Новости за 13.02.2017

A man whose dream to study medicine drove him out of Sudan 11 years ago, feels like all his efforts to survive and build a decent life will vanish come October. Mohammed Ahmed’s protection status is up for renewal in October, but the government has already announced that the Temporary Humanitarian Protection – New status, known as THPn, will be halted as from November. Until then, THPn holders are expected to procure documentation from their country of origin, with NGOs insisting that hundreds of... Читать дальше...

2,447 cases of pickpocketing were reported to the police last year, Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela said this evening. Answering a question in parliament by Anthony Agius Decelis (PL), Mr Abela said that there were 1,268 cases of stolen credit cards, 982 wallets or purses, 602 phones, 1,187 cases of stolen currency and 800 cases of documents. St Julian’s (Paceville) was the locality which had the largest number of cases of pickpocketing (861), followed by Sliema (657), Valletta (313), Marsaxlokk (106) and St Paul’s Bay (105).

Fourteen persons who were reported missing last year are still missing, Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela told Labour MP Anthony Agius decelis in reply to a parliamentary question. The police handled 837 missing person reports last year. 602 involved women. The biggest number of missing persons, 399, were between 15 and 20 years old followed by 177 who were under 15 years old.

Economy Minister Chris Cardona has sued In-Nazzjon and its reporter Mario Frendo over an article printed on February 4 in connection with claims that the minister had visited a brothel while on an official visit to Germany. The ministry said that in this case and other court cases the minister was not availing himself of his right to request a garnishee order as done against blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia.   However no one had a right to use the journalistic profession to 'say what he wanted,' the ministry said.

Sworn testimony in court by George Farrugia, the man at the heart of the oil procurement scandal, contradicted claims by Nationalist MP Claudio Grech that they had never met him, the Labour Party said today. Mr Farrugia had been given a pardon by the former governemnt on condition that he revealed everything he knew about the scandal. The Labour Party said that during proceedings before the Public Accounts Committee, Mr Grech, former secretary to minister Austin Gatt, had said he never met Mr Farrugia about oil procurement. Читать дальше...

Young and old were yesterday treated to a day of cultural entertainment and discovery at St Paul’s Catacombs in Rabat. Heritage Malta held a full day event, highlighting among others the Roman feast of Agape – a meal held to celebrate the memory of deceased loved ones. A group of actors also re-enacted a Roman funeral, in which visitors could participate. The catacombs site meanwhile hosted treasure hunts for children, and lectures were given on various topics, including Roman soldiers, traditions and the excavation at St Paul’s Catacombs. Читать дальше...

A 19-year-old man from Marsa has been arrested for drugs possession and trafficking. The police said the arrest was made by the Drug Squad near the Marsa racetrack after days of observation. He was found in possession of heroin and cocaine which he was in the process of trafficking, the police said. Packets of drugs which the man threw away and others which he had hidden near by were also recovered by the police.

Senior Roman Catholic cardinals from the around the world defended Pope Francis today against a spate of recent attacks from conservatives challenging his authority. In an unusual move, nine cardinals in a group advising Francis on Vatican economic and structural reforms issued a statement expressing "full support for the pope's work" and guaranteeing "full backing for him and his teachings". The statement was unusual in that the cardinals - from Italy, Chile, Austria, India, Germany, Congo, the United States... Читать дальше...

The statue of Christ the Redeemer (Ir-Redentur) in Senglea is to undergo nine months of vital restoration work. The conservation work will mean the cancellation of the annual June devotional procession, a tradition dating back two centuries to a religious vow made to spare Senglea from the plague. Senglea parish priest Canon Fr Robin Camilleri said works on the statue, which is believed to date back to 1714 and which was last restored more than 180 years ago, will begin in May and are expected to last around nine months. Читать дальше...

Updated - Adds MFA statement launching investigation - The team manager of Pembroke FC was refused bail today after being arraigned in court and accused of attempting to bribe Mosta FC players. Ucha Anyanwu, 30, born in Nigeria and married to a Maltese woman for the past 13 years, pleaded not guilty to the charges and requested bail. The prosecution however strongly objected, on various grounds, the first being the serious nature of the crime which, it said "is killing Maltese football." The court... Читать дальше...

Updated - PN statement below - Kenneth Farrugia has been appointed director of the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit, eight months after the controversial resignation of the last incumbent. The appointment followed a public call for applications and an interviewing process which involved several applicants, a short listing process and further interviews of candidates, the unit said. The FIAU is tasked with investigating money laundering and similar abuse.  Questions were raised when the last director of the FIAU... Читать дальше...

The Iraqi airforce carried out a strike on a house where Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was thought to be meeting other commanders, Iraq's Iraqi military said in a statement today, without making clear whether he had been hit. The statement said Iraqi F-16s had targeted the house in western Iraq on Saturday. It also published the names of 13 Islamic State commanders it said had been killed in the airstrike but the list did not include Baghdadi.

The stamp of boots and the beat of drums once again filled the historic Piazza D’Armi at Fort St Elmo, as re-enactors brought back to life the pageantry and military might of the Knights of St John. In front of a rapt audience, the In Guardia group yesterday recreated an event that was once commonplace at the strategically vital fort: as the Order’s Grand Prior inspected the garrison to assess its military readiness to defend Valletta and the Grand Harbour in case of attack. Re-enactors, kitted out in their finest uniforms... Читать дальше...

One of the most famous Hillman Imp cars ever to race, which took part in the Monte Carlo Rally 50 years ago, is to go under the hammer. The car could fetch up to £50,000 when it is sold at auction in Wiltshire next month. The Imp, with registration plate JDU48E, was built in 1966 by the Rootes Group, which had bought the Hillman name. It has an impressive racing pedigree after competing in the 3,400-mile 1967 Monte Carlo Rally, coming second in its class and 46th overall. Later in 1967, it raced... Читать дальше...

Women who smoke during pregnancy and after giving birth may risk damaging the hearing of their children, a study suggests. Nicotine exposure before birth and during breastfeeding can cause a key brain region that processes sound to develop abnormally, results from a mouse study show. The research is the first to demonstrate that the auditory brain stem is vulnerable to nicotine. Children with impaired function in this part of the brain are likely to have learning difficulties and problems with language development. Читать дальше...

Google Maps is introducing a new feature that enables users to create lists of their favourite places and share them with friends and family via social media. The technology giant said the feature will begin to roll out to users of the Android and iOS version of its Maps app from Monday and gives users the opportunity to create and share bucket lists as well as recommendations with their contacts. Facebook recently added a Recommendations feature to its social network that enables users to ask for location-based suggestions from their friends. Читать дальше...

Almost 500 EU-registered vehicles were caught exceeding the speed limit in just two months, but the authorities would not say whether owners were fined despite their details being available. Official data tabled in Parliament a few weeks ago by Transport Minister Joe Mizzi shows that between August and September last year, 488 EU-registered vehicles were involved in traffic contraventions. Transport Malta was able to trace the owners thanks to an EU-wide database system that became accessible in August 2016... Читать дальше...

The MSE Share Index this morning posted its first decline in the last four trading sessions as it slipped by 0.14% to 4,728.252 points reflecting the drops in the share prices of IHI (-1.4%), HSBC (-0.8%), BOV (-0.4%) and RS2 (-0.3%). Trading volumes improved notably as they climbed to a five-day high of €0.51 million. After closing at its highest level in more than nine years of €2.189 last Thursday, the equity of Bank of Valletta plc eased by 0.4% to the €2.18 level on strong volumes totalling 106,799 shares. Читать дальше...

At least four people have died in an avalanche in the French Alps, local emergency services said. The skiers were caught off piste at the resort of Tignes, according to local newspaper Le Dauphine Libere. Others are still trapped in the snow, according to the CRS police unit based in Albertville. "Five people are still trapped with a large amount of snow on them," the unit said.The incident happened at around 10.35am. Around 10cms of fresh snow fell on the slopes of the resort near the Italian border last week and more is forecast this week. Читать дальше...

Malta’s economic growth has settled down from the exceptional levels of 2014 and 2015 but is forecast to remain well above the EU average, the European Commission said in its winter forecasts today. It said unemployment is set to remain at record lows while productivitygains contain unit labour costs and preserve competitiveness. The budget deficit is only expected to improve marginally, however, as growing tax revenues are largely offset by rising expenditure. The economic expansion is forecast... Читать дальше...

Two Estonian women slid to victory in the annual 12 hour Leikkuri LeMans lawn mower ice grand prix in Finland on Saturday, battling tough conditions. Estonian lawn mower racing champions Anna and Stella of Team Votikmetsa Naised (Votikmetsa women) crossed the line in first place, taking great pleasure in beating their male compatriots. The race was held outside the rural town of Lavia in southern Finland on the frozen lake Karhijarvi, some 200km (124 miles) northeast of Helsinki. Competitors included entrants from Switzerland... Читать дальше...

A photo of a fanatic seconds after he assassinated Russia's Ambassador to Turkey has been named the 2017 World Press Photo of the Year.  Burhan Ozbilici's snapshot of a gun-wielding off-duty Turkish police officer standing above the body of Andrei Karlov won the top prize during the World Press Photo Awards.  Jury chair Stuart Franklin called Özbilici’s image “an incredibly hard-hitting news photograph.” The World Press Photo Awards are one of the most prestigious awards in photojournalism. Awards... Читать дальше...

A Belgian man was sentenced to 28 years in jail today for killing a prisoner while fighting with jihadist groups in Syria, the first murder conviction of a returned fighter in Belgium. Hakim Elouassaki, 24, returned to Belgium in 2013 after being wounded in the conflict, a few months after police had intercepted a phone call in which he bragged to his girlfriend about executing a prisoner. The prisoner's family was supposed to pay €70,000 euros in ransom money but only came up with €30,000. "A bullet through the head... Читать дальше...

Malta is the seventh-best European country for LGBT workers to live in, a study by a French employment agency has found.  The report found that despite Malta's growing reputation as an "LGBT paradise", the country failed to protect LGBT tenants from discrimination in accessing housing and offered lower-than-average monthly disposable income.  Norway, Finland and Belgium topped the list, with Germany and Sweden close behind.  The 5 countries LGBT workers should avoid are Armenia, Macedonia, Azerbaijan... Читать дальше...

When high schools start at 8.30am or later, attendance rates and graduation rates improve, according to a new study. The study backs previous research that says additional sleep boosts psychological, behavioral and academic benefits for teens. "So much research explains the impact of insufficient sleep on suicide, substance abuse, depression, auto accidents and more," said lead study author Pamela McKeever of Central Connecticut State University in New Britain. "This connects the dots between the world of science and education," she told. Читать дальше...