Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/497863
XV maltatoday, Sunday, 19 april 2015 This Week The referendum has been lost (by a whisker but lost nonetheless) and the hunters are back killing birds for fun. As usual they will kill protected herons, honey-buzzards, golden orioles, cockoos and bee-eaters, along with the two contentious species considered legitimate game: turtle doves and quails. The Common Quail (M: Summiena) is a diminutive, plump chicken-like bird that rural people often raise for their meat, eggs or just for fun and that curious wipp-ti-wipp call. But the quail also occurs in the wild and it's a bird that turns up on migration in spring and autumn. Quails breed across Europe and the Mediterranean but – as with many other birds – we stand out as the country where quail does not breed. Hunters of course blame human disturbance, farming techniques, pesticide, herbicides, habitat destruction, etc. All these are no doubt dangers and deterrents, but surely the widespread bird-callers luring quails to 10,000 waiting shotguns are not helping to encourage quails to nest here. As long as hunters keep joy-killing birds in spring, the not- so-Common Quail and a good selection of other birds will never raise families in the Maltese Islands. All the poorer we. 450. COMMON QUAIL GrEEN IdEa Of THE wEEk 353: : Keep the spring in your onions - Some vegetables last longer in water. Stand spring onions and celery in a glass of water in the fridge, and they'll stay fresh for ages. a leaked proposal from the European Commission for changes to regulation of genetically modified food and feed has been met with heavy criticism. The proposal promises to empower governments to ban GM food and feed, but doesn't provide the legal grounds for them to do so. Food campaigners are concerned that any ban enacted under this proposed law would be legally flawed and open to challenge from biotech companies. The European Commission's proposal to improve how GM foods and feeds are assessed in the Eu is an empty offer, giving no real extra protection to citizens or governments. European citizens have long opposed GM food and feed, but this plan rings hollow. Without proper legal grounds, any ban could be overturned by a biotech company seeking to protect its profits. This proposal doesn't fulfil the promise that president Juncker made to Europeans to make the decisions about GM food more democratic. in the coming weeks, the European Commissioners will take a final decision about the proposal before it will be published on 22 or 28 april. Friends of the Earth is calling for major improvements to make bans legally solid against challenges by biotech companies or disputes under the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Friends of the Earth also calls for powers for national governments to ban all GM food and feed and says plans for bans on individual GM feed crops are unfeasible. Visit Friends of the Earth's website for more information about our work, as well as for information about how to join us www.foemalta.org. You can also support us by sending a blank SMS donation on 50618070 (€4.66) or 50619223 (€11.65). Text Victor Falzon Photo Juan Martin Simon broken promises on gM food Great Siege commemorated with series of events arts Council and Heritage Malta organise series of events leading up to the 450th anniversary of the Great Siege starting from May This year marks the 450th an- niversary of the Great Siege of Malta, and to commemorate this historic event that significantly shaped Malta's national story, the Arts Council Malta and Herit- age Malta are organising a series of events that will allow patrons to explore the life and times surrounding key figures and mo- ments of the Great Siege. The anniversary is an oppor- tunit y to acknowledge our rich national heritage, while also giving us occasion to ref lect on the mutual respect and frater- nit y that is continuously being fostered between Christians, Muslims and all other religions and ethnicities today. The official 450th anniversary events will begin on May 17 with Dawn of the Great Siege – Life at Sea 2015 held at the Malta Maritime Museum in Birgu and will feature a number of specially planned tours, activities within the museum and the cit y, exhibi- tions and lectures. Between June 26 and 29, an interactive site-spe- cific performance in Fort St Elmo entitled 1565 – First and Last Hope will take place. Featuring some of Malta's best-known ac- tors, the performance will centre on events prior, during and after the Great Siege. Shadows from the Great Siege, an animated tour of the streets of Senglea, featuring characters that participated in the battle, will be organised on July 15. This will be followed by a grand international exhibition at the majestic halls of the Grand Master's Palace, Valletta, from September 4 to De- cember 6, which will include the most important objects surviving from the Siege, from Malta and abroad. Finally, between September 6 and 8, members of the Order of Malta, will arrive in Malta to take part in various cultural and litur- gical activities along with Maltese delegates. A liturgical celebration in memory of the fallen of the Great Siege will take place at St Lawrence's Church in Birgu. This will be followed by a pro- cession to Victory Square for the laying of a wreath at the monu- ment. Furthermore a Pontifical Mass will be celebrated at the Sanctuary of the Nativit y of Our Lady, Mellieħa as well as a Pontifical High Mass in celebra- tion of Victory in the Great Siege, which will take place in Valletta. The Great Siege of Malta com- menced in May of 1565 when the Ottoman Empire began invading the island of Malta, which was then occupied by the Order of the Knights of St John. After several months of continuous battle and bloodshed the Siege came to an end on the 8th of Septem- ber, a date that continues to be commemorated with the annual public holiday Il-Vitorja. The dramatic unfolding of the Siege had a substantial effect on the continent, leading to the founding of Valletta a year later. Military figures such as the Grand Master Jean Parisot de Valette and the Ottoman Ad- miral Dragut Reis continue to be characters of much intrigue and speculation. Voltaire himself had said 'rien est plus connu que la siège de Malte' (nothing is so well known as the siege of Malta). For more information log on to: http://www.heritagemalta. org/1565 Culture Minister Owen Bonnici and Birgu Mayor John Boxall at the launch of the Great Siege events on Thursday