369 travellers sent to ‘quarantine hotel’ since start of tourism season

Jun 27 2021

Since the start of the tourism season on June 1, 369 individuals travelling to Malta have been sent to the government-approved Marina Hotel Corinthia Beach Resort in St. Julian’s to quarantine, as stated by the Health Ministry.

Travellers without the required COVID-19 documentation had to pay for a €120 PCR test and €100 for every night in the hotel, which had received the approval of Superintendent for Public Health Prof. Charmaine Gauci.

People arriving in Malta are required to present a recognised vaccine certificate or negative PCR test no more than 72 hours prior to their arrival, with Malta expected to start accepting UK vaccine passes after being added to the country’s travel green list this week.

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Maltese football fans annoyed at PBS blocking of RAI during Euro Match

Jun 27 2021

Football fanatics across Malta expressed their anger on Saturday night after Italian TV channel Rai was temporarily suspended during the highly-anticipated Euro 2020 match between Italy and Austria.

A notification was visible on stations from both service providers, stating that the channel was ‘temporarily suspended due to PBS right’, notifying viewers that they can watch the game on TVM.

This was the first time this tournament that providers prevented access to other channels, despite Malta’s PBS having exclusive rights for every Euro 2020 match within the territory of Malta.

Many expressed their dismay on social media, with politician Arnold Cassola calling the move ‘fascist’ while others stated that they will boycott TVM altogether.

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Viktor Frankl – The Psychiatrist that survived the Holocaust

Jun 26 2021

Viktor Emil Frankl, born 26th March 1905, was an Austrian psychiatrist who endured the horrors of the Holocaust. During his time moving from concentration camp to another, he managed to produce some of the most groundbreaking literature whilst also keeping himself and others alive to face the challenges forced upon them.

Frankl was the founder of the logotherapy school of psychiatry which focuses on a human’s search for meaning in life as the central human motivational force. It forms part of existential and humanistic psychology, and is considered the third most prominent school following that of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung.

Frankl published 39 books, with his most well-known work ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’ being based on his experiences in various Nazi concentration camps. Before this however, he organised youth counselling centres to address the high numbers of teen suicides occurring during his lifetime.

Just nine months after marrying his wife in 1942, Frankl and his family were sent to the Theresienstadt concentration camp. His father died there of starvation and pneumonia. Frankl was later taken to Auschwitz where his mother and brother were killed in gas chambers. He lost his wife to typhus.

Frankl spent three years in four different concentration camps. Following the war, he became head of the neurology department of the Vienna Polyclinic Hospital. His logotherapy school developed several ways of realising meaning in life for people. It also provided the foundational principles for the emerging field of positive psychology.

The winner of several awards and decorations for his work and determination, Frankl’s work ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’ became a best-selling book and has remained so to this day. Readers are treated to both encouraging and introspective philosophy, but also tremble at the harsh realities endured by prisoners in concentration camps.

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Things English doesn’t have words for but other languages do

Jun 26 2021

Gigil

The urge to hug something or being overwhelmed by intensely cute but unlikely scenarios; such as a dog and cat cuddling up together. The word comes from Tagalog, an Austronesian language spoken in Luzon, native to Philippines.

Schadenfreude

Do you ever get a feeling of satisfaction when something bad happens to another person and you feel bad about it but laugh nonetheless? Well, the Germans have a word for it – Schadenfreude. Schaden means ‘damage’ and freude means ‘joy.

Mencolek

The sneaky act of tapping someone on the opposite shoulder to get them to look in the wrong direction. An Indonesian word which captures a mischievous, yet basic, act.

Shouganai

This captures the essence of ‘meh, what can you do?’. Also existing as ‘Shikata ga nai’, the word shows a sense of resignation from a situation, accepting the fact that somethings just happen and cannot be changed.

Pena ajena

This Spanish word is very close to the concept of ‘cringe’. It basically means being embarrassed for someone else. Most of us have experienced this, curling our mouth and locking our teeth as someone does something extremely stupid.

Pana po’o”

If you scratched your head when trying to read this word, then you’ve done what it means! Well, not exactly. The Hawaiian refers to when someone scratches their head to remember something forgotten. The performative act of scratching the head seemingly helps one cope with forgetfulness.

Cavoli Riscaldati

This bizarre Italian term which literally translates to ‘reheated cabbage’ is used to refer the attempt to restart a failed relationship. The term highlights how completely messy, unworkable and all round bad idea this act truly is by comparing it to reheating a vegetable.

Razbliuto

Speaking of exes, this Russian word points to that feeling one has towards someone they once loved but no longer do. But hey, we’ll take this over any reheated cabbages any time soon.

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