Michael Falzon's resignation 'sign of respect' to National Audit Office

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has insisted Michael Falzon's resignation was a sign of respect to the National Audit Office despite accusing it of vindictiveness. Asked this morning whether he agreed with Dr Falzon's description of the NAO report into the Gaffarena scandal as "disgusting" (porkerija), the Prime Minister stuck to the same reply given to The Sunday Times of Malta. Skirting the question, he said Dr Falzon shouldered the ultimate responsibility by resigning his office and was defending himself. Interviewed on Xarabank last Friday, Dr Falzon went on a tirade against the NAO, accusing its chief investigating officer Keith Mercieca of having a political motivation. The Gaffarena scandal saw businessman Mark Gaffarena acquire €3.4 million in land and cash from the government for the expropriation of half a building in Valletta valued at some €900,000. The NAO report concluded there was collusion between officials at the Government Property Department, Dr Falzon and Mr Gaffarena. Dr Falzon has denied any wrongdoing, insisting he never got involved in the deal. The Auditor General has so far opted not to comment on the accusations levelled against his office.  

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Haircut for Penelope the Persian cat

Penelope the cat had a close shave after being rescued from the street and taken into the care of an animal charity. The rare breed Chinchilla Persian was found in Wandsworth, south west London, wandering around with long and matted fur, Battersea Dogs and Cats Home said. She was underweight and dirty when found by a member of the public, the charity said, adding that they had no choice but to give her a "special haircut". Battersea's head of catteries Lindsey Quinlan said: "Penelope was in a really grubby state when she arrived at Battersea, who knows how long she's been on the streets by herself. She's still quite young and rather small so it's lucky she was found and rescued by someone before she ended up in an even worse state." Of the 3,000 cats the home took in last year only 14 of them were Persian breed. Now the charity is appealing for a cat-lover - willing to keep on top of the grooming - to take Penelope, who was not microchipped, into their home. Ms Quinlan said: "She's a really friendly cat who enjoys a fuss and being around people. She's a long haired Persian, so will need an owner who'll be willing to keep her coat in good condition, with regular grooming to avoid...

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American Institute’s degree ‘equivalent to university’s’

A degree issued by the new American Institute of Malta is to have the same value as a degree from the University of Malta. "The degrees issued by both institutions are based on the same educational criteria at their level. This means that, in terms of value, the degrees of the AIM and those of the UoM are equivalent," the National Commission for Further and Higher Education has told the Times of Malta. This newspaper is also informed that the application of the institute to become a fully-fledged university is still "very active", although there is no indication yet on when a licence could be issued. Last week, the commission issued the institute with a one-year licence so that it could start operating by offering three Bachelor's degrees. Originally, the plan of the Jordanian investor behind the project was to develop a 90,000-square-metre campus for the "American University of Malta" on virgin land in the area known as Żonqor in Marsacala. However, following strong opposition by the Nationalist Party and environmental lobby groups, both the developer and the government backed down and re-dimensioned the project. Asked to state the difference between degrees issued by the AIM...

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Cuba to launch broadband home internet

Cuba is launching its first broadband home internet service in two Havana neighbourhoods as a pilot project aimed at bringing home access to one of the world's least-connected nations. State telecommunications company ETESCA said it would allow Cubans in Old Havana, the colonial centre that is one of the communist island's main tourist attractions, through fibre optic connections operated with Chinese telecom firm Huawei. Odalys Rodriguez del Toro, Etesca's director for Havana, said the government would also begin allowing cafes, bars and restaurants to begin ordering broadband service. She offered no timeline for the pilot project or roll-out of broader access and said prices would be announced in the future. Still, fibre-optic home connections would be an important milestone in Cuba, where broadband home service is currently legal only for diplomats and employees of foreign companies who pay hundreds of dollars a month for connections for internet connections that are a fraction of the average speed in other countries. Some Cubans have dial-up home service or restricted mobile phone connections that allow access only to state-run email. General public access to broadband...

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Top chef Benoit Violier found shot dead aged 44

Top chef Benoit Violier, whose restaurant near Lausanne recently topped a list of the world's best, has been found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot, Swiss police have said. He was 44. A police statement said Violier was found dead in his home in the municipality of Crissier late on Sunday afternoon. An investigation has been launched to determine the exact circumstances of the death, police said. Violier's three-star Restaurant de l'Hotel de Ville in Crissier served dishes such as saddle of Pyrenean young lamb and crispy Landes duck foie gras. Last year it was ranked first on a French government-sponsored list of the world's top 1,000 restaurants.

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Damascus blasts kill at least 45 as Syria peace talks continue

A triple bombing claimed by the extremist Islamic State group has killed at least 45 people near Damascus, overshadowing an already shaky start to what are meant to be indirect Syria peace talks. Syria's state news agency SANA said that the blasts went off in Sayyda Zeinab, a predominantly Shiite Muslim suburb of the Syrian capital. SANA said attackers detonated a car bomb at a bus stop and that two suicide bombers set off more explosives as rescuers rushed to the area. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 47 people were killed in the explosions, and that the death toll was expected to rise because a number of people were seriously wounded. An IS-affiliated website said the blasts were carried out by members of the extremist group, which controls large areas in both Syria and Iraq. UN-hosted peace talks in Geneva are part of a process outlined in last month's UN resolution that envisions an 18-month timetable for a political transition in Syria, including the drafting of a new constitution and elections. The talks got off to a rocky start on Friday, with UN Special Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura meeting only with a Syrian government...

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Hawkers find closed doors

The government is considering doubling the payout to monti hawkers to reduce the number of stalls, enabling it to return to its original plans to relocate the market to Valletta's Ordnance Street, The Sunday Times of Malta has learnt. The offer being considered is in the region of €40,000, up from the €23,000 offer made in November last year to entice them to give up their licence. Sources said this was just one of the options being considered by the government to resolve the impasse over the stalls' relocation. An Economy Minister spokesman would not confirm nor deny that it was one of the options being considered. But lawyer Claire Bonello, representing the monti hawkers, said although she had heard such information through the grapevine, the authorities had not made an official offer. "I am reliably informed this is being considered but the offer has not yet been made," Dr Bonello said when contacted. Asked whether they would be prepared to accept such an offer, Dr Bonello said hawkers were not after money but simply wanted to be allowed to work. "It seems the government is intent on reneging on its contractual obligations and preferring to cull the number of hawkers, in...

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