Новости за 24.06.2018

A group of girls recently celebrated one of their friends’ birthday with a get-together at the newly refurbished Il-Kikkra in Valletta. Finger food was served, after which the friends cut a birthday cake to mark the special day. Seen here are Raisa Grech, Leontine Bondin, Afton Oliva, Claire Callus, Graziella Vella, the birthday girl, Beverly Ciantar and Ilona Grima.

Sweden coach Janne Andersson hit out at the German bench for "rubbing it in" as they celebrated Toni Kroos's stoppage-time winner in Germany's 2-1 World Cup Group F victory on Saturday. "Some of the German leaders of the team celebrated by running in our direction and rubbing into our faces by making gestures and that really got me annoyed and angry," said the Sweden coach whose team had led 1-0. "There were many people on our bench that were annoyed. We fought it out for 95 minutes and when the final whistle goes you shake hands and leave. Читать дальше...

A man believed to be Maltese was found dead among the bushes of Buġibba seafront on Sunday morning. It is understood that the man has been identified and the police are trying to establish the circumstances leading to his death.

Bless Gozo, our little sister, and all those who with their enthusiasm put together so many worthy cultural activities. Colin Attard is one such and his Gaulitana Music Festival is one of Gozo’s main festivals. In the past few years this festival has also included an opera performance at the Aurora Opera House. The choice for 2018 was Bellini’s immortal Norma, which is one big melody from beginning to end. It is a cache of beautiful sing­ing, vocal and instrumental, whether lyrical or dramatic, always bel canto. Читать дальше...

A story on Bloomberg last April indicated Malta was among the smaller operations that HSBC Holdings Plc was considering pulling out of. At a strategy meeting in June, however, no mention of any operations was made. Is its presence in Malta now secure again? HSBC Malta’s CEO Andrew Beane spoke to Vanessa Macdonald. CEO John Flint said at the recent HSBC strategy meeting that a priority would be the turn-around of low-return businesses, “improving capital efficiency and re-replying capital into high-return businesses”. Читать дальше...

Good morning, the following are the top stories in Malta’s Sunday newspapers. The Sunday Times of Malta reports that the law firm Mossack Fonseca refused a request by Nexia BT to state outright that no declarations of trust for the Panama company Egrant had been issued in the name of the Prime Minister’s wife Michelle Muscat, new leaked e-mails show. The newspaper also quotes Prime Minister Joseph Muscat saying that Malta will stick to its position on migration at an EU summit on Sunday. MaltaToday... Читать дальше...

Mika Hakkinen has caught the imagination of many Formula One fans as he was the protagonist of many enticing duels with Michael Schumacher. The ‘Flying Finn’ is one of the few drivers to have beaten the legendary German driver to a world championship title. The two-time champion shared his career memories with Valhmor Camilleri... Finland may not boast a great tradition in F1 drivers but in Mika Hakkinen they had one of the most talented racers in the history of the sport.  Born in the Finnish city of Vantaa... Читать дальше...

10am The President receives Edward Attard on a courtesy call, at San Anton Palace. 10.30am The President meets representatives of the Malta Life Network, at San Anton Palace. 11.30am The President delivers a speech before a lecture entitled ‘Theories of personal identity: synchronic and diachronic identity’ by Prof. Richard G. Swinburne within the University of Oxford organised by the Moscow Centre for Consciousness Studies, at San Anton Palace 3pm The President presides over the swearing-in of new members of the judiciary... Читать дальше...

The law firm Mossack Fonseca refused a request by Nexia BT to state outright that no declarations of trust for the Panama company Egrant had been issued in the name of the Prime Minister’s wife Michelle Muscat, new leaked e-mails show. In a two-month long e-mail chain which started two days after assassinated journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia linked Ms Muscat to Egrant, Nexia BT demanded documentation from Mossack Fonseca to disprove the allegation. Ms Caruana Galizia uploaded a blogpost in April... Читать дальше...

A group of Old Lasallians who finished fifth form in 1978 recently got together for a 40th anniversary reunion at De La Salle College. It was a time to catch up, reminisce and renew friendships in the company of veteran Brothers Martin and Edward. Former students present included Lawrence Scerri, Chris Curmi, Bernard Scicluna, Norbert Zahra, Peter Frendo, Michael Saliba, Michael Boffa, Chris Spiteri, Michael Falzon, Michel Cordina, Andrew Spiteri, Charles Zerafa, Jesmond Cassar and Mark Firman.

SLAPP (strategic lawsuit against public participation), like Damocles’ sword, still hangs over the heads of Maltese media houses, even over ordinary people who dare to express an opinion on Facebook. Anyone who files a SLAPP defamation suit is not interested in winning but in intimidating and silencing critics. This is why such cases are not filed in Malta but in jurisdictions where even the cost of mounting a defence is far beyond the reach of anyone who is not a multi-millionaire. This abuse of... Читать дальше...

A collection of paintings by Pawlu Grech are on exhibition at Casa Antonia Nursing and Residential Home, in Balzan. Entitled Rest-Rospection and curated by Amanda Tabone, the exhibition of abstract paintings ranges from Pawlu Grech’s early works in the 1960s to more recent ones. Commenting on the artist, musician and composer, Silvio J. Camilleri said: “Grech is one of the few Maltese artists who embraced 20th century modernism. “This characteristic is evident both in his music compositions and visual art. Читать дальше...

BARTOLO ZAHRA. On May 29, at Mater Dei Hospital, to Maria and Clive, God’s precious gift of a first-born son – LUIGI ANTONIO. Deo gratias et Mariæ. Special thanks to the obstetrician and midwives at Obstetrics 2 and 3. Obituaries ATTARD. On June 22, at his residence in Naxxar, JOSEPH (former public officer and former president of the NGO Society of St Vincent de Paul), of Naxxar, aged 79, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family. He leaves to mourn his great loss his wife Vivienne, daughter Christine... Читать дальше...

Some 60 former teachers who graduated from Mater Admirabilis Teacher Training College in 1968 held their 50th anniversary reunion earlier this month at the Grand Hotel Excelsior in Floriana. After Mass, celebrated by Fr Robert Gauci, whose mother, Josephine Gauci, was one of those joining the reunion, those present enjoyed a buffet lunch while sharing experiences and reminiscences. At the end of the lunch, a sum of money was collected on behalf of Sr Carmen Sammut, also an almunus of the college, to help her mission in Ethiopia.

A Vatican court has sentenced priest Carlo Alberto Capella to five years in jail for possessing child pornography while he was based in Washington, D.C. as a diplomat. During his two-day trial, Capella admitted he had developed a 'morbid' desire after he arrived in the United States in 2016. The US State Department says it alerted the Vatican, in August 2017, that a member of their embassy in Washington was possibly breaking child pornography laws. But Capella was not charged at that time because of diplomatic immunity... Читать дальше...

Chemimart City Gate Pharmacy, City Gate, Valletta (2123 8355);Cosmed Pharmacy, Villambrosa Street, Ħamrun (2122 5991);Fatima Pharmacy, 82, Triq il-Ferrovija, Santa Venera (2148 2856);St Jude Pharmacy, 213, Valley Road, Birkirkara (2149 2151);Regional Pharmacy, E.H. Furse Street, Msida (2131 2449);Melita Pharmacy, 127, St George’s Road, St Julian’s (2137 8657);Chemimart Pharmacy, 4,5,6, Il-Piazzetta, Tower Road, Sliema (2133 8369);St Mary Pharmacy, 2, Antonio Schembri Street, Attard (2143 6348);St Mary Pharmacy... Читать дальше...

On the first day of summer last week, it rained. Not a sneeze of a little passing grey cloud, but a full blown thunder-and-all mid-winter soaking rain. Whoa! My most precious strawberry plant, which I had gently watered in the morning, seemed to be drowning in the downpour, its leaves drooping, begging for a lifebuoy; the dog looked at me baffled, wondering what had happened to her sunny spot in the garden; and the tortoise retreated to his winter house cosying up for an unexpected hibernation. And me? Читать дальше...

This week’s European Council will have a decisive bearing on the future of Europe. If the Member States fail to reach agreement on a way to stop and regulate the influx of migrants and asylum seekers, the European project itself may be in for a fatal blow. The EU and its Member States were too slow in acknowledging this phenomenon and their only response has been to go along with it and engage in a damage limitation exercise at our borders. By 2050, the population of Africa will double to more than 2.5 billion. If we do not take action now... Читать дальше...

“Close your eyes”, he murmured. “Imagine your favourite place. Where do you want to be?” We were in a hotel. He was one of the top men at the Planning Authority. And he was asking where I’d want to be. Actually he was asking  us all where we’d like to be. He was a keynote speaker at a conference about tourism and he was speaking about the infrastructure needed to make tourism sites attractive and accessible. Everybody in the audience was nodding away as he spoke – quite passionately at times – about the need for open space... Читать дальше...

I’ve started taking pictures of gardens and trees, starting with those below my rear balcony. They’re not mine, but I admire them all the same and feel increasingly protective. There’s something about other people’s houses and gardens that is endlessly fascinating. But it’s more than that. We are living at a time when you can wake up to a cluster of beautiful trees on your street and return to find them gone. We are residents of a vanishing Malta never to return.   In 2009, when the St Julian’s local... Читать дальше...

On two occasions last week, I found myself missing football.  The first had to do with the aftermath of the Aquarius matter. It is not, I suppose, unreasonable to expect a major incident that concerns the lives of over 600 people, and that involves a set of political decisions, to take place to some sort of political debate. As it happened, there was none. The Opposition, for example, was quick to put up a spectacle of support for the government. There was one cheeky MEP who murmured something along the lines of ‘a sad battle of populists’... Читать дальше...

Court psychological ex­perts in the US, tasked with investigating alleged sex abuse in post-separation custody battles, estimate that about three in four allegations are false. These figures tally with estimates communicated by frontline child abuse investigators in Malta.  In fact, psychologists have posi­ted that allegations that conform to an eight-point checklist are usually false (see ‘Warning signs’ be­low). The statistical burden is overwhelming: only about 15 per cent of allegations, which... Читать дальше...

Saudi women are in the driver's seat for the first time and steering their way through busy streets just minutes after the world's last remaining ban on women driving was lifted. It's a euphoric and historic moment for women who have had to rely on their husbands, fathers, brothers and drivers to run basic errands, go to work and move around. For nearly three decades, Saudi women and the men who support them have been calling for women's right to drive, facing arrest if they tried to defy the ban as women in other Muslim countries drove freely.