PM defends Michael Falzon’s rant against Auditor General, says his resignation a sign of respect

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat this morning defended former parliamentary secretary Michael Falzon's rant against the Auditor General, insisting that Dr Falzon showed his respect by resigning in light of a report by the National Audit Office.

On Friday, Dr Falzon called the report vindictive and politically motivated.

"Michael Falzon expressed his opinion. He respected what the Auditor General said by resigning, contrary to what was done by Nationalist ministers in the past, when they hit out at the Auditor General and even passed a motion through the Public Accounts Committee calling for the Auditor General to be investigated," Dr Muscat said.

Asked if he agreed that the NAO's report was a politically motivated attack, Dr Muscat against said that Dr Falzon has a right to express his opinion.

"As a government, just like Michael Falzon, we shouldered responsibility by taking the unprecedented step of opening up a court case in order to claim back the land from the Gaffarena family."

He denied favouring Dr Falzon as a potential replacement for outgoing Labour deputy leader Toni Abela.

Dr Muscat said he favours changes to the PL's statute in order to allow MPs, parliamentary secretaries and ministers to contest for the deputy leadership role. 

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[WATCH] Prime Minister insists Falzon was 'expressing his opinion' in NAO attack

Joseph Muscat says Michael Falzon respected the Auditor General by resigning his post

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Prime Minister says he does not know when Sai Mizzi’s three-year €13,000 monthly contract expires

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat today said he does not know when Sai Mizzi's three‐year €13,000 monthly contract expires, when asked by The Malta Independent whether her contract will be renewed. 

The Malta Independent on Sunday reported yesterday that the highly contentious contract of employment between Malta Enterprise and Mrs Mizzi, the wife of Energy and Health Minister Konrad Mizzi, is due to expire on 26 August and is up for renewal at the end of February.

Mrs Mizzi Liang's contract of employment as Malta Enterprise's Envoy for the People's Republic of China was signed on 26 August 2013 and runs for a period of three years - ie until 26 August 2016.

The contract has been a major source of political controversy, especially since it transpired that the minister's wife enjoys a lucrative salary of close to €13,000 a month when all the perks are added up.

Although that contract is due to expire at the end of August, the contract stipulates that six months before it winds up (26 February 2016), Mrs Mizzi will need to inform Malta Enterprise whether she intends to extend the contract for a further period.

Interestingly, if she does intend extending her tenure as Malta Enterprise's woman in China, her terms and conditions can be renegotiated.

The contract states: "Six months prior to the completion of service under this agreement, the employee shall give notice in writing to Malta Enterprise whether he desires to remain in employment, and Malta Enterprise shall thereupon determine whether it will extend his/her engagement under the agreement for a further period, to be agreed between the parties, under the same terms and conditions or under other terms and conditions which would have been mutually agreed upon between the two parties."

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Six per cent increase in number of tourist arrivals in 2015

Total inbound visitors for December were estimated at 72,568, an increase of 8.9 per cent when compared to the corresponding month of 2014, the NSO said today.

Inbound Tourism: December 2015

A total of 60,728 inbound tourist trips were carried out for holiday purposes, while a further 6,818 were undertaken for business purposes. Inbound tourists from EU Member States went up by 10.5 per cent to 61,346 when compared to the corresponding month of 2014.

The largest proportion of inbound tourists was aged between 25 and 44, followed by those within the 45-64 age bracket.

Total nights spent went up by 4.5 per cent when compared to December 2014, amounting to 611,353 nights. The largest share of guest nights (55.4 per cent) was spent in collective accommodation establishments.

Total tourist expenditure was estimated at €53.7 million, an increase of 4.0 per cent over the corresponding month of 2014.

January-December 2015

Inbound tourist trips from January to December amounted to 1,791,422, an increase of 6.0 per cent over the same period in 2014. Total nights spent by inbound tourists went up by 5.1 per cent, surpassing 14.2 million nights.

Total tourism expenditure was estimated at €1,643.9 million, 7.5 per cent higher than that recorded for 2014. Total expenditure per capita stood at €918, an increase of 1.4 per cent when compared to 2014.

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UK fertility regulator gives scientists the go-ahead to genetically modify embryos

The experiments will take place on embryos in the first seven days after fertilisation and could explain what goes wrong in miscarriage.

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After winning Australian Open, Djokovic names his 2016 goal the Djoker Slam

Novak Djokovic has a new goal for the year. He calls it the Djoker Slam.

The No. 1-ranked player has one thing missing from his fast-growing collection of 11 Grand Slam trophies.

"The French Open. It's the one I never won," Djokovic said early Monday, after winning his record sixth Australian Open, but already casting an eye toward Paris. "I'll try to put myself in a position to get that trophy."

Djokovic's relentless desire for tennis perfection has pushed him to a brilliant level, one that was too high for Andy Murray who lost Sunday's final 6-1, 7-5, 7-6 (3). The straight-sets win highlighted Djokovic's dominance and Murray's shortcomings: the No. 2-ranked Murray has now played five finals in Melbourne and lost them all - including four to Djokovic.

It also stamped Djokovic's imprint on the tournament, tying him with Roy Emerson for the most singles titles in the event's long history. Emerson played in the 1960s and won his Australian titles in the amateur era.

Djokovic's strong start to the season comes after a year that has been described as one of the finest in tennis history. He finished 2015 at No. 1 for the fourth time in five years. He won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.

He reached the final at the French Open, but lost to Stan Wawrinka. It was his third runner-up trophy at Roland Garros.

"Each year when I go back I feel like I'm a step closer," Djokovic said during a TV interview after the final. He was asked, if he does win at the French and manage to capture four consecutive major championships, would he give it a name? On the women's side, Serena Williams has done it before and her feat was called the "Serena Slam."

"Djoker Slam. Not bad, I like that one," said the 28-year-old Serbian, referring to his nickname, the Djoker.

"No doubt that I'm playing the best tennis of my life in the last 15 months," Djokovic said. "The results are showing that. I'm just trying to keep it up."

With his 11th major title, Djokovic is steadily gaining on Rafael Nadal's 14 and Roger Federer's record 17.

The so-called Big Four of men's tennis - Federer, Nadal, Murray and Djokovic - has been looking more lopsided with Djokovic's winning record. He now leads the pack with head-to-head wins over them all - Federer (23-22), Murray (22-9), Nadal (24-23).

In Melbourne, Djokovic beat Federer in straight sets in the semifinals before moving on to Murray. Nadal lost in the first-round, raising more questions about whether his Grand Slam winning days have passed. Last year was the first season since 2004 that Nadal did not win a major title.

Throughout the tournament, Djokovic was repeatedly asked about the increasingly wide gulf between him at No. 1 and the rest of the players. At his final news conference, Djokovic answered the question with a metaphor.

The wolf that is running up the hill is much hungrier than the wolf standing at the top of the hill, Djokovic said.

"I believe that all the guys that are out there fighting each week to get to No. 1 are very hungry to get to No. 1," he said. "I want to enjoy, and I will, but it's not going to go for more than a few days. After that, I'm already thinking about how can I continue playing well through the rest of the season at each tournament."

Returning to the metaphor, how hungry is the wolf for Paris, he was asked.

"Very hungry," Djokovic smiled. "But the wolf needs to eat a lot of different meals to get to Paris. Paris is a dessert."

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Increase in tourist arrivals

Tourist arrivals in December reached 72,568, 8.9 per cent more than in the same month the previous year. A total 60,728 tourists came on holiday, 6,818 for business reasons. Tourists from EU states increased by 10.5 per cent to 61,346. The largest proportion were aged between 25 and 44. Total nights spent in Malta went up by 4.5 per cent, amounting to 611,353 nights. Total tourist expenditure was estimated at €53.7 million, an increase of four per cent. Arrivals between January and December amounted to 1,791,422, an increase of six per cent over the 2014. Total nights went up by 5.1 per cent, surpassing 14.2 million nights and total tourism expenditure was estimated at €1,643.9 million, up 7.5 per cent. Total expenditure per capita stood at €918, an increase of 1.4 per cent.

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