The online version of The Times and The Sunday Times of Malta http://www.timesofmalta.com/ http://www.timesofmalta.com/img/tomlogo.gif http://www.timesofmalta.com/ en http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081120/local/maltese-rn-sailor-hopes-to-serve-in-afghanistanA Royal Navy recruit from Malta who has just completed her basic training can't wait to be a fully qualified medical assistant serving in Afghanistan. Trainee Medical Assistant Elizabeth Portelli, 27, joined the Royal Navy in September and...Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:20:00 +0100http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081120/local/maltese-rn-sailor-hopes-to-serve-in-afghanistan http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081120/local/oil-dives-below-50Oil plunged below $50 a barrel today, deepening losses over the previous four sessions as battered financial markets reflected ever lower confidence in the world economy and evidence mounted of falling fuel demand. US crude fell $3.71, to $49.91...Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:24:00 +0100http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081120/local/oil-dives-below-50 http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081120/local/radio-tv-see-drop-in-audiencesRadio and television both recorded a drop in audiences in the broadcasting year October 2007 to September 2008, according to a Broadcasting Authority survey. The authority said that the average total number of regular listeners had...Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:00:49 +0100http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081120/local/radio-tv-see-drop-in-audiences http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081120/local/dalli-refuses-to-meet-mumn-while-actions-continue(Adds joint ministry-union statement) Social Policy Minister John Dalli and the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses (MUMN) have held a meeting on the current shortage of nurses and have agreed to meet again next week, sources said. Directives for...Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:31:00 +0100http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081120/local/dalli-refuses-to-meet-mumn-while-actions-continue http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081120/local/cmtu-disappointed-with-mutThe Malta Union of Teachers did not turn up for a meeting called by the Confederation of Malta Trade Unions to discuss the MUT's proposal for the creation of a Trades Union Council. The CMTU said in a statement that the council unanimously...Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:03:00 +0100http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081120/local/cmtu-disappointed-with-mut http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081120/local/before-allowing-legal-migration-eu-should-be-effective-on-illegal-immigration-busuttilAn effective European policy on illegal immigration is a pre-requisite for a policy on legal migration, MEP Simon Busuttil said during a debate in the European Parliament’s plenary session meeting in Strasbourg this morning. The chamber was...Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:04:00 +0100http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081120/local/before-allowing-legal-migration-eu-should-be-effective-on-illegal-immigration-busuttil http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081120/local/mepa-reform-linked-to-othersPrime Minister Lawrence Gonzi this morning proposed the sifting of applications at the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (Mepa) so as not to lose time on those which did not deserve to be considered. Speaking during a business breakfast...Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:46:00 +0100http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081120/local/mepa-reform-linked-to-others http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081120/local/valencia-exhibition-features-painting-from-st-johns-co-cathedralA Mattia Preti painting depicting St George on Horseback, normally displayed at St John's Co-Cathedral, has been shipped to Spain to form part of an exhibition organised by the Cultural Secretariat of Valencia entitled James I, Memory and...Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:14:00 +0100http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081120/local/valencia-exhibition-features-painting-from-st-johns-co-cathedral http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081120/local/sudanease-man-stabbed-grievously-injured(Details added) A Sudanese man was grievously injured last night in a stabbing incident near Marsa open centre, where he resides. The incident happened at about 3 a.m. The police said the man, who is suffering from a neck wound, sought...Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:54:00 +0100http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081120/local/sudanease-man-stabbed-grievously-injured http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081120/local/first-ranking-bigger-for-commercialisation-of-enemaltas-petroleum-division-namedBB Energy BV has been named the first ranking bidder for the commercialisation of the operation, maintenance and development of Enemalta’s Petroleum Division and the business activities undertaken by Mediterranean Offshore Bunkering Company...Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:53:00 +0100http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081120/local/first-ranking-bigger-for-commercialisation-of-enemaltas-petroleum-division-named http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081120/local/huge-european-online-library-opens-todayEuropeana, Europe’s multimedia online library opens to the public later today. At www.europeana.eu Internet users around the world can now access more than two million books, maps, recordings, photographs, archival documents, paintings and...Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:32:00 +0100http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081120/local/huge-european-online-library-opens-today http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081120/local/afm-make-two-drug-finds-at-checkpointThe police found drugs in two cars and arrested seven persons at a vehicle checkpoint near Zabbar last night. In the first case, the soldiers from 'B' Company of 1 Regiment observed passengers throwing items out of a car as it approached the...Thu, 20 Nov 2008 06:57:28 +0100http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081120/local/afm-make-two-drug-finds-at-checkpoint http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081120/local/malta-and-international-press-digestThe following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press today. The Times says a survey of 100 shop owners by the GRTU found that they expect a difficult Christmas. It also reports the Superintendent of Mater Dei Hospital warning ...Thu, 20 Nov 2008 07:44:00 +0100http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081120/local/malta-and-international-press-digest http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081120/world-news/french-jails-dirty-and-dilapidatedFrance's prisons are dirty, overcrowded and rundown, Europe's leading human rights body said in a damning report released today. The Council of Europe's criticisms of France's jail and judicial system dealt a fresh blow to Justice Minister...Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:05:44 +0100http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081120/world-news/french-jails-dirty-and-dilapidated http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081120/world-news/sarah-ferguson-angers-turkish-social-servicesTurkey's social services agency has asked prosecutors to open a case against Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, over her involvement in a British TV programme on Turkish orphanages, an agency spokesman said. The government has accused Ferguson...Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:47:28 +0100http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081120/world-news/sarah-ferguson-angers-turkish-social-services http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081120/world-news/libyan-women-endure-sexismMore Libyan women are venturing from home in search of work but they complain of antiquated male attitudes that decades of gender equality reforms have failed to dislodge. Muammar Gaddafi's 1969 Islamic Socialist revolution began a gradual...Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:40:53 +0100http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081120/world-news/libyan-women-endure-sexism http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081120/world-news/michael-jackson-to-testify-in-british-courtSinger Michael Jackson plans to testify next week in a British court in a lawsuit brought against him by a Bahrain prince, Jackson's lawyer said today. The reclusive 50-year-old is being sued by Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad al-Khalifa, the second...Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:59:21 +0100http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081120/world-news/michael-jackson-to-testify-in-british-court http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081120/world-news/sparrow-numbers-plungingThe population of house sparrows in Britain has fallen nearly 70 percent in the last 30 years as a trend for paving over gardens and removing trees has left too few insects for them to eat, the RSPB said today. The sparrow has almost completely...Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:55:23 +0100http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081120/world-news/sparrow-numbers-plunging http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081120/world-news/tougher-penalties-for-speeding-driversBritish drivers caught travelling well over the speed limit will lose their licence after just two offences under plans to be put out for consultation today, according to media reports. Ministers will also consider pleas from road safety...Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:18:37 +0100http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081120/world-news/tougher-penalties-for-speeding-drivers http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081120/world-news/fire-breaks-out-at-berlin-airportA large fire broke out at the military section of Berlin's Tegel airport this morning, prompting authorities to divert flights elsewhere. A spokesman for Tegel airport said incoming flights were being diverted to Schoenefeld airport in the...Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:10:09 +0100http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081120/world-news/fire-breaks-out-at-berlin-airport