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MATTHEW VELLA THE Maltese government has ac- quired a new property in Shang- hai, the largest city in China, making it Malta's second pres- ence in the People's Republic. MaltaToday has learnt that the acquisition was made on behalf of the ministry for foreign affairs, with the Shanghai Hui Jing Real Estate Development Co. Ltd. The price for the property is 13,339,200 RMB – or €2.01 mil- lion. This newspaper is informed that the property has an area of 238 square metres, having sold at the princely sum of €8,445 per square metre. The property will likely be used for a consular presence in Shang- hai, which is the base for Sai Mizzi Liang – wife of energy min- ister Konrad Mizzi – who was ap- pointed as a trade envoy for Malta Enterprise back in 2013. Although Sai Mizzi does not fall within the remit of the foreign ministry, foreign affairs minister George Vella had said in 2014 that a new Maltese consulate would be opened in Shanghai. The Prime Minister's Office has taken pride in its choice of Sai Mizzi for trade envoy, despite opening it up to accusations of nepotism by appointing a minis- ter's wife so soon after the 2013 election. SAVIOUR BALZAN GRTU president and busi- nessman Paul Abela could face perjury charges under a new police investigation into whether he lied un- der oath when he said he witnessed former director- general Vince Farrugia be- ing assaulted by Sandro Chetcuti. Abela's future as GRTU president now stands in the balance: if charges are filed against him, he stands to lose his position since the small enterprise chamber's statute bars council mem- bers from retaining their posts when they face crimi- nal charges. Chetcuti, today the presi- dent of the Malta Devel- opers Association, was charged with attempted murder following a brawl with Vince Farrugia inside his GRTU office back in 2010. The altercation was the result of an SMS that Chetcuti texted to Farru- gia erroneously, when the message was intended to be sent to then Opposition leader Joseph Muscat. The charges were later downgraded to grievous bodily harm, and a court found Chetcuti guilty of slightly injur- ing Farrugia. Newspaper post CONTINUES PAGE 3 Sex therapist Maria Ali 'Boys will not always be boys' 14-15 YES!!! Tell Balzan Government inks €2 million Shanghai property deal PAGE 4 €1.40 YOUR FIRST READ AND FIRST CLICK OF THE DAY WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT SUNDAY • 26 APRIL 2015 • ISSUE 807 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY maltatoday Poachers kill cuckoo, shoot kestrel as CABS reports new hunting illegalities The Maltese tenor speaks! JOSEPH CALLEJA on his love of Malta, racism, patriotism, and what the future holds for his beloved opera INTERVIEW PG 14-15 Kings of the crowdfund No banks, no government grants, no business angels: this gaming startup raised €325,000 on the web! PAGE 16 Perjury charges could spell resignation for GRTU president The Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) yesterday said a hunter shot at a protected kestrel close to the runway of the Malta International Airport in Safi yesterday – an area that is illegal to shoot a fi rearm in. In a separate incident, CABS fi lmed a hunter fi ring four shots in the Mizieb woodland during the afternoon curfew. The footage was passed on to the police. This freshly killed cuckoo with typical shotgun injuries was hidden in a bush in the same area, the third found in the vicinity of Mizieb, an area managed by the FKNK. Government inks €2 million YOUR FIRST READ AND FIRST CLICK OF THE DAY SUNDAY • malta The Maltese tenor speaks! JOSEPH CALLEJA on his love of Malta, racism, patriotism, and what the future holds for his beloved opera INTERVIEW PG 14-15