Gas prices secured by Malta as Enemalta signs new deal

Apr 29 2022

Maltese Energy provider Enemalta has signed new agreements to seal prices for a substantial volume of the country’s supply of Liquified Natural Gas.

The state energy supplier will set the price of varying volumes of gas at different rates. The government stated that this is intended to keep utility bills stable and absorb the impact of price hikes.

Times of Malta was informed by Energy Miriam Dalli that the financial agreements were reached with a third party in recent days. The newsroom reported that it is understood that the contracts were signed with Italy-based energy trader Enel Trade S.p.A in what is effectively a form of price hedging by another name.

Malta will be indexing the price against another commodity, Brent crude oil, instead of locking in the price of gas as it had donee in the previous legislature. The agreement for a locked price is intended to minimise Malta’s exposure to Brent price fluctuations.

Dalli said that these are challenging times and that the government’s policy direction is that of stability. She highlighted how the priority is to minimise changes in utility prices for consumers.

The price and volume of the commodity Malta has committed to secure was not divulged by the government. Despite this, Enemalta said that the so-called contract for difference provides a safety net for changes in the LNG market price.

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Babies in Italy will have to get both parents’ surnames rules court

Apr 29 2022

An Italian constitutional court has ruled that children born in the country should be given the surnames of both both parents.

This has overturned the tradition whereby all newborns automatically receive the surname of their fathers. The court ruled that the practice was discriminatory and harmful to the identity of the child.

It said that both parents should be able to choose the surname of their child, and that they should be given both surnames in the order they decide unless they agree that they take just one.

New legislation, which is set to be approved by parliament, is required to implement the new decision. Family minister Elena Bonetti said in a Facebook post that the government would fully support parliament in this process.

“We need to give substance [to the decision] … and it is a high priority and urgent task of politics to do so,” she wrote, adding that parents should take equal responsibility for the upbringing of a child.

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2022 summer festivals launched by Festivals Malta and Arts Minister

Apr 29 2022

Festivals Malta has unveiled its programme of events for this summer’s cultural calendar, with four summer festivals taking place between June and July.

RITMU, formally known as Għanafest, The Malta International Arts Festival, The Malta Jazz Festival and the recently launched Dance Festival Malta will form part of this schedule.

Minister for National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government Owen Bonnici said that “we all have a role and a part to take in promoting our national culture and cultural heritage. The activities listed in this program are clear proof of this.”

“The aim remains to nurture awareness and appreciation for the Maltese identity and culture, and embrace the cultural values in people’s lives,” Minister Bonnici said. “Not only does this program contains numerous events where the public can enjoy and take part in various activities , but it will also offer the opportunity for both local and international artists to showcase their talents, as well as give an economic boost to the country.”

Festivals Malta CEO Annabelle Stivala explained that it has been an eventful year for Festivals Malta so far, with extremely rewarding results and a very exciting cultural offer for the summer months.

She said that after two years of abridge programmes, ‘ we are really looking forward to producing our festivals in their original format. It has been a busy year for Festivals Malta already, and we hope that through our summer events, we keep providing opportunities for our artists as well as high-level events for our audiences.’

RITMU will kickstart the summer calendar of events on the 10th and 11th of June, featuring Maltese cultural foods and music. These include Għana, Kantera, Albaluna, Mimmo Cavallaro, and more.

The Malta International Arts Festival will take place between the 18th June and 3rd of July and will include a multidisciplinary programme of arts featuring the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra.

The Malta Jazz Festival will take place between the 11th and 16th of July and will have an eclectic line up featuring many notable artists. Following this, the Dance Festival Malta closes off the season between the 28th and 31st July through a four day festival of workshops and performances.

Tiziana Calleja, Ruben Zahra, Sandro Zerafa and Francesca Tranter will spearhead the four festivals respectively.

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Alex Agius Saliba represents EU during Meta, Apple and Google meetings

Apr 29 2022

Dr Alex Agius Saliba will be part of a delegation meeting on behalf of the EU parliament with tech giants Meta, Apple and Google.

From the 23rd and 27th of May, a delegation from the European Parliament’s Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee will visit headquarters of these massive companies.

Agius Saliba was nominated by his Socialist and Democratic group as one of 8 parliamentary members to form part of the delegation. The aim of the initiative is to assess the latest digital developments in the US and EU.

Some of the main areas of concern are artificial intelligence, consumer production, online platforms as well as economic collaborations. Agius Saliba said that he will have the privilege of meeting with leaders within these global giants who constantly shape the worldwide landscape.

The delegation will also be visiting Airbnb, eBay, PayPal, HP, Cloudflare and Electronic Frontier Foundation. Through a marathon of meetings in Silicon Valley, Agius Saliba and his team will be trying to understand how to negotiate and understand the aims of these massive companies for the future of the EU.

He highlighted how the delegation meetings come at a very peculiar moment as deals which concern new digital regulations have been struck. These aim to give back EU control of its digital landscape, preserving democracy and create clear rules to minimise any potential harm.

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