Новости за 05.06.2016

Not much remains of the landmark St Joseph Home in Għajnsielem, it has emerged, as only the façade of the building has been retained during demolition despite planning permits stating otherwise. The Gozo building, which stands out on the road up from the port, is being taken down to make way for an old people’s home to be run by the Ministry for Gozo. According to recommendations by the Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee of the former planning authority Mepa, the new development would have had... Читать дальше...

Bishop Mario Grech has urged Gozitan priests to forego pastoral rigidity and adopt an attitude based on mercy when dealing with divorced Catholics. Acknowledging the difficulties priests faced when dealing with sensitive cases involving the family, Mgr Grech said morality had to be informed by the everyday experiences of people. Catholics living in complex situations that contradicted Church teachings had to be welcomed, accompanied, offered discernment and integrated, he insisted. He was addressing... Читать дальше...

Belgium laboured to a 3-2 victory over Norway today in a final warm-up match before Euro 2016 that showed off their attacking flair and defensive frailty in near equal measure. Belgium, second in FIFA's world rankings, looked on course for a clear morale-boosting victory when Romelu Lukaku struck inside three minutes for his fourth goal in four matches. However defensive frailties allowed Norway to equalise after 21 minutes and take a 2-1 lead early in the second half, leaving Belgian coach Marc... Читать дальше...

Mediterranean countries meeting in Malta have agreed to ban bottom fish trawling in three areas off Sicily in a bid to rebuild stocks of hake, the most overfished species in the region. The decision was taken during a meeting of the General Fisheries Committee for the Mediterranean (GFCM). GFCM scientists identified three “fisheries restricted areas” in the northern part of the Strait of Sicily between Sicily and Malta as the most effective way to improve the sustainability of stocks of hake (merluzz)... Читать дальше...

Iraqi forces say they have secured the southern edge of the Islamic State group stronghold of Fallujah, two weeks after the launch of an operation to recapture the city.Lieutenant General Abdel Wahab al-Saadi says his forces secured the largely agricultural southern neighbourhood of Naymiyah, under cover of US-led coalition air strikes, and are poised to enter the main city.The slow-moving operation was announced in May. On Monday, Iraq's elite special forces began pushing into the city centre, but... Читать дальше...

For the 3,200 men and women on a minimum wage it would take a whole month’s salary to replace a threadbare sofa or their ancient television. Kurt Sansone explores how they might be pulled out of the poverty trap. It’s time to change the sofa – and the magazine just received in the letterbox is advertising a three-seater for €780. Or maybe it is time to upgrade the television to a 40-inch LED curved screen version advertised at €749. These are not everyday expenses but it would help to know that those... Читать дальше...

Swiss voters rejected by a wide margin on Sunday a proposal to introduce a guaranteed basic income for everyone living in the wealthy country after an uneasy debate about the future of work at a time of increasing automation. Supporters had said introducing a monthly income of 2,500 Swiss francs ($2,563) per adult and 625 francs per child under 18 no matter how much they work would promote human dignity and public service. Opponents, including the government, said it would cost too much and weaken the economy. Читать дальше...

Novak Djokovic joined the tennis greats today when he downed British second seed Andy Murray 3-6 6-1 6-2 6-4 to claim his maiden French Open title and hold all four grand slams at the same time. The world number one recovered from a nervous start to impose his pace on Court Philippe Chatrier and clinch his 12th grand slam crown after three previous failures in a Roland Garros final. Djokovic is only the third man after Don Budge and Rod Laver to hold the four majors at the same time, and the eighth man to triumph at Wimbledon and the French, U.

Bertrand Borg speaks to Christopher Bradley about the ancient trading routes he describes as the world’s first communications superhighway. It is said that Samarkand bread can only be made within the Uzbek city’s confines. Legend has it that the ruler of rival Bukhara once had Samarkand’s best baker brought to him, only to be disappointed with the bread he baked. The ruler then had ingredients imported from Samarkand, but the result was still unimpressive. “It must be the Samarkand air that gives the bread its flavour,” Bukhara's ruler thought.

Most Times of Malta survey respondents are optimistic about their private lives but a mere one in 10 express hope in the environment or national politics. The online survey of readers’ hopes and expectations for 2016 was carried out at the beginning of the year and the large majority of those who replied were highly educated males in full employment. The sample was not representative of the Maltese population. The survey was conducted by Carmel Cefai and Natalie Galea from the Centre for Resilience... Читать дальше...

Peruvians voted today in a tight run-off for the presidency, choosing between right-wing populist Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of a jailed former president, and former World Bank economist Pedro Pablo Kuczynski. Fujimori's lead over Kuczynski, 77, melted away in recent days, evoking memories of her close defeat to outgoing President Ollanta Humala in 2011. In opinion polls by Ipsos and GfK taken on Saturday, Kuczynski pulled slightly ahead of Fujimori, though the two remained in a statistical dead-heat . Читать дальше...

Norway has become the first country in the world to commit to zero deforestation, with MPs introducing rules ensuring procurement supply chains do not contribute to rainforest depletion.  The regulatory changes follow the country's pledge at the 2014 UN Climate Summit to “promote national commitments that encourage deforestation-free supply chains, including through public procurement policies to sustainably source commidities such as palm oil, soy, beef and timber”. The Rainforest Foundation welcomed the news... Читать дальше...

Italian Valentino Rossi won the Grand Prix of Catalunya today after a thrilling duel with Spaniard Marc Marquez that ended with a handshake between MotoGP's bitter rivals. Rossi's Yamaha team mate and reigning champion Jorge Lorenzo lost the overall lead to Honda's Marquez after being knocked off his bike by Ducati's Andrea Iannone, the man he will replace next year, on lap 17 at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya. "It's a great victory, one of the best of my career," declared 37-year-old Rossi, who... Читать дальше...

As Labour Party delegates prepare to elect a new deputy leader for party affairs later this week, Ivan Martin spoke to the three candidates vying for a seat at the top to see what their views are on the party, where it stands today with its supporters and in which direction it is heading.   What is the party’s main challenge? Why are some Labour voters disgruntled? How do you plan to win them back? What about ideology? Has the Labour Party ditched its roots as a workers’ party? Has the party in... Читать дальше...

Management plans for Malta's Natura 2000 protected sites are to be introduced in the next few weeks, Environment Minister Jose Herrera said today.  The plans have been drafted by the Environment and Resources Authority following months of consultation with various stakeholders, the minister said.  Plans for 22 sites were presented for public consultation in July 2015 - a full 10 months after the board at the now-defunct Mepa had approved them. Despite the presentation, no budget was allocated for the management of the sites. Читать дальше...

The government intends to ban smoking in cars when minors are present, The Sunday Times of Malta has learnt. The new law will follow in the footsteps of many other European countries which have already introduced legislation making it illegal to smoke in a car or other vehicles when accompanied by anyone under the age of 18. The law is intended to protect children and young people from the dangers of second-hand smoke. A spokeswoman for the Health Ministry confirmed that work had begun on introducing the new regulation. Читать дальше...

Ghar Lapsi's stunning setting was given a facelift last week thanks to a cleanup organised by a local e-gaming company.  Unibet employees collected over 200 rubbish bags of litter in a five-hour cleanup of the southern bay, collecting anything from empty bottles to shoes, oil and dumped appliances.  "We wanted to give something back to the local community and provide a symbolic yet tangible contribution to the preservation of the Maltese archipelago," said Unibet communications officer for player safety Keith Caruana. Читать дальше...

Chinese retail giant Suning Commerce Group Co Ltd, set to tie up a deal for Italian soccer club Inter Milan, is already eyeing bigger ambitions: controlling a global sports empire stretching from soccer clubs to online broadcasting. Suning and Inter Milan are due to make an announcement in the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing on Monday, widely expected to confirm that Suning will buy a majority stake in the Italian soccer club. Amid a wider push by China to increase its standing in the game, Suning's... Читать дальше...

France and Arsenal forward Olivier Giroud has fuelled speculation that Jamie Vardy is on his way to the Gunners by saying he has heard the Leicester City striker is keen to move. "I have been told that Jamie wants to join us and it's very good news for us," the striker told Sky Sports after scoring twice in France's 3-0 friendly win against Scotland yesterday. British media reported on Friday that Arsenal, runners-up to champions Leicester last season, had triggered a buy-out clause in Vardy's contract... Читать дальше...

Police arrested 27 people yesterday in drug squad operations in Attard and Mosta.  The suspects were found in possession of cannabis, amphetamines and ecstasy. The youngest person arrested was 16 years old while the oldest was 40.  Of the 27, 23 were men, police said. Suspects were Maltese, English, Spanish, Italian and Czech.

A migrant mother who last night gave birth at sea was brought to Malta for medical care early this morning, the government said. Her husband and two children were also brought over.

A Sudanese migrant yesterday walked into a police station and admitted he had entered the country illegally. Montela Ibrahim Mammay, 34, this morning pleaded guilty to having entered Malta illegally after having left it using irregular means to travel to Sicily. Mr Mammay, who has been in Malta since 2006, had travelled to Sicily earlier this year to find a job. Having failed in his quest, he returned to Malta to try to find employment here. He decided to inform the authorities of his irregular travels to regularise his status in Malta. Читать дальше...

A diver has been killed by a large shark off the west Australian coast in the country's second fatal attack in less than a week. Western Australia state police say the 60-year-old woman was diving with a man at a popular spot in the northern Perth suburb of Mindarie on Sunday when the shark attacked. Police Inspector Danny Mulligan said the woman's dive partner managed to pull her out of the water after she was attacked, but her injuries proved fatal. The woman was the second person killed by a shark in Western Australia in less than a week. Читать дальше...

Two Romanians were today conditionally discharged for three-years after they pleaded guilty to trying to rob an English tourist who was in Mdina one Saturday afternoon. Marius Sandu, 34 and Lucica Ivancui, 33, did not contest their arrest and the prosecution said that they had cooperated with the police “to an extent”. Leaving court, Mr Sandu tried to apologise to his victim, who refused to accept the apology and called Mr Sandu “scum”.

A 24-year-old man was this afternoon charged with a string of 16 robberies. Wayne Camilleri, from Tarxien, was charged with stealing jewellery from homes in Harmun. Nearly €4,000 worth of jewellery, as well as some 10 other pieces which could not be accurately valued, were stolen in the alleged home break-ins, all of which occurred in the same part of Hamrun. One of the alleged victims also suffered slight injuries during one of the robberies. Inspector Kurt Zahra, from the Criminal Investigation Department... Читать дальше...