Новости за 12.11.2021

US businessman Glen de Vries, who flew into space with "Star Trek" actor William Shatner on last month's Blue Origin flight, has died in a plane crash, police said Friday. The small aircraft came down in Hampton Township, New Jersey, about 95 kilometres west of New York City, shortly before 3pm (1900 GMT) on Thursday, a spokesman for New Jersey state police told AFP. "There are two confirmed fatalities," the spokesman said, naming de Vries, 49, and 54-year-old Thomas Fischer. "The FAA (Federal... Читать дальше...

A suspect mugger’s arrest was declared invalid by a court that ordered his immediate release following his arraignment on Friday evening. Simon Leyton Rachid, a 20-year-old Santa Venera resident, landed under police custody on Thursday when he voluntarily went to the police station shortly after the early morning mugging.  On Friday evening, the man was escorted to court to face charges over his alleged complicity in three armed hold-ups, the last of which took place at around 4am on Thursday... Читать дальше...

Former Malta and Birkirkara midfielder Gareth Sciberras opened up on his experiences as a football player with Ben Camille in this week’s edition of GAME ON. Sciberras has enjoyed a very successful playing career which saw him with several domestic honours with Marsaxlokk and Birkirkara as well as establishing himself as a key member of the Malta national team. Looking back on his career, Sciberras said that every trophy he won with his club was a red-letter chapter in his career and singles... Читать дальше...

Updated with PL statement The Cannabis Reform Bill will normalise and increase drug abuse, the Nationalist Party’s parliamentary group agreed on Friday. It said in a statement that it discussed the bill during a meeting following wide consultation with societies, organisations and individuals working with victims. The group said that in 2015 the country made a step forward when it passed through Parliament, with the PN’s support, the means for one to be able to use cannabis without being considered a criminal and ending up in prison. Читать дальше...

Prime Minister Robert Abela on Friday attended the Paris Peace Forum and took part in an international conference on Libya hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron. The conference urged Tripoli to hold "free" and "credible" elections from December 24, when presidential polls are scheduled. In a statement after the meeting in Paris, attended by heads of state, government and foreign ministers, they also threatened sanctions against so-called "spoilers" who sought to impede the smooth conduct of the polls... Читать дальше...

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday appealed to richer countries to place more "cash on the table" to secure a climate breakthrough in the closing hours of COP26 in Glasgow. Poorer countries have balked at demands to do more to curb their own emissions, without promised financial support to transition away from fossil fuels and to adapt to the accelerating impacts of climate change. The deadlock threatens to push COP26 into weekend overtime, past its scheduled end on Friday evening. Читать дальше...

Lewis Hamilton’s hopes of an eighth world title suffered a fresh blow Friday when he was penalised five places on the Brazil GP grid for taking an engine change on his Mercedes. The British driver, who is 19 points behind Max Verstappen in the championship with four races left, had already experienced four engine changes this season. “Lewis has taken a new Internal Combustion Engine for this event - his fifth of the season - and will take a five-place grid penalty for Sunday’s #BrazilGP,” his Mercedes team tweeted. Читать дальше...

Fewer COVID-19 restrictions made October the best performing month at Malta International Airport since the outbreak of the pandemic. But, at 429,426, passenger numbers were still 39.1% below October 2019 levels. The airport said the decline in passenger numbers over October 2019 was registered in parallel with a drop of 28.5% in aircraft movements and a 27.7% drop in seat capacity. Seat load factor stood at 69.3%, which translates into a drop of 13% compared to October 2019. The United Kingdom... Читать дальше...

Wearing a back brace, carrying crutches and sitting in a wheelchair, Jaiteh Lamin returned to the scene of a serious accident on Friday - along with the boss he says abandoned him on the road. The visit was part of the ongoing compilation of evidence against Glen Farrugia, who denies causing grievous bodily harm to his worker and breaching a series of health and safety regulations.  Lamin was found injured on the side of nearby Selmun Road in September. He was allegedly dumped there by Farrugia... Читать дальше...

German airline Lufthansa said on Friday that it had finished repaying a €9 billion government bailout that saved it from bankruptcy at the height of pandemic travel curbs. The repayment of the final tranche was completed “much earlier than planned”, Lufthansa said in a statement, thanks to cost-cutting measures, a capital increase and rising demand for air travel after countries eased their coronavirus restrictions. The German government is set to sell the stake it took in Lufthansa as part of the rescue deal by October 2023... Читать дальше...

More than 80% of respondents in a national study do not know what parental alienation means with just 3.4% defining the term correctly. The study - Parental Alienation The Maltese Scenario - was commissioned by a technical committee set up by the government in January to raise awareness about parental alienation. It was carried out by Vincent Marmara who questioned 600 respondents.  Parental alienation is when one parent manipulates a child to reject the other parent. This can be done by blocking... Читать дальше...

The attorney general’s office has failed in its bid to revoke bail granted to Yorgen Fenech in money laundering proceedings after the criminal court declared that the magistrate’s decision was “reasoned” and balanced. Even though bail in this case has been confirmed, Fenech remains in custody in view of his other criminal proceedings, including being charged with conspiracy to murder journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. In a decree delivered on Friday, Mr Justice Giovanni Grixti ruled that the magistrates'... Читать дальше...

Two people rescued from rough waves in Sliema on Wednesday evening are in stable condition and only suffered minor injuries.   A police spokesperson confirmed with Times of Malta on Friday that the two people -  a 37-year-old Libyan man, and a 14-year-old Chinese boy - are both doing well.   That day, strong southeast winds had been whipping up waves and a dangerous swell around the east coast since the afternoon.  The Libyan is understood to have been dragged in by the waves near the former Chalet... Читать дальше...

School Christmas concerts will be allowed to go ahead this year, however students cannot mingle with the audience and those in attendance must be fully vaccinated and wear masks.  Health Minister Chris Fearne made the announcement as he was giving an update on the COVID-19 situation on Friday.  "The concerts can be held, but unlike in the past, we cannot have angels and St Joseph walking around the audience," he said, acknowledging the importance of the events for those with small children.  ... Читать дальше...

Maltese Olympic Committee president Julian Pace Bonello announced that this will be his last term in office at the local governing body of elite sport but vowed to do everything in his power to help athletes fulfil their potential ahead of key international events. This week, Pace Bonello won a third successive term in office after he managed to stave off the challenge of Dr Kirill Micallef Stafrace. The former Malta Tenpin Bowling Federation president said that he was grateful to receive the... Читать дальше...

Plan B answers the question, what two things should not be caught in the same room? Apparently, it’s Adam Sandler’s juvenile lack of wit combined with a weak attempt at a promising friendship that has no chemistry.  If raunchy teen comedies have taught us anything, the most important aspect in a teenager’s life is their social status. It doesn’t matter who is leading the country or what is happening in some faraway third-world country, the pubescent priority list is all about popularity and, subsequently, who to go out with. Читать дальше...

Once a symbol of Japan's advanced technology and economic power, Toshiba has been rocked by turbulence in recent years, and on Friday said it plans to split into three firms. The industrial giant dates back to 1875 when its forerunner, a telegraph factory, operated in central Tokyo. During Japan's tech boom of the 1980s, it developed into a vast conglomerate with businesses ranging from chip manufacturing equipment and escalators to storage devices and nuclear plants. Here AFP charts Toshiba's recent highs and lows... Читать дальше...

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis: 'Partial lockdown' in Netherlands Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte is to announce new restrictions, reportedly including Western Europe's first "partial lockdown" of the autumn, as cases hit record levels. Norway goes back to curbs Norway is reintroducing virus curbs short of a lockdown and authorising towns to use health passes as it tries to stop a spike in cases. Mauritius gets tough too The Indian Ocean island paradise of Mauritius... Читать дальше...

Following a strong second quarter of 2021, investors seem to have anticipated deceleration in company profit growth as the world continues to grapple with COVID-19. These rather pessimistic expectations have on average been beaten in Europe. Across the board, in Q3 2021 Eurostoxx 50 companies have reported a cca. 4.8 per cent positive surprise on the top line that translated to a 9 per cent surprise increase in net income overall – a more bullish scenario that had originally been priced in by investors. Читать дальше...

The European Commission has approved an €800,000 Maltese scheme to support fishing vessel owners affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme was approved under the State Aid Temporary Framework. Under the scheme, public support will take the form of direct grants. The aid amount per beneficiary will be calculated by multiplying the amount of fish (in kg) caught in 2020 by €0.98, up to a maximum of €5,000 per vessel. The measure will partially address the loss of income suffered by the beneficiaries... Читать дальше...

The public is invited to a live lecture at 6.30 pm on Thursday, November 18, about art related to pandemics. The horrors of the coronovirus pandemic have, just as in previous centuries, been a source of inspiration to countless artists. In contrast to the altarpieces and the secular paintings of the plague and previous epidemics, our pandemic has led to an outpouring of remarkable street art. Lecturer James Grant This lecture looks at the fascinating similarities and differences in pandemic artistic output over the centuries. Читать дальше...

Former home affairs minister Manuel Mallia has been approved by London as Malta's next UK High Commissioner.  Mallia was nominated by the Maltese government in June and takes over from Joseph Cole.  Government sources said the former home affairs minister passed through a "rigorous" due diligence and security clearance review by UK authorities in recent months.   Some media reports speculated in recent weeks that diplomatic trouble was brewing between Malta and the UK after London stalled on giving Mallia the green light. Читать дальше...

Japan's advanced technology has placed the country ahead of the world's gaming industry. It established one of the earliest gaming markets. Today, Japan boasts the third-largest markets worldwide, with China in the lead and the US coming second. The country's technological advancements have seen the development of giant gaming brands. Undeniably, gaming holds a special place in Japan. It contributes to the culture, besides the country's economy. Therefore, the general population spends plenty of time on mobile and online games. Читать дальше...

The heavy scorelines of the past came back to haunt the Malta national team after the 7-1 defeat at the hands of 2018 World Cup runners-up Croatia, on Thursday. The six-goal deficit defeat followed last month’s 4-0 stumble against Slovenia which marred the Maltese progress in these qualifications. The Croatia performance has fuelled further disappointment in the general public, in particular due to the technical mistakes and the attitude shown which led to majority of the goals. It was the... Читать дальше...

Updated 12.50pm with BirdLife Malta's reaction Brussels on Friday announced it is taking Malta to the European Court for violating a ban on bird trapping.   The legal action comes after trappers have been participating in a catch-and-release ‘study’, despite the Commission having warned Malta to stop the practice or face possible court action. The scheme was first introduced last year after the European Commission effectively banned a regular season. On Thursday Times of Malta reported that the... Читать дальше...