News Update
Incorrect to confuse IVF testing with abortion – Grech on embryo testing vote
The IVF law as amended provides the right balance for couples finding it difficult to start a family and the protection of life, Opposition leader Bernard Grech said on Sunday. Speaking on Net TV via telephone, Grech said the PN only voted in favour of the bill after its amendments were taken on board. “We voted for couples and families, as well as to protect life; we made sure to strike a balance, so it is incorrect for people to doubt that the amendments are against those with disabilities. It is also incorrect to say the amendments have anything to do with abortion,” he said. (Times of Malta)
Do we discard those who are not born perfect, Archbishop asks
Archbishop Charles Scicluna emphasised his opposition to the introduction of pre-implantation genetic testing – as foreseen in the IVF Bill approved by Parliament last Wednesday – as he celebrated mass on Sunday morning. The Archbishop appealed to the faithful to resist a “culture of waste” – one often decried by Pope Francis – that made it acceptable to cast people, including the unborn, aside, and insisted that whatever the legal status of abortion was, they were compelled to choose the “law of love”. (Newsbook)
Police seize 55 plants from illegal cannabis farm in Gozo
The police seized 55 plants from an illegal cannabis farm in Xewkija, Gozo on Sunday morning. A 30-year-old man was arrested in connection with the seizure, following days of surveillance by the police’s anti-drugs squad, after it had received information on the operation. It said plants, seeds and objects related to the processing of cannabis were also found in the area. The police said the cannabis was being grown to be trafficked. (MaltaToday)
Morning Briefing
Country cannot lose more space for flyovers and tunnels – President
President of Malta George Vella said that the country cannot afford to eat away more areas to make space for flyovers, underpasses and tunnels. Replying to questions on a radio interview, Vella added that an underground metro is probably not financially feasible, but a monorail would be ideal. Vella said he shares most people’s concerns that the island is being engulfed by too many buildings which are not aesthetically pleasing and too many cars which are creating the necessity for ever-wider roads. “There is a necessity for them, of course, because we have a lot of cars. But the real problem may be exactly that, that we have too many cars”, the President argued. (Times of Malta)
People need to socialise, Health Superintendent says
Health Superintendent Prof Charmaine Gauci touched open the recent spate of coronavirus cases in Malta. In an apparent change of tone, Gauci recognised the importance of adapting our lives, whilst COVID was still a reality. “Our lives need to be fulfilled. People need to go out and meet with others – the elderly need to socialise. For a short period we could afford to stay indoors, but now we have to create the right balance.” She expressed conviction that although vaccines help against infections, they are more effective against serious complications and severe COVID symptoms. She recommended that vulnerable people were an FFP2 mask on public transport and other crowded places. (Maltatoday)
PN says elderly are locked up at SVPR
The Nationalist Party said that elderly people residing at St Vincent de Paul Home for the Elderly are being locked up because of the government’s incompetence. After an elderly person vanished from the residence and has still not been found, and another elderly person fell off a balcony, the only solution that the government found was to keep the residents locked up, the PN< through its spokespersons Paula Mifsud Bonnici and Ivan Castillo, said. (The Malta Independent)
