Новости за 15.11.2017

The Planning Authority approved 276 demolitions within Urban Conservation Areas in 2016, nearly a quarter of all such applications approved in development zones last year. Data tabled in Parliament on Monday also shows that this year the PA approved twice as many UCA applications – 236 – in the month before the general election, May, as it had the previous month. In all, 1,705 UCA applications (not all of which included demolition) were approved this year. After May, the busiest month was September, with 207 approved applications. Читать дальше...

The Opposition walked out of Parliament in protest this evening after a call by Nationalist Party leader Adrian Delia for a ministerial statement on a European Parliament vote on the rule of law in Malta, was rejected. Dr Delia said that a month after journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia had been murdered, three weeks after the Opposition tabled a motion for Parliament to debate the rule of law, and a week since the Opposition said it could not accept a business as usual approach, the government had... Читать дальше...

Butchers and bakers have put their best products to the test as judging took place for the 19th annual World Scotch Pie Championships. Hundreds of entries were on display in Dunfermline on Wednesday with 50 expert judges checking the look, smell and taste of the pies. Despite the title, the competition also has awards for the best steak pies, sausage rolls, vegetarian savouries and even apple pies. Craig McPhie, president of Scottish Bakers, which manages the competition, said: "I have never seen... Читать дальше...

Environmental groups have made a last appeal to save a nearly 150-year-old townhouse in the heart of Sliema, as the Planning Authority decides on plans to convert it into a six-storey apartment block. The house in Cathedral Street, within the Sliema Urban Conservation Area, is part of a well-preserved row of houses commissioned by the Mdina Cathedral between 1870 and 1886 for clergymen from important families. Earlier plans for the building to be demolished, retaining only the facade, were scrapped last year amid public pressure. Читать дальше...

Veteran coach Gian Piero Ventura is no longer in charge of Italy's national team, the Italian football federation (FIGC) said on Wednesday, two days after the side failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. It was not clear from the FIGC's statement if Ventura had been sacked or had resigned, but the president of the referees association Marcello Nicchi told reporters after a FIGC meeting in Rome that the coach had been "removed from his post." Italy were held to a 0-0 draw at home by Sweden in the second leg of their European playoff on Monday... Читать дальше...

Former Planning Authority chairman and Attard resident Austin Walker described the new bypass project in the locality as a quick fix that would come at a big environmental and financial cost. According to plans published last month in the press, the projected 1.3 kilometre bypass will link the lower part of Mdina Road, close to the Mrieħel bypass exit, to the Attard industrial zone entrance opposite the Wied Inċita nursery. It is meant to alleviate traffic congestion in the village core, particularly the bottleneck at Triq in-Nutar Żarb. Читать дальше...

A total of 87 primary schools across Malta and Gozo are celebrating their outstanding achievements in connecting children with nature through BirdLife Malta’s Dinja Waħda schools programme. Following on from the successful secondary awards in October, the primary schools accomplishments for the 2016-2017 scholastic year were recognised at the Dinja Waħda Primary prize-giving ceremony 2017 which was held at Salina Nature Reserve’s Visitors’ Centre on Wednesday. This year, 53 schools received gold awards... Читать дальше...

The government will be appealing a court judgment barring the VAT Department from collecting about €750,000 in tax from a former director of the now defunct supermarket chain Priceclub. The judge based his decision on a technical blunder apparently made by VAT officials. Mr Justice Silvio Meli, sitting in the Civil Court, ruled that, according to law, when making its claim, the department had to personally notify director Christopher Gauci and not just Priceclub Operators Ltd. Since that did not happen... Читать дальше...

With just one day left to conclude exploratory talks on forming a new coalition government, German parties were still far apart on Wednesday on the hot issue of immigration and the future governance of the eurozone. Merkel, 63, wants the exploratory talks to end on Thursday, when German media expect her to press all sides to strike a compromise before moving to formal negotiations that could lead to her securing a fourth term as Chancellor. Merkel is hoping to put together an unlikely alliance of her conservatives... Читать дальше...

Getting caught in traffic on a rainy day is enough to make even the most zen-like motorist grind their teeth.  But impatience is no excuse for disrespecting road rules and endangering other motorists.  Dashcam footage sent to the Times of Malta shows two cars as they try to overtake a snaking line of traffic yesterday morning - by driving along the opposite-facing thoroughfare.  WATCH: Who cares if there's a traffic jam?  "This isn't the first time it's happened, especially on this road," said the reader who sent in the footage. Читать дальше...

Two cases of legionella have been reported, the government said in a statement issued this afternoon.  In one case the disease was contracted from a private establishment, while in the other the patient contracted the illness from a home in a village different to that of the establishment. A number of test results relating to these cases are still pending and the Health Department said it was following the cases closely. Legionella is normally linked to poorly maintained air-conditioning and water systems and humidifiers. Читать дальше...

Malta's cash-for-passports scheme will be renewed with "more exclusive" eligibility criteria once the current programme ends, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat hinted at a conference in Hong Kong.  Speaking at the 11th Global Residence and Citizenship Conference, Dr Muscat said the government had a strong mandate to renew the Individual Investor Programme.  The Hong Kong conference was hosted by Henley & Partners, the citizenship and residence advisory firm contracted to run Malta's IIP scheme.  READ... Читать дальше...

The European Union has decided to subject the new synthetic opioid furanylfentanyl to control measures throughout the EU. In the study leading up the decision, a total of 29 serious adverse events associated with furanylfentanyl were reported by four member states (Estonia, Germany, Sweden, United Kingdom) and Norway: 10 acute intoxications and 19 deaths. The decision of the Council, based on an initial proposal by the European Commission, was adopted in the final stage of the three-step legal procedure... Читать дальше...

Updated 4.25pm - Added video At least 30 vehicles have collided in heavy fog on a motorway in eastern China, killing more than a dozen people and injuring 19 others. The official Xinhua News Agency said the pile-up on Wednesday morning in Fuyang, a city in Anhui province, caused several vehicles to catch fire. It cited local police as saying as well as 18 fatalities, 19 people were injured - nine seriously - and were being treated in a hospital. Xinhua said the accident caused several miles of traffic... Читать дальше...

The Russian ministry of defence was distributing false images it claimed were from recent American operations in Syria, but which in fact show scenes from a computer game and an old Iraqi military video. The images, shared on the ministry's official Facebook and Twitter pages, are accompanied by a caption describing the pictures as an Islamic State convoy leaving the Syrian city of Abu Kamal, dated November 9 2017. Russia claimed these pictures showed "irrefutable evidence" that the US-led coalition... Читать дальше...

The European Parliament approved legislation on Wednesday designed to protect EU industries against excessively cheap imports from China. The new law, which was passed by 554 votes to 48 against, amends regulations on dumping and subsidies by third countries, such as China. It also allows investigators to take into account environmental and labour standards when setting import duties. The law, due to enter force before the end of the year, comes after China demanded it should no longer be treated as a special case from December 2016... Читать дальше...

Yesterday evening our public broadcaster held a supposed ‘post-mortem’ of the European Parliament debate on rule of law in Malta. It showed interviews with the Maltese MEP heads presenting the cases of their opposing sides at the debate, and clips of speeches during the plenary session. The ensuing panel discussion on Dissett took it for granted that the resolution will pass today (as it did, overwhelmingly). But we were given little insight into the bigger picture of the consequences for Malta, or what might or should happen next, if anything.

A Identity Malta official currently facing criminal proceedings withdrew €41,000 from his bank account, in spite of a court order freezing his assets. Mosta resident Joseph Calleja, 60, was arraigned on July 7 over fraud and misappropriation misappropriation of company funds to the tune of some €20,000, and was granted bail against a deposit of €1,000 and a personal guarantee of €10,000. A freezing order on all his property was also issued. However, upon his release from custody, the man had withdrawn €20,000 from his bank account... Читать дальше...

A newly discovered planet orbiting a nearby star could be the closest world to Earth providing a comfortable home for life. The Earth-sized planet, named Ross 128b, is just 11 light years away and thought to have a "mild" climate with temperatures ranging between an icy minus 60C and balmy 20C. That could mean it has oceans and lakes in which life may have evolved. But the best news for any plants or animals living on Ross 128b is the planet's peaceful parent star. Like many other exoplanets, it... Читать дальше...

Sliema Wanderers have bolstered their attack with the signing of Moldova forward Nicolae Milinceanu, on loan. In fact, the striker was signed by Swiss side Chiasso with whom the Blues have a technical collaboration and he will be available for John Buttigieg's selection immediately until February 2018.  Born in 1992, Milinceanu was a prominent figure in Moldova's U-21 squad with whom he played 17 times and found the net six times. His performances enabled him to feature for the Senior side, where... Читать дальше...

Sliema Wanderers have bolstered their attack with the signing of Moldova forward Nicolae Milinceanu, on loan. In fact, the striker was signed by Swiss side Chiasso with whom the Blues have a technical collaboration and he will be available for John Buttigieg's selection immediately until February 2018.  Born in 1992, Milinceanu was a prominent figure in Moldova's U-21 squad with whom he played 17 times and found the net six times. His performances enabled him to feature for the Senior side, where... Читать дальше...

A home for youths with disabilities has been opened in Pembroke, the first of its kind Warda can host minors – from young children to adolescents – and its 28 employees will be looking after a maximum of six residents. The €250,000 home was designed with wheelchair users in mind and includes areas for meetings with parents and for case conferences, as well as outdoor recreational space. This home is the eighth residence being opened as part of a project call Soċjetà Ġusta (Fair Society). The home... Читать дальше...

The Malta Police Force have no information on the whereabouts of Maria Efimova, the former Pilatus Bank employee turned whistleblower at the heart of the Egrant scandal. Ms Efimova apparently left the island for good taking along her family to a yet unknown destination. In August, Magistrate Joseph Mifsud had ordered her name to be placed on the wanted list after she repeatedly failed to turn up for a court sitting. In July, the court had ordered the woman to be brought to court under arrest and... Читать дальше...

A proposal to increase civil libel damages to €20,000 has been ditched under a revised Media and Defamation Bill unveiled this afternoon. On the other hand, the revised Bill seeks to introduce the principle of defamation of deceased persons, which will apply for up to 10 years following the defamed person's death.   Details on the revised Bill, whose first reading was approved in July, were given this afternoon during a press briefing addressed by Justice Minister Owen Bonnici and Education Minister Evarist Bartolo. Читать дальше...

Scotland will become the first country in the world to introduce minimum unit pricing for alcohol. Supreme Court justices gave their backing to the controversial measure in what ministers in Edinburgh hailed as an "historic and far-reaching judgment". Seven justices at the UK's highest court dismissed a legal challenge that had been brought against minimum unit pricing by the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA). The decision clears the way for the Scottish government to bring in the policy more than five years after MSPs passed legislation for it. Читать дальше...