Новости за 30.12.2017

An Egyptian court has convicted former Islamist president Mohammed Morsi and 18 others of insulting the judiciary and sentenced them to three years in prison. Among defendants in the case in Cairo were prominent rights activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah and political analyst Amr Hamzawy, both of whom were fined 30,000 Egyptian pounds (£1,250). Abdel-Fattah is serving a five-year sentence for taking part in an illegal protest in 2013. Hamzawy lives in exile. Saturday's verdict can be appealed. Morsi, Egypt's first freely elected president... Читать дальше...

Commercial drivers should be road safety ambassadors and not be given more room to break their driving obligations, according to the Malta Road Safety Council’s executive manager, Pierre Vella. He was reacting to comments made by the GRTU – Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises about the traffic penalty point system, which has been extended to all drivers. Whereas before the beginning of this month it used to apply only to those who had just obtained their driving licence, all motorists now risk... Читать дальше...

A Florida woman who found some Christmas presents on the side of a busy road is trying to find the child they were intended for. Andrea Reid told NBC2 she was heading to a Christmas Eve gathering with her family when she spotted something through the fog on the side of Interstate 75 near North Port. She stopped and took the gifts. She said the wrapping had come off several of the presents, probably when they fell from a car. Ms Reid added she could not "imagine being that person getting to the house and all excited to give these gifts away... Читать дальше...

TheatreAlice in WonderlandManoel Theatre When I sneaked into the Manoel Theatre last week, to get a sneak preview of Masquerade’s latest panto, I was pleasantly surprised by the changes made to the theatre auditorium itself, but all the more so by the incredible work that goes into staging this very seasonal entertainment staple. Very often audiences forget the large amount of time and effort, not to mention the patience that the cast, crew and creatives put into the development before presenting the finished product. Читать дальше...

The Gaulitanus Choir’s programme of events for the festive season reaches a climax on Monday, when it will musically usher in the New Year with the sixth edition of A New Year’s Toast. The choir will present a festive musical repertoire intended to set a positive mood for the year’s start. Hence, some Christmassy numbers, such as the main excerpts from the oratorio The Story of Christmas by US composer Henry Alexander Matthews and a special medley compiled by Colin Attard entitled Ding, Dong! The Christmas Bells are Ringing! Читать дальше...

Santa’s Toy Town at Popeye Village is a seven-room village where Santa’s elves work hard to prepare toys for Santa to deliver. It features a spectacular mascot parade for all the family to enjoy; a dance with the elves and puppet shows. Those attending can roam in the enchanted forest, search for Santa and sing along to all popular Christmas songs. The Christmas package includes the following: • Entrance to Popeye’s film set; • A variety of Christmas-themed animation shows; • Entrance to Santa’s... Читать дальше...

A starving dog with open gaping bleeding wounds was among the six dogs  admitted by an animal welfare NGO on Friday. The dogs had been rescued by the Animal Welfare Directorate from the "squalid" farm on Biżbija, according to the Association for Abandoned Animals. "We have named him Nathan and this is the sad state that he is in - open gaping bleeding wounds on back and completely starved," the NGO said on a Facebook post. The AAA thanked the Animal Welfare for the rescue, especially the director... Читать дальше...

The Beatles' Ringo Starr and Bee Gees co-founder Barry Gibb have been awarded knighthoods in the New Year Honours, alongside a string of political figures including former Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg and key Tory backbencher Graham Brady. Gibb, who is recognised for his services to music and charity, dedicated the honour to his late brothers and former bandmates and said: "The magic, the glow, and the rush will last me the rest of my life." The musicians are joined on the list by Strictly Come Dancing judge Darcey Bussell... Читать дальше...

The year 1992 had been so bad for the British monarchy that Queen Elizabeth had called it an annus horribilis. It is unlikely that President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca will use that term to describe 2017. But it was. Malta started the year with the presidency of the European Union, a hyped-up ceremonial post that became a damp squib when an unexpected snap election, called a year too early, took the island by storm. Away from the electoral programmes, a new vocabulary began to emerge, most especially on the social media. Читать дальше...

A seven-year-old Texas boy has died after his father's girlfriend allegedly opened fire as the man drove away with his son and two other children, police said. Greenville police said Kaden Green died at a hospital after being taken there by a witness following the shooting on Thursday afternoon. The woman accused of shooting the boy, 26-year-old Brooke Craig, was arrested early on Friday along with the child's father, 24-year-old Cameron Castillo, in the Dallas suburb of Frisco about 45 miles west of Greenville. Читать дальше...

Nationalist Party leader Adrian Delia has filed an application with the taxman to settle his dues but no arrangements have been made yet, the Times of Malta has learnt. Dr Delia owes more than €50,000 in tax and another €35,000 in penalties and fines. A spokesman said Dr Delia had sent an application to the Inland Revenue Department to be able to settle his outstanding balances. The department, he noted, had not yet replied. “Dr Delia has filed the relevant application to settle arrears and is awaiting... Читать дальше...

CAMILLERI. On December 29, LAWRENCE, former Mid-Med Bank Gozo Manager, aged 79, passed away. Grateful for his life are his wife Carmen, his children Noel and wife Rose, Tanya and husband Pascal, Ronald and wife Annie, Norma and husband Andrè, his grandchildren Anne Marie, Nathania, Luke, Chiara and Tiffany, his brothers Joseph, Fr George, SJ and sisters Vitorina and Katie, numerous relatives and friends. The funeral cortège leaves Gozo General Hospital on Tuesday, January 2, at 2.45pm for Xagħra Collegiate Basilica... Читать дальше...

These are the main stories featured in today's newspapers. Times of Malta reports that the unmanned private jet that crashed into a building at Luqa on Wednesday was properly secured and parked according to procedure,according to preliminary investigations. It also reports that Nationalist Party leader Adrian Delia has filed an application with the taxman to settle his dues but no arrangements have been made yet. In-Nazzjon says Lm38 million in cash remain unconverted 10 years since Malta introduced the euro. Читать дальше...

International artists will be taking to the stage at St George’s Square in Valletta tomorrow to ring in the New Year as well as the start of the Valletta 2018 – the European Capital of Culture. The New Year’s Eve event will kick off at 8.30pm and will include three international artistes – the Ember Trio – a new-age string trio who combine a unique blend of classical and contemporary production elements and who are considered Europe’s most successful classical crossover string trio. The line-up... Читать дальше...

It was a year of disasters, though sadly many of them were entirely man-made. From car bombs to massive fires, murders to political intrigue, 2017 was packed with news events which kept readers on tenterhooks – though it was another, altogether different occurrence, which drove a record-breaking number of readers to the Times of Malta website. Here’s our countdown of 2017’s most-read stories. 10. Fire at Mtaħleb animal park Two leopards, an emu and several monkeys were killed when an overnight fire... Читать дальше...

It was a year of disasters, though sadly many of them were entirely man-made. From car bombs to massive fires, murders to political intrigue, 2017 was packed with news events which kept readers on tenterhooks – though it was another, altogether different occurrence, which drove a record-breaking number of readers to the Times of Malta website. Here’s our countdown of 2017’s most-read stories. 10. Fire at Mtaħleb animal park Two leopards, an emu and several monkeys were killed when an overnight fire... Читать дальше...

Phil Taylor held off a spirited fightback from Gary Anderson to move closer to a dream William Hill World Darts Championship final against defending champion Michael van Gerwen. The 57-year-old, playing in his last tournament before retirement, claimed a 5-3 victory at Alexandra Palace to keep alive his hopes of winning a 17th world title. Van Gerwen was made to work significantly harder on his way to a 5-4 win over Dutch compatriot Raymond van Barneveld in a thrilling quarter-final. Taylor will... Читать дальше...

Companies seeking to “bulk up” to offset the uncertainty caused by Britain’s looming EU exit helped to spur a near doubling of domestic mergers and acquisition activity this year, according to Thomson Reuters data. The volume of UK domestic deals surged to £51 billion as the number of deals between British groups jumped from 1,480 to 1,681, the highest level since 2008, the data show. They included online gambling company GVC’s purchase of bookmaker Ladbrokes Coral for as much as £3.9 billion and... Читать дальше...

A consortium led by SoftBank Group Corp will buy a large number of shares of Uber Technologies Inc in a deal that values the ride-services firm at $48 billion, Uber said on Thursday, in a victory for new chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi. The price is a roughly 30 per cent discount to Uber’s most recent valuation of $68 billion. The deal will trigger a number of changes in the way the board oversees the company, which is dealing with federal criminal probes, a high-stakes lawsuit and an overhaul of its workplace culture. Читать дальше...

In a three-day week, the MSE Equity Total Return Index ended 2017 on a positive note having advanced by 1.34 per cent.  Despite this performance, however, the index’s yearly performance remained negative, closing 1.47 per cent lower at 8,669.132 points. A total of 14 equities were active during the week of which nine advanced, while three closed in the red. Total turnover during the week amounted to €1.097 million. In the banking sector, Bank of Valletta plc (BOV) shares continued where they left... Читать дальше...

Markets are ending 2017 in a party mood after a pick-up in global growth boosted corporate profits and commodities, while tame inflation kept central banks from snatching away the punch bowl of easy monetary policy. MSCI’s world equity index, which tracks 47 countries, inched up 0.13 per cent, and was poised to add a 14th straight month of gains to put it at an all-time high. The index gained 22 per cent for the year. Emerging markets have led the charge with gains of 34 per cent. Hong Kong surged 36 per cent... Читать дальше...

In years past, demand for Apple Inc.’s latest flagship phone was critical to the company’s results over the holiday shopping quarter. That dynamic might be changing, however, as Apple’s widening line-up of devices and services more than makes up for any tepidness in demand this quarter for its lead product, the $999 iPhone X. On Tuesday, Apple’s stock fell 2.5 per cent to $170.57 after Taiwan’s Economic Daily and several analysts suggested that iPhone X sales in the fiscal first quarter would be 30 million units... Читать дальше...