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Political parties not exempt from water and electricity tariffs - PM

June 25, 2014, 3:24 am
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Political parties are not exempt from paying their dues for utilities, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said today. He was replying to a question as to what action the government would take regarding the money political parties owed for water and electricity. MaltaToday said on Monday the Nationalist Party owed Arms Ltd €1.9 million and the Labour Party some €600,000. A year ago, Times of Malta lodged a freedom of information request on the subject but it was refused.
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Isle of MTV - See the highlights

June 25, 2014, 8:48 pm
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The Isle of MTV concert was held before thousands of people on the granaries in Floriana yesterday. Watch the highlights on the videos above. The concert was hosted by the Malta Tourism Authority. Footage courtesy of MTV.
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Updated - Two women hurt in separate collisions

June 25, 2014, 11:29 pm
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A foreign woman was seriously injured this morning when her Mini was involved in collision with a taxi. The head-on crash happened at about 7.15am The taxi was being driven by a 40-year-old man from Fgura. The police have advised motorists to avoid the area. Earlier,  another woman, 38, who was passenger in a car, was injured in a collision in Triq Mikiel Anton Vassalli, Saint Julians. The police said the accident happened at 5.45am
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Tragedy for woman who lost two husbands in their prime

June 25, 2014, 10:00 pm
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When the police called Denise Chibueze to identify the body of her husband, Marsa FC footballer Basil Chibueze, it was a repeat of the day she lost her first husband – his brother – in similar circumstances. Basil Chibueze, a Nigerian, passed away on Monday while jogging. His Maltese wife is still reeling from the shock of her second husband’s sudden death but she speaks of him lovingly, calling him an exemplary partner and father. Her first husband, Ikechukwu Chibueze, was also a footballer, playing for Mqabba. He brought Basil over to Malta but died suddenly aged 23 just six months later in 2007. Then, as now, heart failure was the cause, even though both brothers were extremely fit and healthy. Denise and Basil married in 2008. Their three-year-old son, Ike, is named after her first husband. “Basil helped me get over Ike but it is not going to be easy now. My son constantly reminds me of his father,” she said. More on Times of Malta and the e-paper on timesofmalta.com Premium.
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Updated - Police arrest man following traffic accident involving MPs

June 25, 2014, 11:40 am
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Updated Thursday 10am The police have arrested a German national following a traffic accident yesterday evening in which Nationalist MPs Censu Galea and Frederick Azzopardi were slightly injured. The two MPs were hurt when their car was involved in collision with another car in Pieta at about 7.30 pm shortly after they left Parliament. Their car was hit by a grey Volvo with German number plates. The driver got out, argued with the MPs, then drove off. The police immediately launched a search and arrested the man at his home in Pieta this morning. Both Mr Galea and Mr Azzopardi were taken to hospital for treatment. Mr Galea told Times of Malta that he was passenger in Mr Azzopardi's car, a Toyota.  The vehicle was practically stopped near the KPMG office when another car crashed into them from the back, pushing their vehicle 'some 10 metres'. The driver got out and claimed he had not seen their vehicle. Then he suddenly said he was leaving, Mr Galea said. Mr Galea took a photo of the number plates on his mobile phone.  He said Mr Azzopardi and himself were not hurt, other than whiplash, but doctors wanted to examine them. Speaker Anglu Farrugia expressed his regret over the...
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Videos: Large crowd for Isle of MTV

June 25, 2014, 3:45 am
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Updated - A large crowd has filled the granaries in Floriana for the Isle of MTV concert, Malta's biggest music event, now in its ninth year. Nicole Scherzinger, Dizzee Rascal, Kiesza, Enrique Iglesias and DJ Hardwell are the main foreign guests, with Iglesias and Scherzinger set to perform together. They spent some time rehearsing yesterday but Scherzinger - F1 driver Lewis Hamilton's girlfriend - also made it a point to get up early this morning for a swim with tuna, finding the experience 'amazing'. Kiesza said she was impressed by tonight's concert venue with Floriana church as the backdrop. Iglesias said Malta reminded him of Spain, his home country. The show was opened by Maltese band Funk Initiative.                      
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Kissed for the very third time by Enrique Iglesias

June 26, 2014, 2:51 am
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It seems as if Sarah Michelle Attard got lucky for the third time after she snagged a kiss from Spanish heart-throb Enrique Iglesias. The 24-year-old became the envy of many after the superstar had pulled her onto the coveted Isle of MTV stage and planted a steamy kiss during his previous performances in 2007 and in 2008. Speaking to Times of Malta, Ms Attard said that, this year, Iglesias dedicated his romantic song Hero to the entire island rather than to just her. "I had been trying to meet him but it proved impossible. But after the performance, I managed to meet him and take a picture with him. "I was thrilled he recognised me. It was great to see him again after six years." Did he change much since she last saw him? "Well, he still looks good, I can tell you that," she smiled.
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Toilet spot

June 27, 2014, 3:58 am
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      A toilet’s place is usually in a bathroom. But someone in Forest Street, St Julian’s, thought otherwise and used two, to block a parking spot.
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Gonzi had told Dalli commissioner post would be offered to Richard Cachia Caruana, court hears

June 27, 2014, 2:32 am
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John Dalli

Former EU Commissioner John Dalli said in court this morning that when he initially refused the post of commissioner, then Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi had told him that if he did not take up the position he would appoint Richard Cachia Caruana instead. Mr Dalli took the witness stand this morning in the libel suit filed by Malta’s former permanent representative to the EU, Richard Cachia Caruana, against the managing editor of MaltaToday, Saviour Balzan, for an article titled 'Why People will protest and not vote', published on May 24, 2009. Mr Dalli claimed that Dr Gonzi continued to insist with him to accept the position and he finally did. But later, Mr Cachia Caruana told him that he had suggested him for the post. Mr Dalli told the court that when he had contested the leadership for the post of PN leader, there had been a campaign against him by a group of Nationalist journalists. He said that while under the premiership of Eddie Fenech Adami he was able to control the attacks, under Dr Gonzi they were so wide-ranging that he could not. He said that when in 2008 new attacks started, he warned Dr Gonzi that if they were planning another attack as in 2004, he would not stay...
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Women corner new jobs market

June 26, 2014, 11:21 pm
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Women are taking up almost twice as many job vacancies as men, according to the latest statistics. Female participation in the labour market rose by 2,100 between March last year and this year, while for men the increase was of 1,221. The figures are from the Labour Force Survey, published by the National Statistics Office. They show that women are slowly gaining ground in the job market. An increase in the number of working women has been a government target for several years, as Malta still lags the rest of EU member states in this area. A number of measures, such as tax incentives and free child care, have been put in place over the years to encourage more women to go out and work. The statistics still show a significant disparity between the sexes in the job market, which was made up of 63 per cent men and 37 per cent women. More in Times of Malta and the e-paper on timesofmalta.com Premium.
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Court temporarily stops Mepa from removing dumped material in Birzebbuga fields

June 26, 2014, 6:21 am
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The planning authority was this morning stopped from continuing with an operation to remove tons of illegally dumped material in agricultural fields in Birzebbuga by a provisional court order. The Malta Environment and Planning Authority (Mepa) started cleaning the fields, in an ODZ area known as Ix-Xerriek, yesterday after several warnings were ignored by the contravener. The enforcement operation, expected to last a number of days given the extent of the illegality and to ensure that the agricultural fields, which had been turned into an illegal scrapyard, were returned to their original state was cut short by the provisional court order which followed the request to the court by the contravener’s lawyer. The dumped material includes large quantities of scrapped cars, trucks, white goods and tyres. The operation started with the removal of material blocking access to a country lane that leads to the fields. The site also forms part of a larger area which is scheduled for its archaeological importance. Mepa’s Enforcement Directorate were being assisted by members of the Administrative Law Enforcement. Earlier this week, the authority carried out enforcement action on a vacant...
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Speaker 'not satisfied' with developments at new Parliament house

June 27, 2014, 4:13 am
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Speaker Anglu Farrugia this afternoon expressed dissatisfaction with developments at the new Parliament building. He was addressing a meeting of the House Business Committee. He was not committal about what his dissatisfaction was about. The committee agreed to visit the new building on July 7. Dr Farrugia told the meeting that arrangements had already been made so that if the building could not be used after the summer recess, the current chamber and committee rooms at the Palace would remain functioning. Government whip Carmelo Abela said the government was planning to reconvene Parliament after the recess in October, rather than September. The committee also discussed the agenda for the coming days. Bills to be debated include that to get Maltese legislation on the continental shelf and territorial waters in line with international legislation, a bill on fiscal responsibility and the opposition’s motion on sustainable development. Consequential amendments to the amendments to the Cvil Codes will also be debated before the recess.
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44% of computer software in Malta is unlicensed

June 26, 2014, 1:49 am
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Forty-four per cent of software installed on personal computers in Malta in 2013 was not properly licensed, according to a survey by BSA The Software Alliance (www.bsa.org) a leading advocate for the global software industry. “Most people don’t know what is installed on their systems. That needs to change,” said BSA President & CEO Victoria Espinel. “There are common-sense steps managers and administrators can take to make sure their organizations are using genuine, properly licensed software.” The BSA Global Software Survey is conducted every other year for BSA by IDC, which this year polled computer users in 34 markets including nearly 22,000 consumer and business PC users and more than 2,000 IT managers. Among the findings: The rate at which PC software was installed without proper licensing in Malta was 44 percent in 2013, a one percentage point increase over 2011. The commercial value of that unlicensed software totalled 3.6 million euros. The chief reason computer users around the world cite for not using unlicensed software is avoiding security threats from malware. Among the risks associated with unlicensed software, 64 percent of users globally cited unauthorized...
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‘EU will not save us from ourselves’

June 27, 2014, 2:23 am
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Unprecedented amounts of money were invested to improve the environment since EU membership but this alone will not save the island from itself, according to an independent think-tank. The warning is found in a discussion paper documenting the first 10 years of EU membership released this morning by The Today Public Policy Institute, an independent think-tank. Lead author Patrick Tabone, former head of Cabinet for EU Commissioner Joe Borg, argues that EU membership ensured the environment attracted more attention and funds than at any time in Malta’s history. EU-funded environment projects between 2004 and 2013 attracted some €147 million but despite the significant investment, Mr Tabone noted, membership did little to mitigate the country’s most pressing environmental challenge: land use. The major environmental improvements made as a result of EU membership will stand for little if development continues to encroach on “those few special spaces”, he added. “If we insist on further encroaching on our rural spaces – ironically enough, now also in the name of agritourism – then the EU will not be able to save us from ourselves,” Mr Tabone said. The report, Malta’s EU Story, charts...
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PN journalist 'crossed the line' - court

June 26, 2014, 8:21 am
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A Nationalist Party journalist was yesterday found guilty of libelling Speaker Anġlu Farrugia through an article penned 14 years ago and was ordered to pay him €600 in damages. Dione Borg and former editor Joe Zahra were found guilty of libel through a story published in the PN's newspaper In-Nazzjon on August 10, 2000. The story was based on an anonymous letter which the newspaper had received and which alleged that Dr Farrugia and now-President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca were working to out-seat Alfred Sant, then leader of the Labour Party. Madam Justice Lorraine Schembri Orland ruled that Mr Borg had crossed the line when he did not investigate the contents of the letter, not even to establish the veracity of what was being alleged.
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Sightseeing bus drivers warn about standing up

June 26, 2014, 11:18 am
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The scene of the accident in Paceville on Sunday. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Tour bus drivers specifically warn passengers travelling on open-top double-deckers not to stand up, according to the director of a sightseeing company. “The passengers are warned not to stand up on the bus and this is done by having visible signs on the bus and also by the drivers themselves,” Kevin Vella, of City Sightseeing Malta, said. The company gives out brochures that clearly state: “Patrons are requested to remain seated at all times while the open-top double-decker bus is in motion.” On Sunday afternoon, a 66-year-old Briton was grievously injured when he stood up on one of the company’s buses as it passed under a pedestrian footbridge in Bay Street. He hit his head and fell back on to the bus, also breaking his leg. Mr Vella said the client “accidentally stood up” when it passed under the glass and steel bridge, which had a sign marking a four-metre height limit. “We are not aware of the reason why the man stood up at that stage,” he said. Double-decker buses belonging to City Sightseeing Malta did not pass through that road as part of a route but to drop off their clients. Mr Vella said the company was taking the matter “very seriously”. While it “wishes the injured...
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Man lies under oath to cover for warden son

June 26, 2014, 6:40 am
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A man who claimed he was driving a car that was involved in a collision, when it was his warden son who had actually been behind the wheel, was today sentenced to a month in jail suspended for two years. Joseph Zammit, 56, from Qormi, was found guilty of lying under oath in an attempt to cover up for his son, who was actually driving the car and who, at the time of the accident, was wearing his warden uniform. The accident, which involved three cars, took place in November 2010 in Aldo Moro Street, Marsa. The three drivers filled in the bumper-to-bumper forms and Mr Zammit's son Engelbert filled in his father's details and forged his signature. However, no claim was opened despite several attempts to contact the driver and the police were brought in to investigate after it resulted that the person who signed the forms was not the person who was driving the vehicle. In the meantime, civil proceedings began and notary Alexandra Micallef was appointed by the court to take Joseph Zammit's version of events in the form of an affidavit. In it, Mr Zammit (Sr) said he was driving his car at the time of the collision. Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera ruled that Mr Zammit had lied...
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Rival fans gnashing teeth over Suarez’s bite ‘insult’

June 26, 2014, 5:24 am
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’Armless fun... above and left, fans’ comic takes on the incident on Facebook.

Italy and England fans were united yesterday in their desire to see Uruguay striker Luis Suarez punished after he appeared to dig his teeth into Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini’s shoulder on Tuesday – a gesture which Malta coach Pietro Ghedin described as insulting. Supporters of the England team told Times of Malta they would be happy for Suarez to be penalised, especially after the Liverpool player scored two goals against them in the Lions’ second defeat of the World Cup. Meanwhile, Italy fans – whose team crashed out of the competition to a Uruguay goal that came moments after the Suarez incident – are looking forward to payback after Fifa opened disciplinary proceedings him. Suarez has already been banned from football twice for biting. He now faces a maximum ban of 24 matches or two years if Fifa takes retrospective action. Soon after the incident, social media were replete with memes mocking Suarez. “If you cannot beat them, eat them,” one said, while another replaced the shark’s head in the Jaws’ film poster with Suarez’s. Auxiliary Bishop Charles Scicluna took to Twitter, posting a picture of Chiellini’s bitten shoulder captioned: @TheWorldCup: Giorgio Chiellini’s...
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Seven new priests to be ordained

June 27, 2014, 12:54 am
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Seven new priests will be ordained by Archbishop Paul Cremona on Tuesday. The new priests Fr Christian A. Borg OFM Conv, Fr David Cortis OSA, Fr Luke Cutajar (Rabat Parish), Fr Clinton Farrugia MSSP, Fr Joseph Formosa OFM Conv, Fr Brian Gialanzè (Birzebbuga Parish), and Fr Paul Mizzi (St Julian’s Parish). The ordination will take place at St  John's CoCathedral in Valletta at 6.30pm. The public may attend the ceremony.
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Illegalities at Ta' Maggi Industrial Park sanctioned

June 27, 2014, 5:44 am
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The planning authority sanctioned illegalities carried out at Ta’ Maggi Industrial Park. The illegalities were covered by enforcement notices. The board came down heavily on the developer and the supervising architects for having carried out the illegalities, which will cost the developer more than €44,000 in penalties. The authority imposed a penalty of more than €27,000 after the developer submitted a planning application to regularise a number of breaches which were not in accordance with the approved plans and permit granted in 2007. These included the addition of 10 workshops and 36 parking spaces within the confines of the park on the outskirts of Zabbar. The board also forfeited €17,000, representing 20 per cent of the bank guarantee that had been imposed in the 2007 permit related to landscaping works that had to be carried out on site and which were still outstanding. It gave the applicant six months to carry out all the landscaping works, emphasising the use of mature trees against a new and additional bank guarantee of €50,000. The landscaping works had to be carried out prior to the executable development permit being issued.  
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