Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1251774
8 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 27 MAY 2020 NEWS Today 100 best recipes Today 100 best recipes FOOD Saying it aS it iS SAVIOUR BALZAN Volume I In volume 1 of 'Saying it as it is', Saviour Balzan tells the story of his journey from being an active environmentalist, to becoming a teacher, a politician, a journalist and finally, the owner of a media house. In his uncouth and abrasive style, he speaks frankly about the thankless job of being an investigative reporter and what running a media house truly entails. But perhaps more interesting, however, are the anecdotes and inside stories also embedded in the narrative, which pick up on key happenings over the past few years. The book also has a semi-autobiographical streak, as Balzan reminisces over the incidents that ended up having an effect on his writings. He uncovers the political networks and the friends and foes of the politicians who dominated the Maltese political scene for the past 35 years. Zoning in on events which he believes left a lasting impact on readers, Balzan expands on the background behind important news stories. In 'Saying it as it is', what emerges most clearly is that scandals have no political boundaries. Saviour Balzan takes us through a brief journey of his journalistic work. He also underscores the influence of politics and politicians in Malta, and the challenges of independent journalism. MediaToday Co. Ltd. Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann. SGN 9016, Malta www.maltatoday.com.mt Saying it aS it iS Volume I SAVIOUR BALZAN SAVIOUR BALZAN was born in Birkirkara, Malta in 1963. He was a biology and environmental science teacher for eight years and a part-time journalist during that time. He was active in the environmental lobby and later co-founded the Green Party in 1989 but left politics altogether in 1997. He worked for the newspapers il-Fehma, Alternattiva, The People, and The Independent. He was appointed editor of MaltaToday in 1999 and today co-owns that same newspaper, as well as the independent media company MediaToday based in San Gwann. At MaltaToday he built a reputation for running the most daring, investigative and independent newsroom. He hosted the TV discussion programme Reporter for seven years on PBS until his programme was stopped in 2009. He now hosts the same daily discussion programme on Favourite Channel. He lives in Naxxar with his wife and two children. €30 ISBN 978-99957-0-427-8 20mm All round Bleed DRAGONFLIES AND DAMSELFLIES OF THE MALTESE ISLANDS DRAGONFLIES AND DAMSELFLIES OF THE MALTESE ISLANDS Charles Gauci Dragonflies are large, oen brightly coloured, insects which few people would not notice actively flying over water, whether it is while walking along water reservoirs in valleys or while visiting gardens where water features are present. However, these are only one stage in their life cycle aer having spent a much longer period living under water as larvae. Most species of dragonflies and damselflies are highly habitat specific in both their larval and adult stages. e Maltese Islands lack most types of riparian habitats and as a result the number of species found locally is very small. is is compensated for by the high concentration of these insects at most water bodies. is book describes each of the nineteen species recorded in the Maltese Islands and each species is amply illustrated by photographs which, for the commoner species, illustrate most or all the stages in their life cycle. It is hoped that besides being of help and interest to nature lovers, it will also raise a much needed awareness among the general public about biodiversity and nature conservation,. e author spent fourteen years teaching Integrated Science and Biology at secondary State schools before moving to the Għadira Nature Reserve where he was Managing Warden until his retirement twenty four years later. He has been interested in dragonflies for the last ten years. Having been an avid bird watcher since his early teens, he co-authored a number of ornithological books – Bird Studies on Filfla, L-Agħsafar, A Guide to the Birds of Malta, A New Guide to the Birds of Malta and e Breeding Birds of Malta. He also co-authored several ornithological papers and was the editor of BirdLife Malta's scientific journal 'il- Merill' from 1986 to 1994. Since his initial interest in dragonflies in 2008 he has been so fascinated by these wonderful insects to the extent that they now oen take precedence over birds. ISBN: 978-99957-894-0-4 CHURCHES IN MALTA maltatoday PART 1 TOWERS, FORTS & BATTERIES IN MALTA maltatoday MALTATODAY ©2017 in collaboration with the MTA TOWERS, FORTS & BATTERIES IN MALTA maltatoday CHURCHES PART 2 maltatoday MALTATODAY ©2019 in collaboration with the MTA IN GOZO maltatoday CHURCHES IN GOZO MATTHEW VELLA A complaint filed by Labour Whip Glenn Bedingfield against shadow justice minis- ter Jason Azzopardi has been thrown out by the Parliamenta- ry Commissioner for Standards in Public Life. Bedingfield wanted an inves- tigation into whether Azzo- pardi had used sensitive infor- mation obtained from inside the Attorney General's office, to alleged collusion between a judge and a lawyer in a speech in Parliament, using his privi- lege to make the allegation. But commissioner George Hyzler threw out the complaint by Bedingfield, a former La- bour Party TV journalist. Hyzler acknowledged that Bedingfield's suggestion that an official from the AG's office may have disclosed sensitive information on a former em- ployee, Charles Mercieca, and his role as a prosecutor in a court case, was an imputation of a criminal offence. Hyzler said he could only refer such a case to the police where an investigation into ethical misconduct yields evidence of such a criminal offence. But he said it was not appli- cable when the complaint con- sists of an allegation of crimi- nal offence, saying he should not be an intermediary for the complainant and the police. Hyzler also said it was the Speaker's responsibility to cen- sure any improper conduct by an MP when it occurs in his presence. "It is my policy that, as a rule, I should not consider complaints that would involve the scrutiny of the exercise of such discretion. If I were to act otherwise, I would in effect be overruling or second-guessing the decision of Mr Speaker..." The incident revolves around a parliamentary speech by Azz- opardi in which he alluded to a possible case of collusion by a former lawyer in the Attorney General's office, who has since taken up private practice. Azzopardi claimed that as a state prosecutor with the At- torney General, Charles Mer- cieca had decided not to insist on a four-year prison sentence for a convicted Fisheries De- partment employee, whose sentence was reduced to a three-year probation on ap- peal. He also alleged that Mercieca had been a frequent guest of Judge Consuelo Scerri Herrera, who presided over the appeal of Francis Caruana. Mercieca ended up at the cen- tre of controversy after joining Yorgen Fenech's defence team less than 24 hours after resign- ing his post as lawyer with the Attorney General's office. Jus- tice Minister Edward Zammit Lewis has ordered an inquiry into the incident, which is dis- tinct from the instance flagged by Azzopardi. Bedingfield said it was incor- rect for an MP to use parlia- mentary privilege to take um- brage against a sitting member of the judiciary, attacking their integrity, without even making proper reference to the judg- ment. "What is even serious is the fact that Dr Jason Azzopar- di stated that the lawyer repre- senting the office of the attor- ney general namely Dr Charles Mercieca, was not authorised to state in open court that he was not insisting on a prison sentence since he did not ob- tain such permission from his superiors," Bedingfield said. He highlighted that if this information was true, it was, in fact, sensitive information, and should not be released by any member of office in keep- ing with the criminal code of Malta. Standards czar throws out request for investigation on Azzopardi Jason Azzopardi (left) and Glenn Bedingfield