Новости за 14.07.2017

Customs officials today seized 120 cartons of cigarettes each containing 200 cigarettes (24,000 cigarettes) from a single passenger during routine checks on passengers arriving from Istanbul. In a statement this evening, they said that the passenger, a Latvian, passed through the ‘nothing to declare’ channel at Malta International Airport and had his belongings scanned by officials through the X-ray machine. The contents raised suspicions and all his personal belongings were physically checked. The... Читать дальше...

Updated at 10.40pm Chris Fearne and Edward Scicluna shall be fighting it out tomorrow for the post of PL deputy leadership after Helena Dalli was eliminated this evening. The result was confirmed by PL leader Joseph Muscat in a tweet this evening. @helenadalli has a great deal to contibute as Europe and Equality minister. Good luck to @chrisfearne and @edward_scicluna for tomorrow -JM — Joseph Muscat (@JosephMuscat_JM) July 14, 2017 Mr Fearne obtained the highest number of votes, 296, followed by Prof. Читать дальше...

The gaming industry risked shrinking by as much as four per cent over the coming decade had measures to boost the island’s competitiveness not been taken, an economist has found. Gordon Cordina, who conducted a study on behalf of the Malta Gaming Authority, told the Times of Malta the island had started losing its competitive edge as a number of other countries were offering similar conditions for companies considering moving their operations to the EU. “We have seen rapid growth in the gaming sector... Читать дальше...

A sinkhole that continues to grow in the US has now swallowed a boat, destroyed two homes and prompted the evacuation of residents from 10 others. Dramatic video showed the home, north of Tampa in Pasco County, Florida, collapsing into the hole on Friday morning. Having started the size of a swimming pool, it quickly grew to 60m wide and 15m deep. Pasco County Fire Chief Shawn Whited said no one was at the home when crews arrived just after 7.30am. Someone had called about a "depression" under a... Читать дальше...

Naxxar local council has warned that a massive proposed development at the old Trade Fair grounds will not provide enough parking and would bring a “huge amount of additional traffic”. Developers have applied to build an extensive commercial and residential complex, comprising 490 apartments, 5,000 square metres of offices and 3,000 square metres of retail outlets spread over 49 blocks. Most of the blocks are between two and five storeys high but a handful will rise to seven floors and penthouse... Читать дальше...

Three dogs were shot dead at a garage in Għaxaq last night. The police said the dogs were found in a garage in Triq Santu Kristu early this morning. They said they must have been shot between 11pm and 6.45am. The dogs were found in a pool of blood. An inquiry is being held by duty magistrate Anthony Vella. The police are investigating.

Former US president Jimmy Carter has returned to his volunteer work, a day after he was taken to hospital for dehydration while working with an organisation building homes for needy families. A smiling Mr Carter showed up in jeans and a work shirt to the site in the St James neighbourhood of Winnipeg in Canada, where hundreds of Habitat for Humanity volunteers joined the former president and his wife Rosalynn to build 25 homes. The 92-year-old was discharged on Friday morning from St Boniface General... Читать дальше...

Newly released photographs from a Tanzanian wildlife area have shown the rare sight of a leopard cub suckling on a lioness that is believed to have given birth to a litter last month. The five-year-old lioness lies unperturbed as the small leopard, estimated to be a few weeks old, nurses in the photographs taken by a guest at a lodge in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a United Nations World Heritage site. "To observe a thing like this is very unusual," said Ingela Jansson, head of the KopeLion conservation group... Читать дальше...

I love weddings. When the spouses are people close to me I feel - like most of us do no doubt - a deep feeling of love. Marriage is a beautiful bond, celebrating all that is good in life: life itself, love, partnership and a promise of lifelong collaboration. Unfortunately, some marriages have an unhappy ending but then this is a part of life: failure, after all, highlights the beauty of success stories, even if we tend to hear and talk more about shattered dreams than wondrous realities. Many believe in marriage as a sacrament... Читать дальше...

Croatian Marin Cilic reached his first Wimbledon final with a 6-7(6) 6-4 7-6(3) 7-5 victory over American Sam Querrey on Friday. Cilic will face the winner of the other semi-final between seven-times Wimbledon champion Roger Federer and Czech Tomas Berdych. The 28-year-old Cilic is the first Croatian to reach the men's singles final at Wimbledon since Goran Ivanisevic in 2001. The resilient Querrey stuck at his task well but Cilic was a deserved winner, making it five wins out of five against the American.

A man was today jailed for 40 months after he was found guilty by a Magistrates’ Court on two separate charges of aggravated theft. Robert Galea, 36, was accused of stealing jewellery and other items from a private residence in Naxxar five years ago. The robbery took place one June morning in 2012 from a house in St Publius Street. The value of the stolen valuables exceeded €5,000. The following year, in November 2013, the accused struck again, targeting the offices at a construction site along the Vittoriosa Waterfront. Читать дальше...

The share index extended yesterday’s gains by a further 0.06% to 4,716.022 points as the increases in the share prices of GO and Santumas outweighed the drop in RS2.Over the week, the local equity index moved lower for the first time in the last six weeks largely reflecting the declines in the share prices of BOV, RS2, HSBC and FIMBank. Over the week, the local equity index moved lower for the first time in the last six weeks largely reflecting the declines in the share prices of BOV, RS2, HSBC and FIMBank. Читать дальше...

So, finally, the Marriage Equality law has finally arrived. No, don’t worry, I am not going to rake over the debate of natural/traditional/pro-family versus liberal/progressive/equal-rights-for-all debate. Nor am I going to comment on how the LGBTQ community has been cynically used (if not abused) by a government eager to create a rainbow bouquet of virtue-signalling and give the country a Panem et Circensus event to distract from other important things. (Incidentally, how exactly have ‘We Made History’... Читать дальше...

An inexperienced driver facing 350 hours of community service and a three-month driving ban for unintentionally causing the death of a young mother in a car crash seven years ago has had his ban extended to three years on appeal. Matthew Barbara, who at the time of the fatality in July 2010 was 18 years of age and had just obtained his driving licence, had been driving his Mitsubishi in Naxxar when he caused the head on collision which cost the life of Rosianna Azzopardi. He had been navigating a... Читать дальше...

Six tourists have been wounded by a man with a knife in the Red Sea resort of Hurghada, according to Egypt's Interior Ministry. The ministry said the assailant was arrested immediately after the stabbings on Friday. It said the initial investigation showed the man got into a hotel by swimming from a nearby beach and attacked the tourists, of various nationalities. The motive for the attack is not known. The ministry said the tourists were rushed to a local hospital. It gave no further details and... Читать дальше...

Home favourite Lewis Hamilton was beaten to top spot by his Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas in both practice sessions for the British Grand Prix on Friday. Hamilton, the 32-year-old Briton who is bidding for a record-equalling fifth victory on home soil, has seen his preparations this week overshadowed by his no-show at a Formula One promotional event in London on Wednesday night. And it was Finn Bottas, the 27-year-old fresh from his second victory of the campaign in Austria last Sunday, who led the way at an overcast Silverstone. Читать дальше...

EasyJet has applied for a new air operator's certificate (AOC) in Austria to allow it to continue flying in the European Union after Brexit. The carrier said the accreditation process is "well advanced" and it hopes to receive the AOC "in the near future". It will allow the company to continue to operate flights across Europe and domestically within Europe after the UK withdraws from the EU. EasyJet, which currently has airlines based in the UK and Switzerland, will establish a third, EasyJet, which... Читать дальше...

A homeless beggar roaming the streets of Gżira was today fined €58 for asking for alms in public. Romanian-born Nicolae Dragomir, 44, who is physically disabled, was arrested after the police received reports that he was annoying pedestrians with his pleas for charity. Assisted by a legal aid lawyer, the man admitted to his wrongdoing and was fined €58. Lawyer Benjamin Valenzia was legal aid.

The President’s Trust has launched a new initiative – Y-Assist - targeting vulnerable young mothers. This initiative, developed by The President’s Trust, aims to make a difference through supported accommodation for young mothers who are facing complex challenges. It was after a number of in-depth discussions with different stakeholders that it was established that vulnerable young women aged between 18 and 25 require support and will benefit from living semi-independently in the community and by... Читать дальше...

The Malta-based Migrant Offshore Aid Station has been given the prestigious Atlantic Council Freedom Award, which recognises extraordinary individuals and organisations that defend and advance the cause of freedom around the world. The award was launched in 2009, 20 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, and aimed to acknowledge efforts to achieve peace and put an end to the Cold War. Hillary Clinton and the Syrian White Helmets were among the past recipients of the award. The award this year went... Читать дальше...

A violent brawl in St James Square, Żabbar yesterday evening landed two foreign nationals in court where they were handed suspended sentences over a string of offences related to the fracas. They were also severely warned to stay away from trouble. Gareth Chlach, 18, residing in Żabbar and Youssef Samah, 20, from Gaza, residing at the Marsa Open Centre, were arraigned and charged with threatening and insulting each other and breaching public peace. Mr Chlach was separately charged with assaulting... Читать дальше...

Leonardo Bonucci is on the verge of joining AC Milan. The Italy defender arrived in Casa Milan this afternoon to wrap up his €40 million transfer from champions Juventus. Bonucci is set to be handed the captain's armband at AC Milan and was reportedly handed the no.19 shirt. Once the transfer is completed Bonucci will join Vincenzo Montella squad for their pre-season tour in China. Bonucci joined Juventus in 2010 for €15.5 million from Bari, making a total of 319 appearances and scoring 21 goals. Читать дальше...

Echocardiogram waiting lists have been reduced from three years to three months in a matter of a few years, Health Minister Chris Fearne said this morning. Dr Fearne was addressing a news conference during which an echo ultrasound machine was donated to Mater Dei Hospital by non-governmental organisation Beating Hearts, which works with babies and children with heart problems. A personal experience had led the Aquilina family to first set up a support group and then the NGO. The minister said that... Читать дальше...

It has been a muddy week, but with the finishing line in sight today, 45 cyclists who set off on a 1,200-kilometre journey to raise funds for cancer research are as motivated as ever. The group left Malta for Copenhagen last week and will arrive in Warsaw, Poland, today. As in previous years, the Remax Alive 2017 Cycling Challenge is raising funds for medical re-search in Malta. For the first time this year, the challenge included a mountain bike trail and a separate road bike route. Co-founder of... Читать дальше...

A Texas repairman found that one of the hardest parts about being trapped while servicing a bank's automated teller machine was convincing customers coming for cash that he was stuck. The ATM technician shouted and passed notes begging for help through the machine's receipt slot for about three hours but his appeals were mostly ignored, police said. Lieutenant Chris Hooper said: "Apparently he left his cellphone and the swipe card he needed to get out of the room outside in his truck." The unfortunate... Читать дальше...