Новости за 17.02.2017

Youths aged 16 and 17 can now request or refuse medical treatment without their parents' consent, following a legal change published in today's Government Gazette.  The Health Act amendment was proposed in a Private Members’ Bill presented by government Whip Godfrey Farrugia and fellow backbench MP Deo Debattista last December.  “We already have a state where young people this age seek their doctor’s advice and this legal change would indemnify healthcare professionals who could provide the required... Читать дальше...

The number two official at the European Commission today accused the Polish foreign minister in a heated exchange of using "alternative facts" to defend Warsaw's controversial judicial changes that Brussels says threaten the rule of law. "We are really now in alternative fact territory," Frans Timmermans, first vice president at the Commission, told the minister, Witold Waszczykowski, on the first day of the Munich Security Conference. OPINION: The EU that Poland wants The jibe came at the end of... Читать дальше...

Bosnia will appeal a UN court ruling that cleared Serbia of blame for genocide, the Muslim Bosniak member of the country's presidency said today, despite a warning by his Serb and Croat colleagues that it would spark a political crisis. The 2007 judgment by the International Court of Justice exonerated Serbia of direct responsibility for killings, rapes and "ethnic cleansing" in Bosnia during the violent breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, though it said Serbia had failed in its responsibility to prevent genocide. Читать дальше...

Consumer goods giant Unilever has rebuffed a proposed mega-merger with global food firm Kraft Heinz. The company behind Heinz Tomato Ketchup and Philadelphia cheese said it had made a "comprehensive proposal" about combining the two companies, but Unilever turned the offer down. In an announcement, Kraft Heinz said: "While Unilever has declined the proposal, we look forward to working to reach agreement on the terms of a transaction." "There can be no certainty that any further formal proposal will... Читать дальше...

A talking doll named Cayla has been banned by German authorities because the software inside her could be hacked, posing a security risk and allowing personal data to be revealed. The Federal Network Agency recommended that parents who bought the doll for their children destroy it. "The Cayla doll is banned in Germany," agency head Jochen Homann said. "This is also about protecting the weakest members of society." The software in the doll - created by the U.S. company Genesis Toys -- allows a child to have a conversation with the doll. Читать дальше...

A delay in the building of a new medical school campus in Gozo has forced Barts and the London School of Medicine and Surgery to start tuition from temporary premises at the sixth form in Victoria. Barts had planned to start offering courses to international students last September but this was postponed by a year due to the lack of premises. However, in view of the fact that the building of the new campus by Vitals Healthcare has not yet started, the institution decided not to postpone further and... Читать дальше...

The Nationalist Party will be suggesting amendments to a new media and defamation bill following internal discussions, PN deputy leader Mario de Marco said today. Emphasising that the PN is “in favour of fewer restrictions on the media and more room for freedom of expression,” Dr de Marco expressed regret that the government’s draft bill seemed to restrict freedoms. A draft bill presented by the government on Tuesday would require news websites to register with the government and seeks to double the maximum penalty for libel to €20,000... Читать дальше...

The European Union should start paying all its trainees at delegations abroad, the European Ombudsman said today, judging that the current practice of unpaid internships unfairly favoured a privileged few. The ombudsman, which investigates complaints at EU bodies, said the European External Action Service (EEAS) employed some 800 unpaid trainees at its delegations worldwide. The EEAS had a staff of 4,189 at the end of 2015, with 2,261 in its various delegations in 139 countries. "The trainees must... Читать дальше...

Kidney machines at Mater Dei hospital can finally be replaced or upgraded after the court rejected an appeal by a bidder for the tender. The process to change or revamp the hospital’s 32 dialysis machines was stalled last year after one of the bidders, Associated Equipment Ltd, contested the award of the contract to A.M. Mangion. AEL’s appeal had been rejected by the Contracts Department revision board but the company took the matter to court in October. This week, the Court of Appeal rejected AEL’s... Читать дальше...

Four Maltese authors will hold readings at a Brussels literary cafe next month as part of a National Bok Council event timed to coincide with Malta's EU Council presidency.  The two events will take place on March 17 and 18 at Librebook-Bruxelles, a literary cafe which offers a selection of novels in more than 20 European languages. 2016 Terramaxka Prize winner Loranne Vella will kick off proceedings on March 17 at 6pm with a reading of an English translation of one of her works, These Four Rooms of Mine. Читать дальше...

Updated 6.02pm - Added list of eligible localities Households which separate their waste can now visit their local council and collect a number of grey garbage bags to use for their recycling waste free-of-charge. Recycling waste management firm Green MT has distributed 500,000 of the grey bags to local councils in the 28 towns and villages it collects waste from (see list below), in an effort to further encourage people to separate their waste.  In a statement, the company said that it was committed... Читать дальше...

Things were looking dour for Malta, with the Austrians racing into a 3-0 lead at the Empire Stadium.  But goals by Tony Cauchi and Sammy Nicholl brought the score back to a more respectable 3-2 and ensured Malta's first-ever official football match was an entertaining one.   Almost six decades have passed since that match on February 24, 1957, and the Malta Football Association is commemorating the occasion with a reception in honour of surviving members of that 1957 national side. The veteran heroes... Читать дальше...

Updated 7.48pm - Senate confirms pick The US Senate confirmed President Donald Trump's pick to run the Environmental Protection Agency today over the objections of Democrats and green groups worried he will gut the agency, as the administration readies executive orders to ease regulation on drillers and miners. Senators voted 52-46 to approve Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, who Senator John Barrasso, a Republican and the head of the chamber's environment committee, said would reform and modernise the EPA. Читать дальше...

A man lured into a Gżira apartment with the promise of 'free sex' today told a court how he was robbed of €800 just as he was putting his trousers back on.  Burgh Spiteri, 27, and Sera Caruana Smith, 34, both residing in Ta' Xbiex and both unemployed, were arrested after the police received a report that a Pakistani man had been robbed of his cash in an incident which took place on Saturday at around 2.00pm in Testaferrata Street, Ta' Xbiex. The victim recalled how last Saturday at around 1.30pm... Читать дальше...

Women aren't the only ones who may feel depressed when welcoming a newborn- a new study from New Zealand finds that some men also experience depressive symptoms during and after their female partners' pregnancies. In the study of almost 4,000 men, about six per cent had elevated depression symptoms at some point during their partners' pregnancies or the nine months after the birth, researchers found. "I think it’s important for couples to be aware that either of them can be depressed and they should... Читать дальше...

Ed Sheeran has marked his 26th birthday by releasing a song that he completely forgot he had written. Describing the track - How Would You Feel (Paean) - as one of his favourites, he admitted he had to work fast to fit it into his upcoming album after discovering it hidden in his girlfriend's email inbox. Speaking to Zane Lowe on Beats 1, he said: "My partner came back to Suffolk and on her way to the airport I wrote that song, recorded it on an iPhone, sent it to her and forgot about it." When his Divide album was completed... Читать дальше...

Staff working within hospitals run by Vitals Global Healthcare were all adequately qualified and registered with their respective regulatory councils, the company said today.  In a statement, VGH denied claims that it was recruiting specialists without the necessary qualifications required for specialist grades, saying such allegations were "simply untrue".  The company said it wished to reassure the public that all recruitment standards and procedures "are being strictly adhered to".  READ: Doctors'... Читать дальше...

An attempt to stop the first edition of the Malta Yachting Awards ceremony was thwarted this morning after a civil court rejected a warrant of prohibitory injunction filed by a company irked that organisers had not engaged its services.  Malta Business Review and its managing director Martin Vella had filed the warrant against Yachting Malta Ltd, the organiser of the awards ceremony which is scheduled to be held this evening at the Westin Dragonara Ballroom, St Julian's. In their application, the... Читать дальше...

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has sought to reassure allies that Washington was not tilting towards Moscow over the Syrian conflict, arguing today that the US backed UN efforts to broker a political solution to the war, officials and diplomats said. Tillerson also said military ties with Russia hinged on its stance towards rebels fighting the government of President Bashar al-Assad, who Russia backs. Countries opposed to Assad met on Friday for the first time since Donald Trump took office... Читать дальше...

The share index extended yesterday’s gains as it advanced by a further 0.31% to a fresh nine-year high of 4,741.747 points reflecting the advances in the share prices of HSBC (+1.3%), GO (+0.8%) and BOV (+0.3%). On the other hand, Malita Investments and MaltaPost moved lower whilst another five equities closed flat. Week-on-week, the local equity index increased by 0.15% largely reflecting the gains in the share prices of MIA (+3%), GO (+2%) and Farsons (+1.4%). Bank of Valletta plc closed 0.3% higher... Читать дальше...

A craft brewing company in UK is offering staff a week of paid "paw-ternity leave" if they get a new dog. BrewDog is launching the Puppy Parental Leave programme to give employees time to bond with their new pet, whether they are welcoming a new puppy or taking in an older rescue dog. The Aberdeenshire brewery is a dog-friendly workplace, with around 50 office dogs, and has already had inquiries from staff about the scheme. The puppy parental leave will also be available at its new brewery in Columbus, Ohio, which is due to open in Spring 2017.

Turkish Prime Minister Benali Yildirim has called on the European Union to open membership talks on justice and media freedom, possibly under the Maltese Presidency, saying it would be a good opportunity for his country to set the record straight on some related issues. Mr Yildirim, who is on an official visit to Malta, made this appeal during a joint news conference following bilateral talks with Prime Minister Joseph Muscat at Castille, in which he faced questions on Turkey’s record on fundamental rights. Читать дальше...

Joseph Muscat’s Labour government and Simon Busuttil’s adopted strategy to oppose him, might shed some light on the anxiety that many voters express when faced with a choice between voting for either large parties or taking the risk and voting for a third party. Here I am identifying five “narratives” by which one could begin to explain this quandary. These are: parochial governance, corrupt practices, lazy intellects, stubborn managerialism, and a sense of belonging. I will deal with each of them briefly. Читать дальше...

Curbing outdoor air pollution may help prevent 2.7 million premature births a year, a condition that threatens children's lives and increases their risk of long-term physical and neurological problems, scientists said on Thursday. Fine particles in the air from diesel fumes, fires and other sources, may increase the risk of premature births - alongside other risks including a mother's age and health - according to a study published in the Environment International journal. "Air pollution may not... Читать дальше...

Nationalist MEPs David Casa, Roberta Metsola and Therese Comodini Cachia today expressed deep concern about the proposed defamation laws by the Maltese government, which they characterised as “a serious threat to internet freedoms”. They said the Labour government was taking a page out of the playbook of autocratic regimes with its proposed new media law that would require the registration of websites and limit protection offered to confidential sources. “The internet is a crucial medium for the... Читать дальше...