Новости за 16.11.2017

Baby found alive in rubble three days after Iran earthquake https://t.co/AcDPpKb9TZ — The Independent (@Independent) November 16, 2017 A picture of a smiling baby is circulating among Iranians on social media with many seeing it as hope after the earthquake tragedy on Sunday. The (London) Independent reported that the baby was found “alive and well”, three days after a deadly earthquake struck the Iran-Iraq border. The magnitude 7.3 quake has killed more than 500 people. Although the search for survivors continue... Читать дальше...

New research among students aged nine to 11 aims to shed light on the relationships between young learners and teachers. The research, being conducted by the Institute for Childhood with the President’s Foundation for Well-being of Society, will be published in the coming weeks. Researcher Mary Darmanin, of the University of Malta’s Faculty of Education, said the qualitative study was based on interviews with 109 fifth year children, as well as interviews with teachers. The research was discussed... Читать дальше...

Collective efforts to protect EU borders, tackle the root causes of irregular migration, improve migrant protection defeat human smugglers are showing “concrete results”, according to the European Commission. The Commission said on Wednesday irregular crossings along the main migratory routes had decreased by 63 per cent in 2017. Publishing a comprehensive report on the progress made on the European Migration Agenda, it called for further concerted action by the EU, Member States and partner countries... Читать дальше...

The prospect of Russia boycotting an Olympics for the first time since 1984 is a step closer after its national anti-doping agency failed to have its suspension lifted. The Russian Anti-Doping Agency was declared non-compliant with the World Anti-Doping Agency's rules when the details of Russia's systemic cheating first emerged in November 2015. With the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang just 12 weeks away, Thursday's WADA foundation board meeting in Seoul was the last scheduled chance for RUSADA... Читать дальше...

Some 400 to 500 people braved the rain and met at City Gate in Valletta on Thursday evening to take part in a silent walk in honour of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Ms Caruana Galizia was killed in a car bomb on October 16. Some carried placards, flowers, plants and candles. These were placed at the foot of Ms Caruana Galizia's memorial near the Great Siege Monument. Participants include former Opposition leader Simon Busuttil, PD leader Marlene Farrugia, and other Nationalist MPs. The walk... Читать дальше...

A person extradited under a European Arrest Warrant must only answer for those offences specifically stated in the warrant. This argument was raised this morning by disbarred lawyer Patrick Spiteri when back in court to face proceedings over alleged VAT offences. Defence lawyer Stefano Filletti succinctly explained the objection being raised on behalf of his client who in May was extradited from England back to his homeland over charges of misappropriation and fraud running into some €7.4 million. Читать дальше...

For Maltese and international students from Pembroke Secondary School, multiculturalism is already an everyday reality in the classroom, one they say has helped them encounter new ideas and experiences. Speaking at a youth conference yesterday, however, they also warned that, unless properly managed, individual cultural traditions and identities risked being diluted or even lost. The conference, organised by St Clare College and the Gżira local council, brought together students from schools in the college’s catchment area... Читать дальше...

Legalising surrogacy would start a slippery slope towards a modern variation of “ladies and maidservants”, a pro-life speaker from The Netherlands said yesterday at a conference on changes to the Embryo Protection Act. Esme Wiegman-van Meppelen Scheppink, director of the Dutch Patient Association and former MP for the Christian Union party, questioned whether a surrogate mother would retain her autonomy, and the extent to which the prospective parents could impose lifestyle choices or medical procedures. Читать дальше...

A study found that 51.6 per cent of Maltese still see local band clubs as relevant to society and showed that the clubs act as a source of cultural identity. The results disprove the “common perception” that participation in band clubs can only be associated with certain strata of society, said Vincent Marmara, who published the study. Those over 56 years spoke highly of band clubs, whereas those between 18 and 25 registered the lowest rate of interest, the study continued. Gozitans and people from... Читать дальше...

A man who allegedly snatched two chains from the neck of an Italian tourist was remanded in custody after pleading not guilty to the charges. Mohamed Abdirisak Ahmad, a 21-year old Somali-born, believed to reside in Malta, was the main suspect behind the snatch-and-run incident targeting the Italian. Taking the witness stand, the Italian recalled how just a few hours earlier at around 3am, he had been walking back to his hotel when two men sidled up, one was a co-national and the other was a man wearing a green shirt and jacket... Читать дальше...

The Old Vic theatre in London just revealed it had received 20 separate allegations of inappropriate conduct by Kevin Spacey from 20 men who came into contact with him at the theatre, or in connection with it, between 1995 and 2013. The theatre was reporting on the findings of an investigation it launched on October 31. Richard Miskella, a lawyer from the firm Lewis Silkin who conducted the investigation on behalf of the Old Vic, said that it had encouraged 14 of the men to talk to the police because of the nature of the allegations. Читать дальше...

Greeks voiced despair and disbelief on Thursday after a flash flood killed at least 15 people and left hundreds homeless, with many blaming a system that allowed houses to be built on dried up river beds. In the towns of Nea Peramos and Mandra west of Athens, crumpled cars and mangled furniture lay on roads and inside homes caked in the thick mud left behind by a raging torrent that smashed through homes. Residents wept and voiced anger as they salvaged through their belongings and cleaned up the damage. Читать дальше...

Following the performance of Dark Side over Gozo at The Aurora Theatre, Victoria, in March, a new production titled Dark Side over Valletta will take place on November 25 at the Mediterranean Conference Centre, Valletta. As in the last production, rock band Cash and Band will be performing, accompanied by The Gozo Youth Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Joseph Grech. The Maltese production will feature slight changes to the second part of the show, with a new set list. Tickets are available online or by calling on 2559 5750. Читать дальше...

Best memory from the Malta of my youth is… being able to ride around everywhere on my BMX… safely! Malta's biggest challenge is… traffic. Driving for 45 minutes for a 6km drive is simply not on! My life motto is… smile – it's fantastic! And love music.  The best thing I've recently read was… All You Need Is Love! It's tattooed on my hand and I read it every morning. The one concert I really, really remember is… My first KISS concert was obviously the most memorable – but I also thoroughly enjoyed Michael Buble too. Читать дальше...

Updated at 4.26: Adds Health Ministry statement The Nationalist Party has reiterated its call for a magisterial inquiry to establish the cause of the case of legionella at Mount Carmel Hospital. Addressing a news conference today, health shadow minister Stephen Spiteri said the government had not only refused to hold an inquiry, it had also tried to keep the case under wraps. But this inquiry was now much more necessary since another two domestic cases of the disease had cropped up. The government... Читать дальше...

A Hungarian married couple  accused of forcing two adult women into prostitution had their assets frozen and were remanded in custody. The 39-year-old husband and the 34-year-old wife were escorted to court under arrest and charged with forcing the two women, one of whom appeared to be the wife’s sister, into the illicit business. The couple was also charged with having kept a brothel, lived over the past months or years wholly or in part on the earnings of prostitution and causing their victims to fear violence. Читать дальше...

Vanessa Macdonald, an assistant editor at the Times of Malta, has won the first business reporting award to be given by the Malta Stock Exchange. Ms Macdonald has worked for the Times of Malta since 1994 in various roles, and first started looking after its business content in 2004. After a brief break to pursue other interests, she returned to the newspaper in 2013 and was instrumental in setting up the Business Observer, which she coordinated and provided content for. The Stock Exchange said her... Читать дальше...

The Nationalist Party has deplored the issue of an arrest warrant against the former Pilatus Bank employee who was whistleblower in the Egrant allegations against the prime minister and his wife. The shadow minister for justice, Jason Azzopardi, said in a statement this contrasted sharply with government boasting of having enacted a law to protect whistleblowers. A court was told yesterday that the Malta Police  have no information on the whereabouts of Maria Efimova. The arrest warrants were issued... Читать дальше...

Is sexual services to people with disabilities a form of prostitution or a new service profession? Nina de Vries, a pioneer in Germany, and her colleagues Edith and Ronald, speak to us of a job as demanding as it is controversial, requiring empathy and strength of character.

The consumption of antibiotics by the Maltese public outside of hospitals has dropped over the past five years but the island tops the list in Europe in terms of their use in hospitals, European data shows. The figures, published yesterday by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, show that in 2016 consumption in the general community decreased by a fourth. The centre uses a World Health Organization statistical method to calculate consumption by looking at the number of antibiotic... Читать дальше...

Lebanon's president said on Thursday he hoped the crisis surrounding Saad al-Hariri's resignation as prime minister was near its end after Hariri said he would travel to France from Saudi Arabia where he has been since stepping down. French President Emmanuel Macron has invited Hariri and his family to France, providing a diplomatic way-out for him to leave Saudi Arabia without any side losing face. Lebanese President Michel Aoun said earlier this week that Hariri, who abruptly announced his resignation while in Saudi Arabia... Читать дальше...

A developer hoping to convert a 19th-century Sliema townhouse into a six-storey apartment block was told by the Planning Authority today to revise his proposal. The plans to convert the Cathedral Street property had been recommended for refusal by the Planning Directorate. The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage had said the house, one of a row of well-preserved properties, should be retained and restored. But during a public hearing, the PA board opted not to vote on the proposal as is, instead... Читать дальше...

A court has ordered the eviction of tenants who illegally turned a structure near Ħaġar Qim into a restaurant, much to the dismay of the owners. The case dates back to 2005 when the Magri siblings, heirs of the original owner of the property, Giuseppa Magri, had instituted civil proceedings against Jane Cini, the tenant, requesting the termination of a lease on the grounds that the lessee had altered the use of the property. In the course of the proceedings, it transpired that the lessee had made... Читать дальше...

ŻiguŻajg, an international arts festival for children and young people organised by Fondazzjoni Kreattività, starts tomorrow and continues until November 26. It features a treasure trove of over 150 performances and workshops at various venues by critically acclaimed international and national companies. Details are available at www.ziguzajg.org. Tickets may be purchased online or from St James Cavalier’s box office (2122 3200). Below are a few highlights of tomorrow’s programme. The Pianist The Pianist show is centred on... Читать дальше...

In a situation considered desperate by many, the people are called to be agents of hope by striving for justice and peace, the Church Commission for Justice and Peace said in a statement today. It issued its statement a month since the murder of blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia, whose last published words were ‘The situation is desperate.  “The reactions to Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder highlight the polarisation within our society, which remains deeply divided along the fault-lines of partisan political allegiance. Читать дальше...