Новости за 03.08.2017

A woman who tended to the needs of her seriously ill brother giving him round the clock assistance was deprived of her social security benefit when it was discovered that she held immovable assets which exceeded the statutory threshold of €14,000. On April 10, 2015 the woman’s entitlement to a social assistance carer allowance was stopped and she was asked to refund the sum of €13,147.80 forked out by the department between 2012 and 2015. This decision was sparked off by the discovery that in March 2012 that she had transferred to her sister... Читать дальше...

A consultation document for the strengthening of the Malta Financial Services Authority is to be published, Parliamentary Secretary for Financial Services Silvio Schembri said. Speaking during a visit to the MFSA, Mr Schembri said time was ripe for the authority to step up the game through a pragmatic risk based approach, fostering more efficient processes and a more conducive environment for innovation. The public consultation, he said, should lead to an authority which was reactive enough to address... Читать дальше...

Nestlè's Cerelac - 3 Cereals with Milk and mixed fruits & Wheat with Milk have been recalled after it was found that flour possibly used in their production might contain levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons higher than legal limits. The recalled 3 Cereals with Milk is from lot L70090291, the Wheat with Milk L63580291.

July 1936. A chaotic Spain is in the throes of civil war. Francisco Franco's fascists are advancing. But republican and Communist Party activist Dolores Ibárruri is having none of it.  In an iconic speech, Ibárruri called on the Spanish people to resist, insisting that the fascists would not pass - "No Pasarán!"  The foreign press were slow to notice Ibárruri and her powerful words. But gradually, they discovered this woman dressed in black, who visited soldiers on the front lines and inspired them with her oration.

These days, the word on the street in war-torn Syria is that hospitals are best avoided - even if you're injured. "Sometimes we hear that people feel the home is safer than the hospital," said Mohamed Elamein, an information officer at the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Gaziantep, Turkey, close to the Syrian border. Communities often oppose plans to build a clinic in their town or village fearing it will be targeted, he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by telephone. Keeping a standardised... Читать дальше...

The former Pilatus Bank employee turned whistleblower at the heart of the Egrant scandal has apparently left Malta, taking along all her family, in a move which came to light this morning when she once again failed to turn up for a court sitting. In the last sitting held on July 21 the court, presided over by Magistrate Joseph Mifsud, had ordered the woman to be brought to court under arrest and had fined her €500 for failing to keep her appointment. In breach of order, the woman did not put in an appearance when her case was called. Читать дальше...

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat deemed “unacceptable” the fact that the upward revision in gas prices, which came into force last Tuesday, was not communicated to the public in advance. Following the increase, the price of LPG cylinders increased by at least €1 and has reached the highest level since 2015. Dr Muscat levelled his criticism when the Times of Malta this morning sought his reaction on this issue at the end of a visit at the National Audit Office in Floriana. In his remarks, the Prime Minister... Читать дальше...

There were three road traffic fatalities in this year’s second quarter. Two were caused by passenger cars and one by a motorcycle. The National Statistics Office said the number of reported traffic accidents during the period reached 4,080, almost at par with the same period in 2016. Traffic casualties increased by 10.8% to 552 over 2016, of which 331 (60%) involved drivers. The number of drivers who sustained slight/insignificant injuries was 275, while 55 cases were reported as grievous. Another 39 persons (14 passengers... Читать дальше...

While President Donald Trump has thrust transgender people back into the conflict between conservative and liberal values in the United States, geneticists are quietly working on a major research effort to unlock the secrets of gender identity. A consortium of five research institutions in Europe and the United States, including Vanderbilt University Medical Center, George Washington University and Boston Children's Hospital, is looking to the genome, a person's complete set of DNA, for clues about whether transgender people are born that way. Читать дальше...

Nationalist Party leadership candidate Chris Said has promised that under his leadership, the PN would always vote against no-go areas such as abortion of euthanasia. He promised to give Nationalist MPs a free vote on other issues of an ethical nature. Dr Said’s candidature is being endorsed by Nationalist MP Edwin Vassallo, who was the only MP to vote against the introduction of gay marriage in Parliament a few weeks ago. Mr Vassallo called on Dr Said to safeguard Christian values which were important... Читать дальше...

JCI Malta & Malta Clean-up have teamed up in the organisation of this year’s ‘Let’s Do It’ National Clean-up Campaign that will take place on September 16. They are raising funds via a rewards based crowdfunding campaign on Zaar, to continue working on their project to clean Malta in a day. The campaign is targeting to raise over €10,000 to clean up the islands while increasing awareness of littering and lack of recycling in Malta with the ultimate aim of changing the mindset of the Maltese population. Читать дальше...

A call for blood has been issued by the National Blood Transfusion Service this morning. It said that reserves were low because of an increase in demand and due to a reduced number of donations as a result of the heat. The service said that if the situation persisted, patients needing blood transfusion would have to wait. It also appealed for more prudence while driving, at work, at sea and at entertainment places, particularly if alcohol was consumed, to reduce the number of incidents and pressure on the blood supply. Читать дальше...

Lap dancing clubs will come under scrutiny as the government plans to regulate their operations, Konrad Mizzi said. The Tourism Minister identified the clubs, particularly their hard-sell marketing techniques, as one of the problems facing Paceville. Lap dancing clubs have mushroomed in the entertainment hot spot. They use women on the street to distribute flyers trying to entice men to enter the clubs. Dr Mizzi said regulations will be introduced in this legislature. He did not elaborate. The clubs... Читать дальше...

Valletta Cruise Port, a subsidiary of Global Ports Holding, has been graded top-rated Mediterranean Cruise Destination in Cruise Critic’s 2017 Cruisers’ Choice Destination Awards. Cruise Critic, a cruise reviews site and online cruise community, announced the winners of its annual Cruisers’ Choice Destination Awards, naming the world’s top cruise destinations, based entirely on consumer ratings submitted with reviews on CruiseCritic.com over the year. The awards name the top cruise destinations across 15 regions worldwide. Читать дальше...

Tourism zones will be getting town managers to coordinate cleaning, upkeep and flag enforcement issues. Paceville will be the first zone to get the enhanced treatment, Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi said this morning. Over a 12-month span, tourism town managers will be appointed for individual tourism zones around Malta. The initiative was announced this morning in a joint press conference with Environment Minister Jose Herrera at Balluta. Dr Mizzi said over the past five weeks workers from Wasteserv... Читать дальше...

On stage, improvisation adds to the authenticity of a performance. Off stage,it helps with public speaking and connecting with other people, says Lorella Fava. Being put on the spot is something we’ve all experienced at some embarrassing point or another – it’s that moment where every head in the room turns towards you and everyone awaits your action or reaction. Such a situation causes the average person to panic and experience some level of anxiety. The level of undesirability that is attached... Читать дальше...

Two Romanian nationals trying to smuggle undeclared cash into the country were yesterday intercepted by customs officials carrying currency control checks on passengers at the airport. Both passengers, a male and a female, arrived in Malta on a flight from Istanbul. The male passenger failed to declare €15,850, $193 and 426 Romanian Leu, while the female passenger was carrying an additional €10,000. Economic Crimes police were informed. Persons travelling to and from Malta are obliged to submit a declaration to Customs if they are carrying €10... Читать дальше...

The language used by the head of the Foundation for Social Welfare Services about two Syrian nationals did not reflect the beliefs of the Social Solidarity Ministry, a spokeswoman said, stopping short of saying whether any action had been taken. Alfred Grixti, the foundation’s CEO, last week called for the deportation of Syrians who featured in a news item and whom he described as mischief makers who scared tourists away. According to the TVM report, two Syrians were arrested following a fight at Buġibba square. Читать дальше...

Liverpool's penultimate pre-season friendly ended with a 5-4 penalty shoot-out defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Audi Cup final. The Reds had defeated Bayern Munich 3-0 at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday night to set up a meeting with Atleti but fell behind as Keidi Bare nodded home after goalkeeper Danny Ward had pushed Angel Correa's effort onto the woodwork. Eight minutes from time Jurgen Klopp's side were level when Divock Origi was tripped in the area and Roberto Firmino stepped up to convert the spot-kick to make it 1-1 by full-time. Читать дальше...

WHAT THE PAPERS SAY L'Equipe report that Monaco forward Kylian Mbappe has decided to leave the club, with Real Madrid, Manchester City and Paris St Germain in the race to sign him. The Sun claim Barcelona will use the money from Neymar's sale to fund moves for Chelsea's Eden Hazard and Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho. Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone has told his club's board that they must sign striker Diego Costa, who Chelsea value at £50million, according to the Evening Standard. The Daily Mirror... Читать дальше...

A Labour Party local councillor, writing in this paper, made a curious observation. He said Equality Minister Helena Dalli did not make it as party deputy leader because of the Marriage Equality Bill she piloted. It is a strange assertion, considering how the Labour Party promotes itself as the flag bearer of liberalism, branding the Nationalist Party as an outdated political force. Clearly, Labour has very successfully used gay rights to its political advantage but, deep within its party ranks,... Читать дальше...

One in every five cigarettes smoked in Malta last year was counterfeit or contraband, a new study has found. A report released by auditing firm KPMG said Malta had one of the highest rates of contraband cigarettes in Europe and grew by 70 per cent over 2015. The black market cigarette trade was estimated to have cost the public coffers some €19 million in uncollected tax revenue in 2016, the report said. Malta was also highlighted as being a transit country through which large quantities of illegal cigarettes passed. Читать дальше...

The following are the top stories in national newspapers today. Times of Malta says the government would not say when the situation would change more than a year from a landmark court judgment that stopped the competition watchdog from imposing fines. In another story, the newspaper says that a 70-year-old Welshman wanted in the UK in connection with a string of alleged child abuse cases spanning a 40-year period is set to be extradited after being arrested in Gozo. L-Orizzont says the band US, which... Читать дальше...

A UK-based hacker says he duped Anthony Scaramucci into a fake email exchange because the axed White House communications director used a mental health condition as a "put down". The man, who calls himself the "email prankster", claims he tricked senior American officials into thinking he was other prominent members of White House staff including President Donald Trump's senior adviser Jared Kushner and the former White House chief of staff, Reince Priebus. Explaining his actions on Twitter, the prankster said he targeted Mr Scaramucci... Читать дальше...

Brazilian President Michel Temer has survived a congressional vote that could have suspended him over a bribery charge. At least 172 of the 513 members of the lower Chamber of Deputies had voted by late Wednesday against putting Mr Temer on trial for allegedly orchestrating a scheme to line his own pockets with millions of pounds in illicit payments. The opposition needed two-thirds of the chamber, or 342 votes, to advance the case against the embattled leader. With Mr Temer winning more than a third of votes... Читать дальше...