Quantcast
Channel: Times Of Malta
Viewing all 77260 articles
Browse latest View live
↧

'Silvio Scerri wanted me out of PBS' – Norman Vella

June 4, 2014, 7:08 am
$
0
0

Former television presenter Norman Vella said this afternoon that personality John Bundy told him he heard Interior Ministry chief of staff Silvio Scerri say he wanted Mr Vella out of the Public Broadcasting Services Limited. Testifying before the Employment Commission, Mr Vella said Mr Bundy told him this a few days after the last sitting. Mr Vella will now file a request to summon him as a witness in the case. Later today, Mr Scerri called timesofmalta.com to deny the claim. The commission is hearing the case Mr Vella, the former presenter of TVHemm, instituted against the Prime Minister and the Principal Permanent Secretary claiming political discrimination in the way he was re-deployed from PBS to the Immigration Department. Mr Vella said that a few weeks after he was sent back to the Immigration Office, PBS saw a large influx of people, especially journalists who previously worked for Labour’s television station, One. He said that when he learnt that his redeployment to PBS was being withdrawn he spoke to PBS chief executive Anton Attard, board member Frank Portelli and chairman Tonio Portughese who all confirmed that the decisions were being taken “from higher up”.  
↧
Search

PN spokesman resigns

June 4, 2014, 11:11 am
$
0
0

The spokesman of the Nationalist Party, David Herrera, has resigned but will stay on for a month for a hand-over. Mr Herrera, when contacted, did not give reasons for his decision other than that he felt it was the time to move on. He said he took his decision before the European Parliament elections. Mr Herrera used to work in the Office of the Prime Minister and became PN spokesman when Simon Busuttil became party leader.
↧
↧

Winston Zahra Jr on Erin Tanti case: Put yourselves in our shoes

June 4, 2014, 3:01 am
$
0
0

Winston Zahra Jr has asked commenters to put themselves in his uncle's shoes before giving their opinion about what happened in the court room yesterday. Mr Zahra was referring to how his uncle Tony Zahra (left) lunged as Erin Tanti, the drama teacher accused of killing his daughter. In a Facebook message, Mr Zahra said:"As expected today was another very difficult day for the family. Uncle Tony had to take the stand in court to give evidence in the case where Erin Tanti stands accused of the murder, among other charges, of his beloved daughter Lisa Maria. "As has been reported in the media there was a point in time where my uncle became quite emotional and asked the questions of Erin Tanti that we have all been asking ourselves since the tragedy happened. My father (Winston Zahra Sr) also reacted when he saw his brother so devastated by the proceedings. "Incredibly I have seen some posts in some sections of social media drawing some rather strange conclusions to what happened today. Obviously everyone is entitled to his opinion however I do invite those people to put themselves in my uncle's shoes before commenting frivolously. "Losing a child is the worst thing that can...
↧

Tourist dies after swimming difficulties in Golden Bay

June 4, 2014, 3:41 am
$
0
0

An Irish tourist, 65, has died after finding himself in difficulties while swimming in rough seas off Golden Bay. The incident happened at about noon. The tourist was pulled to shore and given first aid before being hoisted on board an AFM helicopter which was diverted from an exercise. The helicopter landed on the helicopter pad at St Luke's Hospital and the man was conveyed to Mater Dei in an ambulance. The Mater Dei helicopter pad is currently not being used because of nearby construction works. Video - Steve Mercieca. Picture - Mario Mifsud mynews@timesofmalta.com - Facebook: timesofmalta
↧

‘Explosion blasted my brother out of vehicle’ - sister lashes out at 'lies'

June 3, 2014, 10:40 pm
$
0
0

The man left fighting for his life after a car bomb exploded in Marsaxlokk on Sunday afternoon was probably ejected from the vehicle by the blast and he remained conscious throughout the ordeal, his sister said. Mireille Degabriele said her brother Darren Degabriele, 35, and his partner Stephanie Tonna, 28, had left Għaxaq 10 minutes earlier after dropping in on the village feast. “She heard a loud noise and got out of the car – he was already on the ground. He was calling out and shouting in pain and she went to help him,” Ms Degabriele said. “The car kept on rolling, hit a wall and caught fire.” Ms Tonna, a qualified nurse, gave first aid to Mr Degabriele, who is still in critical condition in the hospital’s intensive care unit suffering from burns. Doctors yesterday afternoon operated on his knee, which was shattered.  Ms Degabriele lashed out at 'lies' that her brother was involved in some sort of contraband and pointed out that he was the owner of a registered company - Degabriele Fuels Limited. She also denied reports that her brother was “known to the police”. He had recently filed a police report that a man was constantly calling him but she did not know about what. “He...
↧
↧

Birdlife: Finch trapping will set bird conservation back five years

June 3, 2014, 11:21 pm
$
0
0

Yesterday's approval by the Ornis committee of a proposal to re-legalise the finch trapping will set bird conservation in Malta back five years, Birdlife said today. “It is incomprehensible that the government will now be considering reintroducing this outlawed and environmentally indefensible practice just to placate the trapping lobby,” said BirdLife Malta’s Conservation Manager, Nicholas Barbara. Trapping wild songbirds became illegal in Malta in 2009, after a five-year phasing-out period negotiated as part of Malta's EU Accession Treaty agreement. The change brought Malta’s national wildlife protection laws into line with Europe's Wild Birds directive, which guarantee protected status to wild finches and prohibit songbird trapping due to the activity’s ability to decimate wild bird populations, the society said. “There is just no valid reason to take songbirds from the wild,” Mr Barbara said, “Finches readily breed in captivity, so people are still able to keep caged birds perfectly legally. It just doesn’t make any sense.” On Sunday, the Times of Malta published an article revealing that FKNK and “independent” government appointed representatives on Malta’s Ornis Committee...
↧

BOV warns customers about unauthorised calls

June 4, 2014, 7:55 am
$
0
0

Bank of Valletta said today it has become aware that a number of customers were contacted by Maltese-speaking individuals purporting to be calling from the bank and asking customers for personal and internet banking information. The bank said it never contacted customers by telephone to ask for account, personal, or internet banking login information. Customers were requested not to cooperate with individuals calling under this pretext. Such calls were fraudulent in nature and might result in unauthorised access to internet banking and to fraud, it said.
↧

Objections as PN lawyer asks Labour's electoral representative to work out allocation of votes

June 5, 2014, 5:11 am
$
0
0
Paul Borg Olivier, who is legal counsel to the Nationalist party in a court case over the distribution of votes in last year's general election, this morning formally requested one of the Labour Party's delegates on the Electoral Commission to work out the distribution of parliamentary seats in terms of first count votes case. The PN is insisting that in terms of the law, the difference in parliamentary seats between it and the Labour Party after the last election should be seven, and not nine seats. However mistakes had been made in the allocation of votes in the eighth and 13th districts, benefiting Labour's Edward Scicluna and Justyne Caruana. The PN subsequently instituted a case before the Constitutional court. Frederick Azzopardi, one of the Labour Party's two delegates on the Electoral Commission, was called to testify today. He explained that he was present at the counting hall and he recalled that  during the eighth count of the 13th district, Gozo, the commission was called to the counting table. It was found that during the transfer of votes of Paul Buttigieg, 10 votes were missing. Instead of 678 votes, there were 668 votes. The votes were counted three times but the...
↧
Search

Dizzee Rascal for Isle of MTV

June 4, 2014, 2:54 am
$
0
0

International rap superstar Dizzee Rascal has joined the Isle of MTV line-up on June 25. The two other performers announced so far are DJ Hardwell, who will be closing the show, and electro-pop songstress Kiesza. Isle of MTV has also invited Maltese artistes or bands to enter a battle of the bands competition and be in for a chance to perform live during the concert.
↧
↧

PM reacts as Court says judge's human rights, right to fair hearing not breached

June 5, 2014, 4:26 am
$
0
0

The Civil Court in its constitutional jurisdiction ruled this afternoon that Mr Justice Lino Farrugia Sacco's human rights and rights to a fair hearing were not breached when the Commission for the Administration of Justice filed its report on the second impeachment motion moved against him in Parliament. Neither was there a breach of the European Convention on Human Rights. The judgement was handed down by Madam Justice Lorraine Schembri Orland. Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco filed the case against Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, the Attorney General, the Commission for the Administration of Justice and Opposition leader Simon Busuttil after the second impeachment motion was moved against him in Parliament when the Speaker ruled that the first one was extinguished because of the change of legislature. In its report to the Speaker after the second impeachment motion was filed, the commission had said its position remained unchanged, meaning there was prima facie proven misbehaviour by the judge when he stayed on as president of the Malta Olympic Committee. (He had subsequently decided not to run for office again.) The judge argued that the commission had not given him a fair hearing...
↧

Former minister insists health must be driven out of partisan politics

June 5, 2014, 1:15 am
$
0
0

Former health minister Godfrey Farrugia appealed today for health issues to be driven away from partisan politics. Writing in Times of Malta, Dr Farrugia said healthcare services have to develop in synchrony, with primary and community healthcare as the cornerstone of any healthcare system, he said. "The key to any success lies in empowering the health consumer through health promotion and prevention and to deliver more personalised healthcare, which is primarily community-oriented and where each individual takes care of one’s well-being. "We have to transform our present strategy from ‘one size fits all’ to ‘one size fits one’ and redefine our health performance outcomes from one of medical diagnosis to one that is hallmarked by wellness goals." To achieve and implement these health status objectives he said he strongly believed, both as a politician and a healthcare professional, that health should be driven away from partisan politics. “We must shift to models that encourage consensus across party lines, increase healthcare professional collaboration, increase public ownership and team up with NGOs in public-social partnerships. He said the set-up of the Parliamentary...
↧

John Bundy confirms claim Silvio Scerri had ordered Norman Vella's redeployment

June 5, 2014, 1:46 am
$
0
0

From left: John Bundy, Silvio Scerri, Norman Vella.

Television personality John Bundy confirmed he had heard the Interior Ministry's chief of staff Silvio Scerri issue the order for Norman Vella to be returned to his job at the Immigration Department. He was contacted by Times of Malta yesterday soon after Mr Vella testified before the Employment Commission that Mr Bundy told him he had seen and heard Mr Scerri order his transfer from PBS. Mr Vella said Mr Bundy gave him the information a few days after the last sitting and a request will be filed for Mr Bundy to be summoned as a witness in the case. Mr Bundy confirmed what Mr Vella had said: “I met Norman Vella and told him not to continue blaming the Prime Minister or any other politicians because it was Silvio Scerri who took the decision and I heard him with my own ears because I happened to be there at the time.” Mr Scerri, on the other hand, made a categorical denial but would not comment further for the time being.
↧

Trappers to be allowed to catch 26,850 live birds - Brussels sounds warning

June 4, 2014, 10:40 pm
$
0
0

A total of 26,850 birds can be captured live over two months, according to the Ornis Committee recommendation for an autumn trapping season for seven species of finches. Trappers will be allowed to capture 5,000 chaffinch, 12,000 linnet, 800 goldfinch, 4,500 greenfinch, 500 hawfinch, 2,350 serin and 1,700 siskin species, assuming the numbers are respected and no illegalities occur. Ornis, the government’s advisory body on hunting, on Tuesday recommended applying an exemption from EU laws to open a trapping season during the peak migration period for finches. The recommendation was based on an analysis by the Wild Birds Regulation Unit, which amended a set of proposals submitted by the hunters’ federation, FKNK, last August. All species are protected under the Birds Directive. The proposed enforcement of regulations would be based on a similar system to that used for spring hunting. BRUSSELS WARNING Meanwhile, Brussels has conveyed its concerns to Malta over the proposed re-opening of a finch trapping season this autumn but will wait for the government’s decision before taking a stand. Asked to comment yesterday, a European Commission spokesman said it was too early for Brussels...
↧
↧

Hili ‘close’ to owning major Polish freeport

June 5, 2014, 2:19 am
$
0
0

Mariner Company Ltd, owned by the former boss of Malta Freeport, Marin Hili, is close to acquiring the full ownership of a freeport terminal in Gdansk. Gdansk is the main seaport in Poland and a major player in the Baltic maritime industry . Following a call for the privatisation of Gdansk Cargo Logistics SA last March, owned by the Port of Gdansk Authority, the Maltese company was shortlisted as preferred bidder to acquire the shares of the Polish company. Mariner will now be invited to the final negotiations to conclude a binding bid. Port of Gdansk Cargo is the sole operator of the Gdansk container terminal and the port’s free zone. It conducts handling operations over an area of 90 hectares in eight quays and focuses mainly on handling general cargo, including containerized and bulk goods. Gdansk last year handled cargo worth €40 billion or half of Poland’s total imports. Mariner yesterday also announced a €30m bond issue. See - http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140604/local/30-million-in-unsecured-bonds-offered-by-mariner-finance-plc.521939
↧

Janitor pleads not guilty to sexually assaulting 16-year-old

June 5, 2014, 3:15 am
$
0
0

A 67-year-old janitor at Mcast in Paola was this morning granted bail against a personal guarantee of €5,000 after he pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl. The man, who is from Paola, allegedly groped the girl at the school on Monday morning. He is also charged with sexually assaulting the girl, violent indecent assault, offending public morals and relapsing. Lawyer Franco Debono appeared for the accused.
↧
Search

Man's wrongful imprisonment - daughter had filed 25 police reports against her mother

June 5, 2014, 7:29 am
$
0
0

A girl, now 20, who was allegedly pressured by her mother to falsely testify  that her father had sexually abused her, had filed some 25 police reports against her mother for child neglect, a court was told today. But the police inspector who prosecuted her father said she did not know about them. The reports were filed from 2008 onwards. The father, Emanuel Camilleri, had been charged in 2004 with corruption of minors and the case had continued despite the reports. He was convicted and jailed and was only released last Monday. He is currently suing the prosecuting inspector, Louise Calleja. Lawyer Tonio Azzopardi, Mr Camilleri's lawyer, told the court today that by missing the reports, the inspector had 'not missed a mouse, but an elephant'. Taking the witness stand, Inspector Calleja, replying to questions by Dr Azzopardi, said the girl's allegations were forwarded to the police by Appogg.  The inspector said that she and other and officers had heard the girl’s version and found her to be consistent. The case was discussed with Appogg  and the Attorney General’s office before the arraignment of Mr Camilleri on charges of corruption of minors. Dr Azzopardi pointed out that his...
↧

Farage in hot water after Malta 'night on the tiles'

June 4, 2014, 11:47 pm
$
0
0

Britain's mass-selling Daily Mirror this morning features a front page picture of married Ukip leader Nigel Farage hand-in-hand with another woman going into the Hilton Malta at 3.42am. The UKIP leader partied until the early hours with attractive travel chief Ande Soteri, it reports. Farage was in Malta for a tourism conference, which he addressed yesterday. "Married Farage was having fun in the sun in Malta while fellow activists pounded the pavements back in rain-soaked Blighty on the Newark campaign trail."  The newspaper says Farage and Soteri's night on the tiles set tongues wagging at the conference. One delegate said: “There’s been quite a bit of gossip going on about the two of them today.” But Mr Farage denied there was any impropriety, saying: “Good god no. "I had never even met her before yesterday – completely innocent.” When asked directly if he had slept with Ms Soteri, Mr Farage shot back: “What an impertinent question. No.”  He insisted he had simply been helping her because she was having difficulty walking, adding: “I did not help her back to her room. I helped her into the lift. That was it. We were not alone. There were other people in the lift.” The Mirror...
↧
↧

Footage shows Coast road crash

June 5, 2014, 5:35 am
$
0
0

A dramatic crash on the Coast road - where road widening works are currently under way - has been recorded on a dashboard camera. The footage was uploaded on facebook. No one was injured.  
↧

Car overturns in Marsascala

June 5, 2014, 8:53 am
$
0
0
A 20-year-old man from Birzebbuga was hospitalised this afternoon after the Volkswagen Polo he was driving in Triq id-Dahla ta San Tumas, Marsacala, overturned. Although the man's condition is not yet known, it is unlikely that he suffered serious injuries. The accident happened at around 5pm.
↧

Malta under fire over migrant repatriation

June 6, 2014, 1:13 am
$
0
0

Malta lacks any sort of training or specific guidelines for the effective monitoring of the process through which irregular migrants are repatriated, according to the EU. Photos: Darrin Zammit Lupi

Malta lacks any sort of training or specific guidelines for the effective monitoring of the process through which irregular migrants are repatriated, according to the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights. The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) had published a report on the monitoring of a return flight in 2012, commenting on issues such as escort staff’s use of restraints and the need for a “fit to fly certificate”. According to FRA, Malta should apply European guidelines and monitoring tools, including by the CPT, which is increasingly focusing on forced returns. In 2008, the Return Directive was adopted by the EU, providing for clear rules for the return and removal of migrants and the use of coercive measures while fully respecting the human rights and fundamental freedoms of those concerned. Third-country nationals who do not fulfil the conditions for entering or staying in the EU receive a return decision, which the authorities may enforce if it is not complied with voluntarily. The implementation of a return decision must respect the principle of non-refoulement and take due account of the best...
↧
Viewing all 77260 articles
Browse latest View live
Search
<script src="https://jsc.adskeeper.com/r/s/rssing.com.1596347.js" async> </script>