Новости за 19.11.2015

A non-league player scored the most outrageous own goal from near the half-way line thanks to a gush of wind.  Romford were playing Thurrock in the Isthmian League in rather windy conditions earlier this week when Thurrock defender Kamarl Duncan attempted a clearance. After spooning the ball into the air, the Thurrock defender responsible for the eventual own-goal spun around to chase after the ball in an attempt to stop Romford's striker getting on the end of it. To add to the misery, Thurrock's... Читать дальше...

The British military releases video of a search and rescue operation to assist stranded cruise liner "Le Boreal" off the southern Atlantic Falkland Islands, after an engine fire set the vessel adrift. Jillian Kitchener reports.

Berlin-based mobile messaging service Telegram is racing to shut down broadcast channels used by Islamic State to promote its causes and recruit members. But as Sara Hemrajani reports, the group is creating new channels apparently just as quickly.

A total of 271 parking spaces reserved for persons with disabilities have been withdrawn from 50 localities since March 2013, Transport Minister Joe Mizzi said this evening. He told shadow minister Marthese Portelli in reply to a parliamentary question that this could have been due to several factors, such as the death of the permit holder or if it was found that the space was acquired in a fraudulent manner. Ħamrun, San Pawl il-Baħar and Sliema topped the list with 47, 31 and 27 spaces respectively. Читать дальше...

Two Syrians headed on a flight to Malta were arrested at the airport in Bergamo, Italy this afternoon after ISIS and war photos were found on their mobile phones. They are being arraigned in court tomorrow. Italian media reported that the Syrians, aged 19 and 30, had fake Norwegian and Austrian passports but officials became suspicious when the two could only speak Arabic. One of the men claimed that the photos were memories of his dead brother while the other said that a man seen holding a gun in a photo was his cousin. Читать дальше...

Birżebbuġa residents cheered at the end of a marathon Mepa hearing this evening, as the planning authority rejected a renewal application for the extension of Terminal 1 west quay at the Malta Freeport, citing the project’s environmental impact and residents’ wellbeing. In a stormy three-hour hearing punctuated with residents’ vociferous objections, the Mepa board voted unanimously against the proposal. Chairman Vince Cassar noted that as the Freeport’s functioning was not impeded with its current facilities... Читать дальше...

Two attacks by Palestinians, including a stabbing at an office building in Tel Aviv, have killed five people, intensifying a two month-long wave of violence. Much of the recent unrest has focused on the West Bank city of Hebron, a frequent flashpoint. But the attack in Israel's economic hub of Tel Aviv returned the violence to the Israeli heartland, shattering a lull that had set in outside of the West Bank and stoking Israeli fears that a fully fledged Palestinian uprising could erupt. Israel has... Читать дальше...

(Adds government's reply) Joseph Muscat has lost all sense of credibility by going against promises he made during the electoral campaign, environment shadow minister Marthese Portelli told a news conference this afternoon. “By tackling the Mepa de-merger the way he did, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has not only failed to deliver his own promises but has also betrayed those who truly care for the environment,” Ms Portelli said. She quoted the Labour Party’s electoral programme, which said that there... Читать дальше...

The Islamic State group is aggressively pursuing development of chemical weapons, setting up a branch dedicated to research and experiments with the help of scientists from Iraq, Syria and elsewhere in the region, Iraq and US intelligence officials said. The American officials said they do not believe IS has the capability to develop sophisticated weapons like nerve gas that are most suited for a terrorist attack. So far the group is believed to have used mustard gas on the battlefield in Iraq and Syria. Читать дальше...

The People for Change Foundation has launched the largest youth policy online library in the world. The repository, which includes documents from the United Nations, regional organisations, national governments, NGOs and academic institutions, comes at the 30th anniversary of International Youth Year. While the role of youth was celebrated that year, young people in a number of countries were still categorised partly as children and partly as adults, with little attention given to the particular opportunities and challenges young people faced.

The Gozo court today rejected sexual harassment claims filed by a woman against a stranger who offered her a lift home after concluding that the evidence presented by the prosecution was insufficient. The accused, Paschalino Cefai, 30, from, Żebbug Gozo, is serving seven years in jail after being convicted over a stabbing incident in a Gozo courtroom in 2012. He is also facing separate proceedings after being charged with threatening to kill a magistrate and a police inspector. In May 2010, a woman... Читать дальше...

Technology is often associated with the US. The impression exists that if it is cutting edge it must be coming from Silicon Valley. This is amusing as immediately two firms come to mind that have shaped the way we interact and the way we play music. I am referring to Skype and Spotify of course. Or else, if you are into games you will immediately recognise Rovio (Angry Birds), King (Candy Crush Saga), Wooga (Diamond Dash), Supercell (Clash of Clans) and Outit7 (Talking Tom). And there are the online... Читать дальше...

The planning authority has approved the construction of two additional wings at the Phoenicia Hotel in Floriana, as well as a new pool and extensive facilities integrated with the landscape. The permit includes upgrading works on the existing hotel, the restoration of the nearby British-era stables and coach house to accommodate additional bedrooms, and the general upgrading of St John's Ditch and hotel grounds. The new wings, one on either side of the hotel, are to be no higher than road level, following excavation into existing landfill... Читать дальше...

After a long period of relative calm and no coaching changes, normal service has been resumed at Palermo where volatile club president Maurizio Zamparini has already contemplated bringing back the coach he fired last week. Zamparini, who has overseen 29 changes of coach in his 13 years at the helm of the Sicilian club, managed to keep Giuseppe Iachini in charge for two years until dispensing with him on November 10. However, after a chaotic few days when players have voiced support for Iachini and criticised the decision to fire him... Читать дальше...

A learning support assistant has been cleared of sexually abusing and defiling an 11-year-old girl with intellectual disabilities after a court ruled that the claims had not been proved beyond reasonable doubt. In a reaction, the Malta Union of Teachers welcomed the decision. It said the case had been totally made up by the girl’s parents who wanted to take revenge onvthe LSA for reporting a burn on the minor. However, the legal counsel of the parents refuted the claim saying it was "false and unfounded". Читать дальше...

A video of aerial shots of the best spots in Malta and Gozo has emerged online, courtesy of two foreigners who fell in love with the islands. The drone footage by video-enthusiasts Ukrainian Maksym Kvitka and his brother shows different perspectives of the Maltese islands. "After we bought our new toy - the drone - we started to play with it and then we spent one week cruising around Malta and Gozo filming and exploring the best and most attractive places."

The share index registered another negative performance (the sixth in succession) with a minimal decline of 0.04 per cent to a fresh two-week low of 4,417.276 points. The three retail banking equities (BOV, HSBC and Lombard) finished today’s session lower extending yesterday’s losses while MIA and RS2 closed at new all-time highs. The share price of Bank of Valletta dropped for the seventh successive session (including the adjustment after the equity turned ex-dividend on Monday) as the bank’s equity... Читать дальше...

Federica Falzon has been appointed as Malta’s spokesperson of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest taking place in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Saturday. She will be reading out the points of the Maltese jury towards the end of the festival that goes live on TVM 2 at 7.30pm and transmitted later on TVM. Federica represented Malta at last year’s Junior Eurovision here in Malta and performed the song Diamonds, penned by Elton Zarb and Matt “Muxu” Mercieca, well-known for writing entries such as The Start, Warrior and this year’s entry Not My Soul... Читать дальше...

A blindfolded man identifying himself as a Muslim offered hugs of empathy on Monday to mourners at a vigil for the Paris attacks. Media reports say the man, who did not give his name, held a placard proclaiming: "I'm a Muslim and I'm told I'm a terrorist. I trust you, do you trust me? If yes, hug me?" Video of the exchanges in the city's Republic Square went viral on social media websites.

HSBC Bank Malta has reported a 'modest' drop in pre-tax profit for the period July 1 to November 19. In a regular company statement to the stock exchange the bank said the decline was primarily attributable to higher costs and a lower contribution from the life insurance business. Revenue for the period was higher than in the prior period as a result of higher net interest and fee income. Net interest income was impacted by the prevailing eurozone interest rate environment - decreasing margins on... Читать дальше...

Kurt Farrugia, former One TV editor and now the government’s head of communications, has been ordered by a court to pay €2,000 in damages to former PBS Head of News Natalino Fenech. In its decision the court found that comments made by  Mr Fenech’s had been deceitfully manipulated in a Labour Party political spot. The case goes back to October 2012, when the Labour television station broadcast a political advert claiming that “GonziPN controlled the news and current affairs programmes on PBS”. The... Читать дальше...

Marlene Farrugia’s resignation from the Labour Party on Tuesday had been “a long time coming”, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said. “This had been coming for some time now, but I would have preferred her to stay,” he said. Dr Farrugia resigned from the PL in a handwritten note to Dr Muscat after voting with the Opposition on an environment law, saying she was after more transparent governance, “particularly in environmental matters”. Speaking on a visit to Algiers yesterday, Dr Muscat said her resignation... Читать дальше...

Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said today that he will nominate Marlene Farrugia to continue to serve as chair of the Parliamentary Environment Committee. Dr Farrugia resigned her chairmanship on Monday when she quit the Labour Parliamentary group. The Standing Orders say that: "There shall be a Standing Committee on Environment and Development Planning which shall consist of five members appointed by the House, of whom three shall be members supporting the Government, one of whom shall be appointed as Chairman... Читать дальше...

British police said today they had arrested a Libyan man over his suspected role in the murder of policewoman Yvonne Fletcher, who was shot dead outside the Libyan embassy in London in 1984. Fletcher, who was 25, was hit by a shot fired from the embassy during a demonstration by Libyan dissidents against Muammar Gaddafi, who then ruled the North African country. The shooting triggered an 11-day siege of the building by London's Metropolitan Police, the deportation of 30 Libyans in the embassy and... Читать дальше...

Malta will benefit from €92 million in EU funds for projects in the fields of migration and national security over the next five years, as well as possible additional funding through the EU’s emergency mechanisms. The budget has been allocated to Malta for the 2014-2020 period under the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) and the Internal Security Fund (ISF). The comparable funds for the previous funding period, 2007-2013, was €85 million, excluding emergency measures, which went towards 173 projects in various sectors. Читать дальше...