Новости за 06.11.2016

A first-half double from Gareth Bale helped Real Madrid cement their position at the top of La Liga with a 3-0 win at home to Leganes. Reeling from a chaotic midweek 3-3 draw at Legia Warsaw in the Champions League, Real got off to a slow start against neighbours Leganes, but Bale put them in charge in the 37th minute. The Wales international, who netted a sensational half-volley against Legia, raced onto a through ball from Isco that split the visiting defence and rounded goalkeeper Jon Serantes... Читать дальше...

Armenian cellist Narek Hakhnazaryan, known for his impeccable technique and causing a sensation wherever he goes, will once again be performing in Malta. He will grace the stage of the Manoel Theatre during the Dvorak & Elgar concert by the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra on Friday, under the direction of acclaimed Greek conductor, Michalis Economou. Hakhnazaryan will perform as soloist during the first number on the programme that evening – Antonin Dvorak’s Cello Concerto in B minor. This is one... Читать дальше...

Aircraft giant Airbus has taken out a patent for bench-like aeroplane seats designed for obese passengers.  The "reconfigurable" seats fit two larger passengers but can also be adapted to fit a family of four.  When two people occupy the bench, a table folds down to create a barrier between the two passengers.  In its patent filing, Airbus hinted at its thinking, writing that "optimum utilization of the space available in a passenger cabin is of major economic importance.” The aircraft maker added that “the cabin layout... Читать дальше...

Thousands of people put on their running shoes this morning as the annual President's Solidarity Fun Run in aid of the Malta Community Chest Fund Foundation got underway.  People gathered at four different locations, with runners departing from Rabat and strollers meeting at Paola, Santa Venera and the University campus. The event ends in St George's square, Valletta.  President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and Opposition Leader Simon Busuttil all showed up to thank participants for their support. Читать дальше...

The Planning Authority’s executive chairman Johann Buttigieg lied to Parliament when he said there was no conflict of interest by the consultants who drew up the Paceville masterplan. Speaking during a radio interview, Dr Busuttil said there was a clear conflict of interest as the consultants who drew up the plan were also the consultants for the biggest project mentioned in that same plan. Mott MacDonald officials told Parliament on Wednesday that they had verbally informed Mr Buttigieg about the potential conflict of interest... Читать дальше...

With the party season fast approaching, Corinthia Palace Hotel & Spa executive chef Stefan Hogan shares his advice on planning the perfect menu. The festive season and scrumptiously good food (the kind you may only indulge in once a year) go together like a horse and carriage. It’s for that very reason that planning the perfect menu is a vital step. “Christmas is the season when everyone looks forward to letting their hair down and, possibly, even eating some of the foods they avoid at other times of the year,” Stefan Hogan... Читать дальше...

Seminal figures like Man Ray, André Kertész, Berenice Abbot, Alexandr Rodchenko and Edward Steichen are being included in one of the world’s greatest private collection of modernist images. Tate Modern in London, the UK, will be opening a major new exhibition, The Radical Eye: Modernist Photography from the Sir Elton John Collection, opening on Thursday. The show will be drawn from one of the world’s greatest private collections of photography and will present an unrivalled selection of classic modernist images from the 1920s to the 1950s. Читать дальше...

Ġorġ Mallia’s latest children’s book is in English and draws visually on the Scandinavian “tomtenissar” (Santa’s elves) that are so popular as decorations over the Christmas season. But there’s nothing Christmassy about Mallia’s Sigurd and the Tree of Life as it is a tale that involves the last wizard on Earth searching out the tree of life before a poison that’s been fed into its roots kills it, and with it all of life in the world. The book, aimed at children that are between eight and 12, came into being when Mallia... Читать дальше...

Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, speaks to Anthony Manduca about her hopes for Malta’s EU presidency, tackling migration, her attempts to find a diplomatic solution in Syria, relations with Russia and the EU’s current difficulties. You preside over the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council. How difficult is it to align the foreign policy of 28 Member States? It is not as difficult as one would expect. The mainstream narrative is that Europe is divided... Читать дальше...

Suicide bombers driving ambulances packed with explosives detonated their vehicles at a checkpoint and a car park for Shi'ite pilgrims in two Iraqi cities early today, killing at least 21 people and wounding dozens, officials said. The twin attacks took place in Tikrit and Samarra, as Iraqi troops and security forces battled to retake the northern city of Mosul from Islamic State militants who have controlled it for more than two years. They appeared to be part of a series of diversionary attacks by the ultra-hardline Sunni Islamists... Читать дальше...

October 22 marked a milestone in the competitive culinary scene for Maltese chefs. They received a silver and a bronze at the IKA Culinary Olympics in Messe Erfut, Germany. More than 2,000 chefs from 50 countries, including Malta, prepared up to 7,000 fresh menus at the Erfut Exhibition Hall, turning it into the largest restaurant ever to be seen. The team, made up of Kevin Bonello (Infinitely Xara), Clint Grech (Infinitely Xara), Otis Caruana (Pastry Chef at Infinitely Xara), Melvin Sammut (Excelsior)... Читать дальше...

This week Snoopy was rushed to the clinic as an emergency.  Snoopy is a 10-year-old male Dalmatian with a huge heart just bursting with love for his owners.  He’s usually quite a confident dog when visiting the clinic, but this time he was considerably agitated and frightened, and with good reason.  Snoopy was having considerable difficulty breathing. Snoopy’s owners told me that he had had an unexplained bout of vomiting, that he had become a bit slower than usual, more reluctant to move about and he had also started to cough ... Читать дальше...

A great post caught my eye this morning: the German people are encouraging Americans to go ahead and vote in a lying, racist thug who threatens to imprison his enemies and stifle any opinion other than his. "After all, what can go wrong?" they ask. Just for those amongst you who have had an irony bypass, it's not a real ad, just one made up to go on Facebook, along with all the others good, sublime, bad or utterly moronic. The fact remains, though, that it is a bad time to have an opinion and an... Читать дальше...

In recent years, the yoga trend in Malta has really caught on. Yet, while there are many who swear by yoga and its beneficial effects, others can’t help but wonder what all the fuss is about! Perhaps these 8 reasons will motivate you to roll out your mat and give yoga a try. 1. Protect your spine Your spine, which is made up of 33 spinal disks, craves movement. Yoga is one of the best ways to keep your spinal disks supple, through a well-balanced practice that contains plenty of backbends, forward bends and twists. Читать дальше...

A motorcyclist was injured this morning after he skidded and fell off his bike while driving towards Buġibba on the Coast Road.  Police said the incident happened at around 9.15am. The man, a 31-year-old Russian national, was taken to Mater Dei hospital for treatment. The extent of his injuries is not yet known.

Ok, so I have a dilemma and I need your help working it out. It’s not earth shattering, as dilemmas go, but it many ways it could be considered life changing: which football club should my son support? Andy recently turned six and he is never happier than when playing football. He trains with Balzan’s academy where, three times a week, he displays considerable speed, some genuine talent and an incredible ability to fall over without actually being touched. It’s like raising a cross between Arjen Robben and Jurgen Klinsmann. Читать дальше...

Updated 10.15am  Prime Minister Joseph Muscat this morning accused Opposition leader Simon Busuttil of “shooting from the hip” in his declarations about the gas-fired power station and minimum wage debate.Speaking on One Radio, Dr Muscat said that the PN leader was getting into the habit of making declarations only to backtrack at a later stage. “According to the government’s calculations, if we were to listen to his advice and not build a new power station, we would end up with no electricity for... Читать дальше...

A 23-year-old Lija man was found lying on a road in San Ġwann this morning following what police believe to be a hit-and-run incident.  The man was found on Triq Tal-Balal at 5.30am and rushed to Mater Dei hospital for treatment. He is grievously injured.  A short time later, police received reports that a 33-year-old woman had smashed her Toyota Vitz into some parked cars on Triq Birkirkara in St Julian's, flipping her car over in the process. She was not hurt.  Police say they are investigating... Читать дальше...

A landmark global accord to combat climate change has officially taken effect, putting pressure on countries to take action to slash greenhouse gas emissions and limit global warming. The 2015 Paris Agreement won swift backing last December by almost 200 countries, including China, the United States and the European Union, and has been described as the most complex global treaty since the Marrakesh (trade) Agreement, signed in 1994. The accord passed a threshold on October 5 of 55 nations, accounting... Читать дальше...

Animals are part of the natural world, right? Well, there are over 1,500 animals that show some form of homosexual be­haviour. Let’s go through some colourful examples. Over nine in 10 of gi­raffe sexual encounters are bet­ween males rather than females. Our close cousins – the Bonobo or pygmy chimpanzee – have a matriarchal society with women trading sexual favours with each other as a way to resolve conflict. Surprisingly, even many insects and spiders seem to practise homosexuality once in a while. Читать дальше...

Common to dodos and Mediterranean diets is the fact that they seem to exist in the imagination rather than in fact. There are, moreover, several misconceptions as to what the Mediterranean diet actually consisted of. Those of us who experienced the sort of diet that the average person had in the decades of the post World War Two period might find it difficult to equate it with what is being touted these days as a Mediterranean diet. The daily fare of the farmer working the field all day or the lunch... Читать дальше...

This Christmas season, Masquerade Theatre Company returns with another action-packed laugh-out-loud Christmas pantomime. Following past panto successes like Little Red Riding Hood and You Know Who as well as The Curse of Snow White, this year’s audiences will be treated to the story of Puss in Boots. Written by Malcolm Galea, who will also be making a return in the role of dame following 2014’s unforgettable Auntie Patka, the show will be directed by Anthony Bezzina, with musical direction in the hands of Kris Spiteri. Читать дальше...

French business interest in Malta is on the increase, according to French Ambassador Béatrice le Fraper du Hellen, who had words of praise for Malta and its proactive approach during a conference organised by the Maltese-French Chamber of Commerce. The ‘Healthcare Business in the Mediterranean’ conference was addressed by a number of speakers who dealt with the opportunities that Malta can offer in medical research and development, medi­cal training and medical tourism. “In France, businesses have... Читать дальше...