The Council of Europe’s committee on rules of procedure, immunities and institutional affairs found Rosianne Cutajar committed a serious breach of the Parliamentary Assembly’s code of conduct when she failed to mention that she had a “professional relationship” with Yorgen Fenech in a speech she gave at the Assembly when it debated a resolution on [...]
European Commissioner Vera Jourova announced today a new EU directive to ensure courts in Europe have the power to dismiss at an early stage vexatious cross-border libel suits. The courts will be empowered to give journalists and activists targeted with cross-border SLAPP suits remedies and to penalise people who file abusive cross-border court cases aimed [...]
European press freedom NGOs reiterated their offer of technical assistance to the Maltese government and the Commission of Experts appointed by Prime Minister Robert Abela to implement the recommendations of the Daphne Caruana Galizia public inquiry. In their annual report on their activities to promote press freedom 15 international NGOs that partner with the Council [...]
Here's Joseph Muscat wearing Prada. Guess who else wears Prada. Ugh.
Alex Dalli’s former right hand man at the prison, Randolph Spiteri, has been forced to answer questions from journalists to justify his long vacation from prison duties. He insists he’s just using his accumulated vacation allowance and there’s nothing to suggest he’s being removed from his role in Kordin. Journalists don’t call up civil servants [...]
A university academic with a doctorate in politics and a teaching post in public policy wrote an article about Edwin Vassallo and how too often he is underestimated, how the politician is exceptional in making no compromises with what he believes, and how he may yet unpleasantly surprise those who may have prematurely celebrated the [...]
Read this story on Times of Malta about South Asian bikers delivering your Bolt/Wolt food orders. They are overworked and underpaid. They don’t have enough time to rest. They’re made to pay for their employer’s business costs. If they want to keep up their income they must work even if they’re sick. The job is [...]
Bernard Grech’s most trusted adviser, Ray Bezzina, moved to the dB group to work for the construction magnate. If I’m honest the actual job move didn’t shock me. This country is pathologically (and mistakenly) averse to career political operatives and has a keen appetite for chopping heads. Ray Bezzina had no realistic hope of keeping [...]
Someone asked me yesterday if I had read the interview Bernard Grech gave Times of Malta before writing my article published on the same edition of the newspaper. I hadn’t. But if my piece sounded like a reaction to the PN leader’s interview it’s only because immediately the general election result was out, Bernard Grech [...]
From my article in The Sunday Times today: "The 2022 election result was a punch that hit the bruising still glowering from five years earlier. Once you face up to the fact that not even the killing of a journalist, the world’s condemnation, greylisting by international agencies, the ruling of three judges and the chaos [...]
You may have seen reports of Bishop Joseph Galea Curmi's homily at a mass held a few days ago in memory of Daphne Caruana Galizia. I think it's truly worth reading. Here's an English translation if that's easier for you to read. We have just commemorated the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus. Pope Benedict [...]
The EU prosecutor briefed MEPs today about Member States’ ability and willingness to punish fraud and corruption using EU money. She has reasons to be frustrated. Denmark is not obliged to comply with the rules. A few countries have not signed up to allow the EU prosecutor to investigate their affairs. One of those countries, [...]
If we have animal welfare laws, it’s because we have decided to grant animals rights. They have a right to welfare. If they are going to be eaten, we are to kill them “humanely”, that is without unnecessary cruelty. If they are going to be held captive as pets, we are to feed them and [...]
There’s a quote on Lovin Malta of a Labour politician branding PN MP Eve Borg Bonello “the new Jason Azzopardi”. Apparently in the few days since Borg Bonello made it to Parliament, Borg Bonello has referred to Joseph Muscat as a “criminal” and she recalled that Cyrus Engerer has been convicted of revenge porn. For [...]
Photo: Reuters The sinking of a Turkish-owned oil tanker off the coast of Tunisia four days ago is attracting mounting speculation that the incident may be covering something far more sinister than a disaster caused by bad weather. Initial reports of the sinking four days ago said that the xhip Xelo, that was [...]
That’s another Westminster inheritance of dubious merit. “Shadow” cabinet and shadow ministers have a spectral elusiveness about them. They’re an ethereal version, a ghostly mirror-universe equivalent of the real cabinet and the real ministers. Of course, it’s not meant that way. It’s meant to mean that they’re a cabinet-in-waiting, an obvious reserve team ready to [...]
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