timesofmalta.com newsletter - 20 Apr 2016

Copyright © 2016 timesofmalta.com Newsletter for Wednesday, 20 Apr 2016 [Times of Malta] [Progress Press] National - [Malta newspapers review] The following are the top stories in the Maltese newspapers today. Times of Malta reports exclusively that the government has wrapped up talks to sell a stake of Air Malta to Etihad Airways. In-Nazzjon reports that the PN will support Marlene... - [Government wraps up Air Malta-Etihad deal] The government has wrapped up negotiations on the future of Air Malta and will be selling a substantial stake of the national airline to the UAE’s Etihad Airways, the Times of Malta is informed. A memorandum of understanding (MOU) is expected to... - [Part of Regional Road tunnel ceiling falls off] Cladding on the ceiling of the Regional Road tunnel fell off last night but fortunately missed cars which were being driven through. No one was injured but motorists reported seeing stones and concrete on the road before the tunnel was temporarily... - [PM insists Mario de Marco's position 'no longer tenable'] Prime Minister Joseph Muscat this evening reiterated that PN deputy leader Mario de Marco’s position was unsustainable and no longer tenable. Interviewed on One TV this evening, Dr Muscat also reiterated that the necessary political decisions... - [Playmobil to extend its Hal Far factory in €30m investment] Toy-maker Playmobil is to invest a further €30 million in its Malta plant and add 200 people to its workforce of 1000. The announcement was made during a tour of the company's large factory in Hal Far by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat. Dr Muscat... World news - [Half Australia's Great Barrier Reef coral "dead or dying" - scientists] Australian scientists said today that just seven percent of the Great Barrier Reef, which attracts around A$5 billion ($3.90 billion) in tourism every year, has been untouched by mass bleaching that is likely to destroy half the coral. Bleaching... - [Trump, Clinton, win big in New York] Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have emerged victorious in party primary contests in their home state of New York. Billionaire businessman Mr Trump had been widely expected to beat his Republican rivals Ted Cruz and John Kasich in the election. - [They were organising my funeral but I've been reborn says earthquake survivor] A man who was pulled alive from the rubble after the devastating earthquake which struck Ecuador has told how his wife had already bought a coffin for his funeral. Hotel administrator Pablo Cordova was one of a trickle of survivors pulled from... - [Email from student in UK goes to wrong Verona but helps save suicidal woman] An email from a concerned friend of a suicidal student in Verona, Italy, was mistakenly sent to a police department of the same name in New Jersey, but authorities said it helped save her life. Mitchell Stern, police chief in Verona, New Jersey,... - [Girl discovers ancient Egyptian amulet in Jerusalem] An Israeli girl has discovered an ancient Egyptian amulet dating back more than 3,200 years to the days of the Pharaohs. Neshama Spielman, 12, and her family took part in the Temple Mount Sifting Project, an initiative to sort through earth... Opinion - [Literacy strategy: is it working?] Minister of Education Evarist Bartolo’s boas-ting about the initiatives taking place in schools and with families to enhance reading need... - [A sense of proportion] Eight weeks ago, the stunning news broke about the involvement of Minister Konrad Mizzi and the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, Keith... - [A man of contrasts] When Pope John Paul II died on April 2, 2005, the cardinals from all over the world converged on Rome to select the new pope. The... - [Leaders who embrace values] If one had to see this country from afar, one would see a progressive government boasting 6.3 per cent economic growth, an Opposition on... - [A booming economy] Reading through the Country Report Malta 2016 issued by the European Commission, the verdict reads stark clear: the economy is... Letters - [Disgusting Gozo farm] On April 8, I went on an organised day trip to Gozo. In the afternoon we were taken to a ‘farm’ in the vicinity of Marsalforn, but it was... - [Malta’s Panamagate] So here we are in these little islands of ours, wondering what is going to happen next after the latest Panamagate revelations. As a... - [Useful quotes] With politicos glad-handing everyone they meet, Panama Papers, with iterations in several forms, remind me of two of Oscar Wilde’s dicta,... - [Busuttil is no alternative PM] As I claimed in my last letter on this subject (April 9), the Jason Azzopardi defamation case has continued to expose Opposition leader... - [Great illusion] The ability of man to illude himself is infinite. The two great ideologies of the last century were convinced that they would last for a... Sport - [Villa suspend Agbonlahor] Aston Villa have suspended striker Gabriel Agbonlahor pending an investigation into off-field matters. The action comes following... - [We’ll still win the title, says Barca coach] Barcelona coach Luis Enrique remains convinced his faltering team will end their winless run and retain the La Liga title after seeing... - [Loew holds door open for Schweinsteiger] Germany coach Joachim Loew hopes to have Bastian Schweinsteiger available for Euro 2016 even though the Man. United midfielder could miss... - [UEFA chooses Hawk-Eye for Euros] Hawk-Eye technology will be used to decide whether the ball has crossed the goal-line at this year’s European Champion-ship, UEFA said... - [Flask on a high after monthly award] Jade Flask, the Hibernians striker, had good reason to celebrate lately after helping her team to become champions for the third... Business News - [Data protection gets overhaul] New rules which will regulate data protection in Europe have recently received the blessing of the European Parliament. After more than... - [Argentina wows market with first bond in 15 years] Argentina got an enthusiastic welcome back to the club of borrower nations on Monday, amassing more than $65 billion in orders for its... - [Amazon offers video streaming service at monthly subscription] Amazon.com Inc said it would offer its video streaming service at a monthly subscription as it looks to drive membership in its Prime... - [Anheuser-Busch InBev accepts Asahi offer for SAB’s Peroni] Anheuser-Busch InBev, the brewer which is in the process of acquiring rival SABMiller, said it accepted an offer from Japan’s Asahi Group... - [Demand for risky assets up as global stocks and oil rise] Major world stock markets rose yesterday as the bounce in oil prices helped the energy sector, following signs of economic stabilisation... Social - [Announcements] BRINCAT. On April 18, at Mater Dei Hospital, HELEN, of Birkirkara, aged 91, passed away peacefully comforted by the rites of the Holy... - [Violinist virtuoso Charlie Siem playing live at the Manoel] A rising star in the world of classical music, British violin virtuoso Charlie Siem gets as much attention for being handsome as he does... - [Musical evening with tenor Nico Darmanin] A classical music evening with Maltese tenor Nico Darmanin is being held at the Music Room, St James Cavalier, Valletta on Friday, April... - [Careers Expo at Global College Malta] Global College Malta is holding its second annual Careers Expo at Smart City on Tuesday between 9am and 4pm. At the event prospective... - [Festival in aid of Qalb it-Tfal] The Malta Festival of Transport in aid of Qalb it-Tfal is being held on Sunday at the promenade in BirżebbuÄ¡a. Qalb it-Tfal is a... Blogs - [Moving on] I promised, on my FaceBook page, that I wasn't going to blog about the surreal contributions from Government members in the debate in the... - [The non-vote we all knew was coming] While everyone was following the non-vote yesterday, live-tweeting it and getting more frustrated by the second, I was happily ignoring... - [A lesson in power for our self-appointed gods] Yesterday there was a very surreal debate in Parliament. Undoubtedly different people will have different takes about it.Some would point... - [Tribal maladies] There are moments when I start doubting whether people really consider themselves to be free individuals before they are Nationalists or... - [Brimming with confidence] No doubt on Monday, Premier Joe will stride into the House brimming with confidence and sporting the smirk that has become his USP - a... 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