Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1195815
8 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 22 DECEMBER 2019 NEWS era.org.mt Environment & Resources Authority Hexagon House, Spencer Hill, Marsa. The Authority would like to no fy its clients and the public that its offices will be closed from the 23rd December 2019 un l the 1st January 2020, both days included. Documents may s ll be submi ed during the shutdown period and acknowledgements will be mailed out a er the 2nd January 2020. The Authority will s ll be rendering the following services from its offices at Hexagon House, Spencer Hill, Marsa during its shutdown: Assistance in compila on of Applica ons for Waste Carriers can be provided on Monday 23rd December, Friday 27th December and Monday 30th December, 2019 from 9am un l 12:30pm at ERA's offices. CITES Office/Payments for CITES & TFS will be accepted on Monday 23rd December, Friday 27th December and Monday 30th December 2019 from 10am un l noon at ERA's offices. In case of perishable goods, live specimens, and pharmaceu cals, applicants can call 2292 3500 and select Op on 3. This service is available throughout this period between 6am and 6pm Monday to Friday, except for Christmas and New Year's Day. Payments for Annex VI may be made on Monday 23rd December, Thursday 26th December and Monday 30th December 2019 from 08:30am un l noon at ERA's offices. Waste Shipments (Movement only): Monday 23rd December, Thursday 26th December and Monday 30th December 2019 from 08:30am un l noon at ERA's offices. In case of customs inspec ons applicants must call 24 hours in advance on clearances for emergency movements of animals and plants, including from the EU: Clients are to call the number 2292 3500 and select Op on 1 to inform the authority of such movements. An email must then be sent to ceu.nature@era.org.mt with the relevant transport details well in advance, including: flight/vessel number and departure point; place and me of landing; and importer's details. To report an Environmental Emergency Case the Authority can be contacted on telephone number: 2292 3500 and then selec ng Op on 2, between 6am and 11pm throughout this period except for Christmas and New Year's Day. The Chairman, Board Members, Management and Staff at the Environment and Resources Authority wish everyone a Peaceful Christmas and a Prosperous New Year LAURA CALLEJA CHILDREN'S expectations are running high as Christ- mas Day edges closer, and undoubtedly the stress to buy the latest and trendiest toy for the kids is also high. But little seems to have changed over last year's con- tinued trend for collectable toys. Stephania Buhagiar, mar- keting and commercial execu- tive for Junior Toy Stores, told MaltaToday that for the third consecutive year, collectable toys have been flying off the shelves. Karl Camilleri, the owner of The Model Shop agreed, say- ing collectable toys have been a phenomenon on a scale the toy market has never seen be- fore. "Even though LOL Sur- prise were big last Christmas, and even the year before that, this year they'll be a big-ticket item again." Toys such as LOL Surprise have become a phenomenon: the hard-plastic circular ob- ject, usually covered in a fair amount of glitter, carries in- side it small collectable toys, which in some of the lines, allow kids to assemble their own dolls. Typically, there are Collectable toys still a Christmas hit Political crisis still dampens shopping mood, say toy store owners KARL AZZOPARDI TAXI service companies are ex- pecting a positive festive week, despite the less celebratory Christmas in Malta. While the political crisis has dampened the usual Christmas cheer, Malta's burgeoning taxi industry, whose smartphone apps allow clients to book al- most instant pick-ups, say sales are still stead. ECabs chief marketing officer Simon Debono said the compa- ny's projections look positive till the end of the year, a sentiment shared among other cab compa- nies. A John's Garage representa- tive said the company was nearly fully-booked for Christmas and New Year, despite a slight drop in sales over the last weeks of the crisis. "During the last week of November, we did see a slight reduction in sales, but we were able to recover, and our forecasts are already looking positive and we are expecting numbers to grow," he said. Dillon Spiteri, owner of new- ly-opened Bonju Cabs, said his fledgling company has already registered a large number of cus- tomers for Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. All companies said the increase in users can be attributed to an improved culture surrounding drink driving. "It shows a good level of maturity that the mar- ket is experiencing in an ever- increasing culture of grabbing a cab and the convenience that this gives. A more educated mar- ket takes the right decisions in terms of drink-driving," eCabs' rep Simon Debono said. Last year, the government slashed alcohol limits in an effort to curb drink-driving. The legal blood alcohol content limit was cut from 0.08g of alcohol per li- tre of blood to 0.05g for all driv- ers, while stricter limits were ap- plied for motorcyclists and new drivers. Transport Malta has al- ready launched its drink driving campaign, in an effort to better educate drivers in not driving after consuming alcohol during festivities. "I think people have started to realise that with all the expenses that they have during this time of the year, that extra €10 isn't that bad," Dillon Spiteri said. "While the country has improved its mentality on drink-driving, I still see people resorting to driving their personal vehicles under the influence during the rest of the year. I appeal to the police to start carrying out road-blocks more frequently, as I feel it is the only way people are truly de- terred from drink-driving." Drink-driving awareness is good news for taxis DAVID HUDSON CYBERBULLYING is alarm- ingly widespread, and social media and online comment boards are replete with the lan- guage of hate, the anti-bullying charity bBrave said. In a scenario of driven parti- sanship in Malta, bBrave said hateful comments often stem from individuals moulding their views according to the political category they sorted themselves in. "Politics will likely always remain divisive, but a mature society should be able to rise above odious behaviour. We are witnessing everything from insults to death threats, and un- equivocal incitement to hatred. Cyberbullying has reached new heights, and it is no achieve- ment to be proud of," the NGO said. "We have been carefully ob- serving society's reactions to the current political turmoil that has hit Malta... we are constantly observing so much hate being spread in the Mal- tese community. We must stop moulding our views accord- ing to the political category we have sorted ourselves in. There is no us and them. We are but one nation, one big family, so why must we constantly strike at each other?" bBrave wrote. Even Dutch MEP Sophie in 't Veld during a visit she paid to Malta on a fact-finding mission on the rule of law in the coun- try said that Malta was a victim of "bipartisan toxicity", an issue which should be addressed as quickly as possible. Last November bBrave launched a national anti-bul- lying week in Malta, targeting schools and youth organisa- tions. The NGO said that hate- related bullying has shot up over the past few weeks, a good portion of which amounts to criminal behaviour. "This behaviour cannot be eradicated if the perpetrators believe that their bullying con- duct will go unpunished. It is in the public interest to have the peace of mind that crimes are investigated and prosecuted. "If you truly cherish your country, do something good today for the betterment of so- ciety." Bullying NGO's warning over online vitriol