Newsbook
University of Malta
An agreement has been signed between the Faculty of Theology at the University of Malta and the Archdiocese of Malta providing for a house located at the entrance of the Archbishop’s Seminary in Tal-Virtù, Rabat, to be used as a residence for student-priests from developing countries.
The two-storey house is currently being completely refurbished. It will be able to host up to five priests who would be reading for a Licentiate in Pastoral Theology at the Faculty of Theology in Malta. There are currently four student-priests reading for this degree, three of whom are from Zambia and one from Malawi, but they have been offered temporary accommodation by welcoming communities till the house is completed.
Updated 8pm
A team of University of Malta researchers has set off to unravel the little-known processes behind elusive tumours in the pituitary - a small gland under the brain.
This gland helps regulate hormones and various other processes in the body, so when a tumour develops there, patients may experience a wide spectrum of severe symptoms such as vision impairment and changes in metabolism.
The research is being made possible through a €1.2 million grant by the Emanuele Cancer Research Foundation Malta (ECRFM).
The university said that because of significant knowledge gap in the role of the immune system in pituitary tumours, academic Josanne Vassallo painstakingly set up a Maltese pituitary tumour tissue bank which has been in operation since the year 2000.
Academic training given to police officers will now be internationally recognised and accredited, following an agreement signed with the University of Malta.
The deal reached on Thursday with the Malta Police Force and the Academy for Disciplined Forces maps out academic training given to all members of the police, from that for constables (MQF level 4) to superintendent (MQF level 7).
It will also ensure members of the force can access the university library and virtual learning equipment and allow them the opportunity to participate in educational activities that are organised locally or abroad.
Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri said the deal will lay the groundwork for changes that are to be implemented over the next few years, as stipulated in the force’s transformation strategy.
Lecturers and staff at the University of Malta found themselves waiting in long queues on Wednesday, as a COVID-19 vaccination drive at the university s Msida campus got under way.
Lecturers who spoke to
Times of Malta while waiting said they turned up on time for their appointment but still found themselves waiting for over an hour. Others said they found two vaccination queues on campus, each leading to a separate vaccination hall. I’m not even sure I’m in the right queue, one said. Everyone’s at a loss.
One lecturer described the situation as total chaos and noted the lack of social distancing being observed in queues.
Dun Anton D’Amato has been appointed director of the Church’s migrant commission, replacing Mons. Alfred Vella who led the organisation for 17 years.
Vella has now been tasked with leading the Archdiocese of Malta’s marriage office.
D’Amato graduated with a law degree from the University of Malta in 2009 and went on to study for the priesthood two years later. He graduated with a theology degree in 2019, having been ordained as a priest one year prior. D’Amato started his pastoral work as the chaplain at the Junior College.
The migrant commission he now leads will also feature Ibtisam Sadegh, Etienne Fenech, Rachel Taylor-East, Marija Zahra and Rose-Anne Abdilla as members.