Gozo sheep to be culled after appeal thrown out

A farmer has lost a case to save his flock of sheep from being culled after he failed to comply with a legal requirement to register them. The decision was handed down yesterday by an Appeals Court which upheld a previous ruling delivered by a magistrate in July 2014, paving the way for the 200 animals to be culled. The magistrate had ruled that a previous culling of about the same number of the farmers' sheep, carried out in 2012, was justified on the grounds of safeguarding public health. The decision by the veterinary authorities was lawful because failing to register the animals triggered an automatic suspicion that they were ill, the magistrate had ruled. The Appeals Court, presided over by Chief Justice Silvio Camilleri, Judge Giannino Caruana Demajo and Judge Noel Cuschieri, agreed that the lack of proper traceability of food-producing animals meant that the Director of Veterinary Services had reasonable cause for suspicion and therefore acted lawfully when he had ordered the culling. The case dates back to November 2012, when farmer Gianni Attard took court action against the Department of Veterinary Services in an attempt to stop it from slaughtering more of his sheep...

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Park renovation includes open-air urinal

A popular San Francisco park that re-opened after years of construction is drawing attention for an unusual new feature: an open-air public urinal. The urinal, located right next to the train tracks, was installed as part of the park's $20.5 million renovations due to the city Parks and Recreation Department's ongoing problems with public urination on buildings and bushes. "The more options we can give them to relieve themselves the better for the park-goers," San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener told KNTV. "The better it is for neighbors." The new feature was welcomed by park-goers. "Honestly, we were ready to go pee anywhere," park visitor Aaron Cutler said after trying out the urinal. "So any facility is better than none." The park's other renovations include more indoor toilets, a skyline overlook area and off-leash dog play areas.

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Data Commissioner dismisses Enemalta workers’ complaints against Busuttil

Data Protection Commissioner rules that PN leader was justified in mailing personalized political letters to the homes of Enemalta employees 

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Enemalta employees' objection to Busuttil letter rejected

Simon Busuttil has welcomed the Data Protection Commissioner's decision to reject a complaint made by 11 Enemalta employees after they received a letter by the Opposition leader. In a democratic society, the Opposition leader should not face any obstacles to relay his message, the commissioner concluded. The issue was raised after last year Dr Busuttil had written to Enemalta employees about the situation at the corporation. He tackled issues like privatisation, the sale of the BWSC plant as well as what he had described as the lack of government transparency. Eleven employees, however, took exception to the letter, and filed a complaint with the Data Protection Commissioner. The commissioner decided that the Opposition leader had every right to send the letter because it was made with good intentions since it tackled the developments in the energy sector at the time. He concluded that the letter did not breach their privacy. While thanking the commissioner, Dr Busuttil said he would abide by the recommendations given to erase the details of those workers who objected to the letter.  

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Major upset as Kerber stuns Williams to win Australian Open title

Angelique Kerber upset world number one Serena Williams 6-4 3-6 6-4 to clinch the Australian Open and become the first German to win a grand slam title since her childhood idol Steffi Graf in 1999. The 34-year-old American had been seeking her seventh Melbourne Park title and 22nd overall, which would have moved her into a tie with Graf for the most grand slam singles titles in the Open era. The seventh seeded Kerber, however, was not overawed by the occasion of her first grand slam final, breaking twice in the first set as Williams made 23 unforced errors. Williams cut down on the errors to send it into a third, which Kerber, who had the opportunity to serve it out while leading 5-3 only for the American to battle back, clinched when Williams hit a volley long in the next game. "When I played here the first round I was match point down and playing with one leg on the plane to Germany," an emotional Kerber said in a courtside interview. "I took my second chance to play the final against Serena. To win it is my dream come true. "Now I can say I'm a grand slam champion and it sounds really crazy." The opening salvo had looked ominous as Williams raced through the first game to...

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Renzo Piano among the stars for this year's carnival

Renzo Piano and several other architects "who built Valletta" will be the star attraction of this year's carnival as a float has been especially dedicated to them. Valletta 2018 foundation chairman Jason Micallef said the float was a special treat for Carnival fans to mark the capital's 450-year history. This year's carnival will begin on Thursday and run for five days with a grand finale on Tuesday February 9. Carnival director Jason Busuttil said there were more than 40 participants in this year's festivities with a number of different floats and dancers taking part. This year's floats, he said, would be "a cut above" previous years'. Mr Busuttil said Malta was also being represented in the international carnival symposium in Italy next week.  

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GRTU applauds disabled persons initiative, laments lack of consultation

The Malta Chamber for SMEs said it supported all calls and initiatives towards social integration of persons with disability, but lamented the lack of consultation. A dormant legislation was recently kick-started to ensure that two per cent of employees in companies with at least 20 workers are persons with disability for businesses. Data made available during an MCESD meeting shows that the private sector is employing over 350 registered disabled persons. The GRTU said it believed the private sector is showing its willingness to support this initiative not just because it is legally obliged to do so but because it also values its return. There are, in fact, 700 enterprises that even though not obliged by law, still employ people with disability. "The employment of persons with disability should not be seen as a mere statistical exercise or push employers into an easy way out of paying a contribution instead. It should be a hand-in-hand approach with employers to look into the needs of the specific business operation and how those persons with disability who are looking at participating in the labour market are matched through a process." However, the GRTU said it was...

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