Community police trained to tackle online risks facing children
Almost 150 community police officers have completed extensive training aimed at helping them respond more effectively to online abuse and support children in navigating the digital world safely. The training equipped officers with the knowledge and tools to understand the realities children face online and the risks associated with them. Government said this training would strengthen the police force’s ability to create an environment where children feel safe speaking up and seeking help. Officers were trained to identify risky online behaviour, respond with empathy and interview children in a child-friendly manner. They were also encouraged to take a preventive approach and promote safer digital practices in schools and communities. Police Commissioner Angelo Gafà said understanding children’s physical and online worlds was essential to preventing harm. (Times of Malta)
Court says Air Malta could not leave part-time workers without jobs or notice
Air Malta could not simply stop assigning shifts to long-serving part-time workers without formally informing them that their employment had ended, the Court of Appeal has ruled. The case involved five clerks who had regularly worked around 18 hours a week, with some having done so for as long as nine years. When the airline’s ground handling operations were transferred to an Italian operator in late 2022, the workers were assigned zero hours. Their IT access was shut off and airport security passes were returned, but Air Malta argued they had not been dismissed because their contracts allowed the airline to allocate between zero and 35 hours a week. The court rejected that argument, finding that the reality of the employment relationship mattered more than the contractual label of “casual” workers. Judge Lawrence Mintoff upheld the Industrial Tribunal’s ruling. (Maltatoday)
Annual inflation rate falls to 2.6 per cent in August
Malta’s annual inflation rate fell to 2.6 per cent in August, down from 2.7 per cent in July, according to figures published by the National Statistics Office. The NSO said the 12-month average inflation rate also stood at 2.6 per cent in August. The latest monthly decline follows the rate recorded in July, when annual inflation stood at 2.7 per cent. The largest contribution to annual inflation in August came from the Food Index, according to the NSO. The figures provide the latest snapshot of price pressures facing households and businesses, with food costs continuing to be among the main contributors to changes in Malta’s overall inflation rate. (TVM News)
