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Watch: Malta FA signs partnership agreement with Italian FA

February 6, 2020, 8:13 am
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MFA president Bjorn Vassallo (left) and FIGC chief Gabriele Gravina during the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding.

The Malta Football Association has signed an agreement with the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), rubberstamping the long-standing partnership between the two national associations. The sharing of knowledge and expertise on technical and organisational matters underpin the Memorandum of Understanding which falls within the paramaters of both FIFA and UEFA. It is intended to facilitate collaboration between the two national associations through exchange programmes involving managers and officials, technical experts, coaches, referees and players in several sectors. These include competitions organised by the respective organisations; technical and educational initiatives; exchanges of experience and expertise in the areas of construction and management of sports facilities, organisational procedures, sports science and sports medicine (focusing on football); women’s football; youth football; futsal; football for persons with disability and match officials.  The MOU was signed by Malta FA president Bjorn Vassallo and General Secretary Angelo Chetcuti, and Gabriele Gravina and Marco Brunelli, the president and general secretary of the FIGC, at the Italian football federation’s...
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Adrian Delia no-show in court due to 'commitments of an urgent nature'

February 6, 2020, 8:34 am
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Adrian Delia is under pressure after the majority of his MPs asked him to consider his position. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

Leader of the Opposition Adrian Delia did not turn up to testify in a civil lawsuit on Thursday, where he had been summoned as witness.  Dr Delia was expected to testify in a constitutional case filed by human rights lawyer Tonio Azzopardi, in his personal capacity, against amendments to the Embryo Protection Act, arguing that legislation allowing embryo freezing, places the life of the unborn child in clear and manifest danger. But when the proceedings continued today, the court was informed by lawyer Vincent Galea that Dr Delia was unable to attend because “of commitments of an urgent nature related to his post.” The court duly minuted this fact, declaring that Dr Delia would testify at the next hearing.  Meanwhile, the court heard the testimony of Dr Josie Muscat, Chairman and Founder of the Saint James Hospital Group, who “introduced IVF locally 25 years ago,” and who described embryo protection as “a very complicated subject that could not be discussed in a matter of a few minutes.” Whilst giving a brief overview of the delicate issues at play, Dr Muscat pointed out that although he “would say no to freezing of embryos” yet each case was to be taken on its own merits since...
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German asset manager acquires Blue Tower from Malta-based international investor

February 6, 2020, 9:28 am
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International investment firm Von der Heyden Group has announced the sale of Blue Tower at the Bavaria Towers to leading asset manager on the German market Real I.S consortium, after having secured long-term lease contracts for the state-of-the-art project.  The 18-storey Blue Tower acquired from the Group with co-developers BayernProjekt and co-investors Zurich Gruppe Deutschland, is the second highest tower of the four-part high-rise complex in Einsteinstrasse in Munich with a gross floor area of over 24,000 square metres. The tower has been sold at a record yield of less than three per cent, registering the highest rate of return of equity for the Von der Heyden in their A-Class building portfolio.  The investment was made by Bayerische Versorgungskammer (BVK) fund managed by the largest AIFM in Luxembourg, Universal Investment. Real I.S.'s asset management mandate and purchase transaction included the asset and SPV management of the tower, complete with long-lease tech giant tenants NVIDIA and BayernHeim as well as Golding Capital Partners. The sale was collaborated by Colliers International and law firm Arnecke Sibeth Dabelstein where the parties have agreed not to disclose...
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Second patient tests negative for coronavirus in Malta

February 6, 2020, 9:39 am
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A woman tested negative for coronavirus at Mater Dei Hospital on Thursday, Times of Malta has learnt. The female passenger, who had spent some time in China, is the second suspected case that has been tested in Malta. The other suspected case had also proved negative after tests were carried out.  The total number of virus cases in Europe stands at 29, after Britain and Germany announced more cases of the virus on Thursday. Novel coronavirus has now infected over 28,200 people worldwide and killed at least 564. More than 95% - probably 98% - of those who get the coronavirus have a full recovery. One of the casualties was a Chinese doctor who tried to issue the first warnings about the deadly coronavirus outbreak according to Chinese media. Li Wenliang was working at Wuhan Central Hospital when he sent out a warning to fellow medics on December 30. The Maltese authorities have already set up an isolation unit with 12 beds for mild cases, while critical cases would be treated at the Infectious Diseases Unit at Mater Dei Hospital.  All people coming from cities where transmission of the virus has been recorded, are being screened at Malta International Airport. Those who show...
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PA ignores NGO’s request not to publish Qala permits

February 6, 2020, 10:38 am
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The site of the massive Qala development spearheaded by property supremo Joseph Portelli.

The Planning Authority has ignored last week’s request by civil society organisation Repubblika to suspend or withhold the publication process of the latest two permits granted in the massive Qala development spearheaded by property supremo Joseph Portelli.  The two applications were approved last January 14, a day after Times of Malta revealed that, according to Land Registry records, the applicants were not the “sole owner” of the site as they had declared.  A false declaration of ownership is an offence under criminal law and, separately, planning law. It can lead to a permit’s revocation. The two permits are the latest approvals in a cluster of six development applications that have been put in since mid-2018 – five of these have now been approved, the sixth is under processing. These applications pertain to a larger project that has been split into four parts. The separate applications fit together to form one of the largest residential developments Gozo has ever seen. The sprawling, multi-storey project has a gross floor area larger than 30,000 square metres. Planning sources say that if it had been put in as a single project, it would have been put under the Environment...
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'We are very present in Malta... It has been successful for us'

February 6, 2020, 10:43 am
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Betsson AB moved to Malta in 2005 and since then, the company has gone from strength to strength.  “I came to Malta in 2005 to check it out. When I looked at the regulations, I saw they were very modern – at the time, there was no other country in Europe where you could find that kind of modern and effective regulation. Moving to Malta was the right move – and today, we are very much present in Malta.” [attach id=832420 type="video"][/attach] Lindwall outlined how the gaming industry has matured over the years. “Technology has advanced a lot. Companies have become bigger – we are now listed and operate in various markets.” Moreover, the bigger companies – especially those that are listed – now have a CSR strategy. “Responsible gaming is a very important element in a company’s CSR programme. We started our responsible gaming department back in 2005 and we educate all our employees in the matter. Whatever role you have in the company, you need to understand what responsible gaming is about.” What’s on the horizon for Betsson in 2020? “Last year was quite a challenging one for us, as we had a lot of new regulation to adopt. For this year, we are looking at new markets, in Europe...
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‘Malta is the heart of the company’

February 7, 2020, 5:42 am
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“One of the main challenges for a gaming company is finding the best talent,” Stefan Nelson, LeoVegas Group CFO said during his visit to the GamingMalta stand at ICE London 2020. [attach id=832735 type="video"][/attach] “There is always a challenge for companies like us because we always need talent in various departments such as legal, finance and tech. We have also grown fast and acquired companies, so we need to ensure we maintain our company culture.” Malta is home to both Nelson and LeoVegas.  “I recently moved to Malta so it has become a home for my family,” Nelson said. “LeoVegas, while being originally Swedish, has the biggest hub and workforce in Malta.  “Malta is the heart of our company and will continue being so.”
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Man charged as two stolen Banksy works found in Paris

February 7, 2020, 5:49 am
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A man was charged Friday after two stolen Banksy artworks were recovered in Paris.  An image of a masked rat wielding a box cutter - the alter ego the elusive British artist often uses - disappeared from outside the Pompidou Centre in September, a year after Bansky "blitzed" the French capital with murals. The museum, which houses Europe's biggest collection of modern art but does not have a Bansky, had filed a police complaint for destruction of property. The man charged with "stealing a cultural asset" is one of three men arrested in and around Paris earlier this week. Two works by Banksy were recovered in follow-up searches by the police but the stencilled work on the back of a sign for the Pompidou's car park is still missing. Thieves used a saw to cut it out of the sign. The Pompidou theft came seven months after another Banksy work paying homage to the victims of the November 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris was stolen from outside the Bataclan, the concert venue where Islamic State gunmen massacred 90 people. Another anti-capitalist mural attributed to the secretive street art star disappeared shortly after Banksy's whirlwind trip, which the highly political artist said...
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Attard gas cylinder was exposed to excessive heat, probe finds

February 7, 2020, 5:53 am
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The site of the gas explosion on January 9. Photo: Times of Malta

The gas cylinder that exploded in Attard last month had been exposed to excessive heat prior to the explosion, an internal investigation has revealed.  Liquigas said it resulted that the cylinder in question was subjected to excessive heat coming from the exhaust of a fireplace which led to the failure of the cylinder. “Cylinders are designed according to international standards and can safely operate in local ambient conditions, including those encountered during hot summer days. "If cylinders are subjected to excessive heat coming from an external source, this will exceed the design parameters and may lead to failure,” Liquigas said in a statement.  The incident had happened at around 10.45pm on January 9 in Triq Żnuber when the gas tank exploded in the front porch of a residence.  Nobody was injured but the explosion led some 200 residents to come out to the street to see what had happened.  A magisterial inquiry into the incident is still under way. Liquigas said it was collaborating with this inquiry.  [attach id=832690 size="large" align="left" type="image"]The remains of the gas cyclinder. Photo: Malta Police[/attach] Liquigas reminded clients to properly store all...
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Emotional Osaka endures surprise Fed Cup loss to Sorribes

February 7, 2020, 6:30 am
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Naomi Osaka

A tearful Naomi Osaka followed up her Australian Open disappointment with another surprise defeat on Friday when she was beaten 6-0, 6-3 by world number 78 Sara Sorribes Tormo in the Fed Cup.  Spain took an unexpected 1-0 lead over Japan in the tie in Cartagena after Sorribes Tormo capitalised on a careless performance from Osaka, who made an astonishing 50 unforced errors in the 15 games.  Sorribes Tormo enjoyed the backing of a sizeable home crowd at La Manga Club and her consistency proved too much for Osaka, who has never played her best on clay.  "We knew that Sara had the game to make it very uncomfortable for Naomi," Spain captain Anabel Medina Garrigues said. "She stuck to the game plan perfectly." Osaka, a two-time Grand Slam champion, has endured a shaky start to the year after being knocked out by 15-year-old American sensation Coco Gauff last month in Melbourne, where she had lifted the trophy in 2019.  Yet since claiming her second consecutive major triumph, Osaka has dipped, failing to go past the fourth round in any of the four Grand Slams since.  The 22-year-old, who has dropped to number 10 in the world, surrendered the first set to Sorribes Tormo in a swift 27...
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Quartararo takes lead in Malaysia MotoGP first day test

February 7, 2020, 6:34 am
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Fabio Quartartaro clocked the fastest time during the official testing on Friday.

French rider Fabio Quartararo took first place at the MotoGP pre-season test Friday, zipping past his opponents’ best times on the first day of Malaysia’s Sepang test circuit. Powering to victory on an initially hot day, the 20-year-old recorded his quickest lap time of 1min 58.945sec, beating 25 other riders to the punch on a 2019 YZR-M1 Yamaha. “It was the plan to ride the 2019 bikes (today),” Quartararo told reporters after the test. “But of course ... I’m looking at my phone every hour to try the new one and have for the first time the feeling of the new one.” The Frenchman said this after the Petronas Yamaha SRT racing team unveiled the 2020 MotoGP season bikes on Thursday.  “I expect because first of all it’s a different engine than the 2019 bikes. Looks like the bike has a little bit more top speed—the new one—but the chassis we don’t know,” he said. Steady rain starting at about 2:30pm pulled the bikes off the track for nearly two hours before the test resumed. The former rookie finished fifth last year in the overall race standings after making his debut MotoGP campaign with Yamaha. He is expected to replace seven-time MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi at Yamaha in the...
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Independent MPs want Delia to go ‘now’

February 7, 2020, 6:39 am
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Independent Opposition MPs Godfrey Farrugia and Marlene Farrugia have joined a group of Nationalist Party parliamentarians piling pressure on Adrian Delia to step down.  In comments to Times of Malta on Friday afternoon, Dr Farrugia [Godfrey] said that the pair “will not hesitate to set the ball rolling” themselves if the PN’s executive committee failed to convince Dr Delia to go “now”.  Asked whether that meant they were prepared to take the issue to the President, Dr Farrugia confirmed they were ready to do so if Dr Delia, or the PN, did not act. “We are still hoping that Dr Delia makes a structured exit or that the Nationalist Party sorts out this issue in a responsible, sensible manner. “However, the national interest demands that this issue is resolved without delay, so yes we will go to the President ourselves if the PN parliamentary group procrastinates further,” Dr Farrugia said.  The two independent MPs were elected to Parliament in 2017 as part of Forza Nazzjonali, a short-lived coalition between the Partit Demokratiku and the PN.  Both former Labour MPs, the pair resigned from the PD in September but retained their parliamentary seats as independent MPs. “As you are...
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Record airport traffic in January

February 7, 2020, 6:47 am
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January traffic at Malta International Airport grew by 14.2 per cent to surpass the 400,000 passenger mark for the first time.  A total 418,096 passengers passed through MIA in the first month of the year, a total comparable to the traffic handled by the airport during its peak summer month 10 years ago.   Traffic peaked on the fourth day of January – reaching almost 21,000 passenger movements – as many headed back home at the end of the festive period.  Seat capacity increased by 11.3 per cent , while seat load factor, which measures seat occupancy on board flights to and from Malta, gained 1.8 percentage points to reach 71 per cent .  [attach id=832753 size="large" align="left" type="image"][/attach] January saw Italy (+9.8 per cent ) top the airport’s list of drivers of passenger traffic again after 11 months.  This market was followed by the United Kingdom (+5.1 per cent ), Germany (-9.6 per cent ), France (+39.4 per cent ) and Spain (+12.5 per cent ). The French market’s phenomenal growth rate can be partly attributed to the fact that the Lyon and Nantes routes are being operated in the winter months for the first time.
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Out of Order? Ex-speaker Bercow mired in bullying row

February 7, 2020, 7:19 am
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John Bercow

John Bercow seemed to relish confrontation when he was speaker of Britain's House of Commons. But allegations that he bullied parliamentary staff now threaten his chances of a peerage. Bellowing "Order! Order!" at rowdy MPs and challenging the government with his handling of debates, Bercow was a key player in Britain's tortured process of leaving the European Union. He stepped down as the most senior official in the lower parliamentary chamber in October, just weeks before Brexit on January 31. But his future role is in doubt amid accusations that he "brutalised" staff. Commons speakers usually retire to the House of Lords, joining ermine-clad fellow peers on the red benches of the unelected upper chamber. But Bercow's former colleagues have come out in protest at the idea, saying his alleged outbursts during a decade in office make him an unsuitable choice. Bercow has long faced criticism for presiding over a Commons culture where, as a 2018 report described it, "bullying, harassment and sexual harassment have been able to thrive". But fresh claims have emerged since he was nominated for a peerage by main opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Robert Rogers, who as clerk of...
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Woman finds windscreen smashed after parking near Sliema construction site

February 7, 2020, 7:29 am
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A woman returned to find the windscreen of her parked car smashed in on Friday morning.  Karyn Bonett, who parked her car on St Dominic Street, Sliema for a little over an hour, returned to her vehicle at around 11.15am to find that something had smashed her windscreen, leaving a large circular crack in the glass.  [attach id=832780 size="large" align="left" type="image"][/attach] The object that hit the car was nowhere to be found, with Ms Bonett believing that the item must have been removed. Ms Bonett said she had only discovered fine stone debris on her bonnet and nothing that could have caused the crater in her windscreen. The car was parked close to a property that was being renovated, but there were no indications, such as 'no parking' signs, to discourage vehicles from being left in front of the property.  Workers exiting the property claimed they had not seen anything, Ms Bonnet said.  "Contractors and workers need to be responsible for their actions and should own up to their wrong doings," Ms Bonnett told Times of Malta. "I’m glad no one got hurt, but I could have been sitting in my car on my own or with my kids or there could have been someone walking past."  A...
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Clyde Puli resigns as PN general secretary

February 7, 2020, 7:39 am
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The Nationalist Party's general secretary Clyde Puli, one of Adrian Delia's few remaining supporters, has resigned.  In a letter to Dr Delia on Friday, Mr Puli said it had been an honour to serve in the role but said that throughout his time as general secretary he had to contend with people who wanted him to fail.  “I did not expect any help but I also did not expect that, with ever step forward I made, there would be someone tripping me up and kicking me at the ankles so that afterwards they would accuse me of not running fast enough,” he said. "Selective and continuous" leaks from party MPs who had refused to accept Dr Delia as party leader had proven disruptive, he added.  He noted that his original term had come to an end in November 2019 but had been extended to March. However, "for the sake of the party" he said it was now time for him to focus on the electoral district he represented.  Mr Puli had been elected to the post in November 2017 after running uncontested. Last October, he intended to seek reelection for the post. He has been an MP for the sixth electoral district since 2003 and also served as a parliamentary secretary for youth and sport between 2008 and...
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Daphne murder suspects asked for help to get medical cannabis licence

February 7, 2020, 8:12 am
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Melvin Theuma (right) escorted to court last December.

Two brothers, under preventive custody over the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, had sent a message to the middleman, asking him to help them obtain a medical cannabis licence.  The fresh snippet of information emerged on Friday when the middleman himself, Melvin Theuma, was being cross examined by lawyer Jason Azzopardi in compilation proceedings against Alfred and George Degiorgio who, together with Vincent Muscat, are facing prosecution for having allegedly planted the bomb that killed the journalist outside her home in October 2017. Theuma had been given a presidential pardon in return for evidence about the murder. In a four-hour long sitting, Theuma faced a barrage of questions by lawyers on either side of the case who zeroed in on gifts allegedly received by the middleman who had always insisted that “he got nothing” out of the murder affair, but had rather forked money out of his own pockets. Theuma explained he had received a Rolex watch from Yorgen Fenech, the business tycoon currently accused with complicity in the assassination and the man who allegedly first hatched the plot to kill the journalist, some three weeks before the 2017 general election.  Besides that...
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US navy ship in Malta on Sunday

February 7, 2020, 8:16 am
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The US navy ship Mount Whitney (LCC 20) will enter Malta’s historic Grand Harbour on February 9. The ship’s last visit to Malta was in 2018.   While in Malta, the crew will enjoy several days of rest and get the chance to visit cultural and historical sites. In keeping with US Navy tradition, members of the crew volunteered to participate in community relations projects that support Malta’s local communities. Mount Whitney serves as the Flagship for Commander, US Sixth Fleet, and Commander, Naval Striking and Support Force NATO. The ship has a complement of 160 enlisted personnel, 15 officers and 150 civilian mariners from Military Sealift Command. Mount Whitney is named after a 14,505-foot peak in the Sierra-Nevada range in California, the highest point in the lower continental United States. The ship was the first in the US Navy to permanently accommodate women on board. for  The commanding officer is Captain Cassidy Norman. He has served as a naval test pilot, an executive and commanding officer of the VFA-83 “Rampagers,” and as executive officer of USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75).  Ashore, he served in the joint chiefs of staff, and as chief of staff for the Navy Warfare...
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Russian sisters separated during WWII reunited after 78 years

February 7, 2020, 8:34 am
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Photo: Shutterstock

Two Russian sisters have been reunited 78 years after they were separated by the turmoil of World War II, thanks to a television show and a police search. In footage of their meeting late last month provided by the interior ministry, Yulia and Rozalina Kharitonova, now 92 and 94, hugged and kissed as their family members watched in tears. "I was searching for her, I was always searching for her," said Rozalina, holding her sister's hand. As teenagers, the sisters lived with their parents in Stalingrad, the city now known as Volgograd that saw one of the bloodiest battles of World War II. They were separated in 1942 as civilians were being evacuated to escape Nazi encirclement. The younger sister Yulia, who was born in 1928, was evacuated with her mother to the city of Penza some 500 kilometres (310 miles) to the north. Meanwhile, the elder sister, Rozalina, born in 1926, was evacuated with her factory workmates to the industrial city of Chelyabinsk some 1,400 kilometres to the northeast in the Urals. "After being separated in their youth, these women never lost hope of seeing each other again over 78 long years," police spokeswoman Irina Volk said in a statement. The two women...
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McHappy Day raises €25,000 for RMHC Learning Centre

February 7, 2020, 8:34 am
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RMHC chairman Martin Xuereb (left) and Paul Dragan, managing director of Premier Restaurants Malta. 

McDonald’s customers have helped raise €25,000 in aid of the Ronald McDonald House Charities Qawra Learning Centre during the recent McHappy Day campaign. The funds were collected in Malta and Gozo’s nine McDonald’s restaurants during a week-long campaign and have now been donated to RMHC. “Every year, our customers display incredible generosity throughout the McHappy Day campaign,” said Paul Dragan, managing director of Premier Restaurants Malta, the operator of McDonald’s in Malta.  “McHappy Day is our largest annual fund-raiser, a happy occasion that allows our customers to engage more closely with RMHC, our favourite charity. We are grateful to our customers for supporting its sterling work with children and young people.”  Seven months after its official inauguration, the Ronald McDonald House Charities Learning Centre has been partnering with numerous charities and voluntary organisations, giving them access to its purpose-built premises from which to provide services and support to their own young clients and their families and carers. RMHC has been working closely with ADHD Malta, the Autism Parents Association, Smile with Jerome and Brave, the anti-bullying charity,...
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