Новости за 09.06.2016

Swedish court has ruled American chocolate maker Mars to stop selling M&M's candy in the country. Swedish chocolate brand Marabou has successfully chased M&M's away from Swedish candy markets, claiming the lowercase “m” in the candy drops resemble Marabou’s chocolate-coated peanut balls, called “m”. Marabou, owned by Kraft Foods, has sold its brown chocolate balls in Sweden under the name “m” since 1957. When Mars launched M&M candies to Sweden a few years ago, Marabou sued the chocolate giant of misleading counterfeiting. Читать дальше...

The Nationalist Party will be holding a sports conference as a step towards the party creating a national policy on the subject. The conference, with the theme of ‘strengthening a culture of sport in the country’, will take place between July 1 and 3 at the PN headquarters in Pieta. Announcing the conference this morning, PN whip David Agius said the event would mark the beginning of a consultation process on proposals for the sport sector, which the party would continue to work on in the coming months. Читать дальше...

Updated 2.08pm - The new bed tax on tourist beds will be introduced on June 20, Tourism Minister Edward Zammit Lewis announced this afternoon. The tax, formally known as an eco-contribution, is a 50c per night levy that tourists are meant to pay when visiting the island. The minister made the announcement at a press conference shortly after a court revoked an order prohibiting the government from implementing the law to collect the eco contribution from providers of accommodation. The court found... Читать дальше...

A woman fought off a man who tried to kidnap her 13-year-old daughter on Tuesday while they were shopping at a Dollar General store in Hernando, Florida, and a security video of the fierce struggle went viral. The Citrus County Sheriff's Office posted the video on its Facebook page, and the mother's desperate efforts to free the girl from suspect Craig Bonello, 30, had garnered 1.5 million views and 24,000 shares by Wednesday afternoon. "And now another thing for me to be scared of! Broad daylight... Читать дальше...

One of UK's top-selling artists, British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran is facing a lawsuit for €18 million for his hit song Photograph, which according to the lawsuit has 39 identical notes to two California-based musicians’ song Amazing. The copyright infringement lawsuit was filed on Wednesday by songwriter and producer Martin Harrington and Thomas Leonard, songwriter. They claim Photograph's chorus shares 39 identical notes and a similar structure to Amazing, performed by Matt Cardle. Amazing was written in 2009 by Harrington and Leonard... Читать дальше...

A video has been posted on Facebook showing a car crossing into the opposite lane on the Zebbug to Siggiewi road. The clip, shot by a passenger in another vehicle, shows a white car swerving dangerously into the other lane, as oncoming vehicles slow down to try to avoid it.  Comments on Facebook claimed that the driver was texting or drunk while driving. It is not yet known whether a police report has been filed.

Despite the zest with which oil is being covered by financial market participants, this is not the first time that oil prices are facing a crisis. A common denominator shaping the oil market in the past 60 years is without any doubt OPEC. OPEC has 1.2 trillion barrels of proven reserves; equivalent to 70 percent of global reserves of oil. OPEC also supplies 40 percent of daily demand. These figures provide OPEC with considerable muscle if it wants to push. However, over time OPEC has learnt that... Читать дальше...

An Italian football official has been declared "persona non grata" by the Maltese FA after he was implicated with charges of match fixing.  Felice Bellini, who in the past worked with Maltese clubs Qormi and Vittoriosa Stars, cannot get involved again with local football, the MFA said in a statement.  Mr Bellini was implicated with the manipulation of matches in the Italian Lega pro and Serie D. He has already been charged by the Italian FA and is currently undergoing procedures in front of the Catanzaro tribunal.

Tony Blair and John Major will say later today that a vote to leave the European Union on June 23 would jeopardise the unity of the United Kingdom by undermining the peace in Northern Ireland and stoking calls for Scottish independence. Speaking together in Northern Ireland, the two former British prime ministers will warn that the "unity of the UK itself is on the ballot paper", the BBC reported. Major and Blair, who both played important roles in the Northern Ireland peace process in the 1990s... Читать дальше...

A new multi-brand concept store has officially opened its doors in Bisazza Street, Sliema, this week showcasing the latest in Italian fashion. Run by businesswoman Diane Izzo, the store houses the luxury Italian brands Elisabetta Franchi and U Space Style Concept, and will soon roll out the latest collection of the American fashion brand Michael Kors. The store, spread over 150 square metres on two floors, was officially inaugurated by the Prime Minister’s wife Michelle Muscat. Ms Izzo said the idea... Читать дальше...

More than 22 people were killed and 70 wounded in two separate bombings today in Baghdad, one targeting a commercial street and the other an army checkpoint, Iraqi police said. The attacks come as Iraqi forces are trying to dislodge Islamic State militants from Falluja, their stronghold just west of Baghdad. A car packed with explosive blew up in a commercial street of Baghdad al-Jadeeda (New Baghdad), an eastern district of the capital, killing at least 15 people and wounding over 50, a police officer said. Читать дальше...

Enforcement officers are taking direct action at an illegal scrapyard in Birzebbuga this morning, after the owners ignored orders from the Planning Authority to close it down.  The plan is to clean up tons of illegal material dumped at the scrapyard at ta Harbat, which is known to be an area of archaeological importance.  According to sources, three men at the scrapyard were arrested after they resisted the PA action. It is not the first time that authority tried to take action to stop the operation, but it was halted by the court. Читать дальше...

Updated 8am - A motorcyclist was seriously injured in an incident in Marsa last night. The collision between his Vespa and a VW Polo near St Vincent de Paule home happened at about 7.30pm. The police said the motorcyclist was a 55-year-old man from Qormi. He was hospitalised. The car was being driven by a 20-year-old man from Zebbug.   The police said this morning the victim was seriously injured.

Britons still undecided on how they will vote in a referendum on EU membership think they would be 71 pounds a year worse off if Britain quits the bloc, a survey said, suggesting the "Leave" camp faces a bigger challenge than the "Remain" side. Undecided voters, on average, estimated that households would be 181 pounds worse off per annum five years after a vote to leave the EU, compared with a hit of 110 pounds if Britain decided to stay, the survey showed. Eighteen percent of the 3,000 respondents... Читать дальше...

Philippe Coutinho grabbed a hat-trick as Brazil ramped up their Copa America campaign with a resounding 7-1 win over a hapless Haiti. Renato Augusto scored a brace and substitutes Lucas Lima and Gabriel also goaled for Brazi, while James Marcelin put in Haiti's consolation goal. The scoreline -- identical to Brazil's nightmare 7-1 defeat by Germany in the World Cup semi-final two years ago -- takes Brazil to the top of Group B with four points, ahead of the evening's second game between Peru and Ecuador. Читать дальше...

These are the main stories carried in today's Maltese newspapers: Times of Malta reports that a presentation by Air Malta’s top management in the presence of the Tourism Minister yesterday did little to allay workers’ concerns about their future. The second story quotes a spokesman for the European Peo ple’s Party saying that MEPs will “definitely” want Minister Konrad Mizzi to testify before the Panama inquiry committee. The Malta Independent reports that Minister Chris Cardona was in a clear lead... Читать дальше...

The manager of clubbing venue Uno Malta has dismissed outrage over two recent ‘sexist’ adverts, which the national equality commission said reinforced the stereotype that a “woman’s primary role is that of pleasing men”. “I see nothing wrong with it,” Kevin Decesare told the Times of Malta. “You see women dressed like that all the time on TV or out in Paceville. But these people [the equality commission] always have to have a strong agenda. “I don’t see the big deal. If this advert is inappropriate... Читать дальше...

MEPs will “definitely” want Konrad Mizzi to testify before the Panama inquiry committee, a spokesman for the European People’s Party told the Times of Malta. It emerged earlier this year that Dr Mizzi, the Minister without Portfolio, had set up a secret company in Panama sheltered by a New Zealand trust. The European Parliament committee, which was formally set up yesterday, will investigate alleged contraventions and maladministration in the application by the European Commission or Member States of EU laws on money laundering... Читать дальше...

A no-calorie limit Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil is not a recipe for weight gain – and may actually be a better strategy than avoiding all fatty foods, research has shown. The finding adds to the current controversy surrounding health advice which recommends low-fat diets. Current guidelines are misguided because they do not differentiate between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ fats, it is claimed. A total of 7,447 men and women took part in the new research in Spain between 2003 and 2010. All had Type 2... Читать дальше...

Summer would be incomplete without an open-air music festival. Malta’s own Earth Garden has come to an end but there are plenty lined up across Europe. Stephanie Fsadni highlights some of the major ones. Download Festival Donington Park, Leicestershire, England, June 10 to 12 Download Festival, which has gained popularity in recent years among the Maltese, is being held this weekend. The 2016 line-up features rock bands from Korn and Rammstein to more classic acts such as Iron Maiden, Megadeth and Anthrax. Читать дальше...

Spain manager Vicente del Bosque tried to play down the scale of his side’s 1-0 home defeat to Georgia late Tuesday. The reigning European champions suffered the unexpected loss to a side ranked 137th in the world as they head into Euro 2016 but Del Bosque deflected criticism of his side’s performance. “We shouldn’t be distressed over the outcome of this match,” Del Bosque told reporters after the match in Getafe. “We must look forward and take on the challenge that is the European Championship.... Читать дальше...

Midfielder Joe Allen is the most likely member of a trio of Wales players nursing injuries to be handed a start in their opening Euro 2016 group game against Slovakia on Saturday, manager Chris Coleman has said. Allen, who injured a knee during Wales’s pre-tournament training camp in Portugal, missed his country’s final warm-up game against Sweden at the weekend, along with Crystal Palace midfielder Joe Ledley and Reading forward Hal Robson-Kanu. Coleman said it would be “reckless” to start with three players who were not fully fit... Читать дальше...

England must ignore talks about their Euro 2016 prospects and focus instead on getting off to a good start in their tournament opener against Russia on Saturday, midfielder Adam Lallana has said. Warm-up victories over Turkey, Australia and Portugal have raised hopes of Roy Hodgson’s England ending the country’s 50-year wait for a major international trophy since England’s World Cup triumph in 1966. “All the team’s focus will be on Russia now. It’s the first game, you don’t want to lose your first... Читать дальше...

Banned UEFA president Michel Platini will be allowed to attend matches at the European Championship providing he does not do it in any official role, the European governing body’s acting general secretary said yesterday. “We received a letter today (from FIFA) telling us Michel Platini could attend Euro 2016 matches as a person, providing he does not do so in any official function,” Theodore Theodoridis said. The executive committee of UEFA will now rule on a demand by the European body to invite Platini for the entire tournament, he added. Читать дальше...

Jamie Vardy would struggle to adapt to Arsenal’s style of play if he were to leave Premier League champions Leicester and head to the Emirates Stadium, according to former Gunners forward Paul Merson. The Foxes striker has joined up with the England squad for Euro 2016 as his club future continues to be subject of speculation. Arsenal are understood to have lodged a £20 million offer, triggering a release clause in Vardy’s current contract, and would be prepared to offer the 29-year-old lucrative personal terms of some £120,000 a week. Читать дальше...