Warner Music Sweden to release Ira Losco’s ‘Walk on Water’ on 8 April

PBS Malta has announced that that Ira Losco's Eurovision entry 'Walk on Water' will be released internationally by Warner Music Sweden. It will be realised on iTunes, Spotify, and other digital portals through Warner on 8 April.

The move comes after discussions with three international record labels.

Warner Music Sweden is no stranger to the Eurovision Song Contest, having been the record label for both Loreen and Mans when they won the competition in 2012 and 2015 respectively.

'Walk on Water' will be the only song taking part in this year's contest that is being released by Warner Sweden.

"We are thrilled to be releasing Ira's song worldwide," said Robert Skowronski, A&R and Product Manager at Warner Music Sweden. "Ira is an exceptional singer, and we think this is a very strong song not only for Eurovision but also for commercial release. We look forward to working with her over the next months, and of course to her visiting Stockholm for Eurovision itself."

PBS Malta CEO Anton Attard added, "Ira is one of Malta's best-known artists, and to have a major label like Warner Sweden on board for our entry opens a lot of doors for us internationally as we prepare for Eurovision. For them to choose our song as their only act in the competition is something we're very proud of."

'Walk on Water' was premiered on 17 March and already has almost 850,000 views on YouTube since its launch. The song was composed by Lisa Desmond, Tim Larsson, Tobias Lundgren, Molly Pettersson-Hammar and Ira Losco herself. 

Ira Losco is one of the biggest names in Maltese music, and her career spanning over 15 years has seen her win more than 20 music awards.  Ira has twice opened concerts for Sir Elton John and has performed alongside Katie Melua, Maroon 5, Akon, Enrique Iglesias, Ronan Keating, Tokio Hotel, Gigi D'Alessio and many more. She has also had a string of chart topping singles, including What I'd Give, The Person I Am, and Me Luv U Long Time. Her fifth album will be released this year.

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EPP Chairman, Manfred Weber, strongly condemns 6 April criminal libel case against Shadow Minister

The EPP Group condemned in the strongest terms possible the recent decision to arraign the Maltese shadow Minister of Justice Jason Azzopardi for comments he had made on former Commissioner of Police Peter Paul Zammit.

The EPP Group Chairman Manfred Weber said; "This is simply not on. As an EU Member State, there are limits as to how far this Maltese Labour government can go in its insatiable quest for power with complete disregard to human rights. In a fully fledged democracy dragging the Shadow Minister of Justice to court for something he had said in his capacity as Shadow Minister is unheard of.

Lines will be drawn and Malta will not be allowed to continue sliding down the authoritarian route. We will stand up for the Maltese citizens against this increasingly erratic government. Since when has a Shadow Justice Minister been tried in Europe for something he had said with a jail term of up to three months hanging over his head? And let's not fool ourselves, this is indeed the Maltese government acting behind its henchman. We will not be fooled and we will not surrender.

Against the backdrop of the looming Maltese Presidency of the EU Council, we take note of how the Labour Prime Minister has dealt with his Chief of Staff and his Deputy Leader in the aftermath of the revelations of the secrete companies and bank accounts in blacklisted Panama. We are deeply concerned and we will not stand by."

The government reacted in their own statement saying that "It seems that the EPP Chairman is suggesting a Government intervention in the course of justice which would be unbecoming in a normal functioning democracy."

 In the statement the PL bashes the PN saying that the Nationalist Party is "stooping to new lows in trying to tarnish our country's reputation abroad by misreporting a case instituted by a private citizen against Jason Azzopardi to EPP Chairman."

It was said in the statement that Malta enjoys a complete separation of powers between the executive, the legislative and the judiciary as in any other democracy in Europe and full respect to the rule of law.

The government went on to say that the case that Mr Weber refered to was instituted upon a complaint by a private citizen who does not form part of Government in any form or way. Secondly, a member of Parliament like any other citizen, is equal in the eyes of the law and is expected to act with responsibility when commenting publicly.

The statement concluded by reiterating that Malta is a top economic performer with a 6.3% economic growth, and has met its as well its financial targets.  More importantly Malta has legislated for some of the most advanced social reforms in Europe. The Government is also legislating for more media freedoms, minority rights and political transperency such as the law regulating party financing  which the PN is trying to flout through a scheme which promises anonimity and secrecy in party donations.

Ending with, "One would expect the chairman of the largest group in the European Parliament to check facts and not rely on Partisan briefs that are aimed soley to  tarnish the reputation nation state."

 

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Hunting fairs encouraged legal hunting - minister

Hunting fairs like the one being organised this weekend encouraged legal hunting, Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela said today. Speaking to the Times of Malta during the official opening of the first ever national hunting fair, Mr Abela said the point of such events was to promote legal hunting. The three-day fair, being held at Montekristo Estates, is being organised jointly between the Hunters' Federation, FKNK, and a group of Italian hunting fair organisers. It includes some 41 exhibitions ranging from artisanal Italian riffles, to fully automatic weapons, stuffed birds, and hunting holiday packages. The event is expected to attract thousands of visitors. Sports Parliamentary Secretary Chris Agius and Opposition spokesman Charlo Bonnici also attended the event. Animal Rights Parliamentary Secretary Roderick Galdes did not attend. Mr Abela said the authorities would not hesitate to take action against any hunting illegalities committed during the upcoming spring hunting season. An, he reminded that the government had gone as far as to close the season when illegalities had got out of hand. 

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Prime Minister Joseph Muscat speaks about a new law to address the issue of autism in Malta

The Prime Minister, Joseph Muscat spoke about Autism today saying the new law is a step in the right direction during a conference on the subject. The new law was described as one of the first of its kind in the world making Malta an example to the rest of the world. It was also said during the conference that 1% of people being born in Malta are born with autism, meaning there are around 40 new cases every year.

Dr Muscat concluded his address by mentioning that the government is fully committed to focusing on the rights of people with disabilities. Measures being taken include tax incentives for employers to have 2% of their workforce being made up of people with disabilities.

There is also an amount of money which needs to be paid if the company does not want to adhere to the quota. A full pension will also be granted to people with disabilities who work, and 10 homes for disabled people within communities will be opened until the end of the legislature.

 Parliamentary Secretary for Rights of Persons with Disability and Active Aging, Justyne Caruana also gave her contribution saying that this new law is a way for a new plan of action will be implemented in the near future. It will be compiled by a number of stakeholders, including people with autism and independent entities which focus on autism.

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Greece to move forward with migrant deportations despite concerns

Greece is pressing ahead with plans to start deporting migrants and refugees back to Turkey next week, despite mounting concern from the UN and human rights organisations that Syrians could be denied proper protection. Parliamentarians in Athens are due to back fast-tracked draft legislation to allow the returns to begin as soon as Monday. The operation would see migrants and refugees who arrived on Greek islands after March 20 put on boats and sent back to Turkey. Greek officials said deportations are likely to start from the island of Lesbos, with migrants from Afghanistan, Pakistan and other countries whose asylum claims are considered inadmissible. The transport is set to be carried out under heavy security escort - with one police minder for every migrant - using buses that will travel from island detention camps and are likely to board straight onto chartered vessels. The imminent deportations, which are backed by the European Union following its recent agreement with Turkey, have triggered more violence at detention camps in Greece. Authorities on the Greek island of Chios said several hundred people broke out of an overcrowded detention camp and headed to the island's...

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‘A European strategy on Autism is necessary’ – MEP Miriam Dalli speaks about World Autism Day

 "We need a European strategy that promotes research, detailed studies and the use of best practices based on scientific evidence so that our children can eventually be treated in the best possible manner, and adults be provided with the required support and rehabilitation services," MEP Miriam Dalli emphasized.

2of April marks World Autism Day both on a national and a European level, MEP Miriam Dalli is doing her utmost to give a voice to all those people and children who fall within the Autism condition spectrum.

The MEP is calling for a more precise diagnosis so that affected people can be identified at a very early stage. Dr Dalli is insisting on a holistic strategy to help Autistic people overcome challenges they have to face every day.

In the past weeks, Dr Dalli spoke out about the difficulties that Autistic students have to face in their academic life. Quite a number of them face difficulties to advance further in their educational career not because they lack intelligence or they are not capable to specialize in their studies but because of lack of flexibility in our educational system.

Dr Dalli is focusing on the introduction of a European strategy on autism. Together with other MEPs, she presented a written declaration to the European Commission, which was supported by 418 MEPs to push the European Union and Member States to adopt a strategy.

With the aim to address Autism and the wide spectrum of this condition, the European Union took a number of initiatives to promote research and to evaluate different aspects of social integration.

However, in the last decade, one of the greatest challenges faced by the EU to properly address autism is its wide spectrum that constantly changes. This means that there are various types of autism, which vary according to symptoms and age amongst others.

The EU's Health Programme supports the European Autism Information System, which aims to support an early diagnosis and to evaluate the necessary tools. So as to have an effective system, the European Parliament allocated funds to the European Commission to implement a pilot project spread on 12 zones. This initiative was adopted in 2015.

Horizon 2020 (2014-2020) is investing €24 million on 21 research projects about autism, whilst the European Commission is supporting the Autism Europe association to safeguard the rights of autistic people through programmes such as PROGRESS, Grundtvig and programmes that focus on social integration, equality and to fight discrimination.

Dr Dalli, emphasized that, whilst all these initiatives are positive, we still require a European strategy on Autism. "We need to have a European Strategy on Autism and it is extremely important that Member States have their own strategy focused on this condition. What Malta is doing in this regard is extremely positive. Having a law on autism should provide all the possible opportunities to Autistic persons," Miriam Dalli concluded.

 

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Michelle Piccinino appointed Environment director

Michelle Piccinino has been appointed as the new director for the environment within the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) following a call for applications. The authority, which is the national regulator on the environment, will take over on Monday. Ms Piccinino graduated as an architect and civil engineer from the University of Malta in June 1995. She has since held several senior positions within the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, including to being a member of advisory bodies and coordinating large scale and projects of national interest. Her multidisciplinary approach has enabled her to adapt to the various cross-cutting-roles and to effectively and constantly involve the different stakeholders in the process. She has represented the Malta Environment and Planning Authority on various boards and committees and had a leading role in negotiations at high-level bi-lateral meetings. During the past months, Ms Piccinino has been involved in the in the demerger process of Mepa and the eventual setup of the Environment and Resources Authority, including the legislative and the administrative setup of the new authority. She is married to Ivan and mother to Laura...

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