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M&M’s retire their candy mascots amid controversy; Maya Rudolph to take their place

M&M's retire their candy mascots amid controversy; Maya Rudolph to take their place
Jan 26 2023 Share

For as long as we can remember, the M&M’s brand has been represented by a multi-coloured group of ‘spokescandies‘ but the globally-beloved chocolate brand broke the internet when they announced that the iconic mascots will be “indefinitely” retired.

That’s right, the colourful character mascots have been indefinitely removed from the M&M’s brand after a string of attempts to make the candies more inclusive and subsequent backlash from far-right conservative pundits like Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

 

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A statement on M&M’s social media pages read as follows: “In the last year, we’ve made some changes to our beloved spokescandies. We weren’t sure if anyone would even notice. And we definitely didn’t think it would break the internet. But now we get it — even a candy’s shoes can be polarizing.”

Of course, the decision sent the internet into a frenzy, with public figures, personalities and internet users from across the globe contributing to the colourful commentary. One of the central points of discussion was the development of the Green M&M, which M&M’s parent company Mars Wrigley reportedly made efforts to make “less sexy” by giving her shorter legs and sneakers instead of high-heeled boots.

 

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The candy mascots will be replaced by American actress Maya Rudolph, who has been called the new ‘chief of fun’.

What do you make of this decision? Do you think its an elaborate ploy or are the spokescandies gone for good?

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Lawyers for Choice call for full consultation on abortion debate

Lawyers for Choice call for full consultation on abortion debate
Jan 26 2023 Share

Lawyers For Choice, a recently founded group focused on abortion rights and increased sex-ed in Malta, issued a statement calling for a seat at the table for Bill 28 for civil society activists. 

Lawyers for Choice are calling for the direct involvement of civil society in the process of legislative drafting. They reiterated the need for the final Bill to be in keeping with international human rights standards.

‘Much has been said, though not much is known, about the new amendments to Bill 28. It is staggering that there has been absolutely no consultation with civil society, and this does not augur well for the end result’ they said. 

The lack of transparency, the group said, adds nothing to the legislative exercise apart from leading to further misinformation campaigns. 

‘In these critical days and weeks, Lawyers for Choice are calling on government to open the process to those who have been involved in the debate for many years, and work hand in hand with human rights experts, and those who will be directly impacted by this amendment.’

Lawyers For Choice Malta is made up of lawyers Emma Portelli Bonnici, Desiree Attard and Jenny Orlando-Salling. 

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Gozitan MP calls for more security resources due to resources

Gozitan MP calls for more security resources due to resources
Jan 26 2023 Share

Taking to social media, Gozitan Nationalist Party MP Alex Borg appealed for the authorities to invest in more resources to keep Gozo safe following reports of theft and robberies in various localities. 

In a video uploaded to social media and filmed in front of Xewkija’s police station, Borg wanted that the locality and Għajnsielem were subject to a number of robberies in recent weeks. 

Due to Gozo being cut off from the Maltese mainland, Borg said that police should treat the island as a distinct district and thus empower the resources there. 

Borg said that the police corp needs to work to make Gozitans feel safe both at home as well as out on the road. He also went on to thank the Gozitan police force for all the effort they put into their work despite the lack of resources. 

 

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Four Maltese minors sex trafficked between 2017 & 2020 say UN

Four Maltese minors sex trafficked between 2017 & 2020 say UN
Jan 26 2023 Share

According to a new United Nations report, four Maltese girls were trafficked in the country for sexual exploitation between 2017 and 2020. 

UN researcher Fabrizio Sarrica said that the minors were likely trafficked for prostitution, telling Times of Malta that while sexual exploitation can refer to prostitution or sexual slavery, the former is more common in Europe. 

The details were retrieved from the seventh edition of the Global Report on Trafficking of Persons 2022, published on Tuesday by the United Nations. 

50 victims of human trafficking were detected by Malta between 2017 and 2020, 45 of whom have been confirmed. 

38% were Ukrainian nationals and 30% hailed from East Asia. The remaining were persons from a multitude of other regions. The main purpose of people trafficking in Malta is, according to UN data, forced labour. 

The lack of reported victims from 2012 to 2015 could indicate that more efforts had since been made to detect cases, Sarrica told Times of Malta. He also revealed how 3.5 people per 100,000 fall prey to trafficking in the EU each year. The number of detected victims in Malta is considered to be in line with the European average. 

The pandemic may have contributed to the detecting of less victims in 2020. EU authorities suggested that lockdown measures may have pushed exploitation further underground and thus made it less easy to detect. 

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