Новости за 31.07.2016

Euthanasia is one thing Louise Vella has thought about since she was a teenager. She tells Kurt Sansone why people should be allowed to express their wish to die in a living will. Louise Vella was only 11 when her school PE teacher noticed something was not quite right and referred her to a neurologist. It was at such a young age that she discovered the grim reality that would condition her views on life and death. Louise was diagnosed with a motor neurone disease called Charcot Marie Tooth that she inherited from her mother. Читать дальше...

There may not be many facets of Dom Mintoff that remain unexplored, but a first-time exhibition of newspaper cartoons about him – from his own private collection – offers a fresh insight into the character of the former prime minister. The National Archives are exhibiting 32 cartoons, collected and framed by Mr Mintoff himself, to mark the 100th anniversary of his birth, which falls on Saturday. Twenty-nine of the cartoons, by 17 different cartoonists, were published in the British press, while the... Читать дальше...

People who feel ill after eating wheat but who don't have celiac disease may finally have a biological explanation for their symptoms, a new study suggests. Researchers from the U.S. and Italy found that people who claim to have "wheat sensitivity" do have biological reactions to gluten proteins in wheat, rye and barley. It's just that the reactions are different from what's seen in people with celiac disease, which is also triggered by gluten. People with wheat sensitivity have been a very difficult group to identify... Читать дальше...

Police have arrested 26 anarchists who burst into the Greek Orthodox cathedral in the northern city of Thessaloniki during a Mass. Roughly 30 people burst into the cathedral of St Gregory Palamas and, aside from interrupting the service, "destroyed what they could", a spokesman said. The cathedral is named after a 14th-century archbishop of Thessaloniki who is revered in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Police say those arrested included 19 men and seven women. Seventeen are Greek, with the rest from Germany... Читать дальше...

It only takes a couple of seconds for thieves to strike, as this CCTV footage sent to Times of Malta shows.  In the video, a mother pushing a pram casually walks up to the counter of a cosmetics shop in Sliema. She reaches into her handbag for her purse, and then turns her back on it as she speaks to the shop attendant.  Two young women who seem to be casually browsing the store's cosmetics position themselves just behind the woman.  Working in tandem, the thieves quickly strike. As one jostles into... Читать дальше...

Crowds of people have been taking to the streets with phones in hand to chase after the latest coveted Pokémon character. But while the recent mobile app has taken the world by storm, climbers have for years been searching for hidden boxes in remote places using electronic devices. While Pokémon players search for virtual characters, climbers and extreme sports enthusiasts have long been making their way to caves and cliff edges in search for the hidden geocaches – boxes hidden in remote locations and found using GPS on their smartphones. Читать дальше...

Recent terrorist attacks across Europe have given Maltese holidaymakers pause for thought but done little to alter their final plans, according to local travel agents. The heightened terror threat has had a significant impact on tourism around the continent, with areas worst hit in recent months reporting heavy declines in arrivals. Terrorism and political instability in Turkey have led to tourist numbers in June, even before the attempted military coup, being 41 per cent lower than this time last year... Читать дальше...

Three people have been killed and a boy aged 12 injured in an early morning shooting at a residence in south Florida. Four people with apparent gunshot wounds were found by officers, said the Miami-Dade Police Department. Two women - ages 39 and 19 - died at the scene and a 17-year-old male died later at a hospital. The 12-year-old boy who was also shot is in a stable condition at Kendall Regional Hospital. Police gave no details about who the shooter might be.

Two men were admitted to hospital in a critical condition this afternoon after suffering burns when trying to start the motor of a dinghy they were on at Armier. The police said the incident happened at around 1pm. Relatives gave the victims - a 28-year-old man from Marsa and a 33-year-old man from Żebbuġ - first aid and took them to the nearest health centre from where they were transferred to Mater Dei Hospital by ambulance. An inquiry is being held.

Britain's Lewis Hamilton eased his Mercedes to a dominant victory in the German Formula One Grand Prix and secured his fourth victory in a row. World championship leader Hamilton overtook his team mate Nico Rosberg, who was in pole position, at the start and crossed the finish line well ahead of the Red Bulls of Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen. German Rosberg finished fourth with the Ferraris of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen fifth and sixth.

The lack of control of the aquaculture sector not only has an impact on the environment but also on business, according to the owner of a fish farm in the south. Joseph Caruana, owner of Fish and Fish Limited, said the lack of monitoring posed a problem for those companies that invest in implementing best practices. “No control is a problem for me. Monitoring fish farm practices would mean that everyone has to abide by set standards. It creates a level playing field,” he said. He admitted the sector has an impact on the environment... Читать дальше...

At 14, Emilie Gregory is determined to do her best to represent Malta in sailing at the world championships; and Isabelle Caruana, 41, is raising funds for cancer research through her cycling challenge. Here’s how they’ve geared up to get to their goals.   Isabelle Caruana is one of 29 cyclists taking part in the RE/MAX Alive 2016 cycling challenge in aid of children’s cancer research. Even after the cycle from Zagreb in Croatia, through Slovenia, down to the Vatican, stretching 1,100km, is over, she will continue in her fundraising mission. Читать дальше...

A Palestinian has been shot dead after trying to stab soldiers at a West Bank checkpoint, said the Israeli military. The man was running towards troops on Sunday with a knife in his hand when he was gunned down, having come from the direction of Nablus. Palestinians have killed 34 Israelis and two visiting Americans in stabbings, shootings and attacks since mid-September last year, using cars against civilians and security forces. About 200 Palestinians have been killed in the same period. Israel... Читать дальше...

The creation of college secondary schools to replace junior lyceums has delivered its first group of fifth formers. Malta Union of Teachers president Kevin Bonello tells Kurt Sansone why he is not too pleased with the results – and defends teachers against any suggestion they are not flexible enough in their methods. The Matsec O level results came out last week. These are the results of the first group of students to have joined the new system that did away with the secondary school divide between area secondaries and junior lyceums. Читать дальше...

Experts should be given more weight than parents when deciding on the best schooling programme for disabled children, according to Kevin Bonello. The Malta Union of Teachers president says inclusion of disabled students in mainstream schools must be encouraged but this should not apply to all cases. “There are a handful of cases where inclusion is not working for the child and the rest of the classroom,” Mr Bonello says when asked whether teachers were prepared for inclusion. He insists the union... Читать дальше...

Home schooling should not be given a free hand to grow, the Malta Union of Teachers believes, raising concern over the spread of extremist ideologies. MUT president Kevin Bonello says he disagrees with the notion of home schooling on the basis that parents do not agree with the school’s philosophy. “We are not against home tuition for children who have a medical condition that prevents them from attending school for a stretch of time… but we have to guard against allowing extremist views of any religious denomination taking root,” he says. Читать дальше...

Muslims have attended Catholic Masses in churches and cathedrals across France in a gesture of solidarity after the gruesome killing of a priest in Normandy. Television footage showed dozens of Muslims gathering at the towering Gothic cathedral in Rouen, only a few miles from Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, where 85-year-old Reverend Jacques Hamel was killed by two teenage attackers on Tuesday. Other interfaith gatherings took place elsewhere in France on Sunday. Dalil Boubakeur, the rector of the Mosque of Paris... Читать дальше...

A project to beautify the entrance to Valletta was launched yesterday, with the intention of all works being completed before Malta's capital begins its 2018 year as European Capital of Culture. The project envisions Triton Fountain square becoming a pedestrian area, with the public transport hub moved away from the area. The square will then be used for social, cultural and recreational activities.  Valletta ditch will be turned into a garden, while the bastions alongside the city's entrance will be given greater prominence. Читать дальше...

A new system for alerting the public about missing children will come into effect in the first half of next year, the Home Affairs ministry announced today. The AMBER Alert System will allow police to quickly involve the public in the search for missing children using an array of available media, from TV to variable-message road signs, public transport, text messages, and social media, among others.   Local police have teamed up with international NGO AMBER Alert Europe to set up the system and network it with that of other EU member states... Читать дальше...

A Swedish 21-year-old man was injured after leaping into the sea at St Peter's Pool this morning, in the second such injury in as many days.  The accident happened at around 10.30am, police said. The man was rushed to Mater Dei hospital but information about his condition is not yet known.  Yesterday, an 18-year-old Swiss man was seriously injured in a similar accident.

The Turkish government dismissed nearly 1,400 military personnel for suspected links to a cleric it blames for an attempted coup, state media said this morning, hours after President Tayyip Erdogan announced sweeping changes to the armed forces. The expulsions are the latest attempt by Erdogan to bring Turkey's military - long seen as the guardians of the secular republic - firmly under government control. On Saturday he said he planned to shut down existing military academies and put the armed forces under the command of the Defence Ministry. Читать дальше...

The man who took over the sinking More Supermarkets chain in a bid to save it from total collapse says he is owed €10 million by its former owner, Ryan Schembri, who had “fraudulently and deceitfully” misled him into investing. Businessman Darren Casha claimed in a judicial protest that Mr Schembri had fooled him into making the investment and that the accounts he had been shown were “mistaken and far from the truth”. Mr Schembri is believed to have fled Malta in September 2014 after having allegedly racked up some €40 million in debt. Читать дальше...

A fish farm located in the south has over the years increased the number of its cages to four times above the quantity it has permits for, The Sunday Times of Malta can reveal. Malta Fish Farming Ltd, a subsidiary of construction company Elbros Ltd, is allowed five cages but is operating about 20. This expansion increases the operation’s impact on the surrounding marine environment and popular swimming zones in Delimara and Marsaxlokk. It comes despite a planning authority assurance that it had taken enforcement action in October 2014... Читать дальше...

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat this morning described the desecration of a number of Quran copies at Mater Dei Hospital as a “senseless” act which “should not be taken lightly”.In a recorded interview broadcast on One Radio, Dr Muscat said that political leaders had to convey a clear message to the perpetrators.“That’s [such acts] not what we stand for… We should never resort to such disgusting acts” he said. “Only those who are open-minded are patriots,” Dr Muscat said in a veiled message directed to far-right party Għaqda Patrijotti Maltin. Читать дальше...

Opposition leader Simon Busuttil has claimed that the removal of religious vilification as a criminal offence has made it harder to prosecute acts such as the desecration of copies of the Quran at Mater Dei earlier this week.“We need to stress that condemnable actions like these are the reasons why the PN disagreed with the decision to remove the vilification law,” Dr Busuttil said during a radio interview this morning. “The perpetrator cannot be prosecuted because these acts have now become legal. Читать дальше...