Новости за 13.11.2017

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan took swipes at US and Russian interventions in Syria on Monday and said if countries truly believed a military solution was impossible, they should withdraw their troops. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump said in a joint statement on Saturday they would continue to fight against Islamic State in Syria, while agreeing that there was no military solution to the country's wider, six-year-old conflict. "I am having trouble understanding... Читать дальше...

Failing to show the other side to the sad and lonely picture that is often painted of children in residential homes will only feed the wrong idea. Andrew Azzopardi, director of the Church’s Commission for Children’s Homes, spoke to Sarah Carabott. Children in residential homes are not pitiful and lonely, but if the authorities want more foster family placements, the Church should be allowed to help, the director of the Church’s Commission for Children’s Homes is insisting. “One of the things that... Читать дальше...

A powerful whirlwind demolished a wall at the Mosta industrial zone this evening, badly damaging up to seven cars. Part of the roof of the nearby Lidl store was also blown off, causing a panic among shoppers. The whirlwind struck at about 7pm, and affected a fairly concentrated area between Mosta and Naxxar. The police reported trees being uprooted in various streets and a small wall caving in, while a balcony was also ripped off, falling onto a vanbelow. Eyewitnesses said a van in the Mosta industrial... Читать дальше...

A group of Maltese radiology trainees have won a renowned competition in which they have to come up with the right diagnosis on a monthly basis for a whole year. These trainees are aspiring to join the group of radiologists at Mater Dei Hospital who do diagnosis as well as perform life-saving interventions such as the removal of blood clots in the least invasive manner and under local anaesthetic. This is the third year that the Mater Dei team has placed first within the international resident group... Читать дальше...

Celtics 95, Raptors 94 The Boston Celtics, playing without Kyrie Irving, hung on for their 12th straight victory on Sunday, beating the Toronto Raptors. And it came right down to the final second. DeMar DeRozen missed two shots in the closing seconds as the Celtics downed the Toronto Raptors 95-94. After DeRozen missed a jumper, rookie Jayson Tatum grabbed the rebound, turned and hit Fred VanVleet with an elbow for an offensive foul with 13.4 seconds remaining. The play was reviewed, the call stood and Toronto kept the ball. Читать дальше...

A Swedish journalist came to Malta a few months ago to fulfil an unusual quest: tracking down the distraught footballer in a 1990 photograph taken by a former colleague of his. Anders Bengtsson first saw the photo, taken by Peter Widing, in 2006, when he was working for a football magazine. It was one of nine framed photos on the wall, and showed a young boy weeping with frustration, perfectly framed by two blonde boys victoriously throwing their arms up in the air. He had often spoken to the photographer ... Читать дальше...

Venezuela opens talks with creditors today to renegotiate a crippling debt that has left citizens sifting through garbage for food, as the once-prosperous Opec nation seeks to avert a default that would plunge its economy into deeper crisis. President Nicolas Maduro's government has summoned to Caracas investors who hold some $60 billion in junk bonds in a desperate attempt to shore up public finances squeezed by the unraveling socialist economy. Although Maduro had said more than 400 investors would... Читать дальше...

British Brexit minister David Davis said today the government would allow parliament the opportunity to debate, scrutinise and vote on any final Brexit agreement, offering a concession to Conservative Party rebels. Prime Minister Theresa May is under pressure to offer a 'meaningful vote' on any deal for Britain's departure from the European Union. Members of her own party are willing to vote against the government to stymie a bill which she says is needed to sever ties with the bloc. "I can now confirm... Читать дальше...

A claim for compensation for damages has been filed against HSBC Bank Malta plc by a Sliema couple alleging that they have suffered “massive losses” on account of the bank’s failure to supply them with “fair, clear and not misleading” information on their investment. Joseph and Adelina, spouses Vella, today filed a judicial letter before the civil courts claiming that bank representatives supplied them with incomplete and incorrect information when they had invested in Dutch SNS Bank bonds back in 2012 and 2013. Читать дальше...

The real issues affecting mental health have not been properly addressed by the authorities, including the physical conditions of Mount Carmel Hospital, according to former health minister Godfrey Farrugia. He told the Times of Malta that the government had “given the cold shoulder” to the mental health reform he prepared and instead it was “shelved”. “Three per cent of our population suffers from some form of psychiatric illness, and the Budget did not mention a thing about it. Unfortunately, we... Читать дальше...

The third victim in the Chinese massage parlour case strongly denied having ever provided any ‘extra’ services of a sexual nature to clients and insisted that she had never suffered any repercussions at the hands of her employers when she refused. This declaration came in stark contrast to the facts disclosed by two other masseuses who testified in the compilation of evidence against Winston Gera, 45, and his Chinese partner Zhang Tianxia, 35, from St Julian’s, currently undergoing proceedings over human trafficking charges. Читать дальше...

A 31-year-old accused of harassing a man and later getting into a scuffle with police officers at the detox centre in Pieta' has been remanded in police custody after pleading not guilty to the charges.  Cospicua resident Steven Farrugia was arraigned shortly after being released from Mount Carmel Hospital, where he had checked himself in voluntarily following the alleged incidents earlier this month.  Before duty magistrate Josette Demicoli, Mr Farrugia was charged with threatening two police officers and harassing... Читать дальше...

Superfast gigabit internet has reached Maltese shores, with Valletta, Sliema and St Julian's homes and businesses first to be given access to the blazing speeds.  Melita's GigaPower service offers internet at speeds reaching a maximum of 1024 Mbps, theoretically allowing you to download a high-definition movie in 30 seconds.  The new service, currently only available in the capital, St Julian's and Sliema, will eventually be made available to the entire island. It is powered by technology by network behemoth Cisco... Читать дальше...

The MSE Equity Price Index trended lower for the fourth consecutive trading session as it dropped by a further 0.66% to a fresh 11-month low of 4,489.486 points. Trading activity was spread across nine equities with four posting declines while the remaining five shares closed the day unchanged. In the banking sector, Bank of Valletta plc lost 2.5% to the €1.755 level across 36,296 shares and HSBC Bank Malta plc moved back to its 2017 low of €1.85 (-0.5%) on five deals totalling 12,000 shares. Also... Читать дальше...

World carbon emissions are set to rise 2% this year to a new record, scientists said today, dashing hopes that global emissions had already peaked. Carbon emissions had been roughly flat from 2014-16, but will increase this year mainly due to a rise in China after a two-year decline, the scientists said. Their data, presented during negotiations among almost 200 nations in Germany about details of the 2015 Paris Agreement climate accord, are a setback to a global goal of curbing emissions to avert more downpours... Читать дальше...

The Toly Group has won the overall award in the first-ever Malta International Business Awards organised by TradeMalta. The awards were organised to honour the achievements of Malta-based companies seeking to do international business by selling their products and services abroad. Representing the best of Maltese exports to the world, the winners of the six categories of MIBA are: Small Business: 365 Squared, award presented by Big ExhibitsMedium-Sized Business: Altaro Software, award presented by BPC International LtdLarge Business... Читать дальше...

The first Smiling with Jerome initiative will take place next week with an open day at the St Monica School in Gżira in aid of poor families in Albania. The family fun day will take place on November 25 and will feature face painting, a police dog show, the opportunity to take a photograph with a sports car, sumo wrestling, singing and a magic show among others. Named after the late Jerome Frendo, the initiative will ensure that the money collected on the day will support fellow Europeans who have neither water nor electricity utilities. Читать дальше...

Farmers called on the government to urgently set up a well-equipped laboratory to test local produce for pesticides during a meeting with Agriculture Parliamentary Secretary Clint Camilleri. The absence of an accredited laboratory system is negatively affecting the livelihood of farmers who must wait for months on end to receive feedback from the tests on pesticide residue from laboratories abroad, which only serves to sow mistrust and confusion among consumers. In a meeting with Mr Camilleri and officials within the Parliamentary Secretariat... Читать дальше...

Sports transcends boundaries, gender, and age. It brings together players from around the world and fosters a community spirit. So is the previous stereotype of the resclusive, anti-social gamer fair?

As more voices join in towards the proper legalisation of cannabis, Johnathan Cilia, co-founder of pre-legalisation NGO ReLeaf, speaks to some of the main local exponents. During a recent event, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat recently said that Malta's drug laws had “failed” to do their job. “The drugs problem has aggravated over the years and if we keep using the same recipe to tackle it, then we'll keep getting the same results.” This statement, bearing in mind references to legalisation of cannabis... Читать дальше...

A thick cloud of toxic smog 10 times the recommended limit enveloped India's capital, New Delhi, today, as government officials struggled to tackle a public health crisis that is well into its second week. A US embassy measure showed levels of poisonous airborne particles, known as PM 2.5, had reached 498 this afternoon, compared with the upper limit of "good" quality air at 50. India's weather office said rain was forecast over the next three days which could help clear the smog. "Light rainfall... Читать дальше...

Some of the teachers who have not yet been supplied with a laptop should be getting the devices this week, well over a month after the start of the scholastic year. Last month, the Times of Malta reported that about 100 teachers were yet to be provided with a laptop to assist with the delivery of their lectures, as a result of a supply shortage. At the time, the Education Ministry said the teachers would get the devices in “a couple of weeks”, yet over a month after the start of the new scholastic year... Читать дальше...

The winning photos of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition areon display at the National Museum of Natural History The wWildlife Photographer of the Year competition was organised by Heritage Malta’s National Museum of Natural History. Photographs were submitted for three categories: flora, fauna and marine. Apart from a winning photograph for each category, an overall winner was chosen from the 10 finalists. The winners for the flora category are Matthew Borg Cardona for 1st and 3rd place and Mario J. Читать дальше...

Irish musician and anti-poverty activist Bob Geldof will return his 'Freedom of the City of Dublin' award to his home town today, saying he could not continue to hold the honour with Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Well over 600,000 Muslims from Myanmar's Rakhine state have fled to refugee camps in Bangladesh after military clearance operations described by the United Nations as ethnic cleansing were launched in response to attacks by Rohingya militants. The plight of the Rohingya has brought outrage... Читать дальше...

Star Wars enthusiasts came together this weekend for Science Meets Star Wars in an attempt to emphasise that science can be both fun and useful in everyday life. The event, the first of its kind in Malta, was hosted by Euro Media Forum in collaboration with the Esplora Interactive Science Centre and saw fans of the cult classic come together to share collections and models. American illustrator Susan Waitt, who lives in Malta and who has illustrated books for Disney, told the Times of Malta that... Читать дальше...