18-year-old suspect charged rape after arrest on board flight to Poland

Feb 28 2022

An 18-year-old man was charged with rape after a last minute arrest on board a flight which was about to leave Malta.

The Polish teen was arraigned before magistrate Ian Farrugia this morning by Vice Squad Inspector John Spiteri and assisted by prosecutors Angele Vella and Jean-Paul Attard from the office of the Attorney general.

The teen was charged with rape, illegal arrest and committing non-consensual sexual acts on his female victim. The incident happened back on the 25th of February, with the accused being identified from CCTV footage collected by police in Paceville.

Investigators were informed to move fast after receiving information that the teen was about to leave the islands on a flight to Poland. Officers subsequently boarded the aircraft and took the accused into custody. In court, the Pole pleaded not guilty, with his lawyer requesting bail. However, the court turned down this request.

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Peaky Blinders returns with touching tribute to late Helen McCrory

Feb 28 2022

The final season of Peaky Blinders is here at last, and it was known that it was going to be sad and bizarre watching the show without the performances of Helen McCrory as matriarch Polly Gray.

The actor tragically passed away last year at the age of just 52, following a private battle with cancer. However, her presence lived on in the first episode of season six.

The show picked up where the last season left off. Tommy Shelby, played by fan-favourite Cillian Murphy, is told over the phone that his aunt Polly has been killed and her body delivered to his home.

The ensuing act has reportedly made fans bawl their eyes out as in a beautifully shot funeral scene, Polly is laid to rest alongside her portrait. As the camera pans between the grief-stricken faces of family members, the fire blazes and we follow the smoke up in the air as her eyes can be seen looking down from the sky.

Social media was subsequently filled with references to the wonderful but somber scene, with many saying that the way the cast and crew worked around the untimely passing was absolutely touching and genius.

It seems as though the death of her character will guide the story arc for the final series, as her son Michael holds Tommy accountable for her death. Indeed, the cast has confirmed that McCrory will remain very present in the show.

Most of the cast have also claimed that making the show without her was very difficult, but her memory will live on through all of them. Were it not for the pandemic, the star could have finished the final season with her colleagues. RIP Helen.

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Karin Grech Hospital told to refuse new admissions over staff shortage

Feb 28 2022

The Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses (MUMN) warned that it will tell staff at Karin Grech Hospital to refuse new admissions if the health authorities do not deploy new nurses.

In a statement issued on Monday, the MUMN said that it would introduce the directives for its members on Tuesday unless more staff are sent to the rehabilitation hospital.

The union said that ‘Karin Grech Hospital caters for highly dependent patients who require exhaustive nursing care. Having such a hospital with 45 nursing vaccines, the high burnout and huge stress on the few nursing staff in KGH to cope with the demands of the patients under their care is not acceptable in any Rehabilitation Hospital.’

Stating that such low numbers caused high levels of burnout and stress, the MUMN said the Health Division failed to replace foreign nurses who left.

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Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively pledge to match up to $1 million donations for Ukrainians

Feb 28 2022

Hollywood stars Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds have pledged to match every donation up to $1 million for refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine. Posting to Twitter on Saturday, Reynolds, known mostly for his role as Deadpool, said that;

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A post shared by Ryan Reynolds (@vancityreynolds)

‘In 48 hours, countless Ukrainians were forced to flee their homes to neighbouring countries. They need protection. When you donate, we’ll match it up to $1,000,000, creating double the support.’ With Reynolds promoting donations to the United Nations refugee agency, Gossip Girl star Lively posted a UNHCR photo on instagram showing a child and saying the agency is providing life saving aid.

The couple are known for making several donations, with many of them reaching millions. Earlier this month, the couple donated another $1 million to Feeding America and Good Banks Canada amid the pandemic.

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A post shared by Blake Lively (@blakelively)

Ukrainians crowded onto trains and waited in long lines for hours to leave the country after Russia invaded Ukraine. With around 368,000 refugees managing to leave, the EU commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson said that the EU needs to prepare for millions to arrive. The UN agency said that because of years of violence, more than 2 million people had left Ukraine even before Russian troops invaded last week. Around 3 million people in Ukraine will need humanitarian aid just this year.

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