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France auctions Elysee Palace wine to restock more modest cellar

May 30, 2013, 6:20 am
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An auction of 1,200 bottles from the wine cellar of France's Elysee presidential palace began today with most of the proceeds to be invested in younger, more modest wines. The two-day sale at the Drouot auction house is expected to fetch at least 250,000 euros and palace aides say any cash raised above that level would go into state coffers. France is struggling to lower its soaring deficit and find 60 billion euros in public savings over five years. "It's the first time the Elysee Palace has decided to sell a part of its wine cellar," Ghislaine Kapandji of auctioneers Kapandji Morhange said. The sale is dominated by wine from France's internationally prized Bordeaux and Burgundy regions, vintage 1960 to 1990, and includes famous names such as Chateau Latour, Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac and Montrachet. A bottle of 1990 Petrus is estimated at about 2,500 euros, while a more modest Meursault can be had for about 50 euros. Alsatian wine, some cognacs and champagnes will also be up for sale. Many bottles are ready to be drunk immediately. Britain's government auctioned off vintage French wine from its cellar in March as part of a national austerity drive.
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Woman who failed to arrange adoption ends up in jail

May 30, 2013, 6:49 am
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A woman who failed to procure a girl from Pakistan for would-be adoptive parents and also failed to refund some €7,000 that they had paid her, has had an 18-month suspended jail sentence converted into an effective jail term. Concetta Charles had been ordered to refund the money in a civil suit in 2004. Criminal proceedings for misappropriation were then launched. She was convicted and handed an 18-month suspended jail term. The jail term became effective after the would-e adoptive parents, Lawrence and Maria-Concetta Grima initiated fresh proceedings where they explained that the refund ordered by the court had not taken place.
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Update 2 - Malta wins first gold in Small Nations' Games - silver in swimming, table tennis and judo

May 30, 2013, 6:55 am
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Update 2  -Kevin Moore handed Team Malta its first gold medal of the Luxembourg Small Nations' Gamers after he cruised to victory in the 400m final at the Josy Barthel Stadium this afternoon. The Maltese sprinter took control right from the outset and breezed home first in 47.53 seconds. Ivar Jasonarson, of Iceland took silver ahead of his compatriot Kolbeinn Gunnarsson (48.21). Swimmer Chetcuti takes silver Andrew Chetcuti earned his second silver medal after placing second in the 50 metres freestyle final. The 20-year-old completed the one-lap race in 23.50 seconds, a mere 0.05 seconds behind gold medallist Alexandre Bakhtiarov. Omiros Zagkas, of Cyprus, was third in 23.54 seconds. Silver in table tennis Viktoria Lucenkova and Peng Fei won their second silver medal after placing second in the doubles competition.The Maltese duo registered identical 3-0 victories over Monaco, San Marino and Iceland but were beaten by Luxembourg who claimed gold. More judo medals Malta's men's team, composed of  Jeremy Saywell, Murman Korchilava and Isaac Bezzina came agonisingly close to giving Team Malta gold when they lost a close final against hosts Luxembourg in the men’s team competition...
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Elderly man injured in petard explosion

May 30, 2013, 7:11 am
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A man has been hospitalised after a small petard exploded in his hand in a lane off  Triq Wenzu Dalli, Hal Ghaxaq, this afternoon. The incident happened at about 12.15 p.m.  The injured man, 69, was taken to hospital in an ambulance  His injuries are serious but not life-threatening. Informed sources said the man was not making fireworks.
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Inquisitor’s Palace to open for free on June 7

May 30, 2013, 7:22 am
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The Inquisitors' Palace in Vittoriosa will be open free of charge on June 7, a public holiday. The palace, is one of the very few surviving examples of a palace that would have been found all over Europe and South America in the early modern period, Heritage Malta said. When Mgr Pietro Dusina arrived in Malta in 1574 as the first general inquisitor and apostolic delegate of the Maltese Islands, the Grand Master offered him the unused palace as an official residence. Almost all successive inquisitors sought to transform the palace into a decent mansion. They all shared the same cultural values of clerical baroque Roman society, and by the mid-18th century they had managed successfully to transform the building into a typical Roman palace. The palace is the flagship of the Ethnography section of Heritage Malta. During the Open Day, visitors will be able to see the different parts of the Palace including the tribunal where the accused were sentenced, the torture chamber, the piano nobile and the prison cells featuring graffiti carved by prisoners. Coupled with its extremely rich history, the Inquisitor’s Palace is also an architectural jewel which fuses different styles of...
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Pricey paperwork

May 30, 2013, 7:33 am
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The House of Commons spent more than £30,000 of taxpayers' money redesigning the document listing the day's parliamentary business. The modernisation was aimed at making the order paper "better suited to electronic publication and distribution". Commons Speaker John Bercow was involved in discussions on the project. The new order paper was unveiled earlier this month as the new session began following the Queen's Speech. A freedom of information request by the Press Association revealed the total cost of the project was £30,250. The project was approved by the Parliamentary Information, Communication and Technology Advisory Board, through "existing authorisation procedures".
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Digital Champion

May 30, 2013, 8:16 am
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The Government has appointed Godfrey Vella, a member of the board of the Malta Communications Authority, as Malta’s new Digital Champion. Mr Vella has extensive experience in the ICT sector and has held a number of senior positions, both at a management and also at a technical level, with major companies. He has led several complex ICT projects with responsibility for all aspects including technical, managerial, financial and regulatory. During the 1990s, he was also involved in national ICT policy formulation, initially as a member of the National Strategy for IT steering committee and eventually, as Chair of the National Commission for IT. "Mr Vella will work with citizens, communities and businesses to exploit the growth potential of the digital economym" the parliamentary secretary for Competitiveness and Economic Growth,  Edward Zammit Lewis, said. “Malta remains committed to the ICT initiatives and is successfully working towards meeting all the objectives of the Digital Agenda in this regard.”
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Mizzi in energy talks in Qatar

May 30, 2013, 8:23 am
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Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi has had talks in Qatar this week with Energy and Industry Minister Mohamed bin Saleh al-Sada and other officials. The country's media said the two ministers discussed enhanced co-operation in the energy sector between the two countries. The meeting, which was held at Qatar Petroleum headquarters, was attended by Louis Giordimaina, CEO of Enemalta Corporation and senior officials of Qatar Petroleum, and Qatar Petroleum International.
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Kuwait's KIPCO takes majority stake in Fimbank

May 30, 2013, 8:36 am
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Kuwait Projects Co (KIPCO), the Gulf state's largest investment firm by assets, has acquired a controlling stake in trade finance specialist Fimbank through two of its banking subsidiaries. United Gulf Bank, KIPCO's Bahrain-based merchant banking unit and Burgan Bank, the Kuwaiti firm's commercial banking arm, got regulatory approvals to buy a combined 68.7 percent stake in Fimbank. United said it has received the green light from regulators to acquire up to 43.7 percent of Fimbank, while Burgan said it was buying a 25 percent stake. Fimbank specializes in international trade finance and is listed on the Malta stock exchange with a total market value of about $146 million, according to Reuters data. "(Our) expected investment (in Fimbank) may reach up to $125 million over a period of time," United Gulf Bank said in the statement. Burgan, the commercial banking arm of Kuwait Projects Co, said in October it was planning to buy the stake in Fimbank for an undisclosed price. The Kuwaiti bank bought the Turkish arm of EFG Eurobank  last year. KIPCO had assets worth $25.6 billion as at December 31, 2012.
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Arriva postpones summer schedule after drivers' roster dispute

May 30, 2013, 10:13 am
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Arriva has put off the introduction of its summer schedule by a month to work out a new drivers' roster. The decision was taken after a conciliation meeting between the company and the GWU, which yesterday described the summer roster as inhumane and unacceptable. A second meeting was held after this morning's conciliation meeting. The summer schedule was due to have come into force this Sunday, but has now been put off to June 30. Bus drivers who spoke to Times of Malta yesterday said the new roster meant that they would at times work 14-hour-long days with 90-minute breaks, which were too short for them to go home and spend time with their families. They said the new roster included a shift starting at 8am and finishing at 9pm with a break of one hour some time during the day and another two in between. Such split shifts, they complained, left them with no option but to remain at work even though they would not actually be working and, so, not getting paid. They said the proposed roster system was not only unacceptable to them but also to Transport Malta and the Transport Ministry, which, like them, were not consulted. The drivers said the underlying problem was a shortage of bus...
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China 'pipe baby' mother raised alarm

May 30, 2013, 12:13 pm
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After initial reports claimed the mother of a newborn discovered in a sewage pipe in China had abandoned her baby, police now say she called for help after the accident. The baby was eventually discovered by the building's landlady. Footage showed fire fighters removing the pipe on Saturday and taking it to a local hospital where doctors carefully cut the infant out. Chinese media had originally reported that the baby had been abandoned by its mother in the pipe deliberately, but police are now saying that she went to the landlady to get help, they say. Authorities say the 22-year-old mother had rushed to the toilet with stomach pains and gave birth to the baby which slipped down the toilet hole. The newborn baby is recovering well, according to doctors who say he has suffered only minor injuries to his feet. Police say the infant was released from the hospital today and was taken to a rural location by its maternal grandparents.
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BA aircraft engine doors had been left unlatched

May 31, 2013, 3:09 pm
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A generic photograph showing fan cowl doors in the unlatched condition. The doors on both engines of the British Airways plane that had to make an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport last week had been left unlatched during maintenance,according to an official report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch. Photo: AP

British Airways’ procedures were under the spotlight last night after an accident report revealed that doors on both engines of the BA plane in last week’s Heathrow emergency landing drama had been left unlatched during maintenance. Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said the interim report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) contained “serious findings”. He added that the aviation industry must act immediately to take the appropriate safety action and ensure that all lessons are learnt from what had happened. Mr McLoughlin went on: “Airline passengers have the right to expect to travel safely and it is the responsibility of all involved in aviation to make sure that happens.” Last week’s Heathrow drama had seen an Oslo-bound BA Airbus A319 returning to the west London airport with smoke billowing from one of its engines. Yesterday’s AAIB report said the unlatching of the fan cowl doors had not been identified before the plane took off with 75 passengers and five crew on May 24. The fan cowl doors from both engines detached as the aircraft left the runway at Heathrow, puncturing a fuel pipe on the right engine, the report said. The detaching also punctured the...
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Immigration relocation: a step back

May 31, 2013, 3:10 pm
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During the French Presidency of the European Union in 2008, then President Nicolas Sarkozy had made a valiant effort to tackle the immigration problem through the signing of the EU Pact on Immigration and Asylum. From a Maltese perspective, the pact signified a turning point. For the first time, there was overdue recognition of the massive problems faced by it. Secondly, Malta secured a considerable concession through the inclusion in the pact of a resettlement arrangement which would enable the island to share some of the immigrants to whom asylum had been granted among other EU countries, albeit that disappointingly this was only to be done on a voluntary basis. In 2009, the Commission launched a pilot project called Eurema designed specifically for member states voluntarily to relocate asylum seekers from Malta. Under European Parliament pressure, the Commission announced it would make a legislative proposal to make the scheme permanent. Although the Commission had promised to make this proposal last year, it again postponed its launch as such a scheme would have required the backing of all member states. With the exception of Germany and France, few member states showed...
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Portugal’s main union calls strike against austerity

May 31, 2013, 3:10 pm
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Portugal’s largest labour union has called a general anti-government strike for June 27 to protest against public sector pay cuts, layoffs and other austerity measures imposed to meet EU/IMF bailout terms. The strike will encompass workers in the country’s public and private sectors, CGTP chief Armenio Carlos told reporters yesterday, adding that all other unions were welcome to join the Union’s directives. “It is a strike for everyone, it is a strike to promote change of policy, of the government and to call for early elections,” he said. Previous stoppages since Portugal’s mid-2011 bailout, including a general strike in November, have had little impact on the government’s stance. But strife has intensified lately since April’s rejection by the Constitutional Court of some austerity measures that forced the government to come up with alternative spending cuts and other unpopular steps like raising the retirement age. The country’s other big umbrella union, the UGT, has said it is likely to join the strike. It holds a strategy meeting next week. CGTP groups about 750,000 workers and UGT some 500,000 others. The centre-right government imposed the largest tax hikes in living...
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Frankfurt protesters target ECB, banks and main city shops

May 31, 2013, 3:11 pm
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German riot police scuffle with a protester in front of the European Central Bank (ECB) head quarters during a anti-capitalism “Blockupy” demonstration in Frankfurt, yesterday. Photo: Reuters

Anti-capitalist demonstrators from the Blockupy movement paralysed Germany’s financial centre yesterday, cutting off access to the European Central Bank and Deutsche Bank’s headquarters. Protesters against Europe’s austerity policies, estimated by police at 1,500 but by Blockupy at 3,000, descended in the early hours on Frankfurt’s financial district to disrupt business at institutions they blame for a deep recession in euro zone countries such as Spain and Greece. Riot police, showered with stones and paint bombs, used pepper spray to prevent the protesters breaking into the ECB. Several protesters were injured and police made some arrests, though they gave no numbers. “The aim of this blockade is to prevent normal operations at the ECB,” said Blockupy spokesman Martin Sommer, adding that some people who had tried to come to work had been sent home by the protesters. Demonstrators brandished signs with slogans such as “Humanity before profit” and some held up inflatable mattresses with the slogan “War Starts Here” written on them. Trucks with water cannons stood by and a helicopter hovered overhead. Europe’s Blockupy movement was formed after the Occupy Wall Street movement in...
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Sporting briefs

May 31, 2013, 3:11 pm
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Wolves: Wolves appointed Kenny Jackett as head coach yesterday after sacking manager Dean Saunders following the club’s relegation to League One. The 51-year-old former Welsh inter-national midfielder was most recently manager of Championship side Millwall, taking them to the FA Cup semi-finals last season in his 300th match in charge. Brady: Robbie Brady is out of Ireland’s World Cup qualifier against the Faroe Islands. The Hull winger sat out training yesterday with groin trouble. Assistant manager Marco Tardelli confirmed Brady’s departure, which will mean he misses next Friday’s qualifier and the friendlies against Georgia and Spain either side of it. Casillas: Jose Mourinho has traded his final blow in his battle with Iker Casillas, by excluding the Spain captain from tonight’s season-closer against Osasuna. Mourinho will leave Madrid after the game, bringing to an end a tumultuous three-year spell in charge. The Portuguese is respected for winning the title last season but has isolated sections of the supporters owing to his rift with one-club goalkeeper Casillas. Tate: Swansea have granted long-serving defender Alan Tate a testimonial against his former club Manchester...
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Football news

May 31, 2013, 3:12 pm
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A Brazilian judge has lifted an injunction that threatened to block tomorrow’s Brazil vs England friendly in the newly-revamped Maracana stadium over public safety concerns. The Rio de Janeiro state government said on Thursday night that the judge lifted the suspension order she had signed earlier in the day after missing paperwork was provided and the game will go ahead as planned. With the England team already in Rio de Janeiro, the injunction came as a shock and threatened to scuttle the first game between England and Brazil in three decades at the stadium that is regarded as the spiritual home of Brazilian football. Licence granted Panathinaikos were among three clubs who have successfully appealed a decision to exclude them from the Super League next season, the Hellenic Football Federation (EPO) said. All 16 top-flight clubs had their licences reviewed by the EPO’s licensing committee and while eight teams were approved, the other eight – including Panathinaikos – had their initial submissions rejected eight days ago. However, following an appeal hearing that lasted until the early hours of yesterday, Panathinai-kos, PAS Giannina and Panthrakikos, secured top-flight football...
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Another European venture for Arsenal

May 31, 2013, 3:13 pm
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Arsene Wenger will remain at the helm of Arsenal next season. The Frenchman was delighted after steering his team to fourth place and qualification for the Champions League ahead of Tottenham but this failed to silence his critics as the Gunners have now gone eight seasons without a piece of silverware. Aston Villa finished way down in 15th place and, for the second successive year, struggled to preserve their Premier League status. Compared with the previous season, Villa ended this campaign one place higher. While Arsenal have stuck with Wenger since 1996, the Villans had another change in management last summer as they appointed Paul Lambert (ex-Norwich) for the sacked Alex McLeish. Sixteen consecutive seasons in the Champions League is no mean feat despite all the criticism of Wenger. They only have to ask Tottenham who, for another season, finished behind their north London rivals. Wenger has stated that he will be spending big this summer to boost Arsenal’s chances of producing a strong challenge for the championship crown. Arsenal had to do without England midfielder Jack Wilshere at crucial times last season while the transfer of Dutch international Robin van Persie to...
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Treble-chasing Bayern take tilt at ‘immortality’

May 31, 2013, 3:14 pm
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Bayern stayed on course to claim a treble after winning the Champions League last weekend.

Having smashed a plethora of records and steam-rollered the likes of Barcelona and Juventus, all-conquering Bayern Munich can crown their season by becoming the first side to win the Bundesliga, Cup and Champions League treble today (8pm). Tonight’s Cup final opponents Stuttgart, who finished in the lower half of the Bundesliga after their familiar winter slump, are all that stand between Bayern and what chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge described as “immortality”. The match at Berlin’s Olympic stadium will be the last for Bayern’s 68-year-old Jupp Heynckes before he makes way for Pep Guardiola, who could not have a more difficult act to follow. The numbers speak for themselves. Bayern won the Bundesliga with a record 91 points from 34 games, including only one defeat. They clinched the title with an unprecedented six matches to spare and finished 25 points clear of Borussia Dortmund, another best. They also set records for the number of wins (29), number of away wins (13), fewest goals conceded (18) and best goal difference (an astonishing plus 80). In the Champions League, they won 10 out of 13 games and lost two, beating Juventus 4-0 on aggregate in the quarter-finals,...
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’Pool say Suarez is not for sale

May 31, 2013, 3:15 pm
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Liverpool have said striker Luis Suarez is not for sale after the Uruguayan, who received a 10-match English domestic ban for biting last month, stated he wanted to leave the Premier League club. “Luis Suarez is not for sale. Neither Luis or his representatives have communicated these feelings directly to Liverpool,” said a club spokesman yesterday. “The club remains supportive of Luis and expect him to honour his contract. The club will not be making any further comment at this stage.” The 26-year-old, who signed from Ajax in January 2011, was second in the Premier League’s list of top scorers last season with 23 goals and was Liverpool’s talisman for much of the campaign. He was banned for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic. The player, who served an eight-game suspension the previous season for a racist insult, told reporters in Montevideo on Thursday that British media had made his life impossible and he would like to play in the Spanish league. “One has one’s limits, one has a family, who also suffer, and that’s very complicated,” he said. “I have a daughter who I also have to look after, and take her away from where she sees things that are said about her father,” Suarez...
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