Новости за 03.08.2017

More than a year after a landmark court judgment that stopped the competition watchdog from imposing fines, the government would not say when the situation would change. The uncertainty still prevails despite the concerns raised by the Consumer Association, which had publicly urged the government to take action to solve this “unacceptable” situation. In a ruling in May last year, a court of appeal confirmed that certain provisions of the Competition Act were unconstitutional. The case in question... Читать дальше...

Denmark spurned a host of chances before dispatching Austria in an emphatic penalty shoot-out victory to reach the final of Women's Euro 2017. Sanne Troelsgaard hit the bar and spurned another fine opening for the Danes, before Katrine Veje blasted over when through on goal. Sarah Puntigam missed a first-half spot-kick for Austria too, before the game was left goalless at the end of normal time. Though the clash was still deadlocked after extra-time, the Danes then mercilessly dispatched Austria 3-0 on penalties. Читать дальше...

Andreas Christopheros, who was assaulted at his home with sulphuric acid in a case of mistaken identity, has had 90 percent of his face reconstructed since the attack.

Italy faced record high temperatures today, with the thermometer hitting 40 degrees Celsius in many parts of the country. An African heat wave is sweeping across the country, forcing authorities to issue risk warnings for 26 cities. A "red alarm", indicating the highest level of risk from the heat, has been issued for cities including top tourist destinations Florence, Rome, Venice and Verona. In the capital, tourists taking in the Eternal City's sights under the scorching sun could be seen making good use of Rome's many water fountains... Читать дальше...

Residents in Pembroke are being forced to live in what they describe as a “construction site” amid debris and scaffolding after government maintenance work at their apartment block stopped abruptly four months ago. More than 30 families have complained to the authorities about the situation, having suffered months of putting up with substandard conditions in their common areas. Despite the complaints, which they also voiced through this newspaper in June, no workers have returned to complete the job... Читать дальше...

Another positive evening for Malta international Andre Schembri as he has found the net again for his new club, Apollon Limassol. They are currently playing against Aberdeen in the third qualifying round of the Europa League and as things stand, Apollon would be through on away goals following Schembri's goal in the second leg. This is Schembri's third goal in four Europa League appearances for Apollon following his two goals against Zaria Balti of Moldova in the previous round.

Neymar’s legal representatives have paid Barcelona 222million euros (£200.6million) to release the Brazilian from his contract ahead of an expected record-breaking move to Paris St Germain. The delegation was turned away by LaLiga officials earlier on Thursday but Barcelona, who would only allow the 25-year-old striker to leave the club if his 222m euro release fee was met and paid in full, have accepted a payment “in the player’s name with regards to the unilateral termination of the contract that... Читать дальше...

Planning Authority inspectors have visited a site on the cliffs of Fomm ir-Riħ where work appears to be in progress, but they were unable to determine what is going on. A truck was seen delivering bricks to the site of a private residence, leading ramblers to wonder what was happening. Times of Malta contacted the Planning Authority but could not confirm whether the ongoing works require a permit. A spokesman said: “A site inspection at Fomm ir-Riħ was carried out by our environment officers, and... Читать дальше...

The tank cleaners caught dumping a mysterious black liquid into the sea last month could be fined up to €100,000. A spokesman for the Environment and Resources Authority told this newspaper the company, Ricasoli Tank Cleaning Facility, faced administrative penalties after a pipe dumping waste at the Kalkara seaside was found to be connected to it. According to the Environment Protection Act, administrative fines can reach up to a maximum of €100,000. The black liquid, which was filmed being dumped... Читать дальше...

The MSE Share Index shed 0.94% to a near seven-week low of 4,659.394 points, reflecting the notable decline in the share prices of BOV (-2.1%), HSBC (-2.4%) and RS2 (-1.6%). Trading volumes improved as €0.49 million worth of shares changed hands. Nonetheless, most of the trading activity took place in the equities of BOV and RS2 as they accounted for over 60% of the total value of equities traded. In the retail banking sector, Bank of Valletta plc dropped 2.1% to a fresh near seven-month low of €2.10... Читать дальше...

Nestle' Malta has announced the voluntary withdrawal of two batches of Cerelac baby food.  They are Cerelac 3 Cereal 24X400G – Batch 70090291 Exp : 07/2018 Weight: 400g and Cerelac Mixed Fruits 24X400G – Batch 63580291 Exp : 06/2018 Weight: 400g. "Following the finding of elevated levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs1) in one lot of Cerelac which is not sold in Malta, Nestlé has decided, as a precautionary measure, to voluntarily withdraw from the trade all other products that could potentially have been affected," the company said.

Malta is the fourth most googled holiday destination in the UK, according to research data published in the Daily Telegraph today. The 10 most Googled holiday destinations for 2017 so far, according to the research, were Barcelona, followed by Cape Verde, Amsterdam, Malta, Dubai, Budapest, the Maldives, Santorini, Bali and Ibiza.  The data also shows that searches about Malta have increased by 94 per cent since 2013. The destinations that have grown most in popularity since 2013 were Barcelonaby 231%... Читать дальше...

Oscar Pistorius, the South African Paralympic gold medallist serving a six-year jail term for murdering his girlfriend, was taken to hospital today, a prison service spokesman said. The prison service provided no details of Pistorius's illness, but a spokesman, Logan Maistry, said he would be kept in hospital overnight for observation. He said he could not comment on a report by the Citizen website that Pistorius suffered chest pains and prison staff suspected a heart attack. "I am not aware of (that... Читать дальше...

870 students are following free lessons offered by the government for those who need to resit SEC exams. Lessons are being given in four centres in Malta and Gozo. Education Minister Evarist Bartolo, who toured one of the centres today, said that apart from the basic subjects also offered in the past four years – Maths, Maltese, English and Physics, Biology revision classes are also being held this year. Mr Bartolo was accompanied by Aaron Farrugia, parliamentary secretary for EU funds, since the revision classes are being funded by the EU.

The Justice Ministry has welcomed data showing a further reduction in the number of pending court cases. Results for the first six months of the year show substantial progress in both civil and criminal cases, it said. With regard to civil cases, the number of cases decided when compared to the number of incoming cases remained consistent above 100%. “This means that more cases are being decided, than initiated. The number of pending cases has decreased to 9,364, which is the smallest number of pending cases in history. Читать дальше...

The basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Valletta will finally get paving to cover up its shabby concrete flooring. Fr Alex Scerri told the Times of Malta the paving of the basilica floor in an intricate design would cost some €500,000. Work is expected to begin at the end of September and will go on until around March of next year. The church is accepting donations from the public and its congregation to help finance the project. Fr Scerri said the congregation would be moving to an unused chapel... Читать дальше...

Bank of Valletta is to introduce contact-less cards for payments of up to €20.  It said that over the past months it installed new electronic point of sale devices (EPOSs) at retail outlets and establishments across Malta and Gozo to accept contactless card payments. Ivo Camilleri, Executive, Electronic Payments, explained that contactless cards combine the security and peace-of-mind of chip-and-pin, with the ease of use afforded by wireless technology. Paying for a transaction becomes as simple as tapping a card over the card reader. Читать дальше...

With 92 per cent of expats considering the climate a potential benefit, Malta leads the list of countries to move to for better weather, according to a major survey of people who live and work abroad. A newly published report by InterNations, based on the annual Expat Insider survey of more than 14,000 people in 191 countries, shows more than two-thirds of expats say the climate in their new home is a factor to consider before moving abroad. This means that immigrants are just as likely to think... Читать дальше...

Three turtles lumbered into the sea at Golden Bay today, watched by a large crowd after having been rehabilitated from injuries.    Nature Trust, which handled their rescue and care, said Europa, a three-year-old turtle that was recovered off the White Tower Bay area on May 9 (Europe Day) had become trapped in a net and had an embedded fishing hook. She was one of the first turtles to be operated with a  new Endoscope purchased by the organisation. Myrtle, an 8-year-old turtle rescued from Xlendi... Читать дальше...

The commander of Libya's self-styled national army in the east has ordered naval bases to confront any vessel entering the country's territorial waters without military permission. A statement released by the forces of Field Marshal Khalifa Hifter said the command was directed to eastern bases in Benghazi, Ras Lanuf, Tobruk, as well as the capital Tripoli, in the west, after an Italian patrol boat arrived there. Italy sent the mission to help the coast guard curb the flow of migrants crossing the Mediterranean... Читать дальше...

Britain's pound skidded to a nine-month low against the euro today after the Bank of England voted 6-2 in favour of keeping interest rates at their record lows and revised down its growth and inflation forecasts. BoE Governor Mark Carney and his top officials reiterated their message that they might raise borrowing costs by slightly more than investors expect over the next three years, possibly within a year. But markets focussed on the Bank's downward revision of its 2017 growth forecasts, to 1.7 percent from 1.9 percent in May... Читать дальше...

A man swore at a journalist and punched him live on air during a broadcast from a Moscow park on Tuesday. The man, possibly drunk, made comments about Ukraine during the incident. Watch above.

Brexit will still happen despite the UK becoming more aware of the "density of problems" during withdrawal negotiations, Jean-Claude Juncker has said. The European Commission president said he disagreed with Maltese prime minister Joseph Muscat, who said last week he saw "hopeful signs" that "Brexit will not happen". His comments come amid increasing Conservative Party tensions over the Brexit process, with Cabinet ministers publicly disagreeing over the potential terms of a transition phase after Britain's expected exit in March 2019. Читать дальше...

The National Commission for the Promotion of Equality welcomes the steps taken by the Labour Party to address the low participation of women in the political sphere and to increase the number of women candidates in its electoral lists. It hoped that all political parties in Malta would adopt initiatives aimed at enabling the participation of women in politics and said it was ready to assist in implementing programmes and other measures that seek to address this democratic deficit. Labour’s LEAD programme... Читать дальше...

Climate change could make much of South Asia too hot for human survival by the end of this century, have scientists warned.    They said that if global warming continues at its current rate, blistering temperatures will make parts of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh unlivable by the year 2100; alarming news for the 1.5 billion people living in those areas. Even today, South Asia is no stranger to deadly heat waves. More than 3000 people there died in the summer of 2015, and scientists warn that it's... Читать дальше...