Новости за 18.12.2021

Kemar Reid’s last-gasp penalty settled an eventful match against Mosta and delivered a huge boost to Sirens’ hopes of avoiding relegation. In a topsy-turvy game, which saw Mosta cancel out Sirens’ two-goal cushion with a second-half surge, Reid made the decisive contribution when he buried his shot behind Christoffer Mafoumbi. It looked like both sides would have settled for a point but that late twist not only provided a huge morale lift to Sirens but placed them sixth as they leapfrogged  Gzira and Balzan. Читать дальше...

Denmark’s club AaB Aalborg are set to be the highlight of the annual Tipsport Malta Cup that will be held for the fourth consecutive year on Maltese islands between January 16 and January 25. In recent days, the club’s Sporting Director Inge Andre Olsen visited the training facilities in person ahead of AaB’s training camp in January and heaped praise on the environment that will host his club in the next weeks. Continue reading this article on Sports Desk.

Arsenal consolidated their position in the Premier League’s top four with a 4-1 rout of Leeds in the only Premier League match on Saturday to survive a wave of coronavirus postponements. Two goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka’s deflected strike put the Gunners 3-0 up before half-time. Raphinha’s penalty pulled a goal back, but Emile Smith Rowe rounded off a miserable week for Leeds after their 7-0 thrashing at Manchester City on Tuesday. Continue reading this article on Sports Desk.

‘Tis the season when many a consumer gets the urge to spend and splurge on all sorts, both the necessary and the unnecessary. The act of carefully inspecting the object about to be purchased and asking about the store’s return policy one last time before swiping that card is the joy of consumerism. However, no matter how careful one is with their examination, some defects simply remain undetected, becoming evident only upon use of the object. It is helpful to imagine a person purchasing a car. Читать дальше...

Nature Trust – FEE Malta welcomed an initiative aimed at recovering lost fishing gear out at sea, launched by the agriculture and fisheries ministry. "This EU funded initiative is very welcoming news as it will not only help in decreasing marine debris in our sea but will save hundreds of marine animals from deaths or injuries caused often by ghost fishing equipment that would have gone missing for fishermen," Nature Trust said. The environmental group said the scheme represented a "win-win situation"... Читать дальше...

Teddy Teuma’s Royal Union St Gilloise’s needed a last-gasp winner to earn a 3-2 comeback victory over Cercle Brugge in the Belgian Pro Jupiler League, on Saturday. The Malta international captained his team from the start as Cercle Brugge opened a two-goal lead in the opening 45 minutes. Continue reading this article on Sports Desk. 

The Nationalist Party on Saturday called on the government to withdraw the newly passed legal notice legalising the recreational use of cannabis, pledging to use "all possible Parliamentary means" to have it scrapped.  A party spokesman said the legislation should be withdrawn until the necessary legal structures were in place to allow cannabis to be sold legally, which is not yet the case. "Not only is Robert Abela not reducing the scope for trafficking, but he has just created the largest market... Читать дальше...

Parents whose children miss out on childcare because they have to quarantine will not be penalised by a system that ‘fines’ those who fail to turn up for more than a quarter of their booked nursery sessions. The reintroduction of the measure – planned for January – has angered several parents who benefit from the government scheme which provides free childcare services to working or studying parents. Each child is entitled to miss 25 per cent of their booked childcare hours per month. If they miss more than that... Читать дальше...

Tammy Abraham struck twice as Roma ran out 4-1 winners at fancied Atalanta on Saturday, in the biggest win for Jose Mourinho since returning to Serie A. Abraham opened the scoring with less than a minute on the clock at the Gewiss Stadium and rounded off the match late on as Roma closed the gap between them and the Champions League places to five points. Nicolo Zaniolo and Abraham’s countryman Chris Smalling also netted in an impressive win, their first against one of Italy’s top teams this season... Читать дальше...

The Netherlands will go into "lockdown" over the Christmas period to try to stop a surge of the Omicron coronavirus variant, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Saturday. All non-essential shops, restaurants, bars, cinemas, museums and theatres must shut from Sunday until January 14, while schools must close until at least January 9, Rutte said. The number of guests that people are allowed in their house is also being cut from four to two, except for Christmas Day on December 25. "I stand here... Читать дальше...

London mayor Sadiq Khan on Saturday declared a "major incident" in the British capital due to the spread of the Omicron variant. More than 65,000 new cases were confirmed in London over the past seven days, and 26,418 cases reported in the last 24 hours -– the highest number since the start of the pandemic. A major incident is defined as an event with a range of serious consequences which requires special arrangements to be implemented, and is aimed at helping authorities support each other to reduce service disruption in the city. Читать дальше...

Premier League strugglers Sliema Wanderers have continued to reinforce their squad in attempt to salvage their top-flight status after announcing the return of defender Oscar Linton. Linton, who hails from Panama, will be featuring for the Blues for the second time after playing 13 games in the first half of the 2020/2021 season. Afterwards, the 28-year-old left for Japan’s third-tier where he played for FC Imabari. Continue reading this article on Sports Desk. 

Mixed fortunes for two Malta women internationals after Emma Lipman’s Como Women eliminated Haley Bugeja’s Sassuolo from the Coppa Italia. A devastating blow for Bugeja’s Sassuolo who were tipped to be among the challengers for all domestic silverware, including the Italian Cup. On the other side, Como are currently leading the Serie B championship with Lipman playing a key part in her team’s positive run. Continue reading this article on Sports Desk.

President George Vella exchanged traditional season's greetings with the country's dignitaries at the Presidential Palace in Valletta on Saturday.  The President and his wife Miriam met with Prime Minister Robert Abela and his wife Lydia, together with their daughter Giorgia Mae.  The President also hosted Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna, Speaker of the House of Representatives Anġlu Farrugia, Chief Justice Mark Chetcuti, and Leader of the Opposition Bernard Grech. Bernard Grech and his wife Anne... Читать дальше...

GŻIRA UNITED 2 Jefferson 35, Maxuell 39 pen. SANTA LUCIA 2 Zerafa 2, Rodrigues 30 GŻIRA UNITED D. Radelic-5.5, G. Bohrer-5, L. Tabone, N. Muscat-5, S. Pisani-6, Z. Scerri-5, Y. Messias-6, N. Portelli-6.5, M. Maia-6, Jefferson-5.5, J. Mendoza-7.5 SANTA LUCIA J. Archibald-5, A. Prates-7, J. Pisani-5.5, N. Pulis-6, G. Conti-6.5, V. Plut-6 (78 L. McKay), F. Rodrigues-6, J. Tanti-5.5 (65 P. Mota), V. Filho, J. Zerafa-6 (72 A. Vella), D. Xuereb-6. Referee: Etienne Mangion. Yellow cards: Conti... Читать дальше...

To help spread the joy and cheer of Christmas, APS Bank offices and branches have this year again been adorned with a range of decorative ideas, from architectural lighting at head office to Christmas trees and decorations of various kinds. The festive ambience is further spirited with an abundance of poinsettia plants, purchased in aid of Hospice Malta.  This year a special display has been set up at the APS Hub in St Julian’s, where a nativity scene has been created by children who make use... Читать дальше...

The “contradictory” behaviour of some politicians, especially after the re-introduction of mandatory mask-wearing outdoors, could prompt people to flout the regulations even if the COVID-19 situation worsens, College of Pathologists president James DeGaetano has warned. Times of Malta reached out to him after videos of an event organised by Economy Minister Silvio Schembri were shared on social media. In it, a group of people can be seen standing around tables waving red flags and singing,  most of them maskless. Читать дальше...

Aston Villa’s home match with Burnley has been postponed due to a coronavirus outbreak in the Villa squad, leaving just one Premier League fixture on the schedule for Saturday. Just four games are now due to be played this weekend out of the original 10 -- Leeds v Arsenal is still scheduled to go ahead on Saturday, kicking off at 1730 GMT. “Due to more positive cases in the Aston Villa squad today, the Premier League Board has regrettably had to postpone the club’s home fixture against Burnley... Читать дальше...

Christopher Siegersma will be the first Commissioner for Welfare and Development of Prisoners the government announced on Saturday.  The prisoner welfare position was introduced following the conclusion of an inquiry that looked into the way Corradino Correctional Facility is being run.  The inquiry, published on Friday, came on the back of a string of prisoner suicides and led to the replacement of controversial prisons director Alex Dalli.  In a statement on Saturday, the Home Affairs Ministry said that Siegersma... Читать дальше...

Updated 3pm Malta has refused to provide a safe port to more than 200 people rescued within its search-and-rescue area this week. The 233 people, including four pregnant women and eight children, two of whom suffering bone fractures, were rescued in four operations between Thursday and Friday. Times of Malta is informed that Maltese authorities turned down a request for disembarkation from German NGO Sea-Eye on Saturday afternoon.   In a reply to the group’s request for assistance, the Armed Forces... Читать дальше...

Manchester United Women will not travel to Malta for their short winter training camp due to the spike in COVID-19 cases in the UK, the Times of Malta can confirm. Last month, this website had reported that the talks between the Malta Tourism Authority and the Women’s Super League side were in an advanced stage and that there was huge optimism about the Red Devils heading over to the Maltese shores. During their five-day training camp, Manchester United Women were expected to meet Malta’s Birkirkara... Читать дальше...

The public has been urged not to consume two food seasoning products as they are contaminated with an unregulated pesticide.   In a statement on Saturday, the Environmental Health Directorate urged the public not to consume Chicken Spices and Black Pepper Seeds produced by Abido Spices.  The products come in 50g packets and expire in 2023. The affected lots are 5254 and 5198.   The products contain ethylene oxide, a pesticide that is not permitted for use in foods sold in the EU but is approved for use by other countries outside the EU. Читать дальше...

The Muslim community in Malta has donated a number of festive treats to an association representing the elderly.   In a statement on Saturday, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Malta, a Muslim community group, said it had donated a number of festive panettone cakes to Nanniet Malta, an NGO representing local grandparents.   The Muslim group said it wanted to “extend a hand of friendship” and handed over the consignment of goodies to Philip Michael Chircop, founder and president of Nanniet Malta to spread the holiday cheer. Читать дальше...

By 2025 the arts council is hoping to be able to financially back artists on a research sabbatical, launch a local ‘Dragon’s Den’-style investment event for the arts and advocate for more equitable funding. These are among 70 proposals listed in a draft strategy leading to 2025 published by Arts Council Malta this week. The public has until the beginning of February to provide feedback about the council's plans.  The document was launched following consultation with 200 people over nine months... Читать дальше...

A factory worker was grievously hurt on Saturday morning when his hand got caught in a conveyor belt. The 27-year-old, who is from Mali and lives from Luqa, was injured at 11am while working at the Valletta Road, Luqa factory. He was given medical treatment at the factory and then taken to Mater Dei Hospital by ambulance for further treatment. The police said that they are investigating the case further.