Новости за 22.05.2017

The finance ministers of Germany and France agreed today to strengthen the eurozone, giving a new impulse to stalled reforms of the currency union and warning that if they fail political extremists will take power. Wolfgang Schaeuble and Bruno Le Maire agreed at their first meeting since the May 7 election of Emmanuel Macron as French president to set up a joint working group that would present ideas by July on deepening eurozone integration. Le Maire said the group would look at fiscal convergence... Читать дальше...

A man who broke off his engagement without justification has been ordered by a civil court to pay €14,408 in damages to the parents of his former fiancée. Parents of the bride had paid for the wedding dresses, invitation cards, souvenirs, catering, the hiring of chauffeur-driven vehicles as well as music and flower arrangements. The parents of the bride had also forked out for a deposit on the wedding reception venue booking.  The couple's four-year relationship came to an end just one month before their September 2014 wedding day... Читать дальше...

Financial services stakeholders should club together to form a task force to tackle the damaging effects of the Malta Files, the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry said today.  "Time is of the essence. Every minute is valuable and all stakeholders need to come together immediately to address this very serious issue," the Chamber said in a statement.  The Malta Files is a joint investigative effort by a number of media outlets across Europe which are looking into Malta's taxation system. Читать дальше...

Airbus has appointed an independent panel including two former ministers to examine its anti-corruption practices after Britain and France launched fraud and bribery investigations into the sale of jetliners.  Europe's largest aerospace group said today the three advisers, who include former German finance minister Theo Waigel and former French European affairs minister Noelle Lenoir, will report to chief executive Tom Enders and the board.  Airbus is in the midst of an upheaval after acknowledging... Читать дальше...

This art could be described as "social plastic": it is as far from art for art's sake as it is possible to be. What is art used for? Can it make our lives better? Athens is one of those cities that are struggling to find an answer to this question.

Updated 12.58pm A number of sites put into the planning zone back in 2006 may need to be reclassified as Outside Development Zones, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said this morning. Speaking at a panel debate organised by a coalition of 23 environmental NGOs, Dr Muscat hinted at the possibility of a "redesign" of the development zone open for construction."Some sites are simply too beautiful to be open for construction," he said, adding that mistakes had been made in the 2006 'rationalisation' of the development zone. Читать дальше...

The number of people unemployed has gone down, irrespective of how long they have been registering for work. In April, the number of persons registering for work stood at 2,577 compared to 3,751 in April 2016, according to figures released today by the National Statistics Office. Those registering for work for less than 21 weeks went down from 1,478 to 946, and those from 21-52 weeks, from 766 to 486. However, even the long-term unemployed – those looking for work for over a year – went down from 1,507 to 1,145. Читать дальше...

The San Francisco Dungeon's newest attraction will take the form of a pop-up cafe with unlikely guests, according to Mercury News. The Black Rat Cafe will indeed live up to its name's promise and feature a bunch of domesticated, cleaned up rodents within the premises to scurry around daring customers. The two-day-only "immersive" attraction will take visitors through 200 years of the city's wonderful history while they (try to) enjoy their dining experience alongside the unpopular creatures. The... Читать дальше...

Two more climbers have died on Mount Everest, taking to six the death toll on the world's highest mountain in the past month, fuelling safety concerns among mountaineers, officials said today. A 54-year-old Australian, Francesco Enrico Marchetti, died on the Tibetan side of Everest, while Vladimir Strba, 48, of Slovakia, perished near a feature called the Balcony in the south in Nepal, officials said. Both climbers died on Sunday. Marchetti died of apparent altitude sickness about 8,300 metres) above sea level on his summit approach... Читать дальше...

Ford Motor Co chief executive Mark Fields is set to leave the carmaker as part of a shake-up that includes other top executive changes as the company's shares hover near a 52-week low, several media reported today.  Forbes and the New York Times reported James Hackett, head of the Ford unit that works on autonomous vehicles, would take the reins. An announcement could come as early as today.  Ford shares are down nearly 40 per cent since Fields, 56, took over three years ago at the peak of the US auto industry's recovery. Читать дальше...

Indonesian police have detained more than 140 men after raiding what authorities described as a gay prostitution ring being run out of an entertainment venue in the north of the capital, Jakarta, a police spokesman said today. Jakarta police spokesman Argo Yuwono said in a statement officials had "detained 141 people who violated pornography laws". He said 10 suspects, including the owner of the club and several staff members, had been charged, while the others were being questioned. Indonesia has... Читать дальше...

Updated 1.20pm Financial regulator chief Joe Bannister had already indicated he intended to step aside by the end of the year, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said today. Dr Muscat said Prof. Bannister had told him about his intention earlier this year, with a decision taken for him to stay on through the EU Council presidency period before he gradually bowed out. The Prime Minister was speaking after Nationalist Party leader Simon Busuttil indicated a PN government would pick a new face to head the Malta Financial Services Authority if elected. Читать дальше...

Maltese expats have again called on the Prime Minister and the Opposition leader to stick to their promise and make it easier for those abroad to vote, insisting many overseas could not make the journey over. The group of expats living across the world are insisting that despite both the Labour and Nationalist parties pledging to make voting for those abroad easier during the campaign for the 2013, this had not happened. They have written to the Prime Minister asking for voting at the different embassies to be allowed this year. Читать дальше...

Schools are a key environment where to teach large groups of children of all social classes about healthy eating and thus instil positive dietary behaviours. Charmaine Gauci, superintendent of public health, discusses the food procurement guidelines for schools. Childhood and adolescence are periods of development when establishing healthy diet and lifestyle habits is essential. Many parents find difficulty in providing healthy food to their kids due to various issues including taste concerns, resistance from children... Читать дальше...

Floriana ended a barren run of five successive seasons without a major domestic honour as they scored a goal in each half to see off Sliema Wanderers 2-0 and lift the FA Trophy, at the National Stadium, on Saturday. In fact, the last time the Greens had held aloft the knock-out silverware was in 2011 when an Ivan Woods’s solitary goal gave them an edge over Valletta 1-0 in a tense final. Saturday’s success was sweet revenge for Floriana who not only chalked up their first win over the Wanderers this... Читать дальше...

AJD Tuna has begun dismantling fish farms in St Paul’s Bay and Comino ahead of the May 31 deadline set by the Planning Authority for their relocation. According to AJD, the tuna pens at Comino have already been removed, with the mooring blocks scheduled to follow in mid-June once necessary divers and work boats return from the tuna fishing season. Meanwhile, the three cages in St Paul’s Bay, containing carry-over fish, are being moved to a site six kilometres offshore, where they will be kept on... Читать дальше...

More than 400 captive-bred turtle doves have been released into the wild by hunters and trappers as part of a pilot project, lobby group FKNK has said.  The project, which the FKNK hopes to expand to thousands of birds, is intended to boost local wild turtle dove populations and make it easier for authorities to reopen the turtle dove spring hunting season.  European turtle doves were classified as a 'vulnerable' species by the European Commission last year, and Malta's spring hunting season was... Читать дальше...

Research is being carried out among Maltese schoolchildren to assess whether increased amounts of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity can reduce the obesity problem. Stephanie Fsadni speaks to a foreign professor involved in the project. Studies on the benefits of physical activity are continuously being released. However, the amount or intensity of exercise one should undertake is not so clear. Some studies suggest moderate exercise three times a week for physical and mental well-being, while... Читать дальше...

These are the leading stories in today's local newspapers. The Times of Malta leads with a summary of separate appeals made by Joseph Muscat and Simon Busutill for people to go out and vote on June 3.  In a secondary story, the paper reports that the family of Tom Stewart, who went missing a year ago, are offering a €1,000 reward as their search for him goes on.  The Malta Independent lead with calls made by the employers' lobby and Chamber of Commerce for politicians to come together to defend Malta's... Читать дальше...

The gatekeepers of democracy are rarely lost in one dramatic crash, rather they are lost in a slow, insidious erosion often hardly noticed until it is too late. Looking at the shocking revelations and allegations that emerged since the Panama Papers, one would realise that the system of checks and balances has been failing us for years. Human nature being what it is, it would be naïve to assume that power will not in some way and to some extent corrupt. Hence, the need for systems to make those tempted... Читать дальше...

A proposal to locate Malta’s next landfill on an artificial island in the sea has raised concerns within the Environment and Resources Authority. Tonio Montebello, CEO of Wasteserv Ltd, told a seminar on waste management that identifying an alternative area of land to operate a second landfill after Magħtab closes down may be out of the question. That is, he said, unless the new landfill can be situated offshore. Yet varying conditions may not allow for the same technical approach in Maltese waters... Читать дальше...

The national team retained the EU Nations Cup title for a second successive time with a perfect record of five wins out of five in Sczeczin, Poland, yesterday. Coach Karl Izzo named various young players in his squad for the tournament as he continued with his preparations ahead of the European Championship qualifiers. Andreas Galea, Miguel Zammit, Jake Tanti and Zack Mizzi were all handed a chance to stake their claim in a team that played without chief goalscorer Steve Camilleri who has just finished his season in the Italian league. Читать дальше...

Leaked Facebook documents show how the social media company moderates issues such as hate speech, terrorism, pornography and self-harm on its platform, the Guardian reported, citing internal guidelines seen by the newspaper. New challenges such as "revenge porn" have overwhelmed Facebook's moderators who often have just ten seconds to make a decision, the Guardian said. The social media company reviews more than 6.5 million reports of potentially fake accounts a week, the newspaper added.  Many of... Читать дальше...

The unusual and unexpected snap election the Prime Minister decided to call on May 1 attracted world attention. It was unusual because a prime minister does not normally announce such an important national event during a partisan meeting. It is unexpected because Malta will continue to preside over the European Council till the end of June. Joseph Muscat could have presented another national budget in about five months’ time and, therefore, he would have had the opportunity to positively evaluate... Читать дальше...

Joseph Muscat has been present in my political and sociological experiences for the past 20 years or so. This goes back to the run-up to the 1996 general election. Prospective prime minister Alfred Sant was depicted as the moderniser of Malta.  Assisted by Labour intellectuals such as Mario Vella, Evarist Bartolo and Alfred Mifsud, Sant ridded Labour of its violent elements and embraced polices and strategies which were previously anathema. Labour opened up to the middle class and embraced liberal market economics. Читать дальше...