Новости за 22.04.2017

The UĦM Voice of the Workers said it will take part in tomorrow's protest against corruption as it called for the police commissioner's resignation.  It is "clear" that the institutions tasked with probing the allegations are not shouldering their responsibilities, the union said, justifying its decision to take part in the protest.  The protest, organised by the Nationalist Party in the wake of new claims connecting the prime minister's family with a secret Panama company, is being held in Valletta. Читать дальше...

The United States could strike a free-trade agreement with the European Union after President Donald Trump warmed to a deal with the bloc, the Times reported, quoting sources from both sides of the discussion. Post-Brexit Britain would be pushed behind Europe in the race to secure a US deal after Germany's Angela Merkel persuaded Trump that talks on a deal would be simpler than he thought, the newspaper said. Britain will not be free to agree new trade deals until it has left the EU in 2019. A source... Читать дальше...

Updated 12.30pm with Mizzi comments Keith Schembri, the Prime Minister's chief of staff would not say whether he personally owned a bank account at Pilatus Bank after testifying in the Egrant inquiry. He was asked outside the law courts after testifying in front of magistrate Aaron Bugeja. Mr Schembri kept repeating that he said all he had to say to the inquiring magistrate. "What I had to say I told the inquiry," he said, when asked several times whether he personally held a Pilatus bank account. Читать дальше...

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and his wife Michelle this morning testified in front of the magistrate investigating allegations over their connection with Panama company Egrant is owned by Ms Muscat. The couple walked out of the law courts hand in hand and in the only comments made, Dr Muscat said they testified to "clear our name from the dirt that has been thrown at us". He expressed hope that the investigation will not take too long to conclude. The Prime Minister did not take questions, adding... Читать дальше...

American Airlines has suspended an employee after a video showed an altercation on one of its planes involving crew, several passengers and a crying woman carrying a young child. An American Airlines employee violently took a stroller from the woman, hitting her with it and just missing her child, Facebook user Surain Adyanthaya said in a post accompanying the video he put on the site on Friday. Less than two weeks ago, a 69-year-old doctor, David Dao, was hospitalised after Chicago aviation police... Читать дальше...

Russians were the main recipients of Maltese citizenship in 2015, EU figures show. A breakdown of the approved citizenship applications provided by the European Union’s statistics office, Eurostat, shows that 646 applicants were granted Maltese citizenship two years ago. Just over 40 per cent, or 258, were Russians, Eurostat said. The second largest group of new citizens were from the United Kingdom, at eight per cent, and Ukraine, four per cent. The granting of Maltese citizenship to foreigners has been a contentious issue since 2013. Читать дальше...

Breaking long-standing promise to myself, like many I watched the latest episode of Xarabank: hence this blog, because what's the use of putting yourself through something like watching Xarabank if you can't use it for some fun?   Thankfully, the producers (quite rightly) concluded that a baying audience wouldn't do anything to improve the fare on offer, so we were spared the Jerry Springer awfulness, even because presenting the show was limited to putting questions which were largely ignored while the participants set about each other. Читать дальше...

The Labour Party has officially been registered as a political party under the new financing laws, chief executive Gino Cauchi has said. Addressing the party general conference, Mr Cauchi said the party had also presented a list of donations as well as its audited accounts.  In order for the PL to register with the Electoral Commission, amendments were needed to the party's statute. The party financing law is intended to regulate donations and make political parties more accountable and transparent. Читать дальше...

John Cleese has labelled supporters of President Donald Trump the "stupidest people" he has ever met. The Monty Python star, who lives in the US, called the current political situation in the country "completely mad" during an appearance on The Nightly Show. He told the programme: "People don't want to admit how mad it is. They cannot believe what is happening." Although he conceded the Republican leader still had supporters, the comedian added: "They still think he's great but these are the stupidest... Читать дальше...

Women who start having hot flashes in their 40s and early 50s may be at a higher risk of cardiovascular disease later on, researchers say. In a study of 272 women aged 40 to 60, the researchers found a connection between hot flashes at younger ages and endothelial dysfunction. “Hot flashes were considered solely quality of life issues. Few investigators have considered their links with women’s heart health,” lead author Rebecca Thurston of the Women's Biobehavioral Health Laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh told Reuters Health by email. Читать дальше...

Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic faces a long injury layoff after landing awkwardly on his knee in the Europa League quarter-final win over Anderlecht, British media reported. The 35-year-old Swede sustained damage to his right knee late in the game against Anderlecht on Thursday and was assessed by the club's medical staff. He looks certain to miss the rest of the season as United battle to finish in the Premier League's top four and win the Europa League. They play Spanish side Celta... Читать дальше...

Fitch has downgraded its rating on Italy's long-term debt, citing the country's huge debts, stagnant economy and divided politics. The agency cut the country's rating from BBB+ to BBB, one notch above junk-bond status. Fitch says the outlook for the debt is stable. Italy's government debt equalled 132.6% of the country's economic output last year, one of the highest figures in the developed world and well above its debt targets. Italian banks are struggling with bad loans, and bailouts are planned for three of them. Читать дальше...

US Vice President Mike Pence said the United States would honour a controversial refugee deal with Australia, under which the United States would resettle 1,250 asylum seekers, a deal President Donald Trump had described as "dumb". Pence told a joint news conference with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in Sydney that the deal would be subject to vetting, and that honouring it "doesn't mean that we admire the agreement". "We will honour this agreement out of respect to this enormously important... Читать дальше...

The claims linking Joseph Muscat's family to a secret Panama company dominated the front pages of all newspapers today.  Times of Malta reported the prime minister saying on Xarabank last night that a document claiming Egrant Inc was owned by Michelle Muscat had been falsified. It also reports that the St Paul's Bay council will insist that the relocation of tuna pens off Qawra should be tied to a bank guarantee that would make good for any potential pollution. L-oriżżont says Opposition leader Simon... Читать дальше...

It is evident that the government is not interested in enforcing the law, said BBC journalist Chris Packham who was on Thursday found not guilty by the court of assaulting two trappers while filming a documentary on trapping illegalities. “What we have observed this year is a government going into an election mode and not interested in alienating part of its core vote,” Mr Packham told Times of Malta.  In his fourth consecutive year of observing the unfolding of Malta’s spring hunting season – and producing a TV documentary about it ... Читать дальше...

The relocation of tuna pens off Qawra should be tied to a bank guarantee that would make good for any potential pollution, the St Paul’s local council will insist to the planning authority. This proposal is part of a list of other measures that the council is submitting by Monday, Qawra Mayor Graziella Galea told Times of Malta following a local council meeting. The council met on Thursday evening to discuss an application by AJD Tuna for the relocation of tuna pens from Comino to a new site off Qawra. Читать дальше...

Late on Thursday night, the Prime Minister did the right thing, a year too late. Joseph Muscat told the Police Commissioner, through his lawyers, to ask the duty magistrate to investigate the incredibly serious allegations made by Daphne Caruana Galizia in her blog. The allegations concern not just the ownership of Egrant but the transfer of funds to the company’s account at Pilatus Bank. The claim that Egrant belongs to the Prime Minister’s wife, something he strenuously denies, effectively means... Читать дальше...