630 Parents Were Abused By Their Children In Last 2 Years

630 Cases Of Child On Parent Domestic Abuse In Last 2 Years

Jan 9 2024

Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri disclosed in parliament that, In the last two years, 630 parents fell victim to violence perpetrated by their own children.

The shocking statistics, provided on behalf of a parliamentary question by PN MP Paula Mifsud Bonnici, gathered from 2021, revealed that 568 reports of domestic violence had been lodged by parents – a total of 630 individuals.

The victims comprised 225 fathers and 405 mothers, with a significant portion of them—165 mothers and 150 fathers— aged 60 or above.

Legal actions were initiated in response to these reports, provided they were substantiated by evidence. Out of the reported cases, 461 instances resulted in court proceedings.

#MaltaDaily

Prime Minister Discusses Aaron Farrugia Removal With Journalists

Jan 8 2024

Responding to questions posed by journalists, Prime Minister Robert Abela revealed that the change made to remove Aaron Farrugia from the position of Transport and Infrastructure Minister was one that came from Abela deciding to change things around.

Abela said that Aaron Farrugia was born in the Labour Party and worked a lot to give his very best work during his time.

He emphasised that the changes do not mean an attempt to censor a particular member of parliament and asked why Farrugia was being singled out when other changes were being made.

Abela said that if changes are not made the party would stagnate, saying that the Opposition is experiencing this.

What do you think?

#MaltaDaily

You Can Send Your Name To The Moon

Jan 8 2024

NASA’s VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) provides a unique opportunity for the public to participate in lunar exploration by submitting their names online, which will be affixed to the rover bound for the uncharted lunar South Pole.

The four-wheeled rover, a key component of NASA’s Artemis program, aims to investigate water and essential resources, offering insights into substances like water, carbon dioxide, ammonia, and methane.

Integral to broader lunar aspirations, VIPER aligns with Artemis’ goal to land the first woman and person of color on the moon by 2024, establishing a sustainable human presence by the decade’s end. The rover’s mission involves understanding lunar environments, identifying optimal landing sites, and planning habitats for future exploration.

Participation in NASA’s “Send Your Name with VIPER” initiative allows individuals to receive a virtual boarding pass for their submitted names, attached to the rover. Names collected until March 15, 2024, will be stored on a flash drive accompanying VIPER, contributing to this historic lunar odyssey. Participants can engage via the NASA website and share personalized boarding passes on social media using #SendYourName.

By associating your name with VIPER, you join a pioneering mission set to enhance lunar comprehension, echoing the collective contributions to prior NASA missions like Artemis I, Mars 2020, and Europa Clipper. VIPER’s scheduled late 2024 launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket marks the beginning of a 100-day mission covering 10 miles of lunar terrain and drilling up to 3 feet deep—an immersive and collective venture into the realm of space exploration.

#MaltaDaily

Over 20,000 Tonnes Of Recyclable Waste Back Into Circular Economy

Jan 8 2024

WasteServ processed and returned more than 20,000 tonnes of recyclable waste for reuse in the economy last year, the highest amount in Maltese history.

Simultaneously, there was a 23% reduction in the generation of mixed waste from households, representing the lowest amount received by WasteServ in the last 20 years.

Minister for the Environment, Energy and Regeneration of the Grand Harbour Miriam Dalli announced these achievements during a press conference with WasteServ CEO Richard Bilocca at the Multi-Material Recovery Facility in Ħal Far.

These results mark WasteServ’s most successful year since its inception in 2002, affirming Malta’s encouraging progress in the implementation of its long-term plans towards sustainable waste management.

Commenting on these figures, Minister Miriam Dalli acknowledged the contribution of the public’s waste separation efforts.

“Such positive results can only be attributed to a collective effort – individuals, families, businesses, government entities, voluntary associations, and many others – who are understanding the importance of reducing and recycling waste to protect the environment and the future of our country. These achievements also affirm the Government’s decisions and infrastructural investments in recent years, including new plants for the sustainable and efficient processing of waste, the introduction of new initiatives such as differentiated gate fees for commercial waste, and the implementation of mandatory waste separation for all last year.”

“These encouraging results are a step in the right direction, but also confirm that our country can achieve much more – we must continue working together to attain our ultimate objective of bringing down landfilling of waste to 10% by 2035. We will continue working towards a circular economy to ensure a more sustainable future for all,” concluded Minister Miriam Dalli.

During the press conference WasteServ explained that last year, various materials were processed and exported to international markets to be transformed into other products. These included:

8,199 tonnes of paper and cardboard;
2,206 tonnes of various metals;
7,411 tonnes of glass;
1,422 tonnes of different types of plastics;
142 tonnes of wood;
350 tonnes of gypsum;
297 tonnes of foam.

Additionally, there was also a positive 35% increase in organic waste received from households and the commercial sector when compared to 2022. This waste was converted into 4.1 million units of energy, powering 570 homes for a year.

WasteServ CEO Richard Bilocca thanked WasteServ employees for their dedicated efforts in recent years. He explained that the 2023 results can also be attributed to the opening of two new facilities in the past year. The first one, located at the ECOHIVE Complex, involved a €4 million investment and commenced operations in March. The other, situated in Ħal Far, is a €22 million development that was inaugurated in June.

“We also have several ongoing projects, including a new automated glass sorting line scheduled to be operational by mid-2024, and as part of the ECOHIVE Strategy, a skip management facility that will process bulky waste from open-topped skips, as well as a new organic waste processing facility to replace the current one. Work on the waste-to-energy project is also progressing as the plant’s excavation works were completed last year,” concluded the WasteServ CEO.

#MaltaDaily