Новости за 21.02.2018

Findings of research on the impact of Valletta 2018 will be presented at a seminar entitled Culture Matters at the University of Malta on March 1. The seminar will include discussions by researchers who assessed the impact of the European Capital of Culture title as well as the Valletta 2018’s Foundation’s work over the past three years. It will focus on the topics of cultural participation, branding, tourism, the impact on the community and the impact of the infrastructural projects such as the Valletta Design Cluster... Читать дальше...

Nigel Morris/Flickr, CC BY-SA   It’s an extraordinary tale with a whiff of Banksy about it, although surprisingly, he was not involved. In a landmark ruling, 21 New York street artists have sued and won US$6.7m in damages from the owner of a building who destroyed their graffiti when he had the building demolished. Following a three-week trial in November, on February 12, Judge Frederic Block ruled against Jerry Wolkoff, owner of the 5Pointz complex in Queens, conferring the biggest award of $1.3m on the building’s mastermind-curator... Читать дальше...

Two brothers involved in a street fight in Tarxien two days ago were remanded in custody on Wednesday after pleading not guilty to a series of charges relating to the violent episode which saw two people injured, one seriously.   Simone Festari, 20, and his brother Valentino, 19 of Tarxien, were jointly charged with having assaulted a 36-year old man,  severely injuring him and causing a permanent debility. Simone was separately charged with the aggravated possession and trafficking of cannabis,... Читать дальше...

More than 90 Nigerian schoolgirls are feared missing after Islamist insurgent group Boko Haram attacked a village in the northeastern state of Yobe, two sources told Reuters on Wednesday. Their disappearance, if confirmed, would be one of the largest since Boko Haram abducted more than 270 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok in 2014. That case drew global attention to the nine-year insurgency, which has sparked what the United Nations has called one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. A roll-call... Читать дальше...

Air France on Wednesday said it would only carry out three in four planned flights on Thursday and warned of travel delays and disruptions after worker unions called a strike over pay. Only half of the long-haul flights leaving Paris on Thursday would be going ahead, according to the airline's forecast, which said it would cover 75 percent of middle distance flights to and from the city's Charles de Gaulle airport. Disruptions to short flights would be less onerous, though the airline forecast it would cover only 85 percent of those. Читать дальше...

The final version of a landmark deal aimed at cutting trade barriers in some of the Asia-Pacific's fastest-growing economies was released on Wednesday, signalling the pact was a step closer to reality even without its star member the United States. More than 20 provisions have been suspended or changed in the final text ahead of the deal's official signing in March, including rules around intellectual property originally included at the behest of Washington. The original 12-member deal was thrown... Читать дальше...

A narrative is currently being drawn up to show Malta’s role and initiatives in various international organisations since Independence, which will form the basis of its bid for a non-permanent post at the UN Security Council. Responding to a parliamentary question by MP David Stellini, Foreign Minister Carmelo Abela said that the Maltese permament mission to the UN and his ministry were currently carrying out a detailed evaluation of the various aspects associated with its intended bid. Extra funds... Читать дальше...

There are currently 92 police members aged over 60, 62 of whom are in the reserves, Home Affairs Minister Michael Farrugia revealed. Replying to a parliamentary question by MP Beppe Fenech Adami, Dr Farrugia also confirmed that there were 315 aged between 45 and 54, and 131 aged between 55 and 59. The police force employs around 1,900 people.

Stand-up comedians Damian Kingsley, Conor Drum and Matthew Baylis will perform at the Eden Comedy Club’s 18th Stand Up Comedy Night on Friday at the Eden Cinemas. Damian Kingsley, the headline act, tells punchy, joke-packed stories and short anecdotes from his personal experience. His persona wavers from cheeky and personable to irritable, deadpan and, at times, borderline sociopathic. This unique mix of traits has led to a strong and distinctive comic voice. In 2016 he did a 120-gig tour with no money or transport... Читать дальше...

The Infrastructure Ministry has started much-needed works on the street which from Aldo Moro Road leads to a number of sports facilities in Marsa and eventually links to Qormi. Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg said the road will be rebuilt in two phases. The authorities are collaborating with various sports associations to ensure that the works, as far as possible do not cause inconvenience.

Cross-country skiing prodigy Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo of Norway cruised to his second Olympic gold medal in Pyeongchang on Wednesday, joining up with Martin Johnsrud Sundby to win the men's team sprint relay by 1.71 seconds. Denis Spitsov and Alexander Bolshunov, representing the Olympic Athletes from Russia, took silver and Richard Jouve of France held off Sweden's Calle Halfvarsson to claim bronze with Maurice Manificat. Sweden led a tightly-bunched field for most of the race as Marcus Hellner skirmished with Sundby at the front of the field... Читать дальше...

Fragmented fire safety legislation will be consolidated as part of an upcoming building sector reform, Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg said on Wednesday. Addressing a “tragically timed” seminar on fire safety just days after the death of a young man in a fire on Sunday, Dr Borg said the government was reviewing existing laws. READ: Brave policemen tried in vain to rescue trapped man in Marsascala apartment block blaze “The problem we have today is that the laws on fire safety in dwellings and other buildings are sporadic... Читать дальше...

Cacao, a small village in the French Guianese jungle is inhabited by the Hmong people, refugees from the Vietnam War. 500 souls came here in 1977 and have since transformed the tropical forest into a heavenly garden.

Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar has expressed 'grave concern' over an application, recommended for approval, for a mega-development between Villa Rosa and the current site of the ITS in St George's Bay. The Planning Authority will decide on the application on Thursday. The environment NGO said the development could lead to irreparable damage to the supposedly protected Ghar Harq Hammiem, which is near by. Għar Ħarq Ħammiem is Malta’s largest underground cave, believed to be roughly the size of the Mosta dome. Читать дальше...

Kikkan Randall and Jessica Diggins delivered the first Olympic cross-country medal for the United States since 1976 with a stunning victory in a thrilling finish to the women's team sprint relay on Wednesday. Diggins held off the challenge of Sweden's Stina Nilsson in a furious sprint for the line to win gold and Norway's Marit Bjoergen became the most successful winter Olympian of all time with 14 medals after taking bronze with Maiken Caspersen Falla. Sweden and Norway were hot favorites for yet... Читать дальше...

The 2015 French film Je Ne Suis Pas Un Salaud (A Decent Man) will be screened today at 7.30pm at St James Cavalier Cinema. Having just been injured in a mugging, Eddy (Nicolas Duvauchelle) earns the sympathy and attention of his estranged family and gets back on his feet. The same cannot be said for Ahmed (Driss Ramdi), whose life starts falling apart after he is wrongly accused of the crime. When the case against Ahmed starts to unravel, Eddy has to go back on the defensive. This 2015 French drama film is directed by Emmanuel Finkiel. Читать дальше...

A young lawyer who misappropriated sensitive data from the law firm where she worked for two years before moving on to pastures new, was slapped with a €5,000 fine for her wrongdoing. The 27-year old lawyer, whose name has been banned by the court, was targeted by criminal investigation and ultimately charged with computer misuse, unauthorised use of data, and with having made unauthorised copies of documentation, as well as being in unauthorised possession of data which she had misappropriated.... Читать дальше...

An unfortunate ball boy suffered a barrage of blows when he celebrated a goal scored by his team Comercial against Operario on Sunday. The goal was too much for Operario player Jefferson Reis, as the video above shows. It was a goal which cost his team the match.   Reis is facing disciplinary action by his team and Brazilian football authorities.

Local theatre fans are in for a huge treat when West End leading lady Charlotte Gorton takes to the stage in Mamma Mia later this year, as part of FM Theatre’s mammoth 20th anniversary theatrical season. Hot on the heels of the sell-out success My Fair Lady, which was staged at the Mediterranean Conference Centre a few weeks ago, comes the multi award-winning all-singing, all-dancing musical based on Abba’s biggest hits. Gorton, who has starred in umpteen UK and international productions since the 1990s... Читать дальше...

The European Commission was asked to look into the 2015 agreement between the government and Vitals Global Healthcare a day after VGH finalised a deal with a US company on three Maltese hospitals. Nationalist MEP Roberta Metsola wrote to Commission vice president Frans Timmermans calling on the EU executive “to use all the tools available to look into the finer details of the deal, in the context of the rule of law discussions, public procurement rules and with regard to Directive 2014/23/EU (award... Читать дальше...

Martial arts require a good level of physical strength, but those who take up training need to develop an incredible amount of mental acuity, too. Mental strength is so important to martial arts that researchers have found karate experts’ stronger punching force may be down to a better control of muscle movement in the brain, rather than increased muscular strength. Other studies have also found that children who practice Taekwondo improved in maths test scores, and behaviour. Which leads to an interesting question ... Читать дальше...

Data protection law hasn’t undergone a significant update since the EU brought in legislation in 1995 – just six years after the birth of the World Wide Web. But GDPR is about to shake things up. Now, 23 years later, the new law – known as the General Data Protection Regulation – will replace that aged directive on May 25 in a move that, according to the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office, signals an “evolution” rather than a “revolution” for data protection. GDPR is intended to strengthen and unify data protection law in the digital age. Читать дальше...

Air Malta is celebrating the launch of new 13 new routes with a 30% special offer on its Go Smart fares. The offer is open until February 27. Paul Sies, Air Malta’s chief commercial officer, said the airline sold thousands of seats on the first day of four new routes. "We got a fantastic response soon after launching services between Malta to London Southend, Catania and Calgiari and between these two airports. We wish our customers to be part of this celebration and discover with us not only these... Читать дальше...

Website Bored Panda has compiled a hilarious list of products aimed specifically at either men or women but for no particular reason. From identical toy planes and gherkins in pink and blue packaging, to ‘man-sized’ packages, the list was described by the website as “the most ridiculous examples for your viewing pleasure”. Saying that they “playing on our insecurities and ill-conceived notions of gender stereotypes to make a quick buck”, a few of the products portray boys as ‘clever’ and ‘girls’ as vain, for example. Читать дальше...

Canada's Brady Leman edged out Switzerland's Marc Bischofberger to claim victory in a dramatic men's Olympic ski cross final on Wednesday. Olympic Athlete from Russia Sergey Ridzik and Canada's Kevin Drury collided in the final but Ridzik was able to get up and take bronze. "It feels unbelievable," the 31-year-old Leman told reporters. "It was a crazy day with some tough racing and so it is amazing to come out on top at these Games." Drury recovered from his fall and crossed the finishing line, although... Читать дальше...