Quantcast
Channel: Times Of Malta
Viewing all 84484 articles
Browse latest View live

China police save baby girl from public toilet pipe

$
0
0
Chinese police have rescued a newborn baby who was stuck face down in a public toilet in Beijing. The baby girl is in stable condition at a hospital in the capital. The police station responsible for the rescue confirmed the story after it was reported by the Beijing Times, which said officers are trying to identify the girl's parents. Unmarried Chinese mothers may abandon newborns because of social stigma associated with out-of-wedlock births. Sometimes parents discard children born with defects. The newspaper said police went to the public toilet on Sunday after receiving a report of baby cries. It said police saw the child's feet in the toilet pipe and that a policeman pulled her out.

Unusually warm sea may herald storms

$
0
0

This year, the sea was already warmer than usual in July. Right now it stands at 28˚C, nearly a warm bath. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

This year’s exceptionally high sea temperature may be a catalyst for storms but for the time being only showers are expected, a Met Office spokeswoman said yesterday. The mean sea temperature in August from 1981 to 2010 was 24.7˚C. This year, the sea was already warmer in July, with a mean value of 26.3 ˚C. Right now it stands at 28˚C, nearly a warm bath. Asked whether the recent spell of hot, sticky weather was related to this phenomenon, the airport’s Met Office spokeswoman said a higher sea surface temperature had no immediate effect on the air temperature or the weather in... This article is part of our premium content. Full story is available on Times of Malta Premium.

Updated: Somali caught driving stolen van jailed one year

$
0
0

A Somali man caught drink-driving was sentenced to 12 months in prison after admitting to stealing a pick-up from Luqa early this morning. Abdulkadir Mohamud Abdihukun, 28, was accused of stealing the vehicle and driving it without a licence. Mr Abdihukun was accused of being drunk while driving the car, damaging third party property and driving the vehicle up a one-way street. The man had been handed a probation order last June for a separate case. His lawyer informed the court Mr Abdihukun had a drink problem and asked for the court to note it. Magistrate Depasquale sentenced him to one year in prison and ordered the prison authorities to provide Mr Abdihukun with help to overcome his problem. “In prison they will help you but you have to help yourself to overcome the problem,” the magistrate warned him. Inspectors Kylie Borg and Paula Ciantar prosecuted.    

Simon Busuttil files another libel suit against l-Orizzont, Joe Cassar denies allegations made in Gaffarena affidavits

$
0
0

Opposition leader Simon Busuttil today filed another libel suit against the General Workers' Union daily l-Orizzont. The Nationalist Party said this was the fifth libel suit in two days filed by Dr Busuttil to fight allegations claiming that he somehow bribed the Gaffarena family. Yesterday, he filed libel suits against l-Orizzont, it-Torca, One Radio and One Television. “I categorically deny the false allegations made in the General Workers’ Union newspapers and I have no doubt that the truth will come out in court. That is why I am filing another libel suit.” Dr Busuttil said that Parliamentary Secretary Michael Falzon ended up using the Gaffarena family as his shield because of his panic and to shirk responsibility. He also said that until justice was served in court, he would leave it up to the people to choose whether to believe him or someone like Mr Gaffarena, who had lined his pockets thanks to the Labour government. He reiterated that Mr Gaffarena turned to the Labour Party because he had had the courage to say no when he asked him for a permit for his illegally built petrol station. The Labour Party, on the other hand, gave him more than he wanted, included millions...

Agreement should lead to dramatic drop in waiting list for minor surgeries

$
0
0

The waiting list for minor surgical interventions is expected to be dramatically reduced following an agreement between the government and St James Hospital to carry out 130 surgical sessions at the private hospital. As part of the agreement, state surgeons will make use of surgical theatres provided by St James, along with the services of nurses and anaesthetists. Patients will be taken from the state waiting list and will not have to pay for the service. Announcing the agreement this morning, health parliamentary secretary Chris Fearne said the agreement would eliminate the vast majority of the list of patients who had been waiting for intermediate interventions for more than a year. Intermediate interventions are those requiring one or two days of hospitalisation and account for up to 75 per cent of all surgeries. Mr Fearne said that in the last six months, a record 26,500 surgeries had been carried out, up by more than 1,000 from the same period last year. He added that the state hospital had already increased the hours when surgeries were carried out to tackle the problem, but space had become a limiting factor. Questioned about the cost to the government, Mr Fearne said...

Pakistan executes man who killed child at age 14

$
0
0

Pakistan has executed a man convicted of killing a seven-year-old boy in 2004 when he himself was just 14 years old, despite international outcry over his sentence. Authorities hanged Shafqat Hussain shortly before dawn at a Karachi prison, said Iqbal Hassan, an official of the prison judicial branch. Hussain's brother, Gul Hassan, received the body and will take it to his native village somewhere in Kashmir, Mr Hassan said. The deceased's relatives visited him for the last time on Monday night. Hussain's execution had been stayed four times amid the controversy over executing someone who committed a crime as a minor. After his last appeal failed, Hussain remained on death row for another month as Ramadan had begun. Pakistan halts execution during the holy fasting month. Pakistan imposed a moratorium on executions in 2008, but then lifted the ban in December, after a Taliban attack on a military school in Peshawar killed 150 people, mostly children. While some militants have been executed, other convicts have as well. Human rights groups say Pakistan has about 8,000 people on death row. They have criticised the government for restarting executions, saying police often use...

Woman, 72, critical after losing consciousness while swimming

$
0
0

A 72-year-old woman who lost consciousness while swimming at Pretty Bay, Birzebbuga, this morning, is in critical condition. The police said the woman, who lives in Birzebbuga, was swimming with her sister when she lost consciousness at around 7.45am. Her sister tried to push her back towards shore as she called out for help. A number of men rushed to her aid and pulled the victim ashore, where she was administered first aid by a qualified foreign national until a medical team arrived on site. The woman was rushed to Mater Dei Hospital by ambulance.

43 hurt in fire at former air raid shelter in Hamburg

$
0
0
A fire and a subsequent explosion at a former air-raid shelter in the northern German city of Hamburg where plant oils were being stored have left 43 people injured. The city's fire service said the blaze broke out early in the morning in the six-storey structure that dates back to the Second World War, news agency dpa reported. It was not immediately clear what caused the blaze in the building, where around 100 tons of essential oils were stored and a carpentry workshop also was located. The fire brigade evacuated more than 60 people from nearby residential buildings after being alerted to the blaze shortly before 4.30am local time. About 2.5 hours later, an explosion occurred as firefighters tried to extinguish the blaze. The injuries ranged from smoke inhalation to suspected broken bones. Twelve of the injured were firefighters and 19 people were taken to hospitals, the fire service said. Authorities tried and failed to extinguish the fire by flooding the building with foam. Later firefighters with breathing equipment were sent in to tackle the blaze.

Maltese enters Guinness Book of Records for longest open saltwater Scuba dive (cold water)

$
0
0

Maltese national Daniel Sammut was today informed by the Guinness Book of Records that his record breaking attempt last March was successful. His name will now go down in the book for the longest open saltwater Scuba dive (cold water). Daniel Sammut dived to a depth of 11 metres at Sirens in St Paul’s Bay on March 19 and stayed in the 14 degrees Celsius water for 13 hours and 22 minutes. The previous record was 12 hours 34 minutes. https://www.facebook.com/LongestColdWaterDiveEver

Enemalta reinforcing electricity distribution network

$
0
0

Trenching and pipe-laying works through the Kappara junction for a major Enemalta project aimed to reinforce the electricity distribution network were completed on Monday night, the company said. Employees and contractors worked throughout the night to excavate a trench across this busy thoroughfare and lay a number of pipes for electricity cables feeding electricity to the Manoel Island Distribution Centre. The company was developing this new distribution centre and another one at St Andrew’s to achieve the necessary network flexibility and reliability to improve the quality of service to customers in nearby localities, including St Julian’s, Sliema, Gzira and Ta’ Xbiex. The distribution centres will be commissioned in 2016.  The two new distribution centres form part of a major project launched in 2014 to reinforce the national electricity grid. The construction started in previous years, but due to a number of difficulties, they were not completed. The company now allocated the necessary resources to complete these important electricity distribution nodes and carry out other network development works in other parts of Malta and Gozo. Another two new distribution centres were...

'Abuse' of Al-Saadi Gaddafi in Libya prison condemned by human rights group

$
0
0
Human Rights Watch has said Libyan prison authorities should investigate the alleged abuse of a son of former dictator Muammar Gaddafi and other inmates. The US-based group said a video made available by news website Clearnews apparently showed guards beating Al-Saadi Gaddafi on the soles of his feet during an interrogation at al-Hadba prison in Tripoli. Other prisoners were seen in the background crying out in pain from being beaten as well. Gaddafi's son has been in pretrial detention since authorities in Niger extradited him to Libya in 2014. Libya is bitterly divided between rival governments in its east and west. Al-Hadba is under the control of forces allied with the Islamist-backed Tripoli government, which opposes the Tobruk-based internationally recognised government.

Libyan falsifies documents to obtain residency

$
0
0

A Libyan man who admitted falsifying company information to obtain a residency permit was given a suspended sentence and will be deported. Arab Ali Khalefa, 44, admitted in front of Magistrate Francesco Depasquale that he gave accountant Joe Sammut false details to help him set up a company in Malta. However, when the documents reached the immigration authorities so that Mr Khalefa could obtain a residency permit, various inconsistencies were noted. Police investigations later revealed that Mr Khalefa did not know how to speak English, despite his claims, and was not aware how many shares he possessed in the company. In court, immigration officials said investigations into any wrongdoing by Mr Sammut drew a blank as it resulted that Mr Khalefa had provided false information. Mr Khalefa’s lawyer Leon Bencini asked the court for clemency and to understand the “desperate” situation in Libya that forces people there to do certain things to leave. Mr Khalefa pleaded guilty and Magistrate Depasquale sentenced him to 18 months in prison suspended for four years. He warned him not to repeat the crime. Immigration inspectors Frankie Sammut and Lara Butters prosecuted.

UK scuba instructor fighting extradition to Malta

$
0
0

A scuba instructor based in West Sussex, UK has been charged with two involuntary homicides by Maltese authorities and is fighting extradition to Malta. Stephen Martin, 55, an experienced diver, was diving with eight friends from the Brighton branch of the British Sub-Aqua Club on June 18 last year when Larissa Hooley, 48, and Nigel Haines, 59, lost their lives. Mr Martin insists he is innocent. He told the Mail Online that Ms Hooley had descended from 49ft below the surface to 114ft without warning. Mr Haines and fellow scuba diver Jeremy Coster went down to help Ms Hooley and brought her to the surface but she died on  shore. Mr Haines was later also found dead in the water. Brighton coroner, Veronica Hamilton-Deeley, concluded the deaths on June 17 last year were the result of diving accidents, after hearing from witnesses and medical experts. However, Mr Martin is being accused by the Maltese authorities of being "negligent in his obligations". They say he "failed to keep a close watch" of his scuba diving 'buddy' and long-term partner Ms Hooley and should have halted the dive off Gozo, due to "prevailing weather conditions". He said he was and had always been a...

Toronto nightclub shooting leaves 2 dead, 3 wounded

$
0
0
A shooting that started at a Toronto nightclub and then spilled onto the streets outside has left at least two people dead and three others wounded. Police say they responded to a call about shots being fired at the Muzik nightclub on the grounds of the Canada National Exhibition early on Tuesday. The victims are a man and woman in their 20s and 30s. Three other people were taken to hospital with various injuries, Superintendent Frank Bergen said. Police believe there could be more victims at other locations and urged citizens to contact police. There was no immediate word on suspects or arrests, nor any information about what led to the gunfire. The nightclub was hosting the official OVO Fest after-party featuring Toronto rapper Drake. It was not immediately clear if he was present during the shooting.

Man says he only defended inspector

$
0
0

A man accused with police inspector Jeffrey Cilia of attacking three young brothers in Paceville four years ago said the fight broke out after his friend tried to stop them vandalising a plant. Christopher Farrugia this morning told the court the incident happened in front of the InterContinental Hotel when his friend asked the youngsters to stop damaging a plant. The two are accused of attacking the three brothers while Inspector Cilia is suspended from the police pending the outcome of the case. In previous testimony, the court heard how former police commissioner John Rizzo had warned Inspector Cilia that his breath was reeking of alcohol when interrogating him. Mr Farrugia is insisting it was the three youngsters who attacked Inspector Cilia, who was off-duty at the time, after he corrected them over the plant incident. The brothers have claimed in court the incident happened after one of them spat on the ground. They insisted it was the inspector and his friend who attacked them. Mr Farrugia said he intervened by pulling away the biggest brother from Inspector Cilia. He insisted no punches were thrown but a brawl ensued. Under cross examination, Mr Farrugia said he had been...

Trading activity slumps to 5-month low

$
0
0
The share index this morning eased minimally lower to 4,217.233 points amid a slump in trading activity with only €65,174 worth of shares changing hands during this morning’s session representing the lowest daily volumes in the last five months. GO eased minimally lower to €3.49,8 on shallow volumes of 1,580 shares. Similarly, RS2 Software reversed some of the recent gains with a 1.8 per cent drop back to the €2.15 level on just 6,150 shares. Both companies still have to announce the date when their respective board of directors are expected to meet to approve the interim results covering the six months ended June 30. On the other hand, the only positive performing equity today was HSBC as its share price ended this morning’s session 0.3 per cent higher at the €1.82,5 after it failed to hold on to an intra-day high of €1.84 across a total of 11,652 shares. Yesterday, HSBC published its 2015 interim results revealing a 6.8 per cent drop in profitability to €23.9 million during the first six months of 2015. The improvement achieved on the income side, largely relating to lower interest expense and the fees generated from the newly transferred insurance portfolio, was offset by...

Russia submits its claim to Arctic seabed

$
0
0
Russia has submitted its bid for vast territories in the Arctic to the United Nations. It is claiming 1.2 million square kilometres of Arctic sea shelf, the Russian foreign ministry said. Russia, the US, Canada, Denmark and Norway have all been trying to assert jurisdiction over parts of the Arctic, which is believed to hold up to a quarter of the planet's undiscovered oil and gas. Rivalry for Arctic resources has intensified as shrinking polar ice is opening up new opportunities for exploration. Russia was the first to submit its claim in 2002, but the UN sent it back for lack of evidence. The new bid contains more data. The ministry said that the resubmitted bid contains new arguments. "Ample scientific data collected in years of Arctic research are used to back the Russian claim," it said. Russia expects the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf to start looking at its bid in the fall, the ministry said. In 2007, Moscow staked a symbolic claim to the Arctic seabed by dropping a canister containing the Russian flag on the ocean floor from a small submarine at the North Pole. Amid tensions with the West over Ukraine, the Kremlin also has moved to beef up Russian...

Malta got talent

$
0
0
One of the most telling moments during yesterday’s Joseph Calleja 2015 concert was Calleja’s riposte to a comment made by the leader of that fantastic Maltese band, Red Electrik. After thanking Calleja for inviting them the leader of the band said that Calleja was making Malta proud and that we needed more people like Calleja. The Maltese tenor’s reaction encapsulated the reason why the concert was so grandiose: “There are many like me around me.” Quite naturally that comment was partly said out of courtesy but there was so much truth in it. The list of Maltese talent participating in the contest – the longest list ever – included Red Electric; Ivan Grech, soprano Miriam Cauchi, Mezzo Soprano Marvic Montreal, tenors Nico Darmanin and Cliff Zammit Stevens, the children’s choir and the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra. All gave very good performances. I loved best the Hallelujah sang by Joseph Calleja and Red Electrik. Simply awesome. The same could be said about the pieces Calleja sung with the others. I particularly liked the number with the two young male tenors. Calleja who reached such career heights knows how difficult it is to succeed in this competitive field. It is most...

The angel of Phnom Penh

$
0
0
One of the most challenging parts of my day here in Cambodia is deciding what actually makes it to this diary and what bits to leave out because our days here are absolutely jam packed with hard work and jaw-dropping experiences, but we are determined that readers share our journey with us as much as possible. The messages of support and encouragement from family, friends and strangers are much appreciated by all the team - so do keep them coming. Day 2 of our work here is almost over and I feel it would be fitting to share the back story of one of the most amazing, dignified, humble and quietly charismatic individuals I have ever had the honor of meeting. Nguav Chhiv, director of Les Restaurant des Enfants (LRDE) or "The Angel of Phnom Penh" as he is affectionately know was born in the provinces in 1948 to a farmer family. He studied at the pagoda, the equivalent of our church schools, of his home province and did exceptionally well at school and qualified as a teacher. He worked in a primary school through the 70s right up until the Khmer Rouge took over the country. Their leader, Pol Pot, remains one of history's worst communist despots. Put simply, this lunatic wanted to...

Greece bailout: Prospect of early election grows as markets dive

$
0
0

Greece's left-wing government has conceded that dissent within the ruling party was likely to force an early election, while markets fell again under the weight of plummeting bank shares. The government is relying on opposition party support for approval in parliament of new austerity measures demanded by bailout lenders, following a revolt by nearly one fourth of its own MPs. Government spokeswoman Olga Gerovasili said the government would not form a national unity government and described early elections as "likely". "A solution will be found, since the country needs a strong government," Ms Gerovasili said. "(Early) elections are likely but that doesn't mean we will be dealing today with when they will take place." Amid the uncertainty, the main stock index fell another two per cent in afternoon trading, the second day the market has been open following a five-week closure. Most shares traded higher but banks tumbled lower, once again hitting the 30 per cent lower trading limit. The overall index plummeted 16.2 per cent on Monday. Greece's economy is reeling from the impact of limits on money withdrawals and transfers that the government imposed on June 29 to avoid a collapse...
Viewing all 84484 articles
Browse latest View live


<script src="https://jsc.adskeeper.com/r/s/rssing.com.1596347.js" async> </script>