Britons may have to take COVID-19 jabs for the next 10 years

Jun 23 2021

Head of NHS Providers Chris Hopson said that vaccine top-ups may be a thing for an entire decade as health chief Matt Hancock started to prepare plans for an autumn booster shot. Hopson warned that the country needs to move away from being ‘reactionary’ to COVID-19 and start planning ahead. He said that COVID-19 vaccines are going to be needed on annual basis for ‘five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10 years.’

The government was also called on to give the health service time to plot out potential COVID-19 vaccine booster campaigns. The campaigns need to become ‘business as usual’ instead of ‘emergency responses’. The Health Secretary also said that officials were waiting on government funded trials into whether mixing different jab gives better protection.

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Photo Source: France 24

WWII war shelter discovered in Sliema Annunciation Square

Jun 23 2021

Work on Sliema’s Annunciation Square have unearthed entrances to an air-raid shelter. An inspection team from the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage will decide on how to preserve the shelter. Sliema mayor Anthony Chircop stated that the council was insisting that the shelter will be surveyed to ensure it remains safely intact, along with preservation as part of the country’s heritage.

The council would not however be asking for the subterranean chamber to be opened up for the public. A decision on how to best close it off after certifying its soundness would have to be taken. Another shelter in Dingli Circus is already in the care of the local council, but it is riddled with problems such as flooding.

The mayor said that what was important was that the shelter was surveyed to determine whether the structure could support whatever happened above it on the ground. Architect Edward Said has also asked for a proper land and archeological survey of the underground structure. He maintains that the entrance should be left accessible rather than closed off, as this would render it forgettable.

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Photo Source: Times of Malta

Man arrested for possessing €100,000 worth of cocaine

Jun 23 2021

The Anti-Drug Squad, assisted by Rapid Intervention Unit officers, arrested a 32-year-old man from Valletta for drug trafficking. After days of surveillance, police stopped a car in Triq Borg, Birkirkara yesterday and engaged in a search of the vehicle. Around 1.8kg of a white substance as well as an unspecified amount of cash was discovered.

The street value of the drug, allegedly cocaine, was deemed to reach up to €100,000. Magistrate Dr Natasha Galea Sciberras LL.D was informed of the case and opened an inquiry. The man is expected to be taken to court today at around 14:15 as the police investigation continues.

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Photo Source: Malta Police Force Communications

Finance Minister Air Malta’s lease of more expensive aircraft

Jun 23 2021

Confirming that Air Malta was leasing the newer Airbus A320neo models, Finance Minister Clyde Caruana strongly defended the decision, insisting that the leasing is the economically sensible option. The new airbus was leased over the A320 models which were far cheaper to lease. The Minister defended the decision in reply to a parliamentary question by Nationalist MP Jason Azzopardi, who maintained that it cost Air Malta over €300,000 monthly to lease the A320neos.

Caruana did not confirm or deny whether the PN MP’s figures were correct, but simply stated that Air Malta was leasing aircrafts at market rates which were being independently verified. Caruana did however maintain that the new aircraft, with NEO standing for new engine option, were more efficient and consumed less fuel. He added that they also produced far less noise than their older counterparts, thus reducing the noise charges paid by Air Malta each time a landing is made.

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Photo Source: Clyde Caruana FB, Air Malta