Labour has 14 candidates for MEP election

The Labour Party has approved four more candidates, including former leader Alfred Sant, on the closing day of nominations

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PD supports suggestion for Daphne Caruana Galizia public inquiry

Partit Demokratiku on Saturday reiterated its full support to the conclusions of lawyers Caoilfhionn Gallagher QC and Tony Murphy on behalf of the Caruana Galizia family and invited all Members of Parliament of goodwill to work together in delivering a truly independent public inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia that satisfies the "progressive" standards set out in the legal opinion.

"Our party always wanted truth, justice and lasting change. We never wavered," said PD Leader Godfrey Farrugia. "The murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia exposed the failures of the state to protect human life and had a chilling effect on media freedom in Malta. We must change. A public inquiry based on the model recommended by Gallagher and Murphy is a progressive solution and is the best route to deliver lasting change," Farrugia explained.

In their legal opinion, Gallagher and Murphy, a barrister and solicitor specialised in human rights, recommend a public inquiry that is truly independent of the Maltese police, government, and politicians, and be conducted by a panel composed of individuals with no political or government links, such as respected international judges.

"Gallagher and Murphy suggest a truly independent public inquiry that operates on transparent and comprehensive terms of reference. The inquiry would protect sources and witnesses and strike the right balance between the public's right to know and the burning need for justice and closure on the part of the victim's relatives," explained Farrugia.

PD Member of Parliament Marlene Farrugia said that "our party would have preferred the Prime Minister to establish such an inquiry right away, after all he promised the country that he would 'leave no stone unturned'", noting how the government has stalled on efforts of the family and local and international civil society to establish such a public inquiry.

Referring to the Nationalist Party's motion to discuss the establishment of a public inquiry on the matter scheduled to be debated on Thursday 6 December, Godfrey Farrugia noted how the "proposal before the House of Representatives is for the Prime Minister to appoint such a board of inquiry. We have no faith in the Prime Minister establishing an inquiry that will deliver truth, justice and lasting change. Even Gallagher and Murphy note the risks of such an arrangement in their legal opinion."

"As it stands, we are opposed to the PN's motion because it falls short of the required standard, but remain committed to identifying solutions. We will be making our own proposals over the course of the coming days. We also publicly invite all members of Parliament of goodwill to come forward so we work together in a spirit of national unity and deliver the lasting change that this country needs", Godfrey Farrugia concluded.

 

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Motorcyclist suffers serious injuries after crashing his bike

Motorcyclist crashes at Selmun in Mellieha

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Man suffers serious injuries after knife attack during fight

A man suffered serious injuries after he was attacked by a knife in a fight that happened at 1am in Bormla

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Malta chosen by Council of Europe to assess child’s right to be heard

Malta, together with Finland and Slovenia, has been chosen by the Council of Europe to take part in a one-year project to gauge the extent of children's participation in social and political life at the different levels of society.

The President's Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society said that two Council of Europe experts – Anne Crowley and MsGerison Lansdown – are in Malta this week to launch the project, meet all the stakeholders and to explain how the project will run and how information will be collected using a specifically designed Child Participation Assessment Tool (CPAT).

"This initiative will support Maltese authorities in taking stock of all the mechanisms already in place that give children a meaningful opportunity to participate in an informed debate and contribute to elaborating laws, policies, services, political priorities, budgets either at local or national levels," The Foundation's statement read.

Malta's participation in the Council of Europe's project was announced yesterday during the 4th National Conference of Child Wellbeing organised by the President's Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society (PFWS). An induction training seminar was held with local partners the previous day, explaining how the CPAT tool works.

PFWS Director General Ruth Farrugia said: "The President's Foundation strongly believes that children and young people are the experts when it comes to issues and challenges they face on a daily basis."

Farrugia added: "This tool will ensure the adequate measures are in place for children to have their voice heard at every level of society. We are delighted to be working with the Ministry for Family, Children's Rights and Social Solidarity in delivering on our commitment towards meaningful child participation in Malta, by identifying good practices and making concrete suggestions for its improvement."

Being carried out in collaboration with the PFWS and the Ministry for the Family, Children's Rights and Social Solidarity, this project follows its successful implementation in six other member states — Estonia, Ireland, Romania, Bulgaria, Italy and Latvia.

The Ministry said: "We welcome the opportunity to collaborate with the President's Foundation. This tool is expected to attribute due importance to and focus on children's participation in all policymaking processes impacting their lives."

Speaking about her experience following the implementation of CPAT in the other six countries, one of the Council of Europe's experts, Lansdown – who is an adjunct professor at Carleton University, Canada, said all the countries involved found that even if they had legislation in place, the implementation was relatively weak. Ireland was the only exception, as it already had a dedicated strategy and a child participation unit within the government.

"Even when there were laws, these still failed to reach out to all children, particularly younger ones and the most marginalised, such as those in institutions, children with disabilities, or those living in rural communities," Lansdown, said.

Meanwhile, the other Council of Europe expert, Crowley – who is an honorary research associate at Cardiff University, explained that CPAT sought to review progress based on 10 indicators to establish the building blocks that would support and enable all children to take part in decision-making on all matters that affect their lives.

"The self-assessment process provides a wonderful opportunity to get a debate on children's participation going… This has been the case in all six countries that have engaged in the process so far."

Crowley said the President's Foundation had been a strong partner of the Council of Europe over the past years and she hoped to witness very interesting practices on child participation in Malta over the next 12 months.

Lansdown concluded: "Ultimately, the goal is for the children of Malta to be able to enjoy the right to be heard and be taken seriously as individuals, and collectively, on all matters of concern to them."

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Labour Party approves four more candidates for EP election

The Labour Party has approved four more candidates for the European Parliament election, to be held in May next year.

Apart from Alfred Sant and Robert Micallef, who had already announced their candidature, the PL also approved Mary Gauci and Lorna Vassallo, bringing the total number of candidates to 14.

The candidates who had already been approved were Alex Agius Saliba, Felix Busuttil, Josef Caruana, Noel Cassar, Josianne Cutajar, Miriam Dalli, Cyrus Engerer, James Grech, Joe Sammut and Fleur Vella.

 

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Proposed new Paola football, rugby stadium in ‘area of considerable archaeological potential’

An application to construct a new football and rugby stadium right next door to the Hibernians Stadium in Paola could see some issues, after the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage flagged the proposal as being located within an area of considerable archaeological potential.

The proposed development, with a total site area of 14,011 square metres, is for the construction of a stadium and artificial turf ground for 648 spectators to host rugby and football domestic and international matches. The proposal provides for changing rooms, a restaurant, offices, a staff conference room, media reporting rooms, a media conference room, ancillary rooms for stadium support amenities, a parking area for outside broadcasting units and car parking spaces for visitors.

"The property in question is an extensive tract located within an area of considerable archaeological potential and overlying a mid-twentieth century underground power station of considerable historical value. The underground power station is ventilated by a system of shafts terminating at surface vents within the proposed development site," the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage said.

The Superintendence requested further information in order to assess the current application and ensure the safeguard of the cultural heritage. Such information required includes a detailed plan of the site as existing, a works method statement with details of proposed clearing of material and proposed rock-cutting or trimming, details of proposed rerouting of existing ventilation shafts and alternative ventilation for the underground power station, as might be necessary, and others.

The project applicant is Projects Plus Ltd, which is listed as a parastatal company in which Projects Malta Ltd., holds the majority of shares, and Malta Government Investments Ltd holds one share.

"Projects Malta Ltd was set-up and is fully owned by the Government of Malta to coordinate and facilitate Public Private Partnerships between Ministries and the Private Sector," the Projects Malta website reads. Projects Malta falls under Minister Konrad Mizzi's Tourism Ministry.

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