Новости за 11.02.2017

Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European Commission, said on Saturday he will not run for another term. The 62-year-old told German public radio Deutschlandfunk that looking back at 2014, when he became president, he had a good campaign at the time. But he said "there will not be a second (campaign), because I will not run again". The former prime minister of Luxembourg is set to serve his term until 2019. The European Commission is the executive branch of the European Union.

Italian striker Mario Fontanella grabbed a brace as Floriana beat Birkirkara 2-1 and surpassed both Birkirkara and Valletta to clinch third place in the BOV Premier League. Meanwhile, this was another setback for the Stripes in their course for a European place having conceded their seventh defeat of the season. The Greens started on the front immediately and after three minutes, they broke the deadlock when former Birkirkara player Ryan Camenzuli delivered a low-drive into the box on which an unmarked Fontanella capitalized. Читать дальше...

GZIRA UNITED 3 ST ANDREWS’ 2 A great goal netted six minutes from time by young midfielder Juan Carlos Corbalan injected fresh hopes of possible salvation for the Gzira clan. The 13th minute proved to be unlucky for Gzira United. Paz did well to drill the ball towards the centre of the penalty area for Ziga Kastrevec to try a spectacular shot which was partially blocked by a defence stretched to its limits. Aidan Friggeri darted in for the rebound and prodded the ball home. Exchanges remained inconclusive... Читать дальше...

Carnival cheer gripped Venice today as hundreds of residents and tourists crowded the canal city's narrow alleys, squares and bridges ahead of an official opening parade in the early evening. Thousands of people will be dressing up in beautiful costumes and masks and will be parading through the ancient streets of Venice with central St. Mark's Square being the starting point of many festivities throughout the carnival fortnight. The theme of the 2017 edition of the Venice Carnival is "CREATUM Vanity... Читать дальше...

Diplomats both at the Foreign Office in Malta and in embassies across the globe have been instructed in writing to stop using the logo of Malta’s EU presidency in their correspondence, the Times of Malta is informed. Questions sent to the Foreign Affairs Ministry on why the instructions were issued remain unanswered despite reminders. Senior government officials, insisting on anonymity, spoke of a “rift” between the Foreign Ministry and the Parliamentary Secretariat for the EU Presidency. After months... Читать дальше...

Hibernians: 1 Tarxien Rainbows: 0 Hibernians have momentarily clinched the first place of the BOV Premier League as they saw off the challenge of neighbours Tarxien Rainbows courtesy of the decisive goal scored by Gilmar. Mark Miller’s side inflicted the first loss to Jesmond Zerafa at the helm of Tarxien after the latter replaced Jacques Scerri back in November. The Paolites were dangerous after 14 minutes when Bjorn Kristensen connected with Jackson Lima’s cross but could not divert his header into the net. Читать дальше...

The Azure Window and the surrounding area known as Id-Dwejra could help the Maltese reconnect with nature, something they sorely need to do, according to the head of a team trying to gain Unesco world heritage recognition for the site. “A main objective of this recognition is improving the relationship between man and the environment. This is increasingly important for Malta and the Maltese, as the island is being engulfed in concrete blocks. We need to remind man that he is a part of nature,” Henry Frendo said. Читать дальше...

PEMBROKE ATHLETA 5 MOSTA 0 A vibrant Pembroke Athleta kept up their recent form to inflicted a clear-cut defeat on Mosta in this basement clash. It was unquestionably a very sound display by a team whose aspirations of retaining their premier league status after a disastrous start in the competition look much brighter now. Pembroke could bank on the set-pieces of Paltemio Barbetti, who exploited his dead ball skills to put the Athleta two goals up before the half-hour stroke. On 21 minutes his delicate... Читать дальше...

Two goals from Alexis Sanchez, one of which was scored with his hand, earned Arsenal a workmanlike 2-0 win at the Emirates which halted their run of two successive Premier League defeats and lifted them to third in the table. But the result was far from convincing and did little to settle the debate over Arsene Wenger's future after days of uncertainty about whether he will remain in charge next season. The manager completed his four-match touchline ban by watching from the stands and was delighted... Читать дальше...

A new pod of 240 whales has swum aground at a remote New Zealand beach hours after volunteers refloated a different group following a mass stranding. In total, more than 650 pilot whales have beached along a 5km stretch of coastline over two days on Farewell Spit, at the tip of the South Island. About 335 of the whales are dead, 220 remain stranded and 100 are back at sea. Department of Conservation Golden Bay operations manager Andrew Lamason said rescuers are sure this is a new pod because they... Читать дальше...

Football authorities may act immediately to suspend anyone suspected of child abuse from participation in football, a draft policy is proposing. If approved, the rules will empower the Malta Football Association to take interim measures whenever it deems fit in order to protect a child or vulnerable adult. Andrew Azzopardi, the MFA’s safeguarding officer,  presented the policy last month to the association’s council, which groups representatives of all clubs and affiliated organisations. “It is important for the association... Читать дальше...

Politics has worked its way into New York Fashion Week, with a Calvin Klein show that had a clear message and Jeremy Scott saying the US has "an entertainer for president" after his event. Raf Simons message could not have been clearer or more pointed. His debut collection for Calvin Klein opened and closed with the David Bowie song This Is Not America. "When you have a voice, you should use it," the designer said backstage last week at his own label's menswear show. Now, for his much-awaited bow... Читать дальше...

Waterspouts were spotted around Malta this afternoon as dark clouds were seen looming over the horizon.  These pictures were taken by reader Andrea Galea off Wied iż-Żurrieq.

Rapper Drake says he has been the victim of a "fake media story" following claims he told a woman to remove her hijab at one of his London concerts. The Canadian musician responded to rumours on social media after a video emerged in which he was heard telling a fan to take off her scarf. In a post on Instagram, Drake denied the woman was wearing a hijab and insisted he "would never make a disrespectful comment like that". He wrote: "I make a point every night to end my shows on tones of unity and... Читать дальше...

Fake news is "killing people's minds" and a vast campaign is needed to combat the phenomenon, Apple boss Tim Cook has said. The chief executive of one of the world's largest companies said governments should wage information wars against phoney reports while businesses must create the tools to root out propaganda. False stories have thrived on social media in recent highly-divisive political campaigns, in particular the US presidential election. In the UK, the Culture, Media and Sport Committee is... Читать дальше...

Juventus took another step towards a sixth successive Serie A title with a routine 2-0 win at Crotone and their seven-point lead at the top owes much to the tactical innovation and squad rotation of coach Massimiliano Allegri. Ahead of tomorrow’s match in Cagliari, the manager who regularly linked with a move to the Premier League will again look to shuffle his pack. Roma, in second, will also fancy their chances of making up ground against Crotone before Juventus play. It is no secret that Juve have the division’s strongest squad... Читать дальше...

Love permeates tomorrow’s issue of Pink, featuring interviews with columnist Kristina Chetcuti and architect Marielouise Caruana Galea about their blended families. Pink will go into what it takes to trust and take the plunge into a new relationship after a marriage breaks down, how to go about parenting their partner’s kids and having the full house they always wanted. In open, introspective and humorous interviews, the two women talk about both the joys and the complications of joining family forces... Читать дальше...

A suicide bomber killed seven people and wounded 20 others outside a bank in the capital city of Afghanistan's Helmand province, the governor's office said. The bomber detonated an explosives-packed car next to an Afghan army vehicle as soldiers arrived at a bank in Lashkar Gah to collect their pay, the Helmand governor's spokesman, Omar Zwak, said. Among the dead were four civilians and three soldiers. Sixteen civilians and four soldiers were wounded, he said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility... Читать дальше...

The German football association (DFB) yesterday demanded a one-match ban for Borussia Dortmund fans from their south stand and a 100,000 euro fine after crowd trouble in several games including last week’s win over RB Leipzig. The DFB’s control committee said it had proposed the stand closure and fine given that Dortmund were repeat offenders and had received a suspended sentence last July. Fans last week unfurled banners attacking Leipzig, owned by energy drink makers Red Bull, as well as their... Читать дальше...

The appointment of former judge Lino Farrugia Sacco to head the newly formed Lands Authority shows clearly the government's inability to restore faith in institutions, the Democratic Party said today. The judge had faced two impeachment motions under two different prime ministers and was also found guilty by the Commission for the Administration of Justice, PD said in a statement.  "Partit Demokratiku finds it hard to believe that a government that promised change, meritocracy and transparency has... Читать дальше...

Big-money moves for Memphis Depay, Julian Draxler and Dimitri Payet combined to take spending by French clubs to a record £150m in the January transfer window. According to a FIFA Transfer Matching System study of cross-border deals this winter, Europe’s big five leagues accounted for two thirds of the global spend of £683.4m on international moves in January, with France leading the way and England second. Of the more than 3,000 international transfers, involving 161 countries, only one in seven involved a transfer fee. Читать дальше...

In the US alone, more than 6,000 people die in drowsy driving-related motor vehicle crashes each year, a study suggests. Millions of US drivers fall asleep at the wheel each month, and roughly 15 per cent of all fatal crashes involve a drowsy driver, researchers note in the journal Sleep. "Drowsy driving is not just falling asleep at the wheel; it mimics alcohol-impaired driving in many ways," said lead study author Stephen Higgins, a researcher at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in Washington... Читать дальше...

If Tottenham Hotspur are to keep up the chase of Premier League leaders Chelsea they must find a cure for their Anfield jinx and pile on the misery for fading Liverpool this evening. Victory in the late kick-off would see Spurs cut Chelsea’s lead to six points before the Blues travel tomorrow to face a Burnley side who are proving formidable at home this season. Tottenham have lost five and drawn three of their last eight league matches with Liverpool. The last time they returned from Anfield with... Читать дальше...

The number of students who missed school without permission dropped by around a third in 2015 after a reform in attendance enforcement, official figures show. Attendance data compiled by the National Statistics Office shows the number of days both boys and girls remained away from school without permission fell by about 30 per cent. Boys missed about 97,000 school days for no good reason between year 1 and form 5, and the figure dropped to 93,000 days for girls who did not produce a doctor’s certificate to justify their absence. Читать дальше...

Laws should also be enacted to safeguard politicians from uncalled-for intrusions into their private and sexual lives, Parliamentary Secretary Deborah Schembri said today. Much of what is written about politicians is meant to catch the attention of the masses or provide for their distraction from important issues, providing fodder for the 8pm news, Dr Schembri wrote in today's Times of Malta Talking Point.  "But there's much at stake, and realising it quickly and doing something about it is very... Читать дальше...