Новости за 31.07.2017

US President Donald Trump has fired his communications director, Anthony Scaramucci, just over a week after naming him to the job, sources familiar with the decision said. Scaramucci's departure follows one of the rockiest weeks of Trump's presidency in which a major Republican effort to overhaul the US healthcare system failed in Congress and both his spokesman and previous chief of staff left their jobs as White House infighting burst into the open. Scaramucci was damaged by comments he made to... Читать дальше...

Nationalist Party leadership candidate Frank Portelli failed to provide any basis for his statement that 80 per cent of migrants in Malta have no claim to international protection and should be repatriated. Speaking on Dissett last week, the former MP and PN executive president said he did not believe in multiculturalism and would repatriate the vast majority of migrants on the island. Contacted by the Times of Malta, he did not say where his figures came from or how such widespread repatriation... Читать дальше...

The US military has said it carried out a drone strike in Somalia that killed a member of the al-Shabab extremist group, while Somalia's government said it believes the strike killed a high-level al-Shabab commander responsible for several deadly bombings in the capital. A US Africa Command statement said the air strike occurred on Saturday near Tortoroow, an al-Shabab stronghold in the Lower Shabelle region in southern Somalia. President Donald Trump earlier this year approved expanded military operations against al-Shabab... Читать дальше...

An 18th-century decorative scheme on the dome of the Mdina Metropolitan Cathedral Museum’s chapel, previously covered by two thick layers of paint, is being revealed in a restoration project. Conservation and restoration expert Amy Sciberras is carrying out the works in collaboration with Heritage Malta. She said the works on the dome of the chapel had uncovered painted decorations that were hidden away for decades. She spent several weeks testing different methods to remove the two layers of paint... Читать дальше...

Cannabis could cause serious mental illness, a top psychiatrist warns, debunking talks that it could improve mental well-being. “Schizophrenia is very severe and I believe that whoever uses cannabis should be aware they could get the condition. I advise people not to consume the plant, especially if they have familial history of schizophrenia,” Anton Grech, clinical chairman of the Department of Psychiatry within the Ministry of Health, said. Schizophrenia is considered as the most severe psychiatric condition. Читать дальше...

The share index extended last Friday’s decline by a further 0.03% to an over two-week low of 4,711.035 points as the declines in the share prices of four equities outweighed the 3.2% gain in IHI. Most of today’s trading activity took place in GlobalCapital as nearly 1.52 million shares traded having a market value of €0.46 million (representing over 70% of the total value of equities traded). The equity closed 11.8% lower at the 30c level. HSBC shed 0.6% back to the €2.05 level across 18,396 shares. Читать дальше...

Manchester United have announced the signing of midfielder Nemanja Matic from Chelsea. The 28-year-old Serbia international has agreed a three-year contract at Old Trafford and moves for a reported fee of around £40million. The move reunites Matic with his former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, under whom he won a Premier League title in 2015. Matic told the club's website, www.manutd.com: "I am delighted to have joined Manchester United. To work with Jose Mourinho once again was an opportunity I couldn't turn down. Читать дальше...

A homeless drug addict arrested near the Addolorata Cemetery where he had sought refuge to abuse of drugs, was today jailed for 23 months and fined €2,200 after he admitted trafficking heroin and being in possession of three illegal substances. Michael Portelli, 34, having no fixed address, was arrested on February 6 and found in possession of heroin, cocaine and cannabis. Criminal proceedings were instituted. The man had admitted to the police that he would resort to selling heroin to sustain his addiction. Читать дальше...

A truck carrying a mound of limestone slabs left Regional Road motorists dodging dangerous obstacles after it dropped some of its load on the key thoroughfare. Two photos uploaded to Facebook by administrators of the Waqfet Tal-Linja group showed the heavily-stacked truck driving by the University tunnels.  Another photo showed two large pieces of limestone lying in the middle of the road - a dangerous obstacle that could be fatal for a motorbike rider.  "Welcome to the Jungle...Malta!" the uploader wrote. Читать дальше...

A sweetened beverage tax will take effect in Chicago on Wednesday after an Illinois judge threw out a lawsuit by retailers that argued the measure was vague and unlawful. Cook County, which includes Chicago and surrounding suburbs, joins a growing number of localities across the United States that have adopted measures to cut consumption of sugary drinks for health reasons. Other localities include Seattle and San Francisco.

The Palestinian man who fatally stabbed one person and wounded six others at a Hamburg supermarket appears to have radicalised himself and says he decided to commit an attack in the hopes of dying a "martyr", German prosecutors said. Federal prosecutors, who handle terrorism cases in Germany, said they were taking over the investigation of the suspect, identified only as Ahmad A in line with German privacy rules. They said there is no evidence that he carried out Friday's attack as a member of Islamic State or any other terror organisation... Читать дальше...

Law-breaking beach kiosk owners are harming local tourism and putting many beaches' Blue Flag status at risk, the local organisation which oversees the prestigious eco-label has warned.  Blue Flag Malta welcomed a Malta Tourism Authority clampdown on kiosk operators covering local beaches in deckchairs and umbrellas for hire, in violation of their permits.  The MTA yesterday shut down a kiosk at Qawra Point after its owner defied inspectors and put out deck chairs early in the morning, despite having... Читать дальше...

The owner of a crane sentenced to a two-year jail term for having 10 years ago caused the death of a motorist who crashed into the structure, had his punishment halved on appeal on account of the victim's contributory negligence. On October 6, 2007, Gozitan Baskal Saliba, 61, had set up a crane in Għajn Qatet Street, Victoria without having obtained the necessary council permit. At around 4am on the following day, a Mitsubishi Lancer driven by Sammy Spiteri crashed head on into the base of the crane, causing the structure to tilt sideways. Читать дальше...

A man facing 14 years behind bars after undergoing a trial by jury over the attempted murder of his former partner’s 15-month old son has filed an appeal claiming his guilty verdict had stemmed from a wrong appreciation of facts. Former football player and Mellieħa resident Akande Rotimi Williams, 27, Nigerian-born with a Maltese residence permit, had faced criminal proceedings on three counts of attempted willful homicide, grievous bodily harm and ill treatment of the child relating to an incident dating back to April 2013. Читать дальше...

Five Romanian men suspected of stealing iPhones worth €500,000 in a dangerous heist on a moving truck have been arrested by Dutch police. The men allegedly stole the iPhones in a late-night raid a week ago by driving a modified van so close to the delivery truck that one of the suspects was able to clamber across the van's bonnet and break into the truck while it drove along a Dutch road, police spokesman Ed Kraszewski said. The suspect then passed boxes of iPhones back to the van through a hole cut in its roof, he said. Читать дальше...

The 2017 edition of ZEST, the main gathering for Malta-based start-ups, will take place on September 19 and 20. The Malta Communications Authority innovation event at the Radisson Blu Golden Sands Resort and Spa, is expected to attract over 500 participants, including start-up founders and CEOs, investors, talent, influencers and support professionals. The event is unique in bringing together a cosmopolitan crowd of locals, expats and fly-ins, while offering the ideal setting for attendees to discover... Читать дальше...

Six elderly people have been hospitalised this afternoon after an accident in Żejtun. Their condition is not yet known but it is unlikely that they have suffered serious injuries. The police said the elderly were in a van being driven in Triq il-President Anton Buttigieg when its 66-year-old driver from Qormi lost control and crashed into a wall. Police are investigating.

A prison inmate claimed in court today that a kidney transplant procedure he undertook before he was sentenced went to waste due to inadequate treatment by the authorities. Christopher Bartolo, 36, from Fontana, was last April sentenced to five years in jail and a €15,000 fine after he admitted to trafficking 1.5kg of cannabis resin rather than undergo trial by jury. The criminal court, presided over by Madame Justice Edwina Grima, had heard how the accused had resorted to cannabis as a form of painkiller... Читать дальше...

A renowned former BBC presenter has said there will never be equal pay for men and women "until men have babies". Sue MacGregor, who hosted Radio 4's Today programme from 1984 until 2002, said that "women always end up doing most of the work" with children, which rightly take up most of their attention. The gender pay gap at the BBC has been thrown into focus after it published details of staff earning more than £150,000. The figures revealed that two-thirds of its top-earning stars were male. Ms MacGregor... Читать дальше...

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo, accused of evading 14.7 million euros ($17.3 million) in taxes, arrived at the Pozuelo de Alarcon court on Monday to testify. The 32-year-old Portuguese has denied all the allegations through his agents. If found guilty of hiding earnings from his image rights between 2011 and 2014, Ronaldo would face a large fine and a possible custodial sentence. Spanish courts have recently cracked down on tax evasion among leading footballers. Barcelona’s Lionel Messi was... Читать дальше...

A 42-year-old woman from Mġarr was grievously injured today after falling from a height of around one storey at a construction site in Mellieħa. The police said the accident happened in Triq Louis Wettinger at 11.20am. The victim was taken to hospital by ambulance.

A number of irregular foreign number-plated vehicles were clamped during the weekend as Transport Malta embarked on a drive to stem abuse.  A legal notice enacted recently enabled Transport Malta to re-introduce clamping in Malta, a tool that will greatly help the authority to enforce the rule of law on our roads.  Despite "numerous" roadside checks by Transport Malta and the police, a number of individuals abused the system by keeping vehicles with irregular number plates on the roads, parking irregularly... Читать дальше...

Tourist numbers were up by almost 20 per cent this June when compared to the same month last year, new figures released today show.  A total of 232,193 people visited Malta that month, a 19.4 per cent increase when compared to June 2016.  Visitors collectively spent nearly 1.6 million nights in Malta (a 9.6 per cent increase) and spent €193.7 million, an increase of 14.3 per cent over the same month last year.  The vast majority of those visitors - 189,687 - came on holiday, but National Statistic... Читать дальше...

A couple of feast enthusiasts let road safety common sense fall by the wayside this morning as they took a religious statue for a spin on Tal-Barrani road.  This photo sent in by a Times of Malta reader shows the covered statue perched on the back of a drop side van as the vehicle makes its way onto the busy thoroughfare.  Two men accompanying the statue sit and stand at the back of the open-sided van, with nothing protecting them - or the statue - from falling off the van in the case of a collision. Читать дальше...

Stand-up paddlers at Fomm ir-Riħ got plenty of bang for their buck yesterday when they were joined on their excursion by a pod of especially sociable dolphins.  The dolphins did not seem to be bothered by the paddlers' presence and interacted with them as they approached, said Malta SUP Sea Treks owner Henry Copperstone.  "It felt like we were in a marine park. One lifted its tail and flapped towards us as though it was waving. I've never seen anything like it," he said. Capturing the dolphins in motion was no easy task... Читать дальше...