€85,480 collected during birthday telethon dedicated to Eddie Fenech Adami

Feb 7 2022

The ex-prime minister of Malta Eddie Fenech Adami turned 88 on Monday, and a special programme dedicated to the politician raised up €85,480 through a PN telethon.

The Opposition monetised the occasion, which looked back at Fenech Adami’s 27 years in charge of the Nationalist Party and another five years serving as President of Malta.

NET TV broadcasted the event, with Fenech Adami cutting his birthday cake, listening to a mass at Dar tal-Providenza and meeting current and ex-PN leaders Bernard Grech and Lawrence Gonzi.

Grech said that this sum clearly shows that those who donated are supporting the PN’s work and are following the PN’s message. He also said that the ‘symbolic present’ means people still have a space in their hearts for Fenech Adami, being the biggest donation received during activities of this kind.

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Photo Source: Bernard Grech FB

Billie Eilish stops concert to get one of her struggling fans an inhaler

Feb 7 2022

20-year-old pop star Billie Eilish stopped her Atlanta gig this weekend to make sure that one of her fans got the inhaler they needed. The fan allegedly got caught in a pit close to the front of the stage and appeared to need medical assistance. Eilish stopped the gig to ask the fan and then the rest of the audience to get an inhaler.

As venue security convened on the spot to assist, Billie directed the rest of the audience, telling them not to crowd around the fan and give her some time to recuperate. The gesture earned the young star massive praise, but comments which followed raised some controversy. Eilish said, after the whole ordeal was accounted for, that she waits for people to be OK before she keeps going.

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Many attributed this to be a jab towards the recent AstroWorld tragedy, which ended with several being crushed to death during the Travis Scott concert. Some however said that Eilish has been doing this for years and it was not meant as a jab at Scott. Others in turn defended Scott, comparing audience sizes and saying that the rapper couldn’t possibly know what was happening in his far larger crowd.

But, whatever the truth of the case may be, many still asked not to turn the kind gesture into a polemical issue and simply praise the 20-year-old for her consideration and awareness shown towards her fans.

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Man grievously injured in Luqa after being hit by car

Feb 7 2022

Police were informed yesterday evening at around 1900hrs of a traffic incident which happened in Triq Ħal Qormi, Ħal Luqa.

Police convened immediately on site, with preliminary investigations showing how a 55-year-old Ħal Balzan resident was hit by a Toyota Starlet driven by a 20-year-old Żejtun resident.

The victim was given aid by a medical team and taken to Mater Dei hospital via ambulance. He was certified as having suffered grievous injuries. Police investigations are still ongoing.

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Austria officially first EU country to make COVID vaccination mandatory

Feb 7 2022

Austrians over the age of 18 will have to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Saturday or face the possibility of a heavy fine. The new measure was adopted on January 20th by parliament and came into force last Saturday, a culmination of a process which began in November despite the heavy protest and resistance.

Despite the measure, vaccination in Austria has failed to rise, stagnating at levels below those of even France or Spain. Still, a small uptick in vaccination accumulating to 9% over the previous week was noted by a humanitarian association in Vienna. Almost all parties, except for some far-right parties, supported the measures. The new legislation passed with 137 votes in favour and 33 against it.

To date, 72% of Austrian residents have been fully vaccinated against the virus. This is in line with the European Union-wide average of just more than 70%. Under new law, after an initial ‘introductory’ phase, those holding against the jab can face fines of up to €3,600 from mid-March.

The measure applies to everyone over 18 except for pregnant women and those with medical exemptions. Government wants to cover everyone aged over 14, but this was voted against. Austria has seen almost 14,000 COVID related deaths so far, with 1.5 million cases in a population of around nine million.

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