Новости за 14.12.2021

Bayern Munich opened a nine-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga on Tuesday as Serge Gnabry claimed a hat-trick and Robert Lewandowski scored twice in a 5-0 rout at strugglers Stuttgart.  Gnabry scored either side of half-time before the flood gates opened with three goals in a devastating five-minute spell including two by Lewandowski in quick succession. Bayern head coach Julian Nagelsmann promised to supply beers for the ride home - “we always have a crate on the bus” – then poured praise on Gnabry ... Читать дальше...

The European socialists have decided not to field a candidate for the presidency of the European parliament next month, potentially opening the door for the election of Maltese MEP Roberta Metsola, according to unconfirmed international media reports. The post is currently held by socialist David Sassoli, who will not seek re-election. "I don't want to split the pro-European front" Huffingtonpost Italia has reported Sassoli as saying. Spain's Eldiario said the socialists are likely to support... Читать дальше...

Malta women’s striker Haley Bugeja has been named as the best player in the Italian Serie A Femminile. The Sassuolo striker was honoured by L Football, an Italy-based publication that specializes in women’s football. In her first comments, Bugeja could not hide her satisfaction at winning this award. “I am really happy to win this important award,” the young striker said just a few minutes after her presentation. This is the latest accolade won by Bugeja after earlier this month she was selected... Читать дальше...

Two Maltese elite athletes – Dillon Cassar and Lisa Bezzina, together with two of Malta’s upcoming prospects, David Borg and Gabriel Farrugia, took part in this year’s SPAR Cross-Country European Championships held in Findal, Dublin, on the Sport Ireland Campus. This was an important experience for the Maltese athletes, who shared the stage with some of Europe’s most well-known athletes, such as Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who won the senior male race, having earlier this summer claimed Olympic gold in the 1,500m race. Читать дальше...

A woman who was sought by the police for alleged money laundering was arrested on Tal-Barrani road by officers who drew their weapons, a court heared on Thursday. Florinda Sultana, was arrested late one November night last year when the car she was seated in as passenger was blocked by armed police officers. Details of the arrest emerged in court when money laundering proceedings resumed against Sultana and former bank official Albert Buttigieg who formerly fronted companies operating the Porticello... Читать дальше...

A senior Barcelona youth coach, Albert Benaiges, is being investigated in relation to multiple complaints of sexual abuse at a public school where he taught, Spanish police said Tuesday. Catalonia’s regional police force, Mossos d’Esquadra, has received “several” formal complaints against Benaiges, a spokesman for the force told AFP, without providing further details. “An investigation has been opened, the affair is not closed and police expect to receive a certain number of complaints,” he added. Читать дальше...

The UK is to drop 11 African countries including South Africa from its "red list" barring incoming travel, ministers said Tuesday. From 0400 GMT on Wednesday, all will be removed from the list, said Transport Secretary Grant Shapps. The UK government had responded to the identification of the Omicron variant in South Africa by banning travel from 10 southern African countries and Nigeria. Currently, only people who are British or Irish citizens or have UK residence rights can fly in from the red-listed countries... Читать дальше...

New rules on cannabis use were formally approved in parliament on Tuesday afternoon, heralding a new era for users of the substance.   From new private cannabis clubs to a regulatory authority and home growing, here’s what you need to know about the new law, which will come into force once it is signed by President George Vella.    Has cannabis been fully legalised? No. The new law further decriminalises the substance after this process began a few years ago. In 2015, the government depenalised the substance... Читать дальше...

Parliament on Tuesday approved a cannabis law that will allow users to carry, buy and grow amounts of the drug, making Malta the first European country to introduce laws to regulate recreational cannabis use. MPs backed the Responsible Use of Cannabis bill by 36 votes to 27. All Labour MPs voted in favour of the bill while the opposition voted against it.  The reform must be signed into law by President George Vella - a process that usually happens within days of parliamentary votes.  Vella, a doctor by profession... Читать дальше...

An investigation by the Auditor General has exposed damning failures by the government in its deal with Vitals Global Healthcare.  Times of Malta takes a look at some of the key findings by the National Audit Office into the 2015 concessions which saw VGH take over the running of the St Luke's, Karin Grech and Gozo hospitals. 1) 'Impotence' in holding VGH to account In the 460-page report, the NAO found there were “critical departures” between what was expected by the government in the 2015 tender... Читать дальше...

The Gran Turismo game series has featured Porsche sports cars since 2017, most recently the Taycan Turbo S. For the launch of the game’s seventh edition, Porsche has, for the first time, developed a vehicle purely for the virtual world. The Porsche Vision Gran Turismo is the sports car manufacturer’s first concept study created specifically for use in a computer game. It will be available exclusively in Gran Turismo 7, which will be released on March 4, 2022 for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. Читать дальше...

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to strain relationships, unearthing unresolved issues and weighing couples down with health and financial worries, it also pushed more couples to seek help and address mental health issues, according to counsellor Matthew Bartolo. “Over the past year, those couples who had to seek help, did so. Some decided not to be together. Others worked on their relationships and grew stronger,” he said. “There was also a rise in couples seeking mental health support,... Читать дальше...

Updated 6.02 pm with Bernard Grech's reaction below - Former prime minister Lawrence Gonzi has added pressure on the Nationalist Party to commit itself to repeal recreational cannabis laws if it returns to government. Gonzi, who led the PN between 2004 and 2013, said that he was absolutely against the cannabis reform bill, approved by parliament on Tuesday. The new law will allow adult cannabis users to possess, buy and grow small quantities of the drug for recreational use. Smoking cannabis in public will remain against the law. Читать дальше...

Barcelona forward Sergio Aguero will make an announcement on his future on Wednesday following cardiac and respiratory difficulties suffered while playing in La Liga in October. Aguero will be accompanied at a press conference Wednesday by club president Joan Laporta, where local media say he will announce his retirement. The 33-year-old joined Barca from Manchester City in July after helping Argentina to win the Copa America. Just prior to his switch he suffered a bout of Covid-19, and on October... Читать дальше...

Malta has the highest rate of new HIV diagnoses among EU countries and continues to report an increase, while two-thirds are showing declines, according to the latest report on HIV/AIDS surveillance, based on 2020 figures. With a rate of 15.9 per 100,000 population, Malta was way above the 3.7 EU average, according to the new report, published jointly by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the World Health Organisation Regional Office for Europe to mark World Aids Day. Читать дальше...

Seventy-six people were fined for not wearing face coverings during the first weekend of new mask rules, police said on Tuesday. Anyone risks a €100 penalty if caught not wearing a mask outdoors after the rule was reintroduced on Saturday to curb COVID-19 cases. The number of fines issued was lower than in May, just before the rules for mask-wearing outdoors were removed, when police typically issued around  800 fines per week, or 114 a day to those caught breaching the law. Those fined can lower... Читать дальше...

The Maltese Diabetes Association has urged the health authorities to give persons living with chronic conditions like diabetes priority in the administration of the COVID-19 booster. "Such persons should avail themselves of the booster vaccine without further delay and before any other age groups. This is particularly relevant to those living with diabetes and who are much younger than the age groups announced recently," the association said.  Last year persons living with diabetes were given... Читать дальше...

Two shots of Pfizer's Covid vaccine offers around 70 percent protection against severe disease from Omicron, according to results of a study published Tuesday in South Africa.   The emergence of the highly mutated variant, first detected in South Africa last month, sparked fears that it could cause severe disease, be more contagious or could evade vaccines.  Early indicators suggest that it could be more transmissible, but promising data so far has suggested that vaccines still offer protection against Omicron. Читать дальше...

The UN on Tuesday officially recognised the 38 degrees Celsius measured in Siberia last year as a new record high for the Arctic, sounding "alarm bells" over climate change. The sweltering heat -- equivalent to 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit -- was seen on June 20, 2020 in the Russian town of Verkhoyansk, marking the highest temperature ever recorded above the Arctic Circle, the World Meteorological Organization said.   This is the first time the WMO has added record heat in the Arctic to its archive of extreme weather reports... Читать дальше...

The English Premier League on Monday reported 42 new Covid-19 cases, a record number since testing figures started being released in May 2020. Only a dozen cases were reported last week but coronavirus outbreaks have since hit several top-flight clubs, including Manchester United, whose game at Brentford on Tuesday is in danger of being postponed. “Between Monday 6 December and Sunday 12 December 3,805 players and club staff were tested for Covid-19. Of these, there were 42 new positive cases,” the Premier League said in a statement. Читать дальше...