Malta only EU country to completely ban abortion as San Marino moves forward

Sep 27 2021

With 77% in favour and 23%, San Marino has voted with an overwhelming majority to legalise abortion this Sunday. This makes Malta the only EU country to ban abortion in all cases, with zero exceptions for situations in cases of life endangerment.

Interior Minister Elena Tonnini called on parliament to translate the result into law following the finalising of results. With a 41% turnout for the referendum, the decision will be overturning a law which dates back to 1865, making San Marino one of the last places in Europe where abortion has been utterly banned.

Women will now be allowed to terminate their pregnancy within 12 weeks of gestation. Abortion would only be permitted if the woman’s health was at risk or if foetal abnormalities could cause physical/psychological harm after said 12 weeks. Women usually travelled to Italy to carry out abortions, with the penalty being up to three years in prison for the woman and six years for the doctor.

#MaltaDaily

Photo Source: Sky News, EURACTIV

€1,600,723 raised for new Dar Bjorn

Sep 27 2021

Embarking on a 12 hour live telethon, Bjorn Formosa and his team managed to raise €1,600,723 on Sunday 26th of September 2021 for the new Dar Bjorn. It has been 6 years since Bjorn started ALS Malta, working tirelessly to help patients like himself live a better life. The first Dar Bjorn was inaugurated in 2017 in Qormi, but proved too small to cater for all neurological patients in Malta.

Thus, in 2018, Bjorn initiated his quest to open the second neurological home to cater for more patients. Newer and bigger, the home will be a state of the art medical facility plotted on 7 floors. With each floor totalling over 650sqm of living space, the new facility will feature over 30 beds, indoor pool, gymnasium, chapel, shop, cafeteria, clinics, an art gallery and a fully fledged terrace.

A €5 million project, €4 million were already collected over three years, leaving around €926K were left to open the home. The live telethon was a massive success as €1,600,723 were raised during 9/26 To Finish, with donations from multiple individuals and groups all around the island.

#MaltaDaily

Photo Source: Bjorn Formosa FB

Only 6 out of 1000 tests turn out positive says Charmaine Gauci

Sep 27 2021

Superintendent for Public Health Charmaine Gauci has revealed that out of 1000 tests which take place, only 6 are emerging positive. Interviewed on television programme TVAM in regards to the COVID-19 pandemic in Malta, Gauci emphasised how as the pandemic epidemiological context persists, the virus is constantly mutating and adapting.

With the Delta variant being the most common variant, Gauci insisted that our country managed to adapt to the pandemic when compared to other countries around the world who have higher infection rates.

Gauci once again highlighted the importance of health measures and vaccination, praising the latter as being one of main contributors of achieving herd immunity and an overall positive handling of the pandemic.

She revealed that whether or not everyone who has been vaccinated needs to receive their booster jab is not yet confirmed. The booster is currently being offered to those over 70 years of age after having been administered to those in elderly homes and most vulnerable.

Authorities are also awaiting the European Medicine’s Agency (EMA) updates on whether it is safe to vaccinate children with Pfizer jabs under 12 years of age. She also said that due to only 28% of the world’s population being currently vaccinated, the rate is too low for COVID-19 to end up like a common cold.

In regards to COVID-19 vaccine certificates, Gauci said that all will remain the same but a note as to who was vaccinated with the booster will be documented.

#MaltaDaily

Photo Source: TVAM FB, International Banker

Iceland almost got a female majority government before recount

Sep 27 2021

After a recount showed that there were in fact more men elected, Iceland was on the verge of making history as having a female-majority government. The initial vote count consisted of 33 seats out of 63 won by female candidates, with centrist parties gaining the upper hand in the country’s parliament in Althing. A recount in northwestern Iceland however changed the outcome, leaving the female cohort at the 30 mark.

This was a tally reached previously during Iceland’s second most recent election back in 2016. This is still the highest percentage for women legislators on Europe, with around 48% of the total. Sweden and Finland have 47 and 46% women representation in parliament respectively. In comparison, Malta has one of the lowest shares of women in national parliament, ranking at just 13% of MPs (as of March 2021). Rwanda leads the world with women making up 61% of its Chamber of Deputies.

#MaltaDaily

Photo Source: ITU, Daily Sabah