Today’s Newspaper Cuttings
24 July 2015
Today’s online news Timesofmalta.com Vodafone cutting European CEO job – Vodafone Indirect GO’s majority shareholder wants to pull out – GO Direct GO shareholders endorse spin-off of property subsidiary – GO Direct Go share price plummets 10% over majority shareholder’s exit plans – GO Direct Ghost channel – Melita Anti
maltatoday.com.mt GO’s majority shareholder wants out – GO Direct
Independent.com.mt GO shareholders endorse popoerty company spin-off during annual general meeting – GO Direct GO’s majority shareholder announces intention to pull out – GO Direct Major Go shareholder could be shifting focus to more profitable real estate – GO Direct
Newsbook.com.mt L-azzjonisti ta’ GO japprovaw it-twaqqif ta’ kumpanija separate tal-proprejta’
Gozonews.com Vodafone Malta Foundation launches digital parenting initiative – Vodafone CSR Direct 99.3% of GO shareholders endorse property company spin-off – GO Direct
Maltarightnow.com Ix-shareholders maġġoritarju ta’ GO trid tbigħ l-ishma kollha – GO Direct
Today’s Newspaper Cuttings
26 July 2015
Today’s news in the papers The Sunday Times of Malta Free beach browsing with Melita Wi-Fi – Melita Direct Market laments the lack of transparency on GO Sell out – GO Direct
The Malta Independent on Sunday Vodafone Malta Foundation launches Digital Parenting Initiative – Vodafone CSR Direct Free beach browsing with melitaWIFI – Melita Direct HSBC Contact Centre contributes to the mission of victim Support Malta – HSBC CSR
Maltatoday Vodafone seeks to safeguard online safety for children – Vodafone CSR Direct Gaia and Amber performing at The Farsons Beer Festival – Vodafone Indirect GO shareholders endorse property company spin-off by 99.3% - GO Direct
Illum Il-provi tal-BOV Joseph Calleja Children’s Choir għaddejjin ġmielhom – BOV CSR
Kullħadd L-istroja tingħata l=ħajja mill-Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna u l-BOV – BOV CSR
Il-Mument Gaia u Amber illejla fil-Festival tal-Birra ta’ Farsons – Vodafone Indirect
It-Torċa Kontribut lejn il-missjoni ta’ victim Support Malta success – HSBC CSR
Vodafone in the news
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Vodafone CSR Direct The Malta Independent on Sunday 26 July 2015 â‚Ź 346
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Vodafone CSR Direct / VodaIndirect Maltatoday 26 July 2015 €290
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Vodafone Indirect Il-Mument 26 July 2015 €
Other stories in the news
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GO Direct Maltatoday 26 July 2015 € 504
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Go direct The Sunday Times of Malta 26 July 2015 € 371
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Melita direct The Sunday Times of Malta 26 July 2015 € 164
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Melita Direct The Malta Independent on Sunday 26 July 2015 â‚Ź 83
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BOV CSR Illum 26 July 2015 € 423
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BOV CSR Kullħadd 26 July 2015 € 333
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HSBC CSR The Malta Independent on Sunday 26 July 2015 € 189
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HSBC CSR It-Torċa 26 July 2015 € 578
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Vodafone CSR Direct josannecassar.com 24 July 2015 € 116
VODAFONE MALTA FOUNDATION LAUNCHES DIGITAL PARENTING INITIATIVE Vodafone Malta has revamped its campaign to safeguard children’s safety online as a Vodafone Malta Foundation initiative. The key element of this campaign is a brand new website, ibrowsesafely.com.mt, as well as its associated Facebook page, which both act as interactive online platforms where parents, grandparents and educators can find the latest information on issues related to internet use and safety online. Frequent blog posts, written by both parents and professionals, and other useful tools and resources are uploaded on a regular basis which are vetted by the campaign’s subject expert, Andrew Azzopardi, to ensure that the information is relevant and correct. The project also consists of an outreach programme where regular information talks are held by Veronica Montanaro, the Campaign’s Outreach Coordinator supported by Vodafone Malta employees. Training is also being provided to Vodafone’s staff in all its retail outlets so that they can offer advice and assistance on this topic to parents. ‘Technology is here to stay, and many parents, including myself as a parent of four, are understandably concerned about its influence on their children and family.’ said Amanda Nelson, Vodafone Malta CEO,”As a leader in the telecommunications industry, this is why Vodafone has taken a conscious decision to be a leader in the promotion and education of the safe use of mobile technology and the internet, particularly for children who are of course the most vulnerable in this area. We hope that by educating and informing parents they will be better equipped to guide their children in using the internet sensibly and safely.’ ibrowsesafely.com.mt supports Malta’s national campaign for the promotion of Online Safety – BeSmartOnline run by the Malta Communications Authority.
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Vodafone Indirect independent.com.mt 24 July 2015 â‚Ź 145
The Farsons Beer Festival kicks off tonight Friday, 24 July 2015, 16:25
The 35th edition of The Farsons Beer Festival kicks off tonight, 24th July and runs until Sunday 2nd August at Ta' Qali National Park. Doors open at 8pm daily and entrance and parking are free. The open air 10-day festival offers an unrivalled music programme which includes local and international artists. Tonight's programme kicks off with Ram 1 & Gyamma from the UK followed by the ever popular Juuls Reggae party on the Main Stage and bands MIstura and Xtruppaw on the Rock Stage. For the first time this year a new acoustic stage organized by the Klezorimalta Foundation has been set up within the 'Cosi Corner' in the Main Area which will feature local Klezmer music every night. Odelsie & Loredana are set to start off this new stage tonight from 8 to 9pm. The Farsons Beer Festival is a showcase for the best beer portfolio on the island and offers an extensive selection of local and international beer styles, including the Cisk range of beers, classic ales Blue Label, Hopleaf and Farsons Strong Ale, Kilkenny Irish Cream, Guinness and
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Vodafone Indirect independent.com.mt 24 July 2015 â‚Ź 145
John Smith's Extra Smooth Ale, and international brands such as Carlsberg, Budweiser, Becks and Corona Extra. Also available will be a selection of beer based cocktails and specialty brews including bottle conditioned ales from St Austell's Brewery in the UK. The food court features a variety of food stalls to complement the beers. Entertainment for children includes daily shows from Cheer Amigos in the Greek Theatre between 8.30 and 9pm. Visitors to the Festival also have a chance of winning a Honda PCX bike with every purchase from the Farsons Brand Store. The official Festival mug will be available until stocks last. The Farsons Beer Festival is sponsored by Vodafone and supported by GasanZammit Motors, Krea Malta Ltd, Malta Tourism Authority and Vibe FM. For the latest updates on the Festival visit:https://www.facebook.com/thefarsonsbeerfestival, or log on to:www.thefarsonsbeerfestival.com.
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Vodafone Indirect inesmalta.com 24 July 2015 € 135
Illejla jiftaħ il-Festival tal-Birra ta’ Farsons 07:20 | 24.07.2015
Il-35 edizzjoni tal-Festival tal-Birra ta’ Farsons tiftaħ illejla, 24 ta’ Lulju, u tibqa’ sejra sal-Ħadd 2 ta’ Awwissu fil-Park Nazzjonali ta’ Ta’ Qali. Il-bibien jiftħu kuljum fit-8pm u d-dħul u l-parkeġġ huma b’xejn. Dan il-festival tant popolari li jsir fil-miftuħ, hu mifrux fuq għaxart ijiem, u joffri programm mużikali eċċezzjonali li jinkludi artisti lokali u internazzjonali. Il-programm tal-lejla jiftaħ b’Ram 1 & Gyamma mir-Renju Unit, segwit bil-party popolari ta’ Juuls Raggae fuq il-Palk Prinċipali u l-bands Mistura u Xtruppaw fuq il-Palk tar-Rock. Għall-ewwel darba, din is-sena hemm ukoll palk ġdid tal-akustika ‘Cosi Corner’ organizzat mill-Klezorimalta Foundation fil-Parti Prinċipali b’mużika Klezmer lokali kuljum. Odelsie & Loredana se jżanżnu dan il-palk illejla bejn it-8 u 9pm. Il-Festival tal-Birra ta’ Farsons iservi ta’ vetrina għall-aqwa birer ta’ gżiritna u joffri għażla wiesgħa ta’ stili ta’ birer lokali u internazzjonali, inkluż l-għażla tal-birer Cisk, l-ales klassiċi Blue Label, Hopleaf u l-Farsons Strong Ale, il-Kilkenny Irish Cream, Guinness u John Smith’s Extra Smooth Ale, kif ukoll birer internazzjonali bħal Carlsberg, Budweiser, Becks u Corona Extra. Se jkun hemm ukoll cocktails bil-birra u brews speċjali li jinkludu l-bottle conditioned ales ta’ St Austell’s Brewery tal-Ingilterra.
Biex jikkumplimentaw il-birer, ikun hemm ukoll ghażla ta’ diversi tipi ta’ ikel. Għat-tfal se jkun hemm wirja kuljum miċ-Cheer Amigos, fit-Teatru Grieg, mit-8:30 sad-9pm. Dawk kollha li jmorru l-Festival għandhom iċ-ċans jirbħu mutur Honda PCX meta jixtru mill-Farsons Brand Store. Min jattendi jkun jista’ jakkwista wkoll il-mug uffiċjali tal-Festival, sakemm tispiċċa l-konsenja. Il-Festival tal-Birra ta’ Farsons hu sponsorjat mill-Vodafone u appoġġjat minn GasanZammit Motors, Krea Malta Ltd, l-Awtorità Maltija tat-Turiżmu u Vibe FM. Għall-aħħar aġġornamenti fuq il-Festival idħol: https://www.facebook.com/thefarsonsbeerfestival jew mur fis-sit: www.thefarsonsbeerfestival.com.
Other stories in the news
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GO Direct josannecassar.com 24 July 2015 € 116
GO SHAREHOLDERS ENDORSE PROPERTY COMPANY SPIN-OFF 99.3 per cent of shares represented at the meeting vote in favour GO plc (GO) shareholders have endorsed the Spin-off of a subsidiary, Malta Properties Limited (MPL), into a separate, and publicly listed, entity focused on property management. The necessary changes to GO’s Memorandum and Articles of Association and a related resolution enabling this restructuring, were approved during an Extraordinary General Meeting held this evening. As a result of the Spin-off of MPL, all GO shareholders will receive exactly the same number of shares in the new entity as they currently own in GO. Based on a recent report carried out by Architecture Project, MPL’s property portfolio, covering 11 different sites, is valued at nearly €53 million.
MPL Chief Executive, Nikhil Patil, said, “The Spin-off of MPL will allow GO to focus on its main business of communication while MPL focuses on maximising long-term value for our shareholders from the Company’s extensive property portfolio. As the two companies will now be listed separately, shareholders are also free to either maintain their shareholding in both companies or to focus more on the company which better suits their investment objectives. The properties in our portfolio have considerable potential for redevelopment which should drive growth based on the solid foundation of also having GO as a key tenant in some of our sites.”
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GO Direct josannecassar.com 24 July 2015 € 116
GO plc Chairman, Deepak Padmanabhan, said, “Two years ago, GO had made clear that it wanted to pursue a clear strategy to develop its substantial property portfolio and maximise value for shareholders. Different options were evaluated and the conclusion reached that a Spin-off would be the best approach to achieve our objectives. GO is a communications company, not a property manager or developer, and so there is a clear rationale for empowering MPL with the freedom to focus on its task of redeveloping the 11 properties currently in our portfolio, thereby generating new income streams and enhancing long-term value.” “Seen also in the context of GO’s own, equally exciting, recent strategic investments in Fibre to the Home, 4G and wi-fi, these are interesting times indeed for our shareholders. I would therefore also like to thank them for their enduring support and for now overwhelmingly endorsing this restructuring, which required the approval of 75 per cent of the shares”, continued Mr Padmanabhan. The expectation is that the company listing will take place before the end of 2015 and that it will continue to be led by Mr Patil. Mr Patil has been on the Board of Directors at GO plc for eight years and also sits on the Boards of BMIT, GO’s subsidiary data services provider, and Cablenet, the Cypriot communications operator in which GO also has an interest. Mr Patil is a Director – Strategy & Investments, with Emirates International Telecommunications, which has a 60 per cent shareholding in GO plc. The new entity will have at its disposal a number of key property assets such as the Zejtun Exchange, (pictured above) where Malta’s largest state-of-the-art data centre and offices are planned. Photo shows proposed designs for this initial project. MPL Chief Executive Nikhil Patil presenting details of the proposed spin-off to GO plc shareholders during the EGM.
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Go Direct independent.com.mt 26 July 2015 € 145
Emirates International Telecommunications confirms it will divest its stake in GO plc Sunday, 26 July 2015, 17:58
Emirates International Telecommunications („EIT‟), a business unit of Dubai Holding, today confirmed its decision to dispose of its 60 per cent shareholding in the leading Maltese telecoms operator, GO plc („Go‟). This follows the successful sale of its investments in Interoute, a European Network provider, earlier in 2015, the company said in a statement. GO, as part of a process to maximize long term value for all its shareholders, is currently undergoing a restructuring process which entails spinning off one of its subsidiaries, Malta Properties Limited, into a separately listed entity. The spin-off was approved by more than 99% of GO Shareholders at an Extraordinary General Meeting, that took place on the 22nd of July. EIT will continue to maintain its shareholding in Malta Properties Limited after the demerger as this is aligned with Dubai Holding‟s strategy of focusing on real estate investments. To avoid any speculation and ensure a smooth functioning of the market, EIT felt it was appropriate to make its intention to divest its shareholding in GO plc, public. EIT has only just started the process of evaluating its options and will adhere to all applicable legal requirements. EIT has not yet approached or identified any buyer for its stake. In the course of making such evaluations, EIT is and will seek to safeguard the interests of all GO shareholders. Along with GO‟s management, Board of Directors and employees, EIT has played an instrumental role in transforming GO into Malta‟s leading quadruple play telecommunications provider.
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Go Direct independent.com.mt 26 July 2015 € 145
EIT has supported GO‟s decision to future proof its communications infrastructure by investing Euros 65 million in projects like 4G networks and Fibre to the Home. With EIT‟s support, GO has been delivering substantial shareholder value through strong cash flow generation, healthy dividends and value accretive initiatives such as the spin-off of Malta Properties Limited. Investments in growth opportunities like BMIT, the leading data centre company in Malta, and Cablenet, the fastest growing telecommunication provider in Cyprus, will ensure that GO will continue to deliver shareholder value for a long time into the future. Deepak Padmanabhan, CEO of EIT and Chairman of GO Plc, said: “All stakeholders in GO, should rest assured that GO is now a modern company, with a strong customer base, leading technology infrastructure, a capable workforce, a robust balance sheet and a well-defined strategy.” EIT is the primary investment vehicle in telecommunications for Dubai Holding. It actively manages stakes in communications companies within the European, Middle Eastern and African markets. EIT has stakes in du, Tunisie Telecom, Axiom Telecom, Go and Forthnet. EIT portfolio management practice is driving value creation at the operating companies' level to generate superior returns for the shareholders.
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Go Direct maltaoday.com.mt 26 July 2015 â‚Ź 145
Dubai to sell GO stake, but retain shareholding in property spin-off Emirates International Telecommunications will dispose of 60% share in GO plc, but retain shareholding in Malta Properties Limited
Matthew Vella 26 July 2015, 6:40pm
GO plc’s main shareholder Emirates International Telecommunications (EIT), a business unit of Dubai Holding, today confirmed its decision to dispose of its 60% shareholding in the Maltese telecoms operator. The official announcement follows the successful sale of its investments in Interoute, a European Network provider, earlier in 2015.
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Go Direct maltaoday.com.mt 26 July 2015 € 145
GO is currently undergoing a restructuring process which includes listing new subsidiary Malta Properties Limited, into a separate entity. EIT will continue to maintain its shareholding in Malta Properties Limited after the demerger. The company said this was “aligned with Dubai Holding’s strategy of focusing on real estate investments.” “EIT has only just started the process of evaluating its options and will adhere to all applicable legal requirements. EIT has not yet approached or identified any buyer for its stake. In the course of making such evaluations, EIT is and will seek to safeguard the interests of all GO shareholders.” News of EIT’s disposal was only made public during the last GO annual general meeting, when an HSBC Malta representative put a speculative question to GO directors on EIT’s intention. EIT has stakes in du, Axiom Telecom, Tunisie Telecom, Forthnet and formerly Interoute, and serves as the primary telecoms investment vehicle for Dubai Holding – the global investment company owned by Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Malta Properties Limited (MPL) will be a separate, publicly-listed entity focused on the property management of various parcels of land devolved to it by the government. Based on a recent report carried out by firm Architecture Project, MPL’s property portfolio, covering 11 different sites, is valued at nearly €53 million. “The spin-off of MPL will allow GO to focus on its main business of communication while MPL focuses on maximising long-term value for our shareholders from the Company’s extensive property portfolio,” MPL chief executive Nikhil Patil said. As a result of the MPL spin-off, all GO shareholders will receive exactly the same number of shares in the new entity as they currently own in GO. GO plc chairman Deepak Padmanabhan said all GO stakeholders should “rest assured that GO is now a modern company, with a strong customer base, leading technology infrastructure, a capable workforce, a robust balance sheet and a well-defined strategy.”
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Go Direct timesofmalta.com 26 July 2015 € 230
Sunday, July 26, 2015, 17:37
No buyer of GO majority stake identified yet, EIT to retain holding in property company
The biggest shareholder in Go plc, Emirates International Telecommunications (EIT), said today that while it is selling its 60 per cent in stake in the communications company, it will retain its shareholding in Malta Properties Limited, which was hived off from GO last week. It also said no buyer for the GO stake has been identified yet. The Sunday Times of Malta reported this morning that stockbrokers had raised concerns about the lack of transparency surrounding the news that EIT was selling its stake. The announcement on Thursday caught many by surprise and caused GO’s share price to slide 10 per cent on Friday. The Dubai-based EIT, a subsidiary of the State-owned Dubai Holdings, gave no indication of such a move at GO’s extraordinary general meeting held on Wednesday, during which shareholders approved the creation of the new company to absorb GO’s property assets. Emirates said its disposal of the shareholding GO followed following the successful sale of its investments in Interoute, a European Network provider, earlier this year. However it would retain its holding in the property company because Dubai Holding’s strategy is focusing on real estate investments. EIT said it has only just started the process of evaluating its options on the disposal of GO shares and will adhere to all applicable legal requirements. "EIT has not yet approached or identified any buyer for its stake. In the course of making such evaluations, EIT is and will seek to safeguard the interests of all GO shareholders," it said.
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Go Direct timesofmalta.com 26 July 2015 € 230
"Along with GO’s management, Board of Directors and employees, EIT has played an instrumental role in transforming GO into Malta’s leading quadruple play telecommunications provider," the company said. "EIT has supported GO’s decision to future improve its communications infrastructure by investing €65 million in projects like 4G networks and Fibre to the Home. With EIT’s support, GO has been delivering substantial shareholder value through strong cash flow generation, healthy dividends and value accretive initiatives such as the spin-off of Malta Properties Limited. Investments in growth opportunities like BMIT, the leading data centre company in Malta, and Cablenet, the fastest growing telecommunication provider in Cyprus, will ensure that GO will continue to deliver shareholder value for a long time into the future." Deepak Padmanabhan, CEO of EIT and Chairman of GO Plc, said: “All stakeholders in GO, should rest assured that GO is now a modern company, with a strong customer base, leading technology infrastructure, a capable workforce, a robust balance sheet and a well-defined strategy.” EIT is the primary investment vehicle in telecommunications for Dubai Holding. It manages stakes in communications companies within the European, Middle Eastern and African markets. EIT has stakes in du, Tunisie Telecom, Axiom Telecom, GO and Forthnet. .”
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Melita Direct gozonews.com 24 July 2015 € 116
Free melitaWIFI now covers summer spots of Marsalforn & Xlendi bays BY GOZO NEWS · JULY 24, 2015
Melita has completed the installation of more melitaWIFI access points in some of Malta’s favourite seaside spots. Customers can now access free melitaWIFI in Gozo’s popular Marsalforn and Xlendi bays, as well as at Golden Bay in Mellieha, Malta. “These additional free melita WIFI zones complement the promenade from Spinola Bay in St Julians all the way to Qui-Si-Sana in Sliema, St George’s Bay in Paceville, the main square in Bugibba to St. Paul’s and part of Qawra. The Marsascala seafront as well as Pretty Bay in Birzebbuga are also covered by melitaWIFI.” The company said that melitaWIFI service is accessible for free by all Melita customers subscribed to internet services or mobile contract plans. Through the service customers can access the internet from their mobile devices reaching download speeds of up to 100 Megabits. Accessing the services is very easy – mobile customers simply login once using their mobile number while Internet customers login with their MyMelita login. For more information and coverage maps of melitaWIFI visitwww.melita.com/WIFI
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Melita Direct timesofmalta.com 26 July 2015 € 230
Sunday, July 26, 2015, 00:01
Free beach browsing with Melita Wi-Fi Melita has completed installation of more Wi-Fi access points at Golden Bay in Mellieħa and in Gozo’s Marsalforn and Xlendi bays. These additional free Melita Wi-Fi zones complement the promenade from Spinola Bay in St Julian’s all the way to Qui-Si-Sana in Sliema, St George’s Bay in Paceville, the main square in Buġibba to St Paul’s and part of Qawra. The Marsascala seafront as well as Pretty Bay in Birzebbuġa are also covered. Through the service customers can access the internet from their mobile devices reaching download speeds of up to 100 Megabits. For more information and coverage maps, visitwww.melita.com/WIFI.