Новости за 21.11.2015

The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting should send a clear signal that those who want fear are not feared, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat told youths this morning during the opening ceremony of the CHOGM Youth Forum. “We cannot remain neutral but we must unite. The Commonwealth could have a powerful impact at a global level,” Dr Muscat said, referring to ongoing reports of terrorist attacks all over the world. The Youth Forum, in its 10th edition, is being held between today and Wednesday. The... Читать дальше...

The authorities have uncovered a racket which involved bringing migrants to Malta from Italy carrying fake documents to seek asylum. The police are seeking a Somali man residing in St Paul’s Bay who is believed to have coordinated the trips from Italy of an estimated 250 migrants, mainly Syrians and Somalis. The racket was uncovered after Malta reimposed border controls in the wake of the EU and Commonwealth summits. “We found out that they were travelling with fake passports, mainly Greek, to seek... Читать дальше...

Empty barricades put up at the Coast Road were carried across the bust street this morning as a result of the heavy winds. The barricades, which were not filled with liquid, forced oncoming traffic to swerve to one side of the road. The busy Coast Road was recently reopened to traffic following a major project.

Four youths have been trained to prepare them for work thanks to the Get Into Project, President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca said this morning. The President’s Trust set up last May, with the cooperation of the UK’s Prince’s Trust, launched the project through which the youths were trained at Marks and Spencer. During a news conference, the President explained that the philosophy of the trust is to bring together businesses and specialists to fight poverty in Malta. Trust executive president Winston... Читать дальше...

FIFA's independent ethics committee has "requested sanctions" in its final reports on suspended president Sepp Blatter and UEFA president Michel Platini. The pair are currently under 90-day provisional suspensions ahead of an Ethics Committee hearing over a £1.3million payment made to Platini by FIFA in 2011. Blatter and Platini had appeals against their bans dismissed by FIFA's appeals committee earlier this week and on Friday the latter - who wants to stand to be Blatter's replacement in February... Читать дальше...

Times of Malta presents a selection of its photographers' choice of their best photos over the past days.

All able states should join the fight against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq and redouble efforts to prevent further attacks by the militant group, the United Nations Security Council said last night. The 15-member council unanimously adopted a resolution drafted by France in the wake of a series of deadly attacks in Paris a week ago that killed 130 people and were claimed by Islamic State. "The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as Daesh), constitutes a global and unprecedented... Читать дальше...

MP Marlene Farrugia this morning lashed away at the Labour Party from which she resigned saying the government is being "hoisted by its own petard:. Ms Farrugia posted comments on timesofmalta.com's comments board in reaction to a story that the government had amended a clause which sparked her resignation last Tuesday. She wrote: "The government has inflicted untold damage on itself. I on the other hand, am now free and unencumbered." In another post she wrote: "PL credibility sank all the way down with the help of apologists. Читать дальше...

The season could yet end on a tremendous high for Andy Murray but there was no hiding his frustration and disappointment after he crashed out of the ATP World Tour Finals before the semi-finals once again. After beating David Ferrer and losing to Rafael Nadal, Murray faced a straight shoot-out with Stan Wawrinka for a place in the last four. But the Scot let a lead slip in the first-set tie-break and, although he never stopped fighting, it was not enough to prevent a 7-6 (7/4) 6-4 defeat and an early... Читать дальше...

Islamist militants killed 19 people in an attack on a top hotel in the capital of Mali before Malian commandos stormed the building and rescued 170 people, many of them foreigners. Two militants were killed. President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita announced the death toll and said seven people were wounded in the attack, which has been claimed by jihadist group Al Mourabitoun and al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). Friday's assault on the Radisson Blu hotel comes a week after deadly Islamic State attacks in Paris that killed 130 people. Читать дальше...

Musician Benjamin Clementine has won the prestigious Mercury Prize for his album At Least For Now, dedicating his win to the the still-reeling city of Paris, where he was once a homeless busker. After being named as the 2015 winner, Clementine said he was lost for words, but it wasn't long before his mind turned to the City of Lights. He was raised in north London, but relocated to Paris with £60 to his name and was initially homeless as he busked to survive. The now-acclaimed artist recalled how... Читать дальше...

The front pages of the local newspapers this morning report: Times of Malta reports Prime Minister Joseph Muscat saying that so far, there was no proof the two Malta-bound Syrians arrested with false documents in Italy had ulterior motives. The Malta Independent quotes an EU scoreboard released yesterday which concludes that Maltese motorists spend over 70 hours stuck in traffic every year.  L-Orizzont says that a report by economist Gordon Cordina concludes that a bridge between Malta and Gozo would plough tens of millions into the economy. Читать дальше...

Sadeen Group, the company behind the controversial American University of Malta, has promised to build new premises for the Marsascala local council if a campus in Żonqor is permitted, the mayor has confirmed. During a council meeting earlier this week, Labour Mayor Mario Calleja announced the deal, saying he had the CEO’s permission to make the agreement public. Speaking to the Times of Malta, Mr Calleja said the council had asked for help in kind from Sadeen Group during a recent meeting. “I met... Читать дальше...

Belgium raised the alert status for its capital Brussels to the highest level this morning, shutting the metro and warning the public to avoid crowds because of a "serious and imminent" threat of an attack. A week after the Paris attacks carried out by Islamic State militants, of whom one suspect from Brussels is at large and said by authorities to be highly dangerous, the city was placed on the top level "four" in the government's threat scale after a meeting of top ministers, police and security services. Читать дальше...

The Ombudsman has asked the Appeals Court for an urgent ruling on the army complaints dispute with the government. In an application filed on Wednesday, the Ombudsman, Joseph Said Pullicino, argued that army officers should not have to wait longer to be able to seek redress. “It should be obvious that it is not in the public interest that citizens are not given a hearing due to a dispute between State organs,” the Ombudsman said. The Home Affairs Ministry has one week to submit its reaction. The issue dates to September 2013... Читать дальше...

Bulgaria’s weightlifters will be absent from next year’s Olympics after the sport’s governing body banned the country’s athletes following a high number of doping cases, it said yesterday. “Due to the special anti-doping policy for Rio 2016, the board confirmed that Bulgaria is not eligible to participate in the upcoming Olympics,” the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) said. In March, eight male lifters, including three European champions, and three female athletes, tested positive for... Читать дальше...

The Maltese rugby team will be determined to make amends for the upset in Croatia in their last match with a strong showing against Czech Republic at the Hibs Stadium today. Last weekend, Malta opened their season commitments with a 34-27 defeat in Split that left the national team one place off the bottom with 10 points. The Czechs, who beat Malta 27-13 at home last year, will be looking to repeat that result here and regain top spot in the group, making it more difficult for Damien Neill’s men. Читать дальше...

Rafael Nadal emulated Roger Federer by winning a third successive round-robin match at the ATP World Tour Finals yesterday, edging fellow Spaniard David Ferrer at the O2 Arena. With Nadal already in the semi-finals from the Ilie Nastase Group and Ferrer going home after two successive defeats, it could have been a non-event but the packed arena was treated to the longest match of the group stage with Nadal winning 6-7 6-3 6-4 after two hours 37 minutes. Nadal, twice a runner-up at the Tour Finals... Читать дальше...