timesofmalta.com newsletter - 8 Jun 2016

Copyright © 2016 timesofmalta.com Newsletter for Wednesday, 8 Jun 2016 [Times of Malta] [Castille Resources] National - [Plans to build in protected valley put Muscat's ODZ pledge to the test] A five-storey retirement home in a protected ODZ valley went against the government’s pledge not to touch more protected land, campaigners said yesterday. “We were told that after the university campus in Å»onqor, building outside the development... - [President heads to Montenegro for bilateral talks] President Marie Louise Coleiro-Preca is headed to Montenegro to hold bilateral talks with Montengrin president Filip Vujanović, parliamentary president Darko Pajović and deputy prime minister DuÅ¡ko Marković. While there, the President will also... - [Hoteliers admit 'total confusion' over bed tax] Hoteliers and other accommodation providers were unsure whether or not to collect the new bed tax, resulting in “price discrepancies and confusion”, the Times of Malta has learnt. The new eco-contribution, a 50c nightly levy that tourists are... - [What's on today's newspapers] These are the leading stories in today's newspapers: The Times of Malta leads with a story about an Italian businessman involved in plans for a local hospital who is also under investigation in his home country. The Malta Independent report that... - [Controversies, probes, laughs... Times Talk signs off] Times of Malta's TV programme Times Talk has signed off for this season with a discussion about freedom of expression and the media in Malta. Presented by Herman Grech and Mark Micallef, Times Talk tackled wide-ranging issues during its weekly... World news - [Clinton hails a milestone as she clinches Democratic nomination] Hillary Clinton declared herself the Democratic Party nominee for US president on Tuesday, embracing her role in history as the first woman to lead a major party in a race for the White House. The former first lady, US senator and secretary of... - [US says China fighter jet made 'unsafe' intercept of its spy plane] A Chinese fighter jet carried out an "unsafe" intercept of a U.S. spy plane on routine patrol on Tuesday in international airspace over the East China Sea, US Pacific Command said. The intercept involved two Chinese J-10 fighter planes and a US... - [Global violence worsens, driven by Middle East conflicts - peace index] The world has become increasingly violent with deaths from conflict at a 25-year high, terrorist attacks at an all-time high and more people displaced than at any time since World War Two, the 2016 Global Peace Index has shown. The annual index,... - [North Korea restarts plutonium production for nuclear bombs -U.S. official] North Korea has restarted production of plutonium fuel, a senior State Department official said, showing that it plans to pursue its nuclear weapons program in defiance of international sanctions. The U.S. assessment came a day after the U.N. - [Former astronaut charged with murder after car crash] A former astronaut has been charged with murder after a car crash killed two girls in Alabama. State police said 59-year-old James Halsell Jr, of Huntsville, was arrested after a crash that killed 11-year-old Niomi Deona James and 13-year-old... Opinion - [Matter of environmental justice] The Court of Appeal’s decision in The Ramblers’ Association of Malta vs. Mepa may stimulate the local debate on the remedies at law in... - [The language question] The “language question” has been an issue in Malta for almost 140 years. With hindsight, if the then British colonial government had... - [Panama – a bigger picture] Without a doubt, the Panama Papers is one of the biggest stories of our times. It highlights in stark relief what was widely known but... - [It’s all carrot and no stick] The subject of traffic has been somewhat unavoidably in the headlines recently, what with the Kappara project, its detours, residential... - [The great global game] As football fever grips the Maltese islands in the run-up to the finals of the European Nations Cup kicking off in troubled France on... Letters - [Forgotten road] Remember how, two summers ago, somebody laid a road on Comino when nobody was looking? Naturally, a ‘magisterial inquiry’ was announced,... - [Weights and measures] I watched the Keith Schembri debate in Parliament from start to finish. What struck me most was that not one speaker on the government... - [The battle to survive] I am a Maltese religious of the Congregation of Our Lady of Sion posted in Jerusalem for the last 50 years. My stay here has been blessed... - [A traumatic experience] Mount Carmel Hospital is a corner out of hell. It should be closed down and the patients transferred to homes filled with love. There is... - [Hunting moratorium] I have been following the bickering between the hunters and BirdLife and their German counterparts about the spring migration of the... Sport - [Sturridge believes England can achieve something special] Daniel Sturridge believes Euro 2016’s youngest squad have the potential to return from France as champions, especially if England can... - [Prosecutor wants Barca’s Neymar charged with fraud] Spanish public prosecutors want Brazil captain Neymar to face charges of fraud and corruption over his transfer to Barcelona from Santos... - [Keith Perry stays at the helm of Sliema Wanderers] Keith Perry will stay at the helm of Sliema Wanderers FC after heeding the club members’ calls to remain as president during yesterday’s... - [Photo surprise makes N. Ireland team players feel right at home] Northern Ireland’s players were made to feel at home the moment they arrived at their Euro 2016 base in France by the bedside pictures of... - [Substance central to Italy’s quest for glory at Euro 2016] Italy, Europe’s most successful nation in World Cup history along with Germany with four triumphs each, have only been crowned... Business News - [Corinthia Hotels to run luxury resort in Dubai] Corinthia Hotels will be managing a luxury beachfront resort being built in Dubai, the company announced yesterday. In terms of... - [US presses China to reduce barriers for foreign business] Senior US officials pressed China again yesterday to reduce barriers for foreign businesses, saying concerns have grown due to a more... - [Stocks rise to five-week high, higher oil prices] World stocks advanced yesterday while the US dollar was near a four-week low against a basket of currencies, a day after Federal Reserve... - [IBM signs $300 million IT deal with Emirates] IBM has signed a $300 million, ten-year technology services agreement with Dubai’s Emirates Airline. IBM will provide information... - [British banks arming staff with scripts for Brexit vote aftermath] British banks are prepping staff to deal with a barrage of questions from retail and small business customers after the country’s June 23... Social - [Announcements] BELLIZZI. On June 6, at Mater Dei Hospital, ROSE née Rizzo, of Balzan, widow of Carmelo, aged 82, passed away peacefully surrounded by... - [Celebrating the folk music heritage of the Mediterranean] The yearly folk music festival at the Argotti Gardens in Floriana returns this weekend under the new artistic direction of Renzo... - [Centre for Agriculture, Aquatics and Animal Sciences open weekend] The Mcast Centre for Agriculture, Aquatics and Animal Sciences (CAAAS) in Qormi is this weekend organising its annual open... - [Drachma lecture today] Drachma Parents’ Group and Drachma LGBTI Group will today be holding a public lecture entitled On Shadows and Dark Nights: Psychological... - [Victoria International Arts Festival opening concert] The 19th edition of the Victoria International Arts Festival kicks off with an orchestral concert at St George’s Basilica tomorrow at... Blogs - [0.7 grams worth of dangerous criminal] The law is there to be respected, ignorantia legis neminem excusat etc etc. I just thought I’d get the boring legal stuff out of the way... - [Because I'm worth it] Many of us, who do not have to live the daily grind of making ends meet, whine about how so many people in Malta think the Government... - [The hatred of the other] A few days ago, Herman Grech reminded his Facebook friends that when it comes to the hatred of the other, amongst the Maltese there are... - [Publish, then be damned] In the last couple of days, there have been editorials in the free press that have brought into stark relief the way our position as the... - [The unbearable numbness of politics] Last week I was in Malta for a quick one-week visit that combined work, family, and some rest. The weather was great and the general... 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