Новости за 04.07.2016

The proposed Gozo airstrip is in limbo as the completed feasibility study has yet to be presented to Cabinet. The Times of Malta filed a freedom of information request to see the study at the beginning of the year but this was rejected on the basis that the study had yet to be seen by Cabinet. Another freedom of information request was rejected last month on the same grounds. Uncertainty has reigned over the airstrip ever since Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and the Gozo Ministry gave conflicting messages... Читать дальше...

Pictures are just coming in from Saudi Arabia where the state broadcaster is reporting a suicide bomber has detonated a device at the second-holiest site in Islam. It reportedly happened near the security headquarters of the Prophet's Mosque in Medina. Early accounts say the suicide bomber and two security officers were killed in the attack. The blast follows two others in the Saudi cities of Qatif and Jeddah today, including a suicide bombing near the U.S. consulate in Jeddah. The attacks come as... Читать дальше...

Ancient tombs and catacombs uncovered during roadworks in Baħrija have been documented and protected, the Cultural Heritage Superintendent has said. Over the past days, residents raised the alarm with this news­paper that concrete had been dumped over the remains. When contacted, Superintendent Anthony Pace said the concrete was laid over a protective and reversible backfilling. The remains were unearthed during sewerage system works on the road linking Baħrija to Rabat that have been going on for... Читать дальше...

The Sir Anthony Mamo Oncology Centre has problems with rainwater leakage from a terrace and from the hospital’s bridge, a Health Ministry spokeswoman told this newspaper. The newly-built oncology centre was the subject of civil proceedings after a court recently turned down a request for an injunction that would have stopped the government from using a bank guarantee given by the builders to make good for defects. Contacted by this newspaper, the spokeswoman said that the health authorities and BVP Joint Venture ... Читать дальше...

Two marriage separation cases were registered every day in Malta on average in the past five years, data given in parliament by Justice Minister Owen Bonnici shows.  The average is higher when only last year is considered – with 911 separation cases. (Some 2,650 marriages take place every year) The minister gave the following date in reply to a question by Labour MP Etienne Grech:

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said today that talks are continuing on whether Malta’s six-month presidency of the EU would be extended or whether the Estonian presidency would be moved forward once Britain did not take up the reins in view of the Brexit vote. In a statement in the wake of last week’s EU summit meeting, which he attended, Dr Muscat reiterated that the EU needed to reflect on what led to the Brexit vote lest other countries also opted to take that road. He noted that in Austria, petitioners... Читать дальше...

Work on the Kappara junction project is proceeding according to plan, Transport Minister Joe Mizzi told parliament in reply to questions this afternoon. He told Labour MP Anthony Agius Decelis that work is focused on site clearance, rock cutting and the building of supporting walls for the new slip road near the national pool. The work is below road level and has not affected traffic flow. Works are also in hand on the installation of new power cables to ensure uninterrupted power supply. The fact... Читать дальше...

Madrid's regional government is considering granting tax breaks to attract banks and international firms looking to move operations away from Britain after its vote to leave the European Union, a spokesman said. Madrid has joined other EU cities in a scramble for businesses located in London, including Frankfurt and Paris, the continent's two biggest financial centres. The regional government is looking at introducing a more generous tax scheme for the purchase and sale of land and on capital gains on properties, the spokesman said. Читать дальше...

Illegal employment of foreign workers this year has outnumbered cases involving Maltese nationals, according to official data covering the period from 2012 to last May. During the first five months of this year, inspectors flagged 887 cases involving foreigners, including 108 Filipinos. On the other hand, the number of irregularities related to Maltese workers between January and May 2016 was significantly lower at 741. Employment and Training Corporation chairman Clyde Caruana believes that this... Читать дальше...

Britain should not guarantee the right of European Union nationals to remain in the country once it has left the bloc unless it receives reciprocal assurances from other EU states, the immigration minister said. The status of foreign nationals living in Britain, and of Britons living elsewhere in the EU, has become a political flashpoint following the vote to leave the 28-member bloc, which has rules guaranteeing the free movement of workers. "It has been suggested that the government could now fully... Читать дальше...

British TV and radio star Chris Evans said today he was leaving BBC motoring show "Top Gear" after his first series at the helm ended with audiences at an all-time low. "Stepping down from Top Gear," he said on Twitter. "Gave it my best shot but sometimes that's not enough. The team are beyond brilliant, I wish them all the best." Evans and former "Friends" star Matt LeBlanc took over as co-hosts of the global hit show after Jeremy Clarkson was dropped by the BBC because he hit and verbally abused a producer last year. Читать дальше...

This year’s Rockestra in aid of the Malta Community Chest Fund will be held on September 10 at the MFCC in Ta’Qali. Artistic director Pawlu Borg Bonaci said various surprises involving content and technology, are in store. President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca said the Community Chest Fund was not only helping patients and those in need, but also involving itself in community research initiatives in collaboration with the university’s Research innovation and Development Trust. The Fund is also opening outreach centres in Gozo... Читать дальше...

Around 340 policemen are benefiting from a revision in their shifts, Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela said today during celebrations  to mark the 202 anniversary of the Police Force. Speaking at the opening of an exhibition about the police at Parliament, Mr Abela said the tweaking of shifts was the first phase of working hour changes providing for more adequate rest. The changes follow requests made through police unions. The majority of shifts have been changed to four days work followed by a day off, instead of five days in and one out. Читать дальше...

Resurfacing works will be carried out in the Regional Road tunnels over the coming days in connection with the Kappara project. Transport Malta will carry out resurfacing works in the tunnels in Triq Mikiel Anton Vassalli in both directions between today and Friday between 8pm and 5am. During works, the tunnels will remain accessible with traffic being diverted onto one lane for each direction. During the day, the tunnels will be fully accessible. Drivers are encouraged to avoid the area as much as possible... Читать дальше...

The Euro 2016 football tournament is coming to an end, with only four teams left in the competition.  The Times of Malta went to the streets of Valletta to ask local football fans who they think is going to win and who they'll be supporting. Wales got the most sympathisers, with many saying they identified with the team because of its status as the competition's underdog. The team also proved its capacity to beat bigger teams such as Belgium in previous rounds. The French team was considered to be... Читать дальше...

The number of care orders being issued has dropped to just a handful despite referrals of children for protection having increased. According to social policy and social work lecturer Daniella Zerafa, the drop is worrying as it suggests that care orders are not being issued in grave cases. There was a 60 per cent drop in care orders issued between 2011 and 2015, The figures were reported amid growing concern about the care order system, and ahead of a revamp of child protection to be discussed this week in Parliament. Читать дальше...

The Malta Sports Council has been ordered to pay a company over €22,000 for cleaning services carried out in various properties operated by the council. Dimbros Limited filed a civil case against the council, which is now known as Sport Malta, claiming that it was owed €23,241.28 for various works which went unpaid, despite various requests by the plaintiff to do so. On the other hand, Sport Malta argued that it had, in fact, already paid €840.16 from the sum which it owed the company. This was confirmed by the company's director... Читать дальше...

READ: Blending Hamlet with the Maltese judiciary Grammy award winner and composer Arvo Pärt will be headlining the 11th edition of the Malta International Arts festival. The Estonian composer, whose music is partly inspired by Gregorian chants, will be performing during a very special event taking place on July 14, 2016 from 7.30pm to 9pm at the Co-Cathedral of St John. Mr Pärt was the world's most performed living performer for the fifth year running in 2015, according to classical event database Bachtrack. Читать дальше...

A Malta-based private air charter company transported the Olympic torch during the first leg of its world journey, ahead of the opening ceremony of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. The three-and-a-half-month journey kicked off at the birthplace of the Olympic Games – Olympia – and the torch travelled through several Greek cities and islands, before moving on to Switzerland and then reaching its final destination in the 2016 host country. Following a lighting ceremony in Athens on April 21... Читать дальше...

It wasn't just the twinkling diamante sequins covering this horse head sculpture that attracted the attention of New Zealand customs officers. A closer look revealed 35 kilos of cocaine hidden inside worth an estimated 10 million U.S. dollars  "There is a significant organised crime group offshore that will be responsible for this and who have now lost a whole lot of money," an official said.  New Zealand broadcaster TVNZ says an American and a Mexican were arrested trying to board a flight to Hawaii on July 1st. Читать дальше...

A  man was handed a suspended sentence after admitting to stealing over €5,000 worth of copper from a Kalkara scrapyard. Aguinaldo Silva Seixas, 58 from Marsaskala, was charged with stealing various items from the Disma Scrapyard, which value exceeds €5,000, as well as with attempted theft and slightly injuring one of the scrapyard owners The accused was spotted yesterday afternoon by one of the scrapyard owners while he was trying to make off with the metal. The owner confronted him in an effort... Читать дальше...

Talks over Britain's departure from the EU should be as short as possible to avoid prolonged uncertainty, prime ministerial candidate Andrea Leadsom said on Monday as she launched her leadership bid. Setting out her stall as the "Leave" alternative to frontrunner Theresa May, Leadsom said it was in the interests of EU countries to do a tariff-free trade deal with Britain, without the UK having to allow continued free movement of people. "Democratically elected European parliaments will take pragmatic... Читать дальше...

The MSE Share Index opened the week minimally below its two-month high of last Friday as it edged down to 4,576.114 points today. Activity was spread across seven shares but the bulk of trading took place in the equity of RS2 Software plc. Indeed, activity in RS2 represented nearly 82% of the total value of equities traded today. The share price of RS2 hit a three-month high of €2.18 during this morning’s session before edging down to €2.149 – representing a drop of 0.5% over last Friday’s closing price. Читать дальше...

Men have something to learn when it comes to detecting signs of their partner’s interest in sex. When it comes to new encounters or fictitious targets, men tend to perceive greater sexual interest in women’s behavior than in reality, studies have shown. But when in an already established relationship, men tend to underestimate their romantic partner’s sexual desires, according to a new research that was published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. The biased under-perception of... Читать дальше...

A 25-year-old man who vented his frustration on parked vehicles after a prostitute took his money in return for nothing found himself in court today. Beyene Fessahatsion Weldeabzghi was charged before Magistrate Doreen Clarke with breaking mirrors of two parked vehicles as well as the handle of a motorcycle. He was also accused of possessing 0.4 grams of cannabis resin and of being drunk in public. It is understood that the accused solicited the services of a prostitute in Gzira while he was drunk. Читать дальше...