Новости за 26.11.2021

Former MEP Marlene Mizzi will not face criminal action over an insulting letter a judge who ruled against her in a libel suit received, a court ruled on Friday.  The matter dates back to February, when Mr Justice Lawrence Mintoff received a letter about an appeal judgment delivered last year in a libel suit filed by Mizzi against Casa. Mr Justice Mintoff had ruled against Mizzi in that case, noting that MEPs had to expect "harsh and rigorous" scrutiny over their use of public funds.  The letter landed in the judge’s letterbox on February 17... Читать дальше...

Regulators in China have asked ride-hailing giant Didi to draw up a plan to delist from the United States over data concerns, a report said on Friday, as Beijing continues its tight scrutiny of domestic tech giants. Over the past year, several of the country’s biggest companies – including Alibaba, Tencent and Meituan – have been swept up in a regulatory crackdown that has clipped the wings of major internet firms wielding massive influence on consumers’ daily lives. A mammoth New York debut in... Читать дальше...

A Nationalist government will revise public sector salary scales, the PN said on Friday.  Nationalist MP Joseph Ellis said the party was promising to make salaries in the public sector more attractive and more in line with market realities today.  He did not give further details of how the salaries would increase.  The party is also proposing better performance bonuses for public sector workers will be introduced while work experience and in-work training will be recognised for career progression. Читать дальше...

Stock markets and oil prices plunged on Friday over fears of a new coronavirus variant that scientists warn could be more infectious than Delta and more resistant to vaccines, potentially dealing a heavy blow to the global economic recovery. Haven investments the yen and Swiss franc rallied but the dollar floundered. Share prices of airlines and tourism groups dived as countries put in new travel restrictions, while there were big losses also for energy groups. “Stock markets fell sharply... as... Читать дальше...

The Planning Authority has approved the construction of a contested block of flats in rural Sannat, Gozo. The application to turn a rural site into 29 flats with 20 underlying garages and a pool on Triq ta’ Bebunaq and Triq it-Tempju tal-Imramma has been fronted by well-known Gozitan developer Joseph Vella and architect Saviour Micallef. Appellants had argued that the application could not be judged in a vacuum, as it forms part of an attempt to fragment a mega-development consisting of two other planning applications... Читать дальше...

Erling Haaland is set to make a surprise return for Borussia Dortmund this weekend after a five-week absence with a leg injury, his coach Marco Rose said on Friday. The 21-year-old Norwegian, who has scored 18 goals in 13 games this season for club and country, missed crucial matches as Dortmund were knocked out of the Champions League and Norway failed to qualify for the World Cup. But he could be in line to return on Saturday at Wolfsburg, albeit as a substitute. “He’ll be on the bus. He feels good... Читать дальше...

A biodiesel production facility in Ħal Far was given the green light by the environment watchdog on Friday.   Oil Blenders Ltd will be allowed to add the production facility and a bio plant to its existing factory in the Ħal Far industrial estate.  In a statement, the Environment and Resources Authority said it had held a meeting in public to conclude an environmental impact assessment process on the proposal, which also includes the installation of PV panels on the facility’s roof. The EIA report... Читать дальше...

King Richard sets out to reform the Williams sisters’ media-hogging father with a lively cast and an apologetic lens. Smith adds empathy to an already criticized figure, once again stealing the limelight away from his protagonistic daughters. It comes as no surprise that the power pairing of Venus and Serena Williams finally has its own dramatized biopic. At first, hearing about King Richard left me a little confused; I would love to see the rise of two of the best players to have ever graced the sport... Читать дальше...

Finance Minister Clyde Caruana said that building aesthetics will be factored in to a new scheme offering tax relief on the purchase and restoration of old properties. Addressing a press conference, Caruana said the budget measure, which offers tax exemptions on the purchase of old properties, officially came in to force on Friday. The exemptions on capital gains and stamp duty apply to the purchase of properties that are more than 20 years old and have been vacant for seven years or more, as... Читать дальше...

Valletta FC’s complaint against the result of their Premier League match against Sliema Wanderers last weekend was upheld by the Malta FA Protest Board on Friday. The Wanderers had won the match 2-1 at the National Stadium but earlier this week, Valletta FC filed a protest at the Malta FA offices against the result of the match as they contended that Sliema’s Hassan Warsana was ineligible to play in the match. Valletta contended that the Djibouti player was ineligible to play in the match as he... Читать дальше...

Investigations by a global EUROPOL task force, including Maltese officers, have identified 18 child victims of sexual abuse and led to the arrest of two offenders. Nine of the young victims have already been rescued by the authorities, with investigations ongoing to safeguard the others. Between October 25 and November 5 of this year, experts from 26 countries combed through some 580 sets of images and video files depicting unknown victims of child sexual abuse, some as young as a few days old. Читать дальше...

A motorbike parked on Princess Margaret Street, Ta' Xbiex, caught fire on Friday. By the time officers could put out the fire, the flames had spread to a car parked next to it. Nobody was injured in the incident, a police spokesperson said. The road was temporarily closed to traffic.  Video: Chris Sant Fournier

A man who landed in trouble with seven police officers, punching one of them in the nose, was granted bail after pleading not guilty to a string of offences on Friday. Roderick Schembri, a 36-year old Birżebbuġa resident who informed the court that he was currently jobless, ended up in the middle of a commotion that broke out on Sunday afternoon at a bar in his hometown.  Police turned up at the bar following a report about some trouble by a drunken customer.  But when an officer tried to control the situation... Читать дальше...

Ralf Rangnick is poised to take over as interim manager of Premier League giants Manchester United, after his lawyer said Friday the contract is being finalised. Rangnick’s legal representative confirmed to AFP subsidiary SID that the final points of the deal are being ironed out. The 63-year-old Rangnick is currently head of sports and development at Russian club Lokomotiv Moscow. The German is poised to take over at Old Trafford until the end of the season after the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer... Читать дальше...

A man and a woman, both aged 77, have died while positive for COVID-19, the health authorities said on Friday. Their deaths bring this week's COVID-linked death toll to six. So far, 468 people have died while positive for the virus. Meanwhile, a further 56 people tested positive for the virus overnight, while 58 recovered. The number of known active cases in Malta stands at 1,003, with 12 people receiving treatment in hospital, including two in intensive care. According to the same government data... Читать дальше...

The first phase of the regeneration project overhauling the Ta Qali national park has been completed, with the opening of a refurbished playground.  Dubbed an "adventure park" by Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg, the park features playground equipment for young children, with new lighting and irrigation systems as well as bathrooms.  Inaugurating the park on Friday morning, Borg said that the park had been left in a state of disrepair and that few families continued to enjoy it as it was.  “This... Читать дальше...

Government revenue in the first 10 months of the year recovered to pre-pandemic levels, following a significant dip in 2020, according to national data. The National Statistics Office said on Friday that between January and October of this year, the country's recurrent revenue reached €4,017.5 million - 21.1 per cent higher than the €3,318.3 million reported in 2020. This compares to €3,940.1 in 2019, just before the pandemic devastated the whole world.  The largest increase, when compared to 2020... Читать дальше...

Updated 3.20pm With Black Friday sales in full swing across Malta, the sight of customers queuing up for hours and early traffic jams seem to be a thing of the past. Just two years ago, eager customers would spend hours queuing and waiting on Black Friday morning to bag a bargain or two. Roads used to be jam-packed, as eager shoppers would spend the day hopping from one outlet after another.  This Friday morning was a completely different scenario. In Valley Road, Birkirkara, retail outlets were preparing Black Friday promotion signs... Читать дальше...

Updated at 2.35pm with police statement.  A dead body was found off Filfa on Friday.  The grim discovery was reported to the police around 10.30am on Friday morning.  Contacted soon after the body was first found, a police spokesperson said no further details were available as the body had not yet been recovered. In a statement on Friday afternoon, the police said they were still trying to identify the identiy of the dead person. The body was taken to an armed force base at Hay Wharf in Valletta. Читать дальше...

Last week, Facebook rightly erupted with shock when Times of Malta reported that passers-by not only filmed a man who was standing dangerously at the edge of the bastion in Valletta, clearly agitated, but also jeered and egged him on to jump. One of these brutes was even heard to hurry him on because she was late for work. The banality of evil personified. Many resorted to social media and online platforms to voice their alarm at the sorry state of the nation. Some friends who have never ever... Читать дальше...

Obituary MIFSUD. On November 23, at Mater Dei Hospital, GIOVANNA of Ħamrun, aged 102, passed away peacefully comforted by the rites of the Holy Church. She will be greatly missed by her children Dorothy, widow of Alfred Abela, Peter and his wife Pauline, Mary, widow of her son Paul Mifsud Cremona, her grandchildren Christine, Caroline, Stephen, Karl, Roberta, Robert, Claudine and their families, other relatives and friends.The funeral cortège leaves Mater Dei Hospital tomorrow, Saturday, November 27... Читать дальше...

If Robert Abela expects to be convincing when saying he is seeking to reform this country, he must discontinue the ‘continuity’ he spoke about when he accepted Joseph Muscat’s poisoned chalice. As a fish rots from the head down, both as prime minister and as leader of the country’s largest political party, he must do some serious soul-searching, walk the talk and ensure the country and all its institutions are firmly back on track. It was 22 long months ago when he spoke about continuity. A devastating... Читать дальше...

Situations vacant Over 1,000 young men and women wanted to work in a vineyard. Very poor working conditions. Salary: less than the minimum wage. Moreover, workers will have to be ready to face insults, ridicule and run the risk of being branded ‘old-fashioned’. No insurance, pension scheme or bonus. Workers should not expect to see the fruits of their labour but will have the consolation of being in the service of the Lord. For further details apply: the Seminary, your nearest convent or your parish priest. Читать дальше...

As I write this, Xlendi sits in air filled with the dusty remnants of the last iconic boathouse that once graced its shores. As is required of us, we must, once again, simply accept the fact that something beloved and full of character, something beautifully Maltese, has been taken away from us. Once again, someone has decided that it was okay to continue chiselling down our island, only to make way for cheap blocks that encourage packing people into boxes like disillusioned sardines. In other news... Читать дальше...

The Socialists and Democrats “do not know yet” whether the group will seek to hold onto the European Parliament’s presidency for a second term, Times of Malta has been told. Nationalist Party MEP Roberta Metsola was on Wednesday confirmed as the candidate of choice of her own group, the European People’s Party (EPP). She won a three-way race with an overwhelming majority and, if elected president, she would hold the highest-ever EU role for any Maltese national. But while many rushed to congratulate the MEP on her achievement... Читать дальше...