Online public services

Austria and Malta lead the way in Europe on the provision of online public services, writes Helena Spongenberg:

The EU's newest member states have shot up to be amongst the top of the class when it comes to offering online public services to its citizens, a new survey published yesterday (29 June) has shown. The tiny mediterranean island of Malta moved fastest up the league table of EU member states, surging from 16th last year to second place this year. Estonia moved from eighth to a shared third place with Sweden.

However, it is old member state Austria which is top of the podium. "The Austrian 'eGovernment platform' is the best in the class" the report said. The report was conducted for the European Commission by IT company Capgemini, which analysed thousands of websites in the EU-25, Norway, Switzerland and Iceland, in areas such as tax, social services and construction permits.

New member states are implementing a major drive to bring their eServices performance up to the level of that in the 15 old member states which have been in the race for longer. The survey reveals a modest but constant 6 percent average growth in online public services in old member states whilst growth in the new member states is up by an average 10 percentage points.

EU commissioner for information society and media Viviane Reding welcomed the results but added that she hoped they would encourage member states to take further steps on offering public services online. On-line service delivery is now a mature service delivery model in the EU, and a new paradigm of 'intelligent', user-oriented e-services is beginning to emerge," she said in a statement.

Protests against detention

Police, soldiers injured in Malta migrants riot, Reuters reports:

200 illegal immigrants rioted on the Mediterranean island of Malta on Tuesday and injured three policemen and two soldiers when security forces stopped them marching on the prime minister's office. The group was intercepted at Paola, six miles (10 km) from the capital Valletta, by hundreds of policemen and soldiers, some wearing riot gear, and pushed back to the detention centre two miles away at Safi near the international airport.

The injuries were caused mostly by stones thrown by the migrants, protesting their detention. Four migrants were also injured. None of the injuries were serious, police said. Malta detains illegal migrants for up to 18 months to discourage further landings and prevent distortion in its labour sector.

Also on Tuesday, the Maltese armed forces said a patrol boat had rescued 266 illegal immigrants whose launch was stranded on a tuna net fishing line 110 km southeast of Malta. The group, due to arrive in Malta early on Wednesday, will be the biggest to arrive on the island this year. The army said the migrants had initially refused assistance and wanted to sail on to Sicily in Italy, but were persuaded to board the Maltese patrol craft. Some were suffering dehydration.

More from EUObserver.com and from The Gulf Times; Bob Geldof on the Malta situation.

Against Spring Hunting

Europe takes action against Malta's spring shooting, from the BirdLife international website:

..During their exhausting return journey from Africa to their European breeding grounds, many migratory birds use Malta as an important resting place and stepping stone as they cross the Mediterranean. Despite special protection under EU law during this sensitive period, Maltese hunters are reported to kill—with the blessing of their government—thousands of quails and doves every spring.

This spring hunting season not only breaches EU law, but also opens a loophole for the illegal hunting of many other, often threatened, species such as herons and birds of prey. "BirdLife welcomes that the European Commission won’t tolerate this any longer and that it has committed itself to take legal action in case Malta does not end spring hunting," says Konstantin Kreiser, EU Policy & Advocacy Officer at BirdLife in Brussels. "This decision follows earlier judgments of the European Court against other countries and sends a clear signal that there won’t be any special treatment for Malta."

The Maltese government will now have to ensure that no spring hunting takes place from 2007 onwards, otherwise it will be taken to the European Court of Justice..."The Maltese government made a poor case before the Commission because there is actually no excuse for the continuation of spring hunting in Malta. It is unfortunate that the consequences of this decision—ultimately a penalty could be imposed by the Court—will be borne by the Maltese public, when in fact the majority are in favour of a total ban on hunting...

Stem cells controversy

Maltese Bishops Condemn EU Ruling on Stem Cells, reports The Universe newspaper in Manchester, UK:

The Bishops of Malta and Gozo have expressed their dismay at the decision of the European Parliament in promoting "the instrumentalisation and destruction of human embryos." The European Parliament approved the first reading of the Seventh Research Framework Programme and called for EU funding of research with human embryos and human embryonic stem cells. The Maltese bishops joined the members of the Commission of the Bishops Conferences of the European Community (COMECE) in this protest.

"Together with the COMECE bishops we are supportive of an effective EU research policy in the service of the common good. However, we are concerned that the European Parliament expressed itself in favour of research on human embryos and human embryonic stem cells when in various member states of the EU, among them Malta, this type of research is not acceptable for ethical and moral reasons that touch on the protection of life and human dignity," the bishops said...

"With such a decision, the Union would interfere with delicate decisions which are exclusively the competence of each member state and, therefore, would also be against the principle of subsidiarity." Archbishop Joseph Mercieca, Gozo Bishop Mario Grech, the former Bishop of Gozo Nikol Cauchi and Auxiliary Bishopof Malta Annetto Depasquale said that in no case can the Church agree with the funding of research on human embryos and human embryonic cells. The Church holds not only that such funding should not be allowed, but also that it is totally excluded, they insisted.

Bob Geldof in Malta

Anti-poverty campaigner and rock star Bob Geldof will stage a concert in Malta this week to raise funds for YMCA. The event at Manoel Island will help YMCA raise awareness about the homeless and will also feature Ira Losco and Winter Moods as supporting acts, Chris Farrugia writes in Orizonti.com:

Bob Geldof, the creator of the Live Aid and Live 8 concerts, has pledged his support to YMCA, and the Malta event aims to raise awareness of the plight of the homeless in Malta. The concert falls within a string of the star's European dates and rounds off a trio of big names to play in Malta in early summer: Sting stages a concert here on June 6 and Roger Waters on July 10.

Bob Geldof's commitment to YMCA's cause is a huge coup for the charity. YMCA has worked hard to turn the spotlight on Malta's homeless in recent years. Last year, the YMCA assisted 9,000 social cases, although not all were homeless. About 300 people officially don't have a roof over their heads in Malta, where many people still find it hard to believe homelessness is a big issue...

Ira Losco meets Bob Geldof

Il-Budaj

Better known as 'Il-Budaj', the singer who brought folk singing to the cultural maintream, earned his nickname from a football player who played for Honved Budapest - the most feared European football team in the mid-fifties. Charles Flores writes about the legacy of Maltese folk legend Frans Baldacchino who died last week. :

Bil-mewt bikrija ta’ Frans Baldacchino ‘Il-Budaj’ bla dubju waqfet hesrem l-isbah ghanja. Waqt li jsellem lil Frans, Charles Flores jaf li m’hemmx kejl kif tista’ tqis il-vojt li halla warajh ‘Il-Budaj’, kif m’hemmx kliem bizzejjed biex tfisser il-fondoq li halla fil-qlub ta’ dawk li kienu jafuh kemm bhala ghannej, kif ukoll bhala habib...

Il-mewt bikrija ta’ Frans Baldacchino ‘Il-Budaj’ hasdet lil hafna li kienu jafuh u jghozzuh bhala habib. Ghax l-ewwel u qabel kollox, Frans kien bniedem b’qalb tad-deheb, dejjem lest jisma’ u moghni b’modestja li tghaggbek meta tqis il-hiliet artistici kbar li kellu u l-popolarità li kien igawdi fost gensu.

Meta nhasad minn fostna Frans Baldacchino, waqfet hesrem l-isbah ghanja Maltija. Kien hu l-ghannej li rega’ ta identità lill-ghana tradizzjonali Malti billi ma ddejjaq xejn jibdel u jesperimenta, billi jsostni l-htiega ta’ versi tajbin, ta’ daqq serju tal-kitarra u ta’ l-uzu u t-thaddim ta’ lehen li jiftiehem mill-kotra li regghet bil-hrara tisma’ fil-hwienet, fl-imsierah u sahansitra f’fortizzi ta’ pregudizzju kontra t-tradizzjoni popolari bhalma huma l-Università u l-Palazz tal-President.

Ma’ Frans Baldacchino ma kienx ilni wisq li qattajt ftit hin tal-mistrieh. L-imhabba taghna ghall-poezija minn dejjem gibditna ghal xulxin. It-tnejn li ahna kellna lil Karmenu Vassallo bhala wiehed mill-poeti favoriti taghna, u t-tnejn li ahna ndommu l-versi, anki jekk fi stili ghal kollox kontrastanti. Iltqajna fil-kumpanija ta’ habib taghna t-tnejn – Manuel Casha, kittieb, kompozitur u studjuz tal-ghana li kien ghadu gej mill-Awstralja – biex morna kilna bukkun flimkien u billejna grizmejna b’daqsxejn inbid...

More by Toni Sant and by Gerald Fenech

The Race to Nation

The Race to Nation is a new blog about media and identity created by journalist Sharon Spiteri as a vehicle for her research. Sharon, based at the University of Sussex, is looking for about 100 Maltese people living in Malta, 20 Maltese people living abroad and 20 non-Maltese people living in Malta to participate in her work. Her research objectives can be read here. Meanwhile, you can read Sharon's profile feature on the popular Normblog:

Sharon Spiteri was born in Malta where she worked as a journalist for the first 12 years of her career. She left what she fondly calls The Rock in 2003, coming to the UK to read for an MA in International Journalism at Cardiff University. She is currently researching for her DPhil at the University of Sussex and aspires to become the eternal migrant by staying no longer than five years in any one place. When she tires of moving around (which is possible but unlikely) she would like to live in Bruges with at least three cats, and write...

How to participate in Sharon's research; Sharon's blog: Lost in Thought

Creative writing

Inizjamed, in collaboration with the St. James Cavalier Centre for Creativity, will be running a series of workshops about creative writing. The sessions will be led by writer Clare Azzopardi. From MaltaMedia:

Clare Azzopardi says that she would like these workshops to stimulate those young people who would like to write in a different way. “We all have stories to tell. But we often find it difficult to write about our inner selves, about the things that make us angry, about strange experiences and coincidences. And we often limit ourselves to our own stories, ignoring what is happening to others. Together with the course participants I would like to explore political, surreal and magical themes. I hope there will be moments when we leave our stories behind us and focus on the stories of others... and then return to where we started.”

These workshops in Maltese will focus mainly on narrative, although those who are more interested in writing poetry are also welcome. Ms. Azzopardi says that the exercises that she will be giving will help new writers to articulate their thoughts through the written word, and then to edit those words so as to make the finished literary work as striking and insightful as possible..

Clare Azzopardi has run courses for adults who write for children and also for women writers. She is very active in the field of publication. Works of hers in the field of education have appeared in a number of books such as Prosit, Skaluni, Stilel, Senduq Kuluri and Senduq Buffuri. Her poems were published in Illejla Ismagħni Ftit (2001). In 2003 Clare Azzopardi was one of the writers representing Malta at the Biennial of Young Artists of Europe and the Mediterranean held in Athens. Translations of her short stories have been published in Cyprus, Scotland, Ireland and Malta, including her book Others, Across published by Inizjamed and Midsea Books (2005).

Collision course

In a new and aggressive move, Italy slaps an e-ban on the Malta gaming authority website, reports the Online-Casinos news site:

The Italian authorities made the headlines in Maltese media this week with a new aggressive move aimed at blocking Italian players from Internet gaming activities. For some months now (see previous Online-Casinos.com & InfoPowa reports) a war of words has been going on after the Italians arbitrarily enacted a blockade of 684 internet gaming sites back in February. 68 of the sites were licensed by the Malta Lotteries and Gaming Authority. In a bid to bypass the blockade, the LGA linked its website to all the Maltese gaming sites using a web anonymiser that disguises the websites’ IP addresses.

Now the Italians have upped the ante by blacking out the Lotteries and Gaming Authority’s official website – the last remaining link to Italian gaming sites registered in Malta. The LGA website is now no longer accessible from Italian territory, after Italy’s state administration for monopolies, the AAMS, warned the site had no authorisation to collect bets and blocked it from Italian ISPs..

LGA chief executive Mario Galea, who at the time was in Italy addressing the European Forum of Gaming Regulators, made a strong statement criticising the Italian action to delegates: “We cannot accept that the good, the bad and the ugly are thrown in the same basket. Malta’s websites are regulated by the official Maltese authority,” Galea said. The blockade action started when the Italian government blocked all foreign gaming sites from the UK to Malta, claiming it was protecting Italian gamers from “phishing” – the fraudulent acquisition of passwords and credit card details..

Malta is awaiting a response from the European Commission on it's investigations into whether infringement procedures should be commenced against Italy. The European Commission has apparently requested information from the Italians on the restrictions imposed on online betting and gaming and the justification for these.

Lotteries and Gaming Authority website; Italy blocks Maltese internet gaming sites, by Matthew Vella.

Public holidays

Malta and Austria have most public holidays in the EU, reports Aleander Balzan for EUObserver.com:

A new report published by the British Trade Union Congress shows that Malta and Austria are the EU member states with most public holidays and annual holidays. The report says that Malta has 14 public holidays and an annual leave entitlement of 24 days, while Austria has 13 public holidays and an annual leave entitlement of 25 – totalling 38 days in both countries.

Finland follows with 12 days of public holidays and 25 days of holiday a year while workers in both Sweden and France enjoy 11 public holidays and 25 days off work each year. On the other side of the spectrum, the Netherlands is the country with the least public holidays – eight – and annual leave entitlement – 20.

Ireland has 9 public holidays and 20 days of annual leave while Belgium has 10 days of public holidays and 20 days of annual leave. According to the same report, covering the EU and Norway, the average working time per week in the civil service was 37.9 hours in 2004. In the new member states, the average was somewhat higher at 39.4 hours.

With 32.9 hours, Italy registers the lowest figure of weekly working time in the civil service followed by France, Portugal and Spain all at 35 hours. The longest weekly working hours in the civil service were registered in Austria, Luxembourg and Sweden with 40 hours per week - still below the maximum of 48 hours a week as imposed by the EU's working time directive.

Balancing views

Vicki Ann Cremona responds to two articles published recently in the International Herald Tribune. She writes that both articles "give an unbalanced view of the situation in Malta regarding illegal immigration":

While there is undoubtedly a high level of concern about the seemingly neverending influx of illegal immigrants to the European Union's smallest member state, and there have been some unpleasant incidents, the picture portrayed in the articles is grossly exaggerated. The Maltese government is actively committed to eradicating any form of racism, and criminal proceedings have already been taken against those accused of inciting racism.

Malta is actively committed to raising civic awareness about the problems, obligations and the need for compassion and understanding of irregular immigrants through a process of education and public information. Given this problem's dramatic increase during the last four years, the population is facing a totally new and challenging reality. The major and unexpected increase in the number of immigrants in such a small and densely populated country has led to a period of turbulence that must be overcome.

Unlike tourists, the immigrants have nowhere to go back to, and Malta's resources are stretched to the limit. Public perceptions on such major and sensitive issues of policy are slow to change. The only way that the natural tensions that may have arisen in a very small minority of the population can be assuaged and any fears or prejudices that may exist allayed is through constant social engagement, which the government is committed to.

Blaming EU rules..; EU vows to step up efforts..

Angelina's Ghost

The Gozo based novel Angelina's Ghost by blogger Sabine Cassar-Alpert is now available in the shops. Sabine, a German writer who has chosen Gozo as her home, will be a guest blogger on Wired Temples in the coming weeks. Angelina's Ghost is her first published novel:

The book tells the story of Laura, born and grown up in a metropolitan city, who meets Brian who has never left the island of Gozo. Giving up her city life for a future together with Brian in Gozo, Laura soon learns that an every-day life in a holiday resort differs widely from spending a couple of weeks’ vacation in the same place. Under mysterious circumstances, Laura finds a friend for life, although she takes her time to realise it...

Malta cool!

Alice Politi writes in Glamour magazine:

..Piccola, piccolissima (27 chilometri per 14!). Ma con un bagaglio di storia e leggende da fare invidia ai luoghi piω famosi del mondo. Qui, infatti, che Ulisse si imbattι nel canto delle sirene e fu fatto prigioniero d'amore dalla bella Calypso. Qui che Giacomo Casanova incontrava segretamente il Gran Maestro dei Cavalieri di Malta (nonchι una giovanissima nobildonna di cui si era invaghito...). Ed θ ancora qui che, a quanto si dice, l'eccentrico marinaio veneziano Corto Maltese (nato dalla penna di Hugo Pratt), soleva ritirarsi per meditare... Non stupisce allora che Malta, con i suoi luoghi d'arte, gli anfratti misteriosi, la natura selvaggia che nonostante l'urbanizzazione domina ancora, sia stata scelta come location di film storici tra i piω famosi, da Troy ad Asterix e Obelix, da Pinocchio a Il Gladiatore e Pirati...

Local produce

A new study indicates that Maltese people prefer buying local produce and are satisfied with the quality of local fruit and vegetables. From MaltaMedia:

..95% of Maltese are satisfied with the local produce and 74% think that it is good value for money, whilst 93% believe that local produce is of good quality. 71% of the people interviewed think that the local produce is presented in a good manner and 77% think that there is a good variety of local produce on the market.

72.3% of Maltese are aware of whether the produce they buy is local or foreign, whilst 76% also take notice of whether the meat is local or imported. 71.3% prefer buying local fruit, vegetables and meat rather than imported ones. They prefer this because they believe the products to be fresher and more genuine, and because they believe that this helps the local economy. Moreover, 9.3% of Maltese bought more local wine in the past 12 months than they used to

82% of the Maltese population are aware of funds that are offered by the EU to local farmers and 44.3% expect better quality products and better packaging from local farmers because of the EU funds that they can benefit from...

European values

Immigrants must accept 'European values 'according to EU leaders meeting at a summit in Brussels. Lucia Kubosova writes in EUObserver.com:

EU leaders have agreed they must find some common principles on how to tackle immigration, with Austrian chancellor Wolfgang Schussel stressing that immigrants must accept some European values if they want to settle in the continent. "It is very important for somebody who is coming to our countries to learn the language and sign up to the values, the human rights, the position of women, the rule of law. There is no compromise on this," Mr Schussel told journalists on Thursday (15 June) at the EU summit in Brussels.

While some leaders stressed the need to boost integration of immigrants without creating a negative impression concerning people's religion or identity, Spain and Malta pointed to the increasing number of illegal immigrants ending up on their territory. French president Jacques Chirac indicated the EU must improve its cooperation with African states on the issue, and try to help them solve the roots of the illegal immigration.

Some EU politicians took the fact that immigration had been debated at EU leader level as a sign of the increasing political importance of the issue. "It has been pretty clear that this problem is becoming one of the major subjects the EU will have to deal with in future. Without suggesting any concrete new projects, we agreed that we need some basic common principles on how to face this challenge," said Slovak foreign minister Eduard Kukan.

The European Commission is planning to table some fresh proposals on illegal immigration in July, including a plan for rapid border intervention teams and a list of safe countries - from which the EU will not accept asylum seekers.

Maltese bread in China

Maltese loaf to test Chinese taste buds, writes James Debono in Malta Business Today:

Maltese entrepreneur Mario Debono has embarked on a challenging mission; seducing the Chinese with the irresistible smell of the freshly baked Maltese loaf. Debono, the director of Maypole Bakery of Qormi will be meeting Chinese entrepreneurs in Guangdong with the aim of setting up a bakery to produce Maltese bread in China.
The project is bound to be a challenge as Debono acknowledges that bread is not yet part of the Chinese staple diet.

“Western bread has already made inroads in the Japanese market. As the Chinese adapt to a faster pace of life, they could also start consuming more bread. “Who knows? Maypole might have the possibility of tapping this market! One will have to wait and see,” he says about the ambitious project. Debono sees this as an opportunity for the family-run company to enter the globalised world. “Just as the Chinese have penetrated the Maltese and European markets with their cuisine, we seek to reciprocate by introducing some of our delicacies in their market.”

The director of Maypole Bakery, and a baker by profession, will accompany a Maltese delegation headed by former minister and president of the Malta China Friendship Society Reno Calleja, which will be in China next month. The delegation will visit the world’s fastest growing market to participate in the celebrations that will mark the 50 anniversary of the foundation of the Guangdong Friendship Society...

Maltese MP in Lebanon

A Maltese Member of Parliament is in Lebanon to promote ties with the Council of Europe and the European Parliament, from Lebanon's Daily Star:

Maltese MP Leo Brincat arrived in Beirut Tuesday to meet with Lebanon's parliamentary blocs and committees, in a effort to promote bilateral relations between the Lebanese and European Parliaments. Brincat, who was assigned by the European Council to visit Lebanon and discuss the means to promote bilateral relations, met Tuesday with several parliamentary blocs, including the Future and the Development and Liberation blocs.

Following his meeting with Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh, the MP said the European Council was anxious to assist Lebanon in its development socially, educationally and technologically. Social Affairs Minister Nayla Mouawad held a lunch Tuesday in Brincat's honor, in the presence of Public Works and Transportation Minister Mohammad Safadi, acting Interior Minister Ahmad Fatfat, EU Ambassador Patrick Renauld and MPs Nabil De Freij, Samir Franjieh and Jawad Boulos. "We have discussed with MP Brincat the means to promote relations with the EU and informed him of the situation in the country and the region," Mouawad said after the lunch.

The minister said discussions centered on the Palestinian cause and "Lebanon's continuous calls for the EU's support." Mouawad also said the Lebanese representative asked Brincat to support the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1680, which urges Syria and Lebanon to demarcate their common borders and establish diplomatic relations. Brincat is expected to meet Wednesday with the Syrian Social Nationalist bloc, the Democratic Gathering, the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc, the Reform and Change bloc and and the Lebanese Forces bloc.

Tougher stand

Malta wants tougher EU stand on immigration, from EUObserver.com:

Malta is fighting to change the conclusions of this week's meeting of EU leaders to get stronger wording on illegal immigration. The small island, which has seen hundreds of immigrants from Africa and is having trouble coping, has been pressing other member states for EU-level support on the issue. At the moment, the summit's draft conclusions call for more cooperation with countries of origin and transit of illegal migrants.

But the Maltese government is insisting member states take a stronger stand and call for help to be directed urgently to those countries with extensive sea borders, and so most vulnerable to the problem. "It is also evident that certain sea areas, like the Mediterranean in our case, are much more vulnerable to illegal immigration than other sea borders," Maltese foreign affairs minister Micheal Frendo was reported as saying by Maltese media. "That is why we are insisting that EU assistance should be directed particularly at these areas," Mr Frendo added.

Valetta intends to push for a concrete date for a future conference on illegal immigration in Tripoli, with the meeting set to include countries such as Eritrea, Sudan and Ethiopia from where many of the immigrants come. Malta, along with Libya, one year ago asked for a high level meeting on illegal immigration to take place in Tripoli, but the idea never came to fruition. "Malta has already stated that these countries of origin should have also been included in the Morocco conference as well," a spokesperson for the Maltese ministry of foreign affairs told EUobserver.

The Morocco conference is a ministerial conference on illegal immigration on 10 July but it does not include any of the African immigrant countries. Malta's concern reflects the fact that once again this summer Mediterranean countries are being faced with another big wave of immigrants. Thousands of migrants leave from West Africa's coast in an attempt to reach the Canary Islands and Spain, while others leave from North Africa towards Italy and Malta.

A spokesperson for the Maltese interior ministry said that this year more than 300 illegal immigrants have already landed on Malta - a large number for an island of just 400,000 inhabitants. The authorities are also concerned by the large number of people who have lost their lives in the seas between Libya and Italy. "A conservative estimate is that in 2005 more than 500 persons lost their lives while trying to cross from North Africa to Europe," the spokesperson said.

Maltese Cross on the Euro coins

The Maltese cross, Maltese coat of arms and the Mnajdra megalithic temples are the three designs chosen by the Maltese public to appear on the eight faces of the euro coins. From EUObserver.com:

The Maltese National Euro Change Committee (NECC) said in a statement that about 43,000 people had participated in a poll which had asked the public to choose three out of four short-listed designs. The Maltese cross got 36.2 per cent, or 15,658 votes, followed by the Maltese coat of arms (26.32%) and the Mnajdra Altar (20.58%). The Baptism of Christ got 16.9 per cent, or 7,309 votes.

The Maltese Cross is a cross made from four straight lined pointed arrowheads, meeting at their points, with the ends of the arms consisting of indented 'v's". For the Maltese, the cross represents the Great Siege of Malta when the Maltese successfully defended their country from the Ottoman Empire. The Maltese Coat-of-Arms consists of a shield showing a heraldic representation of the National Flag of Malta. The Mnajdra megalithic temple is inscribed on the World Heritage List and Mnajdra is to Malta what the Pyramids are to Egypt. Mnajdra is thought to date from around 3400 B.C.

The other short-listed image was the famous sculpture of The Baptism of Christ by Giuseppe Mazzuoli. At the beginning, this image was the most popular with the Maltese public, but after a heated debate on religion and secularism it slipped down the poll. The Maltese conservative government is planning to adopt the single European currency in 2008, although the socialist opposition party argues that the economic situation is not ideal for such a quick adoption of the euro.

From New Zealand's Newswire, Malta Rejects Baptism Euro Coin

Strummin' Home

Zetetiq, who blogs at 'Dreams, nightmares and hallucinations', invites young musicians to participate in this year's edition of YCW's Strummin' Home in aid of the homeless:

Anybody who can play some guitar (knowledge of how to hold it and strum about 2 chords in succession is ok) is invited to take part in Strummin' Home! Rehearsals start at the end of July and the concert is to take place at the end of October (28th and 29th). Singers are also asked to join, auditions will be held at the end of July or beginning of August, the exact dates have not been set yet (they're on the agenda for next meeting). But anyone can try as we shall have a choir as well, not only solos. We are also organising a poster competition for this same concert, deadline is 19th June.

If you are interested but not really musically or artistically inclined can always help in organisation, or just come and watch us shine...Anyone interested can just contact me via this blog or email us on zhn at zhnmalta dot org. Enough promotion - its a bit hard to get out of the promo mode, having made up the whole pr team on my own for the last concert. But now i changed role and am now part of the music team, though there are still emotional links. There is the risk that i shall be more involved in pr than planned, but those that took over are doing a good job till now...

The news of a boat full of irregular immigrants that capsized off Malta, made the headlines in various countries. Alessandra Migliaccio in Rome reports for Bloomberg:

Italy's Coast Guard retrieved the bodies of three migrants after their boat capsized in international waters off Malta. Eight others are missing. An Italian fishing boat rescued 16 people after the vessel overturned, said Corrado Sigona, a Coast Guard officer in the Italian port of Siracusa. The Coast Guard was called to the scene shortly after the vessel was found at 5 a.m. local time today, and retrieved the bodies.

The survivors, found clinging to the overturned boat, are all men from Guinea-Bissau in West Africa, Sigona said. They had left the North African port of Tunis, capital of Tunisia, and were headed toward Italy to seek asylum, he added. Malta is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of the Italian island of Sicily. Malta and Italy's islands are popular destinations for migrants seeking to enter the European Union illegally. Last year, Italy intercepted 207 boats near its coast carrying almost 22,000 migrants. Coast Guard and customs officials also discovered 70 corpses, Agence France-Presse said.

Other European countries face immigration pressure from Africans trying to reach the continent. Spain's Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero last month wrote to the presidents of Guinea-Bissau, Mali and Senegal asking them to go beyond their obligations under international law and allow Spain to begin repatriating illegal immigrants from their countries. Zapatero acted after the Spanish authorities intercepted several thousand immigrants trying to reach Spain's Canary Islands.

The weather at the scene of today's capsize was 'excellent' and the vessel probably overturned "because there were too many people in it,'' Sigona said. The survivors, accompanied by medical staff, were being transferred to Malta, Sigona added.

More reports from: Australia's ABC News Online; South Africa's News24; Scotsman News; Irish Examiner; United Press International; Ansa Italia; Times of India; Russia's Pravda; Qatar's Gulf Times.

Update: 28 more immigrants rescued this morning

'Strangers in their midst': In another article in the international press, Mary Jordan of the Washington Post writes that Malta "that elegant, mainly Catholic Mediterranean speck of land below Sicily groans as flotillas of black African Muslims keep arriving.."

Attacks against anti-racists must end

Amnesty International is concerned that a pattern of arson attacks is taking place against persons and organizations which have spoken out against racism in Malta. These attacks must end, states a public statement issued by Amnesty International USA:

..Amnesty International calls on the Maltese authorities to take effective steps to protect the lives and safety of those at risk of such attacks and to bring those responsible for the attacks to justice. The organization also urges the government to make combating racism and xenophobia a top priority for governmental action, in the short as well as in the long term.

In Malta, the Jesuit Community has taken a pro-active role in speaking out against racism and in defending the human rights of migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers. In November 2005, two cars belonging to a Jesuit Community resident at Dar Manuel Magri in Imsida were set alight. In early March 2006, the front door of poet’s house was subject to an arson attack just a few days after he launched a book containing poetry which promoted tolerance and refugee rights. On 13 March, seven cars belonging to the Jesuit Community were burnt down during the night, just a few days after the launch of the Report on Racism and Xenophobia in Malta by the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC). The Jesuit Community is EUMC’s main contact (focal point) in Malta..

It seems that the targets for the attacks are persons or organizations who have actively worked to protect the human rights of migrants and refugees, or who have publicly spoken out against racist and discriminatory attitudes and actions. Amnesty International is concerned that these attacks occur in a context of growing racist sentiments in Malta among non-state actors, and that racist speech and attacks are finding increasing amounts of legitimacy among the Maltese population...

Rob Wilson's trip to Malta

A trip to Malta has created a local controversy in Australia. Sarah Schwager writes for Berwick News and the Star News Group:

Casey deputy mayor Rob Wilson is packing his bags for Malta. Despite Casey Council previously refusing to fund the trip, councillors voted at Tuesday’s meeting to pay for some of Cr Wilson’s expenses when he travels overseas this month for the Fifth International Conference on Waste Management and the Environment. Cr Wilson backed down on the request for council to pay his airfare and will now pay most of the expenses himself.

Council will pay for his accommodation and conference registration, which will come out of his Training and Education budget allowance. Edrington Ward councillor Mick Morland said the deputy mayor’s attendance at the conference could significantly benefit the council in terms of waste reduction and other new waste management research.“By attending, we will be keeping up with the latest in the field,” Cr Morland said..

A motion for council to fund Cr Wilson’s trip to Malta was rejected last December. A motion that conference registration, accommodation and transfers be funded by council came up again in April, but was withdrawn without any explanation. Springfield Ward councillor Michael Farley said despite previously stating he would not support overseas trips for councillors, the fact that Cr Wilson would pay his own airfare and that the issue of waste management was so important had swayed his vote...

The 1919 riots

Today, Malta celebrates The Sette Giugno which commemorates the 1919 riots in Valletta. From MaltaMedia News:

On this day, four Maltese men were shot and killed by British troops. Consequently, the National Assembly was founded, and a formal request for self-government was made. A commemorative ceremony is held at Palace Square, Valletta, in remembrance of the incidents of June 7 1919.

Being under British rule, the Maltese Islands gave their valid contribution to the Allies’ cause during the First World War. Malta’s main help to the British was through its dockyard and also as a hospital whereby thousands of sick and wounded soldiers were brought over to Malta. In fact, Malta at the time earned the title of the Nurse of the Mediterranean. Also, hundreds of Maltese served as soldiers in the regiments.

The war brought employment, but the high cost of living, particularly the increase in the cost of bread, which was then the staple food of most Maltese families, created serious problems for those who found it difficult to make ends meet. Yet, wages remained rather low. These factors, together with others including the discontent arising from the local situation, triggered off the so called Sette Giugno Riots in Valletta on the 7th June 1919 during which four Maltese were killed...

Blaming EU rules

In an article in the International Herald Tribune about how Malta is dealing with illegal immigration, Dan Bilefsky quotes Maltese Governement officials who say that Malta is 'trapped because it must obey EU rules requiring the first country where illegal immigrants land to be responsible for them':

Tourists are greeted with smiles as they fan out of luxury cruise liners in the harbor of this idyllic Mediterranean island. But on the other side of town, newly arrived African 'boat people" get a different message, written in bright orange graffiti near the entrance of a refugee center: "Blacks Go Home.'..

On a migration route between Africa and mainland Europe, this island of 400,000 inhabitants - the second most densely populated country in the world - finds itself on the front line of Europe's spiraling migration crisis. More than 1,822 migrants arrived last year. That may not sound like many. But because of Malta's small size - 316 square kilometers, or 122 square miles - the arrival of 6,000 migrants since 2002 is the per capita equivalent of one million people streaming into Germany..

In Malta, the migrants come primarily from Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Sudan - and most land by mistake while trying to reach Italy from Libya, 290 kilometers, or 180 miles, to the south. On Friday, 15 migrants drowned when their boat capsized off the Maltese coast, adding to the hundreds who have died in the past few years. Several corpses have been discovered by local fishermen, their brown skin bleached white by the sun and the sea salt, their eyes gouged out by seagulls. So many bodies have been found that some locals say they are afraid to eat the fish.

Maltese officials say the country, which joined the EU in 2004, is trapped because it must obey EU rules requiring the first country where illegal immigrants land to be responsible for them and determine whether they should be granted asylum or sent home. Even if the majority of the migrants do not want to be here, the government cannot afford to repatriate them. Malta's larger EU neighbors, struggling with their own swelling migrant populations, do not want them either...

Millions watch Malta game in Japan

Average TV ratings for Japan-Malta game hit yearly high, from Japan's Mainichi Daily News:

The average TV ratings for a friendly soccer game between Japan and Malta on Sunday ahead of the start of the World Cup in Germany on June 9 came to 22.7 percent in the Kanto district, according to Video Research Ltd. It was the highest figure for a soccer game involving Japan's national team in 2006, company officials said. The figure highlighted growing fan interest in soccer prior to the World Cup. Sunday's game was aired by Tokyo Broadcasting System..

From Soccerway.com, early goal gives Japan lackluster win over Malta; Follow the World Cup on MaltaMedia; From UEFA.com, Birkirkara bask in title glory

Borg, Camilleri, Vella and Farrugia

According to the Census of Population and Housing taken on Sunday 27 November 2005, a total of 11,440 surnames were recorded. Borg, Camilleri, Vella and Farrugia are the most common Maltese surnames. From MaltaMedia news:

..Preliminary results show that 13,169 persons, or 3.3 per cent, bear the surname Borg. This surname is most prevalent in the Northern Harbour and Western Districts, where 7,319 persons, or 4.2 per cent of residents in these two districts, carry this surname. On a locality basis, 1,366, or 10.4 per cent of all persons bearing this surname, reside in Birkirkara.

There are 12,643 persons, or 3.1 per cent of the population who carry this surname. Most Camilleris reside in Mosta with a total of 784, or 6.2 per cent of all individuals who bear this surname. Vella comes third place with 11,785, or 2.9 per cent of the enumerated population. Of these, 4,314 individuals, or 36.6 per cent, are living in the Northern District and Gozo. On a locality level, most Vellas reside in Mellieha with a total of 801, or 6.8 per cent of all persons who carry this surname.

Farrugia, placing fourth in ranking, is the most common surname in Southern Harbour and South Eastern Districts, where a total of 5,266 persons, or 3.7 per cent of the population residing there, bear this surname. NSO said that the information contained in this release should be considered as provisional and is subject to revision when the final results are known. The first final results are expected to be published between November 2006 and April 2007.

Download the full report

Go slow in Gozo

Bicycles, flippers, boats and boots are the ideal means of transport when exploring the tranquil Mediterranean islands of Gozo and Comino, writes Daniel Scott in the Guardian:

..I've often thought of the Med as little more than a lake by comparison with a real ocean like the Atlantic. But viewing the Gozo coastline from under the water, with all its grottoes and fissures gouged out by the sea, leaves me in no doubt about its relentless power.

Back on dry land, that might is just as apparent as we explore the coast further by bicycle. On a four-hour ride, we arrive first at another giant rock arch, at the far end of a steep-sided inlet. With the better-known "Azure Window" in danger of falling down due to the Med's destructive waves, this more resilient slab of rock is being groomed as an alternative attraction.

Moving on, we cycle along a narrow path above a deep fjord-like chasm in the coast. Later, we get right down among the criss-cross patterns of hundreds of man-made salt pans, on a rock ledge jutting into the sea. Local families have been harvesting salt from these hand-dug pools, near the village of Qbaijar, since Roman times. Behind the salt pans, the caves hollowed out of the yellow sandstone go back even further, having been used as tombs by the Phoenicians.

Since Gozo is full of less-than-gentle hills and stony, pot-holed tracks and roads, cycling can be hard work here. But in the cooler months and on summer mornings or evenings it is an excellent way of getting a sense for the soothing pace and un-crowded nature of the island.

In fact, as we stop for a rest at a sleepy inland town, it is like entering a dusty time-warp to 1950s Britain, with its red telephone box in one corner and rarely-open police station, complete with blue lantern and notice for a "Lost Cat", in another. No wonder even the Maltese come here on holiday- you can feel the pace of life plummet the moment you step off the ferry at Mgarr harbour...

Xtruppaw

Rock band Xtruppaw, who launched their debut CD over the weekend, are described by Toni Sant as 'the most exciting thing to ever hit the Maltese music scene:

Last night was a memorable night. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to be there to witness it in person. I don't actually need any reports to know that it was an historic event. Is-CD tal-iXtruppaw is finally out. Aside from the whole Eurovision can of worms I opened, Xtruppaw are undoubtedly the most exciting thing to ever hit the Maltese music scene. That's the gist of an article I wrote about them for Manic (the magazine published with The Malta Independent on Sunday) originally intended for this week's issue. For some reason, Manic will appear with next Sunday's Malta Independent. The magazine doesn't have a website, so I'll reproduce the text on my blog once the article appears in print...

Speaking of Maltese songs, there's no way I can forget Xtruppaw and their simply amazing debut album. Not only can you hear Glorja Tonna in its pristine glory but you can also listen to me pointing out the precise number of bars I heard them record at Steve Lombardo Attard's Hell Next Door Studio in Gudja when I first met them last March. The explicit lyrics may still sound jarring in Maltese, but there's no denying that this is the most excitingly original rock band to emerge from Malta in decades...

Toni Sant's latest music podcast

Alternative tourism

With the Mediterranean losing its charm with travellers, Malta needs to find its niche attraction, writes George Mangion in Business Today:

..Conservationists plead for the Holiday Inn site not to be turned into another concrete jungle adding to the cacophony of luxury apartments on the once pristine Tigne peninsula. The alternative to office blocks and residential units is of course more bedstock. It comes at no surprise that MHRA is warning that the proliferation of more bedstock in an already saturated Sliema/St Julians area needs to be monitored by the authorities. But since the successful bidder must assume the entire workforce of Holiday Inn, one assumes they would opt for a hotel with the obvious expansion of five star accommodations.

MHRA is sensing a saturated market with the opening of the St Julians Le Meridian, the new Radisson Golden Sands and expansion plans at the Hilton and the Westin Dragonara. So is there a solution in sight? There is no quick- fix solution and studies confirm that the future of our tourist product shows reason to be cautious. With exotic resorts competing head-on with the Malta destination, we are likely to lose market share to upcoming destinations, especially in the Asia-Pacific region. Overall, Mediterranean tourism is losing the virtual monopoly it held over the world tourist market until a few decades ago. This relative fall in tourist numbers to the Mediterranean is linked to the globalisation of tourism, which entails more and more competition among world destinations.

One possible solution is to re-brand by attracting alternative tourism focused on the importance of cultural tourism as a key factor in boosting arrivals. Lobbying for more cultural tourism leads us to start discovering and preserving our heritage and invests more in our culture. Otherwise, this legacy from the past remains in a state of neglect. Can we spare cash to refurbish St Elmo and raise the Opera house from its ruins? Unless we spare millions to finance direly needed upgrades we cannot expect better than a miserly single digit growth in arrivals...

KopTalk in Malta

The editor of the Liverpool football fanzine Koptalk writes about his forthcoming visit to Malta:

It's been a few years since I last made a visit to Malta but this July I'm heading out there for a few weeks again. I can't wait. It's a fantastic place and some of the best Liverpool supporters in the world can be found there. There's a massive Man United base over there but the Liverpool support is unique. I know because I spent some time at both the LFC Malta and LFC Gozo branches when last out there.

They're passionate that's for sure and they have close links to Liverpool Football Club and key officials which a lot of supporters clubs should be jealous of. I'm very lucky in that I can work from anywhere in the world so rather than be stuck here during July, I thought I'd clear off to the sun and work from my base over there. The last time we and the Mrs were there, we were treated like Royalty. They love their football but more importantly, they love Liverpool FC...