Новости за 21.04.2017

Updated 12.29pm A national demonstration against corruption is being held by the Nationalist Party in Valletta next Sunday following fresh corruption allegations involving Prime Minister Joseph Muscat's family. The announcement follows allegations by journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia yesterday that Egrant, a secret company in Panama, is owned by Dr Muscat's wife Michelle. The Prime Minister has denied the allegations which he described as 'the biggest political lie in Malta's history'. He also asked... Читать дальше...

Arkansas has overcome a flurry of court challenges which derailed three other executions and put to death an inmate for the first time in nearly 12 years. Ledell Lee's execution was among eight originally scheduled before a lethal injection drug expires on April 30 - a plan which would have been the country's most ambitious since the death penalty was restored in 1976. Lee was pronounced dead at 11:56pm local time last night, four minutes before his death warrant was due to expire. The 51-year-old... Читать дальше...

They are homely, buck-toothed, pink, nearly hairless and just plain weird, but one of the many odd traits of rodents called naked mole-rats that live in subterranean bliss in the deserts of East Africa could someday be of great benefit to people. It has already been discovered that these unusual creatures never develop cancer and live for far longer than other mammals of their size, researchers have now revealed that naked mole-rats can survive for up to 18 minutes without oxygen. Scientists said yesterday the rodents... Читать дальше...

I'm going to take a bit of a different angle to the obvious with this Egrant fiasco. And it is a fiasco, make no mistake. It's all very well to say "we need proof". But when you have the owner of an Iranian bank and his risk manager making like Lupin with suspicious suitcases in the dead of the night - even as the person responsible for law enforcement on the island scoffs down a fenkata in Mġarr - some might say that moral proof is almost being handed to us on a silver plate.  At this stage, the... Читать дальше...

Premier League clubs’ revenues reached a new high of £3.6 billion last season, business advisory firm Deloitte said in its annual analysis while noting the clubs’ suffered record combined pre-tax losses of £110 million. A number of one-off costs contributed to the loss, after two years of profits, while the report noted that wage costs increased by 12 per cent to £2.3 billion. Dan Jones, head of the Sports Business Group at Deloitte, said Manchester clubs United and City alone were responsible for more than 50 per cent of the increase. Читать дальше...

Police officers and a duty magistrate are at Pilatus Bank offices in Ta' Xbiex as an inquiry into claims that Panama company Egrant is owned by the Prime Minister's wife began this morning.  The inquiry was requested by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat late yesterday, who has angrily denied the claims and said he will be suing Daphne Caruana Galizia, who first published the allegations on her blog.  READ: Muscat denies claims that his wife owns Egrant Earlier in the evening, a man and a woman were seen... Читать дальше...

Barcelona’s errors in last week’s 3-0 defeat by Juventus still weighed heavily on coach Luis Enrique’s mind after his side were held to a 0-0 draw in Wednesday’s quarter-final second leg which sealed their elimination from the Champions League. Paulo Dybala’s double and a Giorgio Chiellini header in Turin left Barca with a near-impossible task and despite firing plenty of shots at Gianluigi Buffon’s goal at the Nou Camp, they rarely looked capable of repeating their heroic comeback in the last 16 against Paris St Germain. Читать дальше...

Maltese singer Amber has been selected to open for Bruno Mars at a concert to be held in Birmingham this coming Monday. The 2015 Eurovision contestant will perform at the Barclaycard Arena as part of the pre-show to the concert. Mars' 24k Magic World Tour kicked off in Belgium last month and features concert dates across Europe as well as the USA and Canada.    "I can't believe I'm writing this," Amber wrote on her official Facebook page as she announced the news. "I am just super excited....somebody... Читать дальше...

Maybe many are familiar with The Economist’s Big Mac Index. According to The Economist itself, the Big Mac Index “offers a light-hearted guide to whether currencies are at their correct levels, according to the notion of purchasing-power parity”. We now have Doughnut Economics. The idea was created by Kate Raworth of Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute, in her book, Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist. Raworth reminds us in her book that economic growth was not... Читать дальше...

Marlene Farrugia’s Democratic Party collected more than €7,000 last year, six times more than the long-established Alternattiva Demokratika, official documents show. The PD’s income, however, includes a single source donation of €6,334, according to the annual return filed with the Electoral Commission. The party is not obliged to name the donor since the amount is below the €7,000 threshold set at law. Dr Farrugia gave birth to the PD last June after resigning from the Labour Party in November 2015. Читать дальше...

British shoppers could face an average tariff of 22 per cent on food from the European Union if Prime Minister Theresa May fails to reach a trade deal with Brussels before Britain leaves in two years’ time, retailers said yesterday. Nearly 80 per cent of British food imports come from EU member states and if no trade agreement is struck Britain and the EU would have to treat each other as WTO members. “Such a scenario would put upward pressure on consumer food prices,” said the British Retail Consortium... Читать дальше...

Chelsea and Tottenham lead the way in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year with four players each. Blues midfielder N’Golo Kante and winger Eden Hazard, both nominated for the PFA Player of the Year award, are included along with defensive duo Gary Cahill and David Luiz. Spurs, who currently trail leaders Chelsea by four points in the title race, are represented by midfielder Dele Alli and striker Harry Kane, as well as full-backs Danny Rose and Kyle Walker. Manchester United’s David De Gea gets the nod in goal... Читать дальше...

Cabinet has approved a blockchain strategy which would soon be issued for public consultation, making Malta one of the first countries in the world to have a national strategy, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said yesterday. Blockchain is the technology on which the Bitcoin cryptocurrency was built and is being seen by numerous thought leaders around the world as the foundation of the next big ‘industrial revolution’, offering substantial cost savings and efficiencies to a variety of transactions. Dr... Читать дальше...

Anticipation is heightening for the market release of Delicata’s Gran Cavalier Sauvignon Blanc DOK Malta of the latest 2016 vintage . This quality wine has found a steady following locally by lovers of aromatic white wines and become sought-after by restaurateurs. Especially discerning foreign scouting organisers of hospitality events seem to want to secure their cache of this unique wine well ahead of their lunches and dinners in Malta. So it is a common occurrence that this vintage wine, which is made only in tiny quantities... Читать дальше...

Investors are no longer expecting a rate rise from the European Central Bank by March 2018, money market pricing suggests, marking a sharp reversal in expectations for higher interest rates from just a month ago. ECB policymakers’ comments playing down the scope for near-term changes to monetary policy, along with falling inflation expectations, explain the reassessment. Money market rates tell the tale. Forward Eonia bank-to-bank rates – the best gauge – dated for the ECB meeting on March 8 next year stand at around minus 0.34 per cent... Читать дальше...

Allegations that mysterious Panama company Egrant is owned by the Prime Minister's wife dominate the front pages of today's local newspapers.  The Times of Malta reports the Prime Minister's denial of the claims, and also publishes news that Marlene Farrugia's Partit Demokratiku and anti-immigrant group Moviment Patrijotti Maltin both managed to collect more in donations than Alternattiva Demokratika last year. The Malta Independent also reports on the Egrant-related allegations, with BBC journalist... Читать дальше...

The news that the president of the Malta Developers Association, Sandro Chetcuti, was asked by both major political parties to run for election on their ticket was as shocking as it was revealing. That Mr Chetcuti has turned down both invitations from the Nationalist and Labour parties comes as a relief to many, given the construction industry’s already strong lobby with politicians. Labour’s invitation was not surprising because Mr Chetcuti’s past political loyalties are well known, as is the party’s links to the construction industry. Читать дальше...

Everton’s Ronald Koeman wants to keep Romelu Lukaku, saying the Premier League’s top scorer has improved significantly since he became the Merseyside club’s manager at the start of the season. British media reported this week that Everton were asking a world record fee of £100 million for the 23-year-old Belgian international, who has scored 24 league goals in this campaign. “He’s now a better striker for the team than he was at this time last year,” Koeman told a news conference. “If someone’s interested... Читать дальше...

Oratory Youths and Għajnsielem are through to the semi-finals of the GFA Cup following victories over Qala Saints and SK Victoria Wanderers respectively. The Youths registered a 5-0 win over Division Two side Qala Saints. This was a dominant performance from Qala who outplayed their opponents and could have scored a more pronounced victory as they also had efforts that came off the woodwork. Bartomeu Perello Palou put Qala ahead from a penalty after 26 minutes. They had to wait until the last half... Читать дальше...

Even after disembarking from North Korea's Air Koryo plane at Pyongyang airport, it's difficult to miss the airline's brand. The Air Koryo conglomerate makes cigarettes and fizzy drinks, besides owning a taxi fleet and petrol stations - and all have the same flying crane logo as the carrier. The military-controlled airline expanded into consumer products in earnest in recent months, visitors to the isolated country say. It was not clear if the diversification into the domestic market was related... Читать дальше...

How far can corporate governance deliver a leading edge within a competitive agricultural sector? Godfrey Baldacchino wrote in 1990 that “The Maltese cooperatives movement was ushered in specifically as a cost-saving, profit-enhancing mechanism to boost agriculture efficiency and productivity”. However, it is prudent to question what inroads and approaches cooperatives need to undertake in order to sustain healthy governance.  Is this approach sufficiently appreciated by the cooperatives committee members? Читать дальше...

The Futsal Malta Association will be electing a new president to lead the organisation during the upcoming annual general meeting after Mark Borg showed his intentions not to continue occupying the position. In a statement, the FMA said that after receiving recommendations from the Malta FA, they reached a unanimous decision during a council meeting this week to stage elections in June. Borg had been president of the FMA for the last five years. During the council meeting, he thanked former president... Читать дальше...

Msida St Joseph maintained their winning run in the Gatorade First Division when they cruised past Qormi Futsal 5-3 The Saints are top of the standings, one point ahead of nearest rivals Sliema and two clear of third-placed Mrieħel ESS. Qormi had looked to be in control of the match when they enjoyed a two-goal advantage by the end of the first half. But Msida were a transformed side after the restart and quickly turned the match in their favour to seal their ninth win of the campaign. Mohammed Elamari... Читать дальше...

Injured England midfielder Jack Wilshere will return to Arsenal from Bournemouth at the end of the season and is expected to return to training in July, manager Arsene Wenger said yesterday. Wilshere, 25, broke his leg during a 4-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur last weekend and will be out until after the end of his loan deal. “They think it’s a very simple fracture, that doesn’t need any surgery at all. Hopefully he will be back in July for normal training,” he said. “But we need patience. Let’s hope that all goes well.” Klopp calls up Gerrard... Читать дальше...

Manchester United needed an extra-time winner from Marcus Rashford to defeat Anderlecht 2-1 at Old Trafford and move into the last four of the Europa League with a 3-2 aggregate victory. While the victory keeps open a possible path to next season's Champions League for Jose Mourinho's side, it came at a high price with defender Marcos Rojo and forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic both suffering possibly serious knee injuries. United took the lead in the 10th minute when Paul Pogba played a pinpoint 40-metre low pass to Rashford who... Читать дальше...