Новости за 30.06.2016

Authorities say they've seized 11 tons of cocaine and made 33 arrests across two continents in an operation by law enforcement agencies from Italy, Colombia and the United States. Gavino Garay reports.

An oil tanker loaded with 5,227 metric tons of illicit diesel intended for a Maltese firm was intercepted by Libyan authorities some 11 miles off the Abu Kamash district, according to sputniknews. The portal said the fuel was on a Belize-flagged oil tanker belonging to a Greek company. According to the portal, the crew, made up of a Russian captain, a company representative and seven Ukranians, are being investigated. It was reported earlier that five Russians and several Ukrainian and Greek nationals were on board the detained tanker.

Embracing change is better than resisting it, Didem Un Ates, global partnerships director at Microsoft Accelerators, says. In what ways are start-ups disrupting traditional set-ups? Disruption can happen in every business dimension one can think of, from product, service, time to market and time to serve customers to distribution, payment models, and channel to market. We are seeing disruption in all sectors and in all elements of the value chain across the world. Some researchers have grouped these disruption models into eight areas... Читать дальше...

Eastern black rhinos are one of the most endangered mammal groups, with large-scale poaching in the late 20th century leading to a significant decline in black rhino populations in Africa. There are estimated to be about 800 in the world today.

Updated with Hibs game Birkirkara have improved their chances of reaching the second qualifying round of the Europa Leaguer after holding Bosnian team NK Siroki Brijeg to a 1-1 away draw this evening. The Stripes, led by Croatian coach Drazen Besek, shocked Siroki after Cain Attard gave them a 15th-minute lead at the Pecara Stadium. Siroki equalised through Ivan Baraban on the stroke of half-time but Birkirkara maintained their composure to hold out for a draw that will boost their optimism ahead... Читать дальше...

Fish quotas would deal a blow to Malta, and lead to the demise of the fishing craft, Animal Welfare Parliamentary Secretary Roderick Galdes said this evening. While we should adhere to EU regulations, Malta needed to discuss flexibility as a one size fits all policy was not appropriate for the island, he told an audience attending one in a series of the Gvern li Jisma meetings. Mr Galdes was reacting to a question about Malta’s position on swordfish quotas. The government did not agree with quotas... Читать дальше...

Court compensation for the transfer of a private property that was part of the National Bank’s takeover by the State in the mid-1970s was slashed from €1 million to €25,000 following an appeal by the Attorney General. The Constitutional Court also ruled that Bank of Valletta, set up by the government following the takeover, could no longer use the property in question on the basis of two laws, which were found to be in breach of the fundamental right to property. The First Hall of the Civil Court... Читать дальше...

The Pentagon will let transgender individuals serve openly in the US military, ending one of the last bans on service in the armed forces. Defence Secretary Ash Carter announced the change on Thursday. Mr Carter said it is the right thing to do. He said only a person's qualifications should matter, and that there should be no other unrelated barriers to service. Mr Carter's announcement comes despite concerns from senior military leaders that the department is moving too fast and that more time is needed to work through the changes. Читать дальше...

BALZAN-0, NEFTCHI BAKU-2 Balzan produced a bold second-half performance but it was not enough as they slipped to a 2-0 loss to Azerbaijan side Neftchi Baku in the first leg of their Europa League first qualifying round match. Neftchi were the better side in the opening period but Balzan piled the pressure after the change of ends, missing at least three good chances to equalise in the second half but their failure to score returned to haunt them as Neftchi converted a late penalty to all but secure... Читать дальше...

Hans Jocham is not your average tourist. In fact, he brings a motive all the way from his home in Munich, and that is to keep Malta’s beaches clean. Throughout his five-week-long visit to Malta, Mr Jocham found the array of beaches around the island to be littered with rubbish. He spent several days at Ġnejna Bay. “Every time I came to the same little place, I had to clean away the rubbish from other people,” he said. What he was doing had already attracted the interest of many, he said. “Some talk to me and say... Читать дальше...

Academic research in the humanities was being stifled by scholarship criteria that prioritised immediate economic benefits over academic merit, academics have warned. “The humanities offer as many tangible benefits as any other sector, but you can’t quantify the benefits with short-sighted, profit-based methodologies,” Mark Camilleri, a PhD candidate at the University of Malta and the chairman of the National Book Council, told the Times of Malta. “If a country doesn’t have historians, sociologists... Читать дальше...

The dog-days are here and the news cycles slow down, with people opting to adopt a more manana, manana attitude towards things. Or are they? The environmentalists, especially the ones who were so, so vocal before March 2013, are beginning to wake up to the new reality, rather like the fools who voted for Brexit woke up on Friday to the horror of what they had, in many cases without even grasping it, done to their country and, consequently, themselves. Suddenly, Premier Muscat's Labour Movement, facilitated... Читать дальше...

Ten women died in a sinking boat off the coast of Libya as Italy's coast guard rescued hundreds of migrants in two separate operations. Watch video above.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is to join Manchester United, the Swedish striker has announced. The 34-year-old former Sweden international is a free agent after leaving Paris St Germain at the end of last season. Ibrahimovic, who will link up with his former Inter Milan boss Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford, announced the move via his Instagram account. Ibrahimovic, who is expected to sign a short-term deal, wrote: "Time to let the world know. My next destination is @manchesterunited." The deal is yet to be confirmed... Читать дальше...

A 70-year-old Polish woman who lives in Pietà was grievously injured when she was hit by a car this afternoon. The police said a 71-year-old man from Pietà was driving the vehicle when the incident happened in Triq Lord Byron, Santa Venera at 12.15pm. Police are investigating.

Cyprian Cassar has quit the award-winning Maltese dance duo Tenishia, the DJ announced this afternoon.  In a post on Facebook, Cassar said: "As you might have noticed, Joven (Grech) and myself have gone separate ways. This didn't happen because we fell out but we both felt we had reached a point that we felt we could contribute more to the world of music individually." Cassar added that he had also quit the duo to spread his artistic wings beyond electronic music.  Joven would continue playing under the name Tenishia, Cassar said. Читать дальше...

A large crowd of residents and non-governmental organisations cheered as the board members of the Planning Authority this afternoon turned down an application for a mega development at Gozo’s idyllic Ħondoq bay. Board members voted unanimously against the proposed marina and hotel in a disused quarry along the protected stretch of Ħondoq coastline. The proposed 104,000 square metre development sought to turn the entire quarry site and an additional area of garigue into a 110-bedroom hotel spread... Читать дальше...

For lucky fans, tickets to Rihanna’s ANTI world tour came with complimentary pizza. Regardless of the rain, fans waited patiently outside a concert venue in Manchester, England, to see Rihanna perform. The singer surprised the fans that had been waiting all day, with 20 boxes of pizza. The pizzas that were distributed to the fans by the singer’s crew came with three flavours: cheese, pepperoni and Hawaiian. According to the Manchester Evening News, some of the pizza boxes were signed by the singer. Читать дальше...

Las Vegas is a popular place to get married, but one man travelled to Sin City to say “I do” to his smartphone. Aaron Chervenak, 34, from Los Angeles, married his mobile phone at the Little Vegas Chapel in Las Vegas. His aim was to make a point about society's growing dependence and reliance on smartphones. “If we're gonna be honest with ourselves, we connect with our phones on so many emotional levels,” Chervenak said in a video documenting the odd ceremony. “We look to it for solace, to calm us down... Читать дальше...

Works on the removal of the central strip in Triq Mikiel Anton Vassalli will start after 8.30pm today, Transport Malta said. It said that during the night, the road will be on reduced lanes in both directions. During the day, one lane in the direction of Msida will be closed at certain times. TM said that to avoid complete road closure and inconvenience, the central strip was to be removed in a sequence of stretches. During works on the central strip, the existing electricity poles would also be shifted. Читать дальше...

Fuel prices will remain the same until the end of September, Enemed said today. The prices are as follows:  Product Retail Price July 2016 (Eur/ltr) Diesel €1.16 Unleaded Petrol €1.28 E Power €1.43 Kerosene €1.16 Gasoil for heating €1 Last March, the price of diesel had gone down 6c while that of petrol went down by 4c.

Investing in start-ups can be risky. However, when start-ups take off, the potential return is huge, Patrick O’Brien says. Investing in start-ups is trending as 2016 takes a massive turn towards expediting innovation and entrepreneurship. We hear about a new idea being funded almost every minute. Right now, it is an exciting phase globally, with almost every country trying to nurture a start-up ecosystem to counter the uncertainties of economic imbalances and loss of jobs due to tectonic shifts in the investment and consumer markets. Читать дальше...

A major security operation swung into action at a US military base regularly used by President Barack Obama when someone mistook personnel conducting a routine inspection for a gunman. Confusion at Joint Base Andrews near central Washington was heightened as commanders were preparing to carry out a drill on dealing with an "active shooter" on the complex at the time. A distress call reporting a "shooter" sparked a full lockdown of the site, with all personnel urged to seek shelter. But the lockdown... Читать дальше...

Two lawyers and their legal firm have been ordered to pay almost €700,000 to the heirs of Ronald Luther Phillips after a court ruled that they had not given the late Mr Phillips information about money entrusted to them by him for investment purposes, nor had they refunded it to him when requested. Mr Phillips filed his case in the First Hall of the Civil Court against Dr Patrick Spiteri and Judge Godwin Muscat Azzopardi.  The case was also filed against the legal firm Muscat Azzopardi Spiteri and Associates and against the lawyers' wives. Читать дальше...