Новости за 06.08.2018

Rick Gates, a longtime business associate of US President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, on Monday testified at Manafort's fraud trial that they committed crimes. Gates, whose testimony in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, was continuing, was expected to be a star witness in the government's case, having pleaded guilty in February and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors under a deal that could lead to a reduced sentence. Manafort's attorneys have signaled they will seek... Читать дальше...

Updated 10.40pm Parts of central Malta were plunged into darkness and sweltering summer heat on Monday night, as a power cut ripped through various localities.Electricity was cut from homes, shops and streets in much of Żebbuġ and parts of Birkirkara and Qormi shortly after 9pm, residents said. Enemalta CEO Jason Vella said repair teams had been deployed to affected areas. “We are experiencing some difficulties in the area,” he told Times of Malta at 9.30pm, adding that technicians would start gradually... Читать дальше...

Apple Inc, YouTube, Facebook Inc and Spotify all took down podcasts and channels from US conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, saying on Monday that the Infowars author had broken community standards. The sweeping moves are the broadest actions yet by internet companies that have suspended or removed some of the conspiracy-driven content. Since founding Infowars in 1999, Jones has built a vast audience. Among the theories he has promoted is that the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington were staged by the government. Читать дальше...

Paolo Maldini confirms his love for Milan is behind his return to the club as a director. The legendary former defender turned down a role with the Rossoneri under the previous ownership, but it was confirmed yesterday that he has returned to the club at which he spent his entire career. “I never said no before speaking to the club,” Maldini began by saying. “I started discussions with Barbara Berlusconi, but nothing came of it. A year and a half ago I talked to Chinese owners, but we couldn’t define... Читать дальше...

EU regulators plan to study whether there is a need for action in the push for a common mobile phone charger following a lack of progress by phone makers towards this goal, EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager said. The European Commission has been pushing for a common charger for nearly a decade as it cited the more than 51,000 tons of electronic waste yearly from old chargers as well as the inconvenience to consumers. IPhone and Android users have long complained about using different chargers for their phones. Читать дальше...

Fish farm operators have introduced booms on pens in a bid to collect the oily residue from fish feed, as ‘sea slime’ has returned to plague Maltese beaches. Over the weekend, the Federation of Maltese Aquaculture Producers said the booms had been installed in every cage used by four fish farm operators, who signed an agreement last week, agreeing to a variety of mitigation measures. Slimy residue from fish feed started to appear along the coast in Marsascala, Sliema and other areas in recent days... Читать дальше...

New Barcelona signing Arturo Vidal says he is stepping up a level in his career and is intent on winning the Champions League three times over his three-year deal. The La Liga champions signed the 31-year-old Chile midfielder from Bayern Munich for a reported fee which could rise to 21 million euros ($24.2 million) and he was officially presented at the Nou Camp on Monday. "To arrive at Barcelona is a much bigger step than Bayern," Vidal told reporters. "I hope to be an addition who can help to win all the titles. Читать дальше...

United Nations agencies must improve ways for staff to report harassment, retaliation and other forms of misconduct and safeguard whistleblowers who are prepared to reveal cases of abuse, an independent oversight body said on Monday. Forty allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse were made during the last three months of 2017 alone against UN peacekeeping missions, agencies, funds and programmes and implementing partners, the world body said in February. In a report issued on Monday, inspectors... Читать дальше...

Nikita Zammit Alamango is taking over the reins of Labour Party women’s movement Nisa Laburisti, the party said on Monday. Ms Zammit Alamango, who also serves on the PL’s national executive, will take over from Claudette Abela Baldacchino, who led the movement for the past four years. Ms Abela Baldacchino said she was pleased with the way in which Nisa Laburisti had contributed to public policy. “We were instrumental in reforms such as that of amending IVF laws, and we played a part in debates about marriage equality and the morning-after pill... Читать дальше...

Oscar winner Robert Redford will retire from acting following this autumn's release of his upcoming film The Old Man & The Gun, the 81-year-old told Entertainment Weekly in a story published on Monday. Redford, best known for films such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Out of Africa, plays a seasoned bank robber in the new movie, which is scheduled to debut in theaters in September. "Never say never, but I pretty well concluded that this would be it for me in terms of acting, and (I’ll)... Читать дальше...

Transport authorities have written to their Dutch counterparts insisting that NGO vessel Sea-Watch 3 was not registered to carry out search and rescue operations, the Times of Malta can report. The Sea-Watch 3 crew last week said the vessel remained blocked in Malta’s ports in spite of confirmation by the Dutch government that its registration was in order. The NGO had said that a report by inspectors at the Dutch transport inspectorate found the vessel was listed on the country’s shipping registry... Читать дальше...

When popular video blogger Nas Daily uploaded a video questioning religions for spending millions on expensive places of worship, he used footage of the Mosta Dome to make his point. Now a local Catholic group have answered the vlogger’s question by taking a leaf out of his book. In a video modeled on the Nas Daily one-minute clips, members of True Light Catholic Media Foundation argue that beautiful places of worship exist for the same reason people build grand parliament buildings, theatres and stadiums ... Читать дальше...

Headmasters and administrators of private and independent schools have been left in the dark by the Education Ministry over the new free school transport system expected to be introduced as from this September, the Times of Malta is informed. Parents are also complaining that schools are not giving them any information or direction as to what they should do as preparations for the coming scholastic year are now in full swing. “Parents are continuously calling us about whether they should pay for... Читать дальше...

The Sliema Old Exchange has been sold to Toncam Properties Limited for €5 million, Malta Properties Company announced on Monday. The deal between MPC subsidiary SLM Property Company Limited and Toncam had first been agreed in January 2017, with a one-year promise of sale agreement. That agreement was extended in January 2018 to August 1 and then again to August 8, allowing both parties to wrap up the deal for the property on the corner or Triq Parisio and Triq Moroni. The property, which was being rented by GO plc until June... Читать дальше...

Parking fees for people visiting patients at Mater Dei Hospital have been reduced as part of a new five-year car park deal, the Health Ministry announced on Monday. New, reduced parking fees came into effect on Sunday, one day after the KIS Service JV consortium began running the hospital car park, after a 10-year deal signed back in January 2008 ended. KIS Service JV won the concession after beating four other bidders in a tender application process, the ministry said, and has signed a five-year... Читать дальше...

Two trucks collided on a motorway near Bologna airport in northern Italy on Monday, sending a huge ball of fire and billows of black smoke soaring into the sky. At least two people was killed and more than 60 were injured, according to local media. Police said they had closed off the road where the crash took place as well as the surrounding area in Borgo Panigale, on the outskirts of Bologna. Italian media said a lorry carrying cars collided on a bridge with another tanker lorry containing inflammable materials. Читать дальше...

Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Saturday it had made US actor Steven Seagal its special representative for Russian-US humanitarian ties, a role it said was meant to deepen cultural, art and youth ties between the two countries. President Vladimir Putin presented a Russian passport to US actor Steven Seagal in 2016, saying he hoped it would serve as a symbol of how fractious ties between Moscow and Washington were starting to improve. Since then, US-Russia relations have only got worse however with... Читать дальше...

A prospective accountant placed under probation in April will now have to serve time behind bars after admitting to having stolen a car and breaching the earlier court order. Andrew Depasquale, a 30-year old Naxxar resident, was arraigned on Monday over the aggravated theft of a Mazda Demio parked along Testaferrata Street, Ta’ Xbiex on July 31, just over three months since he had been placed under probation after promising to undergo rehabilitation for his drug dependency. During a fresh arraignment this morning... Читать дальше...

Name tags Whoever is tasked with naming streets should ensure the signs are either in Maltese or in English, not a mixture of both. A sign in Naxxar has the words ‘Triq San Matthew’ on it. It would have been understandable had it been a name that does not have a Maltese version, but in this case, it should clearly have been ‘Mattew’. Wrong direction It seems nobody has informed the transport authority the Malta Trade Fair is no longer held in Naxxar, having stopped about 11 years ago. A traffic... Читать дальше...

A carer working at St Vincent de Paul home for the elderly is under investigation after a resident in his care ended up at Mater Dei Hospital. The carer has been suspended from work until police conclude their investigation into the suspected case of abuse, the residence said in a statement on Monday afternoon. In its statement, the residence said it had strict rules concerning patient abuse. “We will take all steps necessary to ensure the safety of our residents,” it said. READ: Carer mixed needles... Читать дальше...

A former Times of Malta journalist has appealed two judgments ordering her to pay €10,000 in libel damages to the husband of Equal Opportunities Minister Helena Dalli over a series of articles regarding a Żejtun property. Caroline Muscat was targeted by two libel suits filed by Patrick Dalli following five articles carried by the Times of Malta about allegedly illegal works carried out at the Żejtun farmhouse owned by Pada Builders Limited, a company belonging to the Dalli spouses. The court, presided over by Magistrate Francesco Depasquale... Читать дальше...

A man was handed a suspended jail term on Monday after admitting to having slightly injured another man with a pen-knife during a feast band march in Birzebbuġa on Sunday. Carmel Bonnici, 68, expressed his regret over what had happened.  He admitted having slightly injured Kristen Carabott and attempted to grievously injure Saviour Spiteri. Defence counsel Franco Debono said the incident escalated after Mr Bonnici's son was involved in an argument with the two men.   Magistrate Francesco Depasquale... Читать дальше...

Solar Cinema is tomorrow presenting a special 75-minute short film programme entitled En Route, which features films about travel, migration and fleeing.  Singer-songwriter Claire Tonna will be introducing the theme of the evening with song. The programme includes: Bon Voyage by Fabio Friedli (Italy) about a group of migrants on an overcrowded truck heading to Europe. Dem Dem! by P.B Lopy, M.Recchia, C. Rolin (SN) in which a Senegalese fisherman finds a Belgian passport on a beach in Dakar and decides to use it. Читать дальше...

The Planning Authority's Development Planning Fund is to grant a total of €1 million for projects in Mosta, St. Julians, Birzebbuġa, Mellieħa and Nadur. In Mellieħa, the Authority will fund €82,000 for the installation of a new lighting scheme in Triq Għajn Zejtuna in Santa Marija Estate. Over €64,000 are being committed by the Authority for the upgrading of the football pitch in Triq L-Imgarr in Nadur. The works relate to the replacement of artificial turf within football pitch. €12,000 will be... Читать дальше...

Education Minister Evarist Bartolo is “very confident” the start of the scholastic year in September will not be marred by staff shortages, as happened last year. In 2017, the government was forced to resort to asking university students to take up teaching jobs to fill vacancies. The decision had sparked outrage, with students, parents and teachers complaining the matter had long been flagged without any remedial action being taken. However, Mr Bartolo now says this would not happen again this year. Читать дальше...