Новости за 29.08.2017

Jean Paul Farrugia is looking to carry his rich goalscoring form into Malta's upcoming World Cup qualifiers against England and Scotland. Farrugia, who is making a return to the national team fold after missing the Slovenia trip through suspension, has enjoyed an impressive start to the season with his new club FC Chiasso as the former Sliema Wanderers forward has netted four goals in five appearances for the Swiss second division side. "Playing for FC Chiasso is a new challenge in my career," Farrugia... Читать дальше...

Defending champion Angelique Kerber's woeful season continued with a first-round loss to 19-year-old Naomi Osaka at the US Open. The German's 6-3 6-1 defeat makes her only the second defending women's champion to lose her first match after Svetlana Kuznetsova in 2005. Kerber rose to the top of rankings after winning in both Australia and New York last season but has not claimed a title since nor made a grand slam quarter-final. Fourth-round appearances at the Australian Open and Wimbledon sandwiched... Читать дальше...

A levee along the Brazos River south of Houston breached today due to heavy rains from Tropical Storm Harvey, forcing officials to call for residents to evacuate low-lying areas. Matt Sebesta, the chief administrator of Brazoria County, urged residents of the Columbia Lakes neighborhood to leave. "They need to get out. Get to higher ground in Angleton," the county seat, he said in a televised interview. Columbia Lakes is located about 50 miles (80 km) from Houston, close to Brazos River. The Houston area's rivers have started to flood. Читать дальше...

A young man employed in the construction industry was denied bail today after pleading not guilty to having used his mobile to harass and threaten his girlfriend's former partner. Alfred Schembri, 26, from Birzebbugia, was remanded in custody with instructions by the court to make use of his time behind bars so as to reflect upon the alleged wrongdoing. The prosecution told the court how the criminal action was taken against the man who allegedly, yesterday at around 9.15am, made use of the phone to harass and threaten his victim... Читать дальше...

Three incidents in the past week in Marsa involving migrants who broke the law emphasise the need for better enforcement, the mayor of the locality said. Francis Debono said the incidents of antisocial behaviour, which went viral on social media, were nothing new in a locality that has seen a migrant influx as a result of its open centre. “This country has laws, and they should be obeyed by everyone, Maltese included, which is why we need more enforcement,” Mr Debono said, adding that the police required more resources. Читать дальше...

A DVD from Canada stuffed with what seems to be ecstasy pills led the police to a Birżebbuġa garage where they found more drugs, child pornography and €80,000 in cash. The 39-year-old Maltese national that the package was addressed to was arraigned in court today. READ: Drug bonanza, child pornography and €80,000 in cash found in Birżebbuġa garage The DVD was found by customs officers on Wednesday as they were checking packages at Maltapost. The parcel contained a DVD plastic cover which in turn... Читать дальше...

The General Workers' Union has warned that it will take industrial action at Wasteserv unless workers engaged by a contractor to work at the company are paid their dues on time. The union said the workers were not being paid on time and they were often not paid their full salaries and allowances.  The practice had continued despite the fact that the management was notified of the goings on. The union said it had given notice of industrial action and would take such action unless the issue was resolved.

Transport Malta will carry out maintenance work in Triq Santa Katerina, Attard - the road along the side of St Catherine Home - over the next few nights between 8pm and 5am.  The road will be closed to all traffic. Drivers were advised to use alternative routes, drive carefully and follow instructions by officials on site.

A lawyer defending disbarred lawyer Patrick Spiteri said today he was placing the responsibility for his client's deteriorating health squarely on the court's shoulders. In a sitting this morning, Magistrate Antonio Micallef Trigona heard a court-appointed doctor who visited Dr Spiteri in prison, testify that his condition was worsening due to his incarceration. He recommended that he be held at home. Dr Spiteri was extradited to Malta from the UK in May to face a number of criminal charges of fraud... Читать дальше...

Two men and a woman who allegedly attempted to run over two police officers in Marsa were arraigned today over a string of charges related to the violent incident – although one of the passengers is insisting that he was manhandled. Michael Wubshet Bekele, 29, residing in Fgura, Teklesembet Yohannes Afewerki, 33, residing in Marsa and Helen Taddese, 25, Eritrean, residing in Rome and currently in Malta on a two-week holiday, were escorted to court to face multiple charges relating to the episode... Читать дальше...

Several youths have been diagnosed with a severe mental disorder after using synthetic copycat drugs. Consultant psychiatrist Anton Grech yesterday described the increase in ‘legal highs’ as one of the main challenges that face emergency psychiatric care on the island. “We have had patients exhibiting bizarre psychotic behaviour after using these drugs, slamming their heads against the wall, hearing voices and seeing visions,” Dr Grech said. Psychosis is characterised by an impaired relationship... Читать дальше...

Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has withdrawn from England's World Cup qualifiers against Malta and Slovakia.  The uncapped 23-year-old linked up with the squad on Sunday but a muscular injury sustained at the weekend means he has returned to the Toffees.  England manager Gareth Southgate had already named three others goalkeepers in his squad - Joe Hart, Jack Butland and Tom Heaton - so has not named a replacement. A Football Association statement read: "Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has left the England camp and returned to Everton. Читать дальше...

Gay couples can start marrying as of next Friday, when all provisions of the amended Marriage law come into force. Equality Minister Helena Dalli signed off on the legal notice published in the Government Gazzette last Friday. Changes to the law were enacted by Parliament last July before the summer recess, making the law gender-neutral and opening marriage to same-sex couples. It was the first law moved by the Labour administration after the June election and fulfilled an electoral pledge. President... Читать дальше...

US President Donald Trump warned today that 'all options are on the table' after North Korea last night fired a ballistic missile over Japan's northern Hokkaido island into the sea. The test, one of the most provocative ever from the reclusive state, came as US and South Korean forces conduct annual military exercises on the peninsula, angering North Korea which sees them as a preparation for invasion. North Korea has conducted dozens of ballistic missile tests under young leader Kim Jong Un, but firing projectiles over mainland Japan is rare. Читать дальше...

The video above was recorded before the third group of migrants was rescued. Libya's coastguard rescued nearly 500 migrants at sea west of the capital Tripoli today,   underlining the challenge of trying to slow an exodus from Africa and the Middle East. The migrants included people from sub-Saharan countries, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia. "Coastguards rescued early morning today 140 illegal migrants west of Tripoli and another group of 164 migrants were rescued off Sabratha including seven women and... Читать дальше...

Police raided a Birżebbuġa garage yesterday morning and discovered a drug cache that included cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy, methamphetamine, LSD and more than €80,000 in cash.  The man was also found to be in possession of child pornography, police said.  Drug squad officers swooped down following days of observation, police said, and first caught the 40-year-old with more than 100 methamphetamine pills and a bag containing around 500g of cannabis bud.  They then proceeded to search a garage the man was living in... Читать дальше...

Marsovin, the island’s largest winemakers, are facing another poor harvest after a year of low rainfall and blazing heatwaves. CEO Jeremy Cassar said the vineyard was expecting only a small increase from its international varietials compared to last year, when yield fell around 25 per cent after a record-breaking dry spell. Yield from the indigenous Girgentina and Ġellewza varieties, however, have declined even further this year, following a year in which more than a third of vines were lost to the poor weather. Читать дальше...

A collection of 130 exhibits providing a glimpse of elaborate traditional costumes, silversmithing, painted opera masks, wax-dyed fabric and woven ornaments from Guizhou province in China is on its way to Malta. Guizhou province covers an area of 176,000 square kilometres, has a population of about 37.64 million people and hosts at least 28 ethnic groups. The ethnic groups account for about 37 per cent of Guizhou’s total population. Over the years, the groups have inherited the intangible cultural... Читать дальше...

Malta's medical profession added 159 nurses to its ranks yesterday.  Of the 159, 128 will be joining the health sector, with the remaining 31 working to care for the elderly.  A further crop of nurses are expected to join the 159 later this year, once they successfully complete their studies.  Health Minister Chris Fearne said it was "extremely satisfying" to see a healthy number of young people opt for a career in nursing. Mr Fearne said that the government had employed 1,157 nurses since 2013,... Читать дальше...

A French Canadair CL-415 water bomber hit a barge while scooping water from a river.  The incident happened at Nimes, France. The barge was moored at the time.  Three water bombers were scooping water from the Rhône river to fight a fire at Collias. No one was injured and the damaged plane managed to make it back to its base, where it was grounded.   Water bombers are used mostly to fight forest fires. They are frequent visitors at the Malta Air Show.

The volume of rainfall from Tropical Storm Harvey is probably linked to climate change associated with global warming that increases the amount of moisture in the atmosphere, the UN weather agency said today. The slow-moving storm has brought catastrophic flooding to Texas, killed at least nine people, led to mass evacuations and paralysed Houston, the fourth most-populous US city. "Climate change means that when we do have an event like Harvey, the rainfall amounts are likely to be higher than they would have been otherwise," Clare Nullis... Читать дальше...

The government must shoulder some of the burdens of various planned initiatives which mean employees will be away from work for many more days, Joe Farrugia, the director general of the Malta Employers’ Association told Times Talk. Government intends to re-introduce days off in lieu when a public holiday falls on a weekend, and is also reviewing parental leave t look after sick children, among other measures. READ: PM pours cold water on employers' sick leave idea One way to compensate employers... Читать дальше...

European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has delivered a fresh rebuke to Theresa May over her government's handling of the Brexit process. Mr Juncker said official papers setting out the Government's positions were not satisfactory and it was "crystal clear" that an "enormous amount" of issues needed to be settled before talks on a future trade deal could begin. Officials from Brussels and the UK were continuing negotiations in the latest round of the withdrawal process, but Mr Juncker's... Читать дальше...

German Chancellor Angela Merkel backs the idea of a European Monetary Fund and said today she could imagine creating a combined European finance and economy minister, signalling a willingness to deepen eurozone integration. Merkel said she supported the "very good idea" floated by her finance minister, Wolfgang Schaeuble, to turn the eurozone's rescue fund, the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), into a European Monetary Fund. "It could make us even more stable and allow us to show the world that... Читать дальше...

Why are there so many birds in video games? This episode of Art of Gaming is going to find out with a survey of the best bird-theme games.