Новости за 20.12.2017

Guardian for Future Generations chair Maurice Mizzi has hit out against the extension of hunting and trapping hours at Majjistral Park, irrespective of public consultation, citing sustainable development concerns. “It is the opinion of the Guardian that the previous arrangement whereby hunting at Majjistral was allowed until 10am was good enough to keep the balance between traditional hunting and trapping practices and the right of the general public to enjoy and appreciate the natural and heritage... Читать дальше...

Patriots 27, Steelers 24 Tom Brady led New England to the winning touchdown with 56 seconds left, ruining Pittsburgh's chance to clinch a first-round playoff bye and potentially homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. A touchdown by Dion Lewis on an eight-yard run capped a 77-yard drive to complete a rally from a 24-16 deficit. But the Steelers came right back on a 69-yard catch-and-run by rookie JuJu Smith-Schuster. He gave the Steelers the ball at the New England 10 with 34 seconds left. Tight... Читать дальше...

A motorbike rider considers himself lucky to still be alive after he was nearly pushed off the road by an inconsiderate driver on Tuesday night. The rider, who wanted to remain anonymous, said the clip (above) shows the dangers riders encounter on a daily basi. Spotted something worth sharing? Get in touch on mynews@timesofmalta.com

Air Malta has signed a collective agreement for ground handling staff, the third one for its staff over the past month. A fourth agreement – with pilots - will be signed “in the coming weeks”, and not by the end of the year, as initially targeted. The agreement for the ground handling staff was signed between Air Malta and the General Workers’ Union. It will see the hiving off of ground handling services to a company that will be set up next year. The new company will also ensure investment to allow for a competitive sector... Читать дальше...

The Maltese citizenry seriously lacks confidence in the justice system, according to a Eurobarometer survey. According to the study, which was conducted in November, just weeks after the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, the majority of the 503 respondents – 53 per cent – said that they did not trust the judicial and legal system. Compared to the findings from a similar study held six months earlier, mistrust in the judicial system grew by a staggering 11 percentage points. The police and the government suffered the same fate... Читать дальше...

An area the size of Gozo would have suffered a blackout yesterday had it not been for the new gas fired power station, the prime minister said. In a tweet this evening, Dr Muscat, addressing himself to the 'nay sayers still thinking #LNG project was unnecessary explained that on Tuesday, energy demand reached 374MW. The BWSC/interconnector combined give 350MW max output. "Without the new power plant we would have been 24MW short, meaning an area the size of Gozo would have been blacked out," Dr Muscat said. Читать дальше...

Bucks 119, Cavaliers 116 Giannis Antetokounmpo's three-point play with 5.9 seconds left capped a 27-point night and halted a furious comeback attempt as the Milwaukee Bucks snapped a three-game losing streak with a 119-116 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night at the Bradley Center. LeBron James led the Cavaliers with 39 points but wasn't on the floor in the fourth quarter as Cleveland used a 24-2 run to dig out of a deep deficit. Jeff Green and Dwyane Wade scored nine each in the final quarter... Читать дальше...

Sun, sea, sand and tower blocks in Benidorm, Spain. shutterstock Recently surfaced before and after shots of Benidorm – a seaside resort on the eastern coast of Spain – capture the physical transformations that have taken place in the region in less than 50 years. Gone is the small fishing village of single story houses and olive groves, and in its place has arisen the highest density of skyscrapers in Europe. The economic and social opportunities that have accompanied these changes have altered traditional lifestyles just as dramatically. Читать дальше...

While most musicians seek to avoid a frosty reception at concerts, for Norwegian composer and performer Terje Isungset a chilly feeling is nothing to fear: he performs with instruments he makes himself out of ice. A recent performance at London's Royal Festival Hall featured a set including ice horns, ice drums and an 'iceofone' - an ice xylophone - accompanied by the vocal stylings of singer Maria Skranes. He sees his work as being about more than making music, since he also aims to display the beauty and fragility of ice. Читать дальше...

Bulgaria's parliament passed anti-corruption legislation on Wednesday under European Union pressure over its failure to prosecute venal officials, but President Rumen Radev has said the bill is not fit for purpose and he will veto it. The Balkan, formerly communist country is the poorest as well as one of the most corrupt countries in the EU, which it joined in 2007, and has made scant progress towards stamping out graft and organised crime. The European Commission, the EU's executive, has repeatedly... Читать дальше...

France's prime minister, whose government has vowed to clean up politics, was forced on Wednesday to defend his decision to hire a private jet for €350,000 to fly back from Japan. Opposition politicians decried Edouard Philippe's use of the private charter, and a non-governmental agency that pursues financial wrongdoing in high places accused him of ignoring his own government's pledges of exemplary behaviour. President Emmanuel Macron came under fire earlier this month for celebrating his 40th birthday in the grounds of a royal palace. Читать дальше...

The chairman of the National Development and Social Fund, which has just invested €21.8 million in Bank of Valletta is the CEO of a company half-owned by BOV The fund, which by the end of last month contained €360 million from passport sales. It was set up to contribute to major projects of “national importance” and to contribute to a raft of social initiatives. Contacted yesterday, fund chairman David Curmi insisted the decision to invest in BOV was a unanimous one, taken by the board. Mr Curmi... Читать дальше...

Mcast students feel caught in the middle of an ongoing dispute between the college and its lecturers, and have called on both sides to resolve their issues before their studies suffer further. The Malta Union of Teachers declared an industrial dispute with Mcast three weeks ago over delays in negotiating a new lecturers’ collective agreement. A strike planned last Friday was called off after talks advanced, but industrial directives remain in place, which students say are creating an extremely stressful... Читать дальше...

A spotter in Bidnija called a phone that was out at sea right before Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed, a court heard today, with whoever was on the other end of the line hearing the explosion that killed her. Inspector Keith Arnaud told a court on Wednesday morning that all bar one of the SIM cards police were looking into as part of the murder investigation went silent once the fatal bomb went off. That one remaining SIM card was tracked to a cell tower in Marsa, and matched the times with CCTV footage of Alfred Degiorgio’s boat... Читать дальше...

The type of neighbourhood you live in predicts how likely you are to be obese, latest research shows. And it’s a bit more complicated than some might assume. Obesity is associated with a range of diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, arthritis and some cancers, so finding ways to stop people becoming obese is important for public health and for the public purse. More than a quarter of people in the UK are obese, but levels of obesity vary by region. We wanted to investigate the... Читать дальше...

The government will in the coming day be lifting its €360 guarantee for the Electrogas loan covering the new gas-fired power station in Delimara after the consortium signed a security of supply agreement with the government on Wednesday. Finance Minister Edward Scicluna said that a reliable and efficient power plant was fundamental for economic growth. He said that the expenditure on oil had gone down thanks to the better use of sources. "We gave an estimate of 22 months but we had to give extensions... Читать дальше...

New regulations to empower the Planning Authority and the Environment Authority to act for the regeneration of derelict areas if the owners fail to do so, were published in draft form for public consultation today. areas. "The proposed regulations provide the legal framework to enable the proactive regeneration of areas which become the victim of illegal dumping or reclamation and have remained in a derelict state for a period of time," the Planning Authority said.  The new law will enable the authorities... Читать дальше...

The disappearance of schoolchildren in a tunnel in Malta in the 1940s has inspired a movie which has just started showing at Eden cinemas. The Maltese-language Il-Misteru tal-Għoġol tad-Deheb focuses on two cousins who, after finding an ancient treasure map, try to find a golden calf mentioned in the Bible. Their adventure takes them to  the same underground labyrinth where the 1940s children went missing. Il-Misteru tal-Għoġol tad-Deheb was awarded development funding by The Malta Film Fund. As a result... Читать дальше...

The Bank of England said on Wednesday it would spare European banks costly extra capital requirements once Britain leaves the European Union, but said there would be "consequences" if Brexit talks turn sour. Setting out its position for a possible tussle with Brussels over London's position as a global financial hub, the BoE said it wanted to ensure it could effectively oversee foreign banks and financial services firms after Brexit. Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said big European banks operating... Читать дальше...

Tiny bits of plastic are contaminating mussels from the European Arctic to China in a sign of the global spread of ocean pollution that can end up on people's dinner plates. Mussels in apparently pristine Arctic waters had most plastic of any tested along the Norwegian coast, according to a study this month by the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA). Plastics may be getting swept north by ocean currents and winds from Europe and America, ending up swirling around the Arctic Ocean, NIVA researcher Amy Lusher told Reuters. Читать дальше...

Although a court decision on Tuesday granting Patrick Spiteri bail was reaffirmed by the Criminal Court on Wednesday, the disbarred lawyer remains behind bars since his arrest under separate proceedings still stood. In pleas during the appeal proceedings filed by the AG against a decree delivered two days ago by magistrate Josette Demicoli, granting Mr Spiteri bail, lawyer Stefano Filletti lambasted the “dangerous game” played by the prosecution. He said his client, extradited from the UK in May... Читать дальше...

Rosalino and Ignatius Saliba and the Friends of the Crib – Malta Society are exhibiting 23 Christmas cribs at ‘La Rosa Mansions’, Garage C, Good Shepherd Avenue, Balzan (a short distance from San Anton Gardens). The exhibition will be open until January 2 from Monday to Friday between 5 and 8pm, and on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 10am to noon and from 5 to 8 pm. Admission is free. For more information or enquiries, visit http://il-presepju.webs.com/ , Facebook page Wirja ta’Presepji f’Ħal Balzan... Читать дальше...

The European Union's executive has triggered proceedings against Poland which could lead to sanctions over its recent decisions involving the judiciary. The triggering of Article 7 was widely expected, and EU Commissioner Frans Timmermans said "we are doing this for Poland, for Polish citizens" so they can rely on a fully independent judiciary in their nation - a key underpinning of EU principles. Mr Timmermans said that despite the measure indicating that "the rule of law is under threat", he remained... Читать дальше...

Nationalist Party leader Adrian Delia will be exchanging Christmas and New Year greetings with the public at the party's headquarters in Pieta on Saturday between 10am and noon. Dr Delia will be accompanied by the party's administration.

Updated with John Mamo details Joe Bannister will step down from his current position as the head of the Malta Financial Services Authority on March 31, with John Mamo to take over as non-executive chairman. Prof. Mamo - the son of the late President Anthony Mamo - was the founder of John Mamo and Associates with merged with Tonna Camilleri Vassallo in 2000 to form leading legal firm Mamo TCV Advocates. He has served as commercial law professor at the University of Malta and as head of the same... Читать дальше...