Новости за 22.03.2016

Three men, including two foreigners, have been arrested in Turkey suspected of planning another attack in Istanbul. Security forces also captured 10 men suspected of being linked to the Islamic State group in southern Turkey. Anadolu Agency says security operations targeted three different Istanbul addresses based on information gathered by the Turkish anti-terrorism agency and German intelligence services. A Turkish national, an Iraqi and a Syrian were detained. In the southern province of Gaziantep... Читать дальше...

Mġarr parishioners organised the Good Friday procession this evening, keeping up with tradition to have it on Tuesday during Holy Week. The procession included a number of statues and actors. A ruling handed down by the Curia in 2014 had stated that the procession could only include the statue of Christ the Redeemer but parishioners defied the orders from the very same year.

Today’s attack on Brussels was an attack on all of us and the situation is worrying, Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said this evening. Speaking on Newsfeed, Dr Busuttil said Brussels was the EU capital and whatever happened there affected Malta. There were also many Maltese who lived in Brussels and a Maltese man was in fact injured in today’s attack. “We have to ensure that the secret services and the forces of law and order of all EU countries unite to stop such attacks before they happen. This... Читать дальше...

Pope Francis will wash the feet of young refugees during an Easter Week ritual in a gesture high in symbolism inside the Catholic Church and beyond. The Vatican did not say if non-Catholics would be among the 12 refugees participating in the Holy Thursday rite at an asylum centre in Castelnuovo di Porto, north of Rome. But women will almost certainly be involved, and a Vatican official, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, noted that most of the centre's residents are non-Catholic. The ritual is meant to be a gesture of service... Читать дальше...

Medserv’s performance last year exceeded targets, with profit before tax reaching €6 million, representing an increase of 38 per cent over forecast profit before tax. The company’s audited consolidated financial statements for the financial year ended December 31 were approved today. Reported Group revenue for the year was €42.2 million. In a statement, Medserv said that the group’s performance last year could be attributed to a number of factors. These included the strong business flow conducted... Читать дальше...

Air Malta said this afternoon it will be operating two flights to and from Dusseldorf tomorrow. Passengers booked to travel on Air Malta to and from Brussels today and tomorrow are being automatically rebooked on these flights. The flights to Dusseldorf, the airline said, were being operated following the cancellation of today’s and tomorrow’s flight to and from Brussels due to the closure of the airport. The airline is also organising surface transportation between Brussels and Dusseldorf’s airport and vice-versa. Читать дальше...

Thirty-six-year-old Jonathan Zahra Davis has been reported missing. Mr Zahra Davis, who makes use of a black electric wheelchair, was last seen on Sunday in Pembroke. He is of a medium build and approximately five feet and five inches tall. Anyone with any information about his whereabouts is encouraged to contact the police, even in confidence, on 119 or 2122 4001 or to visit the nearest police station.

A man who repeatedly breached bail conditions lost €13,450 in personal deposits and guarantees following an Appeals Court decision which ordered the confiscation of the money. In December, Mumin Trabulè, 36, from Ivory Coast, filed an appeal after he was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment for attempting to escape police officers after he was seen acting suspiciously in Qawra. Trabulè had been on bail pending several criminal proceedings and was immediately identified after he was arrested. The defendant... Читать дальше...

Palumbo Shipyard has designed and constructed a floating structure that can be submerged to permit the admission and docking of large boats in a bid to attract larger boats to Malta for repair, the company said. It said in a statement this structure can then be elevated to lift the ship from the water for maintenance, keeping the vessel high and dry. Over €2 million were invested in this dock. Palumbo’s new investment can now undertake repairs of sailing or motor powered yachts up to 50 meters in length and 500 tons in weight. Читать дальше...

The funeral programme of Archbishop Emeritus Joseph Mercieca follows: 9am to noon - the Archbishop's body will lie in state until noon at the Oratory of St John's CoCathedral. 3.15-3.30pm - Guests will start to arrive at the Cathedral. 3.30pm - The Cathedral's main door will open to welcome the people. 3.45pm - Archbishop Charles Scicluna arrives. 3.50pm - The Prime Minister's representatives arrives. 3.55pm - President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca arrives. 4pm - Mass praesente cadavere led by Archbishop Scicluna. Читать дальше...

People who can retire at 61 will be given a financial incentive for every year they choose to continue working until 65, according to government plans. The scheme is open to workers in the private sector, who would have paid 35 years of social security contributions and eligible to retire at 61. Those who continue working until 62 will later on receive an increase of five per cent in their pension. The scale increases every year. Somebody who works until 63 would receive an increase of 5.5 per cent for the second year... Читать дальше...

Brussels residents turned to Twitter to offer people stranded in the Belgian capital rooms and transport after twin attacks on the airport and a rush-hour metro train killed at least 34 people. A new Twitter account called "Brussels Lift" was created to offer practical help by connecting "people who need to travel with drivers who have empty seats". People were using the hashtag #BrusselsLift to ask for rides and offer car spaces. "I'm driving from Brussels to Meise (or anywhere else needed) later today... Читать дальше...

Finance Minister Edward Scicluna was reluctant to comment on the fact that a fellow Cabinet minister opened a company in Panama, adding Konrad Mizzi had already admitted it was a mistake. Prof. Scicluna, however, insisted there were legitimate uses for trusts and these were also openly used by European Commissioners when taking up their post as a means to put distance between them and their wealth. “It all depends on the motivation for opening a trust,” he said, insisting he did not want to enter into the merits of Dr Mizzi’s specific case. Читать дальше...

France's highest court has decided phone taps between Nicolas Sarkozy and his main lawyer are legal, a ruling that paves the way for an eventual corruption trial against the former French president. Mr Sarkozy is expected to seek the conservative nomination to run for president again next year, but Tuesday's decision opens the possibility of a trial that could hamper his bid. The opposition leader is under preliminary charges of corruption and influence-peddling based on information gleaned from judicial phone taps in 2013-2014. Читать дальше...

FIFA's ethics watchdog has started formal proceedings against six individuals, including soccer legend Franz Beckenbauer, over the awarding of hosting rights to Germany for the 2006 World Cup, global soccer's governing body said today. Other individuals included former German soccer officials Wolfgang Niersbach, Helmut Sandrock, Theo Zwanziger, Horst Schmidt and Stefan Hans. "In the cases of Mr Beckenbauer, Dr Zwanziger, Mr Schmidt and Mr Hans, the investigatory chamber will investigate possible... Читать дальше...

The share index retreated by 0.08 per cent to 4,494.120 points as the declines in IHI and Malta Properties outweighed the gains registered in the equities of Lombard and RS2. Meanwhile, another six equities closed the day unchanged. Trading volumes surged to €668,000 largely due to heightened activity in Lombard shares. A single deal of just 3,300 shares forced the equity of International Hotel Investments 2.3 per cent lower to the 65c level. Malta Properties Company also retreated by 1.6 per cent to the 56c6 level across 30,600 shares. Читать дальше...

A 40-year-old man has been remanded in custody after pleading not guilty to the attempted murder of his estranged wife in a domestic violence incident in Żebbuġ yesterday. The victim’s father, who was charged with threatening his daughter’s husband with a pipe and damaging his car, was granted bail. Both men, Elton Debono, 40, from Qormi and his father-in-law Paul Buhagiar, 66, were arraigned separately this after afternoon before Magistrate Monica Vella. The court heard how Mr Debono and his wife... Читать дальше...

Islamic State claimed responsibility for suicide bomb attacks on Brussels airport and a rush-hour metro train in the Belgian capital which killed at least 30 people. Police issued a wanted notice for a young man pictured pushing a laden luggage trolley at the airport where two others were suspected of blowing themselves up. The coordinated assault triggered security alerts across Europe and drew global expressions of support, four days after Brussels police had captured the prime surviving suspect... Читать дальше...

A man caught carrying a television set he had just stolen one Saturday night in Paceville was today sent to 60 months in jail. The man stole the set from a nearby English language school. His accomplice, who had been waiting for him in a white Peugeot, was also found guilty and jailed for 30 months. The case dates back to November when some items were reported missing from EF Language School in St Julian’s. Moments after the theft, the police saw 25-year-old Libyan Salem Ali Elaidy from Benghazi... Читать дальше...

Malta Freeport Terminals Ltd has been ordered to pay over $55,000 in damages to one of its employees who was injured while working on a ship in 2012. Mr Justice Lawrence Mintoff presiding over the First Hall of the Civil Court delivered this judgment following an action filed by employee Philip Vassallo against the company. Mr Vassallo told the court that he was a registered port worker and that on November 6, 2012 he had been assigned by the company to carry out works on the vessel MV Karina which was berthed at Malta Freeport. Читать дальше...

A new National Disaster Preparedness Hub will provide temporary accommodation for some 500 people in the case of an emergency. The hub, operated by the Red Cross, was inaugurated but Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela and Health Parliamentary Secretary Chris Fearne today. Robert Brincaue from Red Cross Malta said the hub, a large tent backed by supplies, ambulances, boats and other equipment, had cost the voluntary organisation some €62,000. Red Cross Malta provided medical assistance to some 1,600 people this year. Читать дальше...

A judge has overturned a two-year jail term for theft, saying the first court had skirted the defendant’s testimony and important evidence related to the case had been destroyed in a fire at the law courts. In May 2001 the police had been called to investigate a robbery at a Sliema apartment, after several items worth more than €2,330 including cash and a computer went missing. Subsequently, Mohammed Sharfid, who was then 26 years, was charged in connection with the case and convicted. In his appeal... Читать дальше...

1,700 tons of rubbish and debris have been removed from the ditch outside the bastions near Zabbar, the Public Cleansing Directorate said. The waste was removed by workers from the directorate over the past few days. Infrastructure Minister Joe Mizzi toured the site this morning and thanked the workers. He said this was only the first phase since more equipment needed to be brought in to dig up waste that was deeper in the ditch.  He said government workers removed 15,000 tons of waste from a number of areas last year. Читать дальше...

President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca prayed silently over the coffin of Archbishop Guzeppi Merieca  in the oratory of St John's Co-Cathedral this morning. Hundreds of people filed past the simple coffin during the day. The funeral mass will be held tomorrow at 4pm.

At least 17 Hindus have died after consuming illegally-made alcohol during religious celebrations in southern Pakistan. Police spokesman Niaz Shah said 37 people from the Hindu community in Tando Muhammad Khan district were rushed to hospital on Monday. He said they consumed the hooch during preparations for Holi celebrations, which will begin on Wednesday. Mr Shah said 11 people have since been discharged, but nine remain in a critical condition in hospital. He said four people have been arrested over brewing the illegal drink. Читать дальше...