Новости за 11.03.2016

A Holy Week pageant is to be held on the streets of Valletta as part of events marking the capital's 450th anniversary. V18 chairman Jason Micallef announced today that the activity will be held jointly with Tarxien's Għaqda Kultura u Armar Marija Annunzjata and Valletta council. “ Il-Passjoni ta’ Sidna Ġesu Kristu” will be held on Saturday, March 19. Some 400 people will take part, along with King’s Own Philarmonic Band, Għaqda Muzikali Marija Annunzjata of Tarxien and Għaqda Muzikali Beland of Żejtun. Читать дальше...

Nationalist MEP David Casa has been elected President of the EPP Workers Group. The election was held during a meeting in Florence. Mr Casa said that he was honoured to have been entrusted with this important post by his colleagues. The timing of the appointment was particularly poignant as it followed the adoption of the EPP Paper on a 'Modern Social Europe', which he drafted, Mr Casa said. "We now have the basis on which to further expand the EPP's role, ideas and influence in matters related to employment and social affairs. Читать дальше...

Europe's historic search for life on Mars is set to take off on Monday as a heavy-lift Russian rocket blasts into space from Kazakhstan. The Proton rocket will launch the first of two ExoMars missions, together costing 1.2 billion euro (£924 million), designed to uncover signs of past or present life on the Red Planet. An orbiter carried on the ExoMars 2016 mission will hunt for methane in the Martian atmosphere and show if it is likely to have been generated by geology or biological processes. Then in two years' time... Читать дальше...

An American Airlines Boeing 767 has safely returned to London Heathrow airport after reporting a fire in one of its two engines. The incident took place at abut 10.45 (Malta time). Fire engines were deployed on the runway and a number of flights were diverted.

The Transport Ministry is installing security cameras in subways as a means to encourage people to use them, Transport Minister Joe Mizzi said this morning. Priority has been given to the subways in St Anne Street and National Road in Floriana and Blata l-Bajda respectively in view of the number of traffic accidents involving pedestrians in those streets. The minister said the cameras were a means to increase security and safety. They would also deter people from using subways as public toilets, or for littering. Читать дальше...

Yesterday at precisely 1.45pm most market fanatics were surely stuck to their screens, awaiting the much awaited decision by the European Central Bank (ECB). Investors were hoping that this time round, Super Mario would not delude following December’s decision which had dragged markets considerably lower. And no this time round, he didn’t, the ECB eased further its monetary policy with the bond buying program exceeding an average median estimate of an increase to Euro 75bn from the previously Euro 60bn. Читать дальше...

Three years after the election of Pope Francis, Roman Catholic conservatives are growing increasingly worried that he is quietly unravelling the legacy of his predecessors. Francis' popularity with most Catholics, and legions of non-Catholics, has given him the image of a grandfatherly parish priest who understands how difficult it sometimes is to follow Church teachings, particularly those on sexual morality. Conservatives worry that behind the gentle facade lies a dangerous reformer who is diluting... Читать дальше...

Manchester United's failure to score an away goal against bitter rivals Liverpool has left them with a handful to do in the second leg next week, defender Chris Smalling said after yesterday's 2-0 last-16 Europa League defeat at Anfield. Winning Europe's second-tier club tournament appears to be United's best chance of qualifying for the Champions League next season but goals from Daniel Sturridge and Roberto Firmino either side of halftime has severely dented their hopes. "We're disappointed. I... Читать дальше...

Economy minister Chris Cardona this morning launched the second edition of the Labour Party’s Kwalita Malta project, a fair which aims to promote Maltese products, services and entrepreneurship. Dr Cardona said the current economic growth is being driven by both foreign investment and local consumption, as people have more disposable income. He said the government should act as an “enabler”, giving local businesses the space in which to flourish. The second edition of the fair will be held between... Читать дальше...

Barbecues that do not run on gas will soon be banned from Golden Bay as Mellieħa council steps up efforts to keep its beaches clean. The council recently decided to lift a ban on barbecues at Ghadira Bay as long they use gas. Now it is proposing that barbecues at Golden Bay should also be restricted to those which use gas. Mayor John Buttigieg said that, during discussions on whether to revoke the barbecue ban at Għadira, the council identified threats to the quality of the beaches due to barbecues. Читать дальше...

An elderly woman was evacuated from her home this morning after a fierce fire broke out in a kitchen on the roof. Three fire-engines were deployed to the maisonette, in Walter Ganado Street, Pembroke, and firemen stopped the flames from spreading. The woman was treated for smoke inhalation in an ambulance. A fireman said it was possible that the blaze was caused by a lightning strike since power sockets were found to have melted.  Video above by Jonathan Grech, below by Matthew Xuereb

A brief hailstorm struck Malta and Gozo this morning, nothing unusual for this time of year, except that it was the heaviest burst of rain for months. Just yesterday the Met Office said February was the warmest and driest since records started being kept in 1923. Unsettled weather is forecast to persist through the weekend. Picture by Charles Spiteri (top) and Johannes-Georg Wagner. mynews@timesofmalta.com

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal admits his players failed to cope with the pressure Liverpool put them under at Anfield. A first-half penalty from Daniel Sturridge was followed by a decisive second from Roberto Firmino 17 minutes from time but the 2-0 scoreline would have been much worse had it not been for the heroics of goalkeeper David de Gea who made four or five decent saves. A Europa League exit to their arch-rivals next week would put Van Gaal under even greater scrutiny, even with... Читать дальше...

A yet unnamed company based overseas would be carrying out an audit of Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi’s affairs, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said. “I think it [the name of the company] will be communicated in the coming days. It is a big company. It is independent and, as far as I know, it is not based in Malta, so it is an international audit firm. If it is discovered there was money [in Dr Mizzi’s Panama company and/or New Zealand trust] and subsequently removed, then Konrad Mizzi will no longer remain a minister. Читать дальше...

The following are the top stories in the Maltese newspapers. Times of Malta reports that Health and Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi will be audited by a foreign, as yet unnamed firm. In-Nazzjon says Joseph Muscat has continued to defend Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri. He said yesterday he was sure their intentions had been good, and they had done nothing illegal. The Malta Independent says Dr Muscat defended a decision not to audit Keith Schembri. In other stories Times of Malta says only gas barbeques will be allowed in Ghadira Bay. Читать дальше...

U.S. Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump has come under fire from his rivals for saying Muslims hate the United States at a debate where the gut-punching attacks of earlier forums gave way to a suddenly civil tone with a serious focus on the issues. Trump, who has voiced skepticism about U.S. military involvement abroad in the past, for the first time said America's effort against Islamic State militants might require between 20,000 and 30,000 U.S. troops, a number similar to what some Republican hawks have proposed. Читать дальше...

Two U.S. soldiers serving in South America contracted Zika but have fully recovered and returned to duty, while a third, pregnant service member left the region early for fear of contracting the virus, a top U.S. commander said on Thursday. Zika infections have been linked to thousands of birth defects as the mosquito-borne virus spreads rapidly in Brazil and other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Two U.S. servicemembers stationed in Brazil and Colombia, both men, were confirmed to have contracted Zika... Читать дальше...

The financial advisers behind the setting up of Panama-based companies for Minister Konrad Mizzi and the Prime Minister’s chief of staff Keith Schembri have been given a new €17,000 direct order – to draw up a study on public conveniences. The direct order was issued by Tourism Minister Edward Zammit Lewis last week, at the same time as the Panama scandal was unfolding. The contract, awarded without a tender to Nexia BT Advisory Services Ltd, is to draw up a feasibility study on the upgrading and... Читать дальше...

A letter from Elvis Presley attempting to persuade the American president to grant him federal agent status promoted roars of laughter at the 2016 Letters Live launch. It was one of a series of historic letters read out by an array of famous actors, musicians and writers at the event on Thursday night. British actor Matt Berry opened the show with a boastful letter from the iconic entertainer to President Richard Nixon urging him to let him in to the American secret service. Berry was followed by... Читать дальше...

Transport Minister Joe Mizzi wants everyone to believe that the bus service in Malta is improving, although he readily admits there is still a way to go. Twice in Parliament in less than a month, he used an adjournment speech to lay out his plans and tell commuters how the public transport service operated by Autobuses de León is getting better with new routes and new buses and new timetables. The word out on the street is quite different. Last month, Mr Mizzi finally laid on the table of the House... Читать дальше...

Apart from providing us with fresh produce, farmers conserve the countryside through proper upkeep such as the maintaining of rubble walls. Making farming an economically-feasible activity is crucial and it is the relevant authorities, together with farmers themselves, that are responsible to enhance fiscal income through diversification. Agritourism is a case in point. Other forms of income include the selling of produce both directly (mainly delicatessen) and through incorporating catering facilities... Читать дальше...

In a chaotic situation characterised by a focus on the accumulation of wealth as the highest purpose of the ones at the very top, there is still hope for this country. Simon Busuttil and the formidable team he formed on a very sound basis is presenting us with an alternative government with acts speaking louder than words. The fight against corruption is one of the realities he is conducting as a result of his belief in honesty as the best policy.He is already instilling in the people the urgency... Читать дальше...

The worst scandal to ever hit the Maltese islands has left us all baffled at the extent to which greed has crept into the top echelons of the government and the Labour Party. This is clearly a blow to the moderate Labour supporters and to honest workers who struggle on a daily basis to make ends meet. Prime Minister Joseph Muscat spoke a few days ago about the right for everyone to have aspirations, but he was so disconnected from his audience that it no longer sounded credible. Ultimately aspiration... Читать дальше...

I am recently experiencing some very outlandish feelings towards Malta’s public transport service, especially since the introduction of the new routes. My recent experience as a Gozitan university student follows. Arriving at Ċirkewwa at 6.55am along with other fellow students and workers, under normal circumstances we wait about half an hour for the supposedly express X1 to depart. At other times it departs at extreme punctuality, over-looking the fact that nobody has yet arrived. At other times the X1 does not depart from Ċirkewwa at all. Читать дальше...

The Italian Concept 2 Indoor rowing championships were held in Rome last weekend. With two disciplines, the 500m sprint and the Olympic standard distance of 2,000 metres, a wide variety of race categories were contested. With the participants’ age ranging from 15 to 76, the races produced some new record times before an enthusiastic crowd that gathered in the Italian fitness arena. Ken Lake, representing Malta in the Over-60 category, won both the 500 sprint and 2,000m races,setting two new... Читать дальше...