Don’t touch crypto

Further to the recent excellent (as always) article by colleague Tony Curmi about cryptocurrencies, one wonders how is it possible that sane people dare to burn their money on things like cryptocurrencies when it is well known that:

(a) There are still no internationally accepted accounting and auditing standards (IAASs) governing how this illusory creation should be accounted for and, of course, also audited.

(b) There are still several important jurisdictions all over the world where even the simple holding of such so-called currencies is decreed to be illegal (the important one of China)… quite a long shot from the concept of “legal tender”.

This photo illustration shows a message reading “We strongly advise against depositing” on the website of cryptocurrency FTX, in Washington DC earlier this month. Photo: AFP

(c) Since its creation this “guzzler” (for want of a better word) has accumulated a record of instability in market worth that is without paragon in the whole centuries of financial history. What few winners there may have been are far, far outweighed by the number of losers and this on a worldwide scale.

Along with Curmi, my advice to all Maltese citizens would be: do not touch it with a barge pole.

John Consiglio – Birkirkara

Clarify abortion law

As drafted, the proposed amendment to our abortion law leaves too wide a discretion to the medical practitioner, which might lead to abuse.

When is it justified to terminate a pregnancy and who or which authority will have the final word or decision to authorise it?

From what I can gather, it is not true that abortion is never medically necessary to save a woman’s life. Certain specific medical conditions may require the termination of a pregnancy to avoid fatal complications for the mother.

One of the commonest causes is when the water breaks early in pregnancy, leading to a life-threatening infection. Another cause, though not so common, is a placental abruption, which is when the placenta starts to separate from the uterus and which is another condition that could fatally impact a pregnant women’s life.

The other condition in which staying pregnant comes at a very high risk of death for the mother is pre-eclampsia early in pregnancy, less than 24 weeks, and which involves developing high blood pressure and signs of organ damage.

Is it possible, then, to fine-tune the amendment in this sense and perhaps also schedule the specific medical situations in which the termination of a pregnancy is justified?

Mark Said – Msida