Новости за 04.07.2017

Jorginho struck a late winner as Hibernians beat FC Tallinn in Estonia to reach the second qualifying round of the Champions League following a 3-0 aggregate win. Next up for Mark Miller’s side will be Austrian champions FC Salzburg. Tallinn tried to push Hibernians into their own line but they rarely threatened the goal except for a Kirill Nesterov’s shot after four minutes. Hibs replied with a couple of efforts through Jorginho and Johan Bezzina, but both were cleared out by Matvei Igonen. On the brink of half-time... Читать дальше...

The government will be setting up an agency called Ambjent Malta (Environment Malta) on similar lines to that of Heritage Malta to coordinate and support efforts related to the protection of environmental heritage, Environment Minister Josè Herrera told parliament this evening. He was speaking as the House debated the financial estimates of the Environment and Resources Authority.   He said that since its setting up in April last year, ERA had reviewed in excess of 1,900 planning applications. Dr... Читать дальше...

Scientists from the German Aerospace Centre are testing robots on Europe's most active volcano, Mount Etna, ahead of future missions to the moon. Experts from Germany, England, the United States and Italy are involved in ROBEX (Robotic Exploration of Extreme Environments) which aims to improve robotic equipment for use in space and explore the depths of Mount Etna to relay back vital technical data on seismic movement. The team hope the techniques learnt on Etna would then be deployed in lunar missions or in the exploration of Mars.

There were 373 promotions at the Armed Forces of Malta with effect from this year, 349 of which were backdated to January 1, according to information given to a parliamentary question. However, the list also gave hundreds more promotions taking effect over the decades, with no indication when they were given. And an estimate based on the PQ indicates that this would have added "hundreds of thousands of euro" to the wage bill, shadow minister for justice Jason Azzopardi said. Dozens of PQs have been... Читать дальше...

Balzan's run in this season's Europa League came to an end on Tuesday when they held Videoton, of Hungary, to a thrilling 3-3 draw at the Hibs Stadium to bow out of the competition 5-3 on aggregate. Balzan could not have hoped for a better start as they took the lead after only three minutes. Cadu played in Uros Ljubomirac and the Serbian striker quickly sent a low cross towards Bojan Kaljevic who stabbed the ball into the net. But Videoton took little time to get back in contention as on 15 minutes... Читать дальше...

Plans for an underground car park housing 134 vehicles within a new research block at the University have been shelved and the space will instead be used for laboratories. The change of plans came about at a very late stage, when a development permit had already been issued for the construction of a four-storey block overlying four underground levels accommodating library archives, storage and three car parking levels. The design also incorporated a pedestrian landscaped plaza at ground level. Following the granting of the permit last March... Читать дальше...

Health Minister Chris Fearne gave a brief outline of works currently in hand on the building of a medical school in Gozo and the rehabilitation of St Luke’s Hospital when he answered a parliamentary question by Labour MP Glenn Bedingfield this evening. He said that excavation works for the building of the new Barts Medical School in Gozo were held up for a few weeks after the discovery of ancient Roman trenches/graves. After an inspection by the Superintendent of National Heritage and agreement on a conservation plan... Читать дальше...

The Planning Authority is cracking down on billboards set up by both major political parties during the electoral campaign, which have been illegally used for commercial advertising since the election. Under the Billboards and Advertisements Regulations issued last year, political billboards are exempt from a PA permit during an electoral campaign, but must be removed within one week of the final result. The Times of Malta reported last month that billboards set up by the Labour and Nationalist parties were not only still in place... Читать дальше...

Catherine Tabone has been appointed executive director of the Valletta 2018 Foundation. Joanna Attard Mallia has become cultural programmes coordinator, while controversy continues over the departures of their predecessors.  The foundation said Ms Tabone (right) is a graduate of the University of Malta and Cambridge, having specialised in cultural history. Over the past 13 years she occupied various public sector posts including curator of the Inquisitors' Palace and later, Director of Culture.  Her predecessor... Читать дальше...

Barely a month after the election, the Infrastructure Ministry has set off down the bumpy path of revamping all of Malta’s roads, in the ambitious €700 million, seven year-plan that was one of Labour’s grandest electoral pledges. The government is pledging to prioritise residential roads that have never been freshly asphalted, a spokesman for the ministry said. A total of 170 residential roads will be redone during the initial phase of the project. The government has committed itself to resurface all of these roads within three years... Читать дальше...

From Tony Montana to Niko Bellic, gangsters have fascinated generations of film audiences and gamers. Are we hypocrites, condemning their actions whilst living vicariously through them? Why is it cool to be bad?

The EU has offered Italy more funding to help control migration across the Mediterranean from Libya among a set of proposals responding to complaints from Rome that Europe was failing to help it out. The plan agreed at the European Commissioners' weekly meeting will be put to national interior ministers on Thursday in Tallinn, where Italian officials want the other 27 EU governments to do more to help them deal with thousands of people arriving weekly. More than 85,000 have come this year. The Commission... Читать дальше...

Alexandre Lacazette is undergoing a medical at Arsenal and is expected to complete his club-record move from Lyon on Wednesday. Press Association Sport understands the Gunners are closing in on the signing of the 26-year-old France striker for a reported fee of £44million. Lacazette has scored more than 20 goals in Ligue 1 for the last three seasons.

The MSE Share Index closed today’s trading session virtually unchanged as the gains in the share prices of RS2 (+1.4%), BOV and MIA (+0.2%) were offset by the declines in HSBC (-1%), Malita (-0.7%) and PG (-0.1%). Trading volumes improved to a three-day high of €0.44 million. RS2 Software plc registered its tenth consecutive daily uplift after it recovered from an intra-day low of €1.718. The equity closed today’s session 1.4% higher at yet another 2017 high of €1.75 on healthy volumes totalling 101,000 shares. Читать дальше...

Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump will meet for the first time on Friday in Germany. Russian news agencies quoted Mr Putin's foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov saying the two leaders will meet on the sidelines of the G-20 summit being held in Hamburg. Mr Ushakov has previously said the two are likely to discuss the fight against terrorism, the war in Syria and the crisis in Ukraine.  The US Congress is currently investigating alleged Russian involvement in the US elections in support of Trump.

The decline in correspondent banking, a crucial channel for moving cash from one country to another, shows no sign of slowing despite measures agreed in 2015 to stem the slide, global regulators said today. Banks have been pulling out of the business for a variety of reasons from not making enough money to industry consolidation to the fear of falling foul of tougher new rules designed to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing. The Financial Stability Board (FSB), which coordinates financial... Читать дальше...

Health Minister Chris Fearne has formally launched his bid to become Labour deputy leader for parliamentary affairs, a post which would make the incumbent deputy prime minister. The contest is a three-horse race with Edward Scicluna and Helena Dalli. Mr Fearne told a press conference that he had the energy and determination to take on the added responsibilities. Speaking outside the oncology centre at Mater Dei Hospital, Mr Fearne said Labour delegates were spoilt for choice. Labour, he said, was... Читать дальше...

Karozzin horses are baking in the sun after they were moved because of the City Gate works. Other horses are allegedly being kept in a garage without light or fresh air. Who is to blame for what is clearly an abuse of animal welfare? There are karozzin owners who treat their horses like their most precious investment and others who treat them like an expendable commodity. And then there is the public which has no respect for the animal welfare. Some authorities take action but are criticised for not acting fast enough... Читать дальше...

Malta-based businesses which can demonstrate international success will be officially recognised by TradeMalta through the new Malta International Business Awards (MIBA). MIBA will celebrate the success stories of enterprises selling innovative services and products internationally, thus contributing to economic growth. The Malta International Business Awards will culminate in a ceremony, endorsed by the Prime Minister, on November 10. Enterprises can submit applications through the TradeMalta website. Читать дальше...

An off-duty policeman rushed to help an Italian man who this morning fell unconscious while on the beach at Żonqor, Marsascala.  The incident happened at about 11.30am when a man rushed into a diving centre calling for help.  The policeman, Glenn Vella, followed him to the beach where they found a man unconscious, possibly because of low blood pressure. He was given first aid and revived until an ambulance arrived. A Swedish diving instructor also assisted.

De Valette’s dagger exhibition is being extended to September 7, Heritage Malta said. The exhibition is being held in collaboration with the Louvre Museum of Paris. Heritage Malta said it had exceeded all expectations in terms of visitor numbers, mainly due to the fact that the dagger was returned to Malta for the first time since 1798. The exhibition forms part of the events marking Malta’s 2017 EU Presidency and Valletta as Capital City of Culture in 2018. It is divided in three sections with the main part focusing solely on the dagger. Читать дальше...

A new exit route from Paceville has been opened to help ease the traffic flow, especially during the morning rush hour. Transport Malta said vehicles coming from Dragonara Road, going through Wilġa Street can now proceed up to Paceville Square and then head out towards San Ġorġ Street onto Gort Street. The problems affecting traffic in Paceville were recently highlighted by the Times of Malta, prompting numerous entities to come forward with a list of suggestions. Watch: Paceville junction throttling... Читать дальше...

Blaming the Occupational Health and Safety Authority for the countless workplace safety breaches evident around Malta is all too easy.  But according to OHSA CEO Mark Gauci, pointing the finger at the regulator is "wrong, misguided and unfair" and talk of Malta being a free-for-all is incorrect.  In a Times Talk interview that will appear online tomorrow, Dr Gauci acknowledges that chronic understaffing makes it harder for the OHSA to do its job, but also points out that the onus of responsibility... Читать дальше...

The United Nations World Tourism Organisation appointed President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca as a United Nations Special Ambassador for the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. This is the second time that President Coleiro Preca has been given recognition by the United Nations, following the “Agent of Change Award”, awarded in September 2016, in New York. At the United Nations World Tourism Organisation Headquarters in Madrid, President Coleiro Preca had a meeting with secretary... Читать дальше...

Lewis Hamilton has stoked the flames of his rivalry with Sebastian Vettel by appearing to endorse a social media post which criticises the German and Formula One's governing body. Vettel, 30, escaped further punishment from the FIA on Monday after he accepted full responsibility for causing a deliberate collision with Hamilton at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The four-time champion also issued an apology to the Englishman via a statement which he released on his personal website. Hamilton is yet to officially comment on the FIA's ruling... Читать дальше...