Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/208710
3 News maltatoday, SUNDAY, 10 NOVEMBER 2013 Hunting referendum petition signatures double to 20,000 THE Coalition for the Abolition of Spring Hunting announced yesterday that the number of signatures on the petition calling for the government to hold a public referendum on the future of spring hunting passed 20,000 earlier this week. The Coalition launched the petition three months ago and gathered 10,000 signatures in the first two months. The second 10,000 signatures were collected in half that time, as the rate at which people have been signing the petition doubled in the last month. Spokesperson for the Coalition, Christian Debono, said he believed the petition would continue to gather momentum as it reaches more people: "We are not only getting new signatures on the petition every day, we are also getting more and more members of the public contacting us and asking how they can help collect signatures." Passing 20,000 signatures is significant: it is nearly double the number of hunters who registered for this year's spring hunting season. "We still have some way to go until we reach our target of 35,000 signatures required by law for the petition to the government for a referendum to be successful," Debono, acknowledged, "but we have already shown that there is a sizeable proportion of the Maltese electorate who want the government to start listening to their views on the issue of spring hunting, who want to have their voices heard and their interests represented." The Coalition will be continuing its efforts in the coming weeks, with volunteers collecting signatures in public places, and the petition form is now available for anyone to download and print, together with guidance on how the form needs to be completed for it to be valid. Anyone who would like sign the petition but hasn't yet, or who would like to help collect the final 15,000 signatures needed before the petition can be presented to the government, can download the blank petition by following this link: http://bit. ly/17U5Zvn British scuba diver airlifted by AFM helicopter A British scuba diver was yesterday morning airlifted by an Armed Forces of Malta helicopter after finding himself in difficulty whilst diving near St Paul's Bay. An AFM Alouette III and a searchand-rescue maritime launch Melita 1 were immediately deployed to the area after the AFM Operations in Luqa received a call from an unnamed Dive Centre just past 11am in which they were told that a British diver was in need of urgent assistance. A luzzu named 'Sea Lion' – which was sailing in the vicinity – provided initial assistance to the diver who was unconscious, according to initial reports. The diver was transferred from the luzzu onto the Melita I where first aid was provided. Soon after, the man was winched on board the AFM helicopter by an AFM rescuer. He was eventually conveyed to St Luke's general hospital where an awaiting ambulance took the patient to Mater Dei Hospital for further medical treatment. The AFM has said that the condition of the diver has since improved and it was last reported that he was in a "conscious state". HOME FINANCING SOLUTIONS MAKING LIFE SIMPLE FOR YOU We make your home loan selection simple by providing clear terms for all of our products. Call us today to find out more. We think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Download the MaltaToday App now psbank facebook.com/a 2122 6644 apsbank.com.mt values you can bank on APS Bank Ltd. is licensed by the Malta Financial Services Authority Any loan application is subject to lending criteria and final approval by the respective branch.