Новости за 18.02.2016

Pope Francis assailed Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's views on U.S. immigration as "not Christian" today, prompting the billionaire businessman to reprimand the religious leader as "disgraceful" for questioning his faith. No stranger to controversy, Trump, the longtime party front-runner in national opinion polls, has vowed if elected president to build a wall between the United States and Mexico to keep out immigrants who enter illegally. In a freewheeling conversation on his flight home from a visit to Mexico... Читать дальше...

Labour MEP Alfred Sant has added his name to a petition by a group of members of the European Parliament calling on the European Union to remove the PKK from the list of terrorist organisations. The petition has been hit by bad timing, with Turkey blaming the PKK (Kurdish Workers’ Party) for a car bomb in Ankara yesterday which killed at least 28. "Yesterday's attack was directly targeting Turkey and the perpetrator is the YPG and the divisive terrorist organization PKK. All necessary measures will... Читать дальше...

Decision-making in the eurozone must be strengthened and not “paralyzed”, European Parliament president Martin Schulz has warned over UK demands for what could effectively amount to a veto on eurozone issues. In his address at the start of a heads of government meeting, Mr Schulz raised several concerns about the special arrangement the UK is seeking as it tries to redefine its relationship with the EU. One of the UK’s demands is for a recognition that the EU is  “a multi currency union”. Mr Schulz... Читать дальше...

Pope Francis has appeared to open the door to a possible limited softening of the Roman Catholic Church's ban on contraception because of the Zika virus. But the Argentine pontiff, speaking to reporters as he flew back to Rome from a visit to Mexico, categorically ruled out abortion as a response to Zika, comparing the practice to a Mafia killing. The health crisis has put pressure on Church teachings, particularly in Latin America, where abortion is now being debated more openly even in some conservative countries. Читать дальше...

President Barack Obama has announced a historic visit to Cuba next month, speeding up the thaw in relations between the two Cold War former foes but igniting opposition from Republicans at home. In the first U.S. presidential trip to the Caribbean nation in nearly 90 years, Obama will meet with Cuban President Raul Castro, entrepreneurs, and "Cubans from different walks of life" during the trip on March 21 and 22, the White House said. After decades of animosity following Cuba's 1959 revolution,... Читать дальше...

More than 100 Iraqi refugees who sought asylum in Finland last year, have voluntarily returned to Baghdad saying, "we got tired of waiting for a solution."   "We cannot say that treatment there was not good, but we got tired of waiting without a solution. We'd been there for seven months. So, we came back," one of them said. "I'd been there for eight months...I couldn't do anything for myself, so how can I do something for others? I could not build my happiness on the misery of others. My family is more important to me."  Now... Читать дальше...

A 43-year-old Italian woman was injured when two cars crashed near the university in Tal-Qroqq this afternoon. An eyewitness said a car appeared to have skidded and crashed into the driver's side of an oncoming vehicle, which then crashed into a parked car. The injured woman was in the oncoming vehicle. She was hospitalised.

Parents of children who were absent from childcare centres for several days have complained after receiving exorbitant bills, saying medical certificates were often being refused. “I have just received a bill for more than a €1,000 for what the childcare centre said were unused hours. I have presented medical certificates every time my child was sick but the carers told me the government is not recognising medical certificates,” a fuming 25-year-old mother said. Another mother, who sends her two-year-old... Читать дальше...

The Mtahleb cliffs have always been appreciated by hikers as some of the best scenery that Malta has to offer. But a group of young people got an altogether different experience - and an Adrenalin rush - by stepping off the cliff under a zipline. See the views above and below.

The strong wind which lashed Malta today whipped up large waves which filled beaches with algae but did not cause major damage other than destroying a wall which collapsed on cars at San Anton school (see separate story). A motorcyclist, however, reported some damage to his car in St Paul’s Bay when a chair was blown into the road, while in Floriana a motorcyclist told the police that a gust toppled his motorcycle. The wind was a consequence of cyclone Charlene which roared close to Malta but gave scant respite from the winter’s dry spell.

The government is ignoring the concept of social justice, the shadow minister for social policy Paula Mifsud Bonnici said today. Addressing a press conference, Dr Mifsud Bonnici said the government has given millions to its inner-circle yet is ignoring those most in need. Dr Mifsud Bonnici cited a number of instances where the government squandered taxpayers’ money, such as the €3.5 million given to property speculator Marco Gaffarena, the €4.2 million Café Premier bailout and the €30 million subsidy for a subpar bus service. Читать дальше...

Stephen Azzopardi is no longer the head coach of Sliema Wanderers but is staying on as technical director, the Premier League club said in a short statement. Assistant coach Ivan Woods will take over the team on a temporary basis as Sliema Wanderers are expected to recruit a new coach after discussing the matter with the players. "The SWFC committee together with coach Stephen Azzopardi have decided that, with immediate effect, Mr Azzopardi will focus more on a holistic review of the whole club’s technical structure... Читать дальше...

How do you make a Maltese cross? Charge him an unreasonable price for a comedy gig, apparently. Acclaimed British comedian Jimmy Carr waded into the controversy surrounding ticket prices for his April live show at Eden Cinemas, tweeting: “I seem to have made the Maltese cross - we'll do our best to get the gig back on sale at a reasonable price asap.” The pun may not be the most original Carr has ever come up with, but it did provoke a few responses from among his 6.2 million Twitter followers. “Everything... Читать дальше...

Malta Public Transport has launched a new website publictransport.com.mt designed to make travel easy for bus users. It replaces  tallinja.com. The new website includes  up-to-date information about public transport service, a Journey Planner, bus card registrations, and  service announcements. The new website is available in both Maltese and English.  The Company recently redesigned and installed close to 2,000 bus stop timesheets around Malta and published a detailed route map showing all the routes serving Malta and Gozo... Читать дальше...

A local council employee was placed under a three-year probation order by a court after admitting to stealing €150 in order to buy drugs. The man, 31, whose name cannot be published by court order due to a terminal illness affecting a member of his family, agreed to refund the money within four weeks. The court presided by Magistrate Francesco Depasquale warned him that unless he collaborates to overcome his drug addiction, he was destined to land into further trouble. Police Inspector Frank Anthony Tabone led the prosecution.

The government is ignoring the concept of social justice, the Opposition’s shadow minister for social policy Paula Mifsud Bonnici said today. The government has given millions to its inner-circle yet is ignoring those most in need, Dr Mifsud Bonnici told a press conference. She cited a number of instances where the government had "squandered" taxpayers’ money, such as the €3.5 million given to property speculator Marco Gaffarena, the €4.2 million Café Premier bailout, and the €30 million subsidy for a below par bus service. Читать дальше...

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said this evening that he viewed British requests for EU reforms as sensible and Malta would support them if they were refined.  Dr Muscat made his comments to Times of Malta shortly before the opening of an EU leaders’ meeting which will discuss a proposed reform deal being sought by Britain before a referendum in June on whether it should stay in the EU. Dr Muscat said  Malta’s position was that any concessions granted to the UK should be applicable to all other countries. Читать дальше...

It would be a tragedy for democracy and the ordinary people if the Ombudsman became a rubber stamp for administrative decisions, Archbishop Charles Scicluna has said. He was speaking during Mass to mark the 20th anniversary since the Office of the Ombudsman was set up. Mgr Scicluna urged the Office of the Ombudsman to help bring about a change in the old, but still prevalent, colonial mentality which separated the state from ordinary people. Many people still thought that abusing of something which... Читать дальше...

Mepa has given the green light for a new Lidl supermarket  on the site of a concrete brick manufacturing plant in the limits of Mosta. The development, on a site which fronts the MCAST Complex and occupies an area of approximately 8,700m² in a designated ‘Area of Containment’, will include the main Supermarket facility together with storage areas, a bakery, un/loading area, an office, staff facilities and 174 car parking spaces. The built up area will account for 27% of the total site area. Although an outline planning permit... Читать дальше...

Three members of a Syrian family and a Maltese man who last Tuesday were involved in a fight in Paola over a pending court dispute on unpaid rent, today pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against them before Magistrate Francesco Depasquale. Demis Darmanin, 41, from Cospicua, whose father, owns a Tarxien property where the Syrians are residing was charged with inflicting slight injuries and threatening 47-year-old Husein Tlas with various objects, and disturbing public peace. He was also accused... Читать дальше...

Hyacinth Bucket's Keeping Up Appearances has been announced as the BBC's most popular export. The Daily Telegraph said that the sitcom, which aired from 1990-1995, has been bought almost one thousand times by overseas broadcasters, more than any show over the past 40 years.   The show's closest competitor was David Attenborough's The Life of Mammals which began in 2002. The documentary series was acquired internationally 958 times.

A dog trainer and former surf champion helps train dogs and their owners how to surf. Julie Noce reports.

An airstrike has killed the head of intelligence of al-Shabab, a Somali-based extremist group which is believed to have been among those who planned attacks on Kenyans. Kenyan military spokesman Colonel David Obonyo said on Thursday that Mahad Karate, also known as Abdirahim Mohamed Warsame, died along with 10 middle-level al-Shabab members in an airstrike 10 days ago in Nadris camp in the south of Somalia. The US State department in April designated Karate a terrorist, saying he played a key role in the Amniyat... Читать дальше...

No one was injured but a number of cars were damaged when the lateral wall of a hall at San Anton school collapsed onto an access road. The incident at 1.30pm today, is believed to have been caused by the strong winds. The structure was still under construction. The incident happened when senior students were on their lunch break but none were in the area. Children in the Grade 7 classes, overlooking the site, were immediately evacuated from their classes.

The Yugoslav war crimes tribunal is to announce verdicts against former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic next month following his long-running trial on charges including genocide for allegedly masterminding atrocities throughout the Bosnian war. The United Nations court announced on Thursday that judges will give their verdicts at a hearing on March 24. Prosecutors say Karadzic should be sentenced to life imprisonment if he is convicted. He faces 11 charges including genocide, murder and rape. Читать дальше...