Новости за 20.06.2016

A court today heard shocking evidence about comments made by a man shortly before he was about to board a plane - comments which raised a security alert. A woman told the court how, while she was waiting at one of the airport's gates, a Bulgarian man pointed to an aircraft parked outside and said: "if that one is ours, it's not going to make it". The Maltese woman was testifying in the case against Ivan Zlatev Manolov, 52, who stands charged with threatening people as well as with threatening two police officers. Читать дальше...

A man's body has been found beneath Fgura's bastions and close to its football ground.  Police, who are on the scene, said they were still in the process of establishing the cause of death as well as the man's identity.

The three Maltese clubs competing in the Europa League have been drawn against tough but unfashionable opponents in the first qualifying round.Hibernians, who finished as runners-up in the BOV Premier League last season, will face Slovakia’s Spartak Trnava for the second time in the last two years.Birkirkara have been paired with NK Siroki Brijeg of Bosnia and Herzegovina while Balzan will meet Azerbaijan’s Neftci Baku.The first legs of the Europa League first qualifying round matches are scheduled for June 30 with the second legs a week later.

The three Maltese clubs competing in the Europa League have been drawn against tough but unfashionable opponents in the first qualifying round.Hibernians, who finished as runners-up in the BOV Premier League last season, will face Slovakia’s Spartak Trnava for the second time in the last two years.Birkirkara have been paired with NK Siroki Brijeg of Bosnia and Herzegovina while Balzan will meet Azerbaijan’s Neftci Baku.The first legs of the Europa League first qualifying round matches are scheduled for June 30 with the second legs a week later.

After dropping more than $200 billion in market capitalisation in one year, Apple shares could fall further as they are set to lose their weighting and be reclassified in the annual reconstitution of the widely followed Russell indexes. When all is said and done, about $1.3 billion more will be sold in Apple Inc  shares at the market close on Friday, when the reconstitution of the Russell indexes takes effect, according to an analysis by Credit Suisse. Because Apple has been aggressively buying back and retiring its stock... Читать дальше...

Former inewsmalta.com editor Aleander Balzan has been ordered to pay former Nationalist Party president Victor Scerri €3,000 after allowing a libellous comment to be published beneath an article. Beneath a story uploaded on the website in November 2013 headlined: 'For sale...the controversial farmhouse in Bahrija', a person who only identified himself as 'Gino' uploaded a comment attacking Dr Scerri. The comment, in broken Maltese, read as follows: "Do you know shame, Victor Scerri? So you take it... Читать дальше...

Malta champions Valletta FC will face B36 Tórshavn from the Faroe Islands in the first qualifying round of the Champions League. The first ties will be played on June 28, 29 and July 5 and 6. B36 Tórshavn had knocked out Birkirkara in 2006.  The winner of the match will face Serbia's Red Star Belgrade in the second qualifying round.  First qualifying round draw (28/29 June & 5/6 July)Flora Tallinn (EST) v Lincoln (GIB)The New Saints (WAL) v Tre Penne (SMR)Valletta (MLT) v B36 Tórshavn (FRO)Santa... Читать дальше...

What a bunch of charmers.  Irish fans enjoying their reputation as Europe's friendliest and most fun-loving group of supporters at Euro 2016 have flexed their vocal chords in an attempt to charm the socks off a French passer-by. In this video uploaded to YouTube, the French pedestrian is surrounded by a big group of fans who then burst into a rendition of Frankie Valli's 1967 classic 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You'. The woman seems stunned for a moment, but soon regains her composure, whips out her mobile phone and starts filming the whole thing. Читать дальше...

The top football clubs of England and Wales back a "Remain" vote in Britain's European Union referendum because leaving would run counter to their global approach to business, the chairman of the Premier League said on Monday. Richard Scudamore told BBC radio it would be "incongruous" for the league to support an exit from the EU. "Are we better acting like we want to play our part in the world and be worldly citizens, or do we want to send a signal to the world that says, actually, we're kind of... Читать дальше...

MaltaToday has been ordered to fork out €2,000 to Malta Enterprise's former chairman after a court ruled that four articles about a New Year’s Eve party held at the agency’s offices were defamatory. Alan Camilleri had filed for libel in 2012 following the publication of four articles stating that a New Year's Eve party had been held at the Pieta offices of the corporation. The reports were penned by journalist Jurgen Balzan, who had reported seeing lights and people moving around inside the new building's penthouse at 11pm on December 31, 2011.

Irregular migration to Malta fell by a massive 81.4 per cent in 2015 when compared to the previous year, National Statistics Office figures show.  106 such migrants arrived on Maltese shores during the past year. Practically all (99.1 per cent) were of African origin, with Malian and Senegalese together making up almost half of all arrivals.  The Office of the Refugee Commissioner filed 1,844 applications for internationalprotection in 2015. Nearly half of these applicants were males aged between 18 and 34. Читать дальше...

Genuine refugees of good conduct ought to be able to apply for Maltese citizenship after five years instead of 10, the Emigrants Commission has said.  The Commission proposal stems from the fact that refugees - who are legally entitled to live in Malta indefinitely - are having their resettlement applications rejected by United Nations refugee agency UNHCR.  It suggested that citizenship be made available only to refugees whose families have had no run-ins with the law and who have found jobs and homes. Читать дальше...

Different investors have different personality types leading to different ways of how they position their portfolios. The following are four of the most common investor personality types. Which one is yours?Cautious Investors  Cautious investors are generally averse to potential losses. This aversion may be a consequence of their current financial situation or of various life experiences, but most exhibit a strong need for financial security. Cautious investors usually desire low-volatility investments... Читать дальше...

A new code of practice for outlets selling alcoholic beverages has put the onus on bars and bar staff to ensure their clients drink responsibly.  The guidelines published by The Sense Group, an organisation made up of producers and importers of alcoholic beverages, encourage responsible drinking by those over the legal drinking age.  They call for no alcohol to be served to known alcoholics, and for serving staff to be be educated about negative behaviour related to alcoholism.  Staff should also be aware of legal drink-driving limits... Читать дальше...

One of the best kept secrets of World War II is that the island was being run on women, according to research on female unsung heroes. “Wartime history has been written by men and, 70 years on, it is about time to share the story of the emancipation of a whole generation of Maltese women – albeit for a brief period – as a result of the war,” Simon Cusens told this newspaper. Mr Cusens will soon be publishing a book based on research he recently carried while reading for his Master’s degree, the first... Читать дальше...

No women are listed among the world's highest-paid 10 athletes, according to business magazine Forbes. Only two women made the top 100, with tennis player Serena Williams placing 40th with her €25.5 million income, and Maria Sharapova at 88th place, with an income of €19 million. Christiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid forward and Portugal national team captain is listed the richest. Within the last 12 months, Ronaldo has earned more than €77 million. Barcelona's Lionel Messi comes in second, with an income of nearly €72 million. Читать дальше...

Dozens of tins, plastic containers, cigarette butts, glass bottles and batteries were among the 120 kg of rubbish collected yesterday in just one square kilometre in St Paul’s Bay thanks to 30 French residents. The big clean up was co-organised by Le Petit Maltais (an online guide targeting French speaking tourists and expats in Malta) and Malte Accueil (the official French residents in Malta association), together with the support of Nature Trust Malta. Most expenses were covered thanks to a very French activity: eating! Читать дальше...

North Korea will not negotiate with the United States over two American citizens it is holding until former detainee Kenneth Bae stops publicly talking about his time in prison, state media said today. Criticised over its human rights record for years, North Korea has made use of detained Americans in the past to extract high-profile visits from the United States, with which it has no formal diplomatic relations. North Korea arrested Bae, a U.S. missionary, in November 2012 and sentenced him to 15... Читать дальше...

Abuse of the parking card for people with a disability, the blue badge, will be curbed by imposing some of the harshest fines in Europe, according to Oliver Scicluna. In a new law regularising parking concessions for people with a disability, which is awaiting a third reading in Parliament, the last stage before being submitted to the President for signing, abusers will be liable to a fine of at least €230 and have their car towed. If they repeat the abuse a second time, the fine will rise to between €1,000 and €1,500... Читать дальше...

* A record 63.5 million people were displaced last year  * Figure has risen 50 percent in five years, driven by wars * Record 2 million asylum claims filed in rich countries in 2015 * Xenophobia and legal barriers on the rise, UNHCR says A record 65.3 million people were uprooted worldwide last year, many of them fleeing wars only to face walls, tougher laws and xenophobia as they reach borders, the United Nations refugee agency said today. The figure, which jumped from 59.5 million in 2014 and by 50 percent in five years... Читать дальше...

Brains of seriously antisocial teenage boys are built differently from those whose behaviour is normal, scientists have discovered. The brain scan study suggests that conduct disorder, a problem recognised by psychiatrists, is more than just a description of natural teenage unruliness. Scientists compared the thickness of different brain regions in groups of young people, some of whom had been diagnosed with conduct disorder. They found evidence of altered brain structure associated with the condition... Читать дальше...

Pixar and Disney's animated film 'Finding Dory' banked $136 million on its opening weekend in the USA, making it the biggest opening for an animated film in box office history. The sequel to 'Finding Nemo' beat the record set by 'Shrek the Third', which had made $122 million on its opening weekend in 2007, and almost doubled what 'Finding Nemo' made when it first opened in 2003.  With a large fan base and strong critics' reviews - Rotten Tomatoes has given it a '95 per cent fresh' rating - 'Finding... Читать дальше...

A Taliban suicide bomber killed at least 14 people and wounded eight in an attack on a minibus carrying Nepalese security contractors in the Afghan capital, Kabul, early today, officials said. A Reuters witness saw several apparently dead victims and at least two wounded being carried out of the yellow bus while police and emergency service vehicles surrounded the scene in the Banae district of the city. The attack was the latest in a recent surge of violence that highlights the challenges faced... Читать дальше...

These are the lead stories in today's newspapers. The Times of Malta leads with reports of Maltese language examiners warning that many students are displaying a 'very mediocre' understanding of the language, despite 11 years of schooling.  The Malta Independent leads with a report about the Briton killed while swimming in Hondoq ir-Rummien yesterday.  In-Nazzjon writes about allegations made against Central Bank deputy governor Alfred Mifsud. It quotes his former partner as saying a businessman... Читать дальше...

Maltese language teachers are seriously concerned that a significant number of 16-year-olds are not mastering their native language despite 11 years of compulsory schooling. This emerges from the Maltese language examiners’ report issued by the Matsec board which analysed the performance of more than 4,000 students who sat for last year’s Secondary Education Certificate, commonly referred to as the O-level exam.Though two out of every three students (67 per cent) obtained a grade between 1 (highest) and 5... Читать дальше...