Новости за 05.09.2015

Archbishop Charles J Scicluna and Imam Mohamed El Sadi this evening jointly took part in a wreath laying ceremony to mark the 450th anniversary of the Great Siege in Valletta. They addressed the distinguished guests at the foot of the Great Siege Monument in Republic Street and laid flowers along with, among others, the Speaker, the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition. The Imam, who was the first to deliver his speech, underscored that in any religion, there is no war that is 'holy' and... Читать дальше...

England qualified for Euro 2016 after crushing San Marino 6-0 today, with Wayne Rooney equalling Bobby Charlton's all-time scoring record of 49 goals for his country. The visitors outclassed San Marino's part-timers as they chalked up a seventh successive Group E win to seal their place in France next year. Rooney equalled Charlton's record when he scored with a 13th-minute penalty, sending goalkeeper Aldo Simoncini the wrong way. Cristian Brolli headed into his own net after 30 minutes before Ross... Читать дальше...

Labour MP Charles Buhagiar, who chairs the Building Industry Consultative Council, has employed its former chairman as an assistant. Martin Debono, an architect by profession and a former Labour candidate, has been employed directly by Mr Buhagiar without a call for applications. He is being paid almost €27,000 a year for his services. The BICC was founded under a Labour administration in 1997 by Mr Buhagiar, then minister responsible for public works. The first chairman he appointed was Mr Debono. Читать дальше...

Alternattiva Demokratika has issued its reaction to the White Paper on transport, listing recommendations which include the possible introduction of a congestion charge for some areas. In its proposals, AD said it disagreed with making schools open earlier as a way to reduce congestion. It said that: Streets near schools need to be better supervised, including the organisation of supervised walking routes in localities. A national school transport service should also be set up. The frequency of the bus service also needs to be stepped up... Читать дальше...

A car ended up partly in mid-air overhanging a boathouse this afternoon, injuring a man with falling stones. The freak incident happened at about 5pm in Triq ix-Xtut, Qawra. The car, a Peugeot 406, was being reversed when it mounted the pavement, demolished railing and ended up on the boathouse's roof, with its rear wheels in mid-air. A man who was sitting outside the boathouse, one storey below, suffered injuries to one of his feet as a result of falling stones. A car parked outside the boathouse, a canopy and an air-conditioner were damaged.

Azerbaijan coach Robert Prosinecki is not underestimating Malta and is expecting a very difficult test in tomorrow's Euro 2016 Group H qualifier at the National Stadium. “We are bracing ourselves for a very difficult match,” the former Croatia midfielder told reporters. “Malta played a very good match against Italy and had enough chances to win the match so it will not be easy. “Having said that, we are too coming from a very good performance against Croatia and our main goal will be to win the match.”... Читать дальше...

Updated - Adds PL reaction - Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said today that no action should be taken by the Nationalist Party against Francis Zammit Dimech, who is among those charged in relation to the death of a worker on the site of the Seabank Hotel in Mellieha. Dr Zammit Dimech was a non-executive director of the hotel at the time. The worker died when a ceiling collapsed. Dr Busuttil issued his statement after the prime minister two Sundays ago asked if action would be taken against the... Читать дальше...

Malta national coach Pietro Ghedin has set his sights on picking some points from tomorrow's Euro 2016 Group H match against Azerbaijan at the National Stadium (kick-off: 6pm). In midweek, the national team were at the wrong end of a 1-0 defeat to Italy in Florence but the gutsy performance from the Maltese players against the Azzurri drew a lot of praise and Ghedin said it’s about time the team finally starts to reap points from their performances. “We are coming from a very encouraging performance... Читать дальше...

Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton put Mercedes on pole position for the Italian Grand Prix today with Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen joining him on the front row. The pole was Hamilton's 11th in 12 races, and seventh in a row for the Briton, and the 23rd in succession for reigning champions Mercedes -- one short of the record set by the Williams team in 1992-93. Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel qualified third for the team's home race while Hamilton's German team mate Nico Rosberg will start in fourth... Читать дальше...

A woman's screams foiled a burglary in Triq il-Keffa, Swieqi this morning. The woman, 65, started screaming when she found the man in a bedroom. He spoke in a foreign language and punched her in the face as he ran out. He also briefly scuffled with the woman's daughter near the front door before running away. A neighbour gave chase, to no avail, but managed to take the above picture, which he has uploaded to Facebook while urging residents to be vigilant.  No items of value were stolen. The man... Читать дальше...

The Nationalist Party said today that it appeared that both corruption as well as the language used, were common between the Labour Party and its former treasurer Joe Sammut.  Beppe Fenech Adami, PN deputy leader for party affairs,observed that during the compilation of evidence a few days ago against Mr Sammut, police Inspector Jonathan Ferris testified that during the police raid on Mr Sammut's house, Mr Sammut accused him of undermining investment in the country.  This, Dr Fenech Adami said, was... Читать дальше...

Search and rescue charity MOAS (Migrant Offshore Aid Station) has received more than €1 million in donations from all over the world in the past 48 hours. Since heartbreaking photos were published showing Syrian toddler Aylan Kurdi washed ashore a Turkish beach, MOAS (www.moas.eu) said it has been among many NGOs receiving 'a tidal wave of support'. "Donations have poured in every few seconds from all over the world including the US, UK, Turkey, Germany and Brazil," it said. Meanwhile, a crowdfunding... Читать дальше...

The chairman of the parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee, Luciano Busuttil, this morning praised a Washington Post article that pointed out how the Arab world’s wealthiest nations are doing next to nothing for Syria’s refugees. "It is true that EU countries have to share our burden proportionally on the fundamental concept of solidarity among member states. But this article hits the right spot," the Labour MP said on Facebook.  The article points out that some European countries have been criticized... Читать дальше...

The Archbishop has appointed Fr Valentino Borg as parish priest of Kirkop and Canon Vincent Borg as archpriest of St Paul's Shipwreck parish in Valletta. Fr Valentino Borg was vice parish priest of  Tarxien (1981-1995) and parish priest of Għargħur (1995-1998), Mgarr (1998-2003) andMsida (2003-2006).  Canon Vincent Borg was vice parish priest at Tarxien, Qormi and St Paul's in Valletta for the past 14 years. He also worked as a teacher in Paola and Marsa and in the Ecclesiastical Tribunal. For the... Читать дальше...

The Maltese EU administrator being investigated over an anti-Semitic assault said he had been drinking for five hours before the incident but insisted it was not motivated by anti-Jewish sentiments. “I was out celebrating 10 years working with the European Commission and had been drinking mojitos from 7pm till about midnight when all this happened,” Stefan Grech said, adding he was not drunk but was not “100 per cent” fit either. He is being investigated by Belgian police after allegedly striking... Читать дальше...

Finland's Prime Minister Juha Sipila said today he would offer his home to refugees. As EU leaders struggle to agree policies to cope with a huge influx of migrants, many fleeing war in Syria, Sipila said his home in Kempele, northern Finland, was little used at the moment and would house asylum seekers from the start of next year. "We should all take a look in the mirror and ask how we can help," Sipila told national broadcaster YLE. He said an EU plan to distribute 120,000 refugees arriving in Greece... Читать дальше...

Updated Saturday morning - BOV's Preluna branch was reopened today after having been closed because of a bad odour caused by a dead rat on the false ceiling. In a statement issued after the Times of Malta said the branch was closed last Wednesday due to a rat infestation, the bank said this was not the case. Pest control officials were seen cleaning up the building on Thursday. The bank said that staff complained of a bad odour originating from a section of the premises and the bank immediately closed... Читать дальше...

Updated Saturday 10am - Birzebbuga councillor Hermann Schiavone will be proposing that his council adopts a Syrian refugee family. In a post on Facebook, Dr Schiavone said: "Faced with such a human tragedy we cannot remain passive. I will be doing my part. I will be proposing that the Birzebbuga council adopts and finances a Syrian refugee family in our village. "If every local council in our country does the same, we will be sending a strong sign of the solidarity the Maltese people are renowned for to the rest of Europe." In a tweet... Читать дальше...

The aunt of the drowned Syrian boy whose death sparked global outrage about the plight of refugees in Europe says she still hopes to bring the rest of her family to Canada. Tima Kurdi was speaking through tears outside her home in Coquitlam, British Columbia. She said she plans to help her brother, Abdullah, and her other siblings immigrate to the country she made home more than two decades ago. Abdullah is not ready to leave his Syrian hometown of Kobani, where his sons, three year-old Aylan and Ghalib,five... Читать дальше...

Austria and Germany have thrown open their borders to thousands of exhausted migrants. They were bussed to the Hungarian border by the right-wing government that had tried to stop them but was ultimately overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of people reaching Europe. Left to walk the last yards into Austria, rain-soaked migrants, many of them refugees from Syria's civil war, were whisked by train and shuttle bus to Vienna, where many said they were resolved to continue on to Germany. "Because we heard... Читать дальше...