Masters of Advocacy students forced to camp at University overnight to secure elective spot

Oct 14 2021

Only a few days after the start of the scholastic year, Master of Advocacy students at the University of Malta came across quite the predicament. The University’s entire law student community expressed its outrage at the fact that, due to alleged disorganisation from the administration, some students had to camp outside their faculties overnight to make sure they secure a spot for their elective units.

The queuing throughout the night and early hours of the morning was due to the fact that electives were capped at 25, even though the Masters of Law course hosts over 100 students, creating quite a difficult situation for students to be able to choose their preferred elective due to the first come first served basis.

Student organisations ELSA Malta, GħSL and JCA collectively expressed their disappointment at the matter, highlighting the fact that if the COVID-19 pandemic taught us anything, it is that such processes can be conducted easily online. Amongst other suggestions, the organisations proposed that capping is removed from online elective, capping is increased to more than 25 for other electives, that the administration adopts modern measures and that students who applied without a second preference are called back to email their second preference.

What do you make of this situation?

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5 killed in bow and arrow attack in Norway

Oct 14 2021

A 37-year-old Danish man has been arrested and charged after killing five people and injuring two in a bow and arrow attack in Kongsberg, Norway on Wednesday.

The suspect’s charges are yet to be revealed but Norwegian authorities have shut down claims that others were involved and highlighted that the Danish man acted alone in the attack. Drammen police chief Oyvind Aas stated that, based on what has happened in the past, one cannot exclude the possibility terror attack.

Aas went on to state that the suspect has yet to be questioned, so it is too early to determine his motive and the details of the event. The bow and arrow attack struck on the eve of Norway welcoming a new government after last month’s elections, with Norwegian Labour leader Jonas Gahr Store calling the attack a “cruel and brutal act.”

One of the injured is reportedly an off-duty policeman who was in a local store.

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Rain showers cover the Maltese Islands as temperatures begin to drop

Oct 14 2021

Winter seems as close as ever as rain showers are blanketing Malta and Gozo while temperatures continue to drop. This follows one of the hottest seasons in recent history, with Malta registering its hottest June day ever recorded in 2021 at a whopping 41.3°C.

The Malta International Airport’s forecasts temperature highs of 20°C and lows of 15°C with rainfall expected to persist throughout the day.

The North Northeast wind is also reported to be strong to very strong over the Maltese islands.

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“We can’t continue with the mask forever,” says Prof. Charmaine Gauci

Oct 14 2021

In a recent ‘Ask Charmaine’ segment with Times of Malta, Superintendent for Public Health Prof. Charmaine Gauci shared an agreeable statement on the future of mask-wearing in Malta. The superintendent shared that “the more you protect yourself and others the better it is, but we can’t continue with the mask forever so as time goes by and evidence show they can be removed, we’ll go that way as well.”

Prof. Gauci statements offered a lot of resolve for many Maltese residents, as many are criticising Malta’s current mask-wearing restrictions, despite the lifting of other COVID-19 measures in the past months. Malta currently sits at the top of Nikkei Asia’s global COVID-19 recovery index but masks remain mandatory at schools, amongst other locations. The authorities will reportedly reconsider the latter after the Christmas break.

Sharing Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne’s sentiments, Prof. Gauci stated that the situation is all a matter of risk and while the pandemic could be placed on the country’s “back-burner” according to Fearne, caution and vigilance must remain a priority especially with the temperature dropping as the season progresses.

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