Новости за 03.03.2016

Bird droppings were the likely cause of a December shutdown at a nuclear power plant outside New York City, according to the operator. An Indian Point reactor safely shut down for three days starting on December 14 following an electrical disturbance on outdoor high voltage transmission lines, Entergy Corp said. An outside expert is analysing whether what is technically called bird "streaming" was the culprit. In a report to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) last month, the New Orleans-based... Читать дальше...

Agriculture Parliamentary Secretary Roderick Galdes yesterday confirmed that the findings of a probe into a suspicious letter which facilitated the issuance of a development permit on ODZ land had not yet been presented. This in spite of a March 1 deadline set by the planning authority. Mr Galdes said the findings would be presented at the “opportune moment” once the conclusions had been “evaluated”. The letter was sent to Mepa by an employee of the Agriculture Department under what are suspected to be false pretences. Читать дальше...

The tenants of a Nationalist Party club investigated for irregular energy consumption have reached a repayment agreement, party sources said yesterday. Inquiries revealed that the irregular consumption was not the result of illegal tampering, the sources added. The PN asked the State energy provider to investigate possible electricity theft at one of its party clubs earlier this month. In a letter sent to Enemalta chairman Frederick Azzopardi, PN general secretary Rosette Thake urged the corporation... Читать дальше...

An internal police investigation is under way into allegations that officers with the Rapid Intervention Unit are being discriminated against by a superior, the police have confirmed. The probe was launched a few months ago in the wake of complaints filed by 36 officers who form part of this special unit. The Rapid Intervention Unit comprises about 150 policemen and is based at the Ta’ Kandja headquarters in Siġġiewi. Subsequently, the internal affairs unit – an entity within the police force tasked... Читать дальше...

Former Republican U.S. presidential nominee Mitt Romney called Donald Trump "a phony, a fraud" who is "playing the American public for suckers," today in a high-profile display of establishment unease with the incendiary New York billionaire in an address in Salt Lake City, Utah. The speech from Romney, who sees himself as an elder statesman in the party, comes hours before Trump and rivals Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and John Kasich share a debate stage in Detroit. "Think of Donald Trump's personal qualities... Читать дальше...

Updated - Servicemen's association reacts - The government has welcomed a decision by the European Court of Justice where it confirmed that rules were not being broken when ex-servicemen who received British services pensions had deductions made in their Maltese social security pension.  The government had been taken to court by the European Commission "Despite the decision in its favour, the government will remain committed to improve the position of those in receipt of services pensions, without distinction," the government said. Читать дальше...

Some of Malta’s top actors will re-enact the Passion of Christ in aid of Mount Carmel Hospital and to raise awareness on mental health. Vermiglio Theatre Productions will be staging the Passion of Christ in the fields surrounding the hospital making it an interactive and unique experience. The fields surrounding the hospital will double up as the streets of Jerusalem on and the audience will become part of the drama. A number of natural spots will serve as backdrops to the scenes and monologues.... Читать дальше...

A jury heard today how the victim of a Rabat shooting had a lucky escape, with the bullet fired by her husband stopping just short of her heart.Carmel Cutajar, a 50-year-old former policeman is pleading not guilty to the attempted murder of his estranged wife Maria outside the Point de Vue restaurant and guesthouse in Rabat. He denies seriously injuring her, carrying an unlicensed firearm and committing a crime he was duty bound to prevent on September 26, 2012. The accused had been married to Maria for 21 years, with whom he had two daughters.

Two bag snatchers who were arrested after a woman chased them in her car were convicted today and handed a suspended jail term and a probation order. Anthony Theuma and his son Redeemer were convicted of stealing a woman's purse containing €23.29c in Birzebbuga and attempting to steal another purse in Zejtun. The crimes took place on August 3, 2013. Both women were elderly and both suffered slight injuries in the bag-snatching. The victims were chosen because it was thought that they would have withdrawn their pension money on the day. Читать дальше...

South Africa's Constitutional Court has rejected Olympian Oscar Pisitorius the right to appeal against his conviction for the murder of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, television news channel ENCA reported. The news station said that the highest court in the country ruled that Pistorius had no reasonable grounds of success on his appeal. Pistorius now faces a possible minimum 15-year jail sentence for the murder of his girlfriend.

Alexis Sanchez believes Arsenal "lack self-belief" to become Barclays Premier League champions this season. The Gunners blew a big chance to increase the pressure on leaders Leicester when they were beaten at home 2-1 by Swansea last night. Joel Campbell had opened the scoring for Arsenal, who also hit the woodwork on three occasions, but goals from Wayne Routledge and Ashley Williams saw Swansea leave the Emirates Stadium with all three points for the third time in four years. It was a much-changed Swans line-up... Читать дальше...

All 22 tsunami warning buoys installed near vulnerable islands failed to work when a powerful earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesian officials said. The buoys were inoperable because of vandalism or a lack of funds for operation and maintenance, Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said. A magnitude-7.8 earthquake hit parts of Sumatra and small islands in western Indonesia on Wednesday evening, sending thousands of islanders rushing to high ground but causing no major damage or deaths. Читать дальше...

The MSE Share Index slipped by 0.07% to 4,543.040 points as the declines in six equities outweighed the gains in another three shares. Trading volumes across the equity market decreased to €395,000 from yesterday’s high level. Positive sentiment towards RS2 Software plc was sustained with the equity rising by a further 0.5% to a new all-time high (the ninth consecutive record price in as many trading sessions) of €3.74. A total of 11,000 shares changed hands today. Similarly, MaltaPost plc advanced... Читать дальше...

A man who admitted to growing around 60 cannabis plants has been jailed for five years. Steven Micallef, 39, from Żebbuġ was arrested and charged with the cultivation of cannabis on May 2, 2007. Mr Micallef admitted to the charges before a magistrate, and repeated his admission when the case was heard before a judge in February 2015. The accused’s lawyers had presented a joint note of submissions with the Attorney General with regards to punishment, which the court had accepted. In handing down sentence... Читать дальше...

The planning authority has turned down an application for a controversial petrol station in Maghtab which had angered residents, the local council and the environment directorate. The case had been deferred last week after an argument between Mepa chairman Vince Cassar and architect Carmel Cacopardo, representing residents, after Mr Cacopardo accused the planning directorate of deliberately concealing key facts about the application from the board. Mr Cassar was absent from today's hearing. The public... Читать дальше...

German police have arrested a doctor in Berlin suspected of convincing a young man to join Islamic State in Iraq, where he carried out a suicide bombing on behalf of the insurgents, prosecutors said. The 24-year-old recruit, who was described in a statement as "mentally unfit", travelled to Islamic State-controlled territory in 2014 and killed at least 12 Iraqi soldiers in a suicide bombing in the city of Baiji in May last year. A spokesman for the prosecutor's office in Karlsruhe said that the bomber's parents were both migrants to Germany... Читать дальше...

Two Italians who were kidnapped in Libya in July are believed to have been killed while being used as human shields by gunmen from the so-called Islamic State (IS) during a shoot out near Sorman, west of Tripoli, the Libya Herald has reported. The Italian Foreign Ministry has launched an investigation after pictures of the bodies were shown on social media. Fausto Piano and Salvatore Failla were kidnapped along with Filippo Calcagno and Gino Tullicardo . Islamic State, which had at least three bases in Sabratha including training grounds... Читать дальше...

Greece's prime minister has called for sanctions to be imposed on European Union states that refuse to take in their fair share of the hundreds of thousands of refugees flowing into the continent through his country. Alexis Tsipras also said the practically dormant procedure for relocating refugees stranded in Greece should be drastically speeded up. Speaking after a meeting with European Council President Donald Tusk in Athens, Mr Tsipras promised to provide "dignified" living conditions for the... Читать дальше...

The Prime Minister was wrong to think that the Panama companies scandal would go away if he did not speak about it, PN executive council president Ann Fenech said today as she called on Joseph Muscat to dismiss Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri. Both Dr Mizzi, the Energy Minister, and Mr Schembri, the PM’s chief of staff, have admitted to having a trust in New Zealand and a company in Panama. Addressing a news conference this afternoon, Dr Fenech said the people wanted answers to such an unacceptable situation... Читать дальше...

Barely four months after their super-successful showing during last season’s New York Fashion Week, when they showcased a collection of bold prints inspired by our traditional luzzu, home-grown designers Charles & Ron returned to the Big Apple just last week with a brand new collection that has left its mark with fashion journalists and gurus alike. The new collection was shown as part of the Arts Hearts Fashion, a platform for the world’s freshest and artistically-inspired designers to launch... Читать дальше...

A court has stopped the tax commissioner from restarting a process to select candidates for the post of debt collectors, after a request for a warrant of prohibitory injunction filed by the Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin was upheld by Mr Justice Joseph Zammit McKeon.  The UĦM, together with four public service employees, had filed an application requesting the injunction last month after the commissioner had cancelled the results of a selection board, citing non-observance of procedures by that board.... Читать дальше...

American Ambassador G. Kathleen Hill this morning said co-operation on regional security and enhancing economic ties between Malta and the US would be her main priorities during her term of office. Ms Hill was speaking to journalists in her first official meeting with the press since she presented her credentials to President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca. The Ambassador said she received quite a lot of feedback from the Maltese government about the security situation in Libya and stressed the US strongly... Читать дальше...

A wrench-wielding prankster poked fun at Volkswagen during the Geneva Motor Show. The prankster, dressed as a VW mechanic, crawled under a display car pretending to carry out a repair, apparently mocking the German car maker's emissions scandal. Marketing chief Juergen Stackmann told the audience: "It doesn't need repairs, it's a perfect car." The joker was whisked away by security guards.

Police in Istanbul have shot and killed two women who had earlier attacked a police station with gunfire and a hand grenade. The women had escaped from the scene in a vehicle and hid inside a building a short distance from the station. Police then surrounded the building and launched an operation to apprehend them. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack on the riot police station in Istanbul's Bayrampasa district. Both Kurdish rebels and militants of a far-left organisation have attacked police in the city in the past.

Entrepreneurs operating from Mrieħel industrial estate have joined forces with the government and set up a foundation tasked to embellish the area and turn it to a modern business park. The deed of the Mrieħel Enterprise Foundation was signed this morning in Castille in the presence of the 18 founding members together with government officials. Farsons Group chairman Louis Farrugia has been elected chairman for an 18-month term. The foundation will receive up to €400,000 from the state, which will... Читать дальше...