Cuba legalises same-sex marriage with overwhelming majority

Sep 27 2022

Cuba has officially legalised same-sex marriage after a family code which increased protections for minorities was voted in favour for by a large majority.

The electoral council said that 74.1% of those eligible to vote in Sunday’s national referendum turned out to cast their ballot. 3,936,790 out of 94% of the votes counted so far are in favour, with 1,950,090 against.

The new family code extends greater protection to LGBTQ couples to marry and even adopt children. Women, children and the elderly also had more protections extended via this law.

LGBTIQ+ community members in Cuba faced official discrimination for decades and continued to do so even when homosexuality was legalised in 1979.

Taking to Twitter on Monday, President Miguel Diaz-Canel wrote that ‘love is now the law. It is paying off a debt with several generations of Cuban men and women, whose family projects have been waiting for this law for years. As of today, we will be a better nation.’

Malta’s parliament approved a similar Marriage Act and other Laws (Amendment) Act in 2017 under the Joseph Muscat administration. This made Malta the 15th nation in Europe and 25th in the world to legalise same-sex marriage.

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Man compares driving a Vespa versus a car on Maltese roads

Sep 27 2022

A local guy by the name of Yanis Azzopardi decided to shed some light on the differences between driving a vespa and a car on Maltese roads.

Yanis, who typically drives a Vespa, was somewhat forced to undertake the experiment when it ‘decided to have a little break’ and needed fixing.

Turning to his car, he kept track of all the changes he experienced on the road, with the first being that he ‘easily spent an extra 7 hours travelling and looking for parking.’

‘7 hours that could have easily been enjoyed with the family, exercising, reading a book, working, meditating, and anything else your mind can think of.’

Yanis also noticed how his Vespa required sometimes less than €10 fuel per week, but had to spend around €45 per week on his Toyota IQ. ‘Now that back-to-school chaos has started, if you’re travelling solo, think of the possibility of barely ever having to be in traffic…’

‘Think about getting to work or anywhere else in 10-15 minutes’ said Yanis. ‘Long term solutions exist, but until we get there, two weeks all the way.’

He also put out a word of advice to other Vespa or motorcycle driver’s saying that ‘having two wheels doesn’t give you the right to drive like a maniac or overtake cars like there’s no tomorrow.

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Pro-choice activist swallows medical abortion pill during rally

Sep 27 2022

Activist and gynaecologist Isabel Stabile wanted to show the public how safe and effective medical abortion pills are – and she did so by swallowing one during last Sunday’s pro-choice rally.

Stabile explained the process of her ordering the pills online through Women on Web, and how safe the pills are for anyone making use of them. To elucidate the rest of the process, she was handed a bottle of water and went on to swallow the pill to the clapping and cheering of the crowd.

Stabile has been very vocal about the right to abortion and the need for Malta to remove the blanket ban which makes it the only EU country to have such a law in place.

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Her activism even landed her in unfortunate situations when in May of this year she was assaulted by a driver as she protested for the cause.

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5% of students feel Malta’s education system prepares them for everyday life

Sep 27 2022

As the Kunsill Studenti Universitarji (KSU) launch their Education Reform Campaign, a new survey issued by the same organisation highlighted the sentiments by various groups towards Malta’s educational system.

In terms of student sentiments, KSU found that only 5% of student respondents felt that the Maltese education system prepares them for everyday life. Conversely, 99.9% expressed their wishes of being taught financial literacy coding and other non-traditional skills.

With 24% feeling that their method of assessment suits their course, KSU proposed that students are given a more flexible approach to education, allowing for ‘multiple areas of study combined with nontraditional skills that cater for different interests, capabilities and learning patterns.

Meanwhile, 90% of parents expressed that they would like to be more involved in their children’s education. 61% of parents are always home when their children return home from school, and 57% said that they would be interested in being involved on individual school boards.

KSU are advocating for the formalisation of Parent-Teacher partnerships which involve school bards allowing for representation of both educators and parents.

Taking a look at persons with disabilities involved in the education system, 16% of physically and/or mentally impaired respondents felt that they were catered for in their respective schools. 75% of respondents did not feel included within their schools.

And what about educators? 84% felt reform fatigue, with another 86% saying they are not satisfied with the system. A whopping 98% support more autonomy in some form, prompting KSU to advocate for a more competitive salary, a professional development grant, quality classrooms and fringe benefits.

The survey also found that 96% of respondents felt that the government is not doing enough to improve the education system. And finally, 85% of respondents agreed on having staff assisting school administrations to deal with school logistics.

You can read more about KSU proposals here.

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