Новости за 14.02.2017

A 25-year-old San Ġwann man who set up a Catholic development NGO to help develop living facilities for disadvantaged youth in Kenya has been named the Kerygma Movement's Youth of the Year.  James Borg Cumbo was moved to set up Karibu! Malta after a 2012 youth exchange to Finland left him feeling that there was more to life than what happened on Maltese shores.  An initial attempt to get funding to send a group of youths to Kenya was unsuccessful, but rather than give up the group dug into their own pockets and went ahead with their plans. Читать дальше...

Foreign direct investment (FDI) flows in Malta in the first six months of last year went up by €1.9 billion, equivalent to an increase of €455.6 million over the corresponding flows in the previous year, the National Statistics Office said. It said in a statement that the main contributors to total FDI flows were financial and insurance activities with a total contribution of 95.6 per cent. As at June, the stock position of FDI amounted to €156.7 billion, an increase of €10 billion over the corresponding period the previous year. Читать дальше...

An undercover operation conducted at the Sunday monti in Floriana and pet shops has uncovered “a racket” in the sale of birds used by trappers, Birdlife Malta said. The operation carried out by the bird conservation group highlighted multiple abuses that were made worse when the government opened the trapping season for finches in 2014. Birdlife conservation manager Nick Barbara said trapped finches did not live long in captivity and every season trappers would have to replenish their stock by buying birds that were at times imported illegally.

Malta, together with Greece, experienced the second highest increases in industrial production last month (2.4%), following Croatia which registered an increase of 3.9%, Eurostat said. The statistical office of the European Union said that among member states for which data was available, the largest decreases in industrial production were registered in Ireland (-11.7%), Germany (-3.1%) and the Czech Republic (-2.2%). Comparing December to November, seasonally adjusted industrial production fell... Читать дальше...

The European Commission's economic winter forecast for Malta echoed the position adopted by the Nationalist Party over the past months, deputy leader Mario de Marco said this morning. The report, he said, pointed out that economic growth was emanating from iGaming and financial services and made no reference to sectors created during this administration. "This is perfectly understandable given that this administration did not create any new economic sector," he said. He added that the report also... Читать дальше...

A new planning strategy guidance for the Magħtab area has been issued for public consultation by the Planning Authority. The aim of the policy is “to better address the planning lacunas that exist in the Central Malta Local Plan for the Magħtab Area and improve the environmental context of the area”. The policy designates a boundary that encapsulates the predominant committed development areas of Magħtab, which have been classified as character areas and are namely animal husbandry, arable farming... Читать дальше...

The global economy ended 2016 on a strong note, and started this year in the same vein. Economic data such as PMIs and leading economic indicators from the world’s major economies continue to indicate strong and robust growth, at least in the short- to medium-term. This positive string of economic data releases can be explained by a concoction of looser economic policy and expectations of an improving global economic scenario. This mix of policies in the leading emerging and developed economies is... Читать дальше...

The Church Environment Commission (KA) this morning reiterated its call for a national study on property. In a position paper, it said such a study would go beyond interests pertaining to a particular section of Maltese society and would take into account every aspect related to quality of life. The commission acknowledged the benefits of a study on property development commissioned by the Malta Developers Association but stressed that the government and the competent authorities, including the Planning Authority... Читать дальше...

Updated with PL statement at noon Next Sunday’s national demonstration will be in the name of all people of good will, and not just Nationalists, Nationalist Party leader Simon Busuttil said. Addressing members of the party’s executive and sectional committees, Dr Busuttil said the demonstration will give the people the opportunity to say no to lies and hypocrisy and yes to freedom and democracy. The country needed someone to stand up to the government’s corruption and the time had come for everyone to do his bit, the PN leader said. Читать дальше...

Naked women are back in Playboy magazine, ending a year-old ban on the nudity that made the magazine famous. Playboy celebrated the reversal on Twitter and Facebook with the hashtag #NakedIsNormal. The U-turn came on Monday with the release of Playboy's March-April issue. The 63-year-old magazine had banished naked women from its print edition because it felt the content had become passé in the era of easily accessible online porn. The decision to show less skin was made under the regime of Playboy Enterprises chief executive Scott Flanders... Читать дальше...

Athletes and club officials guilty of sport corruption may face up to five years in prison and interdiction from sporting events, a proposed law suggests. The penalties, which include a hefty fine running into thousands of euros, is harsher than what existing laws envisage. For the first time, the proposed law imposes harsher penalties for club and match officials, athletes, including those who have retired, and individuals with no direct connection to a sporting organisation but who stand to benefit from corruption. Читать дальше...

Growing up in tough conditions can make wild animals live longer, new research suggests. Scientists found that male banded mongooses that experienced poor conditions in their first year had longer lives, suggesting those born into a challenging environment "live slow, die old", while those with an easier first year "live fast, die young". However, there was no difference in the number of offspring they fathered. The males that fathered the most pups were those that grew up when conditions were highly variable. Читать дальше...

The following are the top stories in national newspapers today. Times of Malta says Deniro Magri, a 27-year-old man, has been charged with the murder of Sylvester Farrugia last Sunday. The court heard that he opened fire on three people who had attempted to burn the front door of his Marsa home. In another story, it says a proposed law suggests that athletes and club officials guilty of sport corruption may face up to five years in prison and interdiction from sporting events. The Malta Independent... Читать дальше...

Notice of industrial action affecting all sectors of the medical profession has been given by the doctor's association, which gave until March 14 for pending issues to be resolved. The Medical Association of Malta said in a statement this morning that in spite of numerous and very serious pending issues affecting all sectors of the profession, the collective agreement that expired at the end of December was not being discussed. “This has serious implications on the optimum delivery of patient care... Читать дальше...

President Donald Trump's embattled national security adviser Michael Flynn has resigned, following reports that he had misled Vice President Mike Pence and other officials about his contacts with Russia. His departure comes after less than a month in office. In a resignation letter, Mr Flynn said he held numerous calls with the Russian ambassador to the US during the transition and gave "incomplete information" about those discussions to Mr Pence. The vice president, apparently relying on information from Mr Flynn... Читать дальше...

Paris St Germain will be well-equipped to renew battle with Barcelona in their Champions League round of 16 first leg at the Parc des Princes today after key midfielder Marco Verratti made a well-timed return to the team. Two years ago, Barcelona humbled PSG 3-1 in Paris in the first leg of their quarter-final tie when the French champions were without talismanic forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Verratti, and saw captain Thiago Silva limp off the pitch after 21 minutes. Barca won the return 2-0 to... Читать дальше...

Borussia Dortmund have shown two faces this season, with their lacklustre domestic form in stark contrast to their scintillating European run, which they hope to extend against Benfica in the Champions League last 16 today. With just two wins from their past seven Bundesliga games, Thomas Tuchel’s team have long dropped out of the title race and Saturday’s shock 2-1 loss to bottom side Darmstadt left them 15 points adrift of leaders Bayern Munich. But the Ruhr valley club have been sensational in the Champions League... Читать дальше...

Arsene Wenger believes club-record signing Mesut Ozil is lacking confidence as Arsenal prepare to face Bayern Munich tomorrow. The Germany international has been on the periphery of games in recent weeks and his contribution has split opinion among the Gunners supporters. Ozil, 28, was defended by Wenger ahead of Saturday’s win over Hull City after criticism of his performances in the defeats to Watford and Chelsea which have seen Arsenal all but drop out of the Premier League title picture. It is... Читать дальше...

Leicester City’s beleaguered manager Claudio Ranieri suggested he is ready to drop some of the players who won them the Premier League title as the Italian seeks to stave off relegation just one season later. The champions have yet to win – or even score – in six league matches in 2017 and were beaten 2-0 by fellow relegation strugglers Swansea City on Sunday. The latest setback leaves them just one point above the relegation zone with the club seemingly free-falling into the Championship. When asked... Читать дальше...

Leicester’s euphoria at winning the league last season has given way to a tense battle with relegation and speculation over manager Claudio Ranieri’s future. Here, PA Sport casts an eye over the key statistics which have contributed to the Foxes’ decline. 32 – the Foxes are 32 points worse off than at this stage last season, with 21 as opposed to 53. 14 – lost 14 games, compared to only two last season. They also have only five wins as opposed to 15. 24 – their goal tally tells a similar tale of woe... Читать дальше...

Charlotte Wingfield set a new national 200 metres indoors record during last weekend’s British Athletics Team Trials meet in Sheffield. The 22-year-old won her heat in 24.10 seconds… 0.63 faster than her own previous best she had set at the British University Club Championship in Cardiff in 2015. The Wales-based sprinter finished ahead of Ebony Carr (24.79), of Milton Keynes, Ellenbro’s Charlotte Orton (24.79) and Abigayle Fitzpatrick (25.34), of Sale. In the final, Wingfield failed to improve on... Читать дальше...

The BOV Premier League heads into the final stretch with everything still to play for as match-day 22 results have blown open the title race and the battle to avoid relegation. At the top, Hibernians, buoyed by their derby win over Tarxien Rainbows, are the new leaders, one point ahead of Balzan who lost their top status following an unexpected 2-1 defeat to Sliema Wanderers. Valletta got back in the reckoning as a 2-0 win over Ħamrun Spartans saw them move five points behind the Paolites while Floriana... Читать дальше...

On February 6, 2017, the European Central Bank announced its weekly main refinancing operation (MRO). The operation was conducted on February 7, 2017, and attracted bids from euro area eligible counterparties of €29.60 billion, €2.05 billion lower than the bid amount of the previous week. The amount was allotted in full at a fixed rate equivalent to the prevailing MRO rate of zero per cent, in accordance with current ECB policy. On February 8, 2017, the ECB conducted a seven-day US dollar funding... Читать дальше...

Gżira Athleta had a superb weekend on court after claiming the Louis Borg Cup in both men’s and women’s categories. Off court, however, Athleta, and the entire basketball community, were saddened with the news of the passing away of their president Marcel Pisani. Fittingly, all matches on Sunday observed a minute’s silence in remembrance of this fine gentleman. Floriana MCP Car Parks   67Gżira Athleta       88(15-22, 11-15, 16-22, 25-29)Gżira Athleta       58Floriana MCP Car Parks   60 (15-15, 13-21... Читать дальше...

Suso struck an 85th-minute equaliser as Milan drew 1-1 at Lazio in Serie A last night. A Lucas Biglia penalty gave Lazio a 1-0 half-time lead, but the hosts could not add to their advantage at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. And Suso struck with five minutes remaining to earn the Rossoneri a point. A win would have taken Lazio to fourth. Instead they remain sixth, three points and a place better off than their visitors. Milan’s win at Bologna last Wednesday ended a run of three straight defeats which had seen them tumble out of the top four. Читать дальше...