Новости за 03.11.2021

The series of underground tunnels beneath Valletta, which date back nearly 500 years, will finally be open to the public every Wednesday and Sunday, starting from this weekend.  As of November 7, guided Underground Valletta tours will be offered by Heritage Malta every Wednesday and Sunday at 10am and 11am. Tickets for the tours - which take place three storeys underground - can be purchased online or from the National Museum of Archaeology.  Video: Jonathan Borg During the reign of the Knights of St John... Читать дальше...

Dylan Cachia and Sasha Gatt were in top form at the LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships after setting new national records in Kazan, Russia. Cachia and Gatt are part of a squad of three swimmers that also includes Thomas Wareing who earned their berth at the European Championships after topping the selection criteria set up by the Aquatic Sports Association of Malta. The Maltese contingent was off to an impressive start as Cachia and Gatt both set new national benchmarks on the opening day of competition. Читать дальше...

Updated 9.30pm A motorcyclist was grievously injured in a traffic accident on Marina Road in Pieta at 7.15pm. The police said the motorcyclist was involved in a crash with a small truck. The accident caused a tailback on the carriageway leading from Floriana to Msida, with police officers redirecting traffic to other streets. Readers reported that several route buses were stuck in traffic as they could not go around the site of the accident. The road has now been reopened.

Zombies, scary clowns, witches and skeletal figures drew about 1,500 people underground in Nadur last Sunday as the local council organised a ‘haunted shelter’ for the very first time on Halloween. The event, which was held in lieu of mass events due to the COVID-19 health restrictions, saw the war shelter in Nadur Square decorated with eerie furniture and props and featuring special effects, spooky lighting and projections.  There were also six mechanically operated figures and seven actors... Читать дальше...

Britain's ruling Conservatives on Wednesday triggered outrage from opposition parties and anti-corruption campaigners by voting against suspending a colleague found to have committed an "egregious" breach of lobbying rules. In an unprecedented move, lawmakers from Prime Minister Boris Johnson's party opted instead to initiate their own overhaul of the parliament's internal disciplinary process. It comes after a raft of sleaze and cronyism claims against the government, including over the awarding of COVID contracts... Читать дальше...

The European Central Bank is “very unlikely” to raise its interest rates in 2022, president Christine Lagarde said on Wednesday, amid pressure on central bankers to respond to soaring prices. “Despite the current inflation surge, the outlook for inflation over the medium term remains subdued,” Lagarde said in a speech in Lisbon. And the ECB’s conditions for a possible rate increase “are very unlikely to be satisfied next year,” she said.  Previously, the ECB has stated that it will not increase... Читать дальше...

Updated 7pm with government reaction Smart meters have helped Enemalta save €45 million in 'lost electricity' over 12 years, according to an investigation by the national auditor. The auditor however expressed concern that utility billing company ARMS has significantly increased its staff numbers over that period, despite the meters having automated many of its processes.   Auditor General Charles Deguara on Wednesday gave the Speaker of the House Anġlu Farrugia a performance audit about the meters'... Читать дальше...

Justice Minister Edward Zammit Lewis has dismissed questions about his familiarity with alleged murder conspirator Yorgen Fenech, after chats between the two were published earlier this week.  Author and former Labour Party delegate Mark Camilleri on Tuesday evening published transcripts of chats between Fenech and Zammit Lewis, in a blog post entitled ‘Beware of pigs bearing gifts’.  The chats show how Zammit Lewis repeatedly engaged with Fenech over messaging platform Whatsapp, even after the... Читать дальше...

Danish pharmaceuticals group Novo Nordisk, the world’s leading insulin maker, said on Wednesday it is raising its full-year profit targets after sales of its anti-obesity and diabetics treatments boosted its bottom line in the third quarter.  Novo Nordisk said in a statement that net profit rose by 18 per cent to 12.119 billion kroner (€1.6bn) in the period from July to September on a 15 per cent increase in sales to 35.622 billion kroner.  Taking the nine months through September, Novo Nordisk... Читать дальше...

More than a quarter of reports compiled by the office of the parliamentary ombudsman since 2018 remained ignored, a Times of Malta exercise has revealed. According to statistics obtained from the ombudsman’s office on his reports and those of the three commissioners for education, environment and planning and health, the public administration ignored an average of 27 per cent of the conclusions. Recommendations made in an average of five per cent of reports were only partially implemented while... Читать дальше...

The MSE Equity Price Index trended higher for the first time in six days as it advanced by 0.41% to 3,827.716 points. The gains in four equities outweighed the declines in BOV and GO. Meanwhile, HSBC and MaltaPost closed unchanged as overall trading activity remained subdued at just over €0.02 million.  VBL plc surged by 3.4% to the highest level since its listing last month at the €0.30 level on a single trade of 6,000 shares. Also in the property sector, Malta Properties Company plc closed 1.8%... Читать дальше...

Labour Party Sunday paper KullĦadd overstepped the limits of fair criticism when it attributed “non-existent” criminal conduct to PN MP Toni Bezzina over a planning application on ODZ land. This was the outcome of a judgment delivered in libel proceedings which the politician filed against editor of the Sunday newspaper, Aleander Balzan, over a February 2017 front-page story titled, 'Bezzina jivvinta fl-applikazzjoni'. The article reported that Bezzina had filed an application with the Planning Authority... Читать дальше...

A nationalist running in the November 14 presidential election in Bulgaria has been indicted over an attack last weekend against an LGBTQ community centre in Sofia, the prosecution said Wednesday. The foundation that runs the centre accused Boyan Stankov - known as Boyan Rasate - of leading the attack last Saturday, during which one of their employees was hit in the face and the space was vandalised. Eleven foreign ambassadors visited the centre on Monday to express solidarity and strongly condemned the attack... Читать дальше...

Children who participated in a study on local governance have expressed their frustration and helplessness when discussing the environment. Launched at the weekend, the study consists of group discussions with members of the Children and Young Persons’ Council aged between eight and 18. The topics of the debates varied from security to culture and heritage, with the children seeming quite passionate about the natural environment. However, “one could feel a sense of resignation” during the debate... Читать дальше...

Hundreds of financial groups are working to mobilise funds to help countries achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, former Bank of England governor Mark Carney told a UN climate conference on Wednesday. The Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero brings together some 450 banks, insurers and pension funds with $130 trillion in assets. Carney said the alliance would help the world reach net-zero emissions by 2050 “at the latest” and to deliver “their fair share of 50 per cent of emissions reductions this decade. Читать дальше...

Antonio Conte on Wednesday said managing Tottenham was an “honour” and vowed to “repay the trust” of chairman Daniel Levy by reviving the fortunes of the struggling Premier League club. The Italian was appointed on Tuesday, a day after Spurs sacked Nuno Espirito Santo following last weekend’s limp 3-0 defeat at home to Manchester United. Conte, who guided Chelsea to the 2016/17 Premier League title, had said Levy’s “contagious enthusiasm and determination” convinced him to join. Continue reading this article on Sports Desk. Читать дальше...

An emergency hotline NGO is urging Malta to save 350 people stranded on a sinking boat off Malta, claiming four of them have passed out. According to Alarm Phone, the people aboard the boat, which is in Malta’s search-and-rescue zone, are panicking, screaming "we are dying". A spokesperson told Times of Malta that the migrants on board have reached out to the Italian and Libyan coastguards, and the Armed Forces of Malta, but they have not received any help. “Armed Forces Malta stop this lethal... Читать дальше...

The Council of Europe has delayed a decision on whether Labour MP Rosianne Cutajar should be sanctioned for possible ethical breaches, saying it needs further information from Malta's parliament. However it did find her guilty of a "minor breach" of its Code of Ethics for failing to submit her 2018 declaration of interests for four years. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe’s rules committee met in Paris on Tuesday to decide whether to sanction Cutajar following a complaint filed against her by another member. Читать дальше...

The police are looking into an alleged argument in a Marsa private residence involving two men, one of whom was grievously injured. In a statement, the police said that a 50-year-old from Ħamrun and an unidentified man turned up at the police station at 00.30am. Both had injuries on their face and arms.  According to preliminary investigations, a knife and glass bottle were used in the brawl on Triq il-Marsa, in Marsa. The  Ħamrun man was seen to at a health centre, where he was certified to be suffering slight injuries... Читать дальше...

Germany is experiencing a "massive" pandemic of the unvaccinated, Health Minister Jens Spahn said on Wednesday, calling for curbs targeting those not inoculated to tame a resurgence in Covid cases. The fourth wave is raging "with exceptional force", Spahn said. "We are currently experiencing mainly a pandemic of the unvaccinated and it is massive," he added, warning that "in some regions in Germany intensive care beds are running out again." Germany, Europe's most populous country with some 83 million people... Читать дальше...

Updated 3pm Konrad Mizzi finally appeared before a parliamentary committee on Wednesday to answer questions about the Electrogas power station deal, and left 90 minutes later without having answered a single one.  Instead, a fired-up Mizzi lashed out at former Nationalist Party administrations, boasted about his role in slashing utility prices and mocked committee chair and PN MP Beppe Fenech Adami as “your royal highness”. The former energy minister howed up for the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meeting at 2pm on Wednesday... Читать дальше...

Gżira United suffered another major blow following news that wing back Thiago Espindola is set for a long spell on the sidelines due to a knee injury. The Maroons have already lost two key players to long-term injury this season as Ricardo Correa suffered a serious knee ligament injury that ruled him out for the rest of the season. Then last month Steve Borg ruptured his adductor tendon and was ruled out for at least three months. Coach Darren Abdilla is set to be without Thiago Espindola who... Читать дальше...

French Catholic bishops kicked off their annual conference on Tuesday, set to pour over a shock report last month that detailed massive child abuse of 216,00 minors spanning 70 years. The 120 bishops from across France are to devote nearly half their week-long meeting to "the fight against violence and sexual aggression directed at minors", according to the published agenda. Some victims were invited to join the meeting, but many declined, denouncing the decision to make the sexual abuse scandal... Читать дальше...

A group of 30 people missed their flight to Dubai on Monday after getting caught in a traffic jam that turned a 20-minute journey into a 90-minute nightmare. Lara Grima Baldacchino recounted how she and her family eventually abandoned their taxi in Mqabba and ran to the airport but still didn't make it in time. “It was literally standstill for over an hour, it was very shocking," she wrote on Facebook. Maltese Roads Traffic Updates said the main road to Ħal Farruġ was closed following an oil spill... Читать дальше...

Update 3.40pm A woman and two children were slightly injured on Wednesday in a traffic accident in Naxxar. The police said that the accident happened in Triq tal-Balal at around 12.30pm. The woman was driving a Hyundai I10 that was involved in a collision with a Mitsubishi Lancer that was being driven by a 20-year-old from Marsascala. The two children, aged 14 and 11, were passengers in the Hyundai.  A parked BMW X3 was also hit and a wall collapsed as a result of the accident, the police said, adding the wall was in a dangerous state. Читать дальше...