Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/378361
Newspaper post WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT WEDNESDAY EDITION WEDNESDAY • 10 SEPTEMBER 2014 • ISSUE 381 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY MASQUERADE SCHOOL FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS Experience DANCE DRAMA SINGING MUSIC GROUP / INDIVIDUAL TUITION FROM 3 YEARS TO ADULTS M S P A C E T. 7979 3737 / 2124 6619 E. INFO@MASQUERADEMALTA.COM MASQUER ADEMALTA .COM Facebook.com/MasqueradeMalta €0.90 Editorial - PAGE 9 DANIEL MIZZI A Romanian escort who had raunchy pho- tos of hers uploaded on an escort website offering "a wide range of sexual services" in Malta yesterday claimed in court that she was threatened and coerced into pros- titution. The remark was made during the ar- raignment of 25-year-old Romanian Al- exandru Onofrei yesterday afternoon. Onofrei is pleading not guilty to living off the earnings of prostitution, to running a brothel, to trafficking Pilaf Anisoara, and to prostituting and holding Pilaf Anisoara and Mariaca Daresco against their will. Taking the witness stand, Pilaf Ani- soara, told the court that on 28 August, she and her 15-year-old daughter had ar- rived in Malta, and started living at the ac- cused's home in Qormi. The witness also explained that she intended on staying in Malta for a couple of weeks and until her daughter could go to school in Italy. Reuters report on Karmenu Vella 'incorrect' INFORMED sources in Brussels have de- nied reports by international news agency Reuters that Malta's Commissioner-desig- nate, Karmenu Vella, will be given the youth and multilingualism portfolio. Government sources said it will be Commis- sion President-elect Jean-Claude Juncker who will announce the formation of the College of Commissioners. "The government has agreed any announce- ments will be made by the President of the Commission," the sources said. According to Reuters, which reported it had seen a draft version of the line-up for the new EU execu- tive, Vella was earmarked for the youth and m u l t i l i n g u a l - ism portfolio. Speculation was rife on which re- sponsibilities the 28 new EU commissioners would be assigned. Previous reports citing leaked draft versions touted Vella for the Fisheries portfolio. How- ever the Reuters report claimed Croatia would be getting fisheries, a portfolio which Malta al- ready held between 2004 and 2010. The commissioners-designate, including Vella, have all met Juncker to discuss the way forward. Reuters points out that the list could change before Juncker's announcement, which is due to be made today. US government holding Libya conference in Malta JURGEN BALZAN THE US government is holding a conference in Malta to discuss assist- ance to Libya, a US embassy spokes- person told MaltaToday. While denying reports of a "big conference" being organised by the US ambassador to Libya, Deborah Jones, at the end of September, the spokesperson confirmed that the US is holding a conference this week in Malta. "There are no high-level meetings on Libya scheduled to be held in Malta at this time. There is a long-planned, working-level, US government-inter- nal conference on assistance to Libya taking place this week in Malta. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss how best to engage in Libya," the em- bassy spokesperson said. Last week, the Paris-based Maghreb Confidential, an online newspaper specialising in North African politics and business, reported that, "Malta has emerged as the most important place to discuss Libyan affairs". In the report, entitled 'Malta as Libya's new capital', the newspaper said that Ambassador Jones, who has been stationed in Malta following the suspension of the US diplomatic mis- sion in Tripoli, "is working to organ- ise a big conference of Libya's partner countries". According to the report, a confer- ence room was reserved in one of the two Le Méridien hotels in Malta and Foreign Affairs Minister George Vella "is actively backing Jones' initiative". However, speaking to MaltaToday, Vella said that the report published by the Maghreb Confidential was "speculative", adding that there is no concrete plan to hold a high-level conference. CONTINUES ON PAGE 3 CONTINUES ON PAGE 5 American ambassador to Libya Deborah Jones Romanian escort claims she was forced into prostitution Alexandru Onofrei is pleading not guilty to living off the earnings of prostitution (fi le photo) Karmenu Vella