Новости за 04.07.2016

Men outnumbered women in 2014 for the first time in over at least a century of record-keeping, a new demographic review published by the National Statistics Office has revealed.  The review found that there were 126 more men than women in Malta at the end of 2014, with 214,735 males and 214,609 females making up a total population of 429,344. It found that while religious ceremonies still made up a 51.7 per cent majority of the 2,871 marriages celebrated in 2014, civil ceremonies were close behind... Читать дальше...

The Planning Authority has given the go-ahead for a controversial fireworks factory on the outskirts of Għarb, Gozo to be built.  Its decision followed a case officer's report which recommended approval and was granted on the basis that the application fully complied with a new fireworks policy.  The case officer's recommendation came despite the site being on ODZ virgin land and a stone's throw away from two sites which killed 10 people in two separate explosions in 2010 and 2012. Plans for the new factory incorporate several safety features. Читать дальше...

A campaign to help parents guide their children to keep their wits about themselves while browsing the internet has gotten underway. The 20-week 'Think before you click' campaign urges young people to steer clear of cyberbullying and report it when they see it, as well as helps inform young internet users that not everyone they speak to online is necessarily who they claim to be.   Other campaign messages include:  • Be aware that what is uploaded remains in the public domain forever and may be abused... Читать дальше...

Holding midfielder Sami Khedira will miss Germany's Euro 2016 semi-final against hosts France after he sustained an adductor muscle injury in the quarter-final victory over Italy, coach Joachim Loew said. Khedira, who had played in all of Germany's matches at the tournament, was withdrawn early in Saturday's game after over-stretching during a challenge for the ball. "Sami Khedira won't play for us on Thursday. We will do everything for him to be available for a potential final," Loew told reporters of the 29-year-old Juventus player. Читать дальше...

Air Malta has launched the first-ever special in-flight entertainment designed specifically for young children. Skykids was launched on the June 29 flight to Paris on which a group of around 60 children were booked. Air Malta teamed up with Nestlé (Malta) and Malta International Airport to offer children an unforgettable flight experience. Two professional child-minders from Yoyo Kids Childcare welcomed the young travellers at the departure gate with gifts. Girls had also the opportunity to have... Читать дальше...

England's Euro 2016 humiliation at the hands of Iceland, population 320,000, has left some in the UK media wondering if their Wembley Stadium homecoming will prove a bridge too far.  Malta play England in a World Cup qualifier scheduled for October 8, and our 420,000-strong population had at least one media outlet noting the difference in size while jokingly warning "Oh no! Malta are coming".  But while Malta's population might be bigger, FIFA's world rankings tell a different story. Malta are currently ranked 166th out of 204 national teams. Читать дальше...

Updated 11.45am The leader of Britain's anti-European Union UK Independence Party (UKIP) Nigel Farage said on Monday he would stand down after having realised his ambition of winning last month's referendum in favour of Brexit. "I have never been, and I have never wanted to be, a career politician. My aim in being in politics was to get Britain out of the European Union," he told reporters. "So I feel it's right that I should now stand aside as leader of UKIP. "During the referendum campaign, I said 'I want my country back'. Читать дальше...

June 23 2016 will be a date that will be remembered in years to come. Children will learn about it in history lessons and analysts will include it in their models when trying to capture Black Swan events.It was the worst one-day drop in equity prices in history - and what’s worse is that it happened on a Friday. Anything could have happened during the weekend so investors who did not want to take any chances continued dumping stocks on the market.We started off the week with another down day. But... Читать дальше...

A Chinese court has jailed for life a former senior aide to retired president Hu Jintao after finding him guilty of taking bribes, illegally obtaining state secrets and abuse of power during a secret trial. The ruling Communist Party announced its investigation into Ling Jihua in December 2014, in a case that the party has said caused major damage to its image. He had been demoted in September 2012 from a ministerial-level job, months after his son was killed in a crash involving a luxury sports car. Читать дальше...

Updated 12.00pm - Added video A public consultation process on proposed changes to the Education Act, including the introduction of homeschooling, was launched today by the Education Minister. Parents keen to homeschool their children would have to apply to the Commission for General Education for permission to do so. Authorisation would come at the parents' expense and be subject to the conditions laid down by the commission.  Lobbying for the introduction of homeschooling has been going on since at least 2014... Читать дальше...

Girls whose friends had experienced teen pregnancies were less likely to get pregnant, a study shows. The researchers studied two groups of girls: those whose similarly-aged friends had given birth and those with a friend who'd had an early miscarriage. The girls whose friends became teen mothers were less likely to have sex as teens, get pregnant or married, compared to girls whose friends had miscarried. The girls with teen mother friends were also more likely to attain a college degree. "Teens... Читать дальше...

Iceland's soccer team may have been the underdogs at Euro 2016, but they had a fairytale run at the championships in France, knocking England out in a 2-1 thriller of a game last week. Their unexpected victory captured the imagination of sports fans around the world, but the team's success came to an end last night, as they were knocked out by France in a 5-2 reality check. The result didn't diminish the support of the Icelandic fans, however, who had gathered in their thousands in Arnarholl in Reykjavik to watch the game. Читать дальше...

Key independents rule out deals with major parties  Hanson brings back anti-Muslim, anti-immigration policies  Growing speculation about future of PM Turnbull  Vote counting could continue for several days Independent candidates who will likely determine a cliffhanger Australian election have shot to prominence, with one of them renewing anti-Asian rhetoric first heard 20 years ago, with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull under fire for a failed political gamble. Pauline Hanson, founder of the controversial far-right One Nation party... Читать дальше...

Fourteen years are not a lot. But in IT terms, 14 years is history. And Microsoft has a long history when it comes to start-ups. It was in fact in 2002, that Microsoft started opening its first Microsoft Innovation Centres to deliver world-class resources to students who wanted to become entrepreneurs and give life to their start-ups. Today, 100 Microsoft Innovation Centres are present in over 33 countries around the world including Malta, serving as local hubs that provide resources and support for students and entrepreneurs... Читать дальше...

Water Services Corporation's use of geographical information system (GIS) technology has won it a special achievement award at an international conference in California.  WSC was one of 167 organisations to win, beating a field of an estimated 300,000 eligible candidates.  The award, handed out by market leaders Esri at its annual user conference, recognised WSC's innovative application of technology, data collection, geospatial information visualisation, and thought leadership through GIS in the field of water utilities. Читать дальше...

When people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) have difficulty walking, their problem is not walking itself, it’s walking without having enough sensory information, according to a study. People with early PD can walk as well as healthy people when they are given strong sensory information, such as horizontal lines on the floor to step over. But when the sensory information is so weak they are forced to rely on their prior experiences, they have problems, which may explain their stooped posture and shuffling gate, the authors wrote in a news release.

These are the lead stories in today's local newspapers:  The Times of Malta reports that a nurse who assaulted a doctor mid-surgery has been ordered to attend anger management classes by Mater Dei hospital administration.  The Malta Independent reports a government official saying talks between Alitalia and the government over a potential 49 per cent buyout of Air Malta are ongoing.  In-Nazzjon leads with Opposition Leader Simon Busuttil's calls for Maltese to make sport part of their daily lives. Читать дальше...

Germany’s younger generation can rightfully feel they are the ones to be trusted when the world champions line up for a Euro 2016 semi-final this week after they stood up to be counted in the country’s first tournament victory over Italy on Saturday. Germany coach Joachim Loew has remained loyal to the core of his World Cup-winning squad for much of the tournament but it was his emerging players who showed nerves of steel to secure a famous quarter-final victory in Bordeaux. In a nerve-wrecking 6-5 win on penalties... Читать дальше...

The sperm of men who smoke, compared to those who don’t, have more damaged DNA, fewer active energy-generating mitochondria and more proteins indicating a revved-up immune response, according to a small study. Past research has found that smokers tend to have more abnormal sperm in terms of number, motility, shape and acrosomes that help sperm penetrate an egg. “We knew that smoking leads to decreased sperm DNA integrity, decreased mitochondrial activity and decreased acrosome integrity,” said senior... Читать дальше...

A volleyball marathon held over the weekend raised almost half a million euros for id-Dar tal-Providenza.  Participants at that BOV Volleyball Marathon raised a total of €487,204. The marathon started on Friday and came to an end at midnight on Sunday. President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca had inaugurated the event. Over 300 volunteers provided their support to the marathon, which saw 40 players giving it all to raise the necessary funds. The total sum collected includes €260,005 collected during TV programme Xarabank on Friday 24 June. Читать дальше...

Antonio Conte bowed out as Italy coach on Saturday after a Euro 2016 shootout defeat by Germany sounding almost broken-hearted that he was leaving behind a “fantastic” group of players. He heaped praise on them for their performance against the Germans which ended in a 6-5 quarter-final loss on penalties after the game finished 1-1. “It was a tough match from every perspective. We showed heart to overcome the obstacles,” Conte told reporters. “It is a shame to go out in this fashion because it is a lottery. Читать дальше...

The body of a 33-year-old woman was found in a warehouse in Qormi last night, with police saying the victim was most likely murdered.  Police said they found the Swieqi resident's body in the Triq il-Kummerc barn following a tip-off at around 9.30pm yesterday evening.  Rapid Intervention Unit and Qormi district officers, helped by Civil Protection members, searched various warehouses on the street. The body was eventually found in a disused warehouse.  Sources said police are looking for the woman's... Читать дальше...

Wales have no reason to fear Portugal in their Euro 2016 semi-final on Wednesday and despite key players missing, coach Chris Coleman said he had complete faith in their replacements to do the job. His team have been one of the big surprises of the tournament, topping a group including neighbours England, dumping out one of the favourites Belgium in the quarter-finals and progressing to highs not seen or enjoyed by the Welsh side since 1958. “It’s new territory. You will either be blinded by the lights and crawl back to where you came from... Читать дальше...

Former England assistant coach Gary Neville has reacted angrily to a report that his working relationship with Roy Hodgson deteriorated during Euro 2016. The Observer on Sunday claimed Neville and Hodgson had a series of disagreements during the tournament, which ended for England with an embarrassing last-16 loss to Iceland. The report states Hodgson’s training methods were one source of the disagreements, while players were confused by messages over tactics and positional play. One source told... Читать дальше...

A suicide bomber was killed and two other people wounded in a blast near the US consulate in Saudi Arabia's second city of Jeddah early today, state TV said, the first bombing in years to attempt to target foreigners in the kingdom. The attacker parked his car outside a hospital opposite the consulate at about 2.15am and detonated his device after being approached by two security men, killing him and lightly wounding them, it said, quoting a security spokesman. Three further blasts rocked the location of the bombing hours later... Читать дальше...