Maltese government unveils National Space Strategy

Jan 22 2022

The Ministry for Equality, Research and Innovation has published the National Space Strategy for Malta for public consultation. The strategy was developed following the creation of a Task Force of industry professionals as Malta had agreed to when signing with the European Space Agency.

The strategy was developed in collaboration with The Malta Council for Science and Technology (MCST) and consists of 5 pillars aimed at attracted further investment, creating spatial innovation, research and development in human capital, international regulatory framework and use of modern technology.

Task Force Chairman Omar Cutajar revealed that such economic activity is related to the gathering of data from satellites, with activities including legal, navigation, coast monitoring, meteorology and communication. Minister for Research and Innovation Owen Bonnici stated that this strategy will create new economic sectors and create jobs.

What do you expect from Malta’s space strategy?

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Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas welcome first child via surrogate

Jan 22 2022

Actress Priyanka Chopra and singer-songwriter Nick Jonas have welcomed their first child via surrogate, the couple revealed on Instagram.

In a screenshot from their notes, the couple stated: “We are overjoyed to confirm that we have welcomed a baby via surrogate. We respectfully ask for privacy during this special time as we focus on our family”. They did not share their baby’s name or sex.

29-year-old Jonas and 39-year-old Chopra got married in 2018 in a luxurious three-day ceremony in India after first meeting in 2017. In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Chopra had discussed them having a baby in the future but did not reveal that they were already expecting. “By God’s grace when it happens, it happens,” the Indian actress stated.

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Malta drops in ECDC concern list as national COVID-19 cases begin to decline

Jan 22 2022

One month ago, Malta had the most concerning COVID-19 situation in Europe according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control; the latest ratings have shown that Malta is now the second lowest in terms of concern.

The swift movement comes as a result of the substantial decline in Omicron cases after an alarming surge in December, where Malta had been given a 9 by the ECDC, the highest concern score across all of Europe. The most recent review puts Malta at 6.5, with only Austria achieving a better score at 5.8. Anything country scoring between 6.4 and 8.2 is still to be considered of “high” concern but it seems that Malta is moving in the right direction.

Scoring is based on a number of factors: case notification rates, testing rates and test positivity, rates of hospitalisation and intensive care admission, occupancy and mortality.

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Consumers in the EU shocked at energy price increases

Jan 21 2022

Millions of consumers all throughout the EuroZone have been surprised by the great increase in the energy bills they are receiving. With some reporting a tripling of their normal bill, the Reuters News Agency said that the increases have shocked millions of consumers and several energy companies have gone bankrupt.

This is because of increases in gas prices while others have passed the increases on to consumers. Families are finding it difficult to maintain heating and maintain driving costs, with increases also being forecast to impact economic growth in many countries. This is particularly prevalent due to the pandemic.

The report explained that during 2020, EuroZone families spent about an average of €1,200 annually in energy and gas bills. According to BofA analysts, it is expected o go up to €1,850, mostly due to geopolitical tensions expected to impact prices for natural gas.

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