Новости за 18.07.2017

The first half of 2017 was the second warmest on record for Earth, behind only last year. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that Earth's average temperature from January to June was 14.4 Celsius, which is 0.9C warmer than the 20th-century average. Natural El Nino weather fronts spike global temperatures, but NOAA climate scientist Ahira Sanchez-Lugo said 2017 - without an El Nino so far - is beating all but the super El Nino year of 2016. She said that is the result of the world changing in a warming climate. Читать дальше...

Employees at a Colorado office arrived at work on Monday morning to what looked like signs of a vandal attack - until security camera footage revealed that the culprit was an aggressive goat.  In video footage Argonics Inc uploaded to YouTube, the angry goat can be seen ramming the office's glass door multiple times until it shatters, before making his getaway. The goat appears to have had accomplices, with other goats milling around in the background.  "For like 20 minutes he sat and banged on the front door," a company spokesman said. Читать дальше...

The Pembroke local council is objecting to the building of a new private school on “virgin land” 100 metres away from an existing State school. Residents have already shown their disapproval, with some of them putting up signs around the earmarked site, or on their house facades, reading “Keep it green” and “No build zone”. Others have registered as objectors. The outline proposal by CHS (Chiswick House School) Ltd, was filed for the construction of a primary school with 36 classrooms, outdoor sport facilities and 82 parking spaces. Читать дальше...

S. K. Arora spent more than three years trudging through the Indian summer heat and monsoon rains to inspect tobacco kiosks across this sprawling megacity, tearing down cigarette advertisements and handing out fines to store owners for putting them up. But as fast as he removed the colourful ads, more appeared. The chief tobacco control officer at the Delhi state government, Arora asked the major cigarette companies to put a stop to the cat-and-mouse routine. In official letters and face-to-face meetings... Читать дальше...

A Saudi woman has been arrested for a video that was widely shared online which showed her strolling along an empty street wearing a skirt and crop top, Saudi state TV channel Ekhbariya reported today. The clip had incensed some social media users in the conservative Muslim kingdom who vented their anger using the hashtag "Model Khulood must be tried" -- a reference to what they said was the woman's Snapchat name. Many of those critics shared images of the video with her bare legs and midriff blurred out or painted over. Читать дальше...

People who attended a workshop in Mġarr on Sunday were urged to turn their food scraps into compost, which in turn nurtures the very food that eventually ends up on their tables. The workshop was held as part of the second edition of what the organisers believe is the world’s only compost festival. The festival was held at Vincent’s Eco Farm, where apart from talks on composting, sustainability and permaculture, visitors were also treated to live music, including Australia’s Formidable Vegetable Sound System. Читать дальше...

Claudio Grech has ruled out running for the Nationalist Party leadership, writing that he faced internal "hostility" when he suggested that MPs should be allowed a free vote on the marriage equality bill.  In a lengthy Facebook post, the PN MP wrote that he felt he still lacked the "front-line political experience" needed to aspire to the party's top post and that he is keen to immerse himself "in the social reality of my constituency."  But the first district MP also raised an altogether different... Читать дальше...

Local sustainable energy innovators have been handed the chance to secure up to €150,000 in start-up funding, with a Europe-wide competition opening its doors to Maltese companies. The call for proposals is the third edition of PowerUp!, Europe's largest competition for sustainable energy start-ups in 23 European countries.  Among last year's winners was a project to reduce heating costs through solar energy and heat pumps and another to reduce energy consumption by cooling devices.  Organised by InnoEnergy... Читать дальше...

The Bank of England unveiled its first plastic £10 note today, which features 19th-century novelist Jane Austen and will be available to the public from September 14. The new note follows the introduction last year of a £5 note made from a polymer film, which the central bank says is more durable and harder to forge. The £5 note drew criticism from vegetarians and some religious groups for containing trace amounts of animal fats - something which will also be the case for the new £10 note. The British... Читать дальше...

Michael Matthews won stage 16 of the Tour de France to Romans-sur-Isere as Chris Froome fought off fierce crosswinds to protect the yellow jersey. Australian Matthews won his second stage of this year's Tour in a sprint finish ahead of Norway's Edvald Boasson Hagen and German John Degenkolb. The peloton battled strong winds over lengthy stretches of the 165 kilometres stage from Le Puy-en-Velay, but three-time Tour winner Froome stayed on the right side as the peloton split into pieces over the final 20km. Читать дальше...

The United States has unveiled new economic sanctions against Iran over its ballistic missile program and for contributing to regional tensions and said it was deeply concerned about its "malign activities across the Middle East." The announcements came a day after President Donald Trump's administration warned Tehran that it was not following the spirit of its 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers. The US Department of Treasury said in a statement it was targeting 16 entities and individuals... Читать дальше...

A man charged with running a brothel more than a decade ago walked away a free man today after a court found that he had not been summoned to appear in court for more than five years.  Stephen Ciancio, 49, had been charged in November 2006 over allegations that he was using a property of his as a brothel. He last appeared in court in March 2008, and in July of that year the case was put off indefinitely when none of the parties turned up for the hearing. Five years later, in August 2013, the case... Читать дальше...

A smartly-dressed man walks up to a bring-in site in Naxxar. He takes a quick look around and relieves himself next to one of the containers. In another clip, a woman is seen taking out her black garbage bags and dumping them right in front of the recycling area. The Naxxar local council has shared a video on its Facebook page showing the extent of illegalities carried out around the bring-in sites. The council said it was relaying the CCTV footage to the authorities hoping action would be taken... Читать дальше...

Inter have included winger Ivan Perisic in their squad for the club's pre-season trip to China and Singapore. The Croatia international - linked with a £48million move to Manchester United - has been named in Luciano Spalletti's 28-man squad for the tour, which begins with a clash against Schalke in China on July 21. The 28-year-old joined Inter from Bundesliga outfit Wolfsburg on a five-year deal in 2015. Announcing the squad on their official website, Inter added defender Davide Santon will not travel due to a leg injury. Читать дальше...

Archaeology students and their tutors are hard at work in Żejtun digging up remains of what was once a Roman villa, as a yearly excavation campaign enters its 11th year.  The four-week project sees students and professionals working side-by-side in an effort to unravel the history of the villa, located on the grounds of the town's Middle and Secondary School, which forms part of St Thomas More college.  Visitors keen to take a look at the villa complex remains can do so this coming Friday July 21... Читать дальше...

A man accused of being part of a cocaine smuggling conspiracy is finally facing trial, almost seven years after he was first arrested.  Ikechukwu Stephen Egbo, 38, could face a life in prison if he is found guilty in the trial by jury.  Mr Egbo, a Nigerian national, had been arrested in November 2010 following a sting operation by police in Sliema.  A few days earlier, police at Malta International Airport had arrested a passenger who had just landed on a flight from Düsseldorf. The man, Attila Somlyai... Читать дальше...

The Environment Ministry has backed Transport Malta's decision to uproot holm oak trees in Lija, citing regulations which state that the tree species is only protected in ODZ and protected sites.  In a statement, the ministry said that Transport Malta was planting further trees in the area to make up for those uprooted to make way for a new lane of traffic. Transport Malta's decision outraged local residents and environmentalists and prompted a storm of criticism on social media.  READ: Transport... Читать дальше...

Former Italy striker Antonio Cassano has announced he will continue his career with Hellas Verona after having a change of heart. The 35-year-old faced the media on Tuesday afternoon amid rumours he was set to retire just eight days after joining Serie A newcomers Hellas. But Cassano instead announced that he intends to remain with the club after reversing his decision. He told a press conference: “It was a tough time this morning. I was tired and I had a meeting with the director and said I wanted to take a break. Читать дальше...

A Maltese man wanted in Lithuania to face fraud and swindling charges has won his battle against extradition to the Baltic country after a Constitutional court declared him a free man. Angelo Frank Spiteri's ordeal began in December 2015 when the man was arrested and arraigned on the strength of a European Arrest Warrant issued by Lithuanian authorities.  Mr Spiteri's lawyers had argued that if Mr Spiteri was extradited to Lithuania, he could possibly face torture and inhuman or degrading treatment. Читать дальше...

GO has the best mobile network in Malta, according to research carried out by Net Check GmbH, a leading, independent German firm specialising in performance testing of mobile networks. The research, conducted nationwide, also showed GO’s mobile internet service to be significantly faster than that of any of its competitors. Net Check’s research covered network coverage, voice quality, and data quality. Overall, GO came out on top, particularly in mobile internet, where its network demonstrated a significant advantage over competing networks. Читать дальше...

A VRT station owner who last March was jailed after he admitted to being involved in a testing scam has been handed a legal lifeline after a court of appeal found that he had not fully understood the implications of pleading guilty. XTC VRT station owner Jesmond Pulis, 52, from Żabbar, had been arraigned on multiple charges following a scam which involved issuing VRT certificates for vehicles which had not been properly tested. Mr Pulis had also faced charges related to illegally employing workers, as well as relapsing into crime. Читать дальше...

As the number of Maltese treated in the UK continues to rise, Puttinu Cares is looking for property that would accommodate most of them, translating into one less headache for patients and their relatives. Over the past six years, the number of those receiving treatment in the UK has nearly doubled – from 476 people in 2010 to 823 last year. Treatment was provided last year in over 50 hospitals, mainly around London. Patients can spend anything between a few days and two years in the UK. Puttinu Cares already owns 19 apartments in Sutton... Читать дальше...

More than one million children in South Sudan are starving to death, with people eating wild grass and plant roots in a desperate attempt to survive the worst food crisis the country has ever faced.   The nationwide famine has forced NGOs to introduce emergency food aid programmes, in an attempt to help the approximately 3.6 million South Sudanese risking death by hunger, Aid to the Church in Need said in a statement.  "This catastrophe comes after more than five years of conflict. Food cultivation has been disrupted... Читать дальше...

Kerċem residents are calling for the conservation of the only Roman catacombs in Gozo as the government waits on the planning authority’s decision about halted development in front of the site. The paleochristian hypogea, known as Għar Għerduf, whose conservation is specifically mentioned in Labour’s manifesto, recently came under threat by new development. NGO Wirt Għawdex  raised the alarm in June after excavation work started on foundation trenches for a two-storey house to be constructed in front of the catacombs. Читать дальше...

The head of Spain’s soccer federation (RFEF) Angel Maria Villar, a FIFA vice president, was arrested on Tuesday after a raid on several offices in Madrid as part of an anti-corruption investigation, police said. Villar, his son - named by Spanish media as Gorka - and several other Spanish soccer federation members were detained on allegations of collusion, fraud and embezzlement, the police said in a statement. Spain’s High Court said one of its investigating magistrates and anti-corruption prosecutors were leading the investigation. Читать дальше...