Новости за 11.05.2021

Manchester City were crowned Premier League champions for the third time in four seasons after Manchester United crashed to a 2-1 defeat against Leicester on Tuesday. Pep Guardiola’s side are 10 points clear of second placed United and have wrapped up the title with three games to spare. In the midst of a gruelling run of three games in five days, United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer effectively handed the title to arch rivals City by picking a weakened team with 10 changes. With many of City’s players watching on television... Читать дальше...

FIBA Europe gave the green light so that the 2021 European Basketball Men’s Championship for Small Countries will go ahead as planned in Dublin Ireland, albeit on different dates than previously scheduled. Malta’s men national team is one of the countries that are scheduled to take part in this year’s continental championships where they are set to defend the gold medal they won in the last edition held in San Marino in 2018. However, this year’s championship was put in doubt due to the COVID-19... Читать дальше...

Joe Dombrowski won the fourth stage of the Giro d’Italia on Tuesday as Israel Start-Up Nation rider Alessandro De Marchi took the overall leader’s pink jersey after finishing just behind the American in second. UAE Team Emirates’ Dombrowski crossed the line 13 seconds ahead of Italian De Marchi to claim the first Grand Tour win of his career on a soaking wet, 187 kilometre run between Piacenza and Sestola in the northern Apennine mountains. Dombrowski, 29, won his first race in Europe on the toughest day of the Giro so far. Читать дальше...

The government has "expressed its serious concern" on the violent escalation over the past days in East Jerusalem and the launch of rockets into Israel from Gaza. In a statement, the Ministry for Foreign and European Affairs said it has been closely monitoring developments in Palestine and expressed "its serious concern" on the violent escalation over the past days. "The Ministry calls on all sides to take immediate and urgent action to de-escalate tensions, and cease the violence. The Ministry... Читать дальше...

Launch of athletes grant on first anniversary of death of volleyball stalwart Jonathan Chetcuti On the first anniversary of the death of volleyball stalwart Jonathan Chetcuti at 41, his loved ones have launched a grant for elite athletes that aims to pass on his passion for sports – and life in general. Dubbed the Jonathan Chetcuti Program, the sponsorship project is the brainchild of his wife Elaine Bonello and business partner and close buddy Jonathan Dalli, who immediately knew, in that time of immense pain... Читать дальше...

Local payments processing company Apcopay has announced that a new plugin has been released for users of XERO accounting software to enable the acceptance of business-to-business payments through major credit card brands. The XERO-Apcopay plugin automatically creates and embeds payment links inside invoices, so that payment receivables can be automated more efficiently and effectively, saving numerous man hours in chasing and reconciling payments and in turn freeing up cash flow instantly. Daniel Buttigieg... Читать дальше...

The Environment Minister insisted on Tuesday that a playground will only take up a small section of Santa Venera's Romeo Romano Gardens, which is set for an upgrade.  Displaying a map of the project, Aaron Farrugia said the playground area will take up 357.3 square metres out of the 10,513 square metres of the garden area.  Photos of a proposed playground released last week provoked mixed reactions with some people raising concerns about citrus trees being uprooted, while others called for no... Читать дальше...

George and Alfred Degiorgio have mounted a two-fold legal challenge against Cabinet’s decision denying their request for a presidential pardon, effectively turning down information they had about “very serious crimes.” Although they were “more than willing” to supply such direct information concerning the involvement of a former Minister as well as a sitting Minister in such crimes, the State was not acting like a normal country where the rule of law truly exists, claimed the Degiorgios. Rather... Читать дальше...

After two decades of talks at the World Trade Organization towards banning subsidies that contribute to over-fishing, the lead negotiator said Tuesday that a deal could be within reach. "It's time to sprint for the finish line," Colombian ambassador Santiago Wills, who is chair of the fisheries subsidies negotiations, told reporters from the WTO headquarters in Geneva. It is widely agreed that action is needed against over-fishing, which is stripping the seas of a hugely important resource that... Читать дальше...

Mapfre Middlesea AGM was held remotely and streamed live on its website. Commenting on the year under review, chairman Martin Galea remarked that Mapfre Middlesea and Mapfre MSV Life have both performed well in spite of the pandemic. Both companies posted excellent returns. While Mapfre Middlesea posted a profit after tax of €4.12 million (2019 €4.01 excluding Group Dividends), Mapfre MSV Life posted a profit of €10.33 million (2019 €11.75 million) of which half is attributable to Mapfre Middlesea... Читать дальше...

Following the unveiling of the latest Polo supermini, Volkswagen has shared the first teaser of its sporty GTI model. It’s been shared today ahead of what was supposed to be the 2021 GTI celebration weekend at Lake Worthersee, Austria. However, the event has been cancelled for the second year in a row because of the coronavirus pandemic. Volkswagen says the GTI will take its traditional place as the flagship Polo, with more performance, improved driving dynamics and sportier styling than the regular models. Читать дальше...

The MSE Equity Price Index eased by 0.54% to 4,008.561 points as the declines in BOV, HSBC and RS2 outweighed the gains in GO and Harvest. Meanwhile, overall trading activity remained lacklustre at just €0.05 million. In the banking sector, Bank of Valletta plc erased all of yesterday’s gains as it fell by 2.2% to the €0.90 level across 2,070 shares. Meanwhile, HSBC Bank Malta plc slipped by 1.2% to return to the €0.81 level as 14,125 shares changed hands. Elsewhere, RS2 Software plc dropped by... Читать дальше...

A pandemic-related measure enabling employers to make temporary changes to workers' conditions has saved 27,000 jobs, the Department of Industrial and Employment Relations (DIER) said on Tuesday.  In a statement, the government said there were 567 cases on "adequate working conditions" investigated during the first four months of the year. "51 cases resulted in financial requests, which amounted to €115,648. 45 inspections took place in workplaces where 99 employees were interviewed. The department... Читать дальше...

Vaccinated visitors will be given priority when elderly homes re-open properly in the coming months, the Elderly Minister revealed on Tuesday, emphasising the importance of getting inoculated against COVID-19.  “It is extremely important that those people who visit these elderly people are vaccinated. I am making an emphasis that one should get vaccinated as soon as possible, so when we open and go back to normality, these people who have been vaccinated and 15 days have passed since their second... Читать дальше...

Italy midfielder Marco Verratti is a doubt for Euro 2020 after his club Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday said the midfielder would be out of action for “four to six weeks” with a knee injury. The 28-year-old has suffered a “strained interior medial ligament” in his right knee, PSG said in a statement. Italy kick off the delayed European Championship on June 11 against Turkey at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. Verratti will miss the rest of the domestic season in France, where PSG trail leaders Lille... Читать дальше...

Shares of Chinese online giant Meituan plummeted for a second straight day on Tuesday amid a run of bad headlines that included the CEO posting an ancient poem viewed as a veiled criticism of China’s government. Meituan’s Hong Kong-listed shares closed more than five per cent lower on Tuesday – and down around 12 per cent since last week – as investors bet it would become the next big Chinese tech company humbled by government regulators. Beijing has moved aggressively to loosen Big Tech’s hold on the daily finances of consumers and ... Читать дальше...

The discussion on cannabis reform should be postponed until after a general election to avoid the issue devolving into a political football match, a group of some of the country’s major social partners have said. “It would be better if this White Paper is not discussed in the confrontational environment of an election, where there is danger of it becoming a political football match, and decisions could be made that may appeal to minorities with vested interests and not in the interest of society... Читать дальше...

The EU executive is suing British-Swedish pharmaceutical group AstraZeneca to force it to deliver 90 million more doses of its Covid-19 vaccine before July, a spokesman said on Tuesday. "We want the court to order the company to deliver 90 million additional doses, in addition to the 30 million already delivered in the first quarter," European Commission spokesman Stefan De Keersmaecker told a media conference. The demand stems from a row between Brussels and AstraZeneca over a shortfall of tens... Читать дальше...

A national clean-up which started last week, is continuing in earnest, with some 1400 illegal posters and placards removed from Malta's streets, the Office of the Principal Permanent Secretary said on Tuesday. The  ‘Insebbħu Pajjiżna’ campaign involves 450 workers from various ministries. Their work has also included the removal of graffiti, particularly in Valletta, the replacement or maintenance of railings and other street furniture in various localities and repairs to walls along arterial roads. Читать дальше...

Three Sliema projects will be financed using nearly €200,000 in Planning Authority funding, the town's local council said on Tuesday. The community projects are to build a warehouse to store props for the Madonna tal-Karmnu feast, to build a lift at a local band club and replace a lift in a parish community centre.  These plans will be funded using €192,182 in funding from the PA's Development Planning Fund, which is used to promote embellishment works in urban areas. Local councils, government agencies... Читать дальше...

Queen Elizabeth II opened a new session of the UK parliament on Tuesday, in her first public appearance since the funeral of her late husband Prince Philip, as she revealed the Conservative government's post-pandemic legislative agenda. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, buoyant after his party's triumph in local and regional elections in England last week, is vowing to deliver on his mantra to "build back better" with a wide-ranging raft of policies. But he faces renewed questions over the UK's cohesion... Читать дальше...

Spanish football legend Andres Iniesta celebrated his 37th birthday on Tuesday by signing a contract extension that will keep him at J-League side Vissel Kobe for two more years. The former Barcelona midfield maestro joined Kobe in 2018 in a deal worth a reported $30 million a year and recently recovered from a serious thigh injury. “I will continue on my quest to make Vissel Kobe a stronger club,” said the World Cup-winning midfielder, speaking through a Japanese translator.   Continue reading this article on Sports Desk... Читать дальше...

Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be out for at least two matches with a knee injury, just a month before the start of Euro 2020, AC Milan coach Stefano Pioli said on Tuesday. The Swede, who returned to international football in March after a five-year absence, suffered the injury during Milan’s 3-0 victory over top-four rivals Juventus at the weekend. Third-placed Milan, who sit three points above fifth-placed Juve in the race for the Champions League, visit Torino on Wednesday and face Cagliari this weekend. Читать дальше...

German investor sentiment jumped to its highest level in two decades in May on hopes that consumers will send growth soaring once Europe’s biggest economy finally reopens shops, bars and restaurants. The ZEW institute’s monthly barometer measuring economic expectations rose 13.7 points in May to 84.4, its highest reading since 2000 and by far the highest since the beginning of the pandemic, data showed on Tuesday. “The slowing down of the third COVID-19 wave has made financial market experts even... Читать дальше...

The Nationalist Party has protested to the Broadcasting Authority that the Opposition leader's wife was not invited to a programme featuring Mother's Day, in which the wife of the prime minister was a guest. The programme, Serataron, was transmitted on Friday. Party general secretary Francis Zammit Dimech said that the constitution (regarding fair broadcasting) had been breached even on an issue on which there should be no political divide. He said the PN is demanding a remedy. Party spokesman... Читать дальше...