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Malta upgraded to 'A+' by Fitch

August 11, 2017, 10:54 pm
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Updated 8.45am - Added Finance Minister's comments Rating agency Fitch has upgraded Malta's long-term rating to 'A+' with a stable outlook, noting that the country is fast reducing its debt and growing its GDP.  Malta's return to the 'A+' category comes just under four years after Fitch had downgraded the country to 'A', with the agency having cited significant fiscal slippage as the reason for the September 2013 downgrade.  The economy is now faring better, with Fitch saying it expected gross general government debt to decline to 50% of GDP by 2019, with GDP growth remaining strong and the government continuing to record recurrent primary surpluses.  Finance Minister Edward Scicluna welcomed news of the upgrade, saying "Malta is becoming a solid top performer in economic growth, employment growth, and sound public finances. All this is being confirmed by the rating agencies." Fitch noted that government-guaranteed liabilities will fall to 9.7% by the end of this year, when the guarantee to Electrogas for the new gas-fired power station expires. Guarantees currently stand at 14.2% of GDP. The agency said no cash injections for Air Malta are currently provisioned for.  The rating...
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Godfrey Farrugia does not exclude running for PD leader

August 12, 2017, 10:01 pm
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Godfrey Farrugia does not exclude contesting the Democratic Party leadership when his partner Marlene Farrugia relinquishes the post in October. In a surprise decision communicated on Facebook yesterday, Marlene Farrugia said she will step down as leader at the party’s annual conference. She told The Sunday Times of Malta that she would continue to militate within the fledgling party and fulfil her parliamentary and constituency duties. Marlene Farrugia said her decision to step down came as no surprise to PD members because that had always been her intention. “Anyone who feels capable of contributing in the role of leader should have all the space to do so, and I am sure there are various party members who are willing to run for the post,” the dentist said, adding that she hoped there would be a contest. She said family circumstances meant that she would not have enough time on her hands in the coming years to fulfil the leadership role as well as her parliamentary duties. “A new leader and others interested in the other executive roles will be able to focus on reaching out to the people, while I will push forward the parliamentary agenda,” she said, adding that the country was...
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Pedestrian killed in Marsa road accident

August 12, 2017, 12:43 am
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A 72-year-old pedestrian was killed this morning when he was hit by a car on Aldo Moro Road in Marsa, police said.  The elderly Marsa resident was hit by a Citroen Cactus being driven by a 37-year-old Żabbar man at around 7am this morning.  An ambulance rushed the man to Mater Dei Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.  An inquiry into the case is underway and police say they are investigating further. 
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'We cannot even open our windows at night'

August 12, 2017, 10:01 pm
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Mosta residents feel they are being dealt a raw deal amid no enforcement at a construction site close to their homes as their complaints fall on deaf ears. Those living close to the development in the area known as taż-Żokkrija vented to their frustrations after this newspaper reported that the construction site was proving to be a headache for the local council. Speaking to the Times of Malta on the condition of anonymity, the residents said they were filing complaints to the authorities on a regular basis but no action was ever taken. “We have been complaining for months about the situation and have received marginal assistance from the local authorities,” said a resident who lives about 30 metres from the site. “Only last week, the Building Regulations Office was contacted and informed about the debris piling up, the amount of dust generated and the fact that no measures were in place to mitigate the problem.” He said the office had promised to investigate but also said that once various contractors were working in the area, it could be a problem finding the culprit. The residents pointed out that by law, any land being developed should be surrounded by a boundary wall and a...
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Man denies raping 12-year-old girl

August 13, 2017, 4:48 am
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A man accused of raping a 12-year-old girl yesterday has insisted he never met the child in question. Alhasan Ali, a 29-year-old who lives in Marsascala, stands charged with sexually abusing the child in Qormi yesterday.  He denied the accusation and said that he never met the girl and only spoke to her through an online messaging app.  Doctors have conducted a DNA test, with the accused telling the court the test results would prove him right.  Mr Ali also stands accused of robbing a patron inside a Paceville establishment last January.  The court denied him bail, noting that he presented a flight risk, and remanded him in police custody.  Josette Sultana was legal aid. Inspectors John Spiteri and Kylie Borg prosecuted. 
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Naked or clothed: strip club rules under consideration

August 13, 2017, 2:04 am
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Rules for adult entertainment clubs will determine whether entertainers can perform naked, semi-naked or clothed. The rules, which are still under consideration, target gentlemen’s clubs, to be classified as adult entertainment outlets under a new law piloted by the Tourism Ministry. Adult clubs would also be subjected to zoning requirements to avoid having them open all over the place, and operators would be obliged to adopt a code of conduct for performers and clients, a spokesman for the Tourism Ministry said. “One of the issues under discussion is how to regulate the dress code of performers on stage and off it, whether they can perform in the nude or seminude, and if so, when is this allowed,” the spokesman said. He said regulations could allow nude dancing on stage, where no physical contact with clients was possible but impose a semi-nude or clothed dress code for the more intimate lap dancing. TIMES TALK: Gentlemen's clubs are 'prostitution establishments' The spokesman insisted the regulations were not intended to legalise prostitution, which would be treated in a separate exercise by the Reforms Parliamentary Secretariat within the Office of the Prime Minister.  “No...
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What did MPs declare in campaign funds?

August 13, 2017, 1:30 am
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Friends, family members, businessmen and even a State entity chairman donated tens of thousands of euros to the individual electoral campaigns of the 67 newly elected MPs, the deputies’ declarations show. Labour’s Parliamentary Secretary, Silvio Schembri, one of the youngest MPs, was the biggest spender at just under €30,000. On the other hand, Claudette Buttigieg, Nationalist MP and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, incurred the lowest expense, declaring just €845 on her campaign. According to new rules, applicable for the first time in last June’s general election, candidates were eligible to spend a maximum of €20,000 for each district on which they stood. If they contested two districts, as the majority of candidates do, they were allowed to spend up to €40,000. All the MPs submitted sworn declarations disclosing the donations they had received and the expenses incurred. None declared spending more than the amounts permitted by law. The Sunday Times of Malta sifted through the dozens of declarations. The majority were not accompanied by any receipts, and the declarations of expenses were unsupported by any documentation. Electoral Commission sources admitted...
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Watch: Fire rages on landlocked boat in Marsaxlokk

August 13, 2017, 5:01 am
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Plumes of black smoke rose out of Marsaxlokk this afternoon after a fire broke out on a barge at the village's hard standing facility.  Footage sent to Times of Malta showed angry clouds of dark smoke billowing into the sky, with one reader saying they heard what sounded like an explosion moments before the fire broke out.  "It's a very difficult situation for emergency services," one reader said, noting that Sunday was an especially busy day in Marsaxlokk.  A spokesman for the Civil Protection Department said fire crews were at the scene and working hard to put out the flames.  Police confirmed that nobody was hurt in the incident. 
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Worker falls to his death at Oil Tanking Facilities

August 13, 2017, 10:22 am
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A 31-year-old man died this afternoon after falling from a height of six metres into a tanker hole while working on a ship at the Oil Tanking Facilities in Birżebbuġa. The police said the accident happened at 4.50pm. Personnel from the Civil Protection Department went on site but the Turkish victim was declared dead on the stop. An inquiry is being held.
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Pay up or get out, Smart City hospital warned

August 13, 2017, 10:01 am
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The company which was meant to open a state-of-the art medical centre at Smart City later this year has been served with a final warning by the operators of the technology and business park, who called on it to pay €4.7 million or be declared in default. Earlier this year, Synesis Limited signed a contract for the purchase of 16,000 square metres of land in Kalkara to build its hospital after it was granted a number of extensions to the original promise of sale agreement. But it has not yet paid for the land. In a judicial letter issued last month and seen by this newspaper, the company that owns Smart City calls on the directors of Synesis to pay the outstanding amount of €4.7 million or be declared in a state of default. READ: Smart City flats go on sale before permits have been issued The owners of Synesis Ltd are also warned that if they don’t pay up within 60 days, the contract signed for the sale of land between SmartCity Malta Ltd and Synesis Ltd will be terminated. The new private hospital, St. Ioannes Paulus II, was announced by the Prime Minister in 2015 during an official ceremony at Castille. Dr Muscat described the €100 million investment as “another sign of...
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Man turned violent after being kicked out of house, court told

August 13, 2017, 4:01 am
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A 29-year-old who allegedly turned violent when evicted from his Luqa apartment early this morning stands accused of slightly injuring a police officer and the apartment's owner.  Police were called to the residence at 6am this morning, where prosecutors allege that Mohamed Al Khelfawi threatened and then attacked another man, slightly injuring him.  A court heard that an argument broke out between the two men after the owner kicked Mr Al Khelfawi out of the house and told him not to return.  Mr Al Khelfawi was taken to Luqa police station, where he allegedly failed to comply with police orders and slightly injured an officer.  The 29-year-old also faces charges of using obscene language in public and disturbing the peace. He pleaded not guilty to charges against him.  The court heard that Mr Al Khelfawi has no family and had just started a new job. It urged him to focus on work and agreed to grant him bail, on condition that he sign the bail book at Birkirkara police station every day and find a place to live within a week.  Josette Sultana was legal aid. Inspector Chantelle Casha prosecuted. 
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Delia vows disclosure ‘while protecting partners’ privacy’

August 13, 2017, 8:03 am
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It is the privacy of his business partners that has kept Adrian Delia from making a full disclosure of assets, the Nationalist Party leadership hopeful suggested yesterday. Since announcing his bid for the PN’s top post, Dr Delia has reiterated that he will make a full disclosure of assets and liabilities if elected leader, leaving open the question as to why he is refusing to do so immediately. Asked by The Sunday Times of Malta the reason for his reluctance, Dr Delia noted that none of the past candidates for the PN leadership had ever presented their declaration of assets before entering politics. “I am not at all reluctant to make a full disclosure of assets, which usually includes liabilities… I am currently working with my business partners to be able to disclose my assets and liabilities while preserving their privacy as private citizens,” Dr Delia said. So far, two other contenders for the PN leadership, Chris Said and Alex Perici Calascione, have published their declarations of assets. The other, Frank Portelli, has not. The Birkirkara lawyer ended up in the eye of a storm yesterday after it emerged that a company in which he holds a nine per cent share defaulted on...
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Artworks permanently damaged by ‘unnecessary modifications, amateur work’

August 13, 2017, 11:21 am
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Artworks, some belonging to the Church, are being permanently damaged by renovators posing as conservators and restorers, with priceless pieces being modified instead of preserved, this newspaper has learned. Speaking to The Sunday Times of Malta on condition of anonymity, three professional conservator-restorers who work in the public sector expressed concern at the way some artworks are being handled, fearing many are being altered forever. “Professional conservation-restoration interventions are not straightforward and often require the participation of other professionals. Many renovators are posing as conservator-restorers and alter processional statues in particular and transform them according to their taste,” one said. The problem, they say, is widespread but going unnoticed. They themselves have identified a number of such cases, mostly involving statues belonging to churches, where those tasked to carry out interventions are chosen by the parish priests. Yet there is very little they can do about the situation, as very often those responsible draw up plans suggesting they would be following the correct guidelines for conservation-restoration. Then, halfway through the...
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Yesterday's traffic fatalities go up to four with death of 89-year-old woman

August 13, 2017, 6:05 am
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An 89-year-old Mellieħa woman who was involved in the traffic accident in Triq Telgħet ta’ Selmun, Xemxija, yesterday, succumbed to her injuries the police said. This brings the number of traffic fatalities yesterday up to four. The woman was one of six people who were grievously injured in the crash at 1.20am yesterday, between an ambulance and a car. The ambulance was being driven by a 55-year-old Italian man living in Mosta and a Daihatsu Sirion was being driven by an Englishman living in Fgura.  The Daihatsu was also carrying three passengers all living in Fgura. The man riding in the car's passenger seat was killed in the crash while the driver and the two other passengers are in hospital with grievous injuries. One of the passengers died in the accident The 89-year-old woman was in the Red Cross ambulance being taken home from Mater Dei Hospital, as were a 43-year-old man from Mellieħa and a 51-year-old Mġarr woman. A 38-year-old St Paul's Bay woman also aboard was slightly injured, as was the ambulance driver.   A 72-year-old pedestrian was killed when he was hit by a car on Aldo Moro Road in Marsa while an elderly woman was killed after the car she was in collided with a...
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Potential conflicts of interest questions raised in Labour donations

August 13, 2017, 9:02 am
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Labour MPs received more donations from friends and businessmen than Nationalist deputies, according to the declarations submitted to the Electoral Commission of what they spent on their electoral campaigns. In the case of incumbent ministers, some of the donations they received raised questions about potential conflicts of interest. Read: What did MPs declare in campaign funds? For example, Education Minister Evarist Bartolo declared that he received a donation of €826 from Silvio Debono, whom he appointed to serve as chairman of the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology. Mr Bartolo declared receiving €2,600 from Finco Trust Group, one of whose directors, Paul Bonello, he appointed as his consultant. Minster Owen Bonnici was one of the highest recipients of donations yet still had a poor showing. One of his donors, at €1,000, was Mark Attard Montaldo, whom he appointed as a consultant. Dr Bonnici also declared he would ‘boost’ his Facebook account from time to time, and not only in the run-up to the election. For this purpose, he paid €1,093 through his personal Visa card during the 30-day campaign. Silvio Schembri, who at just 32 was re-elected to Parliament and...
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"They kept encouraging each other to stay alive" - missing men found after two days

August 13, 2017, 10:14 pm
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Updated Monday at 10.05am  Two young men have been found alive, more than two days after being reported missing off Blata tal-Melħ in a case which gripped the country. Nick Johnson, 21, and Mark Petric, 19, are being hospitalised for exposure to the weather elements, but are in good health, according to officials.  The search had been underway since fishermen found two bags containing clothes, mobile phones and shoes around 5am on Saturday in the area limits of Rabat. The two were last seen riding their bicycles on Friday afternoon. The bikes were later found in a cave near Fomm ir-Riħ. Details are now emerging of their ordeal. A friend, Francesca Vincenti, told Times of Malta that the men were clinging to the rocks inside a sea cave for the entire time over the weekend. "They left their bikes and went down for a swim, as they knew the area fairly well. But minutes after they went into the sea, they realised it was going to be very difficult to get out again as the wind and sea were really picking up. There were stairs leading up the cliff on either side but they could not get to either of them. They saw the boats passing by, searching for them, but their cries could not be...
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St Julian’s residents sleepless as debris removed at night-time

August 14, 2017, 1:50 am
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A building contractor was allowed to operate heavy machinery well into the early hours last week, keeping St Julian’s residents awake for two nights. Residents of Birkirkara Road said they were informed it was Transport Malta that had issued the permit for works to be done at night to maintain the flow of traffic, since the area was close to the Kappara junction, where works are under way. One of the residents, environmental law lecturer Antoine Grima, told the Times of Malta this not only showed lack of planning by the authorities but also proved residents’ welfare was ignored. He argued that rules and guidelines on construction activities in residential areas had to be urgently revised and, if need be, modified. “Residents’ welfare must be given top priority. They must have their mind at rest that their health is safeguarded in all respects,” Dr Grima said. The road in question was closed for workers to be able to remove debris from a construction site on Thursday and Friday between 11.30pm and 3.30am. To the residents’ disappointment, apart from the noise emanating from the site, large, noisy trucks carrying the debris made their way up and down the road on both nights. Dr...
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Horses will race in early afternoon despite the heat

August 13, 2017, 9:50 pm
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Despite guidelines from the veterinary authorities that the Santa Marija horse races should be held in the morning or late afternoon, the traditional event in Victoria is planned for 2.30pm tomorrow. In recent years, the organisers of the centuries-old races have come under fire by animal lovers. Since 2015, the Animal Welfare Commissioner has insisted that common sense prevail and the races be held in the morning. When contacted, the commissioner, Emanuel Buhagiar, said that he was still against races being held at 2.30pm in the blazing summer sun. “Although there are no animal welfare concerns, common sense should prevail and such races should be shifted to the morning hours. From 7am to 8.45am is more appropriate, and doing so would not interfere with the religious functions that start at 9am,” he said. Asked to clarify what he meant when he said there were no animal welfare concerns, Mr Buhagiar said that before the race, the horses would be kept in the shade and be examined by the Animal Welfare Director. The race itself lasts about one minute. According to veterinary advice, there was no concern for the horses’ welfare, he noted, pointing out there was nothing in the law...
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Watch: Fisherman gave lunch to starving men lost for two days

August 14, 2017, 3:57 am
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Tony Zammit, the fisherman who found the two young men missing for more than two days, said he lowered them a sandwich and a bottle of water using a piece of string as they were starving and suffering from dehydration. Speaking to the Times of Malta shortly after receiving treatment for minor injuries he sustained during the rescue, Mr Zammit said he could not believe how lucky the two men were to still be alive. "The sea there is very rough. I have been fishing there for more than 25 years and I wouldn't jump in for a swim, I know how bad it can get,” he said. The two young men, Nick Johnson, 21, and Mark Petric, 19, were taken to safety by members of the Armed Forces after Mr Zammit called the authorities to inform them he had found the missing persons. “When I found the two boys, I didn't have any mobile phone reception, so I had to run away and call the AFM. They put me through to the helicopter pilot who asked me for directions to find these boys,” he said. Mr Zammit explained that he had gone down to the area known as Blata tal-Melħ at around 4am this morning, nearly an hour's walk from his car, to his favourite fishing spot. "When I got there I heard someone shouting but...
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Watch: Cockroach infestation could be resolved in hours, experts say

August 14, 2017, 2:50 am
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Intensive construction is exacerbating pest problems in tourist hotspots like Sliema and Valletta, worrying businesses and frustrating residents. The Times of Malta was contacted by several businesses experiencing increasing problems with cockroaches and rats this summer, with the problem most of concern to those making use of open-air areas. Pest control experts and business community representatives both pointed to the intensification of construction work in areas with a concentration of bars and restaurants as a major cause of the problem. This is due to the works disturbing underground pest populations and drains being exposed, often without appropriate mitigation measures and for long stretches during prolonged development works. “Some developers are aware of the problem and take precautions, but many don’t,” said Philip Fenech, vice-president for tourism and hospitality of the GRTU – Malta Chamber of SMEs, highlighting the inconvenience and health problems faced by businesses and residents alike. “There should be some form of compliance to limit exposed drains and contain the area to prevent such problems,” Mr Fenech said. “If a drain is going to be exposed in some way,...
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