0.

90
WEDNESDAY EDITION
WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT

HSBC Maltas Head of

Commercial Banking
Michel Cordina
Pg 12

WEDNESDAY 10 APRIL 2013 ISSUE 309 PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY

PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAY ATTARD

ALL EYES ON MGARR

FOR GOZO MARINA
With Hondoq ir-Rummien already excluded, only land reclamation at Mgarr can guarantee a
500-berth yacht marina as well as a new cruise liner terminal on Gozo
JAMES DEBONO
ENVIRONMENTALISTS beware: the most probable location on
the Gozitan coastline for both the
cruise terminal and the 500-berth
yacht marina, envisioned in Labours

electoral programme, remains the

already congested Mgarr harbour,
which may have to be extended by
means of land reclamation.
But the previous governments proposal for a cruise terminal on the
same site has already been shot down
by MEPAs Environmental Protec-

tion Department, as it would entail

the destruction of the EU-protected
poseidonia (seaweed) meadows in the
area.
Labours intentions on this front
were made clear in the electoral campaign. In June 2012 during a visit to
Fort Chambray, Muscat spoke about

Inmates directly affected

by years of neglect by
prison administration
A surprise visit to Maltas prison
by the new Home Affairs Minister
last Sunday may have caught the
administrative napping, but the
systemic problems uncovered were
nothing new to an NGO which has
been calling for structural reform
at Corradino Correctional Facility
for years.
Inmates have consistently told

us that this yard can never been

opened or the gym cant be used
today, because of a lack of warders
to man the facilities, Mid-Dlam
ghad-Dawls George Busuttil said.
The situation was having a direct
effect on the lives of the prisoners

the need for a yacht marina, adding

that Mgarr Harbour could be extended to take another 500 yacht berths.
The same idea was echoed in August 2012 by Chambray developer
Michael Caruana in an article where
he proposed a yacht marina based
just outside Marr Harbour.

Ideally the marina should have between 500 and 800 berths since there
is a big market for it and it should
also offer berthing for super yachts,
he wrote in an article called Transforming Gozo in to the Monte Carlo
of the Mediterranean.

CONTINUES ON PAGE 4

MARGARET
THATCHER
1925-2013
Obituary by Martin Scicluna

FULL STORY PAGE 6

SEE ALSO EDITORIAL PAGE 11

COSTA FAVOLOSA

PAGES 8-9

7
NIGHTS

115,000 tonnes

MALTA TO MALTA

FROM ONLY

559

Paola

Tel: 21667666

Sliema

Tel: 21322687

Rabat (Gozo)
Tel: 21551126

Valletta

Tel: 21232211

Visiting: Catania, Naples, Savona,

Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca

ALL I

Hamrun

Tel: 21240203

www.smsmondial.com.mt

Newspaper post

W
O
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NCLUSIVE

APRIL to NOVEMBER

BKara

Tel: 21443333

2
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 10 APRIL 2013

News

maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 10 APRIL 2013

No signs of
speculative
attacks on
Maltese economy
Central Bank
governor
KARL STAGNO-NAVARRA
CENTRAL Bank governor and European Central Bank council member
Josef Bonnici dismissed any suggestion that the islands economy may
be subject to any external speculative
attacks in the wake of the Cypriot
crisis.
Speaking to MaltaToday, after he
presented the Central Banks annual
report, Bonnici however claimed that
while the Central Bank of Malta has
no evidence of any speculative attacks on its economy with regular
capital movements being registered
over the last few weeks, the institution will remain vigilant.

Josef Bonnici
Bonnici stressed that Maltas economic fundamentals remain strong
on the back of positive performance
throughout the past years notwithstanding a delicate external economic environment.
He said that the islands banking
and financial sector is sound and
robust with high solvency, profitability and liquidity.
The Maltese banking sector is
composed of domestically-oriented
banks and international banks, the
latter having very limited and contained links to the local economy.
Most of their activity is in fact focused on non-resident business and
they account for more than threefifths of the total assets of the banking sector, he said.
Bonnici explained that statistics
have clearly shown that the Maltese
banking sector compares very well to
the European averages.
This performance of the banking
sector is backed by strong macroeconomic fundamentals. Maltas economy continued to register growth,
moderate inflation and a much
lower unemployment rate than the
euro area. Government renewed its
commitment to fiscal consolidation
and its determination to reign in the
deficit below the 3% threshold and
to bring its debt-to-GDP ratio on a
downward trajectory, Bonnici said.
The Capital Adequacy Ratio of Maltese banks is well above the 8% regulatory minimum confirming that the
sector is well capitalised, he said.
The profitability of the sector is
also high, especially when measured
by the return on equity, with the core
domestic banks achieving doubledigit results. The same can be said
when analysing the liquid assets to
total assets ratio.
The core domestic banks are deeply integrated to Maltas economy and
operate a traditional business model.
This is confirmed by the customer
loan to deposit ratio which stands
at 70% as compared to the Euro area
average of 110%. These banks also
have very limited exposure to trou-

bled euro area securities and in its

latest Article IV Report on Malta,
the International Monetary Fund
confirmed that Maltas banking sector is one of the least sensitive to the
Greek market risk. The way ahead is
to build on the banks strengths, reinforcing their resilience by allocating further profits to provisioning,
Bonnici said.

News

maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 10 APRIL 2013

Parts of Gozo coastline may have

to make way for marina project
Mgarr harbour is very limited and
would probably require land reclamation and development on the rest
of its pristine coastline.
During a meeting with Din l-Art
Helwa before the election Muscat
had also declared that a new Labour
government will consider the construction of a yacht marina through
land reclamation but failed to indicate a site for this development
It would also likely cause great
damage to the marine ecosystems
there.

The impact of a cruise terminal

MEPAs Environment Protection
Department has already deemed the
proposal for the development of a
cruise liner berth at Mgarr Harbour
to be objectionable in principle because of the threat posed by dredging works to the protected Posidonia
Meadows and other protected species like the lesser Neptune grass.
The project envisaged the construction of a new berthing facility
within the port consisting of a platform 80 metres long and 15 metres
wide positioned on concrete piles.
The platform was to be connected to
the shore via a 100-meter long access
bridge.
But studies carried out on site revealed that the project would have
a negative impact on the poseidenia
meadows, a priority natural habitat
under the EU Habitat Directive.
A preliminary environment impact study indicated that almost half
of the continuous posidonia beds in
the area would be directly lost as a
result of dredging.
The increased turbidity levels due
to the manoeuvring of large vessels
during the operations of the cruise
terminal would also jeopardise any
remaining posidonia beds.
MEPA can only approve a project
which is clearly in breach of EU directives in the event that it must be
carried out for reasons of overriding
public interest. But if this is the case
the EPD warns that Malta will have
to inform the European Commission and to compensate for the loss
of habitat.
Following discussions with Transport Malta, an alternative consisting
of a mooring buoy was being consid-

PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAY ATTARD

PAGE 1 Muscat had also excluded a

yacht marina at Hondoq ir-Rummien on the Qala coast even if Labour
has not excluded any residential development in the former quarry site.
During a visit to Gozo during the
electoral campaign Joseph Muscat
declared that a new Labour government party stands opposed to the
Hondoq ir-Rummien yacht marina
and hotel project.
The director of Gozo Prestige Holidays, Joe Cassar, who proposed a
marina at Hondoq ir-Rummien, was
guarded about the Prime Ministers
announcement for a new marina.
Whatever politicians say, if somebody does not take the burning decisions, people will not come to Gozo
if there is something here that attracts them, and there wont be work
for Gozitans eithers, Cassar said.
Cassars proposal for a holiday village and accompanying marina were
turned down by MEPA. A revised
proposal, without the marina, is currently at the appeals stage.
Hondoq is an ideal site for tourist
development. But if there isnt somebody who decides where things happen, nothing gets done. Now MEPA
wants us to file a new application,
Cassar said, complaining that a considerable amount of money was spent
in 16 copies of a six-volume study.
We researched the feasibility of
12 sites for the marina, and it turned
out that Hondoq was the ideal place.
If the government wants to do the
marina at Mgarr, then I welcome it.
After all, my interest in the marina
project is for Gozo to have a national
project that provides it with income.
My application has been unresolved
for 11 years, Cassar said.
Plans to extend Gozos Marr Harbour pontoons to accommodate
more boats, presented by the previous government, are currently pending at the planning authority.
The proposal is to install additional pontoons and a floating breakwater to berth yachts at the marina,
according to the project description
statement.
But this is a far cry from what was
proposed by Muscat and Caruana,
as the project will provide 45 new
berthing spaces.
Space for such a marina in the

ered.
The appropriate assessment includes maps showing the distribution
of posidonia meadows around the
Maltese islands. The area between
Malta and Gozo, through which a
tunnel linking Malta and Gozo was
proposed, is also particularly rich in
posidonia meadows. The presence
of posidonia meadows along most of
Maltas eastern coast also limits any
prospects of land reclamation.
The development of the Mgarr harbour was also an ongoing promise
of different Nationalist administrations which failed to take ground.

The elusive yacht marina

A study by the Transport Malta
published in 2009 concluded that
Gozo lacks harbours and bays where
at a reasonable cost a permanent
yacht marina can be set up. The
study proposes good temporary
yacht marinas aimed at short stays.
The only site identified for this
purpose in Gozo was Mgarr, which

could accommodate 148 berths.

The study also considered 3 other
sites in Gozo; namely Marsalforn.
Dwejra and Xlendi.
Marsalforn was excluded as it is
not adequately protected from the
prevailing winds to provide the required shelter for a marina.
Dwejra was excluded because of
its ecological value while Xlendi was
considered as being too exposed to
weather conditions.
The Gozo and Comino local plan
approved by a Nationalist government in 2006 identifies a number of
places for destination ports in Gozo.
The candidate sites include Marsalforn and Hondoq ir-Rummien, together with San Niklaw and the Blue
Lagoon area on Comino.
But the term destination port
does not necessarily mean a fullfledged marina.
In fact the local plan refers to seasonal moorings, whose infrastructure can be stored away in winter.
The aim of these facilities is to

eliminate the need for individual anchoring by boats, thereby protecting

the seabed.
But the local plan also refers to
linking these destination ports to
existing commercial establishments
that would provide the necessary
services such as onshore toilet facilities and garbage disposal.
Moreover, the local plan states that
proposals for the extension of existing jetties in these sites shall only
be considered by MEPA following
submission of a detailed justification
on the need for additional berthing
space for essential operations and
subject to the findings of a detailed
technical report assessing the impacts of the proposed extensions on
the wave dynamics and currents in
the area.
A yachting development study by
MEPA published in 1996 described
a permanent yacht marina in Mgarr,
as a less viable location because, being on Gozo its demand will be seasonal in nature.

Victor Borg non-committal, but Ta Cenc Hotel

remains the safest bet for Gozo casino licence
NESTOR LAIVIERA
THE Labour governments recently
announced casino licence for Gozo
may have already been earmarked
for the five-star Ta Cenc hotel,
MaltaToday has been informed.
Contacted by MaltaToday, hotel owner Victor Borg welcomed
Prime Minister Joseph Muscats
announcement that the government would like to see a casino in
Gozo, while remaining noncommittal regarding his own interest
in the project.
Asked whether he would be interested in taking up such a project,
Borg was cautious, saying that the
governments proposal was as yet
too sketchy for him to commit
himself one way or another.
I wouldnt know as yet. I dont
know the situation, said Borg.
He however welcomed the idea in
principle. I would welcome having
a casino in Gozo, given that there is

one in Malta. As a Gozitan, I welcome every investment that tales

place in Gozo.
Borg did not exclude that he
would put his name forward in
an expression of interest for the
project. But it is too early to tell,
he said.
The market for casinos in Malta
already appears saturated, with
four licences issued for the operation of the Dragonara Casino to
Pinnacle Gaming; the Oracle and
Portomaso casinos operated by
Tomino Ltd; the Casin di Venezia
operated by Vittoriosa Gaming;
and Midi plcs licence, which so
far has not materialised in a casino
located at Lazaretto wharf, at Manoel Island.
The announcement that the government intends to issue a new
casino licence in Maltas sister island was made by Prime Minister
Joseph Muscat in parliament on
Monday.
It came as part of several Gozo-

related announcements aimed at

rebutting Opposition leader Lawrence Gonzis accusation that Gozo
was to become the Cinderella of
the Maltese economy.
Among these announcements
was the development of a yacht
marina and cruise liner terminal,
and a new casino. The proposals
are expected to be met with considerable interest from Gozitan
tourist operators who have been
clamouring for better access to the
island and more investment in infrastructure.
The announcement of a fifth casino license in the Maltese islands is
expected to leave existing present
casino operators unimpressed.
While it is true that a new casino
operation could tap into a currently untapped Gozitan market, it remains yet to be seen whether such
an operation would be financially
viable, given that existing casinos
are already struggling to remain
profitable.

I wouldnt know as yet. I dont know

the situation, Ta Cenc owner Victor
Borg when asked if he was interested
in the casino License.

News

maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 10 APRIL 2013

ENERGY Minister Konrad Mizzi has

deplored the string of problems left
by the previous administration in the
energy sector, not least Enemaltas
835 million debt and the 70 million
loss made by the State utilitys electricity division.
Mizzi said the Enemalta oil scandal
also resulted in huge oil purchasing
problems while the rollout of smart
meters fell behind.
Addressing the House of Representatives, Mizzi said that he had instructed Enemalta to look at the possibility of an electronic auction for
the purchasing of oil.
Referring to the news first revealed
by MaltaToday, Mizzi also said that
the 5 million out-of-court settlement with oil company Shell had also
left a huge impact on the companys
financial situation.
This is not on, and is a scandal in
itself, Mizzi added.
The settlement came nine years after complaints made by oil company
Shell in 2004, leading the European

Commission to issue a warning to the

Nationalist administration in 2011
that it was not ensuring independent verification of the separation of
fuel handling and storage facilities,
while Enemalta one of the suppliers of fuel handling services was the
manager of the storage and fuel supply facilities.
The energy minister reiterated that
there had been clear commitment
by the PN administration to increase
utility tariffs, while it had no plans on
addressing the State utilitys sustainability.
Mizzi said Malta was also behind in
its 10% renewable energy target with
wind energy projects not only having
fallen behind but also lacking serious
foundations.
He said the government was also
working to lock a favourable oil purchasing deal now that the price of oil
decreased by $3 per barrel.
He also said that Enemalta would
this year start paying for carbon
emission. With the European Union
encouraging for an increase in price,
the government was seeking to purchase now the carbon credits.

Court orders psychiatric

assessment of man charged
with sexual advances to
minor
KARL STAGNO-NAVARRA

SAYING IT AS IT IS SAVIOUR BALZAN

DAVID Chetcuti, 36 of Mgarr was

denied bail and ordered to be kept at
Mount Carmel Hospitals Forensic
Unit, and undergo a psychiatric assessment, after pleading not guilty to
having made sexual advances to a 12
year-old girl.
Chetcuti, who appeared confused
before Magistrate Edwina Grima,
was charged with having harassed
the young girl on a bus as she was
returning home. He allegedly sat
behind her and started to caress her,
and a few days after stalked her by
her school in Mosta.
He was arrested within minutes

of a report being filed by the school

authorities, where the girl ran for assistance.
Visibly dazed and not understanding the situation which was unfolding inside the court room, Chetcuti
remained standing in the dock, and
didnt utter a word as the charges
were read by Inspector Jessica Grima, who also objected to bail.
Magistrate Edwina Grima denied
bail and ordered that Chetcuti be remanded in custody, but to be kept at
Mount Carmel Hospitals Forensic
unit, and also ordered a psychiatric
assessment to be prepared by Dr
Joseph Vella Baldacchino, who has
to report back about the mental state
of the accused.

Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi described Enemaltas out-of-court settlement with Shell as a scandal

ON
NO SA
W LE

MIRIAM DALLI

T
I
G
N
I
Y
A
S
S
I
T
I
AS ALZAN
B
R
U
O
I
V
SA

PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAY ATTARD

Confirmed: Enemalta
835 million in the red

News

maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 10 APRIL 2013

Truancy among
warders had a
direct impact on
prisoners lives
MDD reiterates
call for prison
administration
to be removed
from police
portfolio
RAPHAEL VASSALLO
NEWS that several prison warders turned out to be AWOL when
Home Minister Emmanuel Mallia staged a surprise inspection of
the Corradino Correctional Facility last Monday, did not come as a
surprise to prisoners rights advocacy group Mid-Dlam ghad-Dawl
(MDD).
Director George Busuttil told
MaltaToday that inmates had long
complained that the shortage of
warders on site was having a detrimental effect on their daily lives.
We have for years been hearing
complaints that facilities at the
prison couldnt be used, and the
excuse was always the same: there
are not enough warders, he said.
Inmates have consistently told
us that this yard can never been
opened or the gym cant be used
today, because of a lack of warders
to man the facilities. The situation
was having a direct effect on the
lives of the prisoners.
The home affairs minister paid
a surprise visit to the prison at
7.30pm on Sunday, and found that
four warders had already left for
home when their shift was supposed to terminate at 9pm.
He said a punch clock installed at
the CCF was not being used, and
that he was informed that it was
common practice for warders to
leave work early, sometimes with
seven or eight less officers left on
duty.
Mallia said there were cases of
warders going home as early as
1pm, when their shift would last
till 9pm.
This is a serious case that has
taken place within an area of national security where an incident

can take place, and the warders

paid by the peoples tax money
are not present for work. The CCF
director has claimed he was not
aware of the abuse that was taking
place, so an investigation will be
carried out by the permanent secretary, Mallia said.
Prison director Abraham Zammit tendered his resignation soon
afterwards, and the minister has
since set up a commission to investigate and review work practices at prison.
This was not the first time that a
shortage of warders was identified
as major administrative problem
within CCF. Even without the truancy issue, the number of prison
warders assigned to to the facility
is already deemed insufficient at
full complement.
Former prison director Emmanuel Cassar told this newspaper
in December 2011 that the existing
staff was stretched beyond their
capabilities and that was before
it emerged that several warders
were regularly absenting themselves during work hours.
While Corradinos inmate population has skyrocketed in recent
years - growing from a mere 170 in
1995, to more than 700 in 2011
there has been no corresponding
increase in the number of warders
on duty.
The number of warders has remained more or less the same,
Cassar said. Not only that, but
their individual workload has
meanwhile increased...
Cassar said that the job of escorting inmates outside prison, formerly entrusted to the police, has
since been passed on to the prison
warders themselves on top of all
their other previous responsibilities, which remained unchanged.
Apart from the problem of overcrowding, especially in the male
section, the mismatching ratio of
warders to inmates was deemed
one of the factors in the explosion of drug-use in prison as
evidenced by the notorious Josette
Bickle case.
In 2011, the criminal court sentenced Josette Bickle then 40
from Valletta to 12 years after
finding her guilty of running a
heroin-trafficking operation out
of her cell prior to 2008.
In handing down judgment,

George Busuttil

Emmanuel Mallia
Judge Michael Mallia significantly
observed that there was a high
possibility of involvement on the
part of prison authorities.
Explaining that the verdict was
not just against Bickle, but against
the system, Mallia observed: The
large number of visits allowed to
Josette Bickle, more than what
other prisoners got, and the ease
with which drugs used to enter her
division and come into her possession, cannot but indicate collusion
with authorities.
Even before the above ruling was
handed down, a national report on
the local drug situation had highlighted the relative ease of availability of drugs in Corradino. Elsewhere, complaints about the same
phenomenon had sporadically
been raised over the years; among
others, by Dutch inmate Perry
Ingmar Toornstra, who last year
accused the authorities of turning
a blind eye precisely to the extent
of the drug situation.
Former Justice Minister Tonio
Borg under whose tenure the
trafficking operation took place
candidly admitted that he was
unaware of any reports of drugs
in prison when still minister
even though former director Cassar used to hold regular meetings
to brief both the minister and the
permanent secretary of the situation at Corradino.
Bickle herself has since died in
prison.
The case exposed laxity at various levels of prison administration, and Emmanuel Mallias surprise visit last Sunday appears

The Bickle
case exposed
laxity at
various levels
of prison
management,
and
Emmanuel
Mallias
surprise visit
on Sunday
appears
to confirm
that this
was still the
norm despite
promises of
reform

to confirm that this was still the

norm despite the outcry and the
promises of administrative reform
following the Bickle revelation.
George Busuttil reiterated his
NGOs view that the time has
come for a thorough overhaul of
the prison administration structure.
Before the election we came out
with a detailed proposal for prison reform. The main issue is that
prisons should not be run by the
police.
It is a point MDD has been making for years. In a February 2012
interview, Busuttil had already insisted that police should not in any
way be involved with prison management. They have another job:
to investigate crimes and catch
criminals. Running a prison is a
different matter; it is a specialised
field, and it needs specially trained
personnel. Ideally, government
should send a team of officers
abroad for training in correctional
management which is a science,
by the way.
The members of the commission
to review operational structures at
CCF have not yet been announced,
but the board will consist of senior
policemen, representatives of various ministries and NGOs involved
in prison work.
Busuttil confirms that representatives of MDD had met the
new minister shortly after his appointment, and discussed problems within the administration
the prison: including the fact that
it is the only European prison to be
managed directly by the police.

News

maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 10 APRIL 2013

Hunters shoot down

Spring hunting
referendum
RAPHAEL VASSALLO
MATTHEW VELLA
HUNTERS organisations such as
FKNK and Kaccaturi San Ubertu are
taking rumours of an abrogative referendum to end spring hunting seriously: so much so, that they dedicate most
of a seven-page spring hunting fact
file, issued yesterday, to pre-emptively
shoot down the initiative as an affront to the integrity of the European
Court of Justice.
As the controversial limited spring
hunting season opens today, efforts
have begun to collect the signatures
required to hold a referendum in order to put an end to Maltas annual
appointment with gunfire during the
breeding season.
However, a Facebook group aiming
to collect signatures to force a referendum has so far attracted less than 700
followers. A minimum of 10% of the
electorate or an estimated 32,000
signatures would be required to secure the referendum.
An overseas petition succeeded in
collecting over 122,000 signatures;
but as few of these signatories are on
the Maltese electoral register, that petition cannot be cited in support of the
referendum bid.
Nonetheless opposition to spring
hunting is understood to be far more
widespread than the dedicated support among the hunting community
itself officially numbered at just over
11,000, not taking into consideration
family members and other sympathisers.
But so far the hunting lobby has prevailed with successive administrations
of government since 2004.
Spring hunting was partially banned
in 2008, after the European Commission initiated procedures against Malta for violating the terms of the European Wild Birds Directive. However,
the government successfully argued
in the European Court of Justice that
Malta enjoyed the right to derogate
from this Directive, though the precise conditions for a successful derogation remain unclear.
On 10 September 2009, the ECJ ruled
that some form of limited spring hunting may take place in Malta, and the
season has opened every year since.
The hunting community has persistently accused Birdlife Malta of
refusing to accept the ruling. Contrary to the pledge made by its parent
organisation, from the very first day
the leadership of BLM has refused to
honour this commitment and to accept the deliberations of the ECJ, the
Fact File reports.
A new referendum on spring hunt-

ing is bound to be null and void because the issue was already decided in
march 2003 by the pre-accession referendum, that specifically determined
that a limited form of spring hunting
would be permitted.
However this statement flies in the
face of EU history when it comes to
referenda overturned by overturned
by other referenda. Recent history is
replete with examples of such reversals. Ireland initially rejected the Lisbon Treaty by nationwide referendum;
however a subsequent referendum on
the same treaty, held the following,
returned a sizeable majority in favour.
Similar reversals by referendum also
took place in France and the Netherlands.
Still, the hunting lobby has already
signalled its intention to query the
outcome of any future referendum on
spring hunting, presumably on the assumption that the vote would result
in a convincing No to hunting in
spring.

More bird guards fly in from Europe

Meanwhile as the season official gets
under way this morning, The German
lobby group Committee Against Bird
Slaughter will be sending 20 bird
guards to Malta and Gozo for a bird
protection camp that will run from 19
to 30 April.
As in previous years, roost areas of
protected birds of prey, storks and
herons will be monitored around the
clock in order to protect them from
poachers, CABS said in a statement issued yesterday.
The so called bird guards will be
monitoring trapping sites and to report and bird trapping activity to the
environmental police Administrative Law Enforcement unit. This year
CABS operations will concentrate on
the poaching hotspots identified during previous camps including the area
of the international airport, the Delimara peninsula and Gozo.
CABS said the costs of the camp,
dubbed Operation Skyfall, will amount
to 18,000 which has been covered by
private donations and a grant from the
German Foundation Pro Biodiversity.
CABS also said it had written last
week to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat saying it would employ every legal
means to put an end to spring hunting
on Malta.
The organisation has already received firm support for their efforts
in this direction from the the German
Minister for the Environment, Peter
Altmaier. He confirmed in a reply to
CABS that the killing of migrant bird
species with unfavourable conservation status totally negates the efforts
to preserve these species in Germany,

CABS said.
Altmaier referred the matter in
March this year in a communication
to the European Environment Commissioner Janez Potonik, asking him
to check whether member states were
acting in contravention of the EU
Birds Directive, which bans spring
hunting.
In addition to France and Italy,
which are being criticised for their active or tacit tolerance of hunting of endangered wader and song bird species,
Malta could also once again come under close scrutiny by the Commission
for permitting hunting of Turtle Dove
and Quail, above all during pre-nuptial migration, CABS said.
CABS also claimed that Turtle Dove
was a highly endangered species in
Europe, citing data from the Federation of German Avifaunists (Dachverband Deutscher Avifaunisten DDA)
of a 67% decline in bird population
since 1990.
The FKNK and the Maltese government have always justified spring
hunting on the grounds that the Turtle

Available
at all
leading
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News

maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 10 APRIL 2013

Margaret Thatchers leg

MARTIN SCICLUNA
THE death on Monday of Margaret Thatcher the Iron Lady as
she came to be called by the Soviet Union, not as a compliment
has evoked an outpouring of both
grief and criticism in Britain by
those who knew her.
To some she was resolute, refusing to compromise or fudge issues
of right and wrong. To others, she
was divisive and responsible for
the de-industrialisation of the
United Kingdom with the disastrous effects we can see today.
Both views are rather nave about
the realities of British politics at
the time and the impact she had
on the British people in the 11
years of her premiership from
1979 to 1990.
Margaret Thatcher divided opinion in Britain throughout her time
as Prime Minister. She was loved
and hated in equal measure. She is
remembered, in general, with love
in the south of England and with
the middle classes, and with hate
in Scotland, parts of Wales and
northern England.
Thatcher came to power in May
1979 on the back of the so-called
winter of discontent six months
earlier, when trade union unrest
had shut down public services,
paralysing the nation. The British economy was corporatist and
uncompetitive. Inflation was in
double figures and accelerating.
Public expenditure was out of
control.
What followed in Britain under
Thatcher was a revolution. The
Unions were tackled head-on.
Legislation was enacted to bring
those over-mighty subjects under control. The mine-workers,
the steel-workers, car-workers,
ship-builders and the railwaymen were taken on. Unemployment was used as a weapon with
which to bludgeon the Unions
into submission. Within months
of her becoming prime minister,
unemployment rose rapidly from
around one million to around 3.5
million.
Monetarism and free market economics were to become the dominant economic force. Thatcher
believed strongly in popular capitalism, free enterprise, privatisation, property ownership, firm
control over public expenditure
and tax cuts. Individualism, not
corporatism, was the order of the
day.
The Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher explicitly
turned its back on the post-war
consensus that had prevailed of
exercising economic management
for full employment, a mixed
economy with a substantial public sector, and the commitment to
social welfare. Thatcher waged a
political and intellectual assault
on the whole set of assumptions
that had underpinned British
politics since 1945. In a decisive
break with One Nation conservatism, Thatcherite apostles of the
new neo-liberal conservatism set
about dismantling the political
and economic orthodoxy of the
previous 34 years.
These apostles attacked a bloated
State and rolled back its frontiers
in the name of market liberalism.
They championed self-reliance,
denounced dependency on the
Welfare State and disciplined the
trade unions in the cause of enterprise. Hardest of all for those who
had been attracted to the intrinsic

Margaret
Thatcher
waged a
political and
intellectual
assault on the
whole set of
assumptions
that had
underpinned
British
politics since
1945

qualities of British tolerance, fairness and concern for the underdog, they consigned to the scrapheap of the then prevailing ideas
about social justice and equality
in favour, overwhelmingly, for a
creed of individual mobility and
liberty. Their model was the free
market capitalism of the United
States. Their enemy was the social
model of continental Europe.
It was this potent combination
which transformed the face of
British politics and its economy.
But a large majority of the British
people paid a heavy social price.
For many who had been attracted
by those British qualities of tolerance, fair play for all and social
justice for which the country was
renowned, it was a hard pill to
swallow.
During this tumultuous period,
British society changed irrevocably. In the old order, fairness, the
benign state and the dispersal of
power were the common strands
of governance. Instead, fairness
was displaced by success at any
cost and the devil take the hindmost. Social justice was replaced
by the overriding commercial imperative.
There was, and is, nothing the
matter with free market enter-

prise. Economic and business success is indeed a necessary catalyst

for a thriving modern economy.
In her time as prime minister, the
British economy went from being
the sick man of Europe to one of
the most dynamic.
The objection was then, and remains today, to the ruthless way
the transformation was carried
out, and the effects which persist in Britain to this day, almost
30 years later. Perhaps the most
telling indication of Margaret
Thatchers philosophy was her
statement in an interview that:
There is no such thing as society, followed with a snort against
those who drool and drivel about
caring. This was free market
capitalism red in tooth and claw, a
medicine which was administered
unflinchingly, it must be said
on the nation.
To produce a stronger economy,
Thatcher appealed to some of
the worst instincts of the British character. She articulated
something new, but stayed close
to something which was already
there. Margaret Thatcher spoke,
with eloquence, for the materialism and self-interest of the decade
of the 1980s.
Throughout the period, she ex-

ercised the most formidable leadership. By dint of sheer willpower

and consistency, seasoned cleverly by well-judged deviations (until
her refusal to budge on the polltax undid her), she was able to tap
into some deep British national
sentiments. Three were particularly notable. The first was that
British masochism that innate
self-deprecation,
self-criticism
and willingness to accept pain
stoically and to take the medicine
saw her through the unemployment crisis, albeit at great social
and financial cost buffered by
British oil revenue earnings which
were then at their peak.
Secondly, it was the British
bloody-mindedness that took on
and won the Falklands Conflict.
This was the turning point in
the Thatcher story. Without victory in the Falklands, Thatcher
would have almost certainly been
a one-term prime minister, such
was the depth of her unpopularity at the start of 1982 (one year
or so before the next election was
due) when the crisis erupted. Her
resolution, the outstanding courage and competence of the British
armed forces and not a little luck,
saw the birth of The Iron Lady,
and her sweeping electoral victo-

News

gacy

ries in 1983 and 1987.

Thirdly, she shared with the
majority of people who supported her, that trait of Little
Englandism which was the guide
to the way she approached most
of her foreign crises. It is hard
to think of an issue on which,
whatever her governments may
have actually done, her personal
attitudes were not populist and,
thanks to the UK tabloid media,
universally known to be so. On
Europe, on the (nuclear) Bomb,
on South Africa (then still practising apartheid), on hanging, on
culture and intellectual life, on
welfare scroungers and on union bosses, she could rarely be
accused of failing to speak for a
certain kind of Briton.
However, despite widespread
alienation from the policies she
espoused and the way in which
she inflicted them on a nation
no other nation but the British would have withstood them
without bloody revolt Margaret
Thatcher permanently changed
the course of British history as
no other figure in Britain in the
last hundred years, save Churchill. To that extent, her legacy and
place in history is assured and
she must be admired.

maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 10 APRIL 2013

Divisive in life and in death

Baroness Thatcher still has the power to divide public opinion more
than two decades after stepping down as Britains prime minister as
evidenced by the wildly conflicting reactions to her death
TRIBUTES keep flowing in, both
at home and abroad, after news
was broken Monday that Baroness
Margaret Thatcher had died of a
stroke at the age of 87.
Lady Thatcher died peacefully
while staying at the Ritz hotel in
central London. She had been staying at the hotel since being discharged from hospital at the end of
last year.
She will not have a State funeral
but will be accorded the same
status as Princess Diana and the
Queen Mother. A ceremonial funeral is one rung down from a state
funeral normally reserved for
monarchs and requires the consent of the Queen.
The union jack above Number 10
Downing Street has been lowered
to half-mast while parliament will
be recalled from its Easter recess
on Wednesday to enable MPs to
pay tributes.
Her government privatised Stateowned industries and was involved
in a stand-off with unions during
the Miners Strike of 1984-5.
The funeral of the former prime
minister is expected to be held next
week, with full military honours, at
Londons St Pauls Cathedral.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron said Baroness Thatcher was a
great Briton while US President
Barack Obama called her a great
champion of freedom and liberty.
Cutting short a trip to Europe to
return to London, Cameron hailed
Lady Thatcher as the patriot
prime minister and the countrys
greatest peacetime leader.
While acknowledging that she
had divided opinion, Cameron
said she had taken a country that
was on its knees and made it stand
tall again.
Margaret Thatcher loved this
country and served it with all she
had, he said. For that she has her
well-earned place in history and
the enduring respect and gratitude
of the British people.
Her other successors in No 10
Sir John Major, Tony Blair and
Gordon Brown paid tribute to
her strength of character and political purpose while Labour leader
Ed Miliband said Lady Thatcher
had been a unique figure who
reshaped the politics of a whole
generation.
Among international reaction,
US President Barack Obama said
America has lost a true friend,
while German Chancellor Angela
Merkel said she would never forget her part in surmounting the
division of Europe and at the end
of the Cold War.
Elsewhere the USSRs last premier, Mikhail Gorbachev, 82, said
her death was a sad thing and
described her as a great politician
who will remain in our memory

and in history. He recalled how his relations

with Thatcher were difficult at times, not always
smooth, but, serious and
responsible from both
sides.
Not all reactions were
however as flattering;
the Iron Lady (as she
was once known) had
made her fair share of
enemies, especially as a
result of her socio-economic policies which
were widely blamed for
the 1980s depression.
Ex-Labour
leader
Lord Kinnock said her
economic policies had
been an unmitigated
disaster for Britain at
the time.
Perhaps
inevitably, reactions from
Northern
Ireland
and Argentina were
among the most inimical.
Thatchers
handling of an Irish
Republican
Army
prison hunger strike
in 1981 remains arguably the most controversial aspect of
her tenure as Prime
Minister. Led by
IRA activist Bobby
Sands, the strike
claimed the lives of
10 Maze prison inmates (including Sands) and has since been the
subject of numerous films, including Terry Georges Some Mothers
Son (1996).
Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams
said she had caused great hurt to
the Irish and British people during her time as prime minister.
Working class communities
were devastated in Britain because
of her policies, he said.
However, Ulster Unionist Party
leader Mike Nesbitt said Baroness
Thatcher was a colossus of conviction politics.
There were no formal reactions
by the government of Argentina,
with which Britain went to war
in 1982 over the Falkland Islands
(inspiring the hugely critical 1983
Pink Floyd album The Final Cut
with its memorable leitmotif of Oh
Maggie, what have you done?)
But the Argentine press ran
critical obituaries of the woman
formerly perceived to be an colonial oppressor and antagonist of
Argentinian sovereignty.
Perhaps the most poignant reflections of Thatcherism came
from the world of pop music,
which in the 1980s was characterised by the emergence of an aggressive counter-culture inspired
and united by opposition to Thatchers
policies.
Morrissey, former
frontman of iconic
pop act The Smiths,
summed up much
of the antagonism
towards the former
British Prime Minister with his brutal
assessment of her
career.
Every move she
made was charged
by negativity; she
destroyed the British manufacturing
industry, she hated
the miners, she
hated the arts, she

hated the Irish Freedom

Fighters and allowed them to die,
she hated the English poor and did
nothing at all to help them, she
hated Greenpeace and environmental protectionists, she was the
only European political leader who
opposed a ban on the Ivory Trade,
she had no wit and no warmth and
even her own Cabinet booted her
out.
Small gatherings in various parts
of the country, notably in Glasgow,
and in Brixton in London, were
formed by people who said they
were celebrating her death.
The Brixton gathering attracted
a heavy police presence and led to
small scale acts of vandalism and
graffiti.
Nonetheless she will go down in
history as among the most polit-

ical successful leaders in British

history: having won three successive general elections to remain
Conservative prime minister from
1979 to 1990.
Lady Thatcher was born Margaret Roberts, the daughter of a shopkeeper and Conservative councillor in Grantham, Lincolnshire, in
1925. She first became an MP in
1959.
Having been education secretary,
she successfully challenged former
PM Edward Heath for her partys
leadership in 1975 and won general
elections in 1979, 1983 and 1987.
She stood down in 1990 after she
failed to beat Michael Heseltine by
enough votes to prevent his leadership challenge going into a second
round.

Morrisey: Every move she made was charged by negativity

CLARIFICATION
REFERENCE is made to the article by Robert Strickland which appeared
in the Wednesday edition of your newspaper on March 20, 2013.
Mr Strickland states that the majority shareholder of Allied Newspaper
Ltd, the Strickland Foundation, dictate(s) the policy of the group.
We strongly and rigorously rebut this baseless accusation. Allied Newspapers is run solely by its board of directors. Moreover, contrary to Mr
Stricklands insinuation, no shareholder interferes, directly or indirectly,
with editorial decisions connected with The Times and The Sunday
Times. It is our Editor-in-Chief who is responsible for these decisions.

10

Opinion

maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 10 APRIL 2013

Raphael Vassallo
rvassallo@mediatoday.com.mt

Justice in the afterlife is

no justice at all
S

ome years ago in the days

when I still had a TV set to
watch I was mindlessly flicking
channels when I came across an
interview (on CNN or NBC or some
similar channel) with one of the
jurors who acquitted O. J. Simpson of
wilful homicide in 1995.
She was a middle-aged woman from
the American Midwest somewhere,
and instantly reminded me of many
almost identical characters I had met
on my own travels to that part of the
world: sweet, smiley, bubbly, kindhearted, probably a very good baker
of cakes, and pretty handy when it
comes to quoting the Bible in any
circumstance you care to name.
But back to the interview. At one
point she was asked point blank
whether she had ever doubted the
verdict reached by that jury. Was
OJ really innocent? And did the
possibility (some would say certainty)
of a miscarriage of justice trouble her
conscience in any way?
She paused before answering (and
what follows is largely reconstructed
from memory). Yes, she said at
length. I do think we were wrong,
and that OJ was guilty. BUT it
doesnt trouble my conscience all that
much, because I am a Christian
[spoken with great conviction] ..and
therefore I know that OJ Simpson will
not escape justice in the long term.
There is a higher authority that will
judge us all in the end, OJ Simpson
included
I dont know about you, but I
find that line of reasoning deeply
disturbing frightening, almost.
I remember thinking at the time:
well, that makes your job rather easy,
doesnt it? No matter how badly
you screw up possibly with fatal
consequences, as in the many times

Detail from Hieronymus Boschs

Last Judgment Triptych, 1504-08

an innocent man may have been sent

to the electric chair, or imprisoned
for life, etc there will always be a
higher authority that will simply step
in to clean up the mess made by his
moron creations here on earth.
Well, sadly for the innocent person
wrongly fried, or the victims of the

Ingram, Republic Street, VallettaUnext to the Courts

guilty man allowed to walk, this

Deus-Ex-Machina style of justice can
only take place after our deaths... i.e.,
at a point when we are all already
manifestly beyond the point where
any injustice, of any kind, may be
rectified in any meaningful way.
This makes of it a very unique form
of justice indeed. On one level it
does absolutely nothing to atone for
the injustice suffered (or committed)
by the dead person being judged;
and on another it fails in any way to
compensate the victims family and
friends who are still alive, and who
rightly clamour for justice at a point
when they can actually enjoy its
benefits.
More importantly still: universal
justice translates into no justice at
all, when viewed by the rest of society
which looks to the law-courts (and
NOT to some shadowy and entirely
nebulous afterlife that none of us
actually understands or can even
describe) for its own justice needs.
Indeed, that jurors reasoning to
its logical conclusion, and you may
as well dismantle the entire justice
system. For what purpose can judges,
jurors and law-courts possibly
serve if all along there is a higher
authority that can do a much better
job of the whole justice spiel to begin
with?
But of course we all know the
real reason for belief in universal
justice. It exists merely to assuage the
conscience of the truly guilty parties
among us: you know, the corrupt
judges who accept bribes the stupid
and sometimes prejudiced jurors,
who allow themselves to be swayed
by emotional appeals to deliver a
plainly flawed verdict... the crooked
policemen who look the other
way when organized crime strikes
terror in your neighbourhood the
politician who accepts a commission,
etc.

These people all get to sleep much

easier at night, because in their little
fantasy worlds there is the equivalent
of a Jolly Joker who simply pops up
like a magical trump card at the end,
righting all wrongs and imbuing even
the grisliest and ghastliest crime with
the equivalent of Grimm brothers
fairy-tale happy ending.
And apart from freeing those people
from all feelings of guilt and remorse,
this same afterlife superstition also
frees them to carry on commit as
many crimes (or mistakes) as they
please. Who cares? It will all balance
out in the end promise!
But not all of us think this way.
Faced with this scenario, my reaction
is probably indistinguishable from
that of many millions of people
worldwide who have likewise come
round to rejecting belief in an afterlife
altogether. It makes my blood boil.
And not only for the obvious reason
(injustice makes people angry,
otherwise we wouldnt have justice
systems in the first place). It angers
me because, as a non-believer, I can
only place ENPORMOUS emphasis
on the importance of justice being
done (and seen to be done) in the here
and now.
Unlike the religious mindset
(although to be fair I do know
religious people who reason the
same way) it is no consolation to
us whatsoever, that the wrongs
perpetrated in this world will be
righted by (if I may borrow George
Carlins immortal words) an invisible
man in the sky.
I like my injustices righted by people
I can see, thank you very much and
ideally while Im still around to enjoy
the resulting justice.
So to hear Judge Lawrence
Quintano argue in court that I will
appear before Almighty God before
all of you, where I will be judged
spoken, not as a judge, but as a witness

testifying under oath, and using the

above as a pretext to avoid answering
a question I was forcefully
reminded of why I have come round
to believing that the very last place
you will find justice these days are the
Maltese courts of law.
For even Quintano is right and
I for one do not believe that for a
second and he is judged by God the
Father on the Day of Reckoning
well, that will take place at another
time, in another dimension, and
quite frankly it has no bearing on the
case in which the judge was actually
testifying.
Yet not only did the presiding
magistrate not tick him off (I shudder
to think how I would have been
treated, had I behaved the same way
on the witness stand), but the case
was deferred altogether which also
means that the pretext achieved its
primary objective, and the question
was not answered.
Even without this consideration,
the fact remains that Quintano
was perfoming to a narrative that
has a long and depressing history
of success in our legal system. We
all know stories (in which a certain
former chief justice features quite
prominently) win which entire cases
were decided on the basis of whether
the plaintiff took his oath on the
crucifix or not; or whether he or she
impressed the judge with efforts to
project a good Catholic image.
And again, the truly guilty people
the ones who denied custody of
children to people on the basis of their
religious beliefs, or those who ruled
against a person on a property case
because he or she (the case I know
involves a she) was having an affair
and was therefore a bad woman.
This is not justice. It is actually just
rubbish, and it persistently disturbs
me that so few people in this country
seem capable of telling difference.

maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 10 APRIL 2013

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: newsroom@mediatoday.com.mt

Editorial

Prison is no place for the police

On Sunday, incoming Home Affairs
Minister Emmanuel Mallia paid a
surprise visit to the Corradino Correctional Facility in Paola, revealing
a number of serious shortcomings
in prison management.
Warders were found to be absent
from duty, and the punch-clock
appears to have been under-utilised
(to put it mildly).
As a result it may be difficult to
determine who was on duty at what
particular time on any given day;
and bearing in mind that this is a
State-administered penitentiary
where bad things can and do happen it is simply unacceptable that
this level of negligence was allowed
to get so far out of hand for so long.
The general public appears to
have been shocked by the above
revelations; yet there was nothing
uncovered on that surprise inspection that had not already been
exposed to at least some degree on
countless occasions in the past.
Prison has in fact been a source of
controversy for several years now.
Past administrations have studiously ignored repeated calls (not
least by the Council of Europes
Committee for the Prevention of
Torture and Degrading Treatment)

to revise work practices; yet not

even the emergence in 2011 of a
fully-blown drug trafficking network, conducted from within a cell
in the female section of CCF, was
enough to bring about the necessary shake-up.
The Josette Bickle case which surfaced almost exactly two years ago,
in December 2011, should really
have sounded a nationwide alarm
on the prison situation.
Not only did a magistrate declare
in open court that the operation
could not have been possible without the active collusion of prison
warders but the minister then
responsible for prison disclaimed
all knowledge of the incident only
to be contradicted by an erstwhile
prison director, who publicly confirmed that he had discussed the issue both with the minister himself,
and with the permanent secretary.
Nor was this the only problem to
affect the day-to-day management
of the prison.
Prisoner population has increased
exponentially of late: from a mere
170 in 1995, to more than 700
today.
All this time, the number of
warders assigned to guard duty has

remained unchanged which in

turn suggests that even before taking the truancy issue into account,
the ratio of inmates to warders was
already too low.
Given the sheer gravity of
the possible consequences of a
total collapse in prison discipline
(already there have been various
suspicious developments beyond
the Bickle case including at least
one reported suicide of a vulnerable
inmate) it seems that nothing was
actually done to improve the situation in recent years.
What little attempts were made
to conform to European norms
of prison administration turn out
under closer scrutiny to have been
ineffectual or simply botched. The
Restorative Justice Act of 2010, for
instance, was introduced piecemeal
and inmates were left in the dark
as to the precise procedure to (for
instance) apply for probation.
Worse still, it emerged that the
legislation was rushed to such a
degree that all inmates were being
encouraged to apply for probation:
despite the law itself limiting this
facility only to inmates who had
already served four years or more of
their sentence. Meanwhile, calls to

introduce a tailored programme for

individual inmates a sine qua non
of prison management throughout
the civilized world simply fell on
deaf ears.
In brief, the entire set-up at CCF
has been exposed as a shambles.
A board has since been set up to
investigate a number of other suspicious issues including why food
is being outsourced at considerable
expense; and why inmates are being
charged more for commodities at
the prison tuck-shop, than they
would if the same commodities
were purchased in ordinary retail
outlets.
All these shortcomings and
many more have been in the public
domain for years now. Yet the same
shortcomings persisted, unaddressed, all this time.
From this perspective, one certainly welcomes the commitment
and zeal shown by the incoming
minister in taking the bull by the
horns. But still, the biggest problem
remains the clear conflict of roles
between the police and the prison
administration.
Up until the present, it has been
standard practice in Malta but
not anywhere else in Europe to

appoint prison directors directly

from the police.
Outgoing director Abraham Zammit who resigned as a result of
the above revelations - was himself
a police superintendent. But while
the government has accepted his
resignation, and has committed
itself to replacing Zammit within
10 days, the chosen temporary
replacement is likewise a police
superintendent.
This choice appears to suggest that the present government
intends to continue the questionable practice of keeping two vastly
different branches of the law and
order department together under
one roof against all recognized
norms of good practice in all other
serious jurisdictions.
One sincerely hopes this was a
mere stop-gap measure until a
more permanent replacement could
be found from outside the police
force (as it should be).
Otherwise, for all the ministers
good intentions he will merely be
compounding the existing problem,
and almost guaranteeing that the
systemic failure presently plaguing
CCF will be projected indefinitely
into the future.

12

BUSINESS & FINANCE

maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 10 APRIL 2013

Malta Trade for Growth

Nestor Laiviera
speaks with HSBC
Maltas Head of
Commercial Banking
Michel Cordina
regarding HSBCs
recently launched
Malta Trade for
Growth initiative

Trade Services, Receivables Finance,

Renminbi direct trade settlements,
Payments and Cash Management
Solutions, and Foreign Exchange.
Furthermore, we have new solutions
lined up for the coming months
such as Invoice Finance for Small
Business, Invoice Discounting and
Trade e-alerts and e-mail advising.
Economic expansion in regions
such as Asia and Latin American is
reaching new heights. How will this
initiative allow local businesses to
tap into those markets, and further
develop Maltas international trade
sector?
There are huge opportunities to be
had in emerging markets, and HSBC
has already been instrumental in
helping hundreds of Maltese customers
capitalise on this. However, through
specialised assistance in emerging
markets, Malta Trade for Growth
will step up this support significantly
and in a structured manner.
Offering a variety of unique
incentives, such as the waiving of
administration fees for finance against
trade export or import facilities for
trade with emerging markets, Malta
Trade for Growth will also provide
discounts on Receivables Finance
and preferential rates on Foreign
Exchange, including currencies such
as the Chinese Renminbi.

What is HCBCs recently launched

Malta Trade for Growth initiative,
and what opportunities does it offer
to local businesses?
One of HSBC Maltas objectives
is to open new trade corridors for
Maltese companies via HSBCs global
connectivity. Malta Trade for Growth
is HSBC Maltas latest initiative to
connect Maltese customers with global
opportunities, to help customers grow
their business and, in turn, further the
prosperity of Maltas economy.
The pace of economic expansion in
regions like Asia and Latin America
is changing the world and Maltese
businesses need to be part of this new
economic landscape. Malta Trade
for Growth will allow customers
to access HSBCs unrivalled global
reach and expertise in international
trade, with a special emphasis on
connecting Maltese traders with new
opportunities in emerging markets.
This initiative is designed to drive
international trade, as this will be
a vital factor for Maltas future
economic growth.
Which businesses should be most
interested in what the initiative has
to offer?
Any business in Malta that
seeks to grow and prosper should
seriously consider opportunities for
international business. The business
prospects being presented are simply
too valuable to overlook. Having said
that however, the companies best
positioned to benefit from Malta Trade
for Growth are businesses that have
global aspirations, intending to enter
into or expand present international
operations, particularly but not solely
with emerging markets.

Growth offers innovative ways of

leveraging HSBCs internal reach and
global connectivity, for the benefit of
our clients in Malta. HSBC Research
suggests that Trade Growth in the
next few years will be much greater
than Gross Domestic Product, and we
would like our country to fulfil this
potential. Countries around the world
are shifting towards the production of
higher-value goods, opening up new
opportunities for companies within
emerging markets to expand and grow.
HSBC Bank Malta plc is best placed
to help Maltese business to maximise
the best of these opportunities.

What is the goal behind the

initiative? With what ethos was it
conceived and implemented?
We want to secure Maltas place
on
the
international
business
opportunities map. In line with
this commitment, Malta Trade for

Throughout the ages, Malta

has always relied on trade for its
economic prosperity. How will this
Malta Trade for Growth scheme
help Malta achieve future economic
competitiveness through trade?
Trade is a critical component of

Maltas history, our current economy,

and most importantly our countrys
future. We believe that Malta can
build greatly upon its competitive
trade advantage and its strategic
location that bridges Europe with
Africa and the rest of the world. The
Malta Trade for Growth initiative is
about assisting this growth with more
traditional markets in the European
Union and more importantly, with
some of the exciting new global
economies in Asia, the Middle East,
Latin America, and Africa.
As such, Malta Trade for Growth
will focus on two main areas:
connecting more of our HSBC
customers with other customers within
the HSBC Group; and working closely
with Malta Enterprise to bring foreign
direct investment to Malta.
HSBC is also emphasising its ability
to connect Maltese businesses to other

counterparts across the world. How

will it do this, and how do businesses
in Malta stand to benefit?
HSBCs commercial banking reaches
far and wide. This can be instrumental
in helping Maltese businesses to
grow. With trade teams on the ground
in more than 60 countries and a huge
customer base, HSBC Malta can guide
customers towards new and exciting
opportunities for international trade.
Moreover, HSBC has over 7,000
Relationship Managers around the
world. They are expertly trained to
look after customers business needs
and connect them with the partners
they need to achieve success across
national borders.
By understanding our customers
needs, HSBC Malta can provide
access to an extensive list of solutions
to assist international trade and to
meet those needs, such as through:
Structured Trade Finance, Internet

How will the Malta Trade for

Growth initiative be marketed and
promoted among businesses in
Malta?
As a means towards achieving
international growth, HSBC Malta
is emphasising on HSBCs expertise
and worldwide connectedness. This
message will be conveyed through the
incorporation of real life stories about
Maltese companies that successfully
expanded overseas with HSBCs
assistance.
Launching the initiative on Tuesday
26 March, Economy and Investment
Minister Chris Cardona said that
the government is committed to
encouraging local businesses to think
global and internationalise their
businesses. What is your reaction?
This is a very positive and very
welcome commitment. On the day of
the launch, Minister Chris Cardona
emphasised
the
governments
commitment to creating a business
friendly environment by working
with private enterprise in support of
economic growth and encouraged
businesses to think global.
The Malta Trade for Growth
initiative is an important tool to
support this internationalisation of
Maltese businesses. It is very pleasing
to note that our Malta Trade for
Growth initiative clearly fits with
Maltas strategic direction.

13

BUSINESS & FINANCE

maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 10 APRIL 2013

Essential that debt

ratio brought down
to 60% - Central Bank
Governor
Although government has not experienced any funding difficulties, it is
essential that the debt ratio be brought
down to the 60% benchmark, the Central Bank Governor Josef Bonnici has
warned.
In his introduction to the Annual
Report that was published yesterday, the
Governor said that this had to be done
in a deliberate manner, since at current
levels the room for fiscal manoeuvre is
limited.
Fiscal prudence will also promote the
sustainability of public sector financing
and ensure compliance with the new
EU fiscal rules, Bonnici said.
He also called for a fiscal consolidation
process that is complemented by
improvements in the regulatory
infrastructure, adding that the
current economic situation calls for
the enhancement of the business
environment.
Bonnici also supported the
establishment of a development or
promotional bank in Malta.
Such a bank would improve the
capacity of the financial system to
meet medium- and long-term financing
needs could be instrumental
in mobilising the excess liquidity
characterising the financial system
more effectively and deploying certain
government assets efficiently.
Bonnici said that such an institution
would serve to unlock further the
financial potential that is available,
in order to spur competitiveness and
economic growth with a limited added
burden on government finance.
In the report, Bonnici said the bank
expects the deficit ratio to fall to
2.6% in 2013, while the debt ratio is
expected to rise slightly to 72.5%.
Regarding the financial sector,
Bonnici noted that credit growth
in Malta remained positive even
during the crisis, and it exceeded by a
considerable margin the corresponding
rate for the euro area between
December 2007 and December 2012.
During 2012, credit growth in Malta,
excluding government, amounted to
1.8%, compared with a contraction of
1.1% in the euro area.
On the liabilities side, Maltese
banks continued to make modest use
of Eurosystem funding, reflecting the
absence of funding distress.
Bonnici also highlighted the
uncertainty that continues to surround
the outlook for the euro area,
notwithstanding an easing of financial
tensions in the second half of 2012.
He noted that the impairment in the
transmission of monetary policy in
the euro area has resulted in financial
fragmentation and divergent economic
performances across countries. Thus,
after having expanded by 1.4% in
2011, real GDP in the euro area
contracted by 0.5% in 2012.
With regard to the Maltese economy,
this continued to endure adverse
conditions in important export
markets. As a result, the economy
grew by 0.8% in 2012, down from
1.7% a year earlier.
The Maltese economy had the third
highest growth rate among euro area
Member States in 2012, compared
with a negative growth rate of 0.5%
in the euro area as a whole. The bank
estimates Maltas GDP growth in 2013
to pick up to 1.4%.
On the inflation front, the Governor
noted that, on the basis of the retail
price index, the rate of inflation is
expected to decline from 2.4% in 2012
to 2.0% in 2013.
Bonnici also raised a number of
longer-term considerations related to
the competitiveness of the Maltese
economy.
He noted that many countries

responded to the macroeconomic

imbalances exposed by the crisis by
introducing structural reforms and fiscal
consolidation measures, while engaging
in an internal devaluation involving cuts
in wages and other costs.
Such measures will leave these
countries in a stronger competitive
position in the eventual recovery. This is
set to pose an increased competitiveness
challenge to Maltas economy.
He also called for more prudence
on the issue of minimum wage
setting, as unjustified increases in
Slovenia and Cyprus have led to
losses in competitiveness and weaker
employment prospects in those
countries.

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14

BUSINESS & FINANCE

maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 10 APRIL 2013

Needed - a financial services Ombudsman

he new governments
commitment to appoint
an Ombudsman specifically dedicated to
investigating investorcomplaints and mediating disputes
between investors and financial institutions has recently made headlines.
Such an Ombudsman is proposed
to be flanked with two charters;
one tailored to small investors and
the other tailored to bank customer
rights.
All this resounds as very relevant
in the light of the recent cases of
mis-selling such as MFSP, the
BOV property fund debacle, and
the mis-selling of shares in heavily
subordinated paper pertaining to
the bankrupt giant that was Lehman
Brothers Bank, among others.
Hundreds of investors lost their
savings in qualifying on both counts
as small investors and concurrently
as bank customers and where
importance of due disclosure and
non-commission based advice were
among the highlighted areas in the
aftermath.
MFSA also issued penalties in
relation to the shortcomings of bank
employees in this regard that served
as a warning to other banks.
Having the above-mentioned
charters in place can, if not lend
the small investors the requisite
experience
to
make
certain
investments, shed light on the
absence thereof and better identify,
before any money is parted with,
whether the objectives and risk
profile of a particular financial
product match those of the potential
buyer.
Looking back at these cases one
immediately notices two components
at play: aggrieved consumers and
license holders in breach of their
obligations.
The glitch lies in that whereas the
MFSA, a single super-regulator, can
and does heavily penalise license
holders for mal-practices, its hands
are metaphorically tied in view of
the official limits of compensation
it is able to impose.

The Consumer
Complaints
mechanism is
hampered by evident
shortcomings that
have been long-felt
from a pragmatic
standpoint

Marilyn Mifsud
Let us discuss the BOV perpetuals
case that saw the MFSA strongly
recommending reinstatement and
its expectation that BOV should
repay original capital invested plus
an equitable rate of interest.
However, BOV was completely
free to pave its own way forward
with regards to reaching settlement
of claims with its former clients, and
so far has not acceded to their request
to repay the capital invested.
Enter the proposed Ombudsman
who could deal directly and
exclusively with investor to
help resolve financial institution
complaints.
Currently the existing Consumer
Complaints Manager figurehead
comes closest to the description
of the Ombudsman, given that he
is an MFSA official whose role
is specifically to mediate private
consumer complaints related to
financial services transactions.
The
Consumer
Complaints
Manager comes into play only
when the complaint in question
is not simultaneously being taken
cognizance of by another body
(such as a court or other out-of-court
entity), handles only individual
complaints (non-corporate ones),
and is classified as a representative
of
the
EEAs
out-of-courtsettlement-scheme by virtue of its
membership in FIN-NET (network
for settling cross-border financial
disputes out of court).
It is opportune to explain that the
role of FIN-NET is to facilitate
dispute resolution in instances
where the consumers complaint
relates to a financial institution in
a state other than that in his or her
own state of residence.
Continuing on the Consumer
Complaints Manager, his role
is triggered in something of a
hierarchal climb of exhaustion of
available remedies.
That is, before a disgruntled
consumer (who within financial
services commonly doubles up as
an investor) can direct his complaint
to the office of the Consumer
Complaints Manager, he or she must
first attempt to resolve the issue

directly with the license holder in

question.
In addition, in instances when
no reply is forthcoming from the
license holder, the consumer cannot
immediately refer the matter to
Consumer Complaints Manager but
must allow a peremptory period of
two months to elapse before he or
she can claim deemedrefusal of his
cause, and present the case to the
Consumer Complaints Manager.
The law purports a further tier
whereby the Consumer Complaints
Manager may (not shall) refer the
matter to the Supervisory Council
for its consideration, where the
Supervisory Council is the licensing
and supervisory arm of the national
regulator.
So where does the new Ombudsman
for small investors feature in all
this, and how could he supplement
the mechanism already at play?
The
Consumer
Complaints
Manager may on paper seem well
and good, but this mechanism is
hampered by evident shortcomings
that have been long-felt from a
pragmatic standpoint.
The first major short-coming
emanates from the wording of the
law which states that the private
consumer shall not have the right to
require the Consumer Complaints
Manager to give him advice on any
particular matter or to act on his
behalf in any dispute with a licensed
person before any court or tribunal,
except to the extent, if any provided
for by this or any other law.
This description fits the bill
for an Ombudsman figure, who
once, elected can be engaged with
the de facto advice-delivering
and representation of distraught
investors in their disputes.
The second major short-coming
is that the rest of the provisions
concerning
the
Consumer
Complaints Manager fail to mention
any decision-making power, and
which is consequently limited to
only recommend a (non-binding)
way forward.
Such a decision-making power
would certainly go the extra
mile as far as effective dispute
resolution goes, and certainly also
in supplementing the Consumer
Complaint Managers powers
of encouraging, assisting and
co-operating in his out-of-court
dispute settlement terrain with more
toothed, and perhaps more proactive weapons of choice for any
future incoming Ombudsman.
By
comparison,
the
UK
Ombudsman for Financial Services
disputes is well-known for his
powers and unique performance
regarding the resolution of recent
mis-selling of complex financial
instruments - namely cases featuring
Barclays Bank plc, HSBC Bank
plc, Lloyds Banking Group plc and
Royal Bank of Scotland plc.

The UKs Financial Ombudsman

is an impartial figure set-up by
Parliament who in 2012 was seen
reversing two decisions taken by
banks not to pay compensation in
view of mis-selling of swaps.
Having a similarly impartial
institution of a Financial Services
Ombudsman in Malta would be
addressing an age-old moot point
in terms of the impartiality, or lack
thereof in related matters.
In fact the MFSAs arm using its
binding decision making powers
(the Financial Services Tribunal)
does not relate to investor-license
holder disputes but to license
holders aggrieved by decisions of
the MFSA, and obviously there
has long been a lament in terms of
the absence of a fair hearing and
equality of arms in this regard,
particularly where such body is at
once both party and arbiter to the
same case at the same time.
While the Consumer Complaint
Manager has no decisive role in
dispute settlement, it is still being
a central member of the regulator
where there is an involuntary
element of bias perhaps in the
consumers perception - although
this is contrary to the MFSAs
objectives that hold consumer
protection as the heart and kernel
of its very constitution. That said
an independent Ombudsman would
no doubt give a lot of comfort to
aggrieved investors.
Back to UK, we find that the
parties who refer a dispute to the
UK Financial Ombudsman have
a right of refusal to the latters
decision. At face value, this may
seem to draw parallels with the
Consumer Complaint Managers
recommendation that the parties
to a dispute locally may similarly
choose to refuse.
However, the vital difference lies
in that while the acceptance of the
Consumer Complaints Managers
recommendation can, at most,
facilitate an amicable route to a
dispute resolution, the acceptance
of a decision of the UK Financial
Ombudsman would be final and
binding on both parties, levying an
element of weighted permanence
that is certainly not part of our own
Consumer Complaint Managers
fabric.
While at present locally very little
has been disclosed about how the
Financial Ombudsman skeleton
will be fleshed out, a worthwhile
question is whether the proposed
local Ombudsman will be moulded
along similar terms as the UK one.
This is perhaps at once possible,

BOV was completely

free to pave its own
way forward with
regards to reaching
settlement of claims

plausible and probable given

the Maltese legislators trend of
following very closely the UK
developments in this sector, citing
as an example Maltas transition to
a single regulator and the setting up
of various tribunals (although the
UK have reverted back to separate
regulators breaking the mould of
FSA the single financial regulator).
Beyond this, a more direct
inference that the UK model will
once again be pursued can perhaps
be deduced from speculation over
how recourse to the UK Financial
Ombudsman must be preceded
by direct complaint to the license
holder, which when has eight weeks
to reply - a rough equivalent to the
two-month window accompanying
an identical requisite under the
current
Consumer
Complaints
Manager regime.
In conclusion, while one hopes
that the proposed the establishment
of a Malta Financial Ombudsman is
realised rapidly yet smoothly, there
is in this context a greater need than
ever to drive home the importance
of reasoned caution (let the buyer
beware) that should underlie any
investment decision.
This includes the notion of moral
hazard when making investment
decisions, where the inherent risk
of loss is always present and any
resultant losses never translate into
an automatic right to compensation.
One must thus not run away
with the idea that a Financial
Ombudsman will pose as a gilded
shield protecting all and sundry
from potential losses as they draw
near.
Investors must always remember
that the guarantee safety net
catches only those losses resultant
from the (proven) mal-practice
of the license holder, and not the
mal-performance of an investment
product.
Dr Marilyn Mifsud LLD is a
Securities Associate at PKF, an
audit and business advisory firm
mmifsud@pkfmalta.com

YOUR FIRST CLICK OF THE DAY

www.maltatoday.com.mt

15

BUSINESS & FINANCE

maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 10 APRIL 2013

Money Market Report for the week ending

5 April 2013
ECB decisions
On Thursday, 4 April, the Governing
Council of the European Central Bank
(ECB) decided to keep the interest rate
on the main refinancing operations

(MRO) unchanged at 0.75%. Interest

rates on the marginal lending facility
and on the deposit facility were also
left unchanged at 1.50% and 0.00%,
respectively.

ECB Monetary Operations

On Thursday, 28 March, the ECB
announced its weekly MRO. The
auction was conducted on Tuesday,
2 April, and attracted bids from euro

Regular market closed - 09/4/2012

Symbol Code

Volume Traded Value Traded Trades

High Price Low Price

Open Price

Close Price

Change

Twap

BOV

51973

117130.780

15

2.260

2.250

2.260

2.250

0.000

2.254

FIM

17175

16517.040

0.990

0.960

0.960

0.990

0.000

0.962

GO

10225

16186.410

1.600

1.574

1.580

1.580

0.005

1.583

IHG

2000

1250.000

0.625

0.625

0.625

0.625

-0.005

0.625

MIA

13020

24738.000

1.900

1.900

1.900

1.900

0.000

1.900

MSI

15506

13955.400

0.900

0.900

0.900

0.900

0.000

0.900

RS2

18300

18300.000

1.000

1.000

1.000

1.000

0.000

1.000

STUM

9125

15521.630

1.701

1.701

1.701

1.701

0.001

1.701

G14C

7500

7878.750

105.050

105.050

105.050

105.050

-0.010

105.050

G17C

65000

70863.000

109.020

109.020

109.020

109.020

0.040

109.020

G21A

23647

26858.260

113.580

113.580

113.580

113.580

-0.040

113.580

G22B

25000

26942.500

107.770

107.770

107.770

107.770

-0.070

107.770

G22BE

30000

32331.000

107.770

107.770

107.770

107.770

0.650

107.770

G28BA

1061400

1085908.500

102.370

102.300

102.370

102.370

-0.070

102.310

G29A

30000

32961.000

109.870

109.870

109.870

109.870

-0.150

109.870

G30A

25000

27430.000

109.720

109.720

109.720

109.720

-0.170

109.720

BV18A

20000

20580.000

102.900

102.900

102.900

102.900

-0.100

102.900

BV19A

39600

41481.000

104.750

104.750

104.750

104.750

-0.050

104.750

BV20A

126000

127830.000

13

101.500

101.200

101.200

101.500

0.000

101.450

FB19A

17000

17325.300

102.510

101.500

102.510

101.500

0.000

101.910

HB18A

8200

8684.400

106.000

104.100

106.000

104.100

-2.900

105.910

IG19A

8600

8868.320

103.120

103.120

103.120

103.120

-0.880

103.120

MI15A

1000

1025.000

102.500

102.500

102.500

102.500

-0.500

102.500

MI17A

1600

1648.000

103.000

103.000

103.000

103.000

-1.000

103.000

SF20A

1600

1720.000

107.500

107.500

107.500

107.500

0.000

107.500

area eligible counterparties of 124.88

billion, 1.64 billion higher than the
bid amount in the previous week. The
amount was allotted in full at a fixed rate
equivalent to the prevailing MRO rate of
0.75%, in accordance with current ECB
policy
On Tuesday, 2 April, the ECB
conducted an auction for a sevenday fixed-term deposit intended to
absorb 205.5 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, 29 March. 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 0.75%. It attracted bids amounting to
270.44 billion, with the ECB allotting
205.5 billion or 75.99% of the total
bid amount. The marginal rate on the
auction was set at 0.07%, with the
weighted average rate at 0.04%.
On Wednesday, 3 April, the ECB
conducted a seven-day US dollar funding
operation through collateralised lending

The rates quoted above are against the EURO.

in conjunction with the US Federal

Reserve. This operation attracted bids of
$1.2 billion, which was allotted in full at
a fixed rate of 0.65%.
Domestic Treasury Bill Market
In the domestic primary market for
Treasury bills, the Treasury invited
tenders for 182-day bills maturing on
4 October 2013. Bids of 25.6 million
were submitted, with the Treasury
accepting the full amount. Since 38.85
million worth of bills matured during
the week, the outstanding balance of
Treasury bills decreased by 13.25
million, to stand at 275.35 million.
The yield from the 182-day bill auction
was 0.857%, i.e. 8.8 basis points higher
than on bills with a similar tenor issued
on 22 March 2013, representing a bid
price of 99.5686 per 100 nominal.
During the week under review, there
was no trading on the Malta Stock
Exchange.
On Tuesday the Treasury invited
tenders for 91-day bills and 182- day
bills maturing on 12 July and 11 October,
2013, respectively

16
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 10 APRIL 2013

THIS WEEK

WHATS ON
THEATRE

MUSIC

APRIL 12, 13; 20, 21

Comedy Tonight

APRIL 12
Akal Wub

Series of comedy sketches by

Masquerade Malta performers
at the Manoel Theatre, Valletta.
Featuring popular comedy
numbers from musicals such as
Kiss Me Kate, Les Miserables,
Wicked, Jesus Christ Superstar
and Avenue Q as interpreted by
some of Maltas finest voices like
Roger Tirazona, Rachel Fabri,
Joseph Zammit and Dorothy
Bezzina together with special
guests Katherine Brown, Ludwig
Galea, Steve Hili and Nadia
Vella. Musical direction is by
Roger Tirazona and Rachel Fabri
with Malcolm Galea hosting the
show. Production and artistic
direction is by Anthony Bezzina.
Tickets are at 20, 15 and 10.
Bookings: www.teatrumanoel.
com.mt, 21 246389 or www.
masquerademalta.com.

Performance by Paris-based
Ethiopian jazz quintet at the
Marsa Sports Club Gardens.
Supported by Lester Clayton and
Clemence Freschard. Early bird
tickets are at 25, 30 normal
rate. Bookings: www.maltaticket.
com. Doors open at 19:30.

Spirit of Piano by Ljupco Samardziski

APRIL 12
Duo Blank
Live performance by the electro
duo at Coach and Horses, Valley
Road, Msida from 21:30. Warmup
performance by Rokon Blank.
Entrance is at 3.

APRIL 13
The Curious Child EP launch
Singer-songwriter Alex Alden
will be launching her debut
EP at the Teatru Salesjan,
Howard Street, Sliema. Doors
open at 20:00. Tickets are at
10 with the EP, 6 without.

Bookings: http://alexalden.
dehydratedmarshmallow.com/.

ART
APRIL 12 MAY 12
Spirit of Piano
Exhibition of 35 oil paintings
by Macedonian artist Ljupco
Samardziski at St James Cavalier,
Valletta. The launch on April 12
at 19:00 and will be inaugurated
by David Felice and Mariella
Pisani Bencini.

UNTIL APRIL 13
Richard & Marc England
Exhibition of drawings and
poems by Richard England and
paintings by Marc England at
Lily Agius Gallery, 54, Cathedral
Street, Sliema. Opening party
on March 21, 19:30. For a private
view or a catalogue email: info@
lilyagiusgallery.com
or call on 99 292488.

29 APRIL 5 MAY
Music and Visual Arts
Workshops by WOMAD
Foundation
St James Cavalier has formed a
partnership with The WOMAD
Foundation to present a series of
workshops, master classes and
performances in schools, colleges
and at the venue in Valletta.
In partnership with St James
Cavalier, WOMAD has devised a
vibrant and diverse programme
of activities for children and
young people working with
visiting musicians and visual
artists including: Brassroots
(USA/UK), Siyaya (Zimbabwe),
Ipercussionici (Sicily), Malarky
(UK) , Ripton Lindsay (Jamaica),
Dave Watts (UK/Tenerife) and
Shona Watt (UK). At the end of a
week-long residency artists and
students will animate the streets
of Valletta with music, dance
and visuals on 5 May, followed
by showcases from students and
artists sharing their experiences
of working together.

UNTIL APRIL 24
Tiers of Truths
Exhibition of paintings by Rupert
Cefai at Christine X Art Gallery,
Sliema. Opening hours: 10:00 to
13:00; 16:00 to 19:00, Monday to
Saturday.

UNTIL MAY 6
Tales of the Bloody Mary
Oracle
Exhibition of artworks by
graffiti and mural artist Chris de
Souza Jensen at Guy Lee Studio,
Mellieha.

LITERARY
EVENTS
TODAY
Short story writing workshop
by Suzanne Joinson
Worshop by the acclaimed
British fiction and non-fiction
writer Suzanne Joinson at the
Engineering Building, Room EB2,
University of Malta. From 12:00
to 14:00.
Tiers of Truths by Rupert Cefai

TONIGHT

Alex Alden

Biljett Miftuh/Open Ticket

Evening of poetry by Karl
Schembri and Albert Gatt at
Coach and Horses, Valley Road,
Msida from 20:00. Musical
accompaniment will be provided
by Antonio Ghio.

APRIL 11
Forum Mare Nostrum:
Discourse/Disorder
Biennial conference by writers,
academics and cultural
operators from Europe and the
Mediterranean at Grand Hotel
Excelsior, Floriana from 08:30 to
15:30. Organised by the European
Writers Council and hosted by
the Akkademja tal-Malti. The
theme of the Malta meeting
is Discourse/Disorder, telling
stories of revolution and social
upheaval in the Mediterranean
and Europe.

APRIL 12
Volens
Merlin Publishers launch Mark
Camilleris Volens the sequel
to the authors crime thriller
Prima Facie, once again featuring
Inspector Victor Gallo at
Bottegin, Palazzo Xara, Rabat at
20:00.

FILM
SCREENINGS
APRIL 11, 12
My Europe Short Film Festival
A series of short films from all
over Europe screened at Europe
House, 254, St Paul Street,
Valletta at 19:00. Entrance is free,
and audiences will get to vote for
their favourite film. Organised by
the Euro Media Forum. For more
information: euromediaforum@
gmail.com, 99 454066.

WEDNESDAYS
Kinemastik Film Club
Kinemastik Film Club is back
at The Royal British Legion Bar,
111, Melita Street, Valletta from
20:45. The film collective will
be screening movies selected
by Serbian film critic and
screenwriter Dimitrije Vojnov.
Doors open at any time.

PUBLIC
LECTURES/
DISCUSSIONS
APRIL 11
Secular Morality An MHA
Discussion
Discussion on secular morality by
the Malta Humanist Association
at the Workers Memorial
Building, South Street, Valletta
at 18:00. Is a person good because
of a promise of a reward in the
afterlife? Or is a person good
because, well, it is good to be
good? Does morality come from
some deity?

APRIL 11
Meeting Darwins Last
Challenge
Talk by Prof. Giovanni Romeo
at the Music Room, St James
Cavalier, Valletta at 19:00. In
collaboration with UK and other
Italian researchers, Prof. Romeos
team is investigating if there is a
genetic link between differences
in language. Have changes in our
genes led to changes in language?
Their results show that there
is a link in populations from at
least three different continents.
Organised by Malta Caf
Scientifique and Department of
Pathology, University of Malta.

17
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 10 APRIL 2013

THIS WEEK

AT CINEMAS
TODAY

TV/CINEMA
TVM

ITALIA 1

20:00 L-Abarijiet 20:40 Dreams 21:45 Sherlock 23:15

L-Abarijiet 23:30 Paq Paq 25 (repeat) 00:15 TVPM

18:30 Studio Aperto - Meteo 19:20 CSI New York 21:10 Amanda Knox 22:55 Studio Aperto Live 23:55 The Vampire Diaries
01:40 Sport Mediaset 02:05 The Shield

TVM 2

19:20 CSI New York Italia 1

21:10 The Closer Rete 4

19:30 News for the hearing impaired 19:40 Madwarna

19:55 News in English 20:00 Pre match programme
20:35 Champions League 22:45 Highlights Programme

RETE 4

NET TV

RAI UNO

19:45 Net News 20:30 Simpatici 21:30 Net News

21:35 Iswed fuq l-Abjad 23:00 Net News

20:00 Telegiornale 20:30 Affari Tuoi 21:10 Dove la trovi una

come me? 23:32 Tg1 60 Secondi 23:35 Porta a Porta 01:10 Tg1
Notte 01:40 Che tempo fa

18:50 Anteprima Tg4 18:55 Tg4 Meteo 4 19:35 Tempesta

damore 20:30 Walker Texas Ranger
21:10 The
Closer 23:15 Bones 01:00 Tg4 Night News

ONE
19:30 One News 20:15 Klassi Ghalina 21:00 TX 22:10
One 23:15 One News 23:45 Trasmissjoni Matul IlLejl

RAI DUE
18:15 Tg2 18:45 Cold Case 19:35 Squadra Speciale Cobra 11
20:30 Tg2 20.30 21:05 Tutto Dante 22:35 A Gifted Man 23:25
Tg2 23:40 Stay 01:10 Parlamento Telegiornale

CANALE 5

23:15 Bones Rete 4

20:00 Tg5 Meteo.it 20:20 Striscia la notizia 20:40

UEFA Champions League 22:45 Speciale Champions
League 00:30 Tg5 Notte Meteo.it 01:00 Striscia la
notizia 01:50 Uomini e Donne

RAI TRE
19:00 Tg3 19:30 Tg Regione 19:51 TG Regione Meteo 20:00
Blob 20:10 Laurel and Hardy 20:35 Un posto al sole 21:05 Chi
lha visto 23:15 Glob Porcellum 00:00 Tg3 Linea notte

Films released by KRS Distributors

Epic
An ongoing battle rages deep in the forest between the forces of good and the forces of evil. When a teen age girl finds herself magically transported into
this secret universe, she must band together with a rag-tag team of fun and whimsical characters in order to save their world... and ours. Featuring the voice
talents of: Amanda Seyfried, Josh Hutcherson and Beyonce Knowles.
Showing soon

Promised Land
Corporate salesman Steve Butler arrives in a rural town with his sales partner, Sue Thomason. With the town having been hit hard by
the economic decline of recent years, the two outsiders see the local citizens as likely to accept their companys offer, for drilling rights
to their properties, as much-needed relief. What seems like an easy job for the duo becomes complicated by the objection of a respected
schoolteacher with support from a grassroots campaign led by another man who counters Steve both personally and professionally.
Starring: Matt Damon, Frances McDormand and John Krasinski.
Showing soon

ST JAMES CAVALIER
VALLETTA
TEL. 21 223200
PINA (U)
18:30
EMBASSY CINEMAS
VALLETTA
TEL. 21 227436, 21 245818
GI JOE RETALIATION (3D) (12)
10:20, 13:30, 16:00, 18:30, 21:00
PARKER (16)
10:30, 13:35, 16:05, 18:35, 21:10
HANSEL & GRETEL: WITCH
HUNTERS (16)
16:35, 18:40, 20:50
JACK THE GIANT SLAYER (PG)
10:20, 13:30, 16:05, 18:40, 21:15
OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL
(PG)
14:30, 18:00, 20:50
THE CROODS (U)
14:20, 16:30, 18:40, 20:50
EDEN CINEMAS
ST JULIANS
TEL. 23 710400
PARKER (16)
14:00, 16:20, 18:45, 21:15, 23:45
CLOUD ATLAS (16)
14:20, 17:50, 21:15
HANSEL & GRETEL: WITCH
HUNTERS (16)
14:20, 16:30, 18:40, 21:00, 23:00
JACK THE GIANT SLAYER (PG)
14:00, 16:20, 18:40, 21:05, 23:35
SIDE EFFECTS (16)
14:15, 16:25, 18:40, 21:10, 23:30
THE CROODS (3D) (U)
14:05, 16:20, 18:35, 20:50, 23:05
ZERO DARK THIRTY (16)
14:10, 18:05, 21:10
SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK (14)
14:00, 16:20, 18:45, 21:10, 23:40
MOVIE 43 (18)
14:10, 16:15, 18:40, 20:45, 22:45
OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL
(3D) (PG)
14:30, 18:00, 20:45, 23:30
LES MISRABLES (PG)
14:30, 18:00, 21:05
THIS IS 40 (16)
14:25, 18:15, 20:55, 23:40
BROKEN CITY (16)
14:10, 16:25, 18:40, 20:55, 23:15
FIRE WITH FIRE (16)
14:05, 16:15, 18:50, 21:00, 23:15
GI JOE: RETALIATION (3D) (12)
14:05, 16:30, 18:50, 21:15, 23:40
A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD (12)
14:15, 16:25, 18:30, 20:50, 23:05
EMPIRE CINEMAS
BUGIBBA
TEL. 21 581787, 21 581909
JACK THE GIANT SLAYER (3D)
(PG)
13:20, 15:55, 18:20, 20:45
THE CROODS (3D) (U)
13:15, 15:45, 18:00, 21:10
PARKER (16)
13:10, 15:40, 18:10, 20:55
GI JOE: RETALIATION (3D) (12)
13:30, 15:50, 18:10, 21:05
OZ THE GREAT AND THE
POWERFUL (PG)
13:25, 16:05, 18:45, 21:25
HANSEL & GRETEL: WITCH
HUNTERS (16)
13:35, 16:15, 18:15, 21:00
BROKEN CITY (16)
16:00, 20:50
A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD (12)
13:50, 18:20

18

Events

maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 10 APRIL 2013

Budding entrepreneurs at
Young Enterprise trade fair
NINE mini-companies formed by
students representing their sixth
form colleges made it to the annual trade fair, organised by Junior
Achievement YE (Young Enterprise)
Malta Foundation. They exhibited
their innovative business projects
after months of preparation at Piazza Tign, The Point, Sliema. JAYE (Malta) Foundation, formerly
known as Young Enterprise, is an
international organisation in the
field of entrepreneurship education.
This years proposals include numerous products and services with
considerable focus on the environment and social impact. Apart from
being promising entrepreneurs,
students are encouraged to manage
their mini-enterprise in a responsible and ethical manner. After all,
these youths are the leaders of tomorrows society, said the Chairman of JA-YE (Malta) Foundation
Michael Ellul Vincenti.
HSBC supports Junior Achievement-Young Enterprise Malta because it believes in the way it em-

powers and educates young people

to value free enterprise, business
and economics. Together with
others from reputable businesses,
HSBC offers these students the
opportunity to manage their minienterprises under the supervision
of our professional guidance, learn
about business and enterprise, and
develop teamwork, communication,
innovation and negotiation skills,
said Josef Camilleri on behalf of the
HSBC Malta Foundation.
Through the HSBC Company
Programme, JA-YE (Malta) Foundation offers sixth form students
the opportunity to start-up a minicompany, utilise their own business idea, and market and sell the
finished product or service. This
is a learning-by-doing experience
for students to own their own business.
HSBC Bank Malta plc is the main
sponsor of JA-YE (Malta) Foundation, which is also supported by
Deloitte, Microsoft Malta Ltd and
Atlas Insurance PCC Limited.

Emerging
market
growth
remains
subdued
in March
despite
Chinese
pick-up

2013: a year of opportunities for

property buyers and investors

THE HSBC Emerging Markets

Index (EMI), a monthly indicator derived from the PMI surveys,
was little-changed from Februarys 52.4 in March, posting 52.6.
That indicated a subdued rate of
economic growth in global emerging markets. However, the average EMI reading for the first three
months of 2013 (52.9) exceeded
those in both the third and fourth
quarters of 2012.
Data broken down by broad sector showed a mild acceleration in
growth of manufacturing output,
led by China, South Korea and Taiwan. The rate of expansion in the
service sector meanwhile eased
slightly to a seven-month low.
Among the largest economies
covered, faster growth in China
was countered by weaker expansions in Brazil, India and Russia.
New business growth in emerging markets stabilised at a moderate pace in March. New order growth picked up slightly in
manufacturing, but eased further
at service providers. Outstanding
business declined marginally in
both sectors. Meanwhile, employment continued to rise, but at a
rate that remained slightly weaker
than the long-run survey average.
The rate of input price inflation
in emerging markets slowed from
Februarys ten-month high to the
weakest since August 2012, driven
by weaker cost pressures in manufacturing. Similarly, prices charged
for goods and services rose at the
slowest rate for six months

FRANK Salt Real Estate registered

a growth of 14% throughout its operations last year, reflecting the
success of the companys growth
strategy and its role as Maltas leading estate agency.
The Companys Annual General
Conference was held at the end
of March at the Corinthia Palace Hotel in Attard. During the
evening, the company directors
explained how the company performed throughout the previous
twelve months and also set out its
roadmap for the coming year. Sales
to foreign buyers remained on the
same level as those of the previous
year, with Malta capturing foreign
interest not only as a holiday home
or a residency option, but also as
an investment opportunity. In fact,

Young entrepreneurs business projects on

exhibition at the JA-YE (Malta) trade fair

more than 20% of total sales were

investment purchases, either for
capital appreciation, or more frequently as rental investments.
Looking at the local market, whilst
this is still fuelled by first time buyers, a very strong improvement was
registered amongst second time
buyers, which saw an increase of
36% in sales. The average price of
properties sold also went up, with a
particular increased interest in terraced houses and houses of character. These are clear indications
that the property market is moving
in the right direction, Managing
Director Joseph Lupi said during
his presentation to the hundredplus team of consultants and associates that work with the company.
Despite the global financial cri-

sis, we still registered a good year

throughout most of our operations
and we see great opportunities for
buyers and investors during 2013.
The rental market is also growing steadily with company revenue
from this division growing by 29%
in 2012. We are seeing an evergrowing demand for quality rental
properties Lupi stated, More
foreigners are coming to Malta to
relocate, work or retire here, while
rentals by the local market is also
on the fast-track, with many opting
to rent out first whilst hunting for
their ideal property to purchase.
We expect this market to double in
size during the next two years. This
is creating an increasing demand
for good quality property for long
lets which we urgently need to add

to our property portfolio.

During the conference, awards
were handed out for Best Sales and
Letting Consultants going to
George Vassallo and Ludwig Farrugia respectively, as well as Best
Branch which was won by the Marsascala Branch. Other awards and
company appointments were announced. Presentations were also
given by company chairman, Frank
Salt, director Grahame Salt, Marketing manager Nick Bilocca and
Kevin Fenci from Fenci Consultancy.
For more information on this
press release one may contact Nick
Bilocca at Frank Salt Real Estate on
telephone 23 794794 or by email at
nbilocca@franksalt.com.mt

Emirates Set to Launch Trans-Atlantic Flight

CONNECTING mainland Europe
with North America, Emirates will
launch a direct service between Milan and New York, the airlines only
trans-Atlantic service, from 1 October 2013.
Linking Italy directly with America,
the new route will provide an important connection between Continental
Europe and the US, allowing Emirates
to capitalise on the significant traffic
flow between these cities and giving
both leisure and business travellers
more choice and added convenience.
In addition to the existing passenger
market between Milan and New York,
Emirates has timed its flight schedule
to ensure maximum connectivity for
other key feeder markets. Customers
across Europe looking to fly on the
airlines award-winning product will
be able to maximise the airlines frequent flyer partnership with easyJet,
seamlessly connecting through Milan
to New York. On arrival in the US,
customers can then take advantage
of Emirates partnership with JetBlue
enabling connections across the US,
including the West Coast.
Operating a trans-Atlantic route
has been on our agenda for some time.
Having carefully monitored traffic
flows we have identified strong de-

The picturesque Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan

mand for both a direct connection and,
importantly, for the Emirates product.
The route is currently underserved,
particularly with a strong premium
product offering this is where we see a
clear opening for Emirates. We intend
to capitalise on this opportunity, stimulating further demand and encouraging additional traffic flow in both
directions, said Tim Clark, President
Emirates.
Operated by a Boeing 777-300ER,
the flight will be an extension of one
of Emirates existing three daily, Dubai to Milan flights. The service will

originate in Dubai with passengers

then able to enjoy a stopover in Milan
en-route to New York. On the return
flight, passengers will have the option
of stopping in Milan before continuing on to Dubai. This one-stop service
has proved popular on other Emirates
routes, giving passengers the opportunity to experience a new destination or
to break their journey on longer trips.
The two cities share more than just
their love of food, fashion and design,
with New York being home to the largest Italian community in America. As
well as offering excellent connections

for business travellers or people visiting friends and family, this new service
is expected to be popular with leisure
travelers who can take in the sights of
multiple cities with one convenient air
ticket.
Emirates will deploy its state-of-theart Boeing 777-300ER on this route,
offering eight seats in First Class, 42
seats in Business Class and 310 seats
in Economy Class. The aircraft will be
equipped with Emirates award-winning ice system, offering over 1,400
channels of in-flight entertainment, as
well gourmet chef-prepared meals.
ENAC (the Italian Civil Aviation
Authority) has authorized the services
between Milan and New York on an
extra-bilateral basis and Emirates is
confident that over the next 18 months
an evaluation will demonstrate significant economic benefits for the Italian
economy, exporters, tourism and airports.
We greatly appreciate the support of ENAC and think it will have a
very positive impact on the Italian air
transport market and airports, Mr
Clark said.
In addition to passenger services,
Emirates SkyCargo will offer a total of
38 tonnes of freight capacity between
both cities each day.

19

Classifieds
ALUMINIUM
MANUFACTURERS of aluminium security roller shutters for windows and doors.
Aluminium shutters for garages (roller or
ceiling systems). All types of aluminium,
apertures, aluminium thermal insulation,
PVC apertures, security main doors,
aluminium railings for stairs and balconies (chrome/stainless steel finish).
A45 Industrial Estate, Marsa. Call on
21226320, 99891899. Email: horvin@
waldonet.net.mt. Visit www.horvin.eu

ANTIQUES
BARGAIN Prices: For sale large gild
ormolu mirror, Maltese mahogany desk,
marble dressing table, chiffonier, biscuttin table, marble chest of drawers with
grotesque lions, pair Victorian chairs,
glass domes, clocks under domes, lusters, opalin and ceramic vases, figurines, Persian carpets and more. Call on
21415949, 99420241, 77415949
MALTESE BOOKS 1882 1913, travel
1873 and WWII. Call on 21338780 or
email on jph1965@gmail.com
POMSKIZILLIOUS Museum of Toys toys from late 18th centuray till mid
20s/ at 10, Gnien Xibla Street, Xaghra
Gozo. Open April from Thursdays till
Saturdays, mornings only from from
10.30am till 1pm. Groups by appointment. Now in our 21st year. Keeping
yesterday for you to enjoy today. Call on
21562489 or email on sueandedwin@
gmail.com
RAGS AND RICHES BUY AND SELL - the
shop dedicated to quality second hand
furniture. Our items can be viewed on our
Facebook page: rags and riches buy and
sell. Call on 21661983, 79593666

AUTO GAS CONVERSIONS

CONVERT to LPG Gas and reduce your
running costs by 40%.We convert all petrol engines. Acheck Ltd VRT Station, San
Pawl Tal-Qlejja, Triq Tas-Sriedaq, il-Mosta.
Call on 21432656, 99441297. Visit
www.autogas.com.mt

BAKERY
SAN Quintin Bakery, prop. Mario Micallef,
Maltese & fancy bread - fresh daily. Visit
us at Censu Borg Street, Hamrun. Call on
21251410. G al ob ta veru!

BOATS
27FT Chriscraft bargain - half price.
Includes 4 berth, toilet, kitchen, electric
winch and trailer. Must sell! Price 4,800.
Call on 21558975, 99460726
FAIRLINE Targa 34 for sale, 1994
model. Powered by twin Volvo 230HP
engines. Built-in generator, davits and
many extras. Sleeps six. Comfortable
and airy boat. Very wll-maintained. Call
owner on 99887741
TENDER 8ft fibre with trailer and 2 oard.
Price 350 (Lm150). Call on 21579054,
79904109

CAR PARTS & ENGINES

A.G.R. Auto Japanes Parts, wholesaler & retailer. Supplies for Japanese &
Korean parts such as Kia, Toyota, Isuzu,
Daewoo, Mitsubishi, Honda and Subaru.
Importers of oil/ air filters, shock absorbers, brake pads, clutches, etc. Genuine
parts. We also do servicing & repairs
on all types of cars. Call on 21446839,
99474504, fax 21470295. Visit us at
Triq in-Nassab, Qormi. Email on alex@
agautoparts.com
KONI SHOCK ABSORBERS, lowering
kits and coil-overs, Koni bus, truck and
trailer shocks; Powerflex polyurethane
suspension bushes; 123 ignition for classic cars and parts for Italian vehicles.
Call on 21371801. Visit www.twinsparkgarage.com
SMART CARS parts and accessories.

maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 10 APRIL 2013

Genuine new and second-hand parts
and accessories including alloys, tyres,
forge D/V, S-Mann Kits and exhaust K &
N filters, EBC disks and pads and loads
more. Contact the number one Smart
Cars specialist: Autoray on 21388456;
email: rvella@autoraymalta.com. Visit
www.autoraymalta.com

CAR REPAIRS
CALIGARI Spray Painting and Pane
Beating specialising in 2K, metallic and
water-based paints. Low back booth
and computerised mixing room. MSA
insurance approved. De La Rue Avenue,
Gzira. Call on 27333879, 99426198 or
email on caligari@onvol.net
EUROSTAR is an expert in car body
repair and collision repair for all types of
vehicles. Our body shop guarantees your
cars body repair. Being in the business
for over 50 years, we have established a
reputation respected by many insurers.
If you require any of our services, call or
visit our collision centre in Qormi for a
free estimate on any accident repair or
auto body repair. Eurostar Automotive
Repair Centre, Triq l-Industrija, Qormi,
Malta. Call on 21490735, 21490500
or Paul Ciappara Jnr 99426161, Louis
Micallef 7941959. Email: info@eurostarautomotive.com, Web: www.eurostarautomotive.com
ITALIAN VEHICLE SERVICING, diagnostics, mechanical repairs and electric
power steering repairs. Hydraulic power steering repairs on removed racks,
boxes and pumps of all brands. All work
guaranteed. Call on 21371801. Visit
www.twinsparkgarage.com
JOHNS Garage Auto repairs since 1958,
for panel beating and spraying, contact Louis Sajeba. Visit at 342, Naxxar
Road, Birkirkara. Call on 21444533,
79444533, 9946 4654.
REGENCY PANEL BEATERS - dont look
any further. Panel beating, spray painting, mechanical repairs and also car
hire. Visit us in St Margaret Street, San
Gwann. Call on 21376784, 99427296,
79891013
SUNRISE GARAGE, panel beating and
oven bake spray painting. Full accident
repairs, chassis alignment. Mechanical
works and colour mixing. MSA approved.
Prop. Joseph Mifsud, 57, Triq il-Ballut,
Mosta. Call on 21436054, 9949 2047.
Visit www.sunrisegaragemosta.com

CAR WASH
GERMAN MAKE EHRLE TOUCHLESS
CARWASH operated round the clock
at Galea General Services Ltd, Mgarr
Road, Xewkija, Gozo. Self-service with no
brushes and hence spotless wash and
no scratches. Other washing equipment
available. For trade enquiries call on
21561122, 99494618; fax 21554277;
www.ggs.com.mt

CLEANING SERVICES
ECOLOGICAL Cleaning Services: cleaning of all water culverts, drainage pipes,
emptying of cesspits & wells. Also cleaning & repairs of grease traps and inspections of drain pipes by CCTV. Call on
21651029, 99421954, 99499714

COMPUTERS
ALL computer problems, 24/7 express
service, free antivirus given. Brand new
computers and laptops also for sale. Call
Chris on 99424703,
ENCOUNTERING computer problems?
Repairs on spot, on the same day?
Cleaning from viruses and spyware?
Swift-Tec is your answer. Renowned for
upgrades, new system installations and
distribution of the high quality laptops.
Installation of antivirus for free. Swift-Tec.
Call on 27886633

COURSES

KEUNE PROFESSIONAL HAIRDRESSING

COURSES for beginners and advanced
including hair extensions. Limited
number of students accepted. Courses,
given by hairdressers trained overseas,
mornings and evenings both in Maltese
and English. For bookings call on 2143
4636, 99476170. Keune Hair Centre, St
Michael Street, Lija. Salons worldwide:
Amsterdam, Berlin, London, Sydney and
Tokyo.

ENTERTAINMENT
NIGRET NIGHT CLUB in Labour Avenue,
Rabat, Malta. We cater for all kinds of
functions: coffee mornings, lunches, dinner dances, hens/bachelors and wedding parties. For more information call
on 21454858, 21454908, 79454908.
Freddie Portelli in attendance every
Friday and Franz Grech every Saturday
with line-dancing/ country music and
60s music.

FOR HIRE
CHAIRS AND TABLES for all occasions
including childrens parties, weddings,
Gala dinners, etc.Variation of chairs and
tables of any colours and sizes. Call
Gino ta Hal Qormi on 99492732, 7949
2732, 21472838. Facebook: Gino ta
Hal-Qormi
TOP Hat Wedding Hiring Service: wedding suits, Holy Communion, Confirmation
suits, coloured suits, graduation gowns,
bridesmaids. Visit us at 210, St Edward
Street, Qormi. Call on 21488241,
79488241

FOR SALE
ADULT NOVELTIES and lingerie, ideal to
brighten up hens nights, bachelor parties
or for your intimate moments. Discreet
free delivery. Available online from www.
toysfourplay.com. Arbiv Marketing, PO
Box 26, St Julians. e-mail: info@toysfourplay.com. Call on 9943 2019. Visit www.
toysfourplay.com
COLOUR bulbs or clear 15w filament.
See-through or matt light bulbs, ideal for
feasts, festoons, holders, LEDs, etc. Call
on 99497336

FURNITURE
C.BORG FURNITURE, joinery works
including interior/exterior doors, kitchens, bedrooms, wall units, shoe cabinets
and more. Excellent prices and quality
workmanship. Borg Garage, St Katerina
Street, Gharghur. Call on 21413327,
99452554
FAIR DEAL FURNITURE where you
will find bedroom prices starting from
1,375. Leather sofas at unbelievable
prices. Fair Deal Furniture, Mdina Road,
Zebbug. Call on 27282828 or visit www.
fairdealfurniture.com.mt
SITTING room suites for sale at moderate prices. Part exchange accepted. Also
second hand ones and re-upholstery. Call
21374823, 99824139

GENERAL
AQUARIUM 1m for sale with light and air
pump. Price 200. Call on 21413140
PANIERS for sale 20 each and feeding equipment, price 100 for all. Call
on 21413140
TEDDYS Detergent Shop at 590, St
Pauls Street, St Pauls Bay. Best prices
in town. We also offer free delivery to
nearby areas. Find us on Facebook. Call
on 27333357
TEDDYS Fashion on 571, St Pauls
Street, St Pauls Bay. Latest womens
fashion at lowest prices. All items under
20. Find us on Facebook. Call on
27889987
TREADMILL. Call on 21453770
UK FOOTBALL programs 1953-79,
Maltese international games. Call on

21338780 or email on jph1965@gmail.

com

HEALTH & BEAUTY

BEAUTY Culture Centre, in Santa
Venera, offers professional waxing,
beauty kits, couches and equipment
including pressotherapy lymphatic and
slimming machines. Sale of portable
couches, steamers and beauty equipment at favourable prices. Special offers
on student packages. Ask for the special
offer of the month. Smart cards accepted. Call on 21440424
MADAME MARIE Health and Beauty
Salon, for all beauty treatments and
make-up for all occasions. Visit us at
96, Triq il-Kbira, Qormi or contact Claire
Chetcuti on 21495103, 99423894
GIVE yourself a present with a relaxing
full-body massage by a female therapist.
Call on 99017954
SILHOUETTE HEALTH AND BEAUTY
SALON: facials, electrolysis, manicures,
pedicures, waxing, make-up for any
occasion, gel & acrylic nails & slimming
treatments. Visit us St Sebastian Street,
Qormi. Call on 21485716, 99450829
THE Nail House for gel nail extensions,
Makea nail products, waxing, Accura
lifting systems, semi-permanent make
up, fat busting, slimming treatments,
laser hair removal. Nails by Mariella at
22, Marina Street, Marsascala. For an
appointment call on 99451294

HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION
GOZO, XLENDI new furnished apartments. Call on 21555026, 79592764
HOLIDAY flat for rent in Qala Gozo. Call
on 21563214
TA Rummiena Holiday Accommodations
- If you are looking for a premium holiday on the Island of Gozo, staying in
an authentic Gozitan farmhouse rented
directly from owners, this is the right
place for you. We can guarantee you a
memorable holiday in style in one of our
luxury yet traditional farmhouses in Gozo
at the most competitive of prices. Call
on 21554466, 99821550, 79821550.
Email: contact@farmhouseingozo.com,
Website: www.farmhouseingozo.com

HOME IMPROVEMENTS
AGIUS Decorations Ltd for all types of
gypsum works, PVC Wall panelling, PVC
soffits, 60 x 60 soffits, folding doors,
coving, ceiling roses, roller nets, blinds,
curtain rails & laminate floor. Supply and
install. Agius Decorations Ltd - Shop,
Valley Road, Qormi. Call on 21472068,
21803654, 99476936, 79253740.
Email on agiusdecor@onvol.net
W.P. LTD Specialists in waterproofing
membrane. Ten-year guarantee. For free
estimates and professional advice call
on 21438326, 99445527, 99493840;
email: william@go.net.mt; www.wpmalta.
com

HYPNOTHERAPY
HYPNOTHERAPY, qualified help to quit
smoking, self-esteem, phobias, panic
attacks, depression, impotency, jealousy, anger management, weight control, positive thinking, social interaction
and stuttering. Phone C. Barlow MAPHP,
MNRPC on 27339320, 99881165

INT. MARINE LICENCE RYA

JOIN our RYA Day Skipper courses this
season and get qualified to make an
international voyage with your boat this
summer. Contact Malta Sailing Academy
on 21 388254, 79432526, info@maltasailingacademy.com. Visit www.maltasailingacademy.com

LETTING
LARGE one bedroom (furnished, air-conditioned) apartment in a newly-restored

building, on the most photographed

street of Valletta. First occupancy; branded appliances. Long let only. Price 600
monthly. Call on 79423002, 99264510
MOSTA bungalow with three bedrooms and private garden. Price 1,200.
Call on 27032790, 77441193
MOSTA - fully furnished maisonette with
three bedrooms and back yard. Price
465. Call on 27032790, 77441193
PAOLA upper level of accessories
shop. Ideal for the services of nail technician, beautician, massage parlour, etc.
Call on 99440819, 99406865
QAWRA - two bedroom flat for rent.
Long lets. Price 350 per month. Call
on 99468110
SAN GWANN - modern furnished three
bedroom apartment with balcony. Price
700. Call on 27032790, 77441193
SWIEQI - first floor office in Swieqi Road.
Includes three large rooms, kitchen and
garden. Approx 70 sqm. Price 390 per
month. Call on 99804121 or send an
email on joe.cross@computinguk.co.uk

MARINE
PRIVATE EXCLUSIVE YACHT CHARTERS:
why not charter one of our sailing yachts
or motor boats for a day around the
Maltese Islands? You may also charter
for longer periods and sail to Sicily.
We provide fully insured and licensed
yachts, which may be chartered with or
without a skipper. Contact Nautica Ltd
on info@nautica.com.mt, 21345138,
99496510. Visit www.nautica.com.mt,
www.yachtchartermalta.com
VISIT Glassfibre Industries for all your
boating needs including resins and fiberglass, rubber fenders, made to measure canopies and a large variety of boat
accessories being sold at discounted
prices. Glassfibre Industries, San Gwakkin
Road, Mriehel. Call on 21470282

MEAT SHOPS
PRIME MEAT SHOPS offer you the best
variety of fresh beef, pork, chicken and
other meats for any occasion. Try our
oven-ready specials, marinated meats,
fresh rabbit, succulent steaks, tasty sausages and kebabs . PRIME MEAT SHOPS
are located in Marsa, Qormi, Paola,
Zejtun, Naxxar, Sliema, Qawra, St Pauls
Bay, Mellieha and Ghajnsielem. For more
information, contact us on 21242650,
79478452 or browse www.primemalta.
com. You may also view James recipes
on Facebook group PRIME RECIPES 4 U
or join our mailing list by sending an email
on james.muscat@primemalta.com

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
MUSIC LINK - We stock a huge range
of musical instruments such as Acoustic
and Electric Drum Kits, Cymbals,
Percussion, Digital Pianos, Baby Grand
Pianos, Digital Sound Mixers and Sound
Cards, DJ equipment, Sound Systems,
Electric, Acoustic and Classical Guitars,
Bass Guitars, Brass Instruments, Wood
Winds, Violins, spare parts and loads of
accessories. We also stock Music Tuition
Books: ABRSM, LCM and Trinity. Kindly
call at Music Link, 262, Fleur De Lys
Road, Birkirkara. Call on 21482796
PIANOS Upright/Grand: Hyundai, Kohler
& Campbell, Seiler, Schulze Pollmann.
For hire and for sale at easy monthly
payment terms. Keyboards, synthesizers, digital pianos: Farfisa, Viscount.
Jazz organs: Hammond. Church organs:
Viscount, Ahlborn. Drum kits: Ludwig,
Tamburo. Cymbals, gongs: Ufip, Istanbul,
Wuhan. Acoustic guitars: Alhambra,
Strunal. Electric guitars: G&L, Burns.
Trumpets, clarinets, saxophones: Selmer
Paris. Strings: Pirastro Other musical
instruments and accessories: concert
harps, hand held percussions, Latin percussion, violins, violas, mouth organs,

20

Classifieds
piano accordions, recorders, melodicas,
amplifiers and sound systems. Apply
Barbara Music Shop, Triq Misrah il-Barrieri, Santa Venera. Call on 21484151,
21485343. Email: barbara.trading@
go.net.mt

NAUTICAL LICENCE
LICENZJA tal-bahar course costing
120 + 35 exam fee. Alternatively join
us for a two day RYA Powerboat level 2
course fee 350. Contact Malta Sailing
Academy on 21 388254, 79432526,
info@maltasailingacademy.com. Visit
www.maltasailingacademy.com

NURSERY SCHOOL
VICTORIA Nursery school in San Pawl
Tat-Targa. Playgoup/Kindergarten. Ages
between 18 months to 5 years. Accepts
registrations for October 2012. Qualified
teachers. Spacious classrooms/playground. Arts, crafts, singing, playing, etc.
Caring environment. Call on 21419740,
79431813. Webpage: Victoria nursery
school Malta

NURSING
CARE AND CURE GROUP LTD - Trained
nurses, caring assistants, nannies, companions, home help and night sitters.
24-hour service. Wheelchairs, hoists,
commodes, walking frames and Hospital
beds for hire. Call on 21376946,
99470178

OPTICIANS
THE CATHEDRAL OPTICAL one-hour
service, frames start from 27.96.
Attard: 21418315; Guardamangia:
21226020: Fgura: 2167 3332; Zebbug:
21465768; Birkirkara: 21490213;
Naxxar: 21431152; Rabat: 21450845;
Luqa: 21895248; Pinto Opticians (Qormi):
21488950; San Gwann: 21383947. We
are now open in Birzebbuga: 21421976.
Polar and Cebe sunglasses.

PAINTS
INTERIOR/EXTERIOR PAINTS, water
based and acrylic, graffiato, silicato,
tiles, adhesives, plastering, liquid membrane, anti-humidity plastering products,
etc. Any colours. Wholesale prices sales
direct through an Italian company. Call on

maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 10 APRIL 2013

21240027, 99490964. Email on info@
muracel.com.mt

PEST CONTROL
COCKROACH CONTROL services using
Goliath Gel. Long-term effect. Do-ityourself pest control products for sale.
Ortis Ltd, Ta Qali (next to the new
American Embassy). Call on 21420305;
email: info@ortis.biz

PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS
PRIVATE investigations Malta, fully
licensed. Separation, divorce, civic, commercial, DNA and other cases. Locally
and abroad. Call on 79590000. Visit
www.privateinvestigationmalta.com

PROPERTY FOR SALE

A unique detached maisonette/ penthouse with fantastic front and back views.
Highly discounted from original asking
price for a quick sale. A true bargain to
buy a four-bedroom with pool property.
P.O.R. Call on 21525990
ATTARD - choice of three bedroom,
finished apartments in a very good
area. Starting from 142,000. Call on
27032790, 77441193
BIDNIJA - well over 2 tumolo of land,
ready to be used as a weekend retreat,
being sold as freehold. Call owner on
99492448
MARSASKALA two car garage, street
level. Freehold. Price 32,000 ono Call
on 79058166
MELLIEHA/QORTIN this is an amazing property with 360 degrees views of
Selmun and St Marija Valley. Property
has a potential of kitchen/ living, 4 bedrooms, bathroom/ensuite, pool/ entertaining area, garage. All for a reduced
bargain price. Call on 79392114
MGARR GOZO, apartment with three
double bedrooms, one ensuite, bathroom, kitchen, living/dining and washroom. The property includes marble
floors, back & front veranda overlooking
Comino and Mgarr Harbour. In a small
block in a quiet location. Close to restaurants & shops. Call on 21558975,
99460726
TARXIEN: a bright 3rd floor apart-

=
5

ment served with lift. Large open plan

with two double bedrooms, bathroom,
ensuite, laundry room and two balconies.
Highly finished including brand new parquet flooring, modern kitchen and A/C.
Price 115,000. Call on 99275411,
77343444

ment served with lift. Large open plan

with two double bedrooms, bathroom,
ensuite, laundry room and two balconies.
Highly finished including brand new parquet flooring, modern kitchen and A/C.
Price 115,000. Call on 99275411,
77343444

all types of tables. Call on 21227209,

99475092 or email on mr.snooker147@
yahoo.com. Visit us on http://houseofsnooker.wordpress.com or 25, Market
Street, Floriana

MQABBA unconverted townhouse

in village core, freehold, with own airspace. Includes three bedrooms, lounge,
dining room, boxroom, kitchenette,
yard. Well-priced to sell. Price 96,500
(Lm41,000). Immediate vacant possession. Inspect now. Call on 21436801,
79436801

MAISONETTES in Attard, Mosta ,

Naxxar, San Paul tat-Targa, Gharghur,
Mellieha and Birguma.Call on 27032790,
77441193

MQABBA farmhouse corner site in

Tower Vincenti Road. Freehold. Features
warehouse and adjoining sleeping quarters, three horse stables with paddock. All
services available. Area is approximately
574sqm in ODZ. Call on 79436801

COUNSELLING service: child, youth or

family related problems, Fibromyalgia,
bullying, bedwetting, relationships, addictions, grieve and abuse among other
issues. You are not alone. Service offered
24/7 Call on 99666663

J. VELLA STONE WORKS (Ta Comba),

for all types of stoneworks (lavur), columns, troughs (hwat), balustrades, fireplaces, fountains, etc. More than 30
types of stone cladding, old building
stone and imported stone. Also flagstone
(cangatura), stone slabs (xorok) and
doors for farmhouses. Open from 7am
till 4pm at Triq ir-Razzett l-Ahmar, Iklin.
Showroom: 19, Main Street, Mosta. Call
on 21432352, 21412216, 99477167

NAXXAR - corner detached bungalow

with mature gardens, large pool and deck
area, over 1,200 sqm. Must view. Asking
740,000. Call owner on 9939 5225

MINICABS 24/7, minicabs and mini buses. Competitive rates. Call Wembleys on
21374141, 27374141, 79374141

OVER 2 tumolo with 3 small rooms and

many mature trees with water reserviors
and vertical well (spiera) l/o Rabat accessible through lane, with surrounding rubble walls. Being sold freehold. Call on
owner 99492448, 99875540
SANTA KATERINA limits of Rabat,
almost 1 tumolo of land in a very quite
area, surrounded by rubble walls. Land
has numerous fruit trees and a good
sized girna. Also has a reservior and vertical well (spiera) being sold freehold. Call
owner on 99492448, 99875540
STA VENERA - choice of finished three
bedroom apartments or two bedroom
penthouses. Price 110,000. Call on
27032790, 77441193
SLIEMA furnished holiday flat with
two bedrooms, on the second floor, in
Depiro Street, centrally located. Price
130,000 or nearest offer. Call owner
on 21805729
STOP and search for property, homes
for sale and rentals on www.sapphirerealestate.com. Updated 24/7, 7 days a
week
TARXIEN: a bright 3rd floor apart-

SERVICES
24HRS chauffeur drive service. Call on
99939495. Visit www.mcabs.com.mt

SITUATIONS VACANT
A better tomorrow starts today AVON.
Join us to become an Avon Member!
Be amongst the over 5 million women
who are making their dreams a reality with the WORLDS LARGEST DIRECT
SELLER of beauty products. Avon helps
you start your own business for a little
more than the price of a lipstick. Work
the hours to suit your lifestyle and have
a pleasant & friendly way of earning
money. With Avon, the company for women, youre in business for yourself. Not
by yourself. Exclusively represented by
Nova Company Ltd, 51, Old Mint Street,
Valletta. Call on 21235199, 79837983.
Email:
avonladiesmalta@gmail.com
Website: www.avon.com.mt
HOUSEKEEPER is required to work in
family residence. Must be over 21 years
of age, responsible and reliable. Call on
79965935

SNOOKER/POOL TABLES
SNOOKER and Pool tables, foreign,
made in solid mahogany. Complete with
accessories. Professional and commercial cues, soccer tables and air hockey
tables. Maintenance and recovering of

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 and MaltaToday Wednesday.
This offer does not apply to Real Estate agents. Send your form to:
MaltaToday Classieds, Media Today, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016.
Together with a 5 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

STONE WORKS

TOILET SEATS
WE manufacture any kind of toilet seats,
made to measure, complete with fittings.
For more information call on 79675053,
21675053

TOOLS
TOOL CENTRE, Naxxar Road, Birkirkara
wishes to announce they have discounts
on items including S.I.P and Awelco
welding equipment, Sparky power tools,
Omega and Wintecc Hydraulic equipment,
Climax Safety equipment, Mobile Plastic
Storage bins and cabinets, Impex wall
chasers (no dust), Evolution Metal Cutting
machines, Fiac Air-compressors, safety
shoes. Call on 21499908, 99475348

TRADE IN LIBYA
NPMI Ltd can assist clients to trade,
develop strategic alliances with suppliers, customers, JV partners & GV officials in Libya. We also assist in Libyan
entry visas. Contact Mr El Naili on +356
99533933 or hassan@npminternational.
com

TUITION
ADULTS and school leavers we can
help you improve your English to sit for
exams or to find a better job. Call on
21697187, 99804695. Forms 1 to 5
also English, Italian, French and Maltese
up to MATSEC exam. Primary year 4-6.
Start now!
FAILED your half yearly exams? You dont
have to fail your June exams. Start revision lessons now. Call on 21697187,
99804695. Forms 1 to 5 also English,
Italian, French and Maltese. Primary year
4-6. Experienced tutor gives professional
help.
FRENCH tuition in Naxxar. One-to-one
classes to individuals and small groups.
All levels beginners, SEC Intermediate &
Advanced. Also University of Cambridge
Olevel (Form 4 students). French need
not be taken at school. Notes provided.
Excellent results. Call on 79412364/
21412364
MALTESE: Forms 1-5 for O, I and A
level in Mosta. Notes provided. University
graduate. Also as a foreign language.
Call on 21410218, 79999928
MALTESE & French: lessons by a qualified teacher in Attard. Forms 1 - 5, small
groups and individual attention. Call on
21685290, 79272139

TV REPAIRS
ON the spot, expert professional repairs
for tvs, LCDs, plasma, LEDs, microwaves and any other electronic equipment. Call on 99446918

VEHICLES/PARTS
ATTENTION ALL ROVER AND JAGUAR
OWNERS: we supply new and secondhand Rover and Jaguar parts. We also
carry out service and repairs on all
types of Rover and Jaguar. We also have
close to manufacture diagnostic tool for
Jaguar. Apply at British Car Specialist.
Call on 21483024, 99425122

ALL PRICES INDICATED FOR YOUR PRODUCT OR SERVICE MUST BE IN EURO

PEUGOT 307 Cabrio, dynamic, full leather with pearl alloy wheels, 20 petrol. In
very good condition. Low mileage. Call
on 99497882

21

Sport

maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 10 APRIL 2013

SPORTTODAY
FOOTBALL

Cristiano Ronaldo saves Real Madrid

from Galatasaray shock comeback
Dortmund stun Malaga in injury-time
Galatasaray ............ 3
Real Madrid ............ 2
Aggregate Score: 3-5
REAL Madrid progressed to the last
four of the Champions League despite
defeat on the night to a Galatasaray
side whose second half comeback had
Jose Mourinhos side in a panic.
Already three goals up from the first
leg at the Bernabeu, the tie was seemingly put to bed by Cristiano Ronaldos
seventh-minute strike.
But an Emmanuel Eboue thunderbolt after 57 minutes brought Gala
back level on the night, before Wesley
Sneijder put the home side ahead after
70 minutes.
Seconds later Did Drogba reduced
the aggregate deficit further and although Real substitute Alvaro Arbeloa saw red late on, Ronaldo notched
his second in injury time, as Madrids
quest for a 10th European Cup continued.
The visitors started quickly and just
three minutes were on the clock when
Fernando Muslera rashly came out
to clear, his effort falling to Angel Di
Maria, who shot wide.
Four minutes later they were on the
scoresheet. Sami Khedira was allowed
to cross from the right and in came
Ronaldo, who got to the ball before the
home defender to shoot past a helpless
Muslera from three yards out.
The tie looked finished as a contest
and Ronaldo could have doubled his
nights tally moments later when the
home side backed off, but from 25
yards the Portuguese shot straight at
Muslera.
Drogba went close to converting
a Sneijder shot after 20 minutes in
Galas first meaningful attack, before
Madrid almost went two-up.
A delicious back-heel pass from Ronaldo played in Di Maria, but his angled effort was well tipped over by the
Gala stopper.
Mourinho was forced into his first
change after 31 minutes when Michael
Essien had to be replaced by Arbeloa
due to a leg injury.
Sneijder forced Diego Lopez into his
first save after 38 minutes in what was
a lacklustre first-half display from the
hosts.
Madrid missed another chance to
go two up 11 minutes after the restart
when Ronaldo somehow missed from
eight yards out - scuffing his effort
with the ball trapped under his feet.
Moments later and the home side
were level thanks to a tremendous
goal, albeit from an unlikely source.
Sneijders hopeful cutback found a
sprinting Eboue who from the edge of
the box powered an unstoppable shot
into the top corner.
And just three minutes later they
should have gone ahead. Drogbas
strength caused all sorts of problems
for the Real defence with the ball falling to Sneijder.
However with just Lopez to beat and
from 12 yards out he screwed his shot
wide of the far post.

Eboues goal had, however, galvanised the home side and with the
Ataturk Stadium firmly behind their
side Gala took a deserved lead.
Sneijder showed a turn of pace more
associated with his best days at Inter,
nutmegged Rafael Varane before sidefooting into the corner.
And moments later it was 3-1 when
Drogba got in front of his defender to
flick a cross into the corner of the net.
Raul Albiol replaced Mesut Ozil as
Mourinho looked to arrest his teams
slide, but they had to play out the final
moments with 10 men after Arbeloa
saw red after receiving a second yellow
card for dissent.
There was still time for a fifth goal
on the night when Ronaldo scored in
injury time.

B. Dortmund........... 3
Malaga .................. 2
Aggregate Score: 3-2
In the other match, Borussia Dortmund booked their space in the final
four of the Champions League with a
miraculous 3-2 win over Malaga at the
Signal Iduna Park.
BVB failed to make their dominance
count at La Roselada last week and it
looked to be a recurring theme when
Joaquin put Manuel Pellegrinis ahead
but Robert Lewandowski equalised
before the break. Eliseu looked to have
broken BVB hearts with a late goal but
two stoppage-time strikes courtesy of
Marco Reus and Felipe Santana ensured an unbelievable comeback.
With the tie so delicately balanced
from the first leg, such a conservative
approach to the early stages from both
teams was somewhat predictable.
As the minutes ticked by the hosts
became more adventurous and in the
16th minute Lewandowski got his first
chance to shoot at goal. He elected for
an audacious 25-yard chip from Mario
Gotzes pass but his overcooked attempt floated over the stranded Willy
Caballeros goal.
Los Boquerones had struggled to
string a meaningful attack together
but in the 25th minute when they silenced the Signal Iduna Park.
Julio Baptista pounced on a poor
clearance from Felipe Santana and his
pass found Joaquin. After a tight giveand-go with Isco, the 31-year-old cut
inside onto his left foot and sent a low
shot past Roman Weidenfeller to net a
huge away goal.
Apprehension and frustration began to spread around the stadium but
their worries were eased five minutes
before half time. Reus flicked Gotzes
pass into the path of Lewandowski
who rounded Willy and slotted the
ball into the empty net to finish off a
superb team move.
Joaquin was gifted a free header in
the last action of the first half which
Weidenfeller comfortably held and
the start of the second half offered
similarly enticing opportunities for
both sides.
Lewandowski was unable to guide
his shot past Willy after some more
quick, crisp interplay with Gotze and

Cristiano Ronaldo silenced the Galatasaray

fans by giving Real Madrid an early lead
minutes later the Weidenfeller managed to get a strong hand to the ball to
keep Joaquins header.
Malaga continued to squeeze the
play and force the Bundesliga side into
sending the long ball up from the back.
However, when Sergio Sanchez failed
to deal with one such pass Gotze could
not find the from a glorious position
in the 53rd minute. The organisation
of Pellegrinis defence was exemplary
and after Dortmund had a goal ruled
out correctly for offside, Dudas thunderous effort almost added to the disappointment of the home fans.
The heroics of Malaga goalkeeper
Willy were a huge reason that the first
leg ended goalless and the Argentine
was at it again in the closing stages,
denying both Reus and Gotze from
close range
The home fans misery looked to
have been compounded in the 82nd
minute as a swift break from the visi-

tors ended with second-half substitute Eliseu sweeping home from close
range. Yet there was still time for one
of the most dramatic comebacks in
Champions League history, which Reus began as he slotted home following
a long ball in the 91st minute.
Two minutes later the turnaround
was complete and the stadium went
from despair to unbridled jubilation.

Following a cross from the left a

scramble in the area was put to an end
when Santana swept the ball into the
net from one yard out.
Somehow Dortmund, who will be
joined in the semi-finals by Real Madrid, managed to keep their unbeaten
home record in the tournament intact
as their victory ended Malagas fairytale run.

Tonights UEFA
Champions League
xtures
20:45 Barcelona - Paris S.G.
20:45 Juventus - Bayern Munich

22

Sport

maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 10 APRIL 2013

FOOTBALL

FOOTBALL

PHOTOGRAPHY BY PAUL ZAMMIT CUTAJAR / MFA

Phil Neville to
leave Everton

Malta qualify for the next phase

of the FIFA Womens World Cup
GOALS by Dorianne Theuma and
Rachel Cuschieri gave Malta womens
team a 2-0 win over Latvia in the last
match of the preliminary qualifiers to
finish top of the group on better goal
difference from Albania.
The goals arrived on the 45th and
83rd minute to seal the victory for

Malta.
Albania defeated Luxembourg 2-1 to
end up on seven points. Same as hosts
Malta who both now qualify for the
next phase.
The draw for the group stage of the
UEFA qualifying competition will
take place on 16 April 2013, with

group matches to be played between

21 September 2013 and 17 September
2014.
The decisive play-off fixtures, which
will determine the continents eight
Canada 2015 participants, will take
place between 25 October and 27 November 2014.

EVERTON captain Phil Neville has

been tipped for a player-coach role at
his next club after the defender confirmed today that he will be leaving
the Toffees this summer.
Neville announced this morning
that he is to depart the Merseyside
outfit - who he joined from Manchester United in 2005 - when his
current deal expires at the end of
the season, stressing that he will be
looking to continue his playing career elsewhere.
In June, the 36-year-old will work
as part of Stuart Pearces England
Under-21s backroom staff at the
European Championship in Israel,
having previously done so for the
Young Lions qualifier against Belgium in February 2012.

Balotelli
banned for
three matches

WATERPOLO

Slovakia and Malta finish in second place

ON the final day in the first-leg clashes of the 2014 European Championships Qualification a second tie was
achieved in Tbilisi, Georgia. Here the
team of 2012 Olympic host Great Britain gained a 5-5 tie against Slovakia.
It was not enough for second place
as Slovakia holds an one-point advantage on the table and finished behind
the victorious home side. The two
teams of group C, played in Odense
Denmark are Russia and Malta.
The Maltese achieved the nice result after tying with Israel on the final
day 6-6. That was enough to finish
second behind Russia who convincingly cruised past this round. This
years World League Super Final hosts
closed out the weekend trashing Bulgaria on Sunday 36-4. The results of
todays matches are as follows:
2014 European Championships
July 13-26, 2014
Budapest, Hungary
Qualication - round 1

Sunday April 7, 2013

Slovakia vs. Great Britain 5-5 (2-0, 1-1,
1-3, 1-1)
Georgia vs. Czech Republic 16-5 (6-1, 5-1,
1-1, 4-2)

Russia vs. Malta 20-8 (4-0, 6-0, 6-5, 4-3)

Bulgaria vs. Portugal 7-18 (1-6, 2-2, 3-5,
1-5)
Israel vs. Russia 5-23
Denmark vs. Malta 10-11

Final ranking group A

1. Georgia 10 pts
2. Slovakia 8
3. Great Britain 7
4. Poland 3
5. Czech Republic 0

Saturday April 6, 2014

Malta vs. Bulgaria 24-7
Portugal vs. Russia 5-21 (3-4, 0-4, 2-6, 0-7)
Denmark vs. Israel 6-13

Group A in Tblisi, Georgia

Thursday April 4, 2013
Slovakia vs. Poland 11-1 (4-0, 3-0, 3-1, 1-0)
Georgia vs. Great Britain 12-3 (3-0, 6-1,
1-0, 2-2)
Friday April 5, 2013
Czech Republic vs. Slovakia 3-12 (0-3, 0-3,
1-4, 2-2)
Poland vs. Great Britain 3-11 (1-3, 1-3, 0-4,
1-1)
Georgia vs. Slovakia 7-7 (3-2, 2-3, 1-2, 1-0)
Czech Republic vs. Poland 5-8 (3-3, 0-1,
2-2, 0-1)
Saturday April 6, 2013
Great Britain vs. Czech Republic 17-4
Georgia vs. Poland 16-10

Group C in Odense, Denmark

Thursday April 4, 2013
Bulgaria vs. Israel 6-17
Malta vs. Portugal 16-8 (6-0, 4-3, 4-3, 2-2)
Denmark vs. Russia 4-22 (0-4, 1-3, 1-6,
2-9)
Friday April 5, 2013
Israel vs. Portugal 6-9 (3-3, 1-2, 0-2, 2-2)
Denmark vs. Bulgaria 19-11

Sunday April 7, 2014

Malta vs. Israel 6-6 (2-3, 1-0, 1-1, 2-2)
Russia vs. Bulgaria 36-4 (10-1, 7-1, 8-2,
11-0)
Denmark vs. Portugal 7-10
Final ranking group C
1. Russia 15 pts
2. Malta 10
3. Portugal 9
4. Israel 7
5. Denmark 3
6. Bulgaria 0

After this first round tournament

the teams will be redistributed into three new groups, according to
the classification obtained.
The final ranking (after the next
round) will be defined by the sum
of the points scored by the teams
in the three qualifying tournament groups.
The top two teams from each
group will advance to the next
stage of the competition where
they will face the 7th-12th teams
of the 2012 European Championships in Eindhoven, Netherlands which are: Spain, Romania,
Croatia, Netherlands, Macedonia
and Turkey.
The qualifiers second round
tournament for the 2014 European Championships are scheduled
for July (11-14) and the third (playoffs) in November (07-10). Locations are yet to be decided.

MARIO Balotelli was given a threematch ban on Tuesday for insulting

the fourth official at the end of AC
Milans 2-2 draw at Fiorentina at the
weekend.
Balotelli was due to face an automatic one-match suspension for accumulating four yellow cards when he was
needlessly booked for failing to retreat
at a free kick.
But Serie As disciplinary commissioner said in a statement he had added
another two matches after Balotellis
angry altercation with the match official at the end of the game. It was not
clear what had upset Super Mario.
It was awful timing by Balotelli as
third-placed Milans next two games
are against second-placed Napoli and
leaders Juventus as they try to wrap up
the third and final Champions League
spot.

Cassano could
be out for rest
of season
THE striker limped out of the Nerazzurris 4-3 loss to Atalanta on
Sunday evening, and the club have
confirmed that the injury will see
him sidelined for 30-40 days.
Andrea Stramaccioni is already
without Diego Milito and Rodrigo
Palacio through injury, and will now
miss the 31-year-old for what could
be the remainder of the campaign.

23

Sport

maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 10 APRIL 2013

OPINION

Why always Him?

gle between four world class strikers,
and even when Chicharito is unhappy
to be benched, him and Rooney have
scored 16 each. Sir Alex has instilled
a believe in his players that the team
comes first and he has proved by the
handling of players like Stam and
Becks in the past, that no body is bigger than the club, not even the big man
himself.
While I admire the hunger displayed
by the City players on Monday, they
only had pride to play for, and had to
throw caution in the wind to ensure
their fans are happy with the three
points. It serves as a temporary high,
but does not mask the truth: the league
table cannot possibly lie. Just as Sir
Alex admitted City were worthy winners last season by beating United on
goal average, this time, should United
win the league, they will be more than
worthy winners. Has it been a little
boring and too easy? Anyone would
agree, the battle for fourth has been
way more interesting than the title
chase, but if you are a red, you wouldnt
care less. Wrapping your hands around
the trophy is what counts, and ripping
those blue ribbons off will restore all
local pride to Old Trafford. The league
is a long marathon, and it is not about
temporary highs. In a league luck cannot be blamed as the amount of games
cancels it out, and in football it swings
both ways.
For any manager offering a new
challenge to Sir Alexs crown, there
is always one problem: Sir Alex Himself. Naturally United will not win
every season, as Jose Mourinho and
Mancini proved, however His spirit

MARK STRIJBOSCH
THOUGH Mondays result at Old
Trafford went against United, overturning a 12-point gap in just seven
games is a tall order for any team.
Citys 2-1 victory might have restored some local pride, however it
spoke volumes in terms of playing for
a championship. The weekly build up
was dominated by comments made by
Roberto Mancini, who claimed that
in certain cases the league table does
lie. He is referring to the fact that he
believes that his Manchester side is
better than that of Sir Alex. So much
better of course that they lost the first
leg, and recorded a total of six less victories than United.
The main difference between the
sides this season is something Sir
Alex is today famous for: consistency.
While City dropped points and racked
up draws, United simply shut shop and
recorded many single goal victories.
Whether they won 1-0, or 4-3 as they
have against Reading or Newcastle,
the three points were theirs. United
keep going, and winning is everything. There have been times where
yes Manchester City offered more attractive play, however 12 points at this
end of the season says everything. The
defeat on Monday night does not really
put a spanner in the works for United,
as the gap is so large and it has to be
said that Fergusons ability to rotate a
hungry squad of players has proved to
be the vital difference.
His experience brings that touch
to his squad this season. He can jug-

Roberto Mancini and Sir Alex

Ferguson shake hands

and experience ensure that United

return the following season hungrier
than ever. The ability to motivate
players to win title after title is the
hardest thing to do, as their desire
to win fades over time. Manchester Citys squad all tasted glory last
season, and Mancinis failure to motivate them to chase harder this season has cost them. We have seen lazy
displays from players like Nasri and
resting on your laurels is the most
dangerous foul in the game. Ultimately United boast evergreen players like Giggs, Scholes and Rio who
keep fighting for more, and that there

is what club culture is all about, and

it trickles from the ever fresh spring
that is Sir Alex Ferguson, the man
who is never satisfied.
Alongside pitch matters, United are
also maintaining consistency in the
financial department. They havent
over-spent in one season, to miser
up the next. They have coupled the
all-important Van Persie deal with
a brand new sponsorship deal worth
over 120 million. They do not have
the financial muscle to fight City in
any transfer window, but they do
have consistency (that word once
again) on their side. Their transition

in the hands of the Glazers has not

been the prettiest, but it sure is reaping benefits in the long term success
of the club. They have innovated once
more, and have distanced themselves
from the huge signings common with
the big fish these days. Focusing on
whats in house is the correct thing
during tough credit times at the club,
and in this department again United
have beaten City.
The stage is set for United to record
their 20th title, and though no chickens can be counted yet, they can only
hope the shells crack open soon, before that gap becomes a problem.

Pursuits
Across
6. Corridor (7)
7. Poison produced by an organism (5)
8. Defeats (5)
10. Noisiest (7)
12. Resembling wool (6)
13. Swindle (6)
15. Consisting of earth (6)
17. Rise (6)
20. Soon (7)
22. Shyly (5)
24. Experiment (5)
25. Midpoint (7)

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 weeks solution

Chess

Todays Weather
8

WEATHER:

7
6

VISIBILITY:
WIND:

5
4

2
1

Qg4+ Rg7
Rb8+ Qe8 (Qc8, Qd8)
Rxe8+ Kh7
Qxh5#

2
1

White to play and mate in four moves

....
Rxc8+
Qxh5#

Qc8
Kh7

FAIR
23C / 12C
UV INDEX: 7

SEA:
SWELL:

Mainly fine with variable

amounts of high clouds
Good
South to Southwest force
3 to 4 locally force 4 at
first, veering Westerly and
becoming locally force
3 during the day and
becoming force 2 to 3
overnight.
Slight to moderate
becoming slight
Low West Northwest
becoming low Southwest

Down
1. Swell (4)
2. Maiden (6)
3. Boat spines (5)
4. Breed of dog (6)
5. Triumphs (4)
8. Curvature of the legs (3,4)
9. Purge (5)
11. Third day of the week (7)
14. Very hard mineral (5)
16. Muslim headdress (6)
18. Unhealthy (6)
19. Kent coastal town (5)
21. German Mister (4)
23. Idle away time (4)

News

maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 10 APRIL 2013

Three women set to replace all-male MEP lineup

There are currently three vacant seats (out of six in total) in the European Parliament.
JAMES DEBONO looks at the likeliest candidates to fill them

Marlene Mizzi

Claudette Abela Baldacchino

Roberta Metsola Tedesco Triccas

MALTAS political gender imbalance may take a serious battering

in the near future, at least insofar
as representation in the European
Parliament is concerned.
By-elections are due to replace
three of the current six serving
Maltese MEPs two on Labours
side and one on the PNs side and
there is a good chance all three

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will be taken by women.

On Labours side the favourites
to take Edward Scicluna and Louis
Grechs seats are Claudette Abela
Baldachino and Marlene Mizzi.
Marlene Mizzi is next in line to
be elected being the last Labour
candidate to be eliminated after
Joseph Cuschieri who was later
elected as Maltas sixth MEP.
Mizzi who started with 17,724
votes ended up the race with
23,099.
In 2009, the alphabet proved a
crucial factor in the election of
John Attard Montalto as Labours
fourth MEP instead of Marlene
Mizzi. Attard Montalto had been
written off because of a poor firstcount result but he inherited thousands of votes as the weaker candidates dropped out of the race.
Attard Montalto made substantial gains from the elimination of
Sharon Ellul Bonici and Claudette
Abela Baldacchino (from whom he
gained 9,000 votes), sailing past
Joseph Cuschieri. He therefore
managed to defeat Marlene Mizzi,
who had a better first count result.
If your surname does not begin
with A, B or C do not run for politics, she said half-jokingly after
being eliminated.
A former Sea Malta chairman,
axed by former Minister Austin
Gatt, Marlene Mizzi now chairs
Labours business forum.
Claudette Abela Baldacchino
started with 12,309 votes and was
eliminated on the 24th count with
16,167.
Abela Baldacchino is one of seven local council officials currently
pleading not guilty to fraud, in
a case prompted by the EU antifraud office OLAF. In the wake
of an investigation, which found
discrepancies in a large number of
airline tickets which allegedly fully reimbursed by the EU, but were
actually, sold for cheaper. Next in
line for a seat is Sharon Ellul Bonici, who finished with 7,058 votes.
Ellul Bonicis unlikely election
would be a problem for Labour as
the former MEP candidate is currently affiliated with the Eurosceptic European Alliance for Freedom
a pan-European grouping whose
vice president is the right wing
French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen.
With Marthese Portelli elected
in the Maltese parliament, Roberta
Metsola Tedesco Triccas is next in
line to replace Simon Busuttil.
Metsola Tedesco Triccas, who
started the race with 5,880 votes,
was eliminated in the 26th count
with 20,859 votes well ahead of
GRTU director general Vince Farrugia, who was eliminated on the
24th count with 10,087 votes.
David Casas failure to make it to
parliament in last months general
election and Marthese Portellis
successful bid in the same election mean that there is very little
chance for the controversial GRTU
director general to make it to the
European Parliament.
In March 2010, Farrugia was hospitalised after being beaten. Developer Sandro Chetcuti was accused
of attempting to murder Farrugia.
But Chetcutis defence has been
successful in getting the Attorney
General to drop the initial charges
of attempted murder and downgrade the charges to causing grievous bodily harm on Vince Farrugia. SMS text messages fished out
from the mobile phones of GRTU
officials point towards a concerted
effort at manipulating testimonies
of potential witnesses and even
create doubt as to the evidence of
medical professionals.