Новости за 26.06.2016

The Vatican has hit back at Turkey's depiction of Pope Francis as having a "crusader mentality" after he used the word genocide to describe the massacre of 1.5 million Armenians a century ago.   Pope Francis visited a monastery in Armenia, near the border with Turkey. The visit came at the end of a three-day visit to Armenia that triggered a new diplomatic spat between the Vatican and Ankara.  The Vatican said that the pope was simply trying to build bridges, and in a speech outside the Armenian capital... Читать дальше...

It was a meeting of the minds in Indianapolis. The Dalai Lama and Lady Gaga sat down for a chat about kindness at the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Indianapolis. The two participated in a plenary session called "The Global Significance of Building Compassionate Cities: Kindness Makes it Happen."

Germany thumped Slovakia 3-0 with goals from Jerome Boateng, Mario Gomez and Julian Draxler to cruise into the Euro 2016 quarter-finals and confirm their status as tournament favourites with a sparkling performance. Central defender Boateng, who had recovered from an injury, connected perfectly with a clearance in the eighth minute to volley in from 25 metres for his first international goal as the world champions took control from the start. The Germans, who next face either holders Spain or Italy... Читать дальше...

Stalemate between Britain and the European Union over what happens next following Britons' referendum vote to leave has opened up a host of possible scenarios. Here are some that are (in some cases, barely) conceivable:   1. BY THE BOOK Prime Minister David Cameron, who said he will resign after losing his gamble to end British ambivalence about staying in, agrees with the EU establishment that the only legal way to leave is to use Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty to negotiate a withdrawal.... Читать дальше...

An independent Scotland would be welcome to join the European Union, a senior German lawmaker and ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel has said after Britain's vote to leave the bloc. "The EU will still consist of 28 member states, as I expect a new independence referendum in Scotland, which will then be successful," said Gunther Krichbaum, a member of Merkel's conservatives and chairman of the European affairs committee in parliament. "We should respond quickly to an application for admission from the... Читать дальше...

Transport Malta has waived more than half the sum of €500,000 it was owed in damages by an advertising agency over a breach of contract two decades ago. The recent out-of-court settlement came after the agency, MPS, objected to paying and filed an appeal, this newspaper has learnt. The case revolves around a 1995 tender, won by MPS, to place advertising boards on each side of route buses. The agency pulled out of the contract, complaining the job had turned out to be possible with only a fraction of the bus fleet. Читать дальше...

Miriam Sciberras from the Life Network explains their stand against the morning-after pill, telling Claire Caruana that the first few days of human life cannot be disregarded. Pro-life activists are insisting that the morning-after pill is abortive, because the life of the unborn should be protected from the very moment of fertilisation. “The issue shouldn’t be about when pregnancy begins but when life begins. You cannot deny the humanity of the unborn in the first 15 days of life, because life doesn’t just happen. Читать дальше...

The dark clouds Influence: The UK’s departure will deal a blow to Malta’s leverage on major political decisions being taken in Brussels, former EU Commissioner Tonio Borg and Malta’s former Permanent Representative to the EU Richard Cachia Caruana believe. Malta will no longer be able to rely on Britain’s support on issues such as taxation, social security changes and working time restrictions, thus weakening our voice in these areas. Tourism: If sterling devalues against the euro, the major impact... Читать дальше...

Antoine Griezmann kept France on track for Euro 2016 glory as the hosts survived a major scare to edge the Republic of Ireland 2-1. Griezmann's second-half double, which came inside three crucial minutes, fired his side into the quarter-finals as they eventually showed their class at the Stade de Lyon. However, for almost an hour, Ireland, who ended the game down to 10 men after central defender Shane Duffy was dismissed for a professional foul on the Atletico Madrid star, had threatened to gatecrash the party. Читать дальше...

Passengers escaped from an American Airlines plane down an emergency slide at Heathrow Airport following a "technical issue". Footage showed passengers, including children, disembarking via a slide towards the runway at the rear of the aircraft at Terminal 3. Airport fire crews were dispatched to the aircraft, but no-one appeared to be injured during the alert this morning, according to an eye-witness. Ross Hiscock, 28, was on a flight which had arrived at Heathrow from Helsinki when he saw smoke... Читать дальше...

Passengers escaped from an American Airlines plane down an emergency slide at Heathrow Airport following a "technical issue". Footage showed passengers, including children, disembarking via a slide towards the runway at the rear of the aircraft at Terminal 3. Airport fire crews were dispatched to the aircraft, but no-one appeared to be injured during the alert this morning, according to an eye-witness. Ross Hiscock, 28, was on a flight which had arrived at Heathrow from Helsinki when he saw smoke... Читать дальше...

UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's leadership has been plunged into crisis as a string of shadow ministers quit Labour's top team saying they had no confidence his ability to win a general election. The party's influential deputy leader Tom Watson said he is to hold emergency talks with Mr Corbyn tomorrow to "discuss the way forward" after nine members of the shadow cabinet announced they were resigning - with more expected to follow. In a statement, Mr Watson said he was "saddened" so many colleagues... Читать дальше...

UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is facing a full-scale revolt by his top team as a string of shadow ministers quit in protest at his leadership during the EU referendum campaign. In a series of apparently staged announcements, seven members of the shadow cabinet said they were resigning - with others expected to follow. Mr Corbyn's allies insisted he would not bow to pressure to stand down, but rebels warned that if he tries to carry on he would be unable to form a new shadow ministerial team. On a day of fast-moving events... Читать дальше...

Gozo has opened its arms to a group of Christian Iraqi students who want to share their history, culture and values. Sarah Carabott spoke to them. Nineteen Christian Iraqi students aged between 12 and 16 and five teachers who live in Erbil are in Gozo for a week on an educational, cultural and spiritual exchange programme. Their visit was made possible by Proġett Merħba, the Gozo Diocese and the Anglican community. “The first thing that comes to mind when people think of Iraq is war, but Iraq is much more than that. Читать дальше...

England manager Roy Hodgson has said he is prepared to remain in the job after Euro 2016 but will not be 'begging' for a new deal. Hodgson's contract expires after the tournament in France and Football Association chairman Greg Dyke indicated last week that the 68-year-old may have to lead the team to the semi-finals to guarantee staying on. "I'm not begging for the job. I am prepared to carry on," Hodgson told British media ahead of Monday's last-16 match against Iceland in Nice. "It is different to wanting it. Читать дальше...

Scotland's parliament would consider blocking legislation on Britain's exit from the European Union if that were necessary to protect Scottish interests, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Sunday. Scotland, a nation of five million people, voted to stay in the EU by 62 to 38 percent in a referendum on Thursday, putting it at odds with the United Kingdom as a whole, which voted 52 to 48 percent in favour of an exit from the bloc, or Brexit. Under the United Kingdom's complex arrangements to devolve some powers to Scotland... Читать дальше...

Two Somali men were injured in a dramatic incident in Birzebbuga this morning. Informed sources said the two got into an argument and one of the men was stabbed in the stomach with a broken mirror. When the police were called, the aggressor tried to evade the officers by jumping from a second storey window, injuring himself when he crashed on top of car. Both men were hospitalised.

The leaders of Spain's rival political parties joined voters at polling stations today in the nation's second general election in six months. The anti-austerity party Podemos is expected to make big gains, potentially delivering a fresh jolt to Europe's political mainstream after Britain voted to leave the European Union. The last election in December broke the mould of 40 years of stable conservative or Socialist majorities and failed to produce a viable government as upstart parties channelled... Читать дальше...

These courageous volunteers are making sure China's latest glass-bottomed bridge is safe to be opened to the public. At least one felt the need to shout "I love you mom" as she brought her sledgehammer crashing down. They were attached to safety harnesses just in case but none of the volunteers managed to smash right through. Just to underline how much the structure can take a 15-tonne vehicle was driven over the bridge as well. At 300 metres above groud and 430 metres long, China's claiming this... Читать дальше...

The likelihood is growing that Malta will assume the presidency of the EU for the whole of 2017 instead of just the first six months, in the light of Britain’s decision to leave the bloc, The Sunday Times of Malta has learnt. Malta has already signalled to Member States and the EU Council Secretariat that it is ready to take over the UK’s term which follows its own six-month stint at the helm which ends in the middle of 2017. Following the result of the UK referendum last Friday, Prime Minister Joseph... Читать дальше...

Opposition leader Simon Busuttil this morning slammed the government for signing away the Gozo hospital to a private investor for 99 years. The Sunday Times of Malta revealed today that the hospital has effectively been privatised for 99 years and not just 30 years, as the government has repeatedly declared. A copy of the contract seen by this paper shows that the private investor Vitals has the right to unilaterally extend the contract by 69 years. Speaking during a PN radio interview, Dr Busuttil... Читать дальше...

The Gozo General Hospital has effectively been privatised for 99 years and not just 30, as the government has repeatedly declared, this newspaper can reveal. The Gozo hospital, including all its grounds and surrounding roads, has been transferred to Vitals Global Healthcare Assets Limited in a public-private partnership that is based on what the government said was a 30-year lease, signed last March. Unpublished documents seen by The Sunday Times of Malta show however that a clause in the contract... Читать дальше...