PN calls on government to remove €163,000 contract for FMS CEO Carmen Ciantar

Jan 15 2022

The Nationalist Party has called on the government to remove or amend the €163,000 per year contract given to Carmen Ciantar, the former campaign manager to Health Minister Chris Fearne and CEO of Foundation for Medical Services.

Addressing a press conference on Friday, PN deputy leader David Agius said that Ciantar’s predecessor used to earn €80,000 in annual income, which is half of what Ciantar earns in the same position.

Contrasting it to a nurse’s average of about €20,000, Agius said that Ciantar’s amount could be the pay of eight nurses or teachers.

Paula Mifsud Bonnici, also a PN candidate and for the first district, argued that the contract is a result of ‘reckless government spending.’ She pledged that a Nationalist government would lower taxes, specifically VAT for restaurants, and refund those affected by utility bills overcharges.

Sixth and seventh district candidate Alessia Psaila Zammit, said that key sectors have been rife with scandals. ‘The health and education sectors have seen so many stories of scandals and resignation – Vitals and Justyne Caruana were not enough.’

Adding how the health sector is currently under pressure due to the COVID pandemic, she said that during a moment wherein the health minister must focus on the pandemic, he must instead shift it towards responding with scandals.

The contract was also not approved by the finance minister’s permanent secretary, with the salary, one of the highest among political appointees, being handed to Ciantar in 2019.

The basic salary is €115,000 annually which increases by €5,000 per annum up until €130,000 along with an annual bonus of 20%, a €7,000 car allowance and health insurance. Fearne defended Ciantar’s appointment on Thursday, where he insisted that she was recruited by FMS through the same procedure used for every other CEO before.

Responding to the allegations, Carmen Ciantar herself took to Facebook to categorically deny the ‘false and baseless’ accusations, and revealed that she personally wrote to the Standards Commissioner in order to launch a probe into these allegations.

She said that she is ready to fully cooperate with the commissioner’s research in order for ‘the truth to come out.’

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Neil Agius nominated for World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year

Jan 15 2022

Neil Agius, Malta’s very own record-breaking swimmer, has been nominated for the World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year award by the World Open Water Swimming Association.

The World Open Water Swimming Association (WOWSA) is an international association dedicated to the organisation, promotion and recognition of open water swimmers, with an annual public recognition highlighting the best of the best.

Agius himself is a former Olympic swimmer, and has been nominated for serving as an ocean advocate and co-founder of the Wave of Change campaign, which raise awareness about plastic pollution in Maltese waters.

The swimmer took to social media to express his gratitude and disbelief in being considered for such a prestigious international award, much to the praise of all who follow and support his work.

He is also widely known for swimming 126.3 km from Italy to Malta through the Strait of Sicily as the longest unassisted and continuous current-neutral swim in history over 52 hours. The anti-pollution activist set a world record in the Mediterranean Sea and this nomination is rightly deserved.

This isn’t the first time Agius was awarded or nominated for his work, having just received a Medal for Service of the Republic by President George Vella. Agius is up against a host of swimmers from around the globe, so if you think Agius deserves the title, get to voting and supporting the local champion!

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Photo Source: Neil Agius FB

At least 65 animal species can laugh just like humans study finds

Jan 15 2022

It is no laughing matter…or maybe it is…that around 65 animal species have been found to laugh just like humans can.

Researchers from California have combed through past studies of animal behaviour looking of records of vocal play signals that might signify a version of laughter.

They said that the findings may help us in better understanding the form and function of our own human laughter and its role in the evolution of social behaviour.

In a study undertaken by anthropologist Sasha Winkler and communication researcher Greg Bryant, the duo looked for information on whether recorded vocalisations were loud or quiet, short or high, high-pitched or low pitched, and other qualities.

They then sought out to see if these matched any feature of ‘play sounds’ which are thought to help animals emphasise when they are being non-aggressive when they play.

‘When we laugh, we are often providing information to others that we are having fun’ said Winkler. ‘As such laughter is our human version of an evolutionary old vocal play signal.’

It was found that animals such as cows, elephants, dolphins, dogs, foxes, mongooses, seals, various primates such as chimpanzees and gorillas and even parakeets were known to produce such play sounds.

And if you’e wondering, spotted hyenas, which make giggling and cackling noises, actually do this when they feel threatened or frustrated. Older hyenas tend to laugh with more consistency than the varied sounds made by younger hyenas.

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Affordable housing foundation set up by government and church

Jan 15 2022

Malta’s archdiocese and the government have worked together to set up the Affordable Housing Foundation, which aims at providing affordable social housing for those with low to median income.

In at the presence of Prime Minister Robert Abela, an agreement was signed on Friday by Social Accommodation Minister Roderick Galdes and Archbishop Charles Scicluna.

Both entities will be providing assets, such as land and existing buildings, for residential projects with cheaper rents. The income is set to be invited in the operations of the foundation.

€300,000 will allocated annually by the government to the foundation for a 25-year period. Meanwhile, the Archdiocese donated the convent of Saint Joan of Arc in Kirkop with a temporary lease for 25 years. The Prime Minister said that the government worked on schemes so that everyone found a roof over their head.

The scheme is not tackling the most vulnerable, he said, but those for which the market does not present an affordable housing solution. ‘Irrespective of where you are born, the state has a duty to provide you with an opportunity to reach the best of your potential.

On his part, the Social Accommodation Minister emphasised the importance of housing in society and said the property market is currently dominated by a duopoly between state and private market. The foundation would now act as the third player in the sector.

Archbishop Charles Scicluna said that housing contributes towards the dignity of the human person and social justice. This move, he said, is a contribution to a society built on social justice. ‘The foundation will help individuals get a home and retain their dignity.’

#MaltaDaily