Majority of Maltese believe in God but give less value to religion

Jun 10 2022

According to a poll conducted in relation to the ‘State of the Nation’, it was discovered that the majority of Maltese believe in God but do not give the same amount of importance to religion.

The research found that, despite there being a reduction from last year, the overwhelming majority of the Maltese population believe in a God at 90.5%. Only 5% said that they don’t, with another 4.5% saying that they don’t know.

Back in 2021, 93.5% had said that they believe in a God, with 3.0% saying that they don’t. Out of the people who do not believe in a God, 12% of them were aged between 26 and 35. A bit more than 9% have a tertiary education.

When it came to the importance of religion in one’s life, 58.1% said that it is important in their lives whereas for more than 30% said it is not. For 9.4%, religion was deemed not important at all.

Religion was also found to be more important amongst women, with 70.6% of women versus 45.6% of men. Age was also a contributing factor, with the higher the age the more important religion was perceived as being.

The higher the age, the more religion is considered in their day to day decisions. People who had lower levels of education were also found to consider religion more in their daily decisions.

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EU aiming to have all new vehicles be electric by year 2035

Jun 10 2022

In a new press release, the EU has unveiled plans which, among other things, would see new vehicles be electric by the year 2035.

The press release said that the parliament ‘supports revised CO2 emissions standards for new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles, part of the Fit for 55 in 2030 package.’

MEPs thus support the Commission proposal to each zero-emission road mobility by 2035 (an EU fleet-wide target to reduce the emissions produced by new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles by 100% compared to 2021).

Rapporteur Jan Huitema said that with these standards, ‘we are creating clarity for the car industry and can stimulate innovation and investments for car manufacturers. In addition, purchasing and driving zero-emission cars will become cheaper for consumers.’

A plenary vote was taken on Wednesday, with 339 voting in favour, 249 against and 24 abstentions. Huitema said that he is thrilled the EP backed the revision as they are crucial to reach climate neutrality by 2050. MEPs are now ready to start negotiations with EU member States.

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Turkey officially renamed itself as Türkiye

Jun 10 2022

Turkey has officially changed its name as a country in an attempted rebrand due to the negative connotations the original name has. Country leaders were not to keen on the fact that the word ‘Turkey’ was associated with a ‘stupid person’ or ‘failure’ in the English language.

In a letter addressed to the UN’s Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the Turkish minister Mevlut Cavusoglu asked that the country be renamed to Türkiye. ‘Together with our Directorate of Communications, we have been successful in preparing a good ground for this’ he wrote.

The name change, which is pronounced tur-key-yay, had become effective the moment the letter was received by the Anadolu Agency on the 1st of June. Cavusoglu told the Agency that they have made it possible for the UN and other international organisations and countries to see this change to use the new name.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced last December that he believed Türkiye better represented the nation. He said that it is accepted as an umbrella brand for the country in national and International venues.

Erdogan advised companies to use ‘made in Türkiye’ on exported goods and ordered state bodies to use the term in their correspondence. Back in 1923, the country had called itself Türkiye following its declaration of independence.

It is unclear if the name will catch on abroad. In 2016, a similar case occurred with the Czech Republic after it officially register its short form name Czechia. However, many people still refer to it using ‘Czech Republic.’.

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Malta in spotlight as MEPs demand right to safe and legal abortion

Jun 10 2022

Any remaining European Union countries with abortion bans have been urged by MEPs to decriminalise the practice, indirectly referring to Malta’s laws in the process.

In a press release, the MEPs stated that they ‘condemn the backsliding in women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights world-wide including in the US and some EU countries, calling for safe access to abortion.’

The call follows a debate on Wednesday in which MEPs adopted a resolution with 364 votes in favour to remind the US Supreme Court to uphold the case of Roe v Wade (1973) which protects the right to abortion in US Constitution.

Apart from the focus on the US’ tackling of the issue, MEPs also urged member states of the EU to decriminalise abortion and remove obstacles to safe and legal abortion. ‘Medical practitioners should not deny women access to abortion care on grounds of religion or conscience, as this can endanger the patient’s life.’

In Malta, women who get an abortion could still face up to three years in prison, with any doctor that might assist them susceptible to a maximum of four years. Malta is the only country in the EU to prohibit abortion entirely.

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