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Film Grain Foundation 'disappointed'

June 12, 2020, 3:26 am
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Film Grain Foundation has issued a statement, expressing its disappointment that only months after stopping its financial support to the Valletta Film Festival, the Government has now launched an outdoor cinema event to be held in the same month when Valletta Film Festival was due to take place. The Foundation said it was calling on the Government to immediately stop cultural institutions like Valletta Cultural Agency and the Malta Film Commission (and others like Malta Tourism Authority) from continuing organising cultural events themselves and ensure they focus mainly on supporting cultural entrepreneurs, artists and filmmakers to develop, exhibit or perform their work. Such support should only be distributed following properly promoted public calls and be adjudicated by independent professionals in a transparent and accountable manner, the statement added. Since 2015 Film Grain Foundation organised five editions of the Valletta Film Festival, making Malta part of the international film festival circuit. The festival attracted around 50,000 patrons and showcased over 500 feature and short films at various outdoor and indoor venues around Malta and Gozo. The festival exhibited...
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Another five new COVID-19 cases, zero recoveries

June 12, 2020, 3:30 am
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Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Another five patients tested positive for coronavirus overnight while no patients recovered, according to data released on Friday. This brings the total active cases to 36. A total of 1,121 swab tests were carried out over the past 24 hours.  The figure follows a similar one on Thursday, when five new cases were registered. The patients formed part of a known cluster of 13 positive cases. It is the highest registered figure since May 23, when nine new cases were reported. So far 645 COVD-19 cases have been reported in Malta, nine of whom died in the past weeks. At the moment 19 COVD-19 patients are receiving care in hospitals, while one patient is being treated at the ITU.  The data was uploaded on Facebook by the health authorities, as the live-streamed updates by Superintendent of Public Health Charmaine Gauci were stopped last week.  Gauci has been driving the country's response to COVID-19 and is a long-time Times of Malta contributor. In a new column on print and online, she will provide advice and answer readers’ questions on a range of health topics from coronavirus and beyond.   Browsing on a desktop PC? Check out the full version of this data dashboard.
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Ian Borg finally gets permit for swimming pool in sensitive rural area

June 12, 2020, 3:33 am
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Ian Borg has finally been granted a permit to build a pool in an Outside Development Zone.

Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg has been granted his long-awaited permit for a swimming pool in a field next to his house in an Outside Development Zone. The Planning Commission on Friday gave Borg the green light to build a pool in a sensitive rural area in the hamlet of Santa Katerina in the limits of Rabat. In its report recommending its approval, the Planning Directorate concluded that the project is acceptable because, unlike Borg’s previous attempts at obtaining a permit, it is sited on disturbed land. The pool would fit into an agricultural reservoir without taking up any further land. The proposal also includes the reinstatement of soil levels in the field and the planting of 10 different species of trees and plants around the pool. The 40-square metre, diamond-shaped pool is just over eight metres long and nearly five metres wide. The rest of the 58-square metre reservoir will be infilled and will include a pump room and a smaller reservoir. 'Policy bans pools' Objector Noel Ciantar insisted during the hearing on Friday that the project is a redevelopment, not a new development. The application, he argued, does not meet policies in the North West Local Plan, which...
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State of play in the US

June 12, 2020, 3:44 am
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The coronavirus pandemic may have slowed down the world, but it certainly boosted the shift to digital. With millions of people practising social distancing, on lockdown or working from home, anything digital thrived – from online shopping to video conferencing and online dating. Just consider how online retail giant Amazon posted revenues of $75.4bn in the first quarter of the year – that’s over $33m an hour.  Another industry winner during COVID-19 has been online gambling. With land-based casinos shuttered for months, those looking for a safe spot of gambling turned to online casinos and online roulette games. Most countries – while boosting regulation and responsible gaming – saw a shift to online gaming. In the UK, for instance, the UK Gambling Commission said that while retail gambling venues – which generate 50 per cent of the overall market, excluding lotteries – had to close, operator data showed that people who were already gambling before the pandemic were trying new products.  With sports fixtures on hold, people also shifted from sports betting to new games such as online slots and poker.  One of the countries to miss out was the US. Even though Las Vegas casinos...
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Watch: Some parishioners told to pre-book pews as churches reopen

June 12, 2020, 3:57 am
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Photo: Curia

The Curia has published a list of mass times as churches across the island will this weekend start welcoming the faithful once again.  Churches will be adhering to social distancing measures and each place of worship will have limited seating space. Some parishes are offering the opportunity to parishioners to reserve a seat in advance through an online form. The reserved seats are only available for a limited number of seats, the rest will be allocated on a first come first serve basis. Up to six household members can sit together and no books or leaflets are allowed. The congregation is being asked to wear a mask or a visor, with exceptions made only for the priest, and they will be guided on how to receive the host. Those providing the service, should not be considered vulnerable to coronavirus - a challenge, perhaps, for an aging church congregation.  According to the curia guidelines, mass should ideally be held outdoors, but if inside, there should be separate exit and entry points and ushers should have sanitisers at the door.  Another guideline is that mass should not take longer than it needs to. Singing is discouraged, with only instrumental music played, unless on...
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Lisbon set to host final stages of Champions League - reports

June 12, 2020, 4:40 am
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The final stages of this season's interrupted Champions League will be played in Lisbon, with the final on August 22 or 23, German newspaper Bild reported on Friday. The assertion by Bild follows reports by several other European media in recent days. An official announcement is expected when UEFA's Executive Committee meets by videoconference next Wednesday, June 17. Bild also reported that the closing stages of the Europa League are set to be moved to Germany, with matches being played in the region around Cologne, in the west of the country. This season's Champions League final was scheduled to take place in Istanbul at the end of May before the competition was suspended in mid-March in the last-16 stage because of the coronavirus pandemic which has ravaged Europe. The Europa League final was scheduled for the Polish city of Gdansk. In both competitions, all ties would be played as one-off matches from the quarter-finals onwards. Usually the quarter-finals and semi-finals are staged over two legs. Four second-leg matches in the Champions League round of 16 are still to be played, with Juventus still due to host Lyon, Manchester City scheduled to play Real Madrid, Bayern...
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Professionals worry about job security as federation calls for financial aid

June 12, 2020, 4:42 am
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A large majority of professionals are fearing for their job security but many are being denied financial aid, a federation of professional associations has said.  The Malta Federation of Professional Associations found that 74.5 per cent of professional respondents to a survey said they were afraid of losing their jobs.  The survey, which looked into professionals and their work, was carried out in May with 834 respondents from individuals in the professional sector.  Healthcare professionals made up the bulk of respondents at 69.4%, with 55.7% being full-time employees.  All professionals experienced financial losses during this period, the survey indicated. 19.3% reported up to a 25% loss income; 10.4% up to a 50% loss; 9.2% up to a 75% loss and 6.4% said they had experienced a total loss of their income.  More than three out of every four professionals who said they had lost all their income worked in the healthcare sector.  Only 52 people, or 6.1% of respondents, said they were made redundant during the COVID-19 pandemic. The majority of these, 62%, were self-employed.   A previous survey carried out by the MFPA in April found that 92.8% of the self-employed respondents...
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Around 3,900 families to benefit from increased in-work benefit

June 12, 2020, 4:57 am
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Family Minister Michael Falzon. Photo: DOI - Clodagh O'Neill

Some 3,900 families will receive a €250 top-up to their usual in-work benefit, Family Minister Michael Falzon said on Friday. The in-work benefit was introduced in 2013 to encourage people to join the workforce. Additionally, working couples and parents will enjoy an increase in this benefit as from November. The upcoming payment in July covers the previous three months, while the November handout covers from July till September. How will it work? Working couples The maximum income to be eligible for the benefit has increased from €24,000 to €26,000 per year. The benefit has increased by €100 a year for those with an income not that does not exceed €18,111, by €50 per year for those whose income ranges between €18,112 and €22,811 and €30 per year for those whose income ranges between €22,812 and €26,000. Couple where only one person works The maximum income has increased from €17,813 to €22,000 per year, while the benefits will increase by €80 per year. Single Parents The maximum income increased from €17,312 to €18,200, while the benefit increased by €50 per year.  
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Romanian league return halted after team doctor tests positive

June 12, 2020, 5:38 am
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Romania's plans to resume its top football league were put on hold on Friday after staff at two of the clubs due to play in the opening games tested positive for coronavirus. "We all want football to return to the stadiums, but the health of the players is paramount," Justin Stefan, the head of the league (LPF) told Romanian media on Friday.  After a three-month break due to the coronavirus lockdown, the LPF was due to kick off on Friday evening with FC Botosani visiting Universitatea Craiova. Instead, Botosani's players and staff were tested and put in quarantine after the team's doctor tested positive for COVID-19. Four games were scheduled for Saturday, but Dinamo Bucharest's home game with Chindia Targoviste was also called off after one of the Dinamo staff was found to have contracted the virus. "I'm afraid the season will not start again at all," said Botosani owner Valeriu Iftimie. Romania's government last week approved a request for the country's Liga 1 to resume on Friday after a three-month hiatus. Eight games are left in the second phase of the championship. Some games could still take place over the weekend if no further cases are discovered. Romania has reported...
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Gladbach ‘flabbergasted’ by racist fans and tells them to leave

June 12, 2020, 5:44 am
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Borussia Moenchengladbach said they were “flabbergasted” by an avalanche of racist comments that poured into their website and social networks after the club’s public support for “Black Lives Matter”. The club joined traditional rivals Borussia Dortmund, Schalke and Cologne in posting an anti-racism video last Friday. “What we have experienced since then in the comments leaves us flabbergasted,” said the club in an online statement, asking members “who do not share the values of Borussia Moenchengladbach, to terminate their membership”. The club has more than 150,000 members. The joint video started by showing Gladbach’s French striker Marcus Thuram, on May 31, becoming the first player in Germany to take a knee on the pitch after the death of the 46-year-old African-American George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis. It followed with Dortmund’s English attacker Jadon Sancho wearing a protest tee-shirt and also showed black players at all four clubs. “We continue to clean up the many racist, hateful and contemptuous comments,” the club said, adding that it was “deeply ashamed” of the fans who posted them.   The club thanked “the majority of the supporters who try to...
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Toyota unveils new Hilux

June 12, 2020, 6:08 am
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Invincible-spec Hilux models get design upgrades and unique interior touches.

Toyota has debuted its latest Hilux, bringing with it a new look as well as the addition of a more powerful powertrain ahead of its on-sale date in November. The design of the new Hilux marks quite the departure from the looks of the predecessor thanks to the introduction of a large, three-dimensional front grille and distinctive LED headlights. [attach id=885366 size="large" align="left" type="image"]The interior of the Hilux benefits from a new infotainment setup.[/attach] A new exterior colour – Titan Bronze – has been added to the Hilux’s range of available shades, while 18-inch alloy wheels with a contrast machined silver and black finish are also an option. A range-topping Invincible X specification has been added too. It receives a bespoke grille and front bumper, as well as a noticeable ‘Invincible’ logo across the rear door. Inside, the trim level brings its own instrument cluster design as well as dark chrome accents. But even lower-spec pick-ups receive an eight-inch multimedia screen fitted as standard, and it incorporates Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity too. Features such as air conditioning, front and rear parking sensors and a nine-speaker...
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Open-air cinema plans slammed by cultural sector

June 12, 2020, 6:36 am
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A previous instalment of the festival.

Heavyweights in the artistic and cultural sector have come out against a government plan to run open-air cinema events in July, just months after an established film festival was denied public funding.  Writers such as Immanuel Mifsud and Alex Vella Gera took to social media to express disappointment at the plans, which they slammed as "amateur" and "mediocre".  The Culture Ministry announced earlier this week that it would be offering free, open-air screenings of Hollywood films such as World War Z and Jurassic World in Valletta. The screenings are being organised by the state-run Valletta Cultural Agency.  Those plans dismayed the Film Grain Foundation, a non-profit which for the previous five years had run the Valletta Film Festival. Back in April, the foundation had said that it was cancelling the 2020 edition of the event due to a lack of public backing, coupled with restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic. In a statement on Thursday evening, the foundation said it was disappointed that only months after stopping its financial support to the festival the government had now launched an outdoor cinema event to be held at around the same time.   Oliver Mallia, who heads...
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Two-thirds of sponsors unsure about 2021 Olympics: poll

June 12, 2020, 7:10 am
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Two-thirds of Tokyo 2020’s corporate sponsors are undecided on whether to continue supporting the Games now the event has been pushed to 2021, according to a new survey. In the poll published late Thursday by Japanese public broadcaster NHK, 65 percent of the sponsors surveyed said they had not made up their minds about whether to extend their financial backing for another year. According to NHK, some companies voiced concerns that their promotional activities around the Games could be curtailed due to crowd-reduction measures imposed against the coronavirus. They were also worried the Games could be scrapped altogether, with several senior Olympic officials saying the Tokyo Olympics must take place next year or not at all. Many also said they had not decided whether to extend their sponsorship because they had not yet opened negotiations with the organisers — suggesting they may be open to persuasion. Tokyo CEO Toshiro Muto revealed later Friday that the organising committee had not contacted the sponsors due to the coronavirus state of emergency that was declared in Japan just after the Games were postponed in late March. However, he sought to ease their concerns that the...
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Bank of Valletta cuts interest rates on customer deposits

June 12, 2020, 7:28 am
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Bank of Valletta on Friday said it would be slashing its credit interest rates on customer deposits.  The new interest rates will be applicable to fixed-term deposits opened or renewed as from June 17, 2020. Interest rates on other deposit accounts will change with effect from August 12, 2020. Interest rates on existing term deposits will remain valid until maturity.  See the new rates on term deposits in the table below.   [attach id=885861 size="large" align="left" type="image"]BOV's new interest rates on term deposits. [/attach] The tables show that interest on fixed terms of one year will drop from 0.500% to 0.300%. Two-year terms will have an interest drop from 0.900% to 0.400%.  Three-year terms will have an interest drop from 1.100% to 0.500%.   Four-year terms on balance from €200 to €25,000.00 will drop from 1.250% to 0.600% on any balance. Five-year terms on that same balance will drop from 1.350% interest to 0.700% on any balance.   Meanwhile, BOV's wesbite says that interest rates on savings accounts will remain unchanged at 0.0%. BOV Young Savers Accounts will also remain unchanged.   BOV eAccount holders will see their interest drop from 0.200% to 0.100% for...
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Police arrest suspected drug traffickers

June 12, 2020, 7:58 am
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The drugs were found in a garage in Mosta. Photo: Police.

A group of suspected cannabis traffickers have been arrested in a police raid that uncovered cash and around five kilos of drugs, the police said.   In a statement, the police said a joint operation between anti-drugs squad and the rapid intervention unit had led to the arrest of four people on suspicion of drug trafficking.   The police said they were arrested on Thursday in Mosta in possession of around five kilos of suspected cannabis grass.    The police said anti-narcotics officers had for the past few weeks been monitoring a garage in Triq il-Buffula l-Ħamra in Mosta when on Thursday morning they spotted two people in a nearby car acting suspiciously.   A 46-year-old man from most and a 22-year-old Russian woman from Siġġiewi were seen entering the garage and meeting a 36-year-old man from Mosta.  A police search of the premises uncovered the drugs in five packages as well as €10,000 in cash and other items believed to be linked to the drugs trade.   The police said they had also seized a number of luxury cars.   A 58-year-old woman who lives in a property that includes the garage was also arrested. Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech is leading a magisterial inquiry into...
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Rashford targets end of child hunger in Britain

June 12, 2020, 8:06 am
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Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has pledged to keep fighting until no child in Britain goes hungry after helping raise around £20 million ($25 million) for charity during the coronavirus lockdown. The 22-year-old England star teamed up with FareShare, an organisation that distributes food to nearly 11,000 frontline charities and community groups. “I have amazing news!” he tweeted. “We had a goal that by end of June we would be able to supply 3 million meals to vulnerable people across the UK. “Today we have met the financial goal to provide these meals. Thank you all so much for the support.” Rashford, named the fifth most valuable player in Europe this week, said he was celebrating the success but had no intention of stopping. “Trust me when I say, I will keep fighting until no child in the UK has to worry about where their next meal is coming from. “This is England in 2020 and families need help.”  
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Daily stock market review, June 12, 2020

June 12, 2020, 8:08 am
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The MSE Equity Price Index erased all of Thursday’s gains as it declined by 0.59% to end the week at 4,023.463 points. The declines in MIA, HSBC, Medserv, Farsons and Harvest outweighed the positive performance in RS2 and MaltaPost whilst three other equities ended the day unchanged. Meanwhile, trading activity improved to €0.22 million from €0.17 million yesterday. HSBC Bank Malta plc closed at a near 2-month low as it shed just over 4% to the €0.94 level across 31,000 shares.  Malta International Airport plc eased by 1.7% to close at the €5.65 level across 9,645 shares. Yesterday, the airport operator confirmed that six airlines will be offering direct connections to 17 airports in nine countries and regions as from 1 July. A single trade of 5,000 shares saw Medserv plc plunge 7.7% to a fresh all-time low of €0.60 Meanwhile, Simonds Farsons Cisk plc shed 1.2% to the €7.95 level across 2,223 shares whilst a single trade of 2,000 shares in Harvest Technology plc saw the price fall by 1.4% to the €1.45 level. Today’s most actively traded equity, RS2 Software plc, climbed by 0.9% to approach a near 3-month high of €2.32 across 27,445 shares.   Friday’s only other positively...
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Xarabank collecting food for people going hungry because of COVID-19

June 12, 2020, 8:59 am
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Malta's food bank provides basic necessities to those in need.

Popular discussion program Xarabank will be collecting food donations on Friday for those who ended up going hungry because of the COVID-19 outbreak.   Xarabank host Peppi Azzopardi said that over the past few months a number of NGOs had private entities had been handing out meals for those in need, but there were still some who were slipping through the cracks.   “Although the government and others have been helping those in need during the virus outbreak, there are still those among us who have been going hungry and have not had the means to feed their family,” Azzopardi said.   Marica Cassar, from Caritas, will on Friday evening recount how she had been in touch with one mother during the virus outbreak who had been unable to feed her three children.   “She called me and said that she could not feed her three children. ‘They would ask when is dinner going to be ready?’ and I would say ‘soon, soon’. Then we would play a game and I would read to them until they fell asleep,” Cassar says in a brief video clip ahead of Friday night’s episode.    The initiative is being supported by the Trust Foundation, Caritas, and others.  President Emeritus Marie Louise Coleiro Preca will be...
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Criminal cases in family court to resume

June 12, 2020, 9:04 am
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Photo: Shutterstock

Criminal cases related to family matters are to resume following a coronavirus-forced break.   Magistrate Astrid May Grima will resume hearing cases in the order notice of summons were issued from May 21 onwards, authorities said in a statement issued on Friday.   People appearing in court must appear at the time indicated on their summons, to reduce overcrowding in the law courts’ corridors. Restrictions put into place to reduce the chance of COVID-19 spread have also forced the courts to postpone a number of court sessions to be presided over by magistrate Rachel Montebello. Civil cases numbered 1,2,3,9,12,16,19 and 22 due to be heard on Thursday, June 18 will now be heard on Monday, July 13 at the same time. Cases numbers 4,5,6,7,8,10,11,13,14,15,17,18,20,21,23 and 24 due to be heard on Thursday June 18 will remain as scheduled. A number of criminal cases scheduled for Wednesday, June 17 will now be heard on Thursday, June 25 at the same time originally scheduled. Cases presented by Birkirkara district police and due to be heard that Wednesday will also be deferred to June 25.
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Athletes can take a knee at Commonwealth Games, says chief

June 12, 2020, 9:21 am
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Athletes competing at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, will be allowed to take a knee to support the ‘Black Lives Matter’ (BLM) movement, according to the Games chief executive David Grevemberg. The American denied that his organisation was “opening Pandora’s Box” adding the ‘Friendly Games’ had a history of allowing freedom of expression. Australian legend Cathy Freeman wrapped herself in the Australian Aboriginal flag after winning 400 and 200 metres gold at the 1994 Games. International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said earlier this week athletes must explore ways they can express themselves “in a dignified way” at the rescheduled Tokyo Games next year. Protests have erupted across the globe since the killing of African-American George Floyd on May 25 when a police officer, who has been charged with second-degree murder, knelt on his neck for several minutes. “People say are we opening Pandora’s box but no, we are respecting people’s rights to voice opinions,” said Grevemberg. “BLM is challenging all institutions right now to really look introspectively at we can do to be more fair, more free, have better equality and better systems of justice...
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