Daphne memorial restored

The unofficial memorial to slain journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia cleared overnight was back within hours as activists quickly replaced flowers and candles at Valletta’s Great Siege Monument. The clearing of the memorial drew swift condemnation from activists and the Nationalist Party, with Opposition leader Adrian Delia tweeting: “Acting under cover of darkness shall never turn off the light of truth.”

What made the headlines

Attard shooting victim dies: Raymond Grima, critically injured in a shooting in Attard last November that left another man dead, died. Mr Grima, who owned the upholstery shop where the fatal shooting occurred, spent a long time in intensive care, with the police hoping he would get better to perhaps shed some light on the incident.

16-year-olds get right to vote: Malta became the second EU country to grant 16-year-olds the right to vote when members on both sides of the House voted unanimously in favour of the change. Teens of 16 will now be able to cast their vote at national and European Parliament elections.

‘Half of women experienced sexual harassment’: Half of Maltese women have experienced sexual harassment, even when they were just 15, according to a study – which noted this was close to the EU average. The study found that those aged between 18 and 29 faced twice the risk of being threatened or subjected to unwanted advances than their counterparts over 40.

EU warns Malta over corporate tax avoidance: Malta’s tax regime could be used by companies that engage in “aggressive tax planning”, a new EU report warned. The 2018 European Semester country report on Malta said EU indicators continued to suggest that Malta’s corporate tax rules were used by companies which pushed to the legal limits ways of avoiding corporate tax.

Justice Minister puts warrant invitation on hold: Justice Minister Owen Bonnici put on hold an invitation to two recently graduated lawyers, Thomas Sant, 30, and Yanica Barbara, 28, to be given their warrant after it emerged that they had been given a conditional discharge in 2009 and 2010 when found guilty of theft and the falsification of documents. Eyebrows were raised in legal circles after four judges recommended that the lawyers should be awarded their warrant despite the fact that according to the Code of Organisation and Civil Procedure, a warrant cannot be obtained unless a candidate “is of good conduct and good morals”. The Chief Justice and Chamber of Advocates argued that the students’ court case bars them from practising law, while the Association of Judges and Magistrates disagreed, pointing out that a conditional discharge is not a conviction and does not lead to a criminal record.

Labour MEP slams Chief Justice: Chief Justice Silvio Camilleri denied accusations by Labour MEP Marlene Mizzi, wife of Mr Justice Antonio Mizzi, that he knew – and did not act – about the two law students who were cleared to receive their warrants despite having been given a conditional discharge years earlier. Mr Justice Mizzi was one of the four judges who examined the students. In response, the Chief Justice said lawyers are distributed among the examining judicial panels by the Court Administration.

Court judgments can be deleted: The Justice Ministry is allowing individuals to ask for court judgments to be removed from the public database available online. This emerged when the Times of Malta further investigated the case of the two law students who passed their warrant exam in spite of an earlier conditional discharge.

Infringement procedures over yacht VAT: The European Commission announced it was opening infringement procedures against Malta, Cyprus and Greece for not levying the correct VAT on yachts. The government and Opposition both insist that the system employed by Malta is perfectly legal. Malta now has two months to respond to the arguments put forward by the Commission.

Journalists’ basic protection in Malta has deteriorated: Journalists’ basic protection in Malta has deteriorated, a bleak report probing the country’s media pluralism revealed. Malta placed in the ‘medium risk’ basic protection category, a dip from the ‘low risk’ of 2016. Most of the risk factors are related to the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia and to deficiencies in the protection of journalists and whistleblowers. The report says that Malta is the only EU country where political parties hold such extensive media ownership.

Charles Miceli dies: Charles Miceli, known for his persistent work among the poor and vulnerable, died suddenly aged 68. A former head of a Caritas prison inmates programme, Mr Miceli recently served as chairman of the Anti-Poverty Alliance.

What trended

Empty tuna pens?

Malta’s Environment Minister bent over backwards to accom-modate some big fish this week when he assured Parliament that nine extra tuna pens set up offshore were “empty” and therefore of no concern.

If José Herrera believed his own words, Times of Malta readers certainly didn’t.

“The permit is for 12 cages. There are 21. Nine cages are illegal. No amount of twisting definitions will change that, and it is sad to hear our Minister Against the Environment defending well-moneyed busi-nessmen instead of the common taxpayer,” wrote one critic.

Another placed the minister’s tortured logic differently, asking “so if I construct a building without a permit and leave it empty, it would still be OK?”

For one reader, the minister’s doublespeak was too Orwellian to ignore. “War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength,” they wrote.

‘You ġbejna!’

While the Environment Minister was talking about tuna, the rest of the lot were more interested in other forms of food.

Mockery surrounding Marlene Farrugia’s ġbejna insult would have quickly died down had it not been for Clint Camilleri’s shrill claim that the insult was a “racial” slur against Gozitans.

The parliamentary secretary might want to Google ‘the Streisand effect’.

“Since Clint took it as a racial insult, I guess that means he self-identifies as a cheese,” chuckled one reader, as another asked “has he never heard his master say ‘If you cannot stand the heat, get out of the kitchen?’ ”

Dr Farrugia got a fair bit of stick too, with one reader asking what gave her the right to hurl insults “when she is a scoop of watery ricotta herself”.

The parliamentary food fight came full circle when the Opposition took exception to government MP Rosianne Cuta-jar’s mockery of “Adrian Delia’s frejjeġ” (omelettes).

“Looks like Renzo Piano built a kitchen, not a Parliament,” snorted one reader: “Is this what we’re paying these stooges for?” another chimed in: “Grow up.”

What they said

“All it takes for this contempt to the memory of Daphne Caruana Galizia to stop is for Joseph Muscat to condemn it. The fact that he doesn’t tells a lot about his poor commitment to national unity.”

Former Nationalist Party leader Simon Busuttil commenting on the overnight clearing of the unofficial memorial to slain journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia by unknown persons in the middle of the night.

“Aqtagħha, ġbejna” (“Shut up, you cheeselet”)

Democratic Party MP Marlene Farrugia addressing Clint Camilleri, Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights, during a heated discussion in Parliament about extending the Bulebel Industrial Estate into nearby agricultural land.

“We are often described not for what we say but for what we look like. This is discriminatory, as it never happens to men.”

President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca speaking during an event organised by Business and Professional Women Malta on the occasion of International Women’s Day.

 

“Malta will continue to have a special place in Britain’s heart even after the UK leaves the European Union.”

UK Brexit Secretary of State David Davis addressing Prime Minister Joseph Muscat during talks at Auberge de Castille.

“It is incomprehensible that the members of the judiciary try to justify their mistake.”

Chamber of Advocates president George Hyzler criticising a statement issued by the Association of Magistrates and Judges defending four judges who allowed two graduates found guilty of theft and the falsification of documents to practise law.