timesofmalta.com

MFSA warns about website using its logo

Fri, 24 May 2013 14:05:00 +0200

A website is using the Malta Financial Services Authority's logo without authorisation and may erroneously give the impression that it is an MFSA or an MFSA approved website, the MFSA warned. The website (http://www.mfsaregulation.com) includes information lifted from the MFSA website in breach of copyright. The information it provides may not be complete or accurate and the MFSA said it did not accept any responsibility or liability in respect of this website or its contents.

New PL MEPs' duties assigned

Fri, 24 May 2013 13:48:00 +0200

Labour’s recently elected MEPs Marlene Mizzi and Claudette Abela Baldacchino have been assigned the committees they will be forming part of throughout the remaining days of the European Parliament’s legislature. Ms Mizzi will be sitting on the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee, of which she will be vice-President. She has also been appointed a substitute member on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee and a member of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States-European Union Joint Parliamentary Assembly and Mediterranean Union Assembly delegations. Ms Baldacchino has been appointed member on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee and a substitute member on the Budgets Committee. She is also a member of the delegation for relations with Australia and New Zealand and a substitute member on the delegations for relations with Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo and the Mediterranean Union and Euronest parliamentary assemblies.

Banif Bank warns about scam emails sent on its behalf

Fri, 24 May 2013 13:24:00 +0200

E-mails titled 'Dear Banif Bank Customer You Have A New Message', received by several people in Malta and Gozo, are a scam, the bank said today. The message requests recipients to click on a link provided in the email to view a new security message available on their Banif internet banking system. Banif said it did not use electronic mail with links or any software for immediate installation. “We urge you to exercise caution if you receive an e-mail message asking you to access the Banif Bank (Malta) plc website via a link. The bank’s official internet banking site should only be accessed though the bank’s official website, which is protected using international security standards,” a bank representative said. Clients who may have provided their personal details in this scam should contact any Banif Bank branch, tel: 2260 1000, e-mail: customercare@banif.com.mt. Banif said it took all the necessary precautions to safeguard the interest of its clients and filed a report with to the Cyber Crime Unit for the matter to be investigated.

Project to enhance equal rights launched

Sarah Carabott — Fri, 24 May 2013 13:11:00 +0200

A project to train employers in diversity management and develop non-discrimination lesson plans for teachers was launched this morning by the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality. The €187,000 project ‘Enhancing Equal Rights’ is being funded by the European Union and the government. It will address all factions of society, including enterprises, NGOs, children, trade unions and national and local authorities. It will include training for teachers on non-discrimination, equality mainstreaming and inclusion, proposing a review of syllabi from an equality perspective, while lesson plans will be developed for primary and secondary school children on non-discrimination. An anti-racism theme day will also be organised to promote cultural diversity through music and entertainment, and a have-your-say campaign will be launched. This campaign invites people who have been discriminated against or know someone who suffered discrimination based on sexual orientation, ethnicity, belief and gender identity among others, to voice their concern in a booth set up in public places. These complaints will be videoed and some will feature in an awareness campaign. Civil Liberties...

Two gas distributors charged with stealing cylinders

Fri, 24 May 2013 13:03:00 +0200

Two gas distributors were this morning granted bail against a deposit of €1,000 and a personal guarantee of €10,000 after they pleaded not guilty to stealing €10,000 worth of gas cylinders from Gasco Energy Ltd. Fernando Cremona, 34, of Zejtun and Raymond Sarcia, 51, of Qormi pleaded not guilty to misappropritation, defrauding the company, falsification of documents and stealing cylinders. In pleas on bail, defence lawyer Joseph Giglio said that the fact that a third man who was a Gasco employee had been sentenced should not impede the court from granting bail because his clients could not tamper with evidence. The third man, Roderick Camilleri, had been given a two year jail term suspended four years for similar charges.

Eddie Fenech Adami responding well to treatment

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:58:00 +0200

Former President Eddie Fenech Adami has been moved from the Critical Coronary Care Unit to a normal ward. His son Beppe said when contacted that his father, who underwent a coronary angiogram yesterday, was responding well to treatment. Dr Fenech Adami, 79, was admitted to hospital complaining of chest pains. He has had a history of heart problems in the past and had a pacemaker implanted.

UEFA orders Champions incentive

Martyn Ziegler, Press Association — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:47:00 +0200

The Europa League winners will qualify for the Champions League from the 2015-16 season, it was confirmed at UEFA's Congress today. UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino announced the rule change which aims to make the second-tier European tournament more attractive to clubs. Infantino did not confirm the full details, but it is understood that Europa League winners and Champions League winners will no longer take a place from the domestic leagues if they finish outside of the Champions League qualifying spots.

Soldier's death cause 'unconfirmed'

PA — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:31:00 +0200

Murdered soldier Lee Rigby has been formally identified but the cause of his death was not confirmed by a post-mortem examination, police said today. Drummer Rigby, 25, was hacked to death in the street in a horrifying attack in Woolwich, south-east London on Wednesday. A post-mortem examination was carried out on his body yesterday but no cause of death has been confirmed, Scotland Yard said. An inquest into his death will be opened in due course. Detectives are questioning a man and a woman, both 29, who were arrested yesterday on suspicion of conspiracy to murder Drummer Rigby. Scotland Yard has not revealed whether officers have been able to speak to the two men who were shot by police in the wake of the murder. They remain in hospital in a stable condition with non-life threatening injuries, having been arrested on suspicion of murder on Wednesday. Dramatic footage has emerged of the two men apparently charging at armed police in the wake of the killing - one clutching bloodied weapons including a meat cleaver and the other a gun - and then being shot. Other chilling film clips show one of the men with heavily bloodstained hands claiming he had carried out the killing in the...

Ex-sex slaves condemn Japan mayor

PA — Fri, 24 May 2013 11:55:00 +0200

Two Korean former sex slaves demanded the resignation of an outspoken Japanese mayor and cancelled a meeting with him today for justifying Japan's wartime practice of forcing tens of thousands of Asian women into prostitution for its troops. Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto, also co-leader of a nationalist party, enraged Japanese neighbours last week by saying the use of so-called comfort women - mostly from South Korea and China - in frontline brothels before and during the Second World War was necessary to maintain military discipline and give soldiers relief. Supporters of the two women in their 80s, Kim Bok-dong and Kil Won-ok, said there would be nothing to talk about because Mr Hashimoto has showed no remorse over his remarks. They suspected he may have wanted to use the meeting - to be broadcast live on TV - to appear friendly with them and calm public criticism. The women, who did not appear in public, said in a statement they were heartbroken by Mr Hashimoto's "outrageous comments". They demanded that Mr Hashimoto, 43, apologise and resign as mayor of Japan's second-biggest city. "We cannot compromise our painful past as victims and the reality that we still live today for...

Conditions in Malta's detention centres remain poor - Amnesty International

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:49:00 +0200

Conditions in Malta’s detention centres remained poor and were exacerbated by overcrowding, with hundreds experiencing lack of privacy, insufficient access to sanitary and washing facilities, and poor recreation and leisure facilities, Amnesty International said in its annual report for this year. The organisation said that there were consistent and credible reports that being detained in such conditions was adversely affecting the mental health of migrants. It said that conditions in open centres for refugees and migrants released from detention also remained inadequate. Amnesty noted that the number of people who arrived in Malta by sea increased by 28 per cent - from 1,577 to 2,023 in the previous year. The government continued to automatically detain undocumented migrants, often for up to 18 months, in breach of Malta’s international human rights obligations. Unaccompanied children whose age was in question were also reportedly detained, it said, adding that age determination procedures continued to be inadequate and lengthy. Amnesty said that appeal procedures in Malta to challenge the length and legitimacy of detention and to challenge decisions to reject asylum claims did...

Fewer occupational accidents reported

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:19:00 +0200

Non-fatal occupational accidents in the first quarter dropped by 45, or 6.6 per cent, compared to the corresponding period in 2012, the National Statistics Office said. It said that no fatal occupational accidents were reported. The NSO said that 632 persons had a non-fatal accident during the period. Just over a fifth of non-fatal accidents were in manufacturing (21.5 per cent). Other economic sectors where accidents were quite common included construction (15.8 per cent) and wholesale and retail trade (10.8 per cent). Wounds and superficial injuries, and dislocations, strains and sprains were the most common types of accidents, amounting to 294 and 170 cases, respectively. Over the corresponding period last year, wounds and superficial injuries decreased by two per cent, while dislocations, strains and sprains dropped by 10.1 per cent. Nearly half the injuries at work affected the upper parts of the body, such as the fingers and hands.

Government should lower expenditure to avoid excessive deficit procedure

Ivan Camilleri — Fri, 24 May 2013 10:49:00 +0200

The Nationalist Party has called on the government to take the necessary measures to avoid being placed under the excessive deficit procedure by the European Commission. Tonio Fenech, the Opposition spokesman for finance, told a news conference this morning that the Nationalist Party had already warned the government not to inflate the deficit and take this procedure lightly. The government failed to convince the Commission that it would be in a position to lower the deficit and should immediately take the necessary measures to lower its expenditure to ensure that the Commission started to believe it.

Sex abuse victims file civil case for damages

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:42:00 +0200

The 10 victims of sex abuse by former priests today filed a civil case requesting the court to liquidate for damages. The victims filed their case against abusers Carmelo Pulis and Godwin Scerri, the Missionary Society of St Paul, the Archdiocese of Malta, and the directors general at the Office of the Prime Minister, the Education and Employment Ministry and the Social Solidarity and Family ministry. They claimed that as victims of abuse, they were exposed to a negative experience which left them suffering permanently.

German national wanted in the US denied bail

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:34:00 +0200

The court this morning denied a request for bail from German national, Reuben Rudtke, who is undergoing extradition proceedings for the alleged distribution of child pornography. The man was arrested in Malta recently and is wanted in the United States. He was arrested in October 2011 in the United States and ordered to wear a tracking device. Some three days before he was due to stand trial, he threw the device away, went to Germany and came to Malta where he has been joined by his wife. His parents also live here.

Update 3: Smoking plane in emergency landing

Peter Woodman, Press Association — Fri, 24 May 2013 10:29:00 +0200

A British Airways plane had to return to Heathrow airport today with smoke billowing from the aircraft. With eyewitnesses reporting seeing an engine on fire, the Airbus A319 plane made an emergency landing, with the 75 passengers and crew all safely evacuated via the emergency chutes. London Ambulance service later reported that three people had been treated for minor injuries from the flight, which had taken off from Heathrow for Oslo this morning. Both the northern and southern runways at Heathrow were closed after the incident, although flights were able to resume shortly afterwards from the southern runway. Eyewitnesses described seeing smoke coming from the plane, with the right engine on fire. Clive Cook, who lives on the Heathrow flight path, told Sky News: "The actual engine itself was on fire. "This plane was coming over and suddenly the tone of the engine changed dramatically, and I could almost say it sounded as if it was like a blowout, or an explosion. "I'm absolutely certain that as it came through the clouds, and I looked up ... the right engine was on fire, it wasn't smoking, it was actually on fire." Mr Cook said he saw the plane over the Thames at Battersea as...

Father and son sentenced to jail for money laundering

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:02:00 +0200

A father and son have each been sentenced to 18 months in jail and fined €5,000 after they were found guilty of money laundering. Alfred Delia, 65, and his son Marco, 43, bought three cars in January 2010 worth €19,000, €24,000 and €14,000 when Marco, who was a labourer, earned €800 a month and had €1.58 in his bank account and Alfred, a pensioner, earned €700 a month. Alfred’s other sons Freddie and Roderick had previously been found guilty of drug trafficking.

S.W.A.T. actor Steve Forrest dead at age 87

Eric Kelsey, Reuters — Fri, 24 May 2013 09:46:00 +0200

US actor Steve Forrest, who was best known for a leading role on the short-lived 1970s television drama S.W.A.T., has died at the age of 87 in Thousand Oaks, California, near Los Angeles, his wife Christine said yesterday. Forrest appeared in 1954’s Prisoner of War, which also featured Ronald Reagan, who was later elected US President. In 1960’s Flaming Star, he played alongside Elvis Presley and Barbara Eden. Forrest’s older brother, Dana Andrews, was the star of 1940s films Laura and The Best Years of Our Lives. Forrest died peacefully on May 18, his family said in a statement. No cause of death was given. He gained a following as Lt Hondo Harrelson on the ABC crime drama series S.W.A.T., which ran for 37 episodes from 1975 to 1976 and was produced by Hollywood titans Leonard Goldberg and Aaron Spelling. Forrest made a guest appearances in the 2003 film adaptation of the series. The actor, who fought in the US Army at the Battle of the Bulge in World War II, got his big break when actor Gregory Peck saw him in a theatre production in 1950, which led to a contract with film studio MGM. Forrest also starred in the 1965 British TV spy thriller series The Baron, which was one of the...

‘I know the party. I might know people even better ’

Fri, 24 May 2013 09:21:00 +0200

PN deputy leadership candidate CLAUDETTE BUTTIGIEG, the party’s spokeswoman for civil liberties, tells Christian Peregin she is encouraged by the party’s internal discussions on sensitive issues. Why did you decide to contest for the deputy leadership? Sometimes in life people around you see you in a way which perhaps you don’t see yourself. This is what happened to me when I started being approached by several people who told me I should consider contesting for one of the highest posts in the party. Including leadership? Yes, and I thought this was too soon and too abrupt. After all, you had just been elected MP for the first time. I also felt it would be totally misinterpreted as being presumptuous. My immediate reaction was no, but as time went by I understood where this was coming from. It came from reading the electoral result, which told us we need to change. That’s when I realised people were seeing me as part of this change. The role of deputy leader was split in two after you made your announcement to contest. Why did you choose to contest for the position related to party affairs and not parliamentary affairs? I’m actually thankful the decision was made because when I...

Queen gets pregnancy tips at maternity hospital

Tony Jones, PA — Fri, 24 May 2013 09:18:00 +0200

The Queen picked up some tips to pass on to the pregnant Duchess of Cambridge during a visit to a maternity hospital, a mother joked. A small pool used by Claire Morris, 42, to give birth to her first child in the early hours of yesterday left the Queen intrigued. The new mother and her partner Stephen Tibbett, 44, proudly showed off their daughter, Charlotte Rose Tibbett Morris, when the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh toured a new £30 million extension to Cambridge’s Rosie Maternity Hospital. Their baby had been crying seconds before the Queen arrived but as she walked into the room the infant fell silent. Morris went into labour at midnight and explained to the Queen she finally gave birth at 2.46am to a daughter weighing 3.7 kilos. After speaking to the monarch she explained the benefits of the warmed water in the birth pool, saying “the heat is a bit relaxing and gives pain relief and water means you’re less weighted”. The mother, a garden designer from the village of Impington near Cambridge, joked: “The Queen was interested in the birthing pool, maybe she’s doing some research for Kate – who knows.” The Duchess, who is around seven months pregnant, is due to give birth in...

Piaf songwriter Moustaki dies

AP — Fri, 24 May 2013 08:51:00 +0200

Georges Moustaki, an Egyptian-born composer, singer and poet who wrote songs for Edith Piaf and other French stars, has died aged 79. He died at his home in Nice overnight after a long illness, said Marie-Ange Mirande of Moustaki’s Paris-based production house. A memorial ceremony is planned for Monday at the famed Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris. Tributes poured in from France’s political and cultural leaders for Moustaki. Among songs he wrote for Piaf was Milord. Moustaki told French radio RTL in December that he wanted to be buried in Alexandria, Egypt, where he was born in 1934, and where “there is a cemetery that is the cemetery of free thinkers, and it is there that I want to rest for eternity”.