Malta Labour Party leader, Joseph Muscat, has urged the Prime Minister not to sign the EU Immigration Pact, which was agreed upon last week. Dr Muscat said that the agreement should not be signed on two counts, firstly because it gives Member States the choice of whether or not to help Malta with its immigration problem, and secondly because burden sharing would only be applied to recognized refugees. Dr Muscat emphasised that this was not in Malta's interest, since recognized refugees form only a small part of the migrants who land in Malta." Dr Muscat concluded by saying that the government can expect total support from the Labour Party if it does not sign the agreement, ... Read more...

On Saturday a Raptor Camp team observed a Lesser Spotted Eagle being stalked by two individuals and shot. The team reported the incident to the police who responded immediately and managed to find the dead eagle as well as apprehend two individuals for questioning. It was the fourth Lesser Spotted Eagle seen during last week and is likely to have come from Germany as this is the western most point of the species range. Germany has a mere 100 pairs and for the past 20 years the population has been declining. The Lesser Spotted Eagle is a Species of Conservation Concern in Europe and protected under Annex 1 of the Birds ... Read more...

The side chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel at Xaghra Basilica recently underwent extensive conservation and restoration works. The work was carried out by restorer Manwel Zammit from Zejtun in Malta. The cupola painting, by Roman artist Virginio Monti, had suffered severe cracks during the course of many decades, to the extent that some of the colours were actually peeling away. The restoration has revived the original colours and some of the mortar which had colour attached to it was also painstakingly reintegrated. Further restoration works were also carried out on the four pendentives on canvas by Monti. The altar painting dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel has ... Read more...

Todays Sunday Times has reported an attempt to bribe the victim and her family in the case involving four Nadur men accused of the rape of a minor and other serious sexual offences. The paper said that two individuals attempted to buy the silence of the 15-year-old girl and her family and that they approached her family in an effort to persuade them to bury the issue after the girl claimed she had been sexually assaulted over a period of time by four men from Nadur. The report went on to say that it is understood that the two individuals even spoke to the girl, but the family pressed on and four men were arraigned in connection with the case ... Read more...

In July 2008 compared with June 2008, the euro area (EA15) industrial new orders index grew by 1.0%. In June the index dropped by 0.5%. In the EU27 new orders increased by 2.3% in July 2008, after remaining stable in June. Excluding ships, railway & aerospace equipment4 industrial new orders fell by 1.4% in the euro area and by 3.6% in the EU27. In July 2008 compared with July 2007, industrial new orders grew by 1.6% in the euro area and by 2.8% in the EU27. Total industry excluding ships, railway & aerospace equipment dropped by 2.1% in the euro area and by 2.2% in the EU27. These estimates are released by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities. Monthly changes In July 2008 ... Read more...

Revised EU legislation that aims to protect human health and the environment by ensuring waste batteries are properly collected and recycled has now come into force. The directive also makes producers responsible for the management of batteries once they become waste. Adopted by the European Parliament and Council in 2006, the revised Batteries Directive should now be transposed by Member States into national law. So far seven Member States have communicated to the Commission national legislation which fully transposes the directive. Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said: "The revision of the Batteries Directive represents another important step towards our goal of making Europe into a recycling society. By setting collection targets and requiring recycling, this legislation will also ... Read more...

The Core Group of the Malta-EU Steering and Action Committee (MEUSAC) held its second meeting recently. The meeting was chaired by Dr Chris Said, Parliamentary Secretary for Public Dialogue and Information. There were two main topics on the Agenda: 1. Eligibility Criteria for NGOs The Core Group discussed a Report compiled by the Secretariat of MEUSAC and the Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations on the Eligibility Criteria for the participation of non-government organisations in the MEUSAC consultation process. This process will take place within the nine Sectoral Committees to be established for this purpose in the coming weeks. Members agreed that voluntary organisations that are enrolled with the Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations, as well as those ... Read more...

A report this week from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) says that millions of jobs could be created worldwide in the next few decades by investment in alternative energy technologies. Ralph Cassar, AD spokesperson for energy, industry and transport said: "This argument has been a key part of the European Greens' strategy to combat climate change. The European Green Party has consistently argued that the EU and its member states must act quickly to grasp the opportunities for sustainable economic development and new jobs which are offered by the development of renewable energies. This report proves, for example, that investments in greater energy efficiency in buildings could generate between 2 and 3.5 million jobs in Europe and the United States ... Read more...

The World Hospice & Palliative Care Day is a unified day of action to celebrate and support hospice and palliative care around the world. It is celebrated worldwide on the second Saturday of October every year. The main aims of the World Hospice Day are: to provide a platform for improving awareness of the Hospice Movement, and increase the provision of services; to raise awareness and understanding of the physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs of cancer patients and their families; and to raise funds for these causes. The theme chosen for this year's edition is: 'Hospice and Palliative Care: A Human Right.' Every person ... Read more...

The Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses has said that the Female General Ward at Gozo General Hospital is in a 'precarious state' and that the Minister for Gozo needs to intervene to deal with the situation. The union added that it has received a substantial number of complaints about a shortage of nurses and supporting staff and that this shortage was having a negative impact on the standard of care. The union pointed out that this particular ward received patients with different conditions which needed medical, surgical and orthopedic care as well as day cases, all of which required specific attention. The union concluded by saying that the management had tried to solve the problem but could not ... Read more...