Новости за 13.02.2016

Love is definitely "in the air" in Moscow -- 337 meters up in the air, to be exact. The observation deck of Moscow's Ostankinskaya TV tower has opened a new area it calls, the "kissing spot." They invited six couples to be the first ones try it out.   The holiday was not marked until after the end of the Soviet Union in 1991, but it's now the country's most popular romantic holiday. Love-struck Russians now jumping into the new tradition with both feet.

Chelsea 5 Newcastle United 1 English Champions Chelsea's most convincing display of the season extended their unbeaten run under Guus Hiddink to 12 games and left Newcastle United in the Premier League relegation zone. A masked Diego Costa (picture), who broke his nose in training, slotted Chelsea in front after five minutes and the Blues were three ahead with 17 minutes on the clock after Pedro and Willian punished lackadaisical Newcastle defending. Newcastle staunched the goal flow until the hour... Читать дальше...

A woman and her toddler son who were trapped in a car which rolled into a canal in Amsterdam were dramatically rescued by pedestrians who jumped into the freezing water. Four people dived in to try to help but, when they could not break the rear window with a stone, one of them had to get a hammer from his own car, according to local media. The woman's car had been parked when it started to roll towards the canal, with the toddler inside. The pair are said to be recovering well, while the rescuers have been hailed as heroes. Читать дальше...

More than half of the human race could be unemployed in 30 years time as job vacancies are filled by machines, a scientist has predicted. A life of leisure could be the norm for a majority of people in decades to come, according to computer expert Moshe Vardi - but he warns that it may not be a bed of roses. Speaking at a major conference in the US, he considered the social implications of a global economy with greater than 50% unemployment. Professor Vardi, from Rice University in Houston, Texas... Читать дальше...

SLIEMA WANDERERS 1 Shodiya 89 NAXXAR LIONS 2 Demba 51, Bonnici 56 Naxxar boosted their prospects of retaining their Premier League status with a 2-1 win over Sliema Wanderers to condemn their opponents to their fifth consecutive defeat. But during this clash it was the Italian goalkeeper Albero Gallinetta, making his debut for Naxxar, who caught the eye with a string of excellent saves to frustrate the Wanderers in the first period. Johann Bezzina, playing in a central midfield position, slipped... Читать дальше...

A Maltese researcher is proposing a project focusing on developing a more effective mass screening tool to prevent blindness in those suffering from diabetes. The project was proposed by George Azzopardi from the University of Malta and the idea was presented to a meeting of the EU Diabetes Working Group by MEP Therese Comodini Cachia. The condition, called diabetic retinopathy (DR), is the second largest cause of blindness in Europe but if detected in time, it can be controlled to some extent. Malta... Читать дальше...

Libyan naval forces have seized a Sierra Leone-flagged oil tanker on suspicion of illegally entering Libyan waters in an attempt to smuggle gasoline, authorities said. The vessel, the Captain Khayyam, was stopped in Libyan waters on Friday night 25 miles northwest of Zuwarah city, and was carrying 1.6 million litres of gasoline, said Ayoub Qassem, a spokesman for the naval forces allied to Tripoli's self-declared government. "The tanker was seized due to illegal entrance to Libyan waters without permission," Qassem said. Читать дальше...

Valletta completed their second round commitments in winning fashion after overcoming lowly Qormi 2-0 at the Hibs Stadium. As expected it was Valletta who made all the early running and on 18 minutes Rafael Ledesma received the ball from a short corner taken by Jhonnattann and his thundering drive came off the bar with Vella beaten. Valletta tried to raise their ante and on 32 minutes Roderick Briffa’s powerful volley whizzed past the upright while a minute later Romao picked Falcone inside the area... Читать дальше...

Economy Minister Chris Cardona yesterday held an informal meeting with Valletta shop owners briefing them on the government’s latest plans about the open air market, the Times of Malta is informed. Government sources told this newspaper Dr Cardona told owners of shops in Merchants Street the government would be making a final decision shortly but wanted to meet individual monti hawkers before an announcement was made. “The minister informed shop owners about a possible solution which should go down well with both sides,” the sources said. Читать дальше...

Statistics released by Eurostat shows that manufacturing in Malta was healthy, the government said this evening.  While industrial production in the EU and in the eurozone went down by 0.8 per cent and 1.3 per cent respectively, Malta registered an increase of 5.7 per cent.  This means Malta had the third largest growth in industrial production among EU states, following Hungary and Ireland. The healthy state of manufacturing is also reflected in statistics released by the Employment and Training Corporation... Читать дальше...

Stephen Fry has said Bafta parties have been tamed in recent years due to "buttoned-up and puritanical" guests. The host of the awards bash said the stars tend to be on their best behaviour and stick to just one drink. Fry, 58, will be presenting the glittering ceremony for the 11th time tomorrow night. Appearing on The Jonathan Ross Show, he said: "It is an odd thing that... after the Baftas all the parties are pretty sober and people behave. "People have one little drink and that's about it really... Читать дальше...

A dangerous cold snap seized the northeastern United States today with temperatures in some areas set to fall below zero and Boston facing its coldest Valentine's Day in almost four decades. Officials warned people to stay indoors away from what the National Weather Service described as "life threatening" cold. Wind chill advisories were in effect over parts of nine states extending from northern Pennsylvania to western Maine, with forecasters expecting gusts up to 45 miles per hour (72 kph). "Wind... Читать дальше...

St Andrew’s and Tarxien Rainbows took a point each in a 1-1 draw at the Hibs Stadium. The Saints threatened after two minutes when from a free-kick action, Jonatan Perez Cuestra’s curling drive finished just over. The Spanish midfielder threatened again on 22 minutes but his firm drive was blocked by Andrea Cassar, the Tarxien goalkeeper. The Rainbows finally came to life on 29 minutes when Carlos Hevia was denied by St Andrew’s goalkeeper Jake Galea. Tarxien showed more urgency at the start of the... Читать дальше...

MOSTA 3 (Mensah 14, Ekani 82, Mensah 90) PEMBROKE ATHLETA 3 (Villalobos 26 pen, O’Brien 28, Laudisi 36) Mosta staged a thrilling comeback as two stoppage-time goals gave them a well-earned draw against Pembroke who had been 3-1 up with only nine minutes left. A rip-roaring clash that conjured up in the final eight minutes to leave Pembroke dazed and confused. Pembroke were taken aback by Mosta’s forceful take-off with the Blues storming ahead inside the first quarter of an hour. James Brincat’s cross... Читать дальше...

The off-duty officer attacked by a warden in a fit of road rage could have complications in her pregnancy, police union chief Sandro Camilleri has warned. The warden, who was also off duty at the time of the incident on Tuesday, was being investigated by both his employer, the KDM Group, and the police, sources said. The Police Officers Union within the General Workers’ Union on Wednesday released a video of the incident that happened in Floriana. The video showed a man swearing at the policewoman... Читать дальше...

Lamine Kone's powerful header helped Sunderland to a vital Barclays Premier League victory over Manchester United to rekindle their survival hopes and pile the pressure on Louis van Gaal. The January signing from French side Lorient powered Wahbi Khazri's 82nd-minute corner towards David de Gea. The ball then ricocheted between the goalkeeper and Anthony Martial on the line before ending up in the back of the net. It was officially credited as a De Gea own goal. Earlier Martial had cancelled out Khazri's third-minute opener. Читать дальше...

More than 5,000 pregnant Colombian women are infected with the mosquito-borne Zika virus, the country's national health institute said, as the disease continues its rapid spread across the Americas. There are 31,555 cases of the disease in Colombia, the national health institute said in a epidemiology bulletin, among them 5,013 pregnant women. The disease has been linked to microcephaly, a condition marked by babies being born with an abnormally small head size that can result in developmental problems. Читать дальше...

Former hard-man defender Trifon Ivanov, who was instrumental in helping Bulgaria reach the 1994 World Cup semi-finals, died today, aged 50. The former footballer suffered a heart attack. The centre-back's playing career included spells at CSKA Sofia, Real Betis and Rapid Vienna. "Trifon Ivanov will remain in the history of Bulgarian football as one of the best defenders," a Bulgarian Football Union statement said.

The Home Affairs Ministry has not provided any information about the internal inquiry into the death of a person under arrest, which was due to have been concluded on January 21. There was no reply to questions which the Times of Malta has repeatedly sent to the ministry asking whether the inquiry has been concluded. A 45-year-old Briton died on January 9 at the forensic unit of Mount Carmel Hospital while he was under arrest on offences related to drugs. This newspaper has reported that a CCTV camera... Читать дальше...

Times of Malta presents a selection of its photographers' choice of their best photos over the past days.

A police inspector was injured after he was assaulted by a driver who was stopped for a roadside check near Mdina this morning. The inspector stopped the BMW vehicle with foreign number-plates near a roundabout around 11.30am. The police, who was accompanied by two other officers, is receiving medical attention and the driver has been arrested.

The Court of Appeal's decision which confirmed that the composition of the Industrial Tribunal was unconstitutional may have serious ramifications on the decisions pronounced in the last years, the Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin has warned. "Following the judgement, the UĦM Voice of the Workers is greatly concerned that the recent developments have cast a shadow of uncertainty over the rights afforded to the employees and their right to seek redress before a competent tribunal." Andrew Grima, one of the... Читать дальше...

Syrian government forces were poised to advance into the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa province and allied Russian jets kept up air strikes on rebel-held towns north of Aleppo, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Saturday. An advance into Raqqa would re-establish a Syrian government foothold in the province for the first time since 2014 and may be aimed at pre-empting any move by Saudi Arabia to send ground forces to fight Islamic State militants in Syria. Russia is pressing ahead... Читать дальше...

The Maltese were paying for the government's corruption, the Nationalist Party charged this morning during a press conference called in front of the Gaffarena petrol station in Qormi. The public was still being fleeced in its petrol and diesel prices, which remain among the highest in the EU. Meanwhile, the Gaffarena scandal, which led to the resignation of Parliamentary Secretary Michael Falzon, as well as the visas scandal, show the extent of corruption, the PN maintained. Speaking symbolically... Читать дальше...

The police enrollment system should be revised and updated, the Malta Police Association said this morning.  Working in the corps comes with its own particularities, and no existing course currently serves the police's criteria, the association said in a statement. The police academy should therefore be changed into a professional and autonomous and accredited institute where training is given by professionals. The academy should have the competence to tailor courses for police to enable them to... Читать дальше...