Новости за 03.08.2018

The leader of Britain's opposition Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, said on Friday there was a "real problem" of anti-Semitism in his party which he would root out, but he also hit back at strong criticism of Labour from Jewish newspapers. In an article written for The Guardian newspaper, Corbyn stopped short of agreeing to adopt in full an internationally accepted definition of anti-Semitism, along with a series of examples, as sought by Jewish groups. Corbyn, a veteran campaigner for Palestinian rights and a critic of Israel... Читать дальше...

It’s been around for a while, and more and more Maltese have started using it. So why are people still loathe to make the ‘confession’ that they are into online dating? Victor Paul Borg shares his experiences. I met a highly-qualified psychologist on the dating app Tinder, an encounter that made both of us feel rather smug with giddy vindication, this sense of encountering someone given to constant research and intellectual analysis. I could hear the excitement in her outbreaks of garrulousness and see it in her springy gait. Читать дальше...

A Maltese gamer has made it to the final four of the 2018 FIFA eWorld Cup, guaranteeing himself a $20,000 payday in the process. Kurt Fenech, who plays using the username ‘kurt0411’, beat the 2017 world champion ‘gorilla’  to make it to the Xbox One category final of the prestigious e-sports competition, in which gamers face each other in games of FIFA 18. Sporting a Malta flag on his sleeve, Mr Fenech won the first leg 4-1 and held on to qualify on aggregate despite going down 0-1 in the second leg. Читать дальше...

A construction worker was badly injured on Friday afternoon after he fell from a crane in Mosta. The man, a 51-year-old who lives in Mosta, fell around one and half storeys while working at a site on Triq il-Fortizza, the police said. The accident was reported at around 4.15pm. An ambulance rushed the victim to Mater Dei Hospital, where he is being treated.

Three Russian TV journalists killed in volatile Central African Republic spoke no French, had trouble communicating with their driver, and had inconsistent contact with their local fixer, according to two people who were in touch with the journalists. The three, working for a journalism project funded by anti-Kremlin campaigner Mikhail Khodorkovsky, went to Central African Republic to investigate the activities of the Wagner Group, a clandestine firm of Russian private military contractors. They were killed on Monday... Читать дальше...

A 42-year-old motorcyclist living in Floriana was grievously hurt on Friday afternoon in a traffic collision in Siġġiewi. The man was rising a Kymco Downtown motorbike along Triq l-Imqabba at around 3.45pm when he collided with a Hino truck, which was being driven by a 32-year-old Siġġiewi man. An ambulance was called to the scene and the Floriana man was rushed to Mater Dei Hospital for treatment, the police said. Investigations are ongoing, they added.

Pilatus Bank has gone to court in an effort to force the MFSA to withdraw its directives against the bank. In a statement issued on Friday evening, Pilatus Holdings accused the financial regulator of being negligent and gullible, and said that it would be holding it responsible for the “very significant” damages it could end up suffering. The bank said it had filed a judicial protest earlier this week calling it to withdraw directives imposed and serving it notice that it was ready to sue for any damages it incurred. Читать дальше...

Local favourite Cheryl Lofreda won the first Red Bull Dance Your Style edition in Malta in a thrilling final night during which 16 competitors took part. The event was held at Tritons Square, in Valletta, where the finalists presented different styles in the street-dance contest. Participants competed in one-against-one contests and were judged on style, creativity and rhythm. The winner was decided by popular vote among the audience by means of red and blue placards. Besides Lofreda, the other finalists were Mark Scerri... Читать дальше...

Having now entered her sixth decade in the business and just released a new album with a probable italian launch on the horizon, Malta’s most beloved all-rounder chats to Iggy Fenech about the past, present and future over a leisurely lunch at Ristorante La Vela. Mary Rose Mallia is an icon, yet a lot of people know her by different names. Like ‘Lieni’ from her time on Simpatiċi, or ‘is- Saħħara ta’ Wied Għafrid’ from her song in the musical Taħt Tlett Saltniet… A song which, according to veteran radio DJ Enzo Gusman... Читать дальше...

Argentina have named current under-17 coach Lionel Scaloni as interim boss for upcoming friendlies against Guatemala and Colombia. Scaloni, a former right back who also helped as assistant coach with the national side, replaces Jorge Sampaoli, who stood down last month after a disappointing World Cup in which Argentina were eliminated by France 4-3 in the round of 16. "The AFA informs that after a meeting of the Executive Committee, Lionel Scaloni will coach the future friendlies along with his assistants... Читать дальше...

Standard & Poor’s decision to downgrade by two notches the risk score of Malta’s banking sector is considered by operators to be a major blow to the island’s reputation as an international financial centre. The agency also downgraded the standing of Bank of Valletta even though, liquidity-wise, Malta’s largest bank remains a robust and highly-regulated institution with no risks for investors. Banking experts, including a former Central Bank of Malta governor, expressed concern over the developing situation... Читать дальше...

A man was found dead in Paceville on Friday afternoon, with police suspecting he was the victim of a drug overdose.  The victim is a 36-year-old British national, the police said. His lifeless body was found in St Augustine Street around 2.30pm.   Police are investigating. No further details are available. It is the second fatality of the day, after a 30-year-old woman was murdered in Santa Venera.

Additional anaesthetic nurses are to be deployed at Mater Dei Hospital’s main operating theatres, following a meeting about union directives called over staff shortages. Last week, nurses at Mater Dei’s main operating theatre were instructed by the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses (MUMN) not to participate in medical interventions in cases of shortages. The directives applied to some 190 scrub and anaesthetic nurses, deputy charge, charge and practice nurses. As a consequence, some operations were... Читать дальше...

An Ontario man drove to a police station to prove that he was drunk, only to end up facing drink-driving charges. The 32-year-old walked into a Mississauga police station and asked officers to breathalyse him, so that he could prove to his friends that he wasn’t drunk. He was found to be one-and-a-half times over the legal blood alcohol limit, and promptly served with impaired driving charges, CBC News reported.

Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne has urged Cabinet colleague Konrad Mizzi and the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, Keith Schembri, to wait for the outcome of ongoing inquiries before claiming to be “cleared”. When it was announced that the Egrant inquiry found no link between the Prime Minister’s wife and the Panama company, as had been alleged, Dr Mizzi took to Facebook to claim that the inquiring magistrate had “cleared” him and Mr Schembri of wrongdoing. The 49 or so pages containing the main... Читать дальше...

President Emmerson Mnangagwa called on Friday for Zimbabwe to unite behind him after he was declared winner of national elections, but the opposition leader insisted he had won and said he would use all means necessary to challenge the result. Mnangagwa said his victory was won fairly and he had nothing to hide, although he criticised chaotic scenes where police shouting "clear out" chased away journalists waiting for a briefing by his main presidential election rival Nelson Chamisa. Chamisa later... Читать дальше...

Elderly people at risk of social exclusion are finding comfort in fellow elderly Żebbuġ residents who drop by to check in on them, or help them out with their errands. The initiative, launched in March by the Active Ageing Departmentand Caritas Malta, has seen 13 elderly volunteers hang out with another 14 elderly residents who are more vulnerable. The project will be replicated in other localities. Cynthia Formosa, from the Active Ageing Department said this pilot project not only helped avoid people from falling victim to solitude... Читать дальше...

Chelsea playmaker Pedro has signed a one-year contract extension to extend his stay at Stamford Bridge until 2020, the Premier League club has said. The 31-year-old, a World Cup and European Championships winner with Spain, joined Chelsea in 2015 and has since made 131 appearances across all competitions, winning the league title in 2017 and the FA Cup last term. "It's important for me to continue with Chelsea, I am comfortable here and want to win new titles and trophies. I want to help the team... Читать дальше...

The Żebbuġ local council has raised concerns over plans for a new Lidl supermarket on land that is outside development zones between Mdina Road and Attard Road. The proposal, currently being assessed by the Planning Authority, would involve the demolition of the existing SMW Cortis building to make way for the supermarket as well as surface parking and a basement-level commercial and industrial complex. Around a third of the 14,000 square metre site is designated as an area of containment, where industrial development is allowed... Читать дальше...

The Żebbuġ local council has raised concerns over plans for a new Lidl supermarket on land that is outside development zones between Mdina Road and Attard Road. The proposal, currently being assessed by the Planning Authority, would involve the demolition of the existing SMW Cortis building to make way for the supermarket as well as surface parking and a basement-level commercial and industrial complex. Around a third of the 14,000 square metre site is designated as an area of containment, where industrial development is allowed... Читать дальше...

Australian Daniel Ricciardo will end his long relationship with Red Bull and join Renault on a two-year deal next season in a surprise announcement that jolted Formula One ahead of its August shutdown. The move, just when it looked a done deal that the 29-year-old would be staying put, is likely to trigger other moves around the paddock. "It was probably one of the most difficult decisions to take in my career so far," said Ricciardo in a Renault statement. "But I thought that it was time for me to take on a fresh and new challenge. Читать дальше...

Auxiliary Bishop-elect Joseph Galea Curmi will be ordained at a pontifical mass to be held at the Mdina Cathedral on Saturday evening. The mass will be presided over by Archbishop Charles Scicluna.  In a brief video published on Thursday, Mgr Galea Curmi said that he was approaching the event with prayer and excitement. “I pray to God to fill me with his strength and spirit, so that I can serve as His shepherd in my role as Malta’s auxiliary bishop,” he said. In the video, Mgr Galea Curmi urged people... Читать дальше...

Tons of seaweed remain on two small picturesque Gozitan sandy beaches frequented by hundreds of bathers, particularly during the weekends. Bathers who frequented San Blas and Daħlet Qorrot complained that the beaches were not cleaned up as usually happens before the summer season was in full swing, Times of Malta was told on Thursday. “It is very strange that, despite the many people engaged by the government in Gozo, they did not find the time and the human resources to clear the stuff and make... Читать дальше...

A consultation process for the setting up of a Regional Authority for the development of Gozo was launched on Friday. Launching the process, Gozo Minister Justyne Caruana said that over the years, all governments created governing instruments to give the regional aspects of Gozo more attention. The authority would strengthen the institutional structure of the island. The ministry would focus on political direction based on national policy emphasising the island’s special needs. This would permit the authority to institutionalise several roles. Читать дальше...

An unemployed 28-year-old man was granted bail after pledging to seek help for his drug addiction.The defendant, whose name cannot be published by court order, was arraigned this morning before Magistrate Claire-Louise Stafrace. He pleaded not guilty to cultivating two cannabis plants, being in possession of psychotropic medicine and having an unlicensed fire weapon. Police inspector Shaun Friggieri who prosecuted, told the court that they were alerted about the case by the mother of the accused... Читать дальше...