250 Midweek 1st Feb 2012

Transcription

WEDNESDAY EDITION
€0.60
WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT
WEDNESDAY • 1 FEBRUARY 2012 • ISSUE 250 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY
No vacancy,
no real
contest
Act about
ACTA
Pg 3
European
Commissioner John
Dalli reveals that he
has no intention to
contest for the post
of PN leader. He sees
‘no vacancy’ – a clear
reference to the fact
that Gonzi has not
resigned
EUROPEAN Commissioner John
Dalli has ruled out any prospect of
contesting Lawrence Gonzi for the
leadership of the Nationalist Party,
after the prime minister submitted
the party leadership to a secret ballot
in a bid to consolidate his embattled
position.
Dalli, once a leadership contender
who lost out to Gonzi, said that without any vacancy created, there was no
Pg 12
contest.
“There is no vacancy. I do not think
anyone except the incumbent will
take part in this event. I surely will
not,” Dalli, 63, told MaltaToday.
The former finance, foreign and
social policy minister was referring
to claims by Lawrence Gonzi that he
had not resigned: which in turn suggests that Gonzi is de facto still party
leader, and that no vacancy therefore
exists.
CONTINUES ON PAGE 2
Drunk mother loses child custody
after ‘dropping’ baby in bar
Seven-month toddler placed in police custody as mother faces charges of negligence
FULL STORY PAGE 7
Drama
behind bars
Back page
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
Saviour Balzan .. Pg 10
Editorial ........... Pg 11
Business Today . Pg 13
What’s On ......... Pg 16
TV ................... Pg 17
Cinema ............ Pg 17
Classifieds ....... Pg 20
Sports .............. Pg 21
Newspaper post
MATTHEW VELLA
Horses for
courses
2
News
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 1 FEBRUARY 2012
PN statute refers to ‘vacancy’
in leadership election
PAGE 1 The PN’s statute says that a leadership contest is held when a “vacancy
is created”.
But Gonzi has all along insisted he has
not resigned: “I have not resigned. I will
still carry out my duties as Prime Minister. As party leader I have asked the party
councillors to scrutinise my leadership.
It will be an open contest and whoever
was critical of my leadership can freely
contest the leadership contest.”
Gonzi’s decision to submit his leadership to a secret ballot was announced at
the end of last Sunday’s general council.
On Thursday, his government faced
a vote of no-confidence moved by the
Opposition, in which Nationalist MP
Franco Debono abstained, and which
was only defeated through the Speaker’s
vote.
The Prime Minister, who yesterday
was taking part in the EU summit for
a new fiscal treaty, said that he would
swear loyalty to any leader elected by the
PN’s general council.
Formerly a PN leadership contender
in 2004, John Dalli has faced mixed fortunes ever since. Within a few months
of unsuccessfully challenging Gonzi for
the throne, he found himself at the centre of allegations surrounding irregular
procurement of medical equipment for
Mater Dei hospital, as well as similar allegations concerning airline ticket procurement.
Following Gonzi’s statement that he
“could not have a Cabinet minister un-
der investigation”, Dalli resigned in July
2004. In his resignation letter he hinted
at forces working against him from
within the party.
He was later rehabilitated after the
result of inquiries into both allegations
led nowhere. The airline procurement
allegations turned out to be unfounded;
in the case of alleged kick-backs in the
Mater Dei tender, the incriminating document which had implicated the former
minister turned out to be a forgery.
But with the Nationalist Party crippled
by internal strife, Dalli’s exile in the political wilderness proved to be short. He
was first re-absorbed into the Cabinet as
a personal adviser to Gonzi on the eve
of the 2008 election, and later appointed
European Commissioner in 2010, in a
move widely interpreted as a kick upstairs to remove any threat of a possible
challenge by the former leadership rival.
Other possible contenders like MEP
Simon Busuttil, Tourism Minister
Mario de Marco and MP Beppe Fenech
Adami have all clearly said they will support Gonzi.
Franco Debono, who ignited the crisis
in Gonzi’s government by calling for the
prime minister’s resignation, also said
he would “definitely not” join the leadership contest.
As a result, barring any unforeseen
‘surprise’ decision to contest by an outside candidate, Lawrence Gonzi is almost certain to contest the leadership
race unchallenged.
Former PN leadership contender John
Dalli said that without any vacancy
created, there was no contest
3
News
‘Sacrificing our
digital freedom
is never an
option’
BIANCA CARUANA
OVER 500 users on Facebook were
surprised to find out that Malta was
among a number of countries to
sign the Anti-Counterfeiting Trading Agreement, which is seen as an
international version of the SOPA
bill deemed controversial by several
critics.
“We’ve been trying to get the public’s attention about this issue since
we first heard about the law being passed. It is important to note
that we are not against anti-piracy
measures, but sacrificing our digital
freedom is never an option,” David
Demicoli said.
Demicoli is one of a number of
Facebook users who have created
groups and pages against ACTA. He
spoke to MaltaToday on behalf of the
‘Malta Anti-ACTA Group’ administrators and members.
“We are against censorship and be-
lieve in freedom of expression. ACTA
denies us our freedom of expression
and we believe that every user has
the right to access information and
share it without being policed by
ISPs. This is unacceptable as it is a
complete invasion of privacy,” Demicoli explained.
Communicating with several other
‘anti-ACTA’ groups on Facebook, a
collective agreement was reached
and a protest date was set for 11 February from 11.00am until 13.00pm.
“Not only are we against ACTA,
but we are also against the manner
in which ACTA was passed without
the public’s consent. We are worried
that the general public – including
those who do not use the internet
frequently– are not aware of this serious issue as our politicians failed to
announce this legislature publicly,”
Demicoli said.
Urging the general public to join
the protest, Demicoli also felt it was
important to stress that the anti-AC-
TA groups and members were not
divided by political beliefs.
“We stand together defending our
rights. No doubt if this ‘anti-ACTA’
group grows exponentially, as it has
been this past week, political parties will seek to defend our beliefs for
their own gains,” Demicoli said.
These sentiments seem to be shared
by the Labour Party, who said that
the ACTA was too vague and could
affect generic drug companies as
well as personal internet users if not
amended and clarified accordingly.
Labour MP and spokesperson on
consumer rights Michael Farrugia
said that the fundamental rights of
internet users could be affected, especially privacy and personal expression.
“The Labour Party and its MEPs
have voiced their reservations about
the agreement, and voted in favour of
a resolution move by European Parliament political groups – except the
European People’s Party – to amend
the current version being signed
which is still very vague,” Farrugia
said.
Internet Service Providers could be
held liable for illegitimate material
hosted and data transferred across
their service, according to Farrugia.
“ISPs will have to monitor all information going through their system
which would mean ‘bye-bye’ to privacy. It is a dangerous practice and we
do not believe rights-holders should
be given permission to access personal information,” Farrugia said.
Farrugia said that certain provisions should be clarified because innovation could also be affected, as
well as generic pharmaceutical companies who could find themselves in
trouble even if original patents for
medicines have expired.
“The ACTA could go against the
agreements made with the World
Trade Organisation because it
would be working outside of the legal frameworks. We already have the
TRIPS agreement and the DOHA
declaration as tools against counterfeit medicines.
“The tools are all there. ACTA is
vague and could place generic pharmaceuticals on the counterfeit list.
This could be a threat to companies
who provide generic pharmaceuticals which are cheaper than but
just as effective as their brand-name
counterparts,” Farrugia said.
Pharmaceutical companies
unaware of any risk
If Farrugia is correct about his
concerns regarding generic pharmaceutical companies, it appears that
local pharmaceutical companies are
not aware of the risks posed by the
ACTA.
Dr Adrian Farrugia, pharmacist
and director of Pharmachemic Trading Agency Company Limited, said
that he was not aware of any risks
posed by ACTA, and believed the
agreement would only affect the internet.
“I don’t think it will affect the generic pharmaceutical companies.
The industry is so strong nowadays,
not just in Malta but also in the
rest of Europe. I doubt it will affect
it because it would be too counterproductive to the industry,” Farrugia
said.
Farrugia also explained that it
was not in the interest of the health
system to pass such an agreement
because it would result in millions
of euros spent on brand-name medicines.
“I don’t think they would allow it.
If it was going to affect the generic
pharmaceutical industry, I surely
would have heard something about it
but I haven’t.
“Also, big companies would have
definitely reacted to it. I think it will
affect the internet more than the
pharmaceutical industry,” Farrugia
said.
However, the government has said
that, contrary to claims made by
the Labour Party, ACTA will not be
limiting any rights and will respect
the privacy of internet users as well
as freedom of expression and data
protect.
Finance Minister Tonio Fenech
said that the agreement is not about
checking or monitoring private communication on the internet: “The
Trade Agreement will not lead to
limitations of fundamental rights,
such as the control of laptops of air
passengers at borders and the monitoring of internet traffic.”
The government also said that
ACTA will not change any existing
EU legislation but will enforce existing rights to act against large scale
infringements “often pursued by
criminal organisations”.
The finance ministry also said that
the EU’s economy can only remain
competitive if it can rely on innovation, creativity, quality, and brand
exclusivity.
“These are some of our main comparative advantages on the world
market, and they are all protected
by Intellectual Property Rights. Protecting Intellectual Property Rights
and providing for stronger enforcement means protecting jobs and will
ensure that innovative jobs remain in
the EU, including in Malta,” government said.
4
News
‘New’ medical scheme in
the pipeline… since 2007
JURGEN BALZAN
THIS month, the government
launched the ‘My Health’ scheme,
which allows patients to view
their health records online and
have their doctors access them
electronically.
But while My Health scheme is
being announced as a new system,
the project has been in the pipe-
The ‘new’ My Health service will provide
patients with hospital discharge
summary reports, lab results, radiology
and medicine entitlement information
line for years.
In November 2007, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi had said
that “new technology at Mater
Dei Hospital will in the near future allow private family doctors
to remotely access their patients’
medical records”.
Back in 2007, Gonzi had said
that the system will take two or
three years to be completed.
He had said the system will al-
MALTA GOVERNMENT
STOCKS
_______
_______
672&.
7$/
7$/*9(51
Secure Investment
Issue of €150,000,000
in Fixed Rate Malta Government Stocks
(subject to the over-allotment option of
an additional sum of €150,000,000
Fixed Rate Malta Government Stocks
The Accountant General announces that the price for each Fixed Rate Malta Government Stock
offered for subscription by members of the public has been established as follows:
(i) 4.25% MGS (Third Issue) – Fungibility Issue
Maturing in 2017
at €103.75 with a YTM of 3.523%
(which corresponds to an annualised rate of 3.554%), and
(ii) 4.3% MGS (Second Issue)
Maturing in 2022
at €100.00 with a YTM of 4.299%
(which corresponds to an annualised rate of 4.346%), and
(iii) 5.2% MGS (First Issue) – Fungibility Issue
Maturing in 2031,
at €101.75 with a YTM of 5.058%
(which corresponds to an annualised rate of 5.122%), or
(iv) Any combination of the above three
Stocks which in the aggregate shall be €150,000,000
Applications open on Wednesday 1st February 2012 at 8.30a.m. and close on the time and dates as
hereunder, or earlier at the discretion of the Accountant General:
• at 5.00 p.m. on Friday 3rd February 2012 for applications by any single and/or joint applicants
which in the aggregate do not exceed €100,000 per person, and
• at 12.00 (noon) on Tuesday 7th February 2012 for applications in the form of sealed bids
(auction).
Application forms may be obtained from, and lodged at, all Members of the Malta Stock Exchange
and other authorized Investment Service Providers on the indicated dates. The Prospectus and the
application forms may also be downloaded from the Treasury’s website at www.treasury.gov.mt.
Bids on the prescribed forms are to be deposited in the Treasury Tender Box or transmitted by fax
on 2596 7210 or by e-mail at the e-mail addresses indicated on the application forms.
MALTA GOVERNMENT STOCK FOR SAFE INVESTMENT AND LIQUIDITY WITH INTEREST
INTEREST PAID UP
TO THE DAY OF RERE-SALE OF STOCK.
SECURITY CONTINUOUS LIQUIDITY INTEREST EVERY SIX MONTHS
(The value of the investment may go up or down during the tenor of the Stock.)
Treasury Department, The Mall Building, The Mall - Floriana, Malta.
low doctors to connect to the
hospital from their private clinics
and have access to up-to-date information about their patients.
Earlier this month, Health Minister Joe Cassar announced that
patients will be able to access
their medical information online
and share this with a doctor of
their choice. The ministry said
this service should be available by
the end of this month. The system
is currently being tested.
The ‘new’ My Health service,
launched by Cassar this month,
will provide patients with hospital discharge summary reports,
lab results, radiology reports and
medicine entitlement information.
By 31 January, the first phase
will have been implemented with
Mater Dei case papers and discharge papers placed online. In
February, lab results and imaging reports such as X-rays will be
placed online, and later followed
by Pharmacy Of Your Choice
data, appointment schedules and
SMS alerts, and other lab results.
Illiterate patients can delegate
another user to have access to
their information. Patients will
only have access to documents
that have been digitalised since
2008.
The ‘new’ system has cost the
government €350,000 and took
one year to implement. All data
in digital format since 2008 will
be made available for patients.
The service will allow patients
to tag registered doctors to view
their results and guide them in
analysing the information.
The My Health scheme is only
the latest of a number of schemes,
projects and reforms launched
by various ministers in January.
Since the Opposition tabled the
no-confidence motion on Friday
13 January, a flurry of initiatives
were announced by the government, although many of these
projects have been in the pipeline
for years.
No
diapers
in Gozo
GOZO had no diapers
for persons with a disability creating an inconvenience which could easily
be avoided, according to
Labour Gozo MP Justyne
Caruana.
The question was put forward by Caruana to Health
Minister Joseph Cassar
during a parliamentary
sitting after a number of
guardians complained.
Cassar said that as from
Monday, diapers would
start being distributed once
again to persons with a disability. However, Caruana
told MaltaToday that she
had been informed that not
all persons had received
the diapers until yesterday
but added it could be due
to the fact that the government is still in the process
of distributing them.
5
News
Child protection
register welcomed,
but questions linger
about human rights
RAPHAEL VASSALLO
THE recent introduction of a
register to protect children from
convicted criminals has been welcomed by family lawyers and professionals involved in childcare.
But it has also raised a number of
legal and human rights issues that
have so far not been satisfactorily
answered.
The Protection of Minors (Registration) Act came into force last
week, after months of dedicated
lobbying by concerned parents.
Their concern was motivated
and to a degree exacerbated by a
number of recent high-profile paedophilia cases: including the conviction of two priests for sexual offences involving minors, as well as
the earlier case of a Malta Football
Association groundsman who was
initially retained in employment
despite a prior conviction for child
abuse.
However, the resulting law goes
far beyond the original scope of
protecting children from sexual offences: leaving the law-courts with
full discretion to decide whether
any convicted criminal may be entered on the register on the basis
that he or she poses a potential (as
opposed to actual) risk to children.
Theoretically, the resulting list
of real or potential offenders is not
available for public scrutiny; but
the law obliges employers to perform a background assessment of
prospective employees, with similar provisos applying also to the
voluntary sector.
Effectively this means that the
register is in fact accessible, albeit
to a limited number of people under specific circumstances. In a
small country like Malta, it is unlikely that the contents, divulged,
will remain secret for long.
Considering the existence of a
widespread misconception that
this is a paedophile register, there
arises a risk that other categories
of offenders will be publicly mistaken for paedophiles, and as such
exposed to risk of vendetta and
vigilantism through a process of
‘naming and shaming’.
Nonetheless, initial responses
have so far been favourable. Chil-
dren’s Commission Helen D’Amato
argues that the register would be
worthwhile even if it prevents a
single repeat offence concerning
children.
“It is certainly in the best interest of children to prevent individuals who have been convicted of a
crime against children from being
in a position to inflict further harm
on them in the context of paid or
voluntary work, which is what the
Protection of Minors (Registration) Act does by providing for the
setting up a register of offenders
against children,” D’Amato said.
“Through this law, we are thus
taking no chances that an offence
against children might repeat itself
by the same offender. Even if this
law were to prevent just one repeat
offence, then it would be worth its
while. This is because children are
intrinsically vulnerable and as such
have special rights, including rights
of protection. Like any other law,
this law’s concrete effectiveness
will need to be constantly monitored in order to test and improve
such effectiveness.”
Elsewhere, concerns have sepa-
GreenMT fined by MEPA
JAMES DEBONO
THE Malta Environment and Planning Authority has fined GreenMT
– the waste recovery company owned
by the General Retailers and Traders
Union – €5,000 for operating a packaging waste recovery scheme without
a valid permit between January 2010
and 24 June 2010.
Although the fine has been paid,
the company was still eligible for refunds issued from WasteServ, which
are based on the amount of packaging
waste, which is collected and delivered to the recycling facilities.
But WasteServ can still deduct refunds paid on waste collected in the
first six months of 2010 if it is ordered
to do so by the Approving Body (the
government body supervising waste
recovery schemes), which is currently
carrying out an audit.
This information was revealed by
Environment Minister Mario de Marco in reply to a question by Labour
MP and environment spokesperson
Leo Brincat.
Businesses participating in the
Although the fine has been paid,
the company was still eligible for
re-funds issued from WasteServ
scheme benefit from eco-contribution
refunds based on the amount of packaging waste recovered by GreenMT
or other schemes.
The Approving Body had previously
absolved GreenMT of any wrongdoing with regards to grey bags collected
from local councils between June and
December 2009 following an investigation after a number of local councils
claimed that they were unaware that
GreenMT had collected grey bags
from their locality in that period. But
GreenMT insisted that the permit issued by MEPA for that period allowed
the company to recover recyclable
material from any source including
Local Councils and that they had paid
for the collections from their own
pockets.
In its ‘ruling’, the approving body
said that it “is in receipt of the invoices
that show that GreenMT paid for the
waste collected from these four localities in question during the period June
– December, 2009.”
“Therefore, the Authority concluded
that, “it transpires that some form of
contractual obligation existed which
allowed GreenMT to pay for and collect waste from these localities.”
READ MORE
http://tinyurl.com/6wvyktl
Helen D’Amato
rately been raised regarding human
rights. Questions such as how long
registered offenders are expected
to retained on the list, or whether
they are entitled to a re-assessment
at any stage, appear to lack any concrete answers.
While agreeing with the overall aims of the legislation, human
rights lawyer Dr Therese Comodini Cachia expresses some doubt
regarding whether the rights of
suspects have also been fully taken
into account.
“Rather than the concept of a register, what may offend human rights
could be the manner in which that
register is administered and the basis on which persons are registered
therein and the length of time for
which they remain so registered,”
she said.
“I believe that the starting point
in the debate is that the aim of such
a register is to make protection of
children as effective as possible.
The protection of children may allow the State to interfere with the
rights of sexual offenders in so far
as this is, in my opinion, reasonably
required in a society to ensure ef-
fective protection of a category of
vulnerable persons. While the concept of a sexual offenders’ register
is seen as an acceptable measure of
providing protection to children,
this does not mean that those who
were found guilty can consequently
be divested of all their rights and
protection.”
One of the issues that may raise
concerns, she warns, is whether
persons entered into the register
are ever allowed the possibility of
review.
“Generally, in criminal justice one
speaks of an assessment whether
the offender poses a risk to society.
This requires the establishment of
committees to take such a decision
vis-à-vis the individual offender.
Such a system usually allows for
review of the position vis-à-vis any
offender. The retention of offenders on a register for a previously
established time, without considering the risk they pose to society
and without the possibility of review, may in the future raise questions which can be answered only
by assessing the circumstances of
each case.”
6
News
WSC has no
control on
rainwater
disposed in
sewage
JAMES DEBONO
FORMER Head of the drainage
department Philip Grech has expressed disappointment at the Water Services Corporation’s admission that it has “no control” over the
frequent abuse of houses who connect their storm-water drains to the
public sewer system.
The sight of manhole covers being lifted up and even carried away
by water is one of the consequences
of having rainwater from buildings
drained in to the public sewer system.
One of the consumer’s obligations
– according to the newly issued
consumer contracts between the
Water Services Corporation and its
clients – is that you cannot connect
the storm-water drains from your
roof or yards to the public waste
water system.
This practice is already illegal and
punishable by law.
But the Water Services Corporation is not in a position to enforce
this basic rule.
Replying to a letter on the Sunday
Times, the WSC’s PRO acknowledged that the Corporation has “no
control over this sorry situation”,
even if it has “tried its best to reduce
the ill effects”.
“The corporation can only appeal to the public to refrain from
the practices mentioned above and
carry out remedial action whenever
possible.”
The WSC acknowledged that its
waste water system is not designed
to act as a combined sewer and
hence accept the huge volume of
rainwater that overwhelms the system during heavy downpours.
If storm water is allowed to flow
along the streets, the sewers can
carry on functioning as normal. But
the WSC claims that this system
is disrupted because of “hundreds
if not thousands of buildings” that
have the storm water system of their
roofs and yards irregularly connected to the public sewer system.
“This means that so much pressure builds up in the sewers that
even the manhole covers are lifted
up and often carried away.”
The WSC has focused on reducing
the ill effects of the system.
“WSC personnel inspect, maintain and clean the sewers on a regular basis, and defective or undersized sewer mains are replaced or
upgraded as soon as possible”.
Commenting on this state of affairs, architect Philip Grech – who
led the drainage department between 1989 and 1996 and who has
recently joined the Malta Water Association – describes the problem as
“dramatic”.
This scale of the problem was al-
ready identified in a sewage master
plan in 1992, which included initiatives to prevent manholes from
overflowing.
According to Grech, the problem
is a direct consequence of a lack of
planning, especially in the way road
levels were set.
Neither will the problem be addressed through the storm water
project which seeks to contain
flooding programmes by channelling storm water to storm water
outfalls in Ta’ Xbiex and Xghajra.
“As long as rain water ends up in
the sewage system the greater is the
risk that storm water gets contaminated with sewage from over flowing manholes.”
One clear shortcoming, according
to Grech, is that the Health Inspectorate – which is responsible for the
enforcement of legislation against
connecting rainwater drains to the
public sewers – has been completely
absent.
But Grech believes that before using the stick, the government is duty-bound to provide alternatives.
Another shortcoming is that the
law requiring residences to dispose
rainwater in a cistern is still not enforced.
“But such a law can only be effective if water is given a real price. As
long as water is cheap, people will
have no incentive to store it.”
One possible solution is to connect rainwater drains to a public
collection system.
But Borg thinks this would be very
expensive, and that it makes little
sense to create a new infrastructure
to replace infrastructural mistakes
in the past years.
The WSC acknowledged that
its waste water system is not
designed to act as a combined
sewer
Bail unconnected with skin colour
or creed, magistrate insists
A magistrate yesterday warned
her court room that she would
never accept any allegation that
bail is granted or denied to foreigners on the basis of skin colour
or creed.
“Don’t ever tell me that I look
at colour of skin before deciding
to grant bail, Magistrate Miriam
Hayman stressed as she responded to loud submissions made by
lawyer Joe Mifsud, who insisted
that his Nigerian client be granted
bail after spending 14 months in
jail under preventative custody.
The client, Stephen Egbo, 32
of San Gwann, faces charges on
conspiracy to import and traffic in cocaine. He was arrested in
November 2010, charged and remanded in custody.
During the sitting, Mifsud said
that his client had the right to
bail, and that the courts did not
grant bail on the premise that he
was a foreigner.
He threatened to take the case
before the Constitutional Court,
and even before the European
Court of Justice.
Magistrate Hayman was prompt
to interrupt and reply: “Do you
think that I take decisions on bail
because of somebody’s skin colour or religion? Is that what you
are implying? I myself have granted bail to foreigners, and when it
comes to bail, the decision is always mine and when taken, I take
it in the best interest of society.”
The argument continued for a
good 15 minutes, with Mifsud
taking the issue further when it
came to decide on adjourning the
sitting.
”I will not be a slave to the prosecution,” Mifsud retorted, adding
that his client would “remain in
jail for even longer”.
He settled later for another sitting to be held next Friday, however Magistrate Hayman committed
herself to communicating with
him should she decide on bail before then.
7
News
Drunk mother denied custody
of seven-month-old baby
KARL STAGNO NAVARRA
A court yesterday heard how a
drunk mother didn’t even know that
her seven-month-old son had fallen
off a barstool.
Police Sergeant Antoine Buttigieg
was testifying against a 30-yearold woman who faces a string of
charges connected to child neglect.
Although there is no court order
against publication of the name of
the accused, MaltaToday decided
to withhold the name to protect the
child’s identity.
The baby sustained injuries to the
face and was hospitalised for some
days, placed under police protection
and later under foster care.
PS Buttigieg told Magistrate Jacqueline Padovani Grima how on
the night of 10 December, 2011 he
received a phone call at the Qawra
Police Station from a distressed barman at Miracles Pub who told him
that “something urgent needed to
be done, because a baby was in danger”.
Sergeant Buttigieg went to the
pub and found the mother in a clear
state of drunkenness, and refused to
communicate with the police.
The baby was found unharnessed
and with bruising to the left eye,
and a bump on its forehead. Barman
Engelbert Debono told the police
that the mother had entered the bar
with the baby at 10pm and drank
some six to seven glasses of wine in
half an hour.
At one point when the baby started
The baby sustained injuries to the face and was
hospitalised for some days, before it was placed
under police protection and later, foster care
to cry in its pushchair, the accused
roughly put him onto a stool where
he subsequently fell.
”According to the patrons at the
bar, the mother didn’t even know
that the baby fell off the stool, and
the patrons themselves assisted the
baby, lifting it from the floor and
putting it back inside the pushchair,”
the Sergeant told the court.
PS Buttigieg went on to explain
that when seeing the baby’s injuries,
he immediately decided to put the
baby under police protection, and
escorted the mother to the Qawra
Police Station.
”With the mother in a clear
drunken state, I sent the baby with
another officer to the Mosta Health
Centre for medical treatment, and
afterwards to Mater Dei Hospital, where he remained under police protection for some days, and
later entrusted to the Sisters of the
Creche,” Buttigieg said.
According to the Sergeant, the
mother was arrested and put into
a cell after she made a scene, began
using foul language and challenging
the police.
The mother said that the baby’s
father was not interested in her,
and was “partying somewhere with
some Russian women”.
The woman’s case was later transferred to the Criminal Investigations Department and interrogated
by Supt. Louise Calleja and Inspector Jessica Grima.
Seguna was offered access to a
lawyer but refused.
The defendant, who sat in the
dock, nervously twitching her feet,
was repeatedly heard mumbling remarks to contest the evidence given
by the police during the sitting.
She faces up to four years in prison
if found guilty.
Cancellation of
sessions will not
affect parliament’s
work - PN whip
MIRIAM DALLI
GOVERNMENT whip David Agius
yesterday told this newspaper that the
latest directive by government – that
no Parliamentary sessions will take
place unless all government MPs are in
Malta – will not affect the parliamentary work that needs to be carried out.
The directive came into force on
Monday and was in force until Prime
Minister Lawrence Gonzi returned
from the European Summit yesterday.
Parliament will reconvene this
evening.
To justify its decision, the PN said
the relationship between government
and opposition in Parliament had now
“changed”, adding that Opposition
leader Joseph Muscat was using parliamentary manoeuvring to win House
votes.
“The statement makes it clear that
unless all our MPs are present in Malta, parliament will not meet,” Agius
said when contacted by MaltaToday.
Agius neither confirmed nor denied
that the PN had issued a directive
to the members of its parliamentary
group. “Those are internal party affairs,” Agius said.
The party whip however insisted, “all
work which needs to be done in parliament will be done. We are not going
to waste any time from the work that
needs to be carried out”.
Meanwhile, the Labour Party lambasted the PN for its decision, insisting
that the Prime Minister and his party
were “holding Malta hostage” because
of its internal problems.
“GonziPN should be embarrassed
by its decision, and goes on to confirm
that it is government which is inducing
instability in the country,” the PL said
in a statement.
8
News
It remains unclear whether
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi’s
interest coincides with that of
his party, let alone with that of
the country
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi
invoked the national interest
against the prospect of a
premature return to the polls, but
then chose to go to his party to
confirm his own leadership. JAMES
DEBONO asks whose interests this
serves: the party’s, the country’s,
or that of Gonzi himself?
INSTEAD of offering a way forward
on how to bring Franco Debono
on board – and thus recompose a
parliamentary majority which no
longer exists – on Sunday Lawrence
Gonzi announced his decision to
present himself as a candidate in
an unprecedented internal leadership contest that nobody – not even
Debono – had asked for.
Gonzi’s announcement was the
highlight of an otherwise uneventful party general council, whose
sobriety was underlined by a drab
choreography which sharply contrasted with the Labour Party’s
more triumphal council the previous week.
So instead of choosing between
the two realistic scenarios in front
of him – a general election or a recomposition of his majority through
an agreement with Debono – Gonzi
has opted for an internal loyalty test
which he is sure of winning.
What is most awkward in all this
is that what happens in the party
has little bearing on what will happen in parliament. For while Gonzi
has tied the fortunes of the country
to a test of loyalty in his leadership,
ultimately the fate of his government depends on how Debono will
vote in parliament in the next money bill.
Debono cornered?
Although the ‘leadership contest’
may not affect parliament, it does
address Debono’s main demand:
Gonzi’s resignation.
So by submitting his leadership to
the verdict of the councillors, Gonzi is also asking the party to express
themselves on Debono’s most controversial demand.
Faced with the confirmation of
Gonzi as party leader, Debono will
have to choose between loyalty towards the party’s highest and most
democratic organ, and sticking to
his personal convictions.
In this way, the conflict between
Gonzi and Debono will be turned
into one between the entire party
and Debono: cornering and completely isolating the backbencher if
he does not accept Gonzi’s leadership.
The options for Debono are now
clear – either burn all bridges with
the party by sticking to his guns, or
accept the verdict of the councillors
which will certainly confirm Gonzi
in his post.
But Debono may well reiterate his
position that since he has already
submitted his resignation from the
party, he is not bound by its decisions. Moreover, he has not been
calling for Gonzi’s resignation from
party leader, but from the post of
Prime Minister (technically these
two can be occupied by different
people).
So Debono may well say that he is
not interested in the contest called
by Gonzi as party leader because his
challenge was that of an MP against
his Prime Minister.
It is only if Debono submits himself to the will of the PN councillors, that the “leadership contest”
can have a bearing on the parlia-
mentary stalemate.
In the absence of any agreement
binding both Gonzi and Debono to
the decision of the party councillors, Gonzi’s decision to invoke a
leadership contest is simply a political and strategic decision. Surely
Debono is politically cornered, but
how strategically wise was Gonzi’s
decision to call for a two-month
long leadership contest?
A plebiscite for Gonzi
The likely outcome of the contest
is a plebiscite of votes for Gonzi.
There is little doubt that this
contest will simply serve to prove
– without a doubt – that Gonzi is
the undisputed leader of the party.
Despite his promise that he will accept the outcome of the contest if
the party votes for someone else,
such a promise is hollow in the absence of other candidates standing
up against him.
Surely Gonzi is not preventing anybody from standing against him.
But the timing and circumstances
of the contest makes it extremely
unlikely that a real contest takes
place.
TODAYNEWS
From Monday - Friday
at 6pm on
www.maltatoday.com.mt
PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAY ATTARD
Gonzi and
9
The likelihood of any candidate
stepping forward is remote, not only because of the proximity of a general election and Gonzi’s power of
incumbency as Prime Minister, but
also because any contestant would
burn his future aspirations to lead
the party by appearing disloyal to
the present leader now.
It is also likely that the rank and
file will regard anyone standing
against Gonzi as untrustworthy.
Even procedurally, the contest is
vitiated by the fact that Gonzi has
not formally resigned from the post
of party leader before announcing
himself as a candidate in the eventual contest. For how can the party
have a fair contest if the incumbent
holds on to the post right up to the
last day?
Interestingly, when Labour was
having its leadership contest in
2008, the Nationalist media backed
George Abela’s proposal for a vote
among all party members instead of
party delegates. This prompts the
question: why doesn’t the party take
its own advice and take the vote to
party members? Surely in this case
there can be no greater legitimacy
for the new leader than that granted
by party members.
same mistakes.
Another risk for the party is that
the leadership contest would consolidate Gonzi’s hold in the party to
the extent that it will even be difficult to remove him, even in the case
of electoral defeat.
But the leadership contest could
also serve another purpose; that of
buying time for the party to prepare
for an imminent election. The fact
that the contest will take two full
months means that the party will
surely try to postpone an election
during this period, even if Debono
can still bring the government
down any time.
Yet while this could be valuable
time for the party to regroup and
set its electoral machine in motion,
it could also confirm the impression
that Gonzi is clinging to power.
While up until last week the party
could have blamed the Opposition
– and Debono – for the uncertainty
created by the prospect of an early
election, by failing to come up with
a resolution to its parliamentary
problems, Gonzi will be blamed for
contributing to even more uncertainty and instability in the country.
The national interest
Gate-keeping party
Once again the party is being
asked to act as a gatekeeper for the
leadership in time of need. Instead
of being vigilant on government
when it was still in time to avoid
strategic mistakes like the honoraria saga, the party has relegated
itself to solving the leadership’s
problems.
This has already happened when
the government was faced by a noconfidence vote in Austin Gatt and
when faced by Debono’s announced
abstention, the party’s executive
was asked to discuss the way forward. Even in the divorce issue, the
party was only brought in when the
Prime Minister had already committed himself to a referendum.
In his speech Gonzi invited party
members to criticise his leadership
but he has so far failed from bringing back to the fold those ostracised
because of their criticism.
Rather than rising above the leader to seek the best outcome for the
party, the Nationalist Party is once
again being asked to do the leader’s
bidding by embarking on a contest
which can only have one logical
outcome: a plebiscite for Gonzi.
While such a result will probably
galvanise the enthusiasm of the core
vote, it could further underline the
association between Gonzi and the
PN, thus thwarting any prospect of
the party contesting the next election as a team instead of a Gonzi fan
club as was the case in 2008. This
could be counter productive in winning back voters who do not trust
Muscat, prefer the PN’s policies to
Labour’s, but have lost faith in Gonzi’s style of government.
This does not mean that Gonzi
does not remain an asset for the PN.
In fact surveys show that Gonzi still
remains more popular than his own
party. Ironically Franco Debono’s
challenge to his leadership has even
made him more popular among
core voters. But it is also clear that
Gonzi has lost his appeal among
floating voters.
Moreover the party could be doing
itself a disservice by throwing all its
eggs in one basket rather than projecting itself as party led by Gonzi
but also by a team which includes a
couple of rising stars which would
eventually take his place while ensuring that he will not make the
For while Gonzi has invoked the
national interest when stating that
a general election now is not in the
country’s best interest in a time of
economic crisis, he seems to overlook the fact that by procrastinating he could also be imperilling
the national interest.
If the country gets bogged down
in political uncertainty, Gonzi
risks undermining his best accomplishment so far; that of keeping the economy afloat amidst the
worst international economic crisis since the second world war.
While many may have agreed
with Gonzi that an early election
is clearly not the solution to the
country’s problems – as suggested
by the opposition – the same people may feel equally frustrated by
the instability created by the PM’s
procrastination. For these people,
in the absence of Debono returning to the fold, an election now
would be a lesser evil when compared to months of instability.
For while it is a matter of fact
that the opposition failed in bringing the government down, it is also
a self evident truth that the government has lost its majority. So
if nothing changes in parliament,
while there are no numbers to
bring the government down, there
are still no numbers to ensure that
the country is governed properly.
The legitimacy of the government will be diluted if parliamentary democracy is crippled
by the lack of a clear majority on
the government’s side. Moreover,
if prolonged, this state of affairs
could result in a situation where
the whole legislative process is
crippled.
It is also becoming increasingly
difficult to determine whether
Gonzi is interested in self-preservation or in the national interest,
or whether these two factors have
become indistinguishable in the
PM’s frame of mind.
In fact, by trying to find a solution to the parliamentary crisis by
resorting to a plebiscite in his party, Gonzi risks further undermining the distinction between his interest and the national interest.
Ultimately in this case it is far
from clear whether Gonzi’s interest coincides with that of his party,
let alone with that of the country.
How can the Nationalist Party
have a fair contest if the
incumbent holds on to the post
right up to the last day?
the national interest
10
Opinion
Saviour Balzan
L
ast Sunday was next to
surreal. If people are so
blind, then so be it. But
really, it was like the congress
from a communist party from the
70s.
Adulation of the leader and
being in complete denial was the
trademark of the whole Sunday
morning event.
I followed the speeches –
everyone made an effort not to
mention Franco Debono.
It was as if Debono did not exist.
As if he was not the cause of all
this. As if the whole issue was
concocted by someone else.
In reality, Debono is the root of
this problem, though everyone
– including the very impressive
Paul Borg Olivier – did not even
make a reference to the wayward
backbencher.
We can of course accuse Labour
of being the cause of this crisis.
But, hand on heart, we know it is
not the case.
But let’s face it: it was Debono
who catalysed the crisis. And
it was Lawrence Gonzi who
mishandled it.
Debono was taken for granted,
and then ignored.
The rest is history.
The surreal part was not only
the blind worship for Lawrence
Gonzi from all those who spoke at
the congress – which was way too
disproportionate and incredibly
over the top – but moreover, the
decision to open a contest for a
leader when the leader effectively
did not step down – and yet still
wished to remain leader – was
really nothing but a sick joke.
Blind worship for a man who
talks of the pre-1987 period as if
he were there at the barricades,
on the front line with all those
who sacrificed themselves against
Mintoffian tyranny, is rather
comical.
In reality, Gonzi was
conspicuous before 1987 for
simply for not being around.
He was simply not there. And
yet he talks as if he were a TalBarrani veteran. He talks as if he
were a PN militant sweating it out
and making personal sacrifices.
Pity we do not having a press
which probes and questions
people on their past.
And as I have said it before,
there were other people on Sunday
whom I do not recall seeing
within the PN fold before 1987.
David Casa – the Euro MEP – is
one of them.
He gives everyone the
impression he was fighting in the
streets before 1987.
Why does not one ask Casa
where he was in 1984, 1985 and
in 1986, or what his political
leanings were at the time?
Listening to Casa today,
you would think that he was
a guerrilla fighting from the
Gozitan hills and from the caves
against Mintoff et al.
I am not quite sure what
Lawrence Gonzi is getting at,
but he knows there will be no
contestants. There will be no one
to challenge him.
Unless, of course, they find
someone completely thick who
will simply stand to prove a
point that there is diversity and
democracy.
I don’t know: perhaps someone
like Charmaine Gerada from the
Office of the Prime Minister,
a very charming and elegant
woman who exemplifies the new
Nationalist pedigree.
She could offer herself as a
contestant, instead of canvassing
for Dr Gonzi.
I have a better idea.
To tell you the truth, the PN
statute (if I read it right) does not
require the leadership contestant
to be a PN member, so I have
to confess that I am seriously
considering standing as a
contestant myself. Indeed, I have
found 10 PN members (three of
whom are PN parliamentarians)
who will be nominating me! Do
you think I have a chance?
Today’s front-page story
reports John Dalli as telling this
newspaper that he does not see a
vacancy, and that he will surely
not be a contestant.
He goes on, saying: “I do
not think anyone except the
incumbent will take part in this
event.”
In that little comment, one can
read volumes.
Dalli knows that to win a
leadership contest you need to
convince the 850 counsellors.
Since 2004, all the counsellors
have been moulded to be loyal to
one person. And that person is
the leader.
Many PN committees are
usually uncontested and many
of the counsellors on these
committees are pushed into
this position by those who orbit
around Gonzi.
The Prime Minister – who
always makes it a point to talk
about himself – said that he would
support the person who would be
chosen as leader.
In other words, he would
support himself, because it is he
who will be the next leader, and
he knows it.
It is he who will have an
overwhelming vote of faith and
solidarity in an exercise that one
usually reads about when delving
into the political history of Hanoi,
Pyongyang, Baghdad or Tehran.
Gonzi’s attempt to be
magnanimous did not go down
well with those who have been
stranded and left out in the cold
since 2004. Those who were
Nationalists, but who were not
on his side, have been quietly
sidelined (in other words: sent
off).
Magnanimity has not been the
hallmark of Lawrence Gonzi.
In his new of doing politics,
tolerance for any form of
dissidence is treated with zero
tolerance.
The men who selected and
‘designed’ Gonzi – who were
RCC and Joe Saliba – were not
interested in the track record of
their new leader but rather in his
potential to win.
Today no one has the proverbial
balls to turn round and tell him
that he is a liability to the PN.
That this farce will drive the
economy into the ground.
And the only reason why they
cannot tell him is simply because
they are too scared to lose their
position and their income from
their cosy post. They prefer to
give the impression that all is well
on the western front.
Gonzi will go to the contest, and
win.
Being there*
In reality, Gonzi was conspicuous before 1987 for simply
not being around. He was simply not there. And yet he
talks as if he were a Tal-Barrani veteran. He talks as if he
were a PN militant sweating it out and making personal
sacrifices
It may be cruel to make a
comparison to Mubarak et al, but
in reality these kind of contests
only happen in nations where one
finds one party, one leader and
one creed.
And if Gonzi wants to brag
about Libya, he’d better start
paying attention to today’s
Libya with its present record
of internecine killings, rapes,
robberies and its total breakdown
in law and order. (It is really quite
okay to say we removed the tyrant
Gaddafi even though we sucked
up to him when he was still in
power, but nobody seems to be
asking what is happening to Libya
now).
But let’s get back to Malta.
Gonzi has given the impression
that he is doing all this for the
good of the country. Well, if no
one in the party or government
has the balls to turn round to
the prime minister and tell him
that this procrastination and the
decision not to tackle the Franco
Debono problem is neutralising
economic activity in Malta, I will.
It is really killing economic
initiative, and people are simply
scared to spend and take bold
steps or to initiate business deals.
If he does not believe it, he should
send out one of his scouts and tell
him to come back with some real
stories about what is happening
out there.
The problem can only be
resolved by solving the issue with
Franco Debono. If Franco Debono
does not fall in line, the Prime
Minister can boast of having a
Mubarak-styled solidarity vote,
but he would have solved nothing.
Debono’s reluctance to support
the PM in parliament is the issue.
If the Prime Minister decides
to plod on and govern with this
Franco Debono problem hanging
over his head, there is no doubt
in my mind that he will unleash
the most intense negative reaction
against his own party.
In the meantime we are all
spectators to this great farce.
Be patient, history always
repeats itself!
* with apologies to Peter Sellers
Ingram
Republic Street, Valletta
Tel: 2723 3386
(next to the Courts)
11
MaltaToday, MediaToday Co. Ltd, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016
MANAGING DIRECTOR: ROGER DE GIORGIO
MANAGING EDITOR: SAVIOUR BALZAN
ACTING EDITOR: RAPHAEL VASSALLO
Tel: (356) 21 382741-3, 21 382745-6 • Fax: (356) 21 385075
Website: www.maltatoday.com.mt E-mail: [email protected]
Editorial
No time for theatrics
The Prime Minister’s decision last Sunday to
place his leadership on the line merits comment and analysis.
The first and most crucial question is
whether the suggested course of action – a
leadership contest within the Nationalist
Party – actually addresses the much wider and
more cogent issue of leadership on a national
level.
At a glance, the present impasse concerns
whether or not the PN government commands
an undisputed majority in the House of Representatives. Following Debono’s abstention
last week, the answer is clearly ‘no’. But even if
we accept the reasoning that a change in the
PN’s leadership may automatically remedy this
situation – as Debono had earlier suggested
he would follow ‘anyone but Gonzi’ – one can
only seriously question whether the PN is
placing its own interests before those of the
country, by choosing to indefinitely prolong
the existing uncertainty.
In short, the outcome of last weekend’s
general council meeting did nothing to solve
the parliamentary impasse, which remains
very much alive and kicking. It did, however,
give the Prime Minister time to consolidate
grassroot support and strengthen his position
within the party.
This in turn resuscitates the question of
whether Gonzi is acting in the national interest, or restrictively in the narrow interest of
the Nationalist Party… or worse still, simply in
the interest of his own political survival, even
at the expense of both other considerations.
If – as we have been assured on countless
occasions by the Prime Minister – a general
election is not in the national interest, one
must ask: how can a PN leadership election
be in the national interest… especially if
uncontested?
From this vantage point, the theatrical
nature of the speeches over the weekend
comes across as farcical, to say the least.
Rallying calls within the party, and
triumphant reconfirmations of the leader by
standing ovations, may well be important to
strengthen the Prime Minister’s own support
base – but in no way is the national interest
served by such shenanigans.
On the contrary, it would be far more beneficial for all concerned if the Prime Minister
invests more energy in reaching an agreement with Debono, and less in futile exercises
aimed only at consolidating his own leadership in the party.
Even without such considerations the leadership contest itself can be seen to be vitiated.
Barring the extremely unlikely eventuality of
a surprise contender stepping forth from the
shadows, it will almost certainly be an uncontested affair decided by secret ballot.
This reflects poorly on the party, as by inviting the delegates to merely rubber-stamp a
foregone conclusion, Gonzi risks reducing the
entire exercise to a leadership battle reminiscent of communist regimes.
Questions can be asked even about the
procedures being applied. Why restrict the
vote only to the elected members of the party
clubs? Why not extend it to all party members… as, ironically, the PN had suggested for
the Labour leadership battle in 2008?
More importantly, the statute talks clearly of
the leadership taking place in the context of a
‘vacancy’. But with Gonzi repeatedly stressing
that he has not resigned as party leader, there
is technically no vacancy at all. More than a
leadership election, delegates are simply being
asked to reconfirm Gonzi as leader, without
having any real choice in the matter.
Meanwhile we are left with a plethora of
unanswered questions. Does the present government have a majority in parliament, or not?
How long can it be expected to carry on limping, with no apparent direction... held hostage
by a backbencher who now risks further exasperating an already alienated electorate?
Faced with so many imponderables, the PN’s
internal leadership problems are quite frankly
secondary at this stage.
Time to act on ACTA
The government’s decision to ratify highly
controversial international legislation such as
ACTA should serve as an eye-opener about
much that is seriously wrong with our way of
doing politics.
ACTA is a bone of much contention in
Europe at the moment; and rightly so, as the
potential for serious abuse, affecting and possibly even criminalising thousands of ordinary
citizens, cannot be simply sprung on a nation
without any form of discussion.
At face value, the proposed legislation aims
at protecting copyright owners from piracy
and theft. On paper the goals are admirable;
but one must seriously question whether the
discretionary powers with which such legislation will furnish the authorities may in future
be exploited to achieve other, less noble ends.
In other countries this very question has
provoked serious debate and justifiable
concern. But in Malta, our government simply
signed the agreement without consulting
anyone, or even bothering to inform the public
of its decision. This would be unacceptable
at the best of times. At a time when the same
government represents less than 50% of the
popular vote, and has effectively lost its slender parliamentary majority to boot, it is little
short of irresponsible.
There is no excuse for simply by-passing the
people on any issue, let alone such a sensitive one. Perhaps the time has come for the
government to finally realise it can no longer
get away with taking the people for granted in
this manner.
12
Feature
Giving a horse a chance
Animals frequently lose their homes because they are
no longer fast enough, pretty enough or young enough
to keep their owners happy. Sue Arnett talks to RACHEL
ZAMMIT CUTAJAR about what happens to horses that
can no longer do their jobs
2011 was a difficult year, with financial worries taking over the headlines on many occasions. Although
animals are unaware of the ups and
downs of the economy, they too have
been hit.
In the UK, Redwings, one of Britain’s biggest charities for abandoned
horses, registered an increase in
abandoned horses of nearly 100%,
with owners tying up horses and
abandoning them as they are unable
to pay the soaring prices of horse
feed and bedding.
Sue Arnett, of the Funny Farm
Horse Rescue centre, said that last
year was also particularly bad for
horses in Malta. However, she said
that this is has not been the result of
increasing feed prices but the stricter
abattoir policies.
“In order to sell a horse for meat a
lot of regulations have to be adhered
to, resulting in most horses that have
to be put down, incinerated rather
than being sold for meat.
“This makes a difference as owners have to pay to have the animal
incinerated rather than getting some
money for an unwanted animal that
is sold for meat. It is particularly an
issue with racehorses that are no
longer fast enough for the track. We
have seen an increase in these kinds
of horses needing a home.”
Arnett was bitten by the horse bug
at an early age and as a child spent as
much time as she could at the stables, skiving school whenever she
could get away with it to spend some
extra hours with the horses. At the
age of 18 she bought her own horse
and when she got the opportunity
to move the filly to an open area in
Mgarr she jumped at it, though she
needed a companion horse to keep
her filly happy.
Once finding a local dealer she
was appalled at the sorry state the
animals were in and decided that she
needed to do something about.
“One morning I got there early before the dealer arrived and I walked
around to the back of the yard to
have a look at the horses. When I
got around the corner I could hear a
buzzing sound and when I found the
source of it I was disgusted. Millions
of flies were partially covering an
even worse sight – dead horses’ body
parts – a leg, a head, intestines.”
Some of the horses there would
never find a home due to the state
they were in, sometimes severely injured. Arnett then decided to home
as many of them as she could manage.
“One particular grey stole my
heart. I saw a pretty grey horse but
the dealer said he wasn’t appropriate for me. When I got closer I saw
that the horse could hardly walk due
to severe bruising on the soles of his
feet. I then walked about 50 metres
to see some other horses and felt
something grab my jacket. The grey
had walked over and wouldn’t leave
my side. At this stage I just had to
have him.”
After a year of care, with special farrier attention, the horse came back to
full health and Arnett was even able
to ride him, however two years after
coming to the funny farm he met
with a tragic end as a colic caused an
internal rupture and the horse had to
Taking care of horses is not all hard work
and the volunteers get to enjoy some time
riding the animals they are taking care of
be put down.
Today Arnett is looking after 18
horses at a farm in Bidnija with the
help of approximately 25 volunteers,
some which lend a hand daily while
others put in a few hours of work a
few times a week.
“The aim is to get the horses fit
and healthy and then re-home them.
However, we have a few horses who
will be with us for life like Sly, an ex
flat racer that injured his pastern
joint while racing. He can’t ever be
ridden or driven again and only goes
out in our rubber surfaced paddock,
however he is a perfectly happy horse
and deserves the right to a natural
life.”
Arnett vets the owners before allowing them to leave ensuring that
their welfare comes first. “Some people just don’t have the right facilities,
or enough time for horses but we do
have an alternative for people to still
have horses in their lives. Even after
we have agreed to re-home a horse we
draw up a contract that allows us to
perform spot checks on the horse for
up to a year afterwards and if conditions have not been met then we are
able to take the horse back.”
Over the last four years six horses
have found themselves new and
happy homes through Funny Farm,
however that is not the only option
to help out and make horses a part of
every day life.
At Funny Farm it is possible to
sponsor a horse, taking care of everything from bills to care of the animal
though the horse remains stabled at
the farm. “It’s a really good system
to use with children who want their
Sue Arnett, appalled at the state of some of the
horses at a local dealer, took it upon herself to give
a home to animals that were on the path to the
butcher’s knife
own horse. Very often children grow
out of the sport as soon as they begin
to become interested in other things.
If they have a sponsored horse at that
time then we simply resume care of
the animal without upsetting the
animal or the people that have cared
for the horse for so long.”
Horse care is expensive business,
with every horse costing approximately €150 a month depending on
the size of the horse.
“We have to buy imported hay as the
local straw is not enough to a horse
due to the sensitivity of the horses’
stomach. We go through about five
850kg bales of hay every week, each
one costing €220. Everything we do
is self-financed through fund raisers, volunteer work, donations and
sponsorship of horses and though we
always get by it is always a worry as to
how we are going to get through the
next month.”
Looking after the rescue horses is
not always plain sailing. Though Arnett derives a lot of satisfaction from
seeing happy horses that would have
an otherwise miserable existence –
if they survived at all, she has had to
deal with many hurdles.
“Besides the horses we also get left
with a lot of dogs and even though
we don’t really have the time to care
for them as well, we take care of as
many as we can.
“We were reported to Animal
Welfare two years ago for treating
some dogs inhumanely, and though
the dogs were not in a good state we
were doing our best to treat them.
When the welfare inspectors saw
the documents that proved the animals had seen a vet and were being
treated they were satisfied and after
seeing the rest of the farm left congratulating us on a job well done.”
Just one month later Animal Welfare was alerted again and this time
the dogs were taken away and put
down despite improvement in their
health and Arnett was taken to
court. After two years Arnett is expecting positive outcome from the
final court sitting that is due next
week.
“Although this case was really
upsetting it actually did the farm
a whole lot of good. Because of the
bad publicity we received, many
people wanted to come and see for
themselves what we were doing.
Once there they saw the work we
were doing and that our animals are
happy and this encouraged people
to come and help out and as a result
over the last few years we have attracted many more volunteers.”
Arnett said that it is not simply the
horse that benefits from finding a
new home. Research has shown improvement in people with disabilities
especially intellectual disabilities
when building a relationship with
horses. Though there were attempts
to collaborate with the Richmond
Foundation and Inspire, following
the court case Arnett is reluctant
to get involved with government or
other organisations that could tip
the balance and jeopardise the work
that has already been done.
FREE WITH maltatoday ON WEDNESDAY
In collaboration with:
Business Today
WEDNESDAY 1 February 2012 - SUPPLEMENT ISSUE NO. 748
www.businesstoday.com.mt
Tourism industry hit
hard by energy tariffs
– MHRA president
VW board
to discuss
Porsche deal
soon
Duncan Barry
MHRA president Tony Zahra said
that despite the slight increase in
tourist arrivals and bed nights, the
industry hasn’t seen much profit
since the industry’s costs keep on
rising drastically.
Zahra was speaking during the oneon-one daily discussion programme
Reporter broadcast on Favourite
Channel.
When asked about the present
situation in tourism in Malta, when
compared to what was forecast for
2012, Zahra said: “Although Malta
has seen an increase in the number
of tourist arrivals and bed nights, the
spending power of tourists remained
the same, and the costs of the industry
have risen drastically.”
“When comparing the costs
incurred when operating a hotel in
Malta to a foreign country like Spain
for instance, Malta’s hotel costs turn
out to be far higher, especially due
to the high tariffs in energy, which is
double the amount. This is a reality
we are facing on a national level,”
Zahra added.
“We did well in a number of things
but not in others, however profits
in the industry have not increased
much.”
Zahra complained about the fact
that one of MHRA’s members was
going to organise a small fair in the
hotel and after having advertised the
event, was immediately put off when
a Department of Trade member of
staff called him and told him that he
would have to pay a €700 license for
the fair to be held.
“Therefore, all these governmentinduced costs don’t help the industry
make enough money either, and as a
result of all these costs, hoteliers stop
short of investing in future projects
such as refurbishing, a better service,
etc., the association’s president said.
Government’s approach
When questioned about the
approach by authorities when tackling
certain problems – and whether the
authorities leave everything go by or
MHRA President Tony Zahra
sleep on issues – Zahra came off as a
bit diplomatic at times:
“The authorities can be of help but
at times their reaction time is far too
slow, something this industry cannot
afford. There’s definitely room for
improvement.
“For Malta to remain sustainable
in the tourism industry, we must
address pending issues.”
Low-cost
“Tourists used to come to Malta
through tour operators and to a
certain extent, these operators have
now been replaced by low-cost,
resulting in a big impact on the
industry. But if it weren’t for low-
cost tourism, the sector would be in
a bad state.”
MHRA, Zahra said, had been
labelled as the ‘low-cost at all costs
brigade’, after having pushed for
low-cost tourism for two years.
Air Malta-MTA
“Air Malta is not appreciating the
importance of today’s tourism and
without it, Air Malta won’t survive
and vice-versa.
“For instance, the Malta Tourism
Authority and Air Malta don’t work
hand in hand, something I could
never understand. Another thing I
disapprove of is that Air Malta can
boast of a number of people with a
vast experience in the field, but are
not being utilised.”
When asked what problems he
would address at this point in time,
Zahra said: “Accessibility: this
means airlines, and airlines means
Air Malta. If we are not going to
have a strong airline, than problems
are going to ensue.”
On the current political uncertainty,
Zahra said that business cannot keep
waiting forever.
“As long as the current problem
remains localised in the political
scene only, it won’t have a bad
impact on tourism, but politicians
have to understand that the situation
cannot be prolonged.”
Volkswagen’s supervisory board will
discuss plans to acquire the remaining 50.1% of Porsche SE’S sports car
business at an extraordinary meeting
on February 14, German magazine Der
Spiegel reported.
The magazine said the German
Finance Ministry already has a draft
for the deal available. Volkswagen will
have to pay €3.9 billion plus taxes for
the remaining stake.
Instead of an anticipated one billion
euros, Volkswagen will have to pay a
“low three-digit million” amount in
taxes, Der Spiegel said. In total the
acquisition will cost Volkswagen a little
over eight billion euros.
Volkswagen acquired 49.9% of
Porsche sports cars for €3.9 billion in
December 2009 as part of a deal that
prevented the likely insolvency of debtladen parent Porsche SE.
Volkswagen declined to comment.
“In principle we don’t say anything
about the agenda of our institutes,” a
spokesman said.
According to disclosures from
Volkswagen, Porsche SE has a put
option to sell its 50.1% exercisable from
November 15, while Volkswagen can
exercise its call option between March
and April of next year.
Last week Volkswagen said the
company was closely examining other
possible methods apart from the putcall options that would allow for an
integration of Porsche within VW as
soon as possible.
MSE Index
– 31 January 2012
Number of trades
130
Volume Traded
2,194,117
Current Index
3062.322
Change in Index (%)
-0.022%
14
Business Today Supplement
News
January 2012: Business
climate indicator
improves in euro area
In January 2012, the Business Climate Indicator (BCI) for the euro area
rose for the second month in a row.
The improvement in the BCI was
mainly driven by a more positive
assessment of production trends
observed in recent months and of
export order books.
Managers’ appraisal of stocks of
finished products also improved.
By contrast, managers were more
pessimistic about their overall
order books, while their production
expectations
remained
broadly
unchanged.
The BCI is based on a factor
analysis of the euro area aggregate
balances (seasonally adjusted) of
five of the monthly questions in the
industry survey (only employment
and selling-price expectations are
excluded).
HP launches HP LaserJet printer
HP has launched the
new HP LaserJet printer
designed to help smallto medium-sized businesses (SMBs) create
professional-quality
colour documents while
increasing productivity
and efficiency.
The HP LaserJet Pro
300 colour M351 printer
provides SMBs and home
offices with uncompromisingly vibrant
colour prints. The HP LaserJet Pro 400
colour M451 printer adds increased print
speeds, allowing businesses to quickly
create professionalquality colour prints
such as marketing
collateral.
The HP LaserJet
Pro 300/400 colour
multifunction printer
(MFP) series includes
two devices with
easy-to-use 3.5-inch
colour touch-screen
interfaces:
• The HP LaserJet Pro 300 colour
MFP M375 can increase productivity
with easy print, scan, copy and fax
functionality, and enables businesses to
produce high-quality colour prints and
marketing materials.
• The HP LaserJet Pro 400 colour MFP
M475 delivers the same capabilities,
while increasing print speeds and
output.
HP LaserJet Pro 400 colour MFP M475
includes all the important functionalities:
fast, high-quality printing, scanning,
copying and faxing – all in one compact
device.
For more information about the HP
LaserJet Pro 300/400 colour printer
series and the HP LaserJet Pro 300/400
colour MFP series kindly visit www.
hp.com.
Finance Minister introduces
Business First to Malta
Chamber members
A Business First initiative event was
held for Malta Chamber members
on Monday at the Exchange Buildings – the first event in an outreach
campaign to the local business community.
Minister of Finance Tonio Fenech
and Malta Enterprise Executive
Chairman, Alan Camilleri, and
President of the Malta Chamber of
Commerce, Enterprise and Industry
Tancred Tabone addressed the
members.
The Malta Chamber was the first
entity to promote the idea of extending
the then-called Government Services
Unit to all undertakings on the island,
thereby creating a one-stop-shop for
business.
“I am highly satisfied to note that
the Malta Chamber forms part of
the recently set-up Business First
Council, whose aim is to ensure
that the introduction of the services
is smooth and that service delivery
continues to improve,” Tabone
added.
Tabone also stated that the Malta
Chamber was also consulted on the
setting-up of Business First and it
strongly recommended that certain
services related to MEPA would
also be included among the list of
services on offer.
“This recommendation followed
from direct feedback we receive
from local SMEs which form the
backbone of our membership and
larger companies who are also
affected by administrative burdens,”
Tabone explained.
Tabone said that as a separate
initiative, this service will need to
be coupled by a commitment from
other
government
departments
and authorities to reduce their
administrative
burdens
on
companies, especially SMEs.
About the Business First
initiative
The Business First initiative is,
in itself, a very valid and positive concept.
It will offer a one-stop-shop
service to facilitate administrative
procedures required for the
setting up of a business in Malta,
as well as to provide guidance
and information to established
companies in relations to
government-induced processes.
The role of Business First
shall be to eliminate the need for
companies to run around all the
different departments concerned
to fulfil their administrative
obligations.
Malta Enterprise shall act as
the catalyst in bringing together
public sector entities to become
more business friendly.
Business First will help its
members to concentrate on
creating jobs and growth.
Regular Market closed - 31/01/2012
▼
▲
▼
▼
▼
▲
▲
●
▼
▼
▲
●
▲
●
●
▼
▲
▲
▲
▼
▲
▲
▲
▲
▲
●
▼
▼
▼
▲
●
●
▲
Symbol Code
BOV
GO
HSB
LOM
MSI
B.BOV535
B.FIM7
B.GFC6
B.GHM7
B.IHG65
B.IHI62EUR
B.IHI63
B.MDI7
B.MIH715
B.MIH715USD
G36.13D
G46.20B
G48.16B
G5.21A
G51.14C
G51.22A
G52.20A
G525.30A
G55.23A
G57.12C
G59.15B
G61.15A
G635.13B
G66.14A
G665.16A
G78.12A
G78.13A
G78.18A
Volume Traded
4200
3070
6400
5950
1500
7000
3000
10000
7000
3800
5000
13477
38000
13600
8500
398600
10400
23434
164574
446935
15980
29585
462200
475
112631
18637
34941
141629
233
20266
115213
42163
25624
Value Traded
9410.422
2646.600
16335.200
15172.500
1078.500
7244.000
3060.300
10232.790
7280.000
3841.500
5000.500
13544.385
38760.000
13586.400
8500.000
410089.820
10883.600
25118.905
175682.747
477806.504
17104.993
32185.521
477599.800
523.593
115717.092
20705.707
38892.827
149928.459
255.228
23188.357
117528.781
46337.137
31809.634
Trades
4
4
7
3
1
2
1
4
1
2
1
1
5
1
1
7
3
2
11
8
3
4
14
2
15
3
1
7
1
2
4
3
1
High Price
2.249
0.890
2.558
2.550
0.719
104.000
102.010
102.330
104.000
101.100
100.010
100.500
102.000
99.900
100.000
102.890
104.650
107.190
106.750
106.920
107.040
108.790
103.340
110.230
102.740
111.100
111.310
105.860
109.540
114.420
102.010
109.900
124.140
Low Price
2.230
0.850
2.550
2.550
0.719
103.100
102.010
102.320
104.000
101.000
100.010
100.500
102.000
99.900
100.000
102.870
104.650
107.190
106.750
106.880
107.040
108.790
103.300
110.230
102.740
111.100
111.310
105.860
109.540
114.420
102.010
109.900
124.140
Open Price
2.249
0.880
2.558
2.550
0.719
103.100
102.010
102.330
104.000
101.100
100.010
100.500
102.000
99.900
100.000
102.890
104.650
107.190
106.750
106.920
107.040
108.790
103.340
110.230
102.740
111.100
111.310
105.860
109.540
114.420
102.010
109.900
124.140
Close Price
2.249
0.890
2.550
2.550
0.719
104.000
102.010
102.320
104.000
101.000
100.010
100.500
102.000
99.900
100.000
102.870
104.650
107.190
106.750
106.880
107.040
108.790
103.300
110.230
102.740
111.100
111.310
105.860
109.540
114.420
102.010
109.900
124.140
Change
-0.001
0.040
-0.009
-0.020
-0.011
1.000
0.010
0.000
-2.000
-0.100
0.010
0.000
2.000
0.000
0.000
-0.060
0.140
0.070
0.130
-0.070
0.110
0.140
0.100
0.120
0.020
0.000
-0.010
-0.070
-0.040
0.020
0.000
0.000
0.120
Twap
2.240
0.862
2.552
2.550
0.719
103.490
102.010
102.330
104.000
101.090
100.010
100.500
102.000
99.900
100.000
102.880
104.650
107.190
106.750
106.910
107.040
108.790
103.330
110.230
102.740
111.100
111.310
105.860
109.540
114.420
102.010
109.900
124.140
The rates quoted above are against the EURO.
2.5%
on your
s
g
n
i
v
a
S
o
r
Eu
Individual & Joint
Online Savings
www.easisave.com
s$AILYWITHDRAWALSs.OFEESs.OlXEDTERM
Freephone: 8007 3388sTel: 2132 2102
Powered by
FIMBank p.l.c. is a licensed credit institution in Malta, regulated by the MFSA and listed on
the Malta Stock Exchange. This euro based product falls within the Depositor Compensation
Scheme established under the Depositor Compensation Scheme Regulations, 2003.
Withdrawals are on demand and effected via SEPA credit transfers. Rates are correct at
time of going to press. Terms and conditions are applicable and available upon request.
15
Business Today Supplement
News
Money market report for week
ending January 27
ECB Monetary Operations
On Monday, January 23, the
ECB announced its weekly Main
Refinancing Operation (MRO). The
auction was conducted on Tuesday,
January 24, and attracted bids from
euro area eligible counterparties
of €130.32 billion, €3.44 billion
higher than the amount bid for in
the previous week. The bid amount
was allotted in full at a fixed
rate equivalent to the prevailing
main refinancing rate of 1.00%,
in accordance with current ECB
policy.
On Tuesday, January 24, the ECB
conducted an auction for a sevenday fixed-term deposit intended to
absorb €219 billion. This operation
was designed to sterilise the effect of
purchases made under the Securities
Markets Programme that were
settled but had not yet matured by
the previous Friday, January 20.
The auction was carried out at a
variable rate, with euro area eligible
counterparties allowed to place up
to four bids at a maximum rate of
1.00%. It attracted bids amounting
to €345.65 billion, with the ECB
allotting €219 billion, or 63.36%,
of the total amount bid for. The
marginal rate on the auction was set
at 0.3%, with the weighted average
rate at 0.28%.
Also on Tuesday, January 24, the ECB
announced a three-month Longer-Term
Refinancing Operation to be settled as
Nintendo Wii
U – coming
soon
We’ve Nintendo Wii U news aplenty following bossman Satoru Iwata’s comments on the latest earnings call by the Japanese gaming
giant.
First up is confirmation of what
we all kind of knew already – that
the next-generation console is
going to land soon.
Iwata said that it will be released
in the US, Europe, Australia, and
Japan. We think that’s a Lost in
Translation way of saying “in time
for Christmas”.
Next up is the news that Nintendo
is ready to ditch the pain-in-thebum friends code process for online
gaming and open up a PlayStation
Network/Xbox Live rival called
Nintendo Network.
The online gaming platform
will play host to competitions and
communication among users, as well
as the sales of digital content’ and
will also launch Nintendo personal
user accounts. It’s going to hit the
3DS first (the “communication”
part is already part of Mario Kart
7) before being an integral part of
the new living room machine.
The final bit of Nintendo news is
that the controller is to pack NFC
capabilities.
The reason for its inclusion is
to “read and write data via noncontact NFC and to expand the
new play format in the video game
world”, so expect to see plenty
of games with tied in additional
content such as playing cards and
action figures.
Iwata also said that the adoption
of this functionality will enable
various other possibilities such
as using it as a means of making
micropayments.
Nintendo is predicting big losses
financially for 2012, so will be
hoping that the Wii U has a big
enough pull to be the saviour.
a fixed rate tender procedure with full
allotment, with the rate fixed at the
average rate of the MROs over the life
of the operation. The auction attracted
bids of €19.58 billion from euro area
eligible counterparties, which amount
was allotted in full, in accordance with
current ECB policy.
On Wednesday, January 25, the
ECB conducted a seven-day US
dollar funding operation through
collateralised lending in conjunction
with the US Federal Reserve. This
operation attracted bids of $7.93
billion, which were allotted in full at a
fixed rate of 0.6%.
Domestic Treasury Bill Market
In the domestic primary market for
Treasury bills, the Treasury invited
tenders for 91-day and 182-day bills
maturing on April 27, 2012 and July
27, 2012, respectively.
Bids of €54.05 million were
submitted for the 91-day bills, with
the Treasury accepting €12.65
million, while bids of €52 million
were submitted for the 182-day
bills, with the Treasury accepting
€15 million.
Since €32.8 million worth of
bills matured during the week, the
outstanding balance of Treasury
Bills decreased by €5.15 million, to
stand at €216.67 million.
The yield from the 91-day bill
auction was 0.692%, i.e. 0.8 basis
points lower than on bills with a
similar tenor issued on January 20,
2012, representing a bid price of
99.8254 per 100 nominal.
The yield from the 182-day bill
auction was 1.017%, i.e. 1.7 basis
points higher than on bills with a
similar tenor issued on January 20,
2012, representing a bid price of
99.4885 per 100 nominal.
During the week under review,
Treasury bill trading on the Malta
Stock Exchange amounted to €0.7
million and was conducted by the
Central Bank of Malta in its role as
market-maker.
On Tuesday, the Treasury invited
tenders for 91-day bills and 182-day
bills maturing on May 4, 2012 and
August 3, 2012, respectively.
16
THIS WEEK
WHAT’S ON
NIGHTLIFE
TONIGHT
Salsa Sundays
Introducing Salsa Sundays at BJ’s Live
Music Club, Paceville from 20:30. A
night of salsa, rueda, bacata-merengue
spun by DJs Edward, Eman and Billy.
For more information call: 99 493534.
FEBRUARY 5
Unstable Night
A night of eclectic and bizarre music at
Coach and Horses, Valley Road, Msida
from 20:30. Entrance is free.
FEBRUARY 10
A Li’l Funk
DJs Jean and Joe will be spinning some
funk from their own vinyls at Coach
and Horses, Valley Road, Msida from
20:30. Entrance is free.
FEBRUARY 10
Eden Comedy Club Standup night
UK-based standup comedians Dave
Thompson, Matt Price, Andrew
Watts and James Dowdeswell will be
performing at Eden Cinemas, 20:00.
Tickets are at €17; €20 for premium.
Bookings: 23 710100, comedy@
edenleisure.com.
MUSIC
FEBRUARY 3
An Evening with Beethoven
Concert at Manoel Theatre, Valletta
at 20:00 conducted by the national
theatre’s Music Director Brian
Schembri and featuring Canadian
violinist Alexandre da Costa
performing Beethoven’s only concerto
for the instrument. Beethoven’s
Symphony No. 7 will also be
performed. Tickets are at €10, €20, €30.
Bookings: bookings@teatrumanoel.
com.mt, 21 246389.
FEBRUARY 4
Random Hand (UK) + Dripht +
Kontroll
Cult UK punk band Random Hand
will be joined by local acts Dripht
and Kontroll at V-Gen, Ball Street,
Paceville. Doors open at 20:00. Tickets
are at €7 advance, €10 on the door. Free
shots will be served before 21:00. First
100 people get a Bobby’s Tattoo Studio
discount voucher. Keep checking on
the event’s Facebook page for ticket
info.
FEBRUARY 11
Brikkuni – Trabokk launch
Popular folk-pop act Brikkuni will
be launching their eagerly-awaited
sophomore album at City Theatre,
Old Bakery Street, Valletta, 20:30.
They will be joined by local ambient
electro solo act YEWS. The concert
will be divided into two, with one part
focusing exclusively on new material,
the other on established material.
Inmates from Corradino’s Young Offenders
Division will be performing at St James
Cavalier, Valletta between February 6 and 9
FEBRUARY 15
A Baroque Carnival
A concert of baroque music at the
newly-opened Palazzo De Piro, Mdina.
Featuring an unusual instrumental
formation of two flutes and a
cello. Tickets are at €20. Bookings:
79 680952, emailing bookings@
baroccomalta.com, events@xarapalace.
com.mt.
THEATRE
FEBRUARY 3-5
Dwar menopawsi, minorenni u
muturi high speed
Luke Farrugia, Alexander GatesyLewis and Joseph Zammit. Directed
by Bruce Wall as part of The London
Shakespeare Workout. Tickets are at
€15. Bookings open soon.
Monday to Friday – 09:30-12:00, 15:3018:00; Saturday – 09:30-12:00. More
information: 79 806380.
FEBRUARY 10-12, 17-19
Yes, Prime Minister
An exhibition of photographs by Elisa
Von Brockdorff at Lily Agius Gallery,
Sliema. Opening hours: Tuesday to
Saturday – 11:00 to 13:00; Tuesday to
Friday 16:00 to 19:00. Private viewings
also available by appointment. More
information: info@lilyagiusgallery.
com.
Mellow Drama stage production of
popular British sitcom at The Manoel
Theatre, Valletta. Tickets are at €20,
€17.50, €12. Bookings: bookings@
teatrumanoel.com.mt, 21 246389.
Comedy about a Maltese family
written by Alfred Buttigieg at St James
Cavalier, Valletta, 20:00. Cast includes
Pierre Stafrace, Angele Galea, Jacob
Piccinino, Tina Rizzo and Imran
Sheikh. Directed by Malcolm Galea.
Tickets are at €15; €10 on opening
night. Bookings: [email protected],
21 223200. The play is rated 18.
FEBRUARY 23, 24
Oliver Twist
FEBRUARY 6-9
When you hear my voice
FEBRUARY 24-26, MARCH 2-4; 9, 11
The Female of The Species
Performance by inmates from the
Corradino Correctional Facility Young
Offenders Unit at St James Cavalier,
Valletta, 19:30. The production will
incorporate excerpts from the works
of William Shakespeare and other
canonical thinkers and writers, along
with works by young offenders from
various countries. The inmates will
be joined by West End, London-based
actress and performer Laura PittPulford and local actors Andre Agius,
Unifaun Theatre production of the
Joanna Murray-Smith play – based
on a real-life incident in the life of
popular feminist writer Germaine
Greer – at St James Cavalier, Valletta,
20:00. Directed by Chiara Hyzler. Cast
includes Polly March, Maria Buckle,
Laura Best, Anthony Ellul, Edward
Mercieca and Chris Galea. Tickets
are at €15; €12 for the opening night.
Bookings: [email protected], 21
223200 or through www.sjcav.org.
Adaptation of the Charles Dickens
classic by American Drama Group
Europe and TNT Theatre at The
Manoel Theatre, Valletta, 19:30.
Directed by Paul Stebbings. Tickets are
at €25, €20, €15. Bookings: bookings@
teatrumanoel.com.mt, 21 246389.
EXHIBITIONS
UNTIL JANUARY 31
Fusion
Exhibition of paintings by Désirée
Azzopardi at The Royal Hall Foyer of
The Palace Hotel, Sliema. Featuring
paintings ranging across a wide variety
of media, including paintings on both
2D and 3D surfaces.
UNTIL FEBRUARY 6
From a different angle
Exhibition of paintings by Mark Attard
at Agog Contemporary Art Gallery,
Mdina Road, Zebbug. Opening hours:
Norwegian artist Unni Askeland
will be exhibiting her paintings at
The Museum of Fine Arts, Valletta
FEBRUARY 14-MARCH 4
Plastic Dreams
UNTIL FEBRUARY 26
Project 001
A collaborative visual arts project
between Adrian Abela and Nigel
Baldacchino at Upper Galleries, St
James Cavalier, Valletta. Focusing on
the paradox of the Mediterranean Sea,
mainly concerning Malta as a small
European island State. The project will
also include a sculpture and video.
information: www.khalili.org.
FASHION
FEBRUARY 11
Kiss & Make Up
Special event at Soap Café, 46, St Mary
Street, Sliema from 10:30 to 15:00.
Featuring a new line of cosmetics from
Soap Café along with a collection of
vintage clothing from Hey, Birdie Pie!
along with handmade items from
The Secret Rose, Babettopolis and
Rita Cholita. More info: charlene_
[email protected], heybirdiepie@
gmail.com.
EDUCATION
UNTIL APRIL 7
Storytelling Sessions
Collaborative exhibition of
photographs by Adrian Abela and
Nigel Baldacchino at the Upper
Galleries, St James Cavalier, Valletta.
Opening on January 20 starts at 19:00.
Storytelling sessions organised with
the aim to serve as an aid to language
acquisition for three- to six-year-olds.
Held every Saturday at 193, St Angelo
Street, Zejtun. Priced at €10 for four
sessions. Booking: 99 226186, 21
667001,
[email protected].
UNTIL MARCH 28
Unni Askeland – Friezed…
continued
PUBLIC LECTURE
UNTIL FEBRUARY 26
Sajda | Black Sea
Exhibition of paintings by Norwegian
artist Unni Askeland at The Museum
of Fine Arts, South Street, Valletta.
Curated by Christine X of X Art,
Tigne, Sliema. Open from Monday
to Sunday, 09:00 to 17:00. More
information: christine@christinexart.
com.
UNTIL APRIL 29
Metal Magic – Spanish Treasures
from the Khalili Collections
Exhibition at the Salon of the National
Museum of Archaeology, Valletta.
Admission to the exhibition will be
included in the admission price to the
Museum: Adults €5; Students (12 years
upwards) and Seniors €3.50; Children
(six to 11 years) €2.50. (Heritage
Malta members enter for free). More
FEBRUARY 16
The Maritime History of Malta
Talk organised by Flimkien ghal
Ambjent Ahjar at The Corinthia Palace
Hotel, Attard, 18:30. Dr Reuben Grima
will explore the Neolithic period,
while Prof. Anthony Bonanno will
explain how under the Romans Malta
became a strategic maritime island.
Charles Dalli will focus on its maritime
history during the Middle Ages.
Daniel Cilia will illustrate the talk
with photography from the book The
Maritime History of Malta, the first
millennia, which the authors will sign
after the talk. The public is requested
to be seated at 18:15. Entrance is free of
charge. Bookings: [email protected].
mt, 99 806060.
17
THIS WEEK
TV/CINEMA
AT CINEMAS
TODAY
Embassy Cinemas
Valletta
Tel. 21 227436, 21245818
The Darkest Hour (PG)
10:00, 12:00, 14:10, 16:20, 18:40,
21:00
J. Edgar (16)
10:10, 13:00, 15:50, 18:35, 21:15
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of
18:45 – Numb3rs – Rai Due
TVM
20:00 L-Aħbarijiet 20:40 Bijografiji – Il-Pulizija 21:45
Harbourlife 22:15 Mixage 23:00 Madwarna 23:15
L-Aħbarijiet 23:30 Style Watch (repeat)
NET TV
19:45 Net News 20:30 Simpatici 21:30 Net News 21:32
Iswed fuq l-Abjad 23:00 Net News 23:30 Bejni u Bejnek
ONE
19:30 One News 20:15 Illostra 20:30 TX 22:10 Kwalita`
20:30 – Walker Texas Ranger – Rete 4
Malta (repeat) 22:30 Fresh & Funky 23:15 One News
23:40 Minuta Waħda 23:45 Kalamita (repeat)
CANALE 5
20:00 Tg5 – Meteo 5 20:30 Striscia la notizia – La voce
della contingenza 21:10 Riassunto: Il tredicesimo Apostolo – Il Prescelto 23:30 Matrix 01:30 Tg5 Notte – Meteo
5 Notte 02:00 Striscia la notizia 02:30 Uomini e Donne
ITALIA 1
18:30 Studio Aperto – Meteo 19:00 Studio Sport 19:20
Provaci ancora Gary 19:50 I Simpson 20:20 CSI 21:10 Lo
spaccacuori 22:05 TgCom – Meteo 23:25 Così fan tutte
00:10 Controcampo – Linea notte
21:05 – Desperate Housewives – Rai Due
RETE 4
RAI DUE
17:35 TgCom – Meteo 18:55 Tg4 – Meteo 19:35
Tempesta d’amore 20:30 Walker Texas Ranger
21:10 Il piccolo Lord 21:50 TgCom – Meteo 23:30
I bellissimi di R4 23:35 La regola del sospetto
00:20 TgCom – Meteo 01:45 Tg4 Night News
17:45 TG2 Flash L.I.S. – Meteo 2 17:50 Rai TG Sport
18:15 Tg2 18:45 Numb3rs 19:35 L’isola dei Famosi
9 20:30 Tg2 – 20.30 21:05 Desperate Housewives
23:25 Speciale 90° Minuto 00:50 Tg2 01:10 Tg Parlamento 01:20 L’isola dei Famosi 9
RAI UNO
RAI TRE
20:00 Tg1 20:30 Qui Radio Londra 20:35 Soliti
ignoti 21:10 Viaggio al Centro della Terra 22:50
TG1 60 Secondi 23:00 Porta a Porta 00:35 Tg1
Notte 01:05 Che tempo fa
19:00 Tg3 19:30 Tg Regione 20:00 Blob 20:15 Amor
di capra 20:35 Un posto al sole 21:05 Chi l’ha visto?
23:15 Glob Spread 00:00 Tg3 Linea notte 00:10 Tg
Regione
Films released by KRS Distributors
Shadows (12)
15:45, 18:20, 20:55
War Horse (PG)
10:30, 14:30, 17:45, 20:45
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (18)
14:15, 17:45, 20:50
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
(PG)
13:00, 15:40, 18:20, 21:15
Eden Cinemas
St Julians
Tel. 23 710 400
War Horse (PG)
Goon
The story centers on Doug Glatt, a bouncer
(Seann William Scott) who has been touched
by the fist of God. Upon discovering both his
right hook and skates, he joins a downtrodden
hockey team and inspires them into new heights.
Jay Baruchel is Glatt’s best friend. Alison Pill
plays the female lead role of while Marc-Andre
Grondin plays a French-Canadian star hockey
player.
Showing soon
14:25, 18:10, 21:05
The Thing (16)
14:25, 16:35, 18:45, 21:05, 23:15
The Descendants (14)
14:00, 16:25, 18:50, 21:15, 23:40
The Grey (16)
14:00, 16:25, 18:50, 21:15, 23:45
Coriolanus (16)
14:30, 18:35, 21:15, 23:45
Puss in Boots (3D) (U)
14:15, 16:20, 18:25, 20:45, 22:45
My Week with Marilyn (14)
14:05, 16:15, 18:30, 20:55, 23:05
The Big Year (14)
14:05, 16:15, 18:30, 20:50, 23:05
Tower Heist (12)
14:05, 16:15, 18:30, 20:50, 23:05
Alvin and the Chipmunks:
Chipwrecked (U)
14:15, 16:20, 18:25, 20:45, 22:40
(PG)
14:10, 18:20, 21:00, 23:40
J. Edgar (16)
14:30, 18:15, 21:00, 23:45
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of
Shadows (12)
14:30, 18:20, 20:55, 23:30
Seeking Justice (16)
14:20, 16:35, 18:50, 21:10, 23:25
The Darkest Hour (3D) (PG)
14:20, 16:30, 18:35, 21:05, 23:05
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (18)
14:25, 18:00, 21:10
Empire Cinemas
Bugibba
Tel. 21 581 787, 21 581 909
Darkest Hour (3D) (PG)
13:45, 16:00, 18:15, 21:00
Seeking Justice (16)
13:50, 16:10, 18:35, 21:05
(PG)
14:00, 17:50, 20:40
The Iron Lady
War Horse (PG)
14:30, 17:55, 20:55
Puss in Boots (U)
14:00, 16:15, 18:30, 20:45
The Descendants (14)
The Iron Lady is a surprising and intimate portrait of Margaret Thatcher (Meryl Streep), the
first and only female Prime Minister of The United Kingdom. One of the 20th century’s most
famous and influential women, Thatcher came from nowhere to smash through barriers of
gender and class to be heard in a male dominated world.
Showing soon
13:30, 16:00, 18:25, 21:00
The Grey (16)
13:35, 16:05, 18:35, 21:05
18
Events
European Film Academy Short
Film Nominations 2012
THE European Film Awards are
presented annually by the European Film Academy to recognise
excellence in European cinematic
achievements. The 25th edition,
being organised in collaboration
with the Malta Film Commission,
will take place in Malta on 1st December this year.
a total of 17 categories, among
them European Film, European Director, European Actress and European Actor, the European Film
Awards annually honour the greatest achievements in European cinema. Apart from Feature Films, the
EFA also has a category for Documentaries and Short Films.
The Short Film initiative is being
held in cooperation with a series of
film festivals throughout Europe.
At each of these festivals, an independent jury presents one of the
European short films in competition with a nomination in the short
film category of the European Film
Awards. Short films allow for creative experiments and provocation
and invite artists to play with cinematic styles – for many filmmakers
the starting point of their career. It
is important for the European Film
Academy to support and promote
young and talented newcomers and
to celebrate this variety in European film culture. To be considered
for a nomination, a short film has
to screen in competition at any of
the participating festivals:
Flanders International Film Festival Ghent (Belgium): www.filmfestival.be
Valladolid International Film
Festival (Spain): www.seminci.es
Corona Cork Film Festival (Ireland): www.corkfilmfest.org
Encounters International Film
Festival (UK): www.encountersfestival.org.uk
Premiers Plans – Festival
d’Angers (France):
www.premiersplans.org
International Film Festival Rotterdam (Netherlands): www.filmfestivalrotterdam.com
Berlin International Film Festival (Germany): www.berlinale.de
Tampere Film Festival (Finland):
www.tamperefilmfestival.fi
Krakow Film Festival (Poland):
www.kff.com.pl
Norwegian Short Film Festival
Grimstad: www.kortfilmfestivalen.
no
Curtas Vila do Conde - International Film Festival (Portugal):
festival.curtas.pt
Sarajevo Film Festival (Bosnia &
Herzegovina): www.sff.ba
Locarno International Film Festival (Switzerland): www.pardolive.
ch
Venice International Film Festival (Italy): www.labiennale.org/en/
cinema
Koleston launches
revolutionary product
International Short Film Festival
in Drama (Greece): www.dramafilmfestival.gr
Each of these festivals presents a
short film award, which includes an
automatic nomination in the European Film Awards’ short film category. So submitting a short film to
one of the above mentioned festivals
is the only way of getting a chance
to receive a EFA nomination. Eligible are directors born in Europe
or with a European passport (European, in the sense of the European
Film Academy, means both EU and
non-EU, and shall include Israeli
and Palestinian), whose films are
produced in 2011 or 2012 and do
not exceed 30 minutes.
So far already four nominees have
been announced. The remaining
11 nominees will be selected by the
juries in Angers, Rotterdam, Berlin,
Tampere, Cracow, Grimstad, Vila
do Conde, Sarajevo, Locarno, Venice and Drama. When the annual
cycle is complete in September, the
nominees will be presented to the
EFA members. The 2,500 members
of the European Film Academy (including Europe’s finest directors,
producers, distributors, writers, actors, etc.) screen the nominees and
elect the overall winner: the “European Film Academy Short Film”,
which will be presented at the annual Awards Ceremony.
Accordingly, the Malta Film
Commission is inviting local film
producers and directors to consider
submitting their Short Film in any
one of the series of film festivals
taking place throughout Europe
and by doing so have a chance to be
a nominated film at the next edition of the European Film Awards
Ceremony, taking place in Malta.
For more information visit www.
europeanfilmacademy.org
Rotary Club Malta
continues support for
Kids of Africa village
KOLESTON has launched a revolution in home care colour – the
new Koleston Colour Intense Foam.
The new foam is a powerful combination of high standard colour and
an application process that is liberating and ensures complete coverage every time.
Thanks to Koleston, colouring
at home has now been made easier
than ever. The new Koleston foam
bestows more power over the coloring process and unlike some foam
hair colorants on the market, mixing Koleston Colour Intense Foam
is easy to apply – just three shakes,
foam and indulge.
When squeezed, the specially-designed bottle creates and dispenses
foam that is six times the volume
of a typical liquid or crème, giving
plenty of rich, intense colour to apply
across the entire head, even for very
long hair. It is easy to apply with fingertips, enabling complete coverage,
and for women who typically comb
the product through, this can now
be done much more easily.
While hair colorants have traditionally been in liquid or crème
form, foam is the ideal medium as it
combines the best properties of solids, liquids and gas. Foam behaves
like a solid when resting, keeping
the product from dripping through
fingers or from the head for a nomess application. When moving,
foam acts like a liquid, making it
easy to spread. Koleston Colour Intense Foam provides thorough coverage by collapsing into the hair, to
penetrate quickly and evenly.
The Koleston Colour Intense Foam
is being sold across leading pharmacies, perfumeries and supermarkets
in Malta. For local trade enquiries,
one may call VJ Salomone (Marketing) on 8007 2387.
FLAT FOR RENT IN SWIEQI
Larger than usual flat for rent in Swieqi. 2 double bedrooms 2 bathrooms one ensuite
kitchen living dinning open plan overlooking small courtyard plus 2 additonal
balconies. Fully air-conditioned and fully furnished. Rent at EUR600 monthly.
Worth viewing . No agents please. Call on 77017171 .
A helper at Kids of Africa filling the
rack of new batteries with acid in
preparation for the launch of the
mini-PV electrical grid
EQUIPMENT for the installation of a €60,000 mini-photovoltaic electrical system for the Kids of
Africa orphanage in Uganda has
arrived on site and is currently being installed.
The equipment was purchased
by Rotary Club Malta through
funds from the Malta Government’s commitment under the Copenhagen Accord, reached during
the Copenhagen Climate Change
Conference in December 2009, to
provide developing countries with
new and additional ‘fast-start’ financing for the period 2010-2012
to enable and support the enhanced
implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change.
The go-ahead for the funding was
received last October and Rotary
Club Malta negotiated a favourable
price for the equipment.
The local Rotary Club initially
supported the Kids of Africa orphanage, built on a 10,000 m2 site
off Lake Victoria near Entebbe in
Uganda, some five years ago when
it donated solar panels for five new
houses at the orphanage, which at
the time housed 50 children. Since
then the orphanage, founded by a
Swiss national, Burkhard Vamholt,
has doubled in size and now houses
close to a hundred children.
The current project will eliminate
a chronic power shortage at the village that is experienced across the
country, with daily power cuts.
The orphanage has an old dieselpowered generator that is inefficient, polluting and costly to run.
The new mini-PV system consists
of photovoltaic panels that power
an array of batteries, enabling the
village to do away with the generator.
Thanks to the new system, which
should be up and running by
March, there will be no power cuts
again since the battery back-up
will step in when the main electricity supply fails and the kids’ village
will save 30% of their electricity
costs.
Rotarian Ian De Cesare, who has
been monitoring progress and intends to visit Uganda to see the system being switched on, said: “It is
a source of great satisfaction to see
the work being undertaken at Kids
for Africa going from strength to
strength. Kids for Africa is a longterm mission with three primary
goals:
“A caring and dignified family
environment; good health through
a balanced, healthy diet and regular physical exercise; and practical
education, which focuses on the
most promising employment opportunities in the Ugandan context.”
19
Events
Emirates inflight entertainment on A330-200
Emirates announces fantastic
offers to Dubai and Australia
NOW is the time for Maltese travellers to fly to Dubai or to Australia
with Emirates’ fantastic offers. Maltese passengers can take the advantage to purchase an airfare during
the 15th to 29th February 2012 and
enjoy a complimentary ticket to Dubai or a reduced fare to any one of
the four destinations in Australia.
HSBC
installs
ATMs in
Gudja and
Fgura
TWO HSBC ATMs have been
installed in Gudja (Dawret ilGudja) and Fgura (Fgura Arcades, Żabbar Road), in line with
the bank’s €3 million programme
to upgrade and increase its ATM
footprint across Malta and Gozo.
These ATMs have been strategically placed in southern locations
to meet with customers’ increasing demand for fast and efficient
services for their everyday banking transactions.
Another significant benefit of
HSBC’s further expansion with
the ATM network is that while
customers can enjoy a fast, secure and convenient service for
their ordinary transactions, more
quality time is reserved at the
branches for the more complex
banking needs like mortgages
and investments that require
staff expert assistance.
The offer to Dubai is buy one
and get one free for passengers flying in First, Business or Economy
Class. Both passengers must travel
together on the same itinerary. The
departure date from Malta must be
from the 1st to 31st March 2012 but
the return date can be after end of
March. The airport tax on the com-
plimentary ticket is not included.
Travellers can also avail themselves
from Emirates Holidays hotel packages in Dubai.
Furthermore, Emirates is offering
a special reduced Economy Class
fare for travel to any of its four Australian destinations – Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. The
starting price is €893.52 including
taxes. Tickets must be purchased
between the 15th and 29th February and commencement of travel
must be from the 1st to 31st March,
though the return date can be outside this period. Terms and conditions apply to both offers.
Emirates operates daily flights be-
tween Malta and Dubai via Larnaka
in Cyprus. The Malta flight arrives
in Dubai at 00.55hrs giving passengers convenient onward connections
to any of the four destinations in
Australia. Tickets can be purchased
through
www.emirates.com.mt,
from Emirates sales office on 2557
7255, or your local travel agent.
Argentinian tango at the Manoel
ALL those who appreciate Latin music and dance and followers of Argentinian tango in Malta are going to have
a unique treat at the Manoel Theatre
at the end of this month. Colores del
Tango is an international tango ensemble, comprising a five-piece band
and three dancers who are currently
making a big name across Europe.
The performances in Malta are going
to be held on 25 and 26 February and
tickets are already selling steadily.
The performance is a taster of the
20th century dance and music in
Argentina that takes the audience
through the sultry summer nights in
Buenos Aires where tango has a special atmosphere. Colores del Tango is
a unique tango show full of passion,
emotion and artistic beauty. It focuses
mainly on the magical music of Astor
Piazzolla, together with other traditional Argentine music which is provided live by the Beltango Quinteto,
an authentic tango orchestra from
Belgrade. The band has been touring
Europe and will be coming to Malta
straight from its performance in Steyr,
Austria.
The organisers of this event have
also thought of giving an additional
thrill to all those seeking quality entertainment by organising a social
Argentine tango gala evening, the
Arte Pasión Grand Milonga. After
the theatre performance all the ticket
holders for the Colores del Tango performance at the Manoel Theatre will
be invited for a complimentary drink
to a prestigious venue, Casino Maltese
in Valletta, which is only a short walk
up from the theatre. A bar service and
food will be available at the venue.
The gala evening on the 25 February
will also be accessible to people who
are looking for an alternative evening
of excellent entertainment so separate
tickets will be available.
An added flavour to this event is
the putting up of a tango-inspired art
exhibition by local artists with the
theme The Colours of Tango which is
being organised as part of this Argentine tango weekend.
Tickets for the Colores del Tango
performances are available from
the booking office of the Manoel
Theatre bookings@teatrumanoel.
com.mt, or online on www.teatrumanoel.com.mt.
20
Classifieds
BOATS
FOR sale wind surfer board and sail food.
Good condition €150. Call 21576160
before noon.
BENETEAU 12 metres year 2005 in
excellent condition many extras pontoon
included. Call 79238772
LASER sailing dinghy complete equipment €2300 ono. Call 79238772
FURNITURE
FOR sale double wardrobe from €8,
wallunit €75, corner sofa with arm chair
€100, dining table 6 chairs various
tables household goods all in good condition. Call 21576160 morning before
noon.
GENERAL
GARAGED (without number plates)
Renault Clio ideal for first time restoration project by car enthusiast or for
spare parts. What offers?
WEDDING dress ivory raw silk with lace
top. Size 10 to 12. Price €100 ono. Call
21809665, 99849994
21 mahogany balusters good condition.
Price €85 the lot. Call 79031640
3IN 30 Wooden doors - ‘Construct
Furniture Type’ give away prices. Call
21694403 for appointment
ON large staffa radial piston motor
hydraulic. Price €450. Call 79031640
SALE of all house contents. House also
for sale freehold. Antique/ old furniture,
crockery, glassware, paintings, grandfather clock etc.. Near parish church 7,
Bishop Street, Zebbug. Friday 10th to
Sunday 12th February 9am to 2pm. Call
99897584, 79427169
LETTING
BAHAR IC-CAGHAQ - Ground floor spacious 3 bedroom maisonette 2 yards,
bathroom/spare toilet, living/dining.
Price €450 monthly. Call 99267747
SLIEMA - Garage in upper Bencini Str,
Sliema. Call 99833950
GUARDAMANGIA - 2 bedroom fully
furnished (including washing machine)
spacious apartment. Call 21809665,
99849994
MGARR - to let excellent location one
bedroom (€250 monthly)/ two bedroom/
three bedroom (€500 monthly). Fully furnished. Call 21570123, 99428930
MOSTA - Premises as clinic in Mosta
consists of three consultant rooms and
a reception area. Can be used for other business requirements accountancy/
insurance office. Parking no problem.
Call owner 99242312, 21411598
SWIEQI - 3 bedroom flat big sitting/dining, separate nice kitchen. Price €450
monthly. Call 99267747
VALLETTA - Ideal as office or clinic
top of St.Paul’s street, opposite Times
building. €15.00 daily no premium. Call
owner 79277389
PROPERTY FOR SALE
ATTARD - Very spacious {130sq.mts.]
and highly finished three bedroom apartments situated very close to everyday needs. Two bedroom penthouses
also available. Each unit finished with
Satariano bathrooms and tiles with double glazing throughout Lock up garages
optional. Price €151,000. Call owner on
21387082 / 99473354
BAHAR IC-CAGHAQ - 7 Basement
garages, 4 two car garages and 3
one car garage (only 2 filati basement).
Considered also part exchange for a
3 bedroomed flat in Swieqi. Call owner
99267747
BAHAR IC-CAGHAQ - New on the market
4 bedroom penthouse extra spacious
sitting/ dining/ living room, large verandas facing the sun, immaculate sea and
country views including a 2 car garage.
Call owner 99267747
=
€3
BAHRIJA - for sale cul de sac (alley)
two bedroom ground floor maisonette
with fitted kitchen, sitting, bathroom, fully
furnished. Large front terrace. Excellent
condition. Price €70,000 (Lm30,000).
Call 99428930, 21570123
MARSASCALA - Two bedroom apartments, to be sold luxuriously finished
including bathroom, ensuite and internal
doors. Front terrace 10ft x 7.5 ft. No
deposit needed. €80,000. Price negotiable. Call 7986 6794
RABAT (for sale) - Suitable for residential unit, commercial, legal offices, etc..
Bargain sale valid only up to election day.
Price €56,000. Call 79420822
SAN PAWL TAT-TARGA - Ground / first
floor three bedroom apartment each with
its own private roof, situated close to the
Chapel in St Paul’s St.Price €149,000.
Call owner on 21387082 / 99473354
SLIEMA - Tower road seafront 3 bedroom flat. Freehold €460,000. Call owner 77446655
ST JULIANS - Commercial space/ offices/ clinic/ estate agency/ catering.
200sq mtrs duplex premises. Freehold
€480,000. Call owner 77446655
ZABBAR - Choice of apartments with
washroom on own part of roof (36m ²)
facing green area. Luxuriously finished
including bathrooms and doors. Served
with a lift and insulated. Price starting
from €93,000. No deposit needed and
price is negotiable. Phone owner on
7986 6794
ZABBAR - Three bedroom ground floor
maisonette, covering 147m ² with spacious backyard measuring 6.7m x 4 m.
Luxuriously finished including bathrooms
and internal doors. €140,000. Price
negotiable. Call 7797 2222
ZABBAR - Two bedroom apartment,
to be sold luxuriously finished including
bathrooms, 4 doors and fully furnished
with furniture of your choice. Apartment
is complimented with its own washroom
and spacious roof terrace. €93,000 Call
7986 6794
ZEBBUG - Fully furnished and highly
finished, ready to move into, large two
bedroom apartment in a small block of
4. Layout is in the form of entrance hall,
kitchen/living/dining area, bathroom, 2
double bedrooms , main with ensuite.
Property enjoys half ownership of roof
/airspace with a spacious washroom.
Complimenting this apartment is a spacious one car lock-up garage. Worth
viewing. €130,500 (Lm56,023) Call
owner 99888020
ZURRIEQ - A very bright 2nd floor flat
semi-finished served with lift consisting
of 2 double bedrooms, bathroom 25x19
feet, open plan, ensuite and 2 large back
terraces including a solid wood bedroom
furniture worth viewing. Price €107,151
(Lm46,000) Call 99575990
ZURRIEQ - A very bright 2nd floor flat
semi-funished served with lift consisting
of 2 double bedrooms, bathroom 25x19
feet, open plan, ensuite and 2 large back
terraces inlcuding a solid wood bedroom
furniture worth viewing. Price €107,151
(Lm46,000) Call 99575990
ZURRIEQ - Two bedroom apartment,
luxuriously finished including bathrooms
and doors. Spacious front terrace 10ft
x 8 ft. €83,000. Price negotiable. Phone
owner on 9959 6982
ZURRIEQ. Three bedroom apartment,
luxuriously finished including bathrooms
and doors. Very big front terrace 8ft x
20ft. €93,000. Price negotiable. Phone
owner on 7986 6794
QALA, Gozo: House for sale direct
from owner needs restoration or can
be developed into a modern home or
apartments. €135,000 Freehold. Call on
79522235
SERVICE
ADMINISTRATION of blocks common
parts. Call 27445531
YOU require an administrator for condominium services. Call Tony Cilia Pisani
79012901
SITUATION VACANT
HOUSEKEEPER is required to work in
family residence. Must be over 21 years
of age, responsible and reliable. Call
79965935
TUITION
FRENCH one-to-one Classes to individuals and small groups of up to 3
students - Beginners, Matsec O Level,
Matsec Intermediate & Professional
(suitable for those planning to work
within a European Institution or travel
on business). Emphasis on spoken
French. Notes and hand-outs provided. Excellent results. Call 79412364,
21412364.
FRENCH, Italian, English, Maltese
Forms 1 to 5. We can help you revise
and improve to do well in your exams.
Lessons in Paola. Individual attention
by experienced tutor. Start now! Get
good results! Call 99807451
INDIVIDUAL tuition in graphical
communication for Matsec exam
or other purposes. Call 99242312,
21411598
MALTESE Forms 1-5. O/I/Advanced
Level. Notes provided. University
graduate. Also as a foreign language.
Mosta. Call 21410218, 79999928
ORAL practice and listening comprehension as well as grammar revision for Matsec 2012. English and
Italian. Lessons in Paola. Also English
lessons for adults and school leavers who want to improve because of
a job or an exam. Call 21697187,
99804695
VEHICLES
CLASSIC cars Rolls Royce, Mercedes,
Spitfire, Simca, Fiat. Call 21558975,
99460726
2 CLASSIFIEDS
FOR 3 WEEKS
Choose category. Fill in the boxes provided. Write in block letters. Your advert will appear for three weeks in both MaltaToday, MaltaToday Wednesday, and www.maltatoday.com.mt.
This offer does not apply to Real Estate agents. Send your form to:
MaltaToday Classifieds, Media Today, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016.
Together with a €3 cheque payable to MediaToday Co. Ltd.
Name: ________________________________ Address: _______________________________________________________
_______________________________________ Tel: ___________________ email: _________________________________
ANTIQUES
BOATS
FURNITURE
GENERAL
LETTING
PETS
PROPERTY
SITUATIONS WANTED
SITUATIONS VACANT
SERVICE
TUITION
VEHICLES / PARTS
WANTED
ANTIQUES
BOATS
FURNITURE
GENERAL
LETTING
PETS
PROPERTY
SITUATIONS WANTED
SITUATIONS VACANT
SERVICE
TUITION
VEHICLES / PARTS
WANTED
ALL PRICES INDICATED FOR YOUR PRODUCT OR SERVICE MUST BE IN EURO
21
Sport
SPORTTODAY
FOOTBALL
PSG confirm signing of Thiago
Motta as Inter sign Palombo
THIAGO Motta’s agent, Alessandro
Canovi, revealed on deadline day
that Inter had accepted Paris-Saint
Germain’s bid for the Brazilian-born
Italy international and the transfer
was confirmed by the Ligue 1 leaders on Tuesday evening.
“A press conference has been called
for Wednesday, 1 February 2012
at 3.30pm at the Parc des Princes
to present Thiago Motta, who will
wear the number 28,” a statement on
the club’s official website read.
“This presentation will be attended by PSG sporting director Leonardo.”
Motta was a key part of the Inter
side which won the treble in 2010
but Canovi recently admitted that
the former Barcelona man had been
aggrieved by the club’s failure to offer him a new contract last summer.
Motta has made 83 official appearances wearing the Inter shirt,
scoring 12 goals and winning 6 ti-
tles: 1 Scudetto, 1 UEFA Champions
League, 1 Club World Cup, 2 Coppa
Italia, 1 Italian Super Cup.
Meanwhile as Motta leaves the
club, Inter beat Milan and Juventus for the signature of Sampdoria
captain Angelo Palombo. It was reported earlier on deadline day that
AC Milan were lining up a bid for
the midfielder but he has instead
wound up joining the Nerazzurri on
a six-month loan deal at a reported
cost of €1m, with Inter then able to
make the deal permanent with a further €4m fee.
“I am very pleased to have arrived
at Inter, into a great team,” the midfielder told his new club’s official
website.
The signing of Palombo, who has
been capped 22 times by Italy and
had also previously been linked with
Serie A leaders Juventus, comes on
a busy day of transfer activity for
Inter.
Angelo Palombo has a chance to
relaunch his career in Serie A after
moving from Serie B side Sampdoria
to Inter
After a successful career
with Inter, Thiago Motta
will be moving to PSG
Transfers from around Europe
Europe’s elite scramble for the signature of players as the transfer window
came to an end on Tuesday evening
PREMIER LEAGUE
LA LIGA
Djibril Cisse (Lazio to QPR, undisclosed)
Kevin De Bruyne (Genk to Chelsea, undisclosed, loaned back)
Marcus Olsson (Halmstads to Blackburn, free)
Wayne Bridge (Manchester City to Sunderland,
loan)
Liam Ridgewell (Birmingham to West Brom,
undisclosed)
Ryo Miyaichi (Arsenal to Bolton, loan)
Thomas Eisfeld (Borussia Dortmund to Arsenal, undisclosed)
Sotirios Kyrgiakos (Wolfsburg to Sunderland,
loan)
Victor Sanchez Mata (Neuchatel Xamax to Espanyol, undisclosed)
Marcos Gullon (Villarreal to Racing Santander,
free)
Alexandros Tziolis (Monaco to Racing
Santander, undisclosed)
Alexander Hleb (released by Barcelona)
Pablo Alvarez (Catania to Real Zaragoza, loan)
Alejandro Martinuccio (Fluminense to Villarreal, loan)
SPL
Pa Saikou Kujabi (None to Hibernian, free)
Jorge Claros (Motagua to Hibernian, loan)
Murray Wallace (Falkirk to Huddersfield, undisclosed)
SERIE A
Ciro Immobile (Juventus to Genoa, €8m)
Philipp Prosenik (Chelsea to AC Milan, undisclosed)
Kenneth Zohore (Copenhagen to Fiorentina,
undisclosed)
Simone Padoin (Atalanta to Juventus, undisclosed)
Freddy Guarin (Porto to Inter, loan)
Juan (Internacional to Inter, undisclosed)
Sulley Muntari (Inter to AC Milan, loan)
McDonald Mariga (Inter to Parma, loan)
Michele Pazienza (Juventus to Udinese,
loan)
Vincenzo Iaquinta (Juventus to Cesena,
loan)
Valeri Bojinov (Sporting to Lecce, loan)
Ishak Belfodil (Lyon to Bologna, loan)
Michelangelo Albertazzi (Getafe to Milan,
termination of loan)
Angelo Palombo (Sampdoria to Inter, undisclosed)
Vladimir Koman (Sampdoria to Monaco, undisclosed)
BUNDESLIGA
Vedran Corluka
Leverkusen, loan)
(Tottenham
to
Bayer
Mohamed Zidan (Dortmund to Mainz, loan/
free transfer)
Elias Charalambous (Alki Larnaca to Karlsruhe, undisclosed)
Martin Amedick (Kaiserslautern to Eintracht
Frankfurt, undisclosed)
Ariel Borysiuk (Legia Warsaw to Kaiserslautern,
undisclosed)
Ivan Santini (NK Zadar to Freiburg, loan)
Srdjan Lakic (Wolfsburg to Hoffenheim, loan)
Sotirios Kyrgiakos (Wolfsburg to Sunderland,
loan)
LIGUE 1
Wesley Lautoa (Sedan to Lorient, undisclosed)
Issam Jemaa (Auxerre to Brest, loan)
Thiago Motta (Internazionale to Paris St-Germain, undisclosed)
Jonathan Brison (Nancy to St Etienne, undisclosed)
22
Sport
MOTORSPORTS
CRICKET
ASM – New trials
committee and
championship
Krishan lose to Marsa
LAST Saturday the 20 over Winter
League continued with the Marsa
C.C (looking for their first win)
playing the leaders Krishna C.C.
The Marsa team batted first and
lost three early wickets of Sumair
Khan, Sunny Krishna and Robert
Krishna who between them scored
seven runs. Daniel Galea took two
of these wickets. Tony Azzopardi
and Javed Shah rescued their team
scoring eighteen runs and twenty
nine runs respectively both hitting a
couple of fours along the way. Derek
Ali scored thirteen before he and
Malcolm Crabbe were out in consecutive balls from Ronnie Sacco.
Sam Aquilina (thirteen runs) and
Mike Caruana (seventeen runs fro
thirteen balls) took their side to 124
runs from the allotted overs. For
Krishna Kevin Krishna and Nowell
Khosla also took a wicket each.
The Krishna team also had a bad
start losing three of their first four
batsmen for nine runs. Nowell
Khosla the pick of the batsmen was
doing extremely well , in fact had
Gozo’s Josef Attard taking a corner on his Honda
ON Sunday 5th February ASM
will be organising the 9th event
for Autocross and the 4th event
for the Motocross ASM-Poiatti
Championships 2011-2012. First
races start at 11.00am.
In the Autocross Class ‘A’ championship list Christian Galea on
his Ritmo is now leading with 47
points over Patrick Cassar on the
Opel with just a single point. This
change in position took place during last event when Cassar lost
all his marginal points to Galea.
Third placed Manuel Muscat has
26 points on his Opel Corsa in
Class ‘A’.
Current Class B leader is Mario
Scicluna. He won full points in the
Class ‘B’ Finals and is now on top
of the list with 26 points. Runnerup to Scicluna is Matthew Borg
with 24 points on his fast Vauxhall
Corsa. Kieth Borg on another Nova and James Buttigieg on a Fiesta
share 3rd overall with 13 points.
High competition exists in Motocross Class ‘A’ where Carm Borg
is leading with 70 points on his yellow Suzuki RMZ. Clayton Camilleri on a KTM follows close by to
Carmel with 65 points. Clayton is
5 points ahead of current Championship leader Stefan Dimech’s
60 points on his Honda CRF. 4th
place is shared between Paul Muscat (KTM) and Edward Ciantar
(Kawasaki) with 48 points each.
During next race all riders are expected to be battling together for
the best possible high places, thus
the highest points scores possible.
Class B is also highly competitive between 4 riders. Charles
Borg from Gozo is leading the pack
with 67 points. Arthur Micallef is
following very close by with 63
points. Both Borg and Micallef
ride Honda CRF 250cc bikes. 3rd
place is now shared between Brandon Muscat on a Yamaha YZ and
Brandon Slowe on a Honda CRF
with 53 points each. Both are expected to seek highest place possible in next Sunday’s competition.
Since the introduction of Trials
the ASM Executive Committee has
set the Officials for this revived
Trials section. Eddie Bonello is
posted as the Trials President. He
last occupied this post way back in
2001. Manuel Camilleri is posted
as the Section’s Secretary while
Nick Farrugia is the new treasurer.
This committee has been working
re establishing rules and ASR’s for
the Trials Competitions. A new 4
The start of the autocross race
scored thirty six runs from twenty
four balls before being bowled by
Malcolm Crabbe. He also scored
three fours and a six. Ronnie Sacco
was going along at a run a ball until he was caught on twenty eight
runs, he also scored three fours.
This opened up the tail end of the
Krishna batting and only Ian Pendelbury (thirteen runs) and Kevin
Krishna (eight runs) showed any
resistance. For Marsa Sarfraz Ali
and Malcolm Crabbe took three
wickets each, Tony Azzopardi took
two while Mike Caruana took one.
Sam Aquilina who was wicket keeping managed to take three stumpings and a catch. The Krishna team
totalled 105 runs. Marsa win their
first game in the league. The Marsa team earned eight points while
Krishna eaerned one point, but still
lead the ladder by their nearest rival
Melita C.C, by six points.
Next Saturday the Marsa team
take on Melita C.C. The Sunoco
cricket academy/nursery will be
from 9:00am till 10:30am
VOLLEYBALL
events Mini-Championship will
be organized between the 26th
February and May 2012. Each
event lasts about 4 hours where all
competitors will challenge no less
than 10 sections.
On Thursday 16th February 2012
the ASM President and Secretary
will be meeting the Demolition
drivers at the ASM Clubhouse at
Mtarfa. The Race rules and other
matters will be discussed with the
members present. All prospective
Demolition drivers are urged to
attend.
Practice sessions on Saturday
are held from 10.00 am for the
Motocross and from 2.00pm for
the Autocross cars. First race on
Sunday starts at 11.00am.
International appointments for
local volleyball referees
THE three international
volleyball referees, Mr.
Marvic Micallef, Mr.
Frankie Tanti and Mr.
Nello Calleja, have all
been appointed to officiate in a number of European Championship and
European Cups’ matches
during the first months
of this year.
During the qualification group for the Girls
Junior European Championships within the
Small Countries Division of the European
Volleyball ConfederaMarvic Micallef
tion, played at the Cottonera Sports Complex
Cup, at the beginning of February.
between the 13th and
15th January, Malta was represented Mr. Tanti will be accompanying Mr.
by Mr. Marvic Micallef. The other Omero Satanassi from Italy. Mr.
referees for this tournament were Tanti’s match will be the first leg of
Andrea Constantinides (Cyprus), the tie between French side Rennes
Alexander Brandstatter (Austria), Volley 35 and opponents Stroitel
John Swan (Scotland) and Ilaria Minsk, representing Belarus.
At the beginning of January, Mr.
Vagni (Italy).
Following this tournament, Mr. Nello Calleja was nominated as
Micallef will be the first referee in an one of the officials in a 16th Final
8th Final match of the CEV Ladies’ match from the same competition,
Challenge Cup which will be played the CEV Ladies’ Challenge Cup,
during this week. This match will this time round in Split, Croatia,
face Iller Bankasi Ankara of Tur- between local team Zok Split 1700
key against the Romanian side CSU and Lokomotiv Baku from AzerbaiTirgu Mures in the first leg of this jan. The latter were Runners-Up in
home and away tie. For his match, the 2011 edition of the same comMr. Micallef will be accompanied by petition when they lost in the final
against compatriots Azerrail Baku.
Mr. Petar Harizanov from Bulgaria.
Mr. Frankie Tanti will also be ref- The Azeri team won this match 3-0.
ereeing in an 8th Final match, this Mr. Calleja was accompanied by Mr.
time from the CEV Men’s Challenge Christophe Lecourt from France.
23
Sport
OPINION
A “gentleman’s” game
A few hours before the pre disposed handshakes, and interesting development unfolds in West
London. Anton Ferdinand receives
mail, as any one would on a Saturday morning. Whats so different
about this package? It contains
a bullet. A threat to the centre
back, or someone playing a nasty
joke. This does not help the case,
and frankly as a sportsman I am
disgusted by the way some people have taken this argument to
the next level. The bullet should
have stopped at the FA, at best the
courts, but sending one by mail?
Naturally alarm bells were ringing at Loftus Road before kick off,
with security stepped up even further, as a potential killer was on the
loose. The police hand searched
every single fan entering the stadium, with the match being scheduled for a noon kick off, a tactic
used to ensure fans will not have
too much time to get heavily drunk
and cause violence in the stadium.
Liverpool vs Manchester United
was also due for an early kick off
for similar reasons, about a similar
case of racism.
The hostile and tense atmosphere
at QPR was evident, however seeing a game with no handshakes
prior to kick off was just weird.
Villas Boas praised the idea, but I
do not feel the spirit of the game
should be shelved due to a spat between two players. So John Terry
misses another handshake, its not
MARK STRIJBOSCH
JOHN Terry’s hardly making any
friends these days. Wayne Bridge
refuses to shake his hands during
the pre match niceties, and now a
whole hand shacking session was
cancelled due to his ongoing court
case with Anton Ferdinand.
The Chelsea visit to QPR in the
FA Cup fourth round was always
going to grab headlines for many
reasons, however last Saturday’s
occasion was something else. A
london derby is always special,
but everything seemed to go into
the boiling pot last weekend. The
previous meeting between the two
rivals ended in a controversial 1-0
Rangers, when Chelsea were reduced to nine men back in October. That was a match remembered
sadly for all the wrong reasons, as
a non stop argument between John
Terry and his legal team and Anton
Ferdinand’s camp who accuse the
England captain of racially offending his compatriot.
Well, thats now all for the law
courts to decide, and by the time
you are sipping tea enjoying this article, the courts of justice will have
decided whether JT is guilty or not,
and one does wonder what sort of
punishment can be dished out for
a crime of this nature. Naturally he
claims and protects his innocence,
however his reputation as a professional hardly helps his case.
like he isn’t used to it by now, and
the game does not revolve around
him, thankfully.
Handshakes at Anfield were held
as scheduled, with banned Luis
Suarez watching from the stadium
seats, cheekily grinning each time
his team went forward. A fairly
boring game, with more boos than
cheers from the crowd, particularly
as Patrice Evra galloped forward,
with one fan taking it one step further again, getting himself arrested
after the match for aiming “monkey
like gestures” towards the former
France captain. Liverpool’s reputation is hardly improving thanks to
the fans, who behaved well; bar the
one insult to the sport, sad excuse
for a football fan.
Liverpool’s performance summed
up their season well. With no
chance of a shot at the league, and
qualification for the Champions
League looking tough, Dalglish’s
men have to focus on the cups.
They did well to brush Manchester City out of the League Cup on
the way to the final, and now have
both Manchester Clubs on their
bed posts as they reached the fifth
round of the FA Cup. Silverware
is what the club is desperate for,
and the League Cup always offers
the perfect opportunity for any big
club to bounce back and give their
hungry fans something to chew
on. Arsenal tried hard last season,
however a shock defeat to Birmingham in the final at Wembley
Not the best of times for Chelsea’s John Terry
left them sobbing as they climbed
the famous steps, will Cardiff City
prove to be as tough for Liverpool?
One would hope another classic final is awaiting us all in February.
Manchester united’s failure to
beat their bitter rivals means they
are now out off all Cup competitions they entered. The Champion’s League got replaced by the
Europa League, and they failed in
both domestic cup competitions.
The larger they are, the harder the
fall I suppose. The league is surely
their main focus now, however
those three points lost at home
to Blackburn might come back to
haunt them come May.
One thing that is certainly haunting them right now is their lack of
experience in the goalkeeping department, as David de Gea made
his umpteenth mistake this season,
having no clu how to deal with corners, opting to focus on grappling
Andy Carroll instead of collecting the decent corner that lead to
the opening goal. Lindegaard has
proved semi decent for United so
far, so it really is a wonder how Sir
Alex opted for the young Spaniard
last Saturday.
Pursuits
Across
1. Situation comedy
4. Grew less
8. Disfigure
9. Make legal
10. Objects
12. Construct
13. Roster
14. Laziness
17. Marijuana
20. Serpents
22. Confronts
23. Language of European Jews
24. Memento
25. Overhanging lower edge of
a roof
26. Averages
27. An Australian
Sudoku
Sudoku rules are
extremely easy: Fill all empty
squares so that the numbers 1
to 9 appear once in each row,
column and 9x9 box.
Answers to the MaltaToday crossword will be published next Wednesday
Last week’s solution
Chess
Today’s Weather
8
8
7
WEATHER:
Rain showers in
places at times
which may be
locally thundery for
some time
VISIBILITY:
Good except in
some showers
WIND:
Southwesterly
force 4 to 5 at first
veering Westerly
force 5 to 6 and
becoming force 5
in the evening
6
7
5
4
6
3
5
2
1
4
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
3
Bc5+
Ne7+
Rd8#
2
1
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
White to play and mate in three moves
Kg8
Kf8
SHOWERS
14ºC / 8ºC
UV INDEX: 2
Down
1. Writ
2. Decaying organic matter
3. Person who operates a mill
5. Cloth bag filled with beans
6. Version
7. Ward off
11. Containing soap
15. Use too often
16. Person that is no longer
popular
18. Formal speech
19. Bring to a successful end
21. Mountain range
22. Rock clinging plant
News
Clockwise from left: Frank, Justo,
Paco and Scott – some of the
inmates who will be performing at
St James Cavalier next week
TEODOR RELJIC
THE prospect of heading to prison
on a gloomy winter day is not appealing at the best of times. Even if
– as my photographer and I are informed just as we pull next to main
entrance of the Corradino Correctional Facility – you’re meant to be
in the Young Offenders Division,
and not to answer for any crimes
but to interview a group of prisoners who will be performing a play at
St James Cavalier next week.
When we finally make our way to
the designated area – which overlooks the appropriately desolate
‘Gaddafi Gardens’ – I remain unsure of what to expect.
Billed as an international, interministerial collaboration (the full list
of entities would take up too much
column space), When You Hear My
Voice will allow young prisoners to
perform a play at St James Cavalier,
Valletta between 6 to 9 February.
But beyond the fact that the play
will include extracts from William
Shakespeare’s oeuvre, I know nothing of the prisoners themselves, or
of the training they’ve received.
Walking through spartan corridors
separated by turquoise doors (I can
confirm one cliché: that of the sluggishly-sliding security door, opened
by a portly guard at the other end),
we are greeted by a smartly dressed
British gentleman, who beckons
us into a small room where we can
meet the team while as they record a
radio interview. It turns out that the
gentleman is Bruce Wall, director of
this initiative, whose passion for the
project is easy to spot.
“Shakespeare should be taught
standing up, not sitting down. Prisoners need to remember that no
matter how many keys an officer
may hold, this language is something that belongs to all of us. It is
all of our birthright,” Wall says.
You get the sense that these motivational nuggets are a mainstay of
this London Shakespeare Workout
project, run in collaboration with
The Corradino Correctional Facility.
The first thing that strikes me
when I meet the young offenders
– or ‘residents’, as they are euphemistically referred to by the local
coordinators of the project – is that
they are a truly international bunch
(as luck would have it, the Maltese
members of the group are on court
duty on the day).
It’s rehearsal time, and they launch
into random selections from the
performance – which will be made
up of Shakespeare extracts as well as
works by other canonical writers…
along with, crucially, a selection of
works from inmate writers from
across the globe.
The rehearsal is rickety – as all
rehearsals are – and the setup appears to be programmed so that the
amateur actors help each other out
at every step of the way (each monologue is accompanied by a chorus).
But it’s clear that the group are
ready to face an audience. The anger in some of them is evident, but
though diction is less than perfect
at times, it is a filtered anger – the
kind that’s been refined by diligent
practice.
But when I finally sit down to speak
to the assembled group, the vibe is
anything but angry. The group are
happy to speak about the process.
€1.00
AY.COM.MT
W.MALTATOD
gozotoday
ozitans day
65% of allngG
el zoto
favour tu no
YOUR FIRS
T READ AND
FIRST
DAY WW
CLICK OF THE
*0/
t41&$*"-&%*5
5t*446&
t"6(64
SATURDAY
YOUR FIRS
T READ AND
FIRST CLIC
K OF
€1.00
GOZO AS
THEY SEE IT
AY.COM.MT
W.MALTATOD
THE DAY WW
2012
It’s also funny how some of them
conform to national stereotypes.
The Americans, in particular,
seem to be happy to explain things
in some length – one of these is
Frank, who immediately sets himself up as the group’s unofficial
spokesperson.
“None of us would have ever done
this before,” Frank says in no uncertain terms, with the group revealing
that none of them had any previous
experience of drama. “It’s thanks to
Bruce that we’re all here – he’s been
working on this since last September, and when he asked us to perform we were all hesitant, but all us
said yes in the end. I mean none of
us had any drama training, and let
alone in Shakespeare, which takes it
to a whole new level. When we came
face to face with Shakespeare’s language, it was just appalling – especially to those of us who don’t have
English as a first language!”
His colleagues nod in agreement –
especially the non-English-speaking
ones. All of them, however, seem to
have benefited from the experience.
“Instead of screaming at myself, I
scream through the script!” says
Justo from Spain.
In a lot of ways, working on the
play seems to have compensated for
an education they seem to have lost,
or been deprived of, in the past.
“The education aspect of this is also a great thing. I don’t know about
the rest of these guys, but I dropped
out of school at a very young age,
and this has given me an education
in written and spoken English that
I’ve never had before. I actually enjoy writing a lot, but now that we’ve
tackled Shakespeare I’ve learnt a lot
more words that I could use,” Mark,
The voices from inside
Director Bruce Wall: “No matter
how many keys an officer may
hold, Shakespeare’s language is
something that belongs to all of us”
whose poetry will also be incorporated into the play, says.
Jose, another American participant, agrees with Mark that conventional education may not serve
up an ideal model when it comes to
teaching drama, especially Shakespeare.
“When we did Macbeth in school
it was very vague: we were just told:
‘here, read this’ and nobody took the
time to break it down and explain
what all the words meant like Bruce
did.
“I actually prefer Shakespeare to
the other plays we’re doing alongside his because once you get over
the language, there’s so much stuff
you can get into…” Jose says.
As we talk, I never get the impres-
sion that I’m speaking to prisoners.
Rather, they come across as young
men gearing up for an exhilarating time at the theatre. There is no
sense of defeat or resignation in their
voices – just a touch of nervousness,
that mix of adrenaline and fear that
comes with trying something you’ve
never tried before.
“The aim of this is to show people
that there’s a lot more to us than
people might think,” Frank says,
adding that he looks to the show’s
premiere with a mix of “nervousness
and excitement”.
For more information log on to:
http://www.lswproductions.co.uk/
voicemalta.htm and http://www.facebook.com/TACtheatre.
gozotoday
%*5*0/
&t41&$*"-&
#&3t*446
t%&$&.
SATURDAY
t
39 governmmaennGozo
workers ates
spltaitTodaayl g
hoA Ma
INTERVIEW:
Anton
Refalo Pgs
6,7
survey reveals think
what Gozitans
y
TODAY
Mario
Grech most
popular
personality
in Gozo
MINI EDITION
#
ss of issuare in the proce
t
re- authoritiesfor applic ation for the vacan
its effort s to
a call
since 1987, yet
within ing
a hospi- powerthe number of employees flown post.
turns out
of Gozo also
needed to man
duce
to have
The Ministry t employer in Gozo.
individuals are
sector seem
size.
public
the
small
Gozo.
larges
a
in
ed
the
be
person s
tal of such
the hospit al gates
ry an- to
figure was reveal
employs 2,685
N
yed perThis staggering to a parlia menta ry over the meant ime, parlia menta
The Ministry
emplo
lly
Gozo
JURGE N BALZA
in
In
gainfu
reply
the hospit al
out of 9,147
by Debono in o also made it a point
Giova nna
as of June 2011.
swers show that resident anaesthetist
for Gozo
sons in Gozo
no
question. Debon of these employees
absurd ly has
MIN ISTER
parlia ment
said health
some
nt. Debono
to add that
confir med in
yed since 1985.
at the mome
Debono has
39 person s
try employs
have been emplo
has been in
govern ment
that her Minis at the Craig Hospital
into
The present
An insightfresco
to man the gates It is unclea r why 39
the top al ts
in Victor ia, Gozo.
uran
resta
to
Malta has
offer
Bishop Mario Grech
unsurprisingly surfaces as
the most popular person
in Gozo, followed by Gozo
mits
Minister conm
si ow
min
et n
urmu
oveGGorr
o
to
lf
h se
5
Joe Ellis:
An
alternative
to an air
link
Pg 14
Justyne
Caruana:
Family
values still
i tal in
OUT NEXT SATURDAY
4 FEBRUARY
AT ALL LEADING STATIONERS
For advertising enquiries contact Adriana Farrugia on
Tel: 2138 2741 ext 126 or email: [email protected]

250 Midweek 1st Feb 2012

Transcription

Similar documents

10-11 March 2016 - Performigrations

Bandyke Moving Pictures

Fort Vauban, Longwy Vilhena Gate, Mdina

Funding 59 - Enterprise Europe Network

REEL-Recovery-Film-Festival - Lifeskills Of South Florida

THE SOURCE (international)

Shamaley Chime N` Rhyme Making Music

Basic Chest X-Ray Interpretation

community - DailyNews Archives

May 2011 - Visit Malta

Issue #662 - Maltatoday