Новости за 17.06.2016

Striker Alvaro Morata scored twice to lead Spain to an emphatic 3-0 win over Turkey that sent the holders into the second round of the European Championship. Morata opened the scoring in a one-sided Group D match after 34 minutes, climbing to head home Nolito's cross from the left. Three minutes later Turkey defender Mehmet Topal headed a lofted pass by Cesc Fabregas straight into the path of Nolito who neatly tucked the ball home from close range. Spain struck again three minutes into the second... Читать дальше...

Malta did not have any discussions yet on a possible extension of its six-month rotating EU presidency next year, a spokeswoman for Deputy Prime Minister Louis Grech told the Times of Malta. If the UK’s referendum next week ends up with a ‘Leave’ vote, Brussels is buzzing with the possibility of Malta ending up at the helm of the EU longer than its set six months. “Malta did not have any discussions with the EU institutions on who will take over the EU presidency in case of a Brexit,” the spokeswoman said. Читать дальше...

Croatia's Euro 2016 match against the Czech Republic was held up for several minutes after their fans threw flares on to the pitch and began fighting among themselves. Eight flares and other objects landed on the pitch near to riot police, who had been deployed in front of the section housing Croatia fans. The trouble broke out in the dying minutes of a game that Croatia were leading 2-1. UEFA said disciplinary proceedings would be opened on Saturday once they had received the official reports about... Читать дальше...

Reigning European champions Spain were lucky to get all three points in their opening Euro 2016 fixture against the Czech Republic, and will have to do more to ensure victory here.  Turkey were outclassed by Croatia for large swathes of their opening game. They'll have to avoid defeat here if they're to keep their qualification hopes above water.

Some 200 people this evening took part in a candlelit vigil from the Balluta Church to the Love Sign in St Julian’s in support with the victims of the Orlando shooting. The main message was that one could not react to the Orlando shooting with hate towards the person who committed the crime and or towards those who discriminated against the LGBT community in general. The walk was also held to honour victims of sexual discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.  “We may all come from different... Читать дальше...

Czech Republic's Tomas Necid scored a stoppage-time penalty as they came from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Croatia in a dramatic Euro 2016 Group D encounter that was interrupted due to flares thrown on the pitch. With Croatia captain Dario Srna in tears during the national anthem having returned from the funeral of his father earlier in the week, the Croatians swarmed all over the Czechs from the first whistle, with Perisic opening the scoring in the 37th minute to lead at halftime. Croatia went... Читать дальше...

Victoria mayor Samuel Azzopardi was reinstated today after a court declared this week that a drink-driving case, for which he had shown regret, should not deter him from his political, cultural and social activities. In a statement this afternoon, Dr Azzopardi said the Nationalist Party withdrew his suspension following the court’s declaration. Dr Azzopardi apologised for his behaviour and said he understood that he had been wrong. The fact that there were no serious consequences did not justify what he did. Читать дальше...

ODZ projects of national importance shall be exempt from a two-thirds parliamentary majority to go ahead if they are put to the vote for the third time after being rejected twice, Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said this evening. He said this would add to Parliament's scrutiny and increase the government's accountability but at the same time prevent attempts from an Opposition to block such projects for purely partisan reasons. The PN leader made this clarification when meeting representatives... Читать дальше...

Marsamxett waterfront in Valletta is being proposed for transformation into a recreational area with pedestrian walkways and open spaces, according to a government strategy document. The proposal includes upgrading the abandoned water polo pitch, the provision of trails along the fortifications and vertical access between the coast and Valletta centre to make life easier for ferry passengers from Sliema. This forms part of a consultation document, A Strategy for Valletta, released by the government... Читать дальше...

The foreign investors planning to redevelop the Gozo General Hospital have yet to file an application at the Planning Authority though talks on the necessary documentation have been held, the Times of Malta is informed. The government has said the management of the Gozo hospital was expected to be transferred to the private investors “in the coming days”. Medical staff at the Gozo, St Luke’s and Karin Grech hospitals have been told by Ram Tumuluri, a representative of the Vitalis Global Healthcare Group... Читать дальше...

Vietnamese rescuers have found pieces of a search plane that went missing with nine people on board while attempting to locate a pilot from a crashed fighter jet. The pieces including wreckage with the logo of the search plane, a tyre, a seat and personal belongings of crew members were discovered 20 nautical miles (23 miles) south-east of Bach Long Vi island and 3 nautical miles east of the demarcation line between Vietnam and China in the Gulf of Tonkin, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement. Читать дальше...

Residents evacuated from their apartments at il-Pjazzetta are still in the dark as to when they would be able to safely return to their homes, this newspaper has learnt. A number of residents who live in the apartment block adjacent to Sliema’s old naval clinic were on Tuesday asked by the project’s developers to move out of their homes as a precaution after cracks were reported in one of the nearby residences. “On Tuesday, the developers came over and asked us to move into a hotel for the time being as a precaution,” one resident... Читать дальше...

Croatia are among Euro 2016's dark horses, and an opening game victory against Turkey has only cemented that reputation even further.  The Czech Republic lost 1-0 to reigning champions Spain, and will be keen to get their tournament back on track with a victory here.

Russia's athletics team remains banned from global competition after the sport's governing body voted unanimously against lifting the suspension for systemic doping. Despite desperate Russian attempts to have the ban lifted before the Rio Olympics in August, the International Association of Athletics Federation's (IAAF) 27-strong council decided Russia had not met the criteria for reinstatement. The All-Russia Athletics Federation was banned in November following an 11-month investigation by an independent... Читать дальше...

Lewis Hamilton proved he is the man to beat on Formula One's first visit to Azerbaijan after completing a practice double at the Baku Street Circuit on Friday. The triple world champion, who chose not to walk the track on Thursday and completed only a handful of laps on the simulator, was nearly four-tenths of a second clear of his Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg in the opening session before later extending that advantage to almost seven-tenths after posting a best lap of one minute and 44.223 seconds. Читать дальше...

A 77-year-old British man has been sentenced to 18 months in prison in Cambodia for sexually abusing three boys. Roy Sheppard was sentenced by a provincial court in the north-eastern province of Siem Reap for indecent acts committed against three boys aged 12 to 16 years old. Action Pour Les Enfants, a non-governmental organisation that combats the sexual exploitation of children, said Sheppard was arrested in October after complaints were received from the boys' parents. It said it was unclear if he would serve his sentence... Читать дальше...

Italy moved into the knockout stages of Euro 2016 after Eder scored two minutes from fulltime to secure a 1-0 win over Sweden in Toulouse. Eder ended a great run by firing home in the 88th minute to move Italy clear at the top of Group E on six points after two matches following their 2-0 victory over Belgium in their opening encounter. The result left Sweden in an uncomfortable position with one point after two games ahead of their final group clash against Belgium next week. Sweden were well organised at the back but toothless in attack... Читать дальше...

The government’s information page on contraception has been edited to remove a reference to the Catholic Church amid a debate over the possible introduction of the morning-after pill. Until yesterday, the website used to say that the Catholic Church considered the morning-after pill a form of abortion, and, since abortion was illegal in Malta, the pill was not licensed nationally. The website now only says that forms of the morning-after pill are considered as an “abortifacient”. The removal of references... Читать дальше...

A controversial scheme offering university scholarships to young South African women who remained virgins is unconstitutional, the Commission to Gender Equality has ruled. The scheme, called “maiden’s bursaries”, was first introduced by South African mayor in January, resulting in a nationwide debate. Critics said the program’s emphasis on virginity was outdated, while traditionalists thought it might help to preserve African culture. The program is discriminatory, as males were not subjected to the same tests, gender commission said. Читать дальше...

The 17th century church in Balzan that took a quarter of a century to be built, is getting its first total exterior makeover, one wall at a time. The church, whose architect remains unknown, is in the common Latin cross shape, however, it was built in the post-Tridentine era, just as baroque was being introduced locally. So while the building was influenced by the Doric and Tuscan architectural styles, the dome is of baroque influence. It was later decorated by the renowned Giuseppe Calí in the late 19th century. Читать дальше...

A man who had been jailed for stabbing two men was today given another 18-month prison term for trying to break into a shop. Spiridione Costa, 51, of Paola had been jailed for three years in January for stabbing and grievously injuring a man and slightly injuring another in a Paceville bar fight over a lighter. He appealed the sentence and was out on bail. Appearing before Magistrate Doreen Clarke this morning, the accused was charged with attempting to break into Angler Centre, a fishing shop in Pieta, on June 12 at 2am. Читать дальше...

A Polidano Group employee was today given an eight-month jail term suspended for 15 months after grievously injuring his colleague in an argument. The case dates to July 2013 when an argument erupted at the Ħal-Farrug factory of the Polidano Group. The accused, Leonardo Balzan, 58, struck Vincenzo Micallef in the face, causing him to trip and bump his head on the ground. The victim ended up battling for his life at Mater Dei Hospital's Intensive Care Unit due to the lesion to his head. Magistrate... Читать дальше...

Following three consecutive sessions of increases, the share index eased marginally lower during this morning’s session to 4,459.930 points as the declines in BOV, MIA and Farsons were partially offset by gains in IHI and FIMBank. Overall, trading activity was once again subdued with only €0.17 million worth of shares changing hands today. Over the week, the local equity benchmark edged 0.4 per cent higher largely reflecting the 8.3 per cent jump in FIMBank's share price. During this morning’s session... Читать дальше...

A 29-year-old man from Georgia had his driving licence suspended today after he admitted to a hit and run accident in Birkirkara earlier this week. Arthur Khalatyan was charged with failing to stop after he hit a parked Nissan with his rental car on June 14. He was also charged with damaging the two vehicles and driving recklessly at an excessive speed. Legal aid lawyer Noel Cutajar entered a guilty plea. Magistrate Doree Clarke handed the accused a €200 fine and suspended his driving licence for three months. Читать дальше...

Medical aid charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said it will reject all funding from the European Union and its member states in protest at a deal to stem the influx of migrants and refugees that the EU reached with Turkey. Under the deal, struck in March to cut off a human tide that brought a million refugees and migrants to Europe in 2015, Turkey agreed to halt illegal migration through its territory in return for financial and political rewards. Jerome Oberreit, MSF's International Secretary General... Читать дальше...