Новости за 13.08.2016

Helen Raine finds Brexit could leave Maltese in the lurch. She speaks to three women whose future in the UK is now full of uncertainty, wrapped up in lots of red tape.  Britain’s vote to leave the EU has massive implications not just for Britons, but for the estimated 28,000 Maltese citizens who have been living happily in the UK for years. Dr Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel, Marie Claire Saliba and Francesca Falzon are three of those. Kathrina is a senior lecturer in dance studies at the Royal Academy of Dance ... Читать дальше...

Accused of being stingy with their money by small businesses, banks retort by saying their hands are tied because of regulatory pressures. This debate, which has been going on for long, even saw Prime Minister Joseph Muscat recently chide banks publicly for being stringent with credit facilities for businesses. Now, Economy Shadow Minister Claudio Grech is calling for the matter to be taken up by Parliament’s Economic and Financial Affairs Committee. Writing in today’s Question Time, Mr Grech argues that... Читать дальше...

Two children living in areas of Nigeria controlled by terrorist group Boko Haram have been paralysed by polio, the World Health Organisation has said.  The infections represent a big setback for the WHO, which had previously thought it had managed to completely eradicate the virus from the country. The organisation was hoping to declare the country polio-free next summer.  Both children are from Borno, where half a million children have not been vaccinated against polio due to the presence of Boko Haram, the Verge reported. Читать дальше...

Defender Paddy McNair's late own goal ensured new coach Pep Guardiola's Premier League career got off to a winning start as Manchester City downed Sunderland 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium today. Debutant McNair, under pressure from Kelechi Iheanacho, turned the ball past keeper Vito Mannone in the 87th minute to deny Sunderland a point after Jermain Defoe's nerveless second-half finish had cancelled out Sergio Aguero's early penalty. Aguero fired City into the lead in the fourth minute after Patrick... Читать дальше...

British Star Wars actor Kenny Baker, who played the robot R2-D2 in six of the films, has died aged 81, Baker's niece told the BBC on Saturday. Baker, who was three feet, eight inches tall, had suffered from a long illness, his relative said. In addition to the first Star Wars film in 1977, he also appeared in Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi and three prequel editions.

For more than a century, the little grape-growing town of Kesten in southern Germany has bestowed the title of "wine queen" on its most respected wine ambassadors.  But interest in the title has dwindled to such an extent that the town has now been forced to close an eye to eligibility criteria and nominate a man to the role.  24-year-old law student Sven Finke first offered his wine queen services as a joke, after the town was forced to keep its incumbent queen for the third successive year due to nobody expressing interest in taking over. Читать дальше...

A drowning 18-month-old boy narrowly escaped tragedy earlier this summer because of a quick intervention by Red Cross volunteers, who made it to Għadira only minutes after emergency calls were made. The child was rescued by the volunteers as an ambulance from Mater Dei arrived as part of a project piloted this summer. The group has for years worked in tandem with the health authorities, offering medical assistance during concerts and events that draw large crowds, or in cases of a disaster where large numbers of people are involved. Читать дальше...

German Christoph Harting dramatically snatched Olympic discus gold from Poland's Piotr Malachowski with his last throw of the final as he registered a personal best of 68.37 metres to keep the title in the family. Harting's brother Robert won the event in London four years ago but failed to get through qualifying on Friday, leaving the way clear for his younger brother to win his first major title. If anyone expected Christoph to have the same outgoing personality as Robert, however, they were soon disabused. Читать дальше...

A man armed with a knife and flammable fluid injured six people in an attack on a Swiss train today, authorities said. "According to current information a 27-year-old Swiss man poured out a flammable liquid. He was also armed with at least one knife. The liquid caught fire," St. Gallen cantonal police said in a statement. It said the injured were taken to various hospitals with burn and stab wounds, and that the assailant was also injured in the incident and transported to hospital. The attack occurred... Читать дальше...

Give a man a fish and feed him for a day, show him how to fish and feed him for a lifetime. This metaphor rings truest for the Cottonera, where an NGO set up by businessman Maurice Mizzi teaches schoolchildren how to make a figurative fishing rod, Sarah Carabott learns. “Imagine that all the children are caterpillars and they all have the potential to turn into butterflies. “Eventually they will all turn into butterflies and find their own flowers to pollinate and feed on. We just guide them on how... Читать дальше...

A superb header by Argentine Erik Lamela earned Tottenham a 1-1 draw at Everton on Ronald Koeman's Premier League debut as the Toffees coach after Ross Barkley gave the home side an early lead at Goodison Park on Saturday. England midfielder Barkley provided Koeman with a perfect start to the season after floating in a fifth-minute free kick which evaded everyone in the penalty area and beat Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris at the far post. Lloris limped off with a hamstring injury in the 36th minute... Читать дальше...

Update 7pm - Police investigating A police officer has been caught on camera slapping a bather across the face. In undated video posted to Facebook group Malta Dizastru Totali, officers at St George's bay can be seen beckoning the man ashore as he splashes about wearing only his birthday suit.  The naked man slowly pulls himself up towards the beach, as one of the officers tosses him what appear to be a pair of boxer shorts.  "He's off his face," a spectator can be heard commenting on the video.... Читать дальше...

Environmental impact studies should be carried out before a floating fun park can be considered for Golden Bay, Mellieħa mayor John Buttigieg said. “I am against this in principle and hope that if this is seriously considered by the authorities, then proper studies are conducted first to see what effect this will have on this natural gem,” he said. Mr Buttigieg was contacted for his reaction to proposals made by the Transport Ministry to establish a floating water fun park at Golden Bay, similar to that at Għadira Bay in Mellieħa. Читать дальше...

Hotel and restaurant owners have called on Air Malta management to meet with the airline pilots' union as soon as possible, saying it is "not correct" for the company to wait 4 weeks between meetings.  In a statement issued this afternoon, the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association again urged pilots to avoid threats of industrial action. "Use only the force of argument ... not the argument of force," the MHRA said. "Actions which threaten the tourism industry and therefore the livelihood of thousands... Читать дальше...

Millions of cars sold by the Volkswagen Group since 1995 can be unlocked by using a £30 homemade radio to spy on key fob signals.  The hack is effective on various models of the group's Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda and Seat brands and the company has been aware of the issue since November 2015, the BBC reported. Although hackers can potentially crack keylocks and enter cars, Volkswagen made it clear that starting the car's engine using this method was "not possible." Newer VW models, including the Golf... Читать дальше...

Rio Olympics officials irked by the "aggressive and rude" behaviour of some Indian delegates have threatened to revoke the accreditation of the country's sports minister. Indian sports minister Vijay Goel received a letter from Olympic organisers after members of his entourage tried to enter restricted areas in the gymnastics, taekwondo and fencing venues, The Press Trust of India reported.  The letter noted that organisers had received multiple reports of the minister trying to enter accredited areas with unaccredited individuals. Читать дальше...

Leicester City's Premier League title defence got off to a terrible start as they were beaten 2-1 at promoted Hull City, who shrugged off an injury crisis to shock the champions on the opening day of the new season today. Robert Snodgrass thumped home a left-footed winner in the 57th minute after Leicester, who lost only three games last season, failed to clear their lines. Riyad Mahrez's second-half penalty for Leicester had earlier cancelled out Adama Diomande's acrobatic overhead kick. Diomande... Читать дальше...

Luke Bezzina placed third in his 100 metres heat at the Olympic Games early this morning, but it was not enough for him to make it to the first round proper of the competition. Running in the second heat, the Maltese sprinter crossed the finish line in 11.04 seconds. His time was 0.37 slower than his personal best of 10.67 he set at the Marsa athletics track earlier this year and 0.55 seconds off Kevin Moore’s national record of 10.49. Hassan Saaid, of the Maldives, won the race in 10.43 seconds... Читать дальше...

Texting while driving is a notoriously common sight on Maltese roads. But even the most brazen of local motorists might think twice before copying this Philadelphia driver.  In video sent to Philadelphia news network 6 ABC, a driver can be seen texting while driving along the motorway - with her feet on the steering wheel.  A passenger in an adjacent vehicle was so outraged by the woman driver's recklessness that she recorded it on her phone.  "You see people on their phones all the time, but that... Читать дальше...

The Environment Resource Authority should appeal the recent controversial decisions to sanction high-rise buildings in Mrieħel in Sliema, Partit Demokratiku said this afternoon.  In the name of the government, Minister Edward Zammit Lewis had told the House Business Committee that a masterplan should be drafted and put out for consultation before such buildings are constructed, the PD said in a statement.  "Since this holistic national masterplan does not exist, how can the ERA guarantee that the... Читать дальше...

Aida Hadzialic, Sweden's youngest-ever cabinet minister, said she was resigning her education post after being caught driving under the influence of alcohol. Hadzialic, who is minister for upper secondary school, adult education and training, told a news conference she was stopped by police on the bridge between Denmark and Sweden with 0.2 per mille alcohol in her blood (two glasses of wine) after a dinner in Copenhagen. The 0.2 per mille level is Sweden's legal limit for drunk driving, a level that... Читать дальше...

Chancellor Angela Merkel has invited executives from some of Germany's biggest listed companies to attend a summit next month where she will urge them to hire more refugees, the newspaper Bild reported. More than one million migrants flooded into Germany last year, and the government wants to get as many as possible into the job market, which would reduce their dependence on the state and compensate for labour shortages as the workforce ages. Merkel will push reluctant German companies to offer more traineeships and position to refugees... Читать дальше...

Egypt's Islam El Shehaby refused to shake hands with Israel's Or Sasson after their judo match at the Rio Olympics, drawing boos from the crowd and stirring a debate about intolerance at the Games. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) opened a disciplinary commission after El Shehaby, who lost the first round elimination bout, backed away when Sasson bowed and approached him to shake hands. El Shehaby, 32, had been reportedly pressured by fans on social media not to show up for the match with... Читать дальше...

Singer Demi Lovato has come under fire from fans for sharing a video of her mother joking about the Zika virus. The 23-year-old shared a clip of her mother Dianna Hart, who could be seen drinking alcohol, on her Snapchat story, in which she said: "Everybody down in Rio gonna get the Zika virus". Lovato could be heard laughing in the background and added three laughing emojis to the video. Fans made #DemiLovatoIsOverParty trend on Twitter as they hit out at her mother for making the insensitive comment about the virus... Читать дальше...

Rabat residents wondered what had happened to their mailed items before they learnt that a postman had disposed of letters and parcels instead of delivering them. Photos shared on social media showed letters and parcels scattered on the ground at Dingli Cliffs. They included hospital documents, bank statements and also junk mail. They were taken to the Rabat police station. Irked residents who spoke to this newspaper yesterday said they realised something was wrong when they did not receive post for some days. Читать дальше...