Новости за 12.03.2016

A team led by a 15-year-old British pilot has won the first World Drone Prix in Dubai. Luke Bannister of Somerset raised the golden trophy over his head after the race on Saturday night, held with the looming skyscrapers of the Dubai Marina in the background. Bannister's team, Tornado X-Blades Banni UK, won a $250,000 purse, part of $1 million in prizes handed out in the inaugural edition of this race. A cabinet-level minister in the United Arab Emirates also announced the start of the World Future Sports Games in December 2017. Читать дальше...

The migrant community will hold a “peaceful and respectful” protest next week to lament discrimination in documentation and legal status. The protest, being organised by the African Media Association – an NGO representing the migrant community – was announced in a letter to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat. The letter, seen by this newspaper, says the protest was aimed at raising awareness to the trials and tribulations of the migrant community on the island. “We are grateful that Malta gave us sanctuary after our long and dangerous journeys. Читать дальше...

The 15th Malta International Fireworks Festival is being held on April 16, 23 and 30 as part of celebrations to commemorate Malta’s membership in the European Union. On April 16, the festival will be in Marsaxlokk, on April 23 in Xagħra and on April 30 in Grand Harbour. The festival is being organised by the Tourism and Gozo ministries together with the Malta Tourism Authority.

The Data Commissioner has urged vigilance in the use of an ‘illegal’ website and application that shares highly personal information when a reverse telephone number search is run through its database. The website and application –sync.me – is capable of providing personal details such as a person’s name, a photograph and address from a mere search of a person’s telephone number. Even people who have never used the application or website are likely to be in the database because the application accesses users’ phone contacts and social networks. Читать дальше...

TARXIEN RAINBOWS 6 QORMI 1 Tarxien Rainbows hit six goals past bottom-placed Qormi who are now on the brink of relegation. The catalysts behind the Rainbows’ success was mainly Luke Montebello, the scorer of two goals, Tristan Caruana who rarely put a grating foot wrong and Daniel Zerafa who crowned a solid performance at the back with two goals. Montebello needed just five minutes to show that he could fill the boots of injured Alex Nilsson, when letting fly a thunderbolt from an angled position that beat Andreas Vella... Читать дальше...

Birkirkara needed a late goal from Matija Smrekar to overcome Sliema Wanderers 2-1 at the Hibs Stadium. It was Sliema who struck with their first real foray. The clock marked 24 minutes when Mandinho’s throughball sent Marko Potezica clear on the right and the Serbian sent a low cross into the path of Njongo Priso who stabbed the ball into the net. But the Wanderers’ joy was shortlived as thre e minutes later Birkirkara levelled. Ryan Camenzuli produced a burst of pace on the left before teeing up... Читать дальше...

Two men were this afternoon granted bail after they pleaded not guilty to a series of charges involving a third party this afternoon. Carmel Grech, 62, of San Ġwann was charged with grievously injuring the victim and breaching the peace. Vincent Sammut, 42, also of San Ġwann was charged with being an accomplice and holding the victim against his will. Both were charged with threatening him. Inspector Sandra Zammit prosecuted.

Banning all non-gas operated barbecues was still not enough to keep beaches clean, environmental NGOs said yesterday, calling for more enforcement and better waste-management solutions. The organisations were reacting to the decision to allow only gas barbecues to be used at Golden Bay after this newspaper reported that all other types would soon be banned from Mellieħa bay, as the council steps up efforts to keep its beaches clean. Mayor John Buttigieg told this newspaper that during discussions... Читать дальше...

BALZAN 8 NAXXAR LIONS 0 Balzan found their scoring touch in the second half as they hit eight goals to beat Naxxar 8-0. Naxxar’s cause was not helped by the first-half dismissal of goalkeeper Luke Pecorella. He was sent off for a foul on Alfred Effiong that led to Pedrinho effectively wrapping up the points from the spot before half-time. The second half was exhibition stuff as Lydon Micallef completed his hat-trick with another dazzling display of attacking football that ensured of bridging the gap with Valletta in just three points... Читать дальше...

Floriana battled more than expected to overcome lowly St Andrew’s 3-1 at the Hibs Stadium. It was St Andrew’s who took a surprise lead after only six minutes of play. Enmy Pena Beltre was brought down in the area by Enrico Pepe and from the resultant penalty Joseph Farrugia drilled the ball past Matthew Calleja Cremona. Floriana looked rattled and they took some time before starting to threaten the St Andrew’s goal. On 33 minutes Juninho picked Fontanella who nodded the ball into the path of Piciollo and the Italian forward fired wide. Читать дальше...

Six skiers have died in an avalanche on Monte Nevoso in the Italian Alps. Carabinieri in Bolzano and Brunico confirmed the deaths in an avalanche that struck midday Saturday at an elevation of about 3,000 metres. Search-and-rescue operations were still under way. The dead were in a group of excursionists. It was not clear how many were in the group or what triggered the avalanche. Monte Nevoso is 3,358 metres in altitude in the Alto Adige region of Italy near the Austrian border.

Norwich City 0 Manchester City 0 Manchester City's hopes of regaining the Premier League title suffered a potentially grievous blow today as they were held to a goalless draw by struggling Norwich City at Carrow Road. The unpredictable 2014 champions dominated possession and territory but still did not have the urgency nor invention to pierce a well-organised Canaries' rearguard. Sergio Aguero's first half snapshot, well saved by John Ruddy at full stretch was the nearest they came to scoring as... Читать дальше...

The Islamic State risks expanding its control over Libyan territory and there needs to be a much more coordinated approach if it is to be repelled, the British ambassador to Libya told The Sunday Times of Malta. Referring to ISIS as “Daesh” – as per the instructions given by Downing Street since the acronym is one which ISIS militants do not favour – Peter Millett pointed out that the scope of the group’s attack on Libya’s eastern oil ports expanded over the past few months but Libyan forces were able to hold them back. Читать дальше...

A Bangladeshi man with a rare disease that's covered his hands with tree-bark like growths has undergone surgery.

French air accident investigators are briefing relatives of the people killed in last year's Germanwings crash on the results of their investigation. Saturday's closed-doors briefings in Bonn and Barcelona come ahead of the release on Sunday of French accident investigation agency BEA's final report. Investigators have established that the co-pilot of Flight 9525 from Barcelona to Dusseldorf, Andreas Lubitz, deliberately crashed the plane into a French mountainside last March 24, killing 150 people. Читать дальше...

Lectures held late in the evening make it impossible for students to engage in extracurricular activities, according to voluntary organisations who say the current university system is forcing students to drop all their commitments or risk failing courses. Students who enjoyed doing voluntary work would often be forced to drop everything once they make it to university, due to an unpredictable timetable system, members of the Żgħażagħ Azzjoni Kattolika, or ŻAK, the Malta Girl Guides and the Scout Association claim. Читать дальше...

The official residence of the Ceausescu family has been opened to the Romanian public 26 years since the hated pair were overthrown. Three hundred people were allowed to visit the Spring Palace in Bucharest's Primaverii district for free on Saturday. Visitors will begin to tour the one-storey palace starting March 19 for tickets costing 15 lei to 30 lei. Built after Ceausescu came to power in 1965, it was the family's residence until 1989. It was extended so Ceausescu's parents and in-laws could move in. Читать дальше...

Front Ħarsien ODZ is objecting to new plans to redevelop an existing abandoned cow farm in the Wied Għomor Valley in San Ġwann into a tourist village spread over 13,000 square meters of land which would include residential units, pools, a chapel, a spa and a pizzeria. "It is inconceivable that an eye sore in the countryside originally approved as a cowshed in 1975 is used as a pretext for tourist development in a valley and rural conservation area." The Front warned that any such development would... Читать дальше...

Editorial decisions at the Times of Malta have never been motivated by commercial decisions, the editors of The Sunday Times of Malta, Times of Malta and timesofmalta.com said this morning. The company's board of directors yesterday opened an independent inquiry to investigate “very serious allegations” made in public as a measure of good governance. It said it was in no way accepting the veracity of the allegations and that, in agreement with the incumbent, the managing director would be taking... Читать дальше...

Google's Go-playing software has again defeated a human champion to sweep the best-of-five series and establish its superiority in an ancient Chinese game long thought to be the realm of humans. South Korea's Lee Sedol, one of the world's best Go players, was defeated for the third straight time on Saturday by AlphaGo, Google DeepMind's artificial intelligence machine, after another close match in Seoul. The highly anticipated showdown between human and machine crushed the pride of Go fans, many of them in Asia... Читать дальше...

Bulldozers and excavators have restarted clearing building debris from the picturesque Ta’ Muxi area in Qala after farmers claimed they were being taken for a ride by the owners of a nearby quarry. The Sunday Times of Malta quoted farmers saying that tons of building material deposited on arable land over the years was still there despite a court order to clear it. However, things started to change on Monday. “Excavators and trucks returned to the area at the beginning of this week and some clearing... Читать дальше...

The Islamic State group has launched two chemical attacks, killing a three-year-old girl and wounding some 600 people near the northern city of Kirkuk, Iraqi officials said. Security and hospital officials say the latest attack took place early on Saturday in the small town of Taza, which was struck by a barrage of rockets carrying chemicals three days earlier. Helmi Hamdi, a nurse at the Taza hospital, says the wounded are suffering from infected burns, suffocation and dehydration. Eight people were transferred to Baghdad for treatment. Читать дальше...

Birdlife Malta has joined Birdlife International in welcoming proposed legislation by the European Commission that would make it mandatory for all fishing vessels in the EU that caught seabirds incidentally to put in place measures to stop them from doing so. In a statement this morning, BirdLife said it studied seabirds for over 30 years and in the past 10 years it led EU-funded projects for more in-depth studies. The latest, which will close in June, aims to help the government reach its objectives... Читать дальше...

Police detained 14 young extreme right activists after they torched tyres and tried to block migrants in the French port of Calais from entering the centre of town. The group Generation Identitaire said in a statement that its activists "took control" of two bridges on Saturday and wants EU and national governments to reinstate borders. The regional police department said 14 were detained and a vehicle seized to show the government's "determination not to let extremist movements manipulate the migrant crisis". Читать дальше...

Kapoush the cat embarks on Europe journey with Palestinian migrants. Deborah Lutterbeck reports.