Новости за 12.07.2016

VALLETTA-1, CRVENA ZVEZDA-2 A gutsy performance from Valletta was not enough to earn them a positive result in the first leg of their Champions League second qualifying round match against Crvena Zvezda as the Serbian outfit came back from a goal down to win 2-1. While the defeat was hard to take for Valletta, who had taken an early lead through Federico Falcone, they can still take a lot of encouragement from a bold showing against a team who, on paper, are superior to the Maltese champions. A goal down... Читать дальше...

Archbishop Charles Scicluna this evening described today as “a sad day for Malta” as Parliament approved the Bill decriminalising the vilification of religion. In a tweet, he said: "Demeaning God and man indeed go hand in hand. A sad day for Malta. Lord forgive them: they do not know what they do." The Bill, which also amends the Criminal Code and introduces revenge porn as a crime, was was today approved from third reading. The Opposition had welcomed the introduction of revenge porn as a crime... Читать дальше...

Star Trek actors Simon Pegg, Chris Pine and Idris Elba will boldly go to Leicester Square today when the sci-fi sequel receives its London premiere. The crew of the USS Enterprise and their foes are expected to walk the red carpet for the UK launch of Star Trek Beyond. Pegg, Pine and Elba will be joined by co-stars Zachary Quinto, Sofia Boutella, Karl Urban and John Cho. The follow-up to Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness follows the heroes as they encounter a new ruthless enemy who puts them... Читать дальше...

San Lawrenz local council has been left out of a new steering committee set up by the government to manage the Dwejra area in Gozo. Although Dwejra, one of Gozo’s main tourist attractions, falls entirely within the boundaries of the San Lawrenz local council, mayor Noel Formosa said his council had been completely left out despite having been the entity that promoted the concept of a steering committee. “My fellow councillors could not believe it when they read in the newspapers that the Environment... Читать дальше...

The saying facts are stranger than fiction cannot be more true than in this instance. What was thought to be a hold-up on a lotto booth this evening - turned out to be a false alarm. The police went on site in Guardamangia thinking thieves had broken in after they were informed the booth was open. The owners were duly contacted and went on site - only to find that it was they who had forgotten to close behind them - and at first glance confirmed nothing had been stolen.

A woman charged with murder after the remains of eight babies were found last year at her home in southern Germany has admitted killing several infants. The 45-year-old mother, identified only as Andrea G, is charged with four counts of murder in the trial at the Coburg state court. Her 55-year-old husband, Johann G, is charged with being an accessory to murder. Prosecutors said they could not establish whether the four other infants were actually born alive, so the indictment does not cover those cases. Читать дальше...

No one was injured when a considerable number of bales of straw caught fire in the area known as Ġebel San Martin, in Żejtun this afternoon. The police said they were informed their assistance was required at around 3.40pm. Members of the Civil Protection Dpartment controlled the fire. The police are investigating.

Parliamentary Secretary Deborah Schembri defended the ‘autonomy’ of the new Lands Authority which is to replace the Commissioner of Lands following the Gaffarena debacle. In a presentation on a Bill setting up the authority, which will be discussed in Parliament tomorrow, Dr Schembri said that the majority of members on the authority's board of governors and its CEO would be appointed by the government. Asked how she could call the new authority independent when this was the case, Dr Schembri said... Читать дальше...

Balzan council will be culling pigeons tomorrow - an exercise which has been described as “barbaric” by one of the councillors. Writing on his Facebook page today, councillor Desmond Zammi Marmara said that although legal and residents would not be in any harm, culling was still a barbaric way of solving the problem of pigeon droppings. Expert studies, he said, showed it was not effective and the problem would return within a short time. The culling is expected to take place in Triq il-Kbira, Pjazza Bertu Fenech... Читать дальше...

A composer has turned the tune that David Cameron casually hummed as he walked into No 10 after announcing his resignation date into an "evil anthem" fit for Darth Vader which has gone viral on Facebook. Chris Hollis, from Hitchin, Hertfordshire, was inspired after he saw the footage on Monday during which an ITV microphone picked up the Prime Minister humming the tune. After Mr Cameron walked into his official residence and office, he was heard saying "right" before the door closes behind him. Posts... Читать дальше...

Eleven artistic organisations and festivals have signed a cultural partnership agreement with the Malta Arts Council that will see them collectively receive more than €1 million over the next three years. Culture Minister Owen Bonnici said the agreement would help artists plan into the future rather than depend on annual financial assistance which hindered long term projects from becoming a reality. “We couldn’t keep this situation where artists were being given handouts every year. It would have... Читать дальше...

A 16-year-old French teenager was slightly injured while on a Banana Boat Ride this afternoon. The police said the boy took the ride from St George's Bay in St Julian's. He was injured when he fell off the boat.

A tribunal has ruled that China has no legal basis for its vast territorial claims in the South China Sea. In a case brought by the Philippines, an international panel sitting in The Hague also found that China had aggravated the regional dispute with its extensive construction of artificial islands, which destroyed coral reefs and infringed upon the Philippines' exclusive economic zone. China immediately rejected the arbitration findings, and their impact remains unclear as there is no policing agency or mechanism to enforce them. Читать дальше...

A 31-year-old man who was working on a dinghy at a garage in Magħtab this afternoon ended up fighting for his life after suffering burns. The man, from Msida, was working in a garage at Triq Tat-Tarġa. He was taken to Mater Dei Hospital by ambulance where he was certified to be critical. An inquiry is being held.

High up on a flat ridge and tucked away behind a secondary school in Żejtun, archaeology students are digging up the remains of an ancient Roman villa. Discovered in 1961, the site has been the subject of two large-scale archaeological investigations, the first of which was carried out in the 1970s. Archaeological investigations were resumed in 2006 under the direction of Anthony Bonanno and Nicholas Vella from the Department of Classics and Archaeology, University of Malta. Although known as a Roman villa... Читать дальше...

The share index suffered its largest daily drop in seven weeks today as it retreated by 0.8 per cent to 4,532.434 points. In particular, the equity of Mapfre Middlesea plunged by 16.3 per cent to a one-year low of €2.01 on trivial volumes totalling just 1,000 shares. GO and Malta International Airport also registered losses on shallow volumes today. GO dropped one per cent lower to the €2.85 level while MIA retreated by 0.2 per cent to the €4.24 level across 1,216 shares. Eligible GO shareholders... Читать дальше...

Children who suck their thumbs or bite their nails are less likely than others to have allergies later, according to a new study. According to the "hygiene hypothesis," early life exposure to microbes may decrease the risk of developing allergies, which may explain why kids with oral habits have fewer allergies as adults, although this idea is still controversial, the authors write. In this observational study it was not possible to prove that thumb sucking or nail biting causes a reduction in allergies... Читать дальше...

The police have urged motorists to avoid the Marsa-bound Regional Road between the Msida Skate Park and the Santa Venera tunnels following a traffic accident. The accident involved a Fiat Uno, a Ford Focus and a Toyota Vitz, with the Fiat driver being hospitalised.  The incident took place close to the Kappara roundabout, which is undergoing a major restructuring project.

A 22-year-old pickpocket was handed a suspended sentence after being caught stealing a mobile phone from a woman shopping at a supermarket. Sabka Georgieva, from Bulgaria, admitted to stealing an iPhone 6. Prosecuting officer Nikolai Sant told Magistrate Ian Farrugia that the accused was filmed nicking the mobile phone on CCTV footage. She admitted to the police and immediately gave them €800 to hand to the victim as repayment since she had already sold off the phone. The woman was sentenced to one year imprisonment suspended for two years. Читать дальше...

A 44-year-old man has been arrested and arraigned by the Police Drugs Squad after he was found in possession of about 2,500 suspected ecstasy pills, 250 grams cocaine, cannabis resin and grass. Herman Sant, from Dingli, was also found in possession of an unlicensed firearm. He was arraigned before Magistrate Ian Farrugia this morning and charged with the aggravated possession of ecstasy and cocaine, simple possession of cannabis resin, possessing a firearm without a licence, causing his partner to fear that violence would be used against her... Читать дальше...

A 41-year-old man who was mistakenly sent video footage not intended for his eyes lasciviously took advantage of the situation by trying to blackmail the woman into giving him sexual favours. Mahmoud Razouk, from Syria, was arraigned before Magistrate Ian Farrugia this morning and charged with blackmailing the victim, harassing her and threatening her. There was talk of cakes in the courtroom as the magistrate and prosecuting officer John Spiteri attempted to delicately outline the incident. "Let's... Читать дальше...

Updated 1.33pm to raise death toll to 12 - At least 12 people died and dozens were injured when two passenger trains collided head-on in the southern heel of Italy late this morning, a spokesman for the fire service said. The crash happened on a single stretch of track in countryside between the towns of Corato and Andria, police said. An aerial image showed train carriages smashed and crumpled by the force of the impact, with debris spread out amongst olive trees which flanked both sides of the rail line. Читать дальше...

Updated 1.15pm with filing of court injunction Air Malta has filed a court injunction against the Airline Pilots Association in a bid to stop the union from taking industrial action that could jeopardise talks with Alitalia. The injunction filed today was provisionally upheld by Mr Justice Silvio Meli. The case will now be heard on July 22. In its application, the airline said industrial action by pilots at this juncture could jeopardise the airline’s operation and financial viability. The company... Читать дальше...

A humanitarian group said it recovered the bodies of four migrants and rescued around 400 survivors  from an overcrowded wooden boat in the Mediterranean between Italy and Libya. The dead had suffocated below deck, said the Malta-based Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS), whose Topaz Responder rescue ship carried out the operation. Emergency, another humanitarian organisation, was treating another person who was found on the same boat in critical condition, MOAS said. A spokesman for the Italian coast guard... Читать дальше...

Women and men will protest ‘One Too Many’ deaths today, calling on the government to implement a European convention that prevents violence against women. The One Too Many protest march, which starts at 6pm in front of Parliament in Valletta, was prompted by the murder of Eleanor Mangion Walker, mother of a nine-year-old girl. Ms Mangion Walker’s corpse was found last week in a plastic bag in an unused Qormi warehouse after a close relative of her estranged husband reported the murder to the police. Читать дальше...