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8 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 3 JUNE 2020 NEWS CORONAVIRUS 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 Face masks in mass, and temperature checks at the door KURT SANSONE PARISHIONERS will have to wear a face mask and have their temperature taken before entering the church when public masses restart on 13 June. The decision was announced by Arch- bishop Charles Scicluna on Tuesday af- ter a meeting of the Maltese Episcopal Conference. Masses were stopped in March as part of restrictive measures introduced to limit the spread of COVID-19. However, with government yesterday announcing a return to normality with the lifting of most restrictions by Friday, the church has chosen the feast of Cor- pus to start celebrating mass in public once again. The first public masses will be held on the weekend on the 13 and 14 June. Scicluna said that the three principles of safety had to be adhered to – social distancing, wearing of masks or visors, and good personal hygiene. The Archbishop said that all parishes were undertaking an exercise to deter- mine the size of the respective churches and the adequate number of people they can hold to respect social distancing. The limit on the number of people will also apply to masses held in the open. He said the congregation will have to wear a mask, preferably a visor, have their temperature taken before entering and will have to sit in designated areas. People with fever or influenza-like symptoms will not be allowed to enter the church. There will be no queueing for the Eucharist and instead priests will reach out to people. The host will be placed in the person's hand and there will be no need for the individual to say amen. The Archbishop said that the special dispensation given by the bishops, ex- empting people from the obligation to hear mass, will remain in force. He added that the daily masses trans- mitted on TV will continue. Scicluna said preventive measures to minimise risk of virus transmission were discussed with the health authorities. ONE new case of COVID-19 was registered in Malta overnight yesterday, and 17 patients have recovered, according to the latest figures released by the Health Ministry. There are now 57 active cases of coronavirus. Since the start of the pandemic in March, 554 people recovered from the virus and nine patients died. The singular case was picked up in the latest round of swab tests, with 1,071 tests being carried out in the past 24 hours. A grand total of 70,693 tests have been carried out so far on the islands. On Monday Prime Minister Robert Abela an- nounced that it was time for Malta to go back to work, with the government due to lift the major- ity of COVID-19 restrictions across all sectors on Friday. Abela said the remaining restrictions on outlets will be lifted on Friday, the airport will be opened on 1 July and child care facilities will reopen. He said that vulnerable persons given special dispen- sation not to attend work earlier during the pan- demic will now be expected to return to work. The limit of six imposed on public gatherings has also been lifted but mass events will not be allowed this summer. Active COVID-19 cases drop to 57, only one new case Churches will open their doors for mass as from 13 June