EFL student groped whilst asleep by 65 year old host

Sep 1 2022

A 65-year-old man from Mosta has been placed under treatment and probation orders after admitting to committing non-consensual sexual acts on an English Foreign Language student whom he hosted.

The man was arraigned in court on Sunday, and was accused of groping the sleeping 20-year-old man at a St Paul’s Bay apartment.

The accused did not contest the charges and entered a guilty plea at the earliest opportunity. He did so despite being informed that the charges by imprisonment for up to seven years.

The court, presided by Magistrate Charmaine Galea, took into account thee man’s early admission and the fact that the accused expressed remorse over the incident. The court was assured this was a one-off case.

The age of the accused and the fact that the other entries on his criminal record were of minor offences which took place many years ago were also considered.

Instead of receiving a prison sentence, the court sentenced the man to probation for three years. He was also placed under a treatment order and a restraining order prohibiting him from approaching or contacting the victim.

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Labour Party HQ dons LGBTIQ+ flag as Pride Month begins

Sep 1 2022

The Labour Party has put up an LGBTIQ+ flag at their Hamrun headquarters in commemoration of the first day of Pride Month.

‘The Labour Party wants to guarantee equality for all’ the statement said. ‘Malta is today the leader when it comes to rights for LGBTIQ+ people.’

‘However, we should not rest on this success. We need to keep working to fight prejudice and to ensure that everyone is part of an inclusive Maltese society.’

The party highlighted Malta being the first European country to pass a law to protect intersex infants and children from non-consensual medical interventions in 2015.

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Research shows turtle dove hunting is sustainable say FKNK

Sep 1 2022

A statement issued by the Federation for Hunting and Conservation (FKNK) on Thursday says that recent research shows how turtle dove hunting in Malta is sustainable.

The results were obtained from data collected voluntarily by the organisation in September 2021. With regards to whether these birds are caught as adults or chicks, the study has reportedly shown that the autumn hunting season is sustainable.

The statement points out how this result, ‘together with other studies and research carried out by the FKNK also led to the fact that after a five year break, we had a turtle dove hunting season again in spring 2022.’

Hunters were asked by the FKNK to send an SMS during the hunting season in September 2022 whenever a turtle dove was caught, indicating whether it was an adult or a baby.

The FKNK also took issue with the Wild Birds Regulation Unit (WBRU) leaving the publishing of a notice about the season until the eve of the opening of the hunting season of September 2022.

The notice detailed information in regards to the quota of dove which can be caught, the allocated times and dates when hunting is allowed, and the obligations and responsibilities to be adhered to. The FKNK said that this mode of operating does not promote good relations and cooperation between the WBRU and hunters and trappers.

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Malta with highest number of public holidays in Europe

Sep 1 2022

According to a recently issued article by ‘The New Statesman’, Malta has the highest amount of public and bank holidays in all of Europe.

The article was focusing on the fact that the UK has the lowest number of bank holidays compared to Europe. However, situated right at the top of a list from most to least amount of holidays, Malta was right at the peak.

The data shows that Malta has 14 public holidays throughout the year, followed by Austria, Iceland and Portugal all with 13 holidays.

Meanwhile, England, Switzerland and Wales all registered just 8 days of holidays. However, unlike the UK, many European countries do not compensate workers with an extra day off should a public holiday fall on a weekend.

This comes as the Trade Union Congress (TUC) called on the government to increase the number of public holidays in England and Wales by four to bring it closer to Eu average.

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