timesofmalta.com newsletter - 4 Mar 2016

Copyright © 2016 timesofmalta.com Newsletter for Friday, 4 Mar 2016 [Times of Malta] [Times of Malta] National - [Number of North Korean workers in Malta triples] The number of North Korean workers in Malta has more than tripled since 2013 with the majority working for Leisure Clothing, according to figures provided by the Employment and Training Corporation. In July last year – the date up to which the ETC... - [Malta newspapers review] The following are the top stories in the Maltese newspapers today. Times of Malta reports that Maltese who served as servicemen with the British forces have lost a European Court bid to stop the government reducing their social security... - [Relatives of terminally-ill man demand investigation] Relatives of a terminally-ill inmate seeking a presidential pardon are demanding an investigation insisting they only learnt from the press that the request had been turned down. Godfrey Ellul, 67, is serving a 20-year jail sentence for drug dealing. - [Mepa not given report on suspicious letter – Galdes] Agriculture Parliamentary Secretary Roderick Galdes yesterday confirmed that the findings of a probe into a suspicious letter which facilitated the issuance of a development permit on ODZ land had not yet been presented. This in spite of a March 1... - [PN club tenants will pay up for electricity] The tenants of a Nationalist Party club investigated for irregular energy consumption have reached a repayment agreement, party sources said yesterday. Inquiries revealed that the irregular consumption was not the result of illegal tampering, the... World news - [Families of 12 passengers on Malaysia Airlines flight 370 file lawsuits] Families of 12 passengers on Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 have sued the carrier and the Malaysian government. The move comes ahead of a filing deadline next week on the second anniversary of the plane's disappearance. The Boeing 777 carrying 239... - [Signs of life in Syria] Markets in the war ravaged city of Aleppo are back in business. While the "cessation of hostilities" may have fallen short of halting the five-year-long war across the country -- parts of Syria are enjoying an unusual period of peace since the... - [Five years on, Fukushima parents continue search for lost children] Closure has yet to come to parents still searching for their children five years after a triple disaster on Japan's northeastern coast. In March 2011, a magnitude 9 earthquake and towering tsunami tore through the area, triggering a meltdown at... - [North Korea's Kim Jong Un orders nuclear weapons use at any time] North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered his country to be ready to use its nuclear weapons at any time and to turn its military posture to "pre-emptive attack" mode in the face of 'growing threats from its enemies,' official media said. The... - [Romney calls Trump "a phony, a fraud"] Former Republican U.S. presidential nominee Mitt Romney called Donald Trump "a phony, a fraud" who is "playing the American public for suckers," today in a high-profile display of establishment unease with the incendiary New York billionaire in an... Opinion - [Protection to cohabiting couples] The launch of the draft Cohabitation Bill, along with a public consultation on the matter, is another step in our country’s progress... - [Unconditional acceptance] Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has finally managed to secure approval in the Italian Senate for a Bill that will lead to the... - [Reversing the trend] Over the years, Gozo’s population has consistently raised questions to anyone who attempted to analyse it. Statistically, over a... - [Human rights ‘conversions’] The irrational reactions, including official ones, to the Church’s position paper on ‘conversion therapy’ ironically prove we are truly... - [Konrad Mizzi’s problem] Panamagate has so far been discussed from the point of view of people who were sceptical of Konrad Mizzi’s explanations from the very start. Letters - [The public toilets in BuÄ¡ibba] I have written twice to the Times of Malta about the disgusting state of the public toilets in BuÄ¡ibba. My wife and I are back again... - [Examination results] I refer to the item ‘Same old, same old’ featured in On the dot (February 29). The January 2016 examination session ended on January 30. - [Great service – at last] In light of the many and frequent comments in these columns about (the lack of) ‘customer service’ in Malta, I feel it is only fair and... - [Veil cultural not religious] In his write-up entitled ‘Is niqab a social custom?’ (February 16), Mukhtar Aziz, the director of Islamic World Studies Centre, wrote... - [Support via SMS, chat and e-mail] I write in response to the editorial published on Wednesday, February 3, 2016, ‘A helping hand for a helpline’. In particular, this... Sport - [Lame Juve display irks Bonucci] Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci made no attempt to conceal his disappointment at his side’s tame display after the Bianconeri had to... - [Murray keen to play full role in title defence] Andy Murray remains committed to playing a full part in Great Britain’s Davis Cup defence despite the prospect of a packed schedule ... - [Raikkonen uses halo closed cockpit system] Kimi Raikkonen has become the first Formula One driver to run with the Halo closed cockpit system. Raikkonen tested the cockpit... - [Waterpolo fixtures] This weekend’s fixtures from the BOV Winter League at the National Pool, Tal-Qroqq: Today Premier Division: 18.15 Valletta McDonald’s vs... - [Roma, Fiorentina in ‘six-point’ duel] Fiorentina are a “work of art” that Roma coach Luciano Spalletti hopes to vandalise tonight. The teams, both on 53 points – in fourth and... Business News - [The prospect of a Brexit] If the British people vote for Brexit, there will be all sorts of complications: never before has a country left the EU. It is really... - [French tax evasion crackdown yields €12.2bn in 2015, up 17 per cent] France’s crackdown on tax evasion yielded €12.2 billion in 2015, up almost a fifth from the previous year, Finance Minister Michel Sapin... - [Renewable energy rise driving changes in European wholesale power market] Short-term deals are growing in Europe’s wholesale power market as a surge in renewables requires traders to ensure that volatile wind... - [Stocks hit new two-month peak] Shares on major equity markets worldwide touched two-month highs yesterday, led by emerging markets, as concerns eased about global... - [February worst month in over a year – PMI] Eurozone businesses had their worst month in over a year in February which, coupled withfurther signs of deflationary pressures, is... Social - [Announcements] PSAILA. On March 3, at Mater Dei Hospital, ĊENSINA of Valletta, residing at Senglea, passed away peacefully at the age of 89, comforted... - [Power cuts] Due to scheduled maintenance works on the electricity grid, there may be power cuts in or in parts of the following areas... - [Historic sites open on Sunday] Volunteers of Din l-Art Ħelwa are opening various historic sites on Sunday, the first Sunday of the month. The mediaeval chapels of Ħal... - [Exhibition of paintings in Rabat] Silvio Agius is currently having his first solo exhibition at Ta’ Duna church in Rabat. The artist says: “I prefer light and harmony but... - [24 Hours for the Lord] During this Jubilee Year of Mercy with its motto, Merciful Like the Father, the Mdina Cathedral will join the universal Church in the... Blogs - [And finally... some good news!] A week is a long time in politics. But worry not, like the PBS news division, I will not be covering the shenanigans over in Panama... - [And it goes on, probably maliciously] I write my weekly "ex-Beck" column on Wednesday, sometimes early Thursday, and this leaves me exposed to the foibles and whims of our... - [The Church and the gay community] The establishment of a good relationship between the Church and the gay community is a process which, from time to time, hits problems. - [She said, me said] She [Minister Dr the Hon. Helena Dalli] said that: "[she] took exception to an article by Andrew Borg Cardona, one of the authors of the... - [A few thoughts] I’ve been away from this blog for some time, being of a moderately lazy disposition and that.  On medical advice (self-administered)... Copyright © 2016 timesofmalta.com Newsletter for Friday, 4 Mar 2016 This newsletter has been delivered to you because you have subscribed with [timesofmalta.com]. If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, please click [unsubscribe] and follow the instructions. Problems to sign in? click [here] to go on the help page.