Новости за 19.12.2017

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat yesterday promised that a list of all the people given Maltese citizenship in 2016 would be published “in the coming days”. The list, usually published in August, makes no distinction between those who paid for their passport and those who became Maltese citizens though naturalisation. Asked by this paper why the list had not yet been published, Dr Muscat said it was not always published during the same period. “The information I have is that it will be published in the coming days,” Dr Muscat said. Читать дальше...

Air Malta’s pilots are still not satisfied with what the national airline and the government have put on the table in the ongoing negotiations for a new collective agreement. Despite the clock ticking for the government’s plans to wrap up all negotiations on outstanding collective agreements by the year’s end, it seems Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi and his team will need to make an extra effort to meet the deadline. Aviation industry sources said so far the pilots are not impressed with the airline’s offer... Читать дальше...

Opposition leader Adrian Delia this evening backed a motion by Nationalist MP and former PN leadership contender Chris Said for three retired judges to be appointed to investigate all public officers and departments against whom allegations were made by Daphne Caruana Galizia. He also challenged the government to back the motion, saying this was 'a golden opportunity' for the people to know the truth about the allegations. The proposal, however, was quashed by the government, which moved amendments... Читать дальше...

Parliament has started debating a motion by Nationalist MP Chris Said calling for three judges to be appointed as a board of inquiry to investigate public officials, including MPs, against whom allegations were made by blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia. But at the start of the sitting, the government moved amendments to nullify the call for an independent inquiry while praising the police for arraigning three men in connection with the murder of the blogger.  READ: Chris Said calls for inquiry into... Читать дальше...

Wednesday sittings of the House of Representatives will be held between 4pm and 7pm with the adjournment up to 7.30pm, Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne announced in parliament this evening. Sittings on Mondays and Tuesdays will continue to be held between 6pm and 9.30pm. Mr Fearne said the change is being made in line with an agreement reached with the opposition in an effort to introduce family-friendly hours.

Thirteen hours before Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed in a car bomb explosion, a suspicious device was switched on in Bidnija and remained active until it received a text message at the time of her death.  Information about the October 16 bombing was relayed to magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit in court on Tuesday afternoon, as the compilation of evidence against three men accused of killing Ms Caruana Galizia finally got underway. Inspector Keith Arnaud told the magistrate of the suspicious SIM... Читать дальше...

Maltese scientists have just finalised a prototype radio telescope that will form part of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), the world’s biggest scientific facility of the 21st century, which is being developed by researchers from 16 countries. Scientists from the University of Malta’s Institute of Space Sciences and Astronomy have invented a new kind of antenna, capable of observing large patches of the sky instantaneously. “We are now working on trying to establish the antenna’s sensitivity to receiving signals from a very wide field of view... Читать дальше...

Emma and Luca were the most popular baby names this year, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said. Figures tabled in Parliament show that 57 children were named Emma this year, while 54 baby boys were named Luca. The second most common name for boys was Ben, with 42 occurrences in the past year, while 45 baby girls were named Ella. For girls, Amy was the third most common, with 41 babies being given the name. Liam was third most popular name for baby boys, with 40 babies named Liam being born this year alone. Читать дальше...

Life is good in Malta – at least for 95% of those who live here, with 30% saying they were 'very' satisfied with the lives they lead. Malta was in fifth place, with Denmark at the top with a 97% satisfaction rating. It was one of 11 member states with a satisfaction rating above 90%. Greece was at the bottom of the list, with just 42% saying they were happy with their lives. According to a Eurobarometer survey published on Tuesday, politics is not as rare an obsession as one might think. In the EU... Читать дальше...

A four-bedroom farmhouse in southern Iowa listed online for free comes with a catch - the new owner must move the building from the current owners' land. Roger and Linda Dolecheck say in a Craigslist ad that the Ringgold County home will be torn down this winter if no one takes up their offer. They have been trying for years to sell the house where they raised four children, the Des Moines Register reports. The home is assessed at $52,700, even after $150,000 spent on repairs. It also has historic... Читать дальше...

A young man was handed a suspended jail sentence today after admitting his involvement in a burglary from an electronics store in Paola. The burglary took place in November and Christopher Briffa, 26 of Tarxien, was arrested on Monday on the strength of forensic evidence which included  fingerprints lifted from the crime scene. The man had had other past brushes with the law. Mr Briffa pleaded guilty to having been an accomplice in the theft where four stereos were stolen. He also admitted having... Читать дальше...

Parliamentary Secretary Clint Camilleri has come in for a tongue-lashing from Valletta 2018 Foundation chairman Jason Micallef for "ruthless arrogance."  Mr Camilleri openly mocked Partit Demokratiku MP Marlene Farrugia during a parliamentary session on Monday evening.  "This clarinet player wants to teach us how to trap [birds]," Mr Camilleri, an avowed hunter whose portfolio includes animal rights, told the House.  "One minute she tells us that she's the daughter of a trapper, and the next she says no to hunting." "She's calling me a 'loser'... Читать дальше...

A last minute appeal for more benefactors to donate gifts for vulnerable children generated an amazing response and over 2,000 gifts are now on their way. Although all the gifts listed by the children were pledged by people – prompting the organisers to add more to the list – around 300 people failed to actually deliver the gifts they had promise, “How can we thank you enough? After a very busy long day, over 450 dreams were either delivered, reconfirmed or made up for by generous sponsors. This... Читать дальше...

Raw chocolate KitKats, Dark Milk, vegan bars with quinoa and now "ruby" chocolate: the world's biggest chocolate makers are looking for ways to keep increasingly health-conscious consumers coming back for more. Sales of mainstream milk chocolate bars have stagnated as consumers worried about obesity and heart disease turn to snacks with less sugar and fat, or hold out for the occasional indulgent splurge on expensive, high-end chocolate. The shift in attitudes is forcing global firms from Mars Inc. Читать дальше...

Celtics 112 Pacers 111 A Terry Rozier steal and go-ahead layup with 1.5 seconds remaining gave the Boston Celtics a wild win over the Indiana Pacers on Monday night. Boston gave up a 19-point lead to the Pacers late in the fourth quarter, but a furious late rally was capped by Rozier's steal and game-winner, giving the Celtics a 112-111 victory. Kyrie Irving led the Celtics with 30 points. Al Horford flirted with a triple-double, scoring 14 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing out nine assists. Читать дальше...

Mosta Carmelo Camenzuli is exhibiting a Christmas crib at 134, Garage Redentur, Girolamo Cassar Road, Mosta. It is open to visitors until January 4, as follows: weekdays 5.30 to 8.30pm, Saturdays: 10.30am to noon, 5.30 to 8.30pm, Sundays and public holidays: 10.30am to noon, 3.30 to 8.30pm. ĦamrunJoe Cordina is exhibiting a Christmas crib at 3A, Villambrosa Street (corner with High Street) Ħamrun.  It is open to the public daily from 6 to 7.30pm. LuqaAlex Powell is exhibiting a Christmas crib at Garage 40, Qormi Road, Ħal Farruġ, Luqa. Читать дальше...

Global pharmaceuticals company Cetic is planning to set up a €15 million plant in Malta by not later than 2019, creating 60 jobs, Economic Services Minister Chris Cardona announced Tuesday. The announcement was made during the signing of a letter of intent between the company,  Malta Enterprise and Malta Industrial Parks for the acquisition of a site at the Ħal-Far industrial zone. The pharmaceutical company specialises in nasal sprays and ophthalmic products. The announcement follows remarks made... Читать дальше...

Oscar Pistorius is appealing against his recently lengthened prison sentence for the murder of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, according to South African media. Broadcaster EWN said the Olympian filed an application to the Constitutional Court on Tuesday. The Supreme Court of Appeal last month more than doubled Pistorius's sentence to 13 years, calling the initial six-year sentence "shockingly lenient". Now the earliest the double-amputee runner will be eligible for parole is 2023. Pistorius killed Ms... Читать дальше...

The government needs to clarify its decision to use money raised through the IIP programme (the sale of passports) to purchase shares in Bank of Valletta, Nationalist MP Mario de Marco, shadow minister for finance, said today.  Times of Malta reported yesterday that €21.8m raised by the government through the sale of passports were used to buy Bank of Valletta shares, despite being ring-fenced under a national development and social fund. READ: €21.8m of passport cash used to buy BOV shares Dr de... Читать дальше...

The government needs to clarify its decision to use money raised through the IIP programme (the sale of passports) to purchase shares in Bank of Valletta, Nationalist MP Mario de Marco, shadow minister for finance, said today.  Times of Malta reported yesterday that €21.8m raised by the government through the sale of passports were used to buy Bank of Valletta shares, despite being ring-fenced under a national development and social fund. READ: €21.8m of passport cash used to buy BOV shares Dr de... Читать дальше...

A French board of inquiry has failed to find any obvious cause for the dramatic Luqa plunge which killed all five people on board in October 2016.  The CAE Aviation plane was on maritime surveillance on behalf of the French government and took off normally at 7.19am but then pulled sharply right just seconds after it started its ascent, and then veered left as it descended, crashing some 130 metres from the runway just 10 seconds after take-off. Debris was scattered around 30m from the main carcass, with hardly anything left of the fuselage. Читать дальше...

The Maltese tonnage tax scheme has been conditionally approved for 10 years under EU state aid rules by the European Commission, Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg said. He said the scheme laid down a level playing field between shipping companies in Malta and in Europe, while further encouraging ship registration, which would in turn continue to bolster Malta’s thriving registry. “Today we have a solution for a very successful future”, Dr Borg said. Malta had been discussing this scheme and other... Читать дальше...

A young man who was made to pay dearly for a hare-brained joyride undertaken 12 years ago in his youth, had his punishment reduced by a court of appeal. Luke Farrugia was an 18-year old with a clean criminal record when one day in 2005, at around 4.30am, he took a BMW on a joyride through the streets of Birkirkara and ended up crashing into two other vehicles Criminal action was instituted against the teenager for having taken the car without the consent of its owner, without the necessary Police licence and insurance cover... Читать дальше...

Cottonera's De La Salle college is one of 33 schools from across Europe which will send a delegation to Brussels next March to tell European institutions  what role they see culture playing in Europe's future. They will brainstorm, debate and vote on three proposals which European institutions will factor into their policy making. The school was selected to participate in this initiative by means of an electronic name picker in Brussels on December 6. One school from each of the 28 EU member states and five candidate countries (Albania... Читать дальше...

Astronomers recently scrambled to observe an intriguing asteroid that zipped through the solar system on a steep trajectory from interstellar space—the first confirmed object from another star. Now, new data from Nasa reveal the interstellar interloper to be a rocky, cigar-shaped object with a somewhat reddish hue. The asteroid, named ‘Oumuamua by its discoverers, is up to 400 metres long and highly-elongated - perhaps 10 times as long as it is wide. "That aspect ratio is greater than that of any... Читать дальше...