Новости за 01.11.2017

The bodies of seven migrants were discovered today in a boat adrift off Libya while around 900 people were saved in operations in the southern Mediterranean, Italy's coastguard said. It was one of the most intense days of rescues recorded in the area in recent months and follows a sharp fall-off in the number of migrants reaching Italy. A Coastguard spokesman said the seven bodies were picked up by a boat under the command of a European Union naval force operating in the Mediterranean. He had no... Читать дальше...

Some of the best and most innovative architectural designs on the island are on display at the Parliament building in Valletta following the second edition of the annual Malta Architect Awards. The awards, organised by iMNG Ltd with the support of the Planning Authority, seek to recognise local architects for high-quality design projects that are shaping the country’s built future. The awards also aim to raise public awareness about the value of architecture and culture of excellence that certain architects bring to projects... Читать дальше...

Millions of Britons are set to experience the first interest rate rise of their adult lives on Thursday, and for some of those who loaded up on cheap credit to pay for cars or cards, that could spell trouble. The Bank of England is widely expected to hike borrowing costs for the first time in a decade, signalling an end to years of low rates that fuelled a rise in ultra-cheap credit and heavy borrowing on loans, cards and, most notably, cars. Regulators have clamped down on many of the riskier lending activities that thrived before 2008... Читать дальше...

British defence minister Michael Fallon resigned from his position today saying he accepted his conduct in the past had fallen below high standards. Fallon was named in an a newspaper article earlier this week which said he had touched a radio presenter's knee in 2002. The BBC reported on Monday that Fallon's spokesman said he had apologised for the incident at the time. The presenter tweeted that she considered the matter closed. After sexual abuse allegations against Hollywood film producer Harvey... Читать дальше...

Researchers used electronic health records to hunt down the source of a potentially deadly hospital-acquired infection at the University of California, San Francisco. The culprit: a CT scanner in the hospital’s emergency department, according to a new report in JAMA Internal Medicine online October 23. The study was the first to use time and location stamps on electronic records to map patients throughout the hospital and track the course of an infectious agent. Lead author Sara Murray of the University of California... Читать дальше...

Adopting a hard-line approach against development would result in a “fossil Malta” and historic buildings being abandoned or destroyed, according to the Superintendent for Cultural Heritage. “The general trends and policies all favour development,” Anthony Pace told the Times of Malta. “A lot of people on the island have grasped that spirit, so we have to bridge the rights of the individual with the protection of historic sites.” Dr Pace was speaking amid a series of accusations of inaction levelled... Читать дальше...

The government’s head of marketing Johann Grech is set to replace Engelbert Grech as the Malta Film Commissioner, the Times of Malta has learnt. Contacted, Mr Grech confirmed the appointment and pledged to continue promoting Malta’s “excellent” film industry and building on the success of his predecessor, who he said led a real boom in film production. As a government entity, the Malta Film Commission acts as an advisory body responsible for the film sector’s policies on promotion, development and... Читать дальше...

Cowboys 33, Redskins 19 Ezekiel Elliott ran for 150 yards and two touchdowns, Mike Nugent kicked four field goals and the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Washington Redskins 33-19 in the rain on Sunday. Elliott carried 33 times and scored on runs of 13 and one yards and had a 27-yard score negated by a holding penalty. He recorded his third career performance of at least 150 yards in what could be his last game for some time. He has a court date on Monday that will likely determine whether he begins serving a six-game suspension immediately. Читать дальше...

Former Nationalist minister Jason Azzopardi had violated the rule of law when he went against technical advice in a six-figure Spinola land transfer case, Labour Party MPs said today.  Speaking a day after former director-general for Lands Iman Schembri told parliament's Public Accounts Committee that the minister was always kept aware of developments in the property transfer saga, Labour MPs laid into Dr Azzopardi.  Julia Farrugia-Portelli and Robert Abela both took Dr Azzopardi to task over his role as minister... Читать дальше...

Last weekend two Maltese teams were representing Malta in the Champions and Europa League of Table Football, which was held in Rochefort Belgium. On Saturday they participated in the preliminary rounds where Valletta Subbuteo club won the group with maximum points after winning against teams from Italy, Belgium, Austria, Hungary and France. Hence, they qualified to play the Champions League on Sunday. Valletta Subbuteo club played against the Austrian team TFC Mattersburg where they drew with the score of 1-1. Читать дальше...

Suns 122, Nets 114 The Phoenix Suns beat the Brooklyn Nets 122-114 on Tuesday to improve to 3-1 since interim coach Jay Triano replaced Earl Watson last week. The Suns blew an 18-point lead in the third quarter but made enough timely plays down the stretch to win. Devin Booker scored 32 points for Phoenix, his second 30-point game of the season and the 22nd of his career. Rookie Mike James added 24 for the Suns. TJ Warren scored all 20 of his points after halftime and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Suns... Читать дальше...

Malta will be one of the first countries in the world to meet the target to eliminate Hepatitis C by 2023. Health Minister Chris Fearne said. Around 1,000 patients affected with Hepatitis C in Malta are receiving new medication that will treat and cure their condition. A record three million people were able to obtain treatment for Hepatitis C over the past two years, and 2.8 million more people embarked on lifelong treatment for Hepatitis B in 2016. On the eve of the World Hepatitis Summit in Brazil... Читать дальше...

The accountancy profession watchdog has decided not to probe the conduct of two warranted auditors implicated in the Panama Papers scandal pending the outcome of a magisterial inquiry, the Times of Malta is informed. Sources close to the Accountancy Board said Finance Ministry officials advised not to formally investigate Nexia BT’s Brian Tonna and Karl Cini before the magisterial inquiry was concluded. “Since both auditors are under an ongoing magisterial criminal investigation in connection with... Читать дальше...

Drugs seized by the police this year have reached record highs, according to information given in Parliament. The police confiscated more than 322 kilos of cocaine, 600 kilos of cannabis resin and 13 kilos of heroin between January 1 and October 14. A kilo of synthetic powder and 13 grams of synthetic drugs were also seized. Last year, the police seized 108 kilos of cannabis resin, a lot more than the 42 kilos confiscated in 2014. Against these figures, the hauls registered so far this year are impressive... Читать дальше...

A Thai-born Italian masseuse told a court today of how she worked 12-hour days, seven days a week at a Paceville massage parlour.  The witness, who was testifying via video conferencing from the magistrate's chambers, told the court she charged clients €45 an hour for a Thai oil massage and got to keep €10 of that for herself.  At the end of the day she slept on a makeshift bed inside the parlour, having only a shower and a small electric stove but no kitchenette to prepare meals. She had to pay €200 monthly by way of rent... Читать дальше...

Netflix Inc indefinitely halted production of political drama "House of Cards" on Tuesday following an allegation of sexual misconduct against series star Kevin Spacey. Producer Media Rights Capital and Netflix "have decided to suspend production on House of Cards season six, until further notice, to give us time to review the current situation and to address any concerns of our cast and crew," a statement said. A day earlier, Netflix had said the groundbreaking show about a ruthless political power couple would conclude with season six. Читать дальше...

Argentines on Wednesday mourned the loss of five friends from the northern city of Rosario who were mowed down the day before while enjoying a bike ride in New York during a trip to celebrate 30 years since their high school graduation. President Mauricio Macri praised the five men, who were architects and businessmen, as model citizens, and he called for the world to stand firm against terrorism. A total of eight people were killed and 11 injured when a man driving a rented pickup truck plowed into... Читать дальше...

Air Malta’s new Frankfurt route has been welcomed by both the Maltese and German communities with flights for the first few weeks already sold out. Acting CEO Joseph Galea said: “This German city was one of the seven destinations which the Maltese airline started flying to in 1974. Now, through changing conditions and a new commercial drive, we can make this route profitable again and reconnect Malta to this important European hub. Tour operator support has been forthcoming and we are happy to be... Читать дальше...

The man who allegedly kidnapped his Maltese wife and left her in a dark secluded place in Kalkara, without any food and drink for several days, was remanded in custody after pleading not guilty this afternoon. Roddy Swinton Williams, 37, Seychelles-born and residing at Fgura, was charged with having placed the life of his wife in manifest jeopardy, violently engaging in sexual acts with the woman, holding her against her will, harassing her and causing her to fear violence. Moreover, the man was charged with having... Читать дальше...

Yet another construction site accident came close to tragedy today when a heap of bricks ended up crushing a parked van in Floriana.  The incident on Triq San Franġisk, some doors down from the SPCA animal shelter, left the van's front half flattened under the weight of the limestone bricks.  At the time of writing, it remained unclear what had caused the bricks to collapse.   Nobody was hurt and police said officers were dispatched to the scene.

A significant proportion of older people having heart attacks put off going to a hospital, a recent study found. Many of these patients waited six hours or more, the study authors wrote in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society online October 18. “The time that the heart is lacking much-needed oxygen also includes the pre-hospital period, from the onset of symptoms to arriving for medical care,” said study author Gregory Ouellet of Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, in e-mail to Reuters Health. Читать дальше...

The number of pickpocketing cases has been soaring, with a sixfold increase in eight years, but it remains one of the most difficult crimes to solve. Replying to a Parliamentary Question by MP Glenn Bedingfield, Home Affairs Minister Michael Farrugia revealed that an average of 25 people a year are arraigned, a total of 116 between 2013 and the first nine months of September. However, a story published in the Times of Malta last March puts these figures into a very different context: there were 2,447... Читать дальше...

There were 239 people arraigned on charges of prostitution over the past five years, of which only 18 were foreign. Replying to a Parliamentary Question put by MP Glenn Bedingfield, Home Affairs Minister Michael Farrugia said that there were 209 women and 30 men charged. In the first nine months of this year, only 15 were charged, almost a third the number in 2016.

Updated 4pm - Added President's comments Malta will observe a national day of mourning on Friday when Daphne Caruana Galizia is due to be laid to rest, the government has announced.  All flags on public buildings will fly at half mast on the day, following a decision taken by the country's judiciary earlier today.  Read: Courts to shut early, fly flag at half mast on Friday The day of mourning would be a sign of respect by a "united" nation and a message that attacks on freedom of expression would not be accepted by Maltese democracy... Читать дальше...

Eight people were arrested in Georgia during a far-right protest to demand a football player be kicked off the national team because he supported gay rights. The nationalist Georgian March group wanted defender Guram Kashia punished for wearing a rainbow armband while captaining Dutch club Vitesse Arnhem earlier this month, as part of a broader initiative in the Netherlands for the country's Coming Out Day. Dozens of protesters gathered outside the Georgian Football Federation headquarters late on Tuesday... Читать дальше...