Prime Minister and Opposition Leader’s goals for new year 2022

Prime Minister and Opposition Leader’s set their priorities for new year 2022

Jan 1 2022

As we celebrate and welcome the new year 2022, both Prime Minister Robert Abela and Opposition leader Bernard Grech issued a speech in anticipation of what lies ahead.

For the Prime Minister, improving the environment and ridding the country of hate speech took centre stage as priorities for 2022. Addressing the nation, Abela said that the country needed to address a new priority: the environment and our quality of life.’

In regards to environment, Abela stated how climate change has become a global threat. Despite Malta being a small Mediterranean state, it should still do its part to curb the threat.

He revealed the looks forward to seeing the results of the greenest incentives Malta has introduced to improve overall air quality and safeguard towns and villages. ‘We are not taking the easy road’ he said ‘as a shift in mentality is required for us to move forward.’

Abela also addressed hate speech and how people acted with each other. ‘Unfortunately we still see a lot of hate speech, especially online. If there is any resolution that we should have in place for 2022, it should be to stop hate speech by setting an example and not engaging in tit-for-tats’ he said.

‘The people’s choice must be respected, and debates on thoughts and ideas must not allow for personal attacks’ he continued, alluding to the upcoming election. The Prime Minister also made reference to the impact of the pandemic, urging people to get vaccinated as the virus continues to play a role in our day-to-day lives.

On his part, Opposition Leader Bernard Grech urged voters to work with him to give the country new hope in 2022. ‘I believe we both agree that our country could be better than it currently is’ he said in his address.

‘We need to continue building on hard work, generosity and the compassion we have always shown each other’ said Grech. He emphasised the the country should invest more to ensure that jobs pay better wages, adding that this could be achieved by investing in skills.

He highlighted giving more value to professionals such as educators and nurses and all technical jobs ‘without which no modern society can thrive.’ ‘When we take care of our resources and public funds we would be able to make better and more responsible use of them, and support workers, the elderly and front-liners in the process.’

He said that this pledge to do his utmost to bring about new hope in the new year needs the help of voters. He also paid tribute to all those who passed away due to COVID-19.

He also addressed people suffering lower quality of life, saying that ‘we are with you all. We lived through this suffering alongside you and we want our country to stand by you, not only by remaining cautious when faced by the pandemic but also by recognising the sacrifices of front-liners.’

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Photo Source: Robert Abela FB, Bernard Grech FB

COVID leading to six day delay in bank cheque clearing

Jan 1 2022

After the Central Bank allowed banks to assist them due to COVID-19 staff shortages, cheques might be taking up to six days to clear and cash deposits up to three days as of Saturday.

The relaxed clearing rules are part of a directive by the Central Bank which aims at ‘outlining banks’ contingency arrangements.’

The so-called Directive 17 has set the maximum outages allowed to banks as part of their contingency arrangements when providing essential services to their clients. These services include, among others, depositing and withdrawing cash, depositing, cashing and clearing cheques and bank drafts.

The directive also gives banks more time to provide these services to clients whilst under contingency situations. This measure will come into effect as of Saturday 1st January 2022.

The Central Bank revealed in a statement that the changes were being intended to help banks weather the current wave of COVID disruptions such as staff shortages and infection.

The measures are:

1 – The amount time taken to clear cheques and drafts have been extended temporarily from three days to a maximum of six days.

2 – Cash deposits may also take up to three days to clear.

3 – banks must still provide over the counter cash deposit services for all those customs who do not have access to alternatives such as ATMs.

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Israel moves forward with 4th COVID jab for vulnerable

Jan 1 2022

On Friday, Israel started giving the fourth COVID-19 booster shot to people with weakened immunity.

This makes Israel one of the first countries in the world to do so as it hopes to curb a massive spike caused mainly by the Omicron variant.

The drive began almost exactly one year after the country began a mass vaccination drive on the back of a data-sharing accord with pharmaceutical company Pfizer.

Israel’s health ministry approved giving the fourth jab to immuno-compromised people on Thursday. This is the same day the authorities reported over 4,000 new cases of COVID-10 – a number Israel hadn’t recorded since September.

With heart transplant patients being among the first to receive the new jab, residents of retirement homes and geriatric patients were added to the list to take the fourth dose on Friday.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said that Israel will be a trailblazer for the fourth jab, after it became one of the first countries to offer the third shot to the general public.

Chile also seems to be following suit in February, with Britain and Germany still contemplating the decision. Over four million people of Israel’s 9.2 million received three shots of the COVID-19 vaccine, with the health ministry not relenting in it’s fight against the pandemic.

With Pfizer’s anti-COVID pill Paxlovid also making its way to Israel via a flight on Thursday, the country has so far registered a total of about 1.4 million cases and 8,243 deaths due to COVID.

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Photo Source: BBC

Beloved actress Betty White dies aged 99

Jan 1 2022

Betty White, well-known actress who starred in popular sitcoms such as ‘The Golden Girls’ and ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show’ has passed away at the age of 99.

White, an Emmy-winning comedienne, was just weeks away from turning a 100 years old and enjoyed one of the longest showbiz career.

Her agent Jeff Witjas informed People magazine that, despite him and most of the performance world missing her, he believed she never feared passing. That is because she always wanted to be with her beloved husband Allen Ludden whom she believed she will be with again.

Kicking off her career by appearing regularly on television as of 1949, she even continued to interact with much younger fans on Instagram. Winning five primetime Emmys, two daytime awards and a regional Emmy in Los Angeles, her first regular television work came in 1949 on the variety show ‘Hollywood on Television.’

Going on to co-create ‘Life with Elizabeth’ a few years later, she also became a game show staple in the 60s and 70s and the iconic Sue Ann Nivens on the Mary Tyler Moore Show.

She also struck gold when she joined the Golden Girls cast, a show about four older women sharing a house in Miami. The show was even a massive success with younger generations who watched reruns of the show and loved Betty White as Rose.

Suffice to say, her acting legacy was utterly filled with stardom and iconic moments. She will truly be missed by many fans of film and television.

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Photo Source: People