In the Press: Civil unions bill passes, PN abstain

All the newspapers covered the passing of the civil unions bill yesterday, an undeniably historic moment for civil liberties and the local gay rights movement.

Opposition leader Simon Busuttil announced, shortly before the vote was taken, that the PN agreed with instating civil unions for same-sex couples and with granting LGBTI individuals more legal protection from discrimination. 

He said that if that was the entirety of the bill, it would have had unanimous support. The PN however did not agree with the civil union issue being grouped with the gay adoption issue and felt that the two should have been voted on separately. The bill passed with 37 votes in favour, none against and 30 abstentions.

St George's Square was a flurry of excitement, rainbow flags and jubilation yesterday as a sizeable crowd gathered to celebrate the passing of a law that many doubted they would see passed in their lifetime. 

The Times of Malta

Overcrowding at Corradino prison is causing hardships for inmates and their guardians, according to a report in The Times. Dormitories are packed and extra beds have been added to single-bed cells to accomodate the almost 650 prisoners. Of these, 530 were serving a jail term ordered by the courts while 117 were awaiting trial. 

In-Nazzjon

The Opposition voted against the legal notice allowing the education ministry access to student data, in yesterday's parliamentary sitting. The PN pledged to keep working against the motion, which it said would grant the minister access to sensitive information that was not necessarily needed for research purposes. 

L-Orizzont

Former prime minister Alfred Sant has been cleared of defaming Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando when the magistrate deemed the former's comments - in a 2008 press conference - as a fair value judgement. Sant said that an application for a disco on land owned by Pullicino Orlando was obscene and implicated the defendant in corrupt practices. 

The Malta Independent

The former Data Protection Commissioner, Joe Ebejer, said that his office was consulted on data collection techniques but was unaware that this information was to be used to bolster a legal notice that allowed the education minister access to data. Ebejer retired two months ago and said that government had asked for information on how the compilation of student data could be made possible, with the aim of allowing the Commission of Higher Education to continue to provide reports through research.