One of the worst storms in Malta’s history forecasted for tomorrow

Oct 26 2021

We all knew it was going to be a stormy and rainy week, but it seems as though this sudden shift towards the autumn season has brought with it quite a thunderous mid-week. Some weather portals are reporting that this may be one of the most intense storms to ever hit the Maltese islands in history, and from the looks of it and a quick glance outside the window, it sure seems to be shaping out this way. The Maltese Islands Weather Facebook page posted to social media admitting to the forecast of an intense system starting tomorrow all the way to Thursday.

The page itself is working on a detailed update which is due for release today and providing all the information one needs to navigate such a weather-based ruckus. It did however warn against succumbing to rumors and sensationalism making rounds on social media – it might be a big one, but this storm isn’t going to flip Malta on it’s head. Make sure you stay safe, especially if you need to venture out in such conditions. We’ll see what mid-week holds for us!

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Around 500 sites stopped from work due to health breaches

Oct 26 2021

Through the conducting of 3,724 introspections over the span of a year, the Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OHSA) stopped 478 workplaces from continuing work. A whopping 689 fines were issues, with a total value of €256,750, along with 112 cases in the Maltese and Gozitan courts being initiated all over breaches of occupational health and safety laws.

The fines by the organization are imposed on various individuals which include company directors, employers, self-employed clients and project supervisors on construction projects. The OHSA revealed that although most of the workplaces in which deficiencies were noticed were construction sites, places such as printing works and factories also showed such breaches.

In a statement, OHSA highlighted how ‘in addition to a lack of protection of health and safety in general, a lack of risk assessment and signs of health safety, fire-fighting measures and evacuation of workers were also found.’ This comes following the recent incident in which a migrant worker was severely injured after a fall and left on the side of a road in Mellieha. This sparked national outrage, leading to more calls for further surveillance into Malta’s construction industry.

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John Wick stunt team gifted £7,000 Rolex watches by Keanu Reeves

Oct 26 2021

Hollywood good-guy extraordinaire has struck again and has gifted the entire stunt team from John Wick: Chapter 4 with £7,300 ($10,000) Rolex watches for their work on the upcoming sequel. The star reportedly attended Le Bistro Paul Bert in Paris with stunt workers Bruce Lee Concepcion, Jeremy Marinas, Dave Carmarillo and Li Qiang, wherein he gifted them a watch each. The watches were, of course, personalized Rolex Submariners – the first divers wristwatch waterproof to a depth of 100 meters launched back in 1953.

The actor went one step further and had each of the watches engraved with a personal message for each stunt worker, with an inscription on the back of the watch reading ‘The John Wick Five’. Along with the individual crew member names, the message continued with ‘Thank you… Keanu… JW4 2021’. The fourth instalment of the series has allegedly set the bar much higher, with release set for next year. This gesture of appreciation and gratitude really captures why Reeves is such a beloved actor throughout all of Hollywood.

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19% carbon emission reduction by 2030 a challenge says Minister

Oct 26 2021

Addressing a national conference on climate change, Environment Minister Aaron Farrugia stated that cutting carbon emissions by 19% by the year 2030 will be a challenging task, but one that should be taken on nonetheless. The island is currently benefitting from a reduced target after seeking permission from the European Commission. This same commission had set a EU target of 36% by 2030, but Farrugia said that Malta is the lowest emitter per capita compared to other EU countries. With half of CO2 emissions coming from transport, the Minister said that the government’s budget decision to introduce an electric vehicle grant of €12,000 aims to achieve price parity between internal combustion engine cars and electric ones soon.

Farrugia said that although discussions had been held in parliament, no plans were presented to tackle the climate change issue. With a plan to make Malta carbon neutral by 2050, the time for discourse and romantic notions of the subject is over. Malta is being assertive in its strive for this goal, said Farrugia, and that the island will be present for the COP 2 (UN Climate Change Conference) next month. Transport Minister Ian Borg also spoke at the conference, stressing the importance of individual action, with measures such as electrifying the bus fleet and giving free transportation to all being crucial for this massive change.

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Photo Source: Aaron Farrugia FB, Ian Borg FB