Finance minister promises ‘substantial increase’ on electric car grants

Sep 25 2021

During a recent pre-budget consultation with the theme ‘X’Pajjiż Tixtieq Tħalli lil uliedek?’ finance minister Clyde Caruana stated that there will be a “substantial increase” in grants on electric vehicles in the Budget 2022.

Caruana went on to state that the country must change the formula in which it thinks and ‘invest in the people’ to maintain the increased quality of life. The minister also stated that the government will prioritise education to provide people more opportunities, thus affecting income and contributing to a developed economy.

Tracking back to the country’s evolution, the minister said that while the economy used to be based on manufacturing, it is services which we are most focused on nowadays. The three Gozitan ministers, Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri, Education Minister Justyne Caruana and Animal Rights Minister Anton Refalo were also present during the Gozo event.

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Norway removes all COVID-19 measures… should Malta follow?

Sep 25 2021

The Norwegian Government had stated that the Nordic nation is set to remove all COVID-19 restrictions at 4pm today in an attempt to reopen society. Norway joins Denmark, Britain and a considerably-growing number of countries to completely remove domestic restrictions to return to what was once considered normality.

Prime Minister Erna Solberg addressed a conference stating that while everyday life is back to normal for most, the pandemic is not over and it is important for people to get vaccinated, going on to state that one must still go into isolation if they contract COVID-19.

In Norway, 76% of the population has received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine while 67% of the entire population is fully vaccinated.

With Malta leading the charge on global vaccination rollouts and COVID-19 boosters currently being administered, this begs the question whether Malta should follow these countries and drop all COVID-19 measures.

The imposed measures have not only limited social interaction but have affected the livelihoods of many businesses and while performing positively in containing the virus for a considerable amount of time, one cannot exclude the possibility of a step forward.

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Zebbug square to go completely car-free this evening in attempt to promote open spaces

Zebbug square to completely car-free this evening in attempt to promote open spaces

Sep 25 2021

The village square in Zebbug will reportedly go completely car-free this evening in order to attempt to promote open spaces in the village.

On Thursday, the Zebbug Local Council published a Facebook post revealing that Misraħ San Filep and Triq Sciortino will be turned into pedestrian zones and closed to all traffic between the hours of 5pm and 11pm. The council stated that this initiative is being taken to allow village families to enjoy the open spaces and went on to encourage residents to visit the square via bicycle or on foot.

The government had also announced similar activities in villages like Zejtun, Dingli, Qrendi, Zurrieq, Mqabba and Safi, with Zejtun set to be the first Maltese village to have temporarily pedestrianised squares.

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OPINION POST: Free the Kids.

Sep 24 2021

Tomorrow, Friday 24, people are set to gather in Valletta to protest the current COVID-19 rule urging children to wear masks at school. The protest titled ‘Unmask school children’ will be a peaceful demonstration where attendees will walk silently and hold up placards “high for all to see”. The organiser of the event held that the event “is being organised strictly to safeguard our children who are unable to defend themselves against this tyranny”.

Realistically speaking, if someone deserves to get back to normality, it’s the children. While we have been seeing events of every shape or form all across Malta, children must go back to school in Malta’s less-than-pleasant temperature conditions wearing masks and it is the parents who must bear witness to their exhausted children after a hot day wearing a mask.

A few days ago, a petition was started calling for primary schoolchildren to be allowed to take off masks while seated, gaining over 1,500 signatures in one week. The parent who started the petition, Evicka Grech stated that masks do not only prevent children from communicating and understanding each other properly but presents a number of difficulties when teaching and learning phonics.

Studies also found that masks impair recognition of emotions, positive social interactions and ability of understanding and empathy. These concerning results beg the question, is it time to free the kids?

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