Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/729537
WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT WEDNESDAY EDITION €1.00 Newspaper post BRANGELINA SPLIT Angelina Jolie has filed for divorce from Brad Pitt after 12 years together and two years of marriage citing irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split. See page 8 PG 9 • Editorial WEDNESDAY • 21 SEPTEMBER 2016 • ISSUE 487 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY PAGE 5 Fashion retail franchiser DIZZ launches €8 million bond issue €8,000,000 bond issue launched by Dizz Finance p.l.c., a member of the DIZZ Group MATTHEW VELLA THE operators of 19 fashion outlets and clothing franchises, Terranova, Liu Jo and Calliope, among others, have announced the issue of an €8 million unse- cured bond. Diane Izzo's DIZZ Group will be offering the bonds at a 5% in- terest rate, redeema-ble in 2026. The Dizz Group was set up by entrepreneur Diane Izzo in 2000 and currently em-ploys 140 full- time staff. "This is a huge mile- stone for our group of compa- nies and follows a series of other achievements we have made throughout the past year where we have broadened our fashion offering substantially and in- vested heavily in the re-tail expe- riences of our shops," Izzo said. The proceeds from the bond is- sue, which net of expenses will amount to some €7.7 million, will be to settle a €2.9 million payment on the acquisition of the Guess, 7 Camicie and Brooks Brothers brands, and the refur- bishment and roll-out of the Max & Co and Elisabetta Franchi out- lets and the Terranova megas- tore in Iklin; as well as to acquire new franchises. Another €2.3 million will be used to reduce the group's bank indebtedness to re-finance loans and overdraft facilities. The group will also use €1.2 million to finance the construc- tion and development of the €4.1 million 'The Hub', a property on Industry Road in Mriehel which will be used to run the group's critical operations, procurement, a new clothing finishing section and a professional kitchen. Busuttil promises rent control, free medicines for the elderly PAUL COCKS THE Nationalist Party in govern- ment will reverse the rise in the rates of government rents witnessed un- der the Labour administration and provide all medicines for free for el- derly people, party leader Simon Bu- suttil told the PN faithful at a mass meeting yesterday evening. Busuttil also pledged to remove tax on pensions and to ensure that cancer patients have easier access to chemotherapy. Addressing the Nationalist Par- ty's traditional Independence Day mass meeting on the Granaries in Floriana, Busuttil thanked the "enormous" crowd for once again gathering on the Fosos – which he described as the natural home of the PN – and for turning up whenever the party called on them. Welcoming people in the crowd who would be voting for the PN for the first time at the next general election, "having always previously voted for another party", Busuttil backed the proposal to lower the voting age in general elections to 16. Thanking his girlfriend Kristina and the children Greg, Zak and Pippa for their continuous support, Busuttil said "my family history mirrors that of many Maltese fami- lies who faced many harsh years and experiences but came through nonetheless, because together we can succeed." Busuttil said it was this genera- tion's responsibility to ensure that they left the country in a better shape for future generations and to ensure that today's children will find success in the future. He said that at a visit to the dock- yards last week – a first for a PN leader – he encountered many workers who worked long hours every day, like many other work- ers in various industries, to try and make ends meet for their families. The common denominator among all workers was their conviction that they had been betrayed by the Labour government, which turned its back on them after gaining their vote. PAGE 5 Simon Busuttil