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Police warn of phone scam

February 7, 2014, 8:27 am
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The police said today that several people have received text messages or phone calls from an overseas number where they were falsely told they had won a lottery. They were then asked for their bank details. The police said such information should never be divulged.
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Idiots’ guide to 2014 Malta Eurovision Song Contest

February 6, 2014, 3:51 pm
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Twenty hopefuls take to the stage in tonight’s semi-final and most of the island will be watching how they get on. Kristina Chetcuti has been listening to the songs on a loop and is ready to dish out her views on who should be chosen to fly Malta’s flag in the Eurovision Song Contest held in Denmark later this year. Romina Mamo – Addictive Romina takes the mike and tells us in no uncertain terms: “Here I’m standing and I’m demanding”. Of course she sings this in a faux-American drawl: “here I’m stendin and I’m demendin”. It’s a rhyme-fest song. She makes one “demend” after the other for... This article is part of our premium content. Full story is available on Times of Malta Premium.
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Updated - Shareholders win second major National Bank court case

February 6, 2014, 3:34 am
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Shareholders of the former National Bank have won their second human rights case in as many months, with a court finding that unlawful expropriation without compensation had taken place. The case was instituted by some 30 shareholders who had refused to sign over their shares in the bank when the government took it over in 1973. Last month, in a case instituted by another group of shareholders, a court decided that their human rights were breached when the Labour government led by former Prime Minister Dom Mintoff had forced them to hand over their shares after the National Bank of Malta faced a run on deposits. In both cases the governemnt has the right to appeal. Mr Justice Joseph R Micallef presiding over the First Hall of the Civil Court delivered today's judgment after a constitutional application was filed by the shareholders in 1992 against the Prime Minister, the Finance Minister and curators representing the Council for the Administration of the National Bank of Malta. The court noted that this case differed from other cases because these shareholders had not transferred their shares in the National Bank to the government. When the council for the administration of the...
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Mepa turns down Villa Bonici development application pending development brief

February 6, 2014, 5:42 am
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The Mepa board has rejected an application to develop the Villa Bonici gardens in Sliema. Developers had proposed building nearly 200 apartments in four blocks, the highest being 12 storeys high. The case officer had recommended refusal on the basis that a development brief had not been completed. He had also warned that the development would mean the elimination of the villa gardens. Objections had also been filed by environment NGOs and Sliema Residents’ Association. The board this afternoon directed the case officer to coordinate the drawing up of the development brief with the developers.
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PN prefers lower thresholds in party funding law - Controversy over Sandro Chetcuti

February 6, 2014, 10:46 am
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PN General Secretary Chris Said indicated this evening that the PN would like to see the thresholds proposed in the White Paper on party financing reduced. The comment was made during the Dissett discussion programme on TVM. Labour deputy leader Toni Abela was non-committal, saying he would await public reaction to the White Paper issued last week. Mario Mallia, representing Alternattiva, also argued that the thresholds should be reduced. The White Paper bans donations over €50,000 and also sets limits in spending by  the parties during electoral campaigns. CONTROVERSY OVER SANDRO CHETCUTI During the discussion, a fierce argument broke out between Dr Said and Dr Abela after the former said that the president of the Developers' Association had an office at the Labour Party headquarters. Replying, Dr Abela said that Dr Said last May had invited Sandro Chetcuti, the current president of the Developers' Association, to a meeting and asked him to join the PN. But Mr Chetcuti told him he was comfortable in the PL. Dr Said said Dr Abela was 'making things up,' adding that his meeting with Mr Chetcuti was only about matters involving the Developers' Association (of which Mr Chetcuti was...
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Update 3 - Libyan Prime Minister spends night in Malta for security reasons

February 6, 2014, 10:02 pm
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Updated - Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan arrived in Malta last night reportedly because his aircraft could not land in Tripoli for security reasons. He was greeted at the airport by Foreign Minister George Vella. Mr Zeidan had been on a flight from Zurich. His aircraft landed in Malta at about 8.30 p.m. He left at 9 a.m. The government in a statement issued after he left said the stopover was actually for technical reasons. Mr Zeidan had a short meeting with Prime Minister Joseph Muscat. Mr Zeidan had visited Malta twice before, his last visit being for the signing of an agreement for Libya to sell oil and gas to Malta at preferential rates once production picks up. Meanwhile, late yesterday unidentified gunmen tried to storm into the Libyan army command headquarters in Tripoli, clashing with soldiers there before stealing a few rifles and some vehicles, the army and a military source said. The details of the incident were not clear and there were no immediate reports of any casualties at the army chief of staff headquarters in the south of Tripoli. "We clashed with them when they tried to enter, but they left," said Ali al-Sheikhi, an army spokesman. One army source at the...
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Cat killings: Mayor says man on two Mosta videos may be different

February 6, 2014, 10:32 pm
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Mosta Mayor Shirley Farrugia said today that the 'cat killer' seen on CCTV footage in September appeared to be different from the one recorded earlier this week. However she admitted on TVAM that she was not the most qualified person to make this comparison, the video quality was poor, and the man in the footage wore different clothes. The mayor also told Times of Malta that she had repeatedly called upon Police Commissioner [Peter Paul Zammit] to release any available footage of the perpetrator, but she did not receive a reply.  She said she had been in regular contact with the police since 2012 and passed on any information supplied by residents about the spate of animal cruelty cases in the locality. The last time the police contacted, her, Dr Farrugia added, was when Assistant Police Commissioner Martin Sammut asked her if she knew who had leaked CCTV footage from one of the cameras to the media. She said she did not know. The Mayor said she had seen video taken in September and this week and in her view the man shown could be different. However, she said, a person who had actually spotted the perpetrator in September was convinced it was the same person involved in the...
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Murdered man’s family deny he was police informer

February 6, 2014, 11:59 pm
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Joseph Galea, known as il-Ġilda, who was shot dead in Marsa on Tuesday morning, was still alive, gasping for air, when his wife went outside to investigate after hearing a loud noise. “I went to him and heard him taking deep, deep breaths in his car,” Joanne Galea, who has her husband’s nickname tattooed on her right upper arm, said between sobs yesterday. He died in a hail of bullets fired at his Kia Sorrento at about 5am. Sephora Galea, 29, one of his five children, said he used to go out every morning at around 4.45am to have coffee and run some errands for her mother. The family denied reports that Galea was a police informer. They also denied claims Mr Galea had connections with Sicilians living in Palermo. “He went to Sicily on Saturday and returned that same night. It’s not true what they are saying that he returned on Monday evening,” his daughter insisted. The police are looking for an SUV they believe two men parked across the road while waiting for Mr Galea to come outside. Anyone with information can call the police in confidence on 119. More details about the murder scene and the murder victim as described by his family can be found on the Times of Malta and the...
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Updated - Police issue new Mosta animal killer video

February 7, 2014, 4:25 am
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The police this afternoon issued new footage taken from three cameras showing the Mosta animal killer. The footage, too distant for the man to be identified, shows him carrying a crucified dog as he walks onto the church parvis and hang  it below the statue of St Francis. Other footage shows him hanging a cat below a lamp post. The police called on whoever has any information, regardless of how insignificant it may seem, to contact them  in confidence, on telephone numbers 119, 2122 4001 or 2294 3551 or any other means they deem most convenient. Mosta Mayor Shirley Farrugia said this morning that the 'cat killer' seen on CCTV footage in September appeared to be different from the one recorded earlier this week. However she admitted that she was not the most qualified person to make this comparison, the video quality was poor, and the man in the footage wore different clothes. The mayor also told Times of Malta that she had repeatedly called upon Police Commissioner [Peter Paul Zammit] to release any available footage of the perpetrator. The police have been carrying out intensive investigations, including searches in several houses and farms. It is understood that footage from...
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Holmes files judicial protest, claims discrimination in court sentencing

February 8, 2014, 1:16 am
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Daniel Holmes, the Welshman jailed for 10-and-a-half years for cultivating cannabis, has filed a judicial protest claiming the harsh sentence was discriminatory and arguing that his case was null on procedural grounds. Mr Holmes’s new lawyers, Franco Debono and Michela Spiteri, filed the protest against the Attorney General and the Police Commissioner, holding them responsible for any damages he incurred. The protest is the latest twist in the legal case of 35-year-old Mr Holmes who was 28 when he was arrested in June 2006 at his €300-per-month Gozo flat. He was caught growing cannabis plants, which, he always maintained, were for his personal use. The lawyers quoted case law where, they noted, other men in very similar circumstances were jailed for a far shorter term. A judgment given in 2005 stated that “there is discrimination when similar cases or people in similar circumstances are treated differently and there is no objective and reasonable basis for that different treatment”. More on the e-paper on timesofmalta,com Premium.
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War tunnels opened for feast celebration

February 8, 2014, 8:01 am
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Restoration works under way on the war tunnels beneath the Upper Barrakka saluting battery. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

The subterranean war tunnels beneath the Upper Barrakka saluting battery will be opened to the public for the first time in years to mark the feast of St Paul’s Shipwreck on Monday. Speaking during a tour of ongoing restoration works, Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna director Mario Farrugia said the tunnels were a major strategic nerve centre during World War II. The works, being carried out on the underground war headquarters and connecting tunnels beneath will return the subterranean maze to its original battle readiness. The €2.3 million restoration works include repairs to damaged walls, the installation of a replica anti-gas attack ventilation system and the renovation of several original features. While the winding underground passages were dug back in 1556, they were first used as strategic planning posts by the British in 1939. This, Mr Farrugia said, was prompted by the Italian invasion of Ethiopia two years earlier. “The British feared the Italians might try to invade Malta, so they invested in protecting the island further,” he said. The dark, damp rooms include several corporal dormitories and even one used by the commander of the Royal Air Force. Restoration works are also...
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PL elects National Executive

February 8, 2014, 9:48 am
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The delegates of the Labour Party have elected the party's National Executive. There were 13 nominations for the 12 places. The elected memebrs are Ġuża Cassar, Monica Farrugia, Frans Agius, Krista Caruana, Mario Azzopardi, Nettu Farrugia, Sean Meli, Emanuel Rocco, Mario Farrugia Borg, Catherine Fenech, Jurgen Zammit and Carlo Mifsud. 672 of the 796 delegates cast their vote.
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‘Sewage will recharge water levels’

February 7, 2014, 3:42 am
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Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi said the government was committed to addressing groundwater depletion. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi

Sewage will be treated and used to recharge the island’s groundwater levels, according to Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi. Addressing the launch of an inter-ministerial consultation on a new 10-year national water plan, Dr Mizzi said the government was committed to addressing groundwater depletion. “We are aware that there is need for concrete action. We want to take steps, not only in the short term but in the long term too,” he said. The €20 million project, partly financed by the EU, will see effluent polished and filtered into the water table. “Treated sewage is normally dumped at sea. We... This article is part of our premium content. Full story is available on Times of Malta Premium.
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Superyacht graces Grand Harbour

February 8, 2014, 6:47 am
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The 85-metre motoryacht Pacific, formerly known as Project Josi, is in Grand Harbour. Launched in 2010 at the Lürssen shipyard in Vegesack, the superyacht was designed by Argentinian naval architect German Frers, who is known primarily for sailing yachts. The interior of Pacific was created by Bannenberg & Rowell Design of London. Large glass panels surround the owner’s suite which has a private area forward. Photos: Matthew Cefai - mynews@timesofmalta.com
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CVA changes made Valletta parking problems worse - Council

February 7, 2014, 8:16 am
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Valletta local council complained this evening that changes to the CVA parking system to allow free parking in Valletta after 2 pm. had made the parking problem in the capital more serious. In reaction to various ministerial replies to questions in Parliament, the council said the changes to the CVA meant that cars were parking in Valletta for longer, and turnover had been reduced. This was detrimental to both residents and shoppers. The council said that when it discussed the CVA with Transport Malta, it was told that the decision to allow unlimited parking from 2 p.m. was an electoral promise and there could be no further talks about it.  The council denied that the number of parking slots reserved for residents was excessive and noted that even the GRTU was now saying that parking problems for shoppers had persisted.  The council called for proper consultation by the government so that a  solution could be found.
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Coming Home wins Malta Eurovision Song Contest

February 8, 2014, 3:01 pm
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Coming Home (lyrics and music by Richard Micallef) won the Malta Eurovision Song Contest tonight and the group Firelight will represent Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest in Denmark in May. The group took a commanding lead in voting, winning the maximum 12 points from four of the five (mostly foreign) judges. The televoting vote, representing one judge, went to Hypnotika. One last ride (Daniel Testa) was second and Pin the Middle (De Bee) came third. The winner's trophy was presented by PBS chairman Tonio Portughese. 14 finalists took part in the final night, held at the convention centre in Ta'Qali. Gaia Cauchi  opened the show with The Start, the song which took her to the top of the Junior European Song Contest and brought the festival to Malta. The show was presented by Moira Delia and singers and former winners Ira Losco and Guabluca Bezzina who also jointly sang their interpretations of all-time favourites L-Ahhar Bidwi f'Wied il-Ghasel and Xemx. Gianluca had six of his siblings on hand as he then sang a number of cover versions.  He thanked the Maltese people for the support they had given him throughout the year and then sang last year's winner Tomorrow. Losco belted...
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'Chase every vote' Grech tells PL delegates

February 7, 2014, 11:38 am
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A good government has to accept criticism and act on it, Deputy Prime Minister Louis Grech told Labour delegates this evening. Closing the second session of the Labour general conference, he urged delegates not to take things for granted and to reflect on the achievements made in just 10 months. Mr Grech said there were things the government did that could have been avoided or done differently. He did not elaborate but acknowledged the government had its defects. But, he insisted, the government took decisions that effected the people in a positive way. "We embarked on reforms to save Enemalta and reduce electricity prices, cut the deficit without imposing austerity, started the court reform process, introduced laws to make politicians more accountable." He said such reforms normally took years to start being implemented. On the citizenship scheme, Mr Grech said the funds from the scheme would be used to address poverty, innovation, housing and other social areas. "Isn't this a European value to be close to those in need and ensure the country moves forward?" Mr Grech said the Opposition was in complete denial when it claimed that people were duped by the Labour Party's PR...
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Sant addresses PL conference for first time since stepping down

February 7, 2014, 10:40 am
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Former Labour leader Alfred Sant urged delegates at the party general conference this evening to stay solidly behind the government because it was not true "the Nationalists accepted defeat". This was the first time he addressed the general conference since stepping down as party leader in 2008 . He was given a standing ovation, which Dr Sant admitted had moved him. Dr Sant, who is an MEP candidate, said it was time to "refresh" the way the country visualised its relations with the EU. He said the Labour government had to ensure it maximised the benefits and addressed the disadvantages of membership and to do this it needed the backing of everyone in the party because the Opposition was not ready to play ball. "There are many disadvantages. I keep meeting people who tell me how right I was (Labour under his helm had opposed EU membership) but the problem is that the disadvantages came our way. It would have been better had I been wrong."He said at all levels, not least the European Parliament, the government will have to find backing. The Labour Party general conference is continuing this evening and will come to a close on Sunday with the Prime Minister's speech. Dr Sant's...
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Cikku Fenech, man who evaded death sentence, passes away

February 8, 2014, 7:18 am
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Cikku Fenech, a man who was hunted by the police for three months after murdering Cikku Vella in Mosta 1963, has passed away. He was 74. Fenech lived in caves around Mgarr  and Gnejna before finally turning himself in. He evaded the death penalty and was condemned to a 15-year jail term. In 2003 he was condemned to a nine-month suspended jail term after he admitted having fired a firearm in a residential area and being in illegal possession of a firearm. Mr Fenech had claimed he was attacked by John Pace, 43 of Birkirkara. A charge of attempted murder was dropped in the eleventh hour.  Fenech was well known around Mosta as a vegetable vendor, selling the produce from an old Land Rover.
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Windmill extension, Dwejra boathouses demolished

February 8, 2014, 1:47 am
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Mepa has demolished a large, illegally-built extension to a historic windmill in Triq il-Mithna in Zurrieq. The extension was built some years ago to increase the floorspace for the residents of the protected windmill. Although works had stopped when the Authority had issued an Enforcement Notice, leaving the extension without a roof, the occupants never demolished the structure. Due to the sensitivity of the site, all the demolition works were carried out manually. TWO DWEJRA BOATHOUSES DEMOLISHED Mepa said its officials had also overseen the demolition of two illegal boathouses in Dwejra Gozo. The structures were built in 2000 and 2011. The owners opted to remove the illegality themselves after the Authority warned them that direct action was at hand and they would foot the bill. One of the buildings was a completed two storey boathouse while the other was a single storey boathouse that was left unroofed after the owner was served with an Enforcement Notice. The debris will be removed once the terrain becomes drier since driving to this particular site with a mechanical vehicle will negatively affect the adjacent watercourse, Mepa said. In Ghajnsielem, enforcement officers...
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