Новости за 14.02.2017

Prison warders this afternoon intercepted 23 sachets of drugs which were about to be taken into the prison. The sachets, holding cocaine and heroin, were hidden in the soles of a pair of shoes which a woman wanted delivered to an inmate. A magisterial inquiry is under way.

President Donald Trump asked for the resignation of his national security adviser, Michael Flynn, after his level of trust in Flynn eroded to the point that he felt he needed to make a change, White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters today. A day after Flynn's resignation, Spicer said Trump had been concerned that Flynn had misled Vice President Mike Pence over his contacts with Russian officials before Trump took office on Jan. 20. Trump had been reviewing Flynn's situation for a few weeks, he said. Читать дальше...

Like most couples busy planning a wedding, Catherine Aquilina and Albert Sciberras are eager to mark their special day by going away on honeymoon. But while many opt for romantic vacations, this couple have decided to go on a trip far removed from the Valentine image of secluded intimacy. They will do voluntary work in Kenya for a poor community. The pair met six years ago when they both became involved in youth organisations in their hometown of Qormi. They have remained heavily involved in volunteer work. Читать дальше...

Politicians, a victim of tragedy and at least one Maltese saint have made it to a collection of funerary memorial cards that has just been donated to Heritage Malta. The collection, which grew from one discarded specimen to several thousand, may shed light on changing fashion trends, orthography and craftsmanship. The collection still needs to be sorted, but so far, the oldest ones date back to the late 19th century, Inquisitor’s Palace curator Kenneth Cassar told this newspaper. Alfred Calleja, a former Sea Malta officer... Читать дальше...

The government said today that it plans to double the maximum penalty which a court may impose for libel to €20,000 while removing criminal libel and the imposition of garnishee orders freezing the bank accounts of journalists during libel cases. The fine for slander will be raised to €10,000. Education Minister Evarist Bartolo and Justice Minister Owen Bonnici told a press conference this afternoon that the government is also considering the appointment of a press complaints council or ombudsman... Читать дальше...

The MSE Share Index extended yesterday’s decline as it slipped by a further 0.14% to a four-day low of 4,721.576 points today on strong volumes totalling nearly €0.66 million – the highest level of daily trading activity day this year. RS2 Software plc lost 1.7% to the €1.73 level after recovering from a near two-month low of €1.70. A total of 66,150 shares changed hands. Also among the large companies, HSBC Bank Malta plc eased 0.2% to the €2.04 level across 43,522 shares. The Bank is scheduled... Читать дальше...

Manchester City's Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus broke a bone in his foot during Monday's 2-0 win over Bournemouth, the Premier League club said today. The 19-year-old, who came off after 15 minutes of the game, could face a long layoff but City gave no time frame and said further examinations of the metatarsal would determine how long the absence was likely to be. Such an injury could potentially rule the player out for the rest of the season. The teenager has scored three goals in five games... Читать дальше...

One person has been killed and several injured in a head-on collision between a freight train and a passenger train in Luxembourg. The CLT rail company said in a statement that the passenger train, heading into France, went through a stop signal for reasons that remain unclear. Police said the crash in southern Bettembourg left some people stuck in a badly mangled passenger carriage. One person died while two were taken to hospital for further treatment. Images from the crash showed the locomotive... Читать дальше...

The MTV Europe Music Awards (EMAs) are to be held in London for the first time in more than 20 years. Announcing the news, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said it was proof the capital had not become "insular" since the UK voted to leave the European Union in last year's referendum. Speaking at Viacom HQ as part of his London Is Open campaign, Mr Khan insisted the city was the "entertainment capital of the world". The annual awards show will take place on November 12 at the SSE Arena in Wembley. Mr Khan said... Читать дальше...

The government has published long-awaited contracts with the Electogas consortium for the building of the new gas-fired power station in Delimara and the provision of power to Enemalta for the next 18 years. The Nationalist Party immediately criticised the government for blanking out parts of the contracts. See the Electrogas contracts as released by the government here.   Contracts regarding the BWSC plant (sold to Shanghai Electric) and its conversion to gas, as well as ban guarantees, are to be published tomorrow. Читать дальше...

The owner of Peugeot said it could buy Vauxhall and Opel from General Motors (GM) in a deal that would transform Europe's car market. PSA Group is in talks over a "potential acquisition" of GM's European car business, as it explores "strategic initiatives" aimed at boosting profits and cutting costs. However, it said there could be "no assurance that an agreement will be reached". GM employs around 35,000 people in the UK under the Vauxhall brand, including 4,500 staff at plants in Ellesmere Port and Luton. Читать дальше...

The 12 Mute Swans that had stayed in Marsalforn valley since January 1 left this morning, ornithologist Natalino Fenech said. Their departure was observed by members of the Facebook group Birds in the Maltese Islands some time after 7 am. The volunteers had been monitoring the swans since their arrival. Dr Fenech said that over the past few days the swans were seen taking wing regularly and returning to the same spot shortly afterwards, but it was noted that over the past few days, they were taking longer to return... Читать дальше...

A Belgian minister arrived by bike to a news conference to promote cycling today, only to find it had been stolen when he left half an hour later. Ben Weyts, minister of mobility for the Dutch-speaking region of Flanders, unveiled a plan to invest 300 million euros in cycle lanes until 2019, as part of a wider programme to promote alternative modes of transport. "We left the bike in racks at the station and locked it," a spokesman for the minister said. "When we got back half an hour later, it was... Читать дальше...

Opposition leader Simon Busuttil made a courtesy call on Ombudsman Anthony Mifsud this morning and said institutions such as the Ombudsman and the Auditor-General should serve as a model for other institutions. Dr Busuttil said the independence and autonomy of several institutions had been eroded in this legislature and the independence and autonomy of the Ombudsman needed to be emulated. Dr Busuttil underlined the importance of the Office of the Ombudsman to safeguard the people's rights.  Mr Mifsud... Читать дальше...

The estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been killed in Malaysia, a South Korean government source said today. Kim Jong Nam, the older half-brother of the North Korean leader, was known to spend a significant amount of his time outside the country and had spoken out publicly against his family's dynastic control of the isolated state. He was believed to be in his mid-40s. Police in Malaysia told Reuters on Tuesday an unidentified North Korean man had died en route to hospital from Kuala Lumpur airport yesterday. Читать дальше...

Tourism Minister Edward Zammit Lewis this afternoon accused Opposition leader Simon Busuttil of weak leadership in the wake of a controversy surrounding an Outside Development Zone application by PN MP Toni Bezzina. Mr Bezzina was forced to withdraw a planning application for the restoration of derelict WWII structures and the construction of a three bedroom dwelling in an almond grove, in the outskirts of Rabat. The site is outside the development zone. Mr Bezzina, who is also Agriculture shadow... Читать дальше...

Updated 3.05pm - Added Solidarity with Migrants comment Nine Malians who were kept in detention for three months were released today, but the government still plans to deport them to their country, Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela announced this afternoon. The nine were kept in detention pending the arrival of official documents so that they could be returned to Mali, but the documents have not been delivered yet. They will be deported when the documents arrive from Mali, the minister said. "Their... Читать дальше...

Turkish authorities have formally arrested a French national suspected of helping to plan a mass shooting in an Istanbul nightclub on New Year's Day in which 39 people were killed, a police official and the state-run Anadolu news agency said. The man, a 22-year-old French citizen of Turkish descent, was caught in Istanbul, Anadolu said. The police official said he had been detained weeks ago and formally charged last week. Islamic State claimed the January 1 nightclub attack and said it was revenge for Turkish military intervention in Syria. Читать дальше...

Former PBS presenter Lou Bondì is being paid €22 an hour as a consultant to the government’s arts council, according to his contract. He has also been assigned to act as artistic director of the council’s annual rock festival. After the Data Protection Commissioner overruled a decision by the Justice Ministry not to publish Mr Bondì’s contract, this newspaper was given access to the employment conditions of the former chairman of the Nationalist Party’s Radio 101. According to the latest contract... Читать дальше...

Kevin Costner has said some people disapproved of him choosing Whitney Houston to star opposite him in The Bodyguard because she was black. The American actor and the late songstress played a bodyguard and a pop singer who fall in love in the 1992 romantic thriller, which grossed more than 375 million euros at the box office and has become a cult classic. But Costner told Square Mile: "Some people weren't happy that I picked Whitney Houston to be my love interest in The Bodyguard." "And that I kissed... Читать дальше...

An English-speaking man who turned up in court with a bruised and swollen left cheek was given a suspended sentence and a fine after he admitted to causing a commotion and resisting arrest while in a drunken state in Paceville. Filip Strnad, 23, from the Czech Republic and currently residing in Buġibba, was charged with having, while under the influence of drink, disobeyed lawful orders, threatened police officers attempted to use force against one of them. The court appointed a legal aid lawyer to assist the accused... Читать дальше...

The pending number of cases in the Civil Court dropped from 18,831 in 2000, when statistics started to be kept, to 9,815 at the end of last year, the government said. This, it said, was a clear sign of the holistic reform in the justice sector, which the government started to implement at the beginning of the legislature. It said that the number was even lower last month when it went down to 9,686. This, the government said, was due to focused work which included legal amendments, an increase in informatics... Читать дальше...

An uncle who admitted making sexual advances towards his niece was today given a suspended jail term and placed under a supervision order by a magistrate's court. The man in his forties, who resides in Senglea, admitted to attempting a violent indecent assault on his niece, who was then aged 15. The accused, whose name cannot be published by court order, also admitted to knowingly molesting the girl on several occasions between 2015 and 2016. The court, presided by magistrate Charmaine Galea, heard... Читать дальше...

Updated 1.58pm A suspicious package reported on a Xagħra street was a false alarm, police said this afternoon.  Army bomb disposal experts and police officials had been dispatched to Triq il-Knisja in the Gozitan town following reports of a suspicious package. An eyewitness told Times of Malta that they saw at least six police officers and four Armed Forces of Malta officials at the scene.

Brexit minister David Davis said today the government was on course to meet its end-March deadline to launch the formal divorce procedure from the European Union but did not see Britain doing so at an EU summit next month. EU officials are keen to know when Prime Minister Theresa May will trigger Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty and launch some of the most complicated talks Britain has held since World War Two to end its more than 40-year membership of the bloc. In Stockholm, Davis was asked... Читать дальше...