The European Union invests millions of euros a year on the protection of wild birds--amid growing concerns about the decline in numbers of migratory birds. Nonetheless, in countries such as Malta, the hunt on endangered species of migratory birds continues. Nearly a million birds fall prey to poachers every year.
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Hundreds of thousands of Turkish residents and Syrian refugees in the area are now seeking refuge in Turkey’s interior. Foreign tourists are also cancelling trips to the country.
Nine months after the Costa Concordia cruise ship capsized off the coast of Tuscany, the salvage operation is still underway. Around 100 workers are currently battling to secure the wreck, so it can then be dragged upright.
It is the most infamous case in Sweden’s police history: over many years, a man who went by the name of Thomas Quick convinced the authorities that he was responsible for a string of serial killings. Then a Swedish journalist uncovered that Quick could not have been the murderer.
Since Malta joined the European Union in 2004, it has been gradually implementing EU regulations, among them directives regarding the protection of wild birds. Nonetheless, migratory birds continue to be hunted on Malta during the traditional spring and autumn hunting season.
The birds are either shot or trapped alive and sold on the open market in Valletta. But the police unit charged with cracking down on the estimated 17,000 poachers on the island is small and poorly equipped.
