Новости за 11.12.2017

New rules to legalise medicinal cannabis products would under no circumstances allow smokeable cannabis to be sold legally, Health Minister Chris Fearne told parliament on Monday as he said the government was in no way "soft on drugs".  Speaking during a debate on amendments to the Treatment not Imprisonment Act first introduced in 2015, Mr Fearne emphasised that it was the medical, and not recreational, use of cannabis and cannabis-derived products that was under discussion. Legal amendments would allow any registered doctor... Читать дальше...

Pacers 126, Nuggets 116 Victor Oladipo scored a career-high 47 points to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 126-116 overtime victory over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday night. The Pacers held a 12-2 advantage in overtime as Oladipo scored six points in the extra session. Oladipo sank 15 of 28 shots, including 6 of 12 3-point attempts. Myles Turner added 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting and had eight rebounds for the Pacers. Thaddeus Young scored 18 points. Trey Lyles, a 2014 Indiana Mr. Basketball who played for Arsenal Tech High School in Indianapolis... Читать дальше...

UK Prime Minister Theresa May hailed "a new sense of optimism" in Brexit talks, telling parliament on Monday an agreement to move negotiations on to future trade ties is progress and will reassure those concerned Britain may leave with no deal. May, weakened after losing her Conservatives' majority at a June election, rescued an agreement last week to move the talks to unravel more than 40 years of union on to a second phase after easing the concerns of her Northern Irish allies over the future role of the border with EU member Ireland. Читать дальше...

A Mattia Preti painting which the Gozo Ministry bought for $400,000 (€370,000) will be publicly displayed for the first time on Wednesday as part of the island's Republic Day celebrations.   An oil on canvas painted in the 17th-century, Daniel Interpreting Nebuchadnezzar’s First Dream was purchased to be the centrepiece of the Gozo Museum being developed in Victoria through EU funding.  The €370,000 outlay - eight times the Gozo Ministry's cultural budget - had raised eyebrows among Opposition MPs at the time. Читать дальше...

Malta is not picking sides between Israel and Palestine but rather wants mutual recognition and peace between the two, Foreign Minister Carmelo Abela told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.  Speaking at an informal working breakfast foreign ministers from the EU28 had with Mr Netanyahu, Dr Abela reiterated his concern at US President Donald Trump's decision last week to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital. “We believe that the aspirations of the Israelis and the Palestinians must be fulfilled... Читать дальше...

Malta is not picking sides between Israel and Palestine but rather wants mutual recognition and peace between the two, Foreign Minister Carmelo Abela told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.  Speaking at an informal working breakfast foreign ministers from the EU28 had with Mr Netanyahu, Dr Abela reiterated his concern at US President Donald Trump's decision last week to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital. “We believe that the aspirations of the Israelis and the Palestinians must be fulfilled... Читать дальше...

A Somali television journalist was killed in a car bombing in the capital Mogadishu on Monday, an editor for the TV station and local authorities said. Mohamed Ibrahim Gabow had borrowed the car from a friend, Mohamed Moalim Mustaf, an editor at Kalsan TV, told Reuters. "Unexpectedly it exploded and he died on the spot. We do not know who was behind it," he added. Local government officials confirmed the incident. "The journalist ... died after a bomb planted in a car he drove exploded. His body has now been taken to a hospital. Читать дальше...

A Christmas market that can stake a claim to be Malta's biggest drew large crowds over the past days, as locals and visitors alike soaked up the festive spirit in Rabat's narrow streets.  Now in its second year, Natalis Notabilis is organised and run by volunteers keen to add a bit of Christmas joy to the historic town while raising funds for historical restoration and conservation projects.  From gifts to food, theatre and exhibitions, the market holds something in store for all ages and interests. Читать дальше...

Paul Mercieca has been elected chairman of Allied Newspapers Limited during the 68th annual general meeting of the company. Before retiring in December 2013, Mr Mercieca served as the Chief Executive Officer of Deloitte, Malta. He served as a member of the Accountancy Board between 1988 and 1996 and is a former council member of the Malta Institute of Accountants. He was also the chairman of the institute's Risk Management Committee and served on the independence, ethics and regulatory committee. Читать дальше...

While much of the West has barred smoking in restaurants and bars, Austria's planned ban has gone up in smoke. The small, affluent country is famed for its Alpine scenery and its capital, Vienna, is regularly rated as the world's best city to live in. But many visitors are surprised to find that nights out often feature the acrid smell of decades past. Austria passed a law banning smoking in bars and restaurants as of May 2018. But that will now be overturned under a deal between the conservative... Читать дальше...

The downsizing made by Air Malta during the Labour government’s first term in office led to the loss of millions in revenue and reversed the benefits of the five-year restructuring plan agreed with the European Union in 2012, airline sources have said. The decisions taken by then tourism minister, Edward Zammit Lewis, and chairperson Maria Micallef to shrink the airline by reducing the number of planes, cutting routes and trying to sell the airline to Alitalia, led to a haemorrhage in revenue. “The... Читать дальше...

Police responding to reports of a bar brawl in St Paul's Bay ended up catching a man hiding cocaine in his mouth while breaking his curfew, a court heard today.  Ramzi Abdulhafid Ib Abukem, a 35-year old living at St Paul’s Bay, was caught at the bar at 4am on Sunday, when police who arrived to stop a fight between a separate group of men spotted him and immediately realised he ought to have been at home.  When officers searched him, they found a sachet of suspected cocaine hidden in his mouth. ... Читать дальше...

A United States Navy ship involved in a joint effort to take back Libyan cities from Islamic State forces visited Malta and is set to leave harbour on Monday. The operation, dubbed “Odyssey Lightning,” saw the US and Libyan governments collaborate to take back the city of Sert from ISIS forces. The USS Carney conducted battlefield illumination, providing light for marines conducting airstrikes, allowing them to close in and retake the city. Based in Rota, Spain, the ship was originally assigned for the Phased Adaptive Approach... Читать дальше...

Sound barriers are to be installed at the Kappara flyover to help contain traffic noise for residents in the area, as the contractor applies the project's finishing touches.  Workers are now applying a second layer of asphalt to the project roads and will follow that up with a final wearing course. They will soon install directional signage and remain on course to finish the project by the end of the year, Transport Malta said on Monday.  The flyover was opened to traffic in September but work on... Читать дальше...

A man who violently assaulted a woman at the Embassy shopping complex in Valletta early on Sunday morning was handed a six-month jail term on Monday.  Hussen Hassan Abdirahman, 28, attacked the woman at some time between 7 and 8am on Sunday. He admitted to the violent assault, offending public morals, harassing and injuring the woman and damaging her mobile phone.   Duty magistrate Gabriella Vella sentenced Mr Abdirahman, who is Somali-born and lives in Marsa, to an effective jail term of six months. Читать дальше...

A police officer was rushed to hospital with serious injuries on Monday afternoon after he was involved in a traffic accident in Qormi.  The accident happened at around noon on Mdina Road, when the 26-year-old Naxxar constable riding a squad motorbike collided with a Toyota Yaris driven by a 45-year-old from Santa Venera.  He was taken to Mater Dei Hospital by ambulance, where he is being treated. Police say they are investigating further.

An Mcast teachers' strike scheduled for Friday is still on, after talks between the Malta Union of Teachers and college management failed on Monday morning.The MUT announced the one-day strike two weeks ago, saying that the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology did not stick to deadlines to present their financial counter-proposals during collective agreement negotiations. "We received a counter proposal on financials during a meeting held earlier today, but it was deemed unsatisfactory,” MUT president Marco Bonnici said on Monday. Читать дальше...

Italian club Napoli will face German high-flyers RB Leipzig in the pick of the Europa League last-32 ties following the draw on Monday. Both sides are second in their domestic championships having dropped into the Europa League after finishing third in their Champions League groups. The other sides entering the Europa League at the first knockout stage after failing to make the last 16 of the Champions League are Borussia Dortmund, Atletico Madrid, Spartak Moscow, Celtic, CSKA Moscow and Sporting Lisbon. Читать дальше...

Air pollution from road traffic is putting unborn babies’ health at risk, according to a study. The findings published in the BMJ suggest exposure to traffic pollution in London during pregnancy is linked to low birth weight. A team led by Imperial College London used national birth registers to study more than 540,000 births in Greater London between 2006 and 2010. Researchers estimated average monthly concentrations of traffic-related pollutants by looking at the mother’s home address at the time of birth. Читать дальше...

Updated 4.05pm An explosion rocked New York's Port Authority Bus Terminal, one of the city's busiest commuter hubs, on Monday morning and police said one suspect was injured and in custody, with three other injuries reported. Police were not yet identifying the device used. Local television channel WABC cited police sources as saying a possible pipe bomb detonated in a passageway below ground and WPIX cited sources as saying a man with a “possible second device” has been detained in the subway tunnel. Читать дальше...

Updated 3.10pm An explosion rocked New York's Port Authority, one of the city's busiest commuter hubs, on Monday morning and police said one suspect was injured and in custody but that no-one else was hurt in the rush-hour incident. Police confirmed one person was in custody but were not yet identifying the device used. Local news channel WABC cited police sources as saying a possible pipe bomb detonated in a passageway below ground at Port Authority and WPIX cited sources as saying a man with a... Читать дальше...

The Malta Police have invited the public to join in a pistol shooting marathon on Saturday in aid of the Community Chest Fund. The event will be held at the police shooting range at Ta’ Kandja Complex, near Siggiewi between 8am and 6pm. The event is open to all TA’A’ licensed shooters "and all unlicensed participants over 16 years of age," according to a notice on the Police Facebook page. The police website says that for a person to obtain a target shooter licence A, he has to be a member of a... Читать дальше...

Malta is one of three countries which has opted out of the EU's new defence and security cooperation. Denmark, the UK and Malta opted out of the agreement which lays the foundation for a proposed European defence union. Since certain operations of the new entity might be in breach of the neutrality clause of Malta's constitution, the government decided to take a step back, sources told Times of Malta. "Once the operation is up-and-running, the government might revisit its decision. At this stage... Читать дальше...

Updated 2.24pm A man who admitted involvement in a drug trafficking case 14 years ago, but has since reformed himself and become an inspiration to others, was jailed for three years today despite appeals for a non-custodial sentence. William Agius was also fined €3,000 and had his property confiscated. He could have faced between four years and 20 years in prison. Justice Minister Owen Bonnici said this was 'a sensible judgement'. Mr Agius's plight recently made the headlines, even prompting... Читать дальше...

The destiny of a reformed drug addict accused of drug trafficking 14 years ago will be determined later today after he entered a guilty plea before a magistrate this morning. The plight of William Agius recently made the headlines, even prompting a petition to President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca which gathered thousands of signatures in a matter of days. Mr Agius was 18 years old, unemployed and in the grip of drug addiction when he was caught red-handed in the middle of a drug deal in Qormi near a primary school. Читать дальше...