ADPD’s Mina Jack Tolu asks Children’s Commissioner to investigate Partit ABBA

Mar 28 2023

Mina Jack Tolu, the ADPD International Secretary, has requested that the Commissioner for Children investigate Christian Conservative party ABBA and leader Ivan Grech Mintoff ‘for intimidation and harassment in a children’s space.’

‘In a separate letter I also called on the Children Rights Observatory Malta, publishers of the Children’s Manifesto last year, to rescind the signatures of Julie Zahra and Justin Schembri, as it is clear they have been working against points 46, 64, 65, and 80 in the same manifesto’ wrote Tolu.

Tolu stated that they were shocked to be welcomed by a security guard who was stationed at the entrance to the studio where the play was being shown.

‘After the play and creative workshop I spoke to the team at Spazju Kreattiv, and asked them about the presence of security. They claimed it was necessary due to the presence at prior showings of members of Partit ABBA, who also recorded the play and workshop and asked questions to the children present’ Tolu revealed.

Tolu said that Partit ABBA and its leader Grech Mintoff revealed on social media that they will be taking legal action against the play Gender Boss.

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Johnnie Walker walking towards sustainable future with beach clean-ups & zero cardboard

Johnnie Walker cardboard gift boxes to start being removed in waste reduction efforts

Mar 28 2023

International alcoholic beverage company Diageo has announced the start of a programme to phase out the use of 183 million cardboard gift boxes from its premium Scotch portfolio around the world.

The phased removal of cardboard gift boxes is an attempt to test consumer response, reduce waste and contribute to Diageo’s 10-year action plan, affecting brands such as Johnnie Walker Black Label Blended Scotch Whisky.

Every year, nearly five million tonnes of cardboard and paper is packaging waste in the UK alone, and despite its ability to be recycled, increased demand has led to cardboard shortages.

The company has expressed its commitment to becoming sustainable by design and has set the ambition to be zero-waste to landfill from its own operations and offices by 2030. Following the launch of the Johnnie Walker paper-based bottle, the world’s first 100% PET-free paper-based Pulp bottle which is due to retail in 2023, Diageo’s sustainable packaging strategy is developing packs for the future.

Plans include packaging based on biomimicry, designs modelled on biological entities and processes and the use of carbon capture in the bottle’s decorative designs.

The phased removal of cardboard gift boxes across the premium Scotch portfolio will allow consumer response to be assessed in countries all over the world. If successful, the programme will be expanded to more Diageo brands in 2023.

Ewan Andrew, Chief Sustainability Officer, Diageo, commented: “Waste caused by surplus packaging is placing an unnecessary burden on the planet. Paper and cardboard are highly sustainable forms of packaging but it is time to review what is actually needed to package a product, as opposed to packaging it that way for historical reasons. We believe that the liquid in our premium Scotch products is the gift. They do not always need cardboard gift boxes to enhance this.”

Additionally, the brand has extended its global CSR campaign towards local initiatives including Malta. Our beautiful island is known for its stunning beaches and crystal-clear waters. However, like many popular tourist destinations, our beaches often suffer from the effects of littering and pollution.

In response to this, Johnnie Walker in collaboration with local NGO ‘Zibel Malta’ will be organising 2 local beach clean ups in Malta.

The beach clean-up will be organised by a group of passionate volunteers who want to make a positive impact on our local community. The event is open to the public, and anyone who would like to contribute is welcome to join.

Make a positive impact in your community. By taking action and working together, we can make a difference and create a better world for future generations to come.

Join the clean-up by filling in this sign-up form or scanning the QR code below!

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Jail sentence revoked for man who shot four flamingos

Mar 28 2023

A hunter who shot and killed four flamingos had his one year jail sentence revoked by a court of appeal on the grounds that the species is not endangered, despite being protected.

24-year-old Miguel Żammit was banned for life from holding a hunting license and a year in prison when he was convicted of killing the birds in October of 2021.

The court was told that the hunter insisted he had been aiming at a duck, with Żammit filing an appeal after a court convicted him of the poaching crime.

On Monday however, a court of appeal relaxed the punishment. When delivering judgement, the court referred to Subsidiary Legislation on Conservation of Wild Birds Regulations, Times of Malta revealed.

This includes a number of factors which need to be considered when assessing offences, with one of these being the impact on the conservation status of an affected species. The flamingos were categorised as ‘of least concern.’

The court thus concluded that the impact of such offences on the species was low, changing Żammit’s punishment to one year suspended for two years. Meanwhile, the lifetime ban on holding a hunting license was still confirmed.

In response, BirdLife Malta called the decision confusing and baffling.

“A protected bird is protected irrespective of its status and just because it is not at risk of being extinct, does not mean that its protection, or the consequences of illegally killing it, should be less. I fail to see the logic. It’s like saying that stealing from a rich person carries a lesser punishment than if you steal from a poor person” wrote CEO Mark Sultana.

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Here’s how much time we spend with other people as we get older

Mar 28 2023

Data collected by ‘Our World in Data’ shows how much time Americans spent with others and themselves at different ages between 2009 and 2019.

The amount of minutes by day spent with family seems to go down significantly as one grows older, whereas time spent alone only sky-rocketed as a person got older.

In fact, a person seems to spend well over 400 minutes alone, whilst on the other hand a person spend less than 100 minutes with family by the time they reach age 80.

Time spent with co-workers stays relatively the same across one’s lifetime, declining slightly below 200 minutes as one ages.

If one has children, people seem to spend the bulk of their time with their kids between the ages of 30 and 40. This tracks with the ‘family’ metric, which, as previously mentioned, declines later on in life.

Time spent with a partner averaged around 200 minutes per day between ages 30 and 60, only to seemingly increase until age 80. It then drops suddenly. However, the time spent with a partner is far lower than that spent alone.

And finally, time spent with friends peaks between ages 15 and 20, only to drop to around 53 minutes per day at age 30. It stays relatively similar until age 80.

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Credits: Our World in Data