Skema li għandha twassal għal tnaqqis ta’ tliet miljun flixkun tal-palstik fis-sena

Bil-għan li l-pubbliku jiġi mħeġġeġ jissokta jnaqqas l-użu ta’dak magħruf bħala s-single-use plastic (plastic li jintuża darba biss, qed jiġu allokati miljun ewro għall-iskema l-ġdida għall-purifikazzjoni tal-ilma, imsejħa ‘Be Water Smart Scheme’ li qed issir biex tappoġġja lill-familji li qed jinvestu fil-filtrazzjoni tal-ilma u sistemi domestiċi ta' reverse osmosis

L-iskema toffri tliet tipi ta’ għotjiet finanzjarji, biex tilqa’ għas-sistemi differenti Waħda hija applikabbli għal sistemi ta' filtrazzjoni tal-ilma, bIr-rata tal-għotja tkun ta' 40% tal-prezz inkluż l-ispiża talinstallazzjoni, sa massimu ta’ €100

Hemm imbagħad applikabbli għal sistemi ta' reverse osmosis, bir-rata tal-għotja tkun ta' 15 25% tal-prezz inkluż l-ispiża tal-installazzjoni, sa massimu ta' €100

Ir-tielet waħda hi applikabbli għal reverse osmosis b’wastewater ritornat fil-ħażna tal-ilma residenzjali, bir-rata hawn tkun ta’ 40% tal-prezz inkluż l-ispiża tal-installazzjoni, sa massimu ta' €300

L-ammonti jirrappreżentaw żieda millgħotja ta’ qabel ta’ 15.25% fuq il-prezz tax-xiri u l-installazzjoni, sa massimu ta' €70

Miriam Dalli, il-Ministeru għall-Ambjent, l-Enerġija u l-Intrapriża spjegat li hu stmat li kull dar tixtri madwar 500 flixkun tal-plastik fis-sena Permezz ta' kampanji bħal Saving Our Blue, qed jinġabru madwar 200 kilo ta' fliexken u tappijiet talfliexken minn clean-ups li jsiru fuq bajjiet kif ukoll fil-baħar

L-iskemi l-ġodda jinkoraġġixxu t-transizzjoni lejn prattiċi sostenibbli fil-ħajja ta' kuljum u huma applikabbli għas-sistemi kollha disponibbli fis-suq

Huwa stmat li l-użu tal-iskema se jirriżulta fi tnaqqis ta’ madwar tliet miljun flixkun tal-plastik kull sena, li se jkun qed jikkontribwixxi għall-isforzi ta’ Malta bħala parti mis-single-use plastic strategy kif ukoll parti mill-waste management plan u t-tnaqqis taliskart

Vassallo Kap tad-Dipartiment tal-Politika Pubblika tal-UoM u Dr Michael Spagnol, Kap tad-Dipartiment tal-Malti tal- UoM, kienu preżenti wkoll għadd ta’ kttieba magħrufa Maltin li wħud minnhom anke ħadmu mill-qrib ma’ Oliver Friġġieri.

Il-qoxra tal-ktieb dwar il-konferenza mnebbħa mill-ktieb il-Poter tal-Kelma

Mother’s Day mass 14 May

The Maltese New Zealand community are holding a Mass on Sunday 14 May (Mother’s Day) at 12noon at Our Lady of Fatima church, Tawa to remember members of their community who have passed away in New Zealand.

The celebrant will be Fr Michael Bellizzi For further info, one should contact Tony - Email: malta assn@hotmail com

Between May 1 and 13, thirty-seven countries, 36 of them members of the European Broadcasting Union, EBU, including Malta, will be taking part in the week leading to the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, which is to be hosted by the United Kingdom in the city of Liverpool. Australia will again be the odd ones out They are not a European country but have been participating since 2015

Three countries that took part in last year ’s Eurovision event, Bulgaria, Montenegro and North Macedonia will not participate this year

After the victory of Kalush Orchestra in Turin in 2022, Ukraine should traditionally host this year ’s Song Contest But due to Russia's invasion of the country, the contest cannot be held in Ukraine. Instead, EBU, the organisers, have entrusted the task to the United Kingdom, and specifically to the city of Liverpoo and BBC

This city is regarded as a UNESCO City of Music, and in 2008 was also the European Capital of Culture The Eurovision Song Contest will be held at the Liverpool Arena.

The Eurovision week includes: the first Semi-final on Tuesday 9 May, the second on Thursday 11 May, and the Grand Final on Saturday 13 May.

Ukraine and the Big-5 countries (Germany, France, Italy, Spain and United Kingdom) are pre-qualified for the Grand Final The rest of the countries have been allocated to one of the two semi-finals with 10 countries from each qualifying for the Grand Final that will feature a total of 26 countries, that is, 10 from each semi, the “Big-5” and last year ’s winners, Ukraine

Malta’s representatives in the first Semifinal will be The Busker who earned the right after winning the Song for Europe event with their song Dance (Our Own Party). They will sing second in the running order The others in their semi are, Norway, Serbia, Latvia, Portugal, Ireland, Croatia, Switzerland, Israel, Moldova, Sweden, Azerbaijan, Czech, Netherlands and Finland

Those making up the second Semi-final will be: Denmark, Armenia, Romania, Estonia, Belgium, Cyprus, Iceland, Greece, Poland, Slovenia, Georgis, San Marino, Austria, Albania, Lithuania, Australia

Many keep asking: why are Australia allowed to perform when they are not a European nation, and not members of EBU?

Australia will participate with the song "Promise" to be performed by Voyager Australia’s Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) has broadcast the Eurovision Song Contest since 1983, and the contest has gained a cult following over that time, primarily due to the country's strong political and cultural ties with Europe. Paying tribute to this, the 2014 contest semi-finals included an interval act featuring Australian singer Jessica Mauboy.

Australian singers have also participated at Eurovision as representatives of other countries, including Olivia Newton-John (1974, United Kingdom), two-time winner Johnny Logan (1980 and1987, Ireland), Gina G (1996, United Kingdom), and Jane Comerford as lead singer of Texas Lightning (2006, Germany).

Tying in with the goal of Eurovision – to showcase “the importance of bringing countries together to celebrate diversity, music and culture”, the 2015 theme of “Building Bridges”, and arguing that they could not hold “the world's biggest party” to celebrate the 60th edition of Eurovision without inviting Australia, the EBU an-

Pation In The 2023 Contest

Since its inc e p t i o n , 69 songs w r i t t e n by 139 s o n gw r i t e r s h a v e won the E u r o v is i o n

S o n g

C o n t e s t , an ann u a l competition or- g a n i s e d by members of the European Broadcasting Union The contest, which has been broadcast every year since its debut in 1956 (with the exception of 2020), is one of the longest-running television programmes in the world

The contest's winner has been determined using numerous voting techniques throughout its history; centre to these have been the awarding of points to countries by juries or televoters The country awarded the most points is declared the winner. The first contest was not won on points, but by votes (two per country), and only the winner was announced nounced on 10 February 2015 that the country would compete at that year's edition as a special guest participant

Along with the “Big 5” (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom), and the host country of Austria, Australia was given automatic entry into the final to “not reduce the chances” of the semi-final participants.

On 17 November 2015, the EBU announced that SBS had been invited to participate in the 2016 contest and that Australia would once again take part, however they would have to qualify for the final from one of two semi-finals and could only vote in the semi-final in which the nation was competing

Then on 12 February 2019, SBS signed a contract securing Australia's spot at the contest until 2023. In 2022, on 20 October 2022, SBS confirmed Australia's partici-

There have been 66 contests, with one winner each year except the tied 1969 contest, which had four Twenty-seven countries have won the contest Switzerland won the first contest in 1956. The country with the highest number of wins is Ireland, with seven The only person to have won more than once as performer is Ireland's Johnny Logan, who performed "What's Another Year" in 1980 and "Hold Me Now" in 1987

Logan is also one of only five songwriters to have written more than one winning entry ("Hold Me Now" in 1987 and "Why Me?" in 1992, performed by Linda Martin) This makes Logan the only person to have three Eurovision victories to their credit, as either singer, songwriter or both

The other four songwriters with more than one winning entry to their credit are Willy van Hemert (Netherlands, 1957 and 1959), Yves Dessca (Monaco, 1971 and Luxembourg, 1972), Rolf Løvland (Norway, 1985 and 1995) andBrendan Graham (Ireland, 1994 and 1996)