337 Ukrainian refugees given temporary protection in Malta

Apr 21 2022

The home affairs ministry revealed that a total of 337 Ukrainians have received temporary protection in Malta.

Voluntary organisation SOS Malta claimed that the number of arrivals fleeing the war-torn Russian neighbour could increase by the hundreds, posing a problem for the island.

The International Protection Agency received 338 requests until last week for temporary protection. The ministry confirmed that the majority of these displaced people are women and minors, with only 24 of the applicants being males.

Ukrainian men are remaining behind due to the eventual possibility that they may be drafted to fight against the invading Russian forces. The ministry revealed that the temporary protection directive applies to Ukrainian nationals who fled the country after February 24th.

The protection is for one year and may be renewed every six months for a maximum of 12. Ukrainians are offered opportunities for work, to apply for social benefits, healthcare and education for children.

SOS Malta, which has been raising funds for Ukrainian refugees, is one of 12 organisations on the Malta Refugee Council which flagged the lack of certainty on procedures for fleeing Ukrainians.

Prime Minister Robert Abela has been urged to establish a Humanitarian Coordination Committee as urgently as possible. Despite many are ready to help, key coordination and protocols were lacking members of the NGO revealed.

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BREAKING: EU moves to introduce universal chargers by 2026

Apr 20 2022

The European Union has voted to push ahead with the plan to introduce a universal charging standard for the majority of electronic devices.

MEPs in the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee voted 43 to 2 to approve a report which was tabled by Maltese MEP Alex Agius Saliba.

This gives him a mandate to start negotiating with the EU Council and European Commission on a final text. Once negotiations are concluded and law passed, companies will have nine months to implement the rules.

This means that all mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones and headsets, portable speakers and even handheld video game consoles will be charged via USB-C.

This will be dramatically cutting electronic waste, with manufacturers who use proprietary charging standards forced to make the switch for EU-sold devices.

Agius Saliba addressed a press conference on Wednesday, saying that research indicates that around 11,000 to 13,000 tonnes of electronic waste is being generated per year as a result of different chargers.

Three different chargers remain on the market after a voluntary initiative was taken years ago to reduce the amount of waste. This next move will cut the production by an incredible amount, and will help consumers re-use old electronics, save money and reduce inconveniences.

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Neutral Finland could potentially join NATO within weeks

Apr 20 2022

Finland’s parliament on Wednesday is set to start debating whether or not to seek NATO membership following the invasion of Ukraine.

The parliament session comes despite threats by Russia of nuclear buildup in the Baltic if Finland and Sweden join the The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin said last week that this could happen quite fast in a matter of weeks. The 200 members in Finland’s parliament received a government-commissioned white paper which assessed the implications of NATO membership.

Finland shares a 1,300km border with Russia but is also an EU member. The report does not make recommendations but stresses that without NATO membership, Finland has no security guarantees.

The country’s government hopes to build a parliamentary consensus over the coming weeks. Finnish media reported that half of the 200 MPs fully support membership whereas only 12 oppose the decision.

Sweden is also discussing whether to submit a membership bid following the invasion of Ukraine. A poll held on Wednesday showed that 57% of Swedes favoured NATO membership. Finland and Sweden are the only EU member states alongside Ireland, Austria and Malta, which have a neutral status.

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Some schools to keep masks until clear guidelines are released

Apr 20 2022

Some schools have informed pupils and teachers that they will have to wear masks when the next term starts as health authorities still need to publish updated guidelines to outline the policy.

This comes after Health Minister Chris Fearne announced earlier in April that masks would no longer need to be worn in education settings.

The term following the Easter holidays is set to start in just a couple of days, with health authorities saying that the move to remove masks has been studied for months. However, guidelines for the education sector still state that masks must be worn in schools, with their last updates being inputted in December.

The health ministry informed Times of Malta that guidelines will be updated shortly. Due to no new guidelines being released as of yet, schools have been left in uncertainty.

Some schools are questioning whether they can set their own rules requiring pupils and teachers to wear masks. Superintendent for Public Health Charmaine Gauci said that, while health authorities state masks are not mandatory, it will be up to schools to decide.

Masks have been mandatory in schools since 2020 when teachers and their pupils returned to class following the closures.

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