group was also buoyed by the COVID pandemic. Tesco experienced “sustained strong UK sales, a reduction in COVID-19 related costs... Читать дальше...

MALTA 1 Barbara 67 TURKEY             6 Kilicsoy 15, 78 Acar 31, 90 Guler 37, 57   After an absence of one year, the Malta Under-17s were back in action in an UEFA tournament, after the previous year the Championship was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a tough opening match for the Maltese youngsters, against a Turkey side with plenty of talent. After a difficult opening half, Malta showed better cohesion after the break, resulting on some promising attacks. However, the Turkish win was deserved beyond doubt... Читать дальше...

The Education Ministry has ordered an investigation following reports that a three-year-old girl was locked in a garage for three hours after being left behind on a school minibus. “The ministry was not aware of the incident. The minister immediately issued instructions to the ministry management to investigate the matter and take all necessary actions, even why there was no supervisor, as should be,” an education ministry spokesperson told Times of Malta.   The investigation will be conducted by retired judge Philip Sciberras... Читать дальше...

Google on Wednesday said it will invest $1 billion (€860 million) over the next five years to allow for faster and more affordable internet access and support entrepreneurship in Africa. Internet reliability is a problem in Africa where less than a third of the continent’s 1.3 billion people are connected to broadband, according to the World Bank.  But the continent, where nearly half the population is under 18, is a promising market. According to Google and Alphabet boss, Sundar Pichai “huge strides” have been made in recent years... Читать дальше...

The Victim Support Agency is setting up regional offices in the south and north of Malta and in Gozo to enable easier access to those who need its services, Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri said on Wednesday. He was speaking during the signing of an agreement with Sta Luċija Council, which will provide offices for the agency to handle the south of Malta. Talks are underway on the acquisition of offices in the north of Malta and in Gozo. The agency was set up in May, and Camilleri said that it had so far assisted almost 300 people. Читать дальше...

The BOV National Seniors Championship, for players 50 years and up, was held recently at the Eden Superbowl, and saw Sue Abela and Paul Gray retain the titles they won last year. As expected, Abela dominated the ladies’ group, never being in any danger of losing her grip on this title. In fact, she finished over 500 pins ahead of second-placed Liliana Spiteri. After a poor start, Marthese Cossai clawed some pins back on Spiteri, but did not manage to recover the gap and had to settle for third place, just under 100 pins behind Spiteri. Читать дальше...

Luxury car manufacturer Rolls-Royce has revealed its first electric vehicle and pledged to phase out combustion engines by 2030. The car will be called Spectre and is expected to go on sale in late 2023. Through teaser images released today, it’s clear that the Spectre will be a two-door coupe with a very similar body shape to the current Wraith. However, the details of its design are hidden by a graphic with a famous quote from company co-founder Charles Rolls. As part of the BMW Group, the company... Читать дальше...

Public Broadcasting Services has stood by a memo sent to producers of current affairs programmes, requiring them to seek approval of their show topics 15 days in advance. The broadcaster insisted that coordination was needed between the various productions. The memo, revealed by Times of Malta on Tuesday, raised an outcry, with many saying on social media that programmes could not be current if notice about them had to be given two weeks in advance. It also drew criticism from the minister responsible for broadcasting... Читать дальше...

The Malta Football Players Association (MFPA) and the Malta Football Association (MFA) have reached a landmark agreement over the conditions of the players representing the senior women’s national football team. Discussions between the MFPA, acting on behalf of the players, and the MFA have successfully concluded, resulting in improved terms for the members of the women’s national team. Through this agreement, the women’s national team players will be covered if they get injured while playing... Читать дальше...

Germany's Greens and the liberal FDP party said Wednesday they wanted to try to form a coalition government with the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), dealing a blow to Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives. The move brings the Social Democrats' Olaf Scholz a step closer to the chancellery after 16 years of Merkel's centre-right-led government.  The political upheaval in Europe's biggest economy was unleashed by last month's general election which Scholz's party won with 25.7 percent, followed... Читать дальше...