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Malta: Year in Review 1999 ... Mamluk

Malta: Year in Review 1999 Area: 316 sq km (122 sq mi) Malta: Year in Review 2000 The reactivation of Malta's European Union membership application in September 1998 enabled the new government to start preparing for accession negotiations by embarking on the process of "screening," whereby EU laws were compared with the Maltese counterparts and differences between the two were identified. In October 1999 the European Commission ... Malta: Year in Review 2001 After Malta had fulfilled the criteria to become a member of the European Union in 1999, formal membership talks were inaugurated in Brussels on Feb. 15, 2000, and continued throughout the year. On October 4 the European Parliament approved a resolution for Malta's application by an overwhelming majority. Malta also ... Malta: Year in Review 2002 Speaking in February 2001 on Malta's application to become a member of the European Union, Gunter Verheugen, the EU commissioner for enlargement, remarked that the progress Malta had made in the previous two years was surprising. Though EU accession was the top foreign-policy priority for the government, the opposition Labour ... Malta: Year in Review 2003 The Maltese government registered further progress in 2002 in preparing for European Union (EU) accession, and Malta was identified as one of the 10 countries eligible for the next enlargement, due in 2004. Negotiations were completed in December 2002. The political divide over EU membership, however, continued unabated. Though the ... Malta: Year in Review 2004 The year 2003 decided Malta's destiny. A referendum was held on March 8 to determine whether the country should form part of the next European Union enlargement. At the same time, a third of the electorate voted in local council elections, avoiding a boycott of the referendum by the opposition ... Malta: Year in Review 2005 Following the successful referendum and general election held in Malta in 2003, the country became a member of the European Union on May 1, 2004. Celebrations were organized on the eve of Malta's accession to commemorate this momentous event. Malta: Year in Review 2006 On July 6, 2005, the Maltese parliament unanimously ratified the European Union constitution. The opposition Labour Party, however, stated that its vote was conditioned to five reservations, one of which was meant to ensure Malta's neutrality. Meanwhile, the government announced its plan to entrench in the Maltese constitution the law ... Malta: Year in Review 2007 Throughout 2006 the problem of illegal immigrants landing in Malta became more acute. Conditions in detention centres suffered, which triggered protests, an uprising, and two mass breakouts from the centres. The issue had been raised at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting held in Malta in November 2005. At the ... Malta: Year in Review 2008 In 2007 the EU finally responded to Malta's pleas for help to control the illegal immigrants reaching the island. During the summer, patrols run by the EU border agency Frontex turned back more than 700 African would-be immigrants. Franco Frattini, the European justice commissioner, praised Malta's record in the fight ... Malta: Year in Review 2009 In Malta's general election held in March 2008, the Nationalist Party remained in power after ruling for 10 consecutive years and most of the past 20 years. The victory margin between the two main parties was narrow, amounting to only 1,580 votes. On a voter turnout of 93% (versus 96% ... Malta: Year in Review 2010 The government of Malta inaugurated 2009 with the announcement of a $110 million project for the capital, Valletta, in preparation for its becoming the European Capital of Culture in 2018. The City Gate project was entrusted to the world-renowned Italian architect Renzo Piano. His designs, which included a new parliament ... Malta: Year in Review 2011 With the government claiming that Malta had emerged from the recession, foreign affairs took centre stage in 2010. In April, Pope Benedict XVI's visit was greeted with great enthusiasm. He urged the country to be a bulwark of Christianity in Europe and to hold firm against divorce and abortion. Despite ... Malta: Year in Review 2012 When the Libyan conflict escalated in 2011, Malta became a harbour of refuge and the base for a huge humanitarian mission. In a single week in February, nearly 12,000 people fled from Libya to Malta. Some Libyans wounded in fighting were treated in Malta, and water, food, and medical supplies ... Malta: Year in Review 2013 Malta's economy performed well in 2012 and continued to show resilience in the face of the euro-zone debt crisis. At the European Union summit in June, Malta declared that it would not agree to common coordination in fiscal policy, particularly taxation, and voiced its opposition to a set of major ... Malta island country located in the central Mediterranean Sea. A small but strategically important group of islands, the archipelago has through its long and turbulent history played a vital role in the struggles of a succession of powers for domination of the Mediterranean and in the interplay between emerging Europe and ... Malta, flag of vertically divided white-red national flag with a George Cross in the upper hoist corner. The flag has a width-to-length ratio of 2 to 3. maltase enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of the disaccharide maltose to the simple sugar glucose. The enzyme is found in plants, bacteria, and yeast; in humans and other vertebrates it is thought to be synthesized by cells of the mucous membrane lining the intestinal wall. During digestion, starch is partially transformed ... Malte-Brun, Conrad author and coauthor of several geographies and a founder of the first modern geographic society. Maltese breed of toy dog named for the island of Malta, where it may have originated about 2,800 years ago. Delicate in appearance but usually vigorous, healthy, affectionate, and lively, the Maltese was once the valued pet of the wealthy and aristocratic. It has a long, silky, pure-white coat, hanging ears, ... Maltese Falcon, The mystery novel by Dashiell Hammett, generally considered his finest work. It originally appeared as a serial in Black Mask magazine in 1929 and was published in book form the next year. Maltese lace type of guipure lace (in which the design is held together by bars, or brides, rather than net) introduced into Malta in 1833 by Genoese laceworkers. It was similar to the early bobbin-made lace of Genoa and had geometric patterns in which Maltese crosses and small, pointed ears of wheat ... Maltese language Semitic language of the Southern Central group spoken on the island of Malta. Maltese developed from a dialect of Arabic and is closely related to the western Arabic dialects of Algeria and Tunisia. Strongly influenced by the Italian dialect spoken in Sicily, Maltese is the only form of Arabic to ... Malthus, Thomas Robert English economist and demographer who is best known for his theory that population growth will always tend to outrun the food supply and that betterment of humankind is impossible without stern limits on reproduction. This thinking is commonly referred to as Malthusianism. Malton town, Ryedale district, administrative county of North Yorkshire, historic county of Yorkshire, northern England. On the site of an early British settlement and later a Roman fort and town (Derventio) on the River Derwent, it was renamed Malton in Anglian times and was the site of a royal palace of ... Maluku propinsi (or provinsi; province) consisting of the southern portion of the Moluccas island group, in eastern Indonesia. Maluku embraces more than 600 islands, the most prominent of which are Ceram (Seram), Buru, and Ambon, as well as the larger islands of the Banda, the Wetar, the Babar, the Tanimbar, the ... Malus, Etienne-Louis French physicist who discovered that light, when reflected, becomes partially plane polarized; i.e., its rays vibrate in the same plane. His observation led to a better understanding of the propagation of light. Malvaceae the hibiscus, or mallow, family, in the order Malvales, containing 243 genera and at least 4,225 species of herbs, shrubs, and trees. Representatives occur in all except the coldest parts of the world but are most numerous in the tropics. Economically, the most important member of the family is cotton ... Malvales medium-sized order, known as the Hibiscus or mallow order, mostly of woody plants, consisting of 10 families, 338 genera, and about 6,000 species. The plants grow in various habitats throughout much of the world, and a number of members are important commercially. Malvana, Convention of (1597), agreement made between the Portuguese and the native chiefs of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). The chiefs swore allegiance to the king of Portugal and, in return, were assured that their laws and customs would be left inviolate. Malvern Hills district, administrative county of Worcestershire, western England. The district lies almost entirely within the historic county of Worcestershire, except for a small area between Leigh Sinton and Acton Green that belongs to the historic county of Herefordshire. Its dominant physical feature is the heath-covered Malvern Hills, trending north-south along its ... Malvern, Godfrey Huggins, 1st Viscount prime minister of Southern Rhodesia (1933-53) and architect of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, which he served as its first prime minister (1953-56). Malvy, Louis-Jean French politician whose activities as minister of the interior led to his trial for treason during World War I. Malwa historical province and physiographic region of west-central India, comprising a large portion of western and central Madhya Pradesh state and parts of southeastern Rajasthan and northern Maharashtra states. Strictly, the name is confined to the hilly tableland bounded by the Vindhya Range to the south, but it has been extended ... Malwa painting 17th-century school of Rajasthani miniature painting centred largely in Malwa and Bundelkhand (in modern Madhya Pradesh state); it is sometimes referred to as Central Indian painting on the basis of its geographical distribution. The school was conservative, and little development is seen from the earliest examples, such as the Rasikapriya ... Malwa Plains alluvial plains region in central Punjab state, northern India. It lies between the Ghaggar and Sutlej rivers south of the Bist Doab (plain). The plains are bordered by the Siwalik (Shiwalik) Range to the northeast and range in elevation from about 985 feet (300 metres) above sea level in the ... Malwa Plateau plateau region in north-central India. It is bounded by the Madhya Bharat Plateau and Bundelkhand Upland to the north, the Vindhya Range to the east and south, and the Gujarat Plains to the west. Of volcanic origin, the plateau comprises central Madhya Pradesh state and southeastern Rajasthan state. The name ... malware malicious computer program, or "malicious software," such as viruses, trojans, spyware, and worms. Malware typically infects a personal computer (PC) through e-mail, Web sites, or attached hardware devices. Mamallapuram historic town, northeast Tamil Nadu state, southeastern India. It lies along the Bay of Bengal 37 miles (60 km) south of Chennai (Madras). The town's religious centre was founded by a 7th-century-CE Hindu Pallava king, Narasimhavarman, also known as Mamalla, for whom the town was named. Ancient Chinese, Persian, and ... Mamaroneck village, Westchester county, New York, U.S. It is located on Long Island Sound, just northeast of New Rochelle, astride the border separating the towns (townships) of Mamaroneck and Rye. Although considered part of the Dutch West India Company lands, the site was sold in 1661 by Wappinger Indians to an ... Mamas and the Papas, the American vocal quartet whose intricate harmonies brought them to the forefront of the folk rock movement of the 1960s. The original members were John Phillips (b. August 30, 1935, Parris Island, South Carolina, U.S., -d. March 18, 2001, Los Angeles, California, ), Michelle Phillips (original name Holly Michelle Gilliam; b. ... mamba any of four species of large arboreal venomous snakes that live throughout sub-Saharan Africa in tropical rainforest and savanna. Mambas are slender, agile, and quick and are active during the day. They have smooth scales, flat-sided (coffin-shaped) heads, long front fangs, and a powerful neurotoxic venom (see snakebite). Mamberamo River river in northwestern New Guinea, in the Indonesian province of Papua. Formed by the confluence of the Taritatu (Idenburg) and Tariku (Rouffaer) rivers, which converge in a large wild sago swamp, it flows generally northwest and empties into the Pacific Ocean near Cape Narwaku (D'Urville). After flowing placidly for the ... Mameli, Goffredo Italian poet and patriot of the Risorgimento and author of the Italian national anthem, "Inno di Mameli" ("Mameli Hymn"), popularly known as "Fratelli d'Italia" ("Brothers of Italy"). mameluco (from mamaruca, Indian for "half-breed"), in colonial Brazil, especially in the Sao Paulo district, a person of mixed Indian and white ancestry. The reputation of mamelucos for cruelty toward Indians, supposedly reminiscent of the Mamluks, a Muslim military caste of Southwest Asia and Egypt in medieval and early modern times, ... Mamertini band of mercenaries from Campania, in Italy, who, by a shift in alliances, touched off the First Punic War between Rome and Carthage (264-241 BC). Their name was derived from Mamers, Oscan for Mars, the war god. Originally hired by Syracuse, in Sicily, they deserted, seized the Greek colony of ... Mamertinus, Claudius Roman official, author of a panegyric on the emperor Julian delivered at Constantinople in AD 362 in the form of a gratiarum actio (thanksgiving) for the orator's elevation to the consulship. Mamertinus had already held high office under Julian's patronage and later was governor of Italy, Africa, and Illyria, but ... Mamet, David American playwright, director, and screenwriter noted for his often desperate working-class characters and for his distinctive, colloquial, and frequently profane dialogue. Mamfe town located in western Cameroon, at the head of navigation of the Cross River. Mamfe is situated about 31 miles (50 km) east of the Nigerian border and about 100 miles (160 km) north of the Gulf of Guinea. Palm oil and kernels, bananas, cocoa, coffee, quinine, hardwood, and rubber ... Mami, Cheb Algerian popular singer who was a major force in the introduction of rai music to Western audiences at the turn of the 21st century. Mamluk slave soldier, a member of one of the armies of slaves that won political control of several Muslim states during the Middle Ages. Under the Ayyubid sultanate, Mamluk generals used their power to establish a dynasty that ruled Egypt and Syria from 1250 to 1517. The name is derived from ...