Malta made it onto Russia’s list of ‘unfriendly’ nations along with all of EU

Mar 8 2022

Malta has made it on the Russian Federation’s list of nations and regions which it considers unfriendly as it continues the invasion of Ukraine. The statement was published on Monday afternoon, with the Russian government saying that it had approved a list of foreign states and territories which ‘commit unfriendly actions against Russia, Russian companies and citizens.’

Every single member state of the European Union was included on the list, along with countries and nations such as Australia, the UK, New Zealand, Canada, USA, Japan, Switzerland, Republic of Korea and of course Ukraine.

Malta’s government was called upon to stop the selling of Maltese passports to Russian elites as the invasion began, but this was not immediately accepted despite the public backlash. Following pressure, the cash-for-passport scheme was put on hold by the Prime Minister. This comes as several countries and nations introduce new sanctions in response to the invasion and the displacement of thousands of Ukrainian citizens.

The sanctions have seen the country’s economy receive a massive hit, with Reuters reporting that as of Monday, the rouble lost more than 40% of its value since the start of the year. Other sanctions have also seen the termination of service by the likes of Netflix and TikTok in Russia as well as the immediate halting of Russian vodka importation in several stores in Western nations.

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Photo Source: The Telegraph, NDTV

Clear the Labour Party don’t have an electoral plan says Bernard Grech

Mar 7 2022

During an interview, Bernard Grech once again claimed that the Labour Party do not have an electoral plan given the fact that they have not released an electoral manifesto.

Grech also went on to claim that the PL are copying from the manifesto of the Opposition, going on to quote a measure which, according to him, was directly copied by the Labour Party.

This was mirrored in some of the Opposition’s electoral posters which depicts the current prime minister making photocopies of their electoral manifesto.

The manifesto of the Labour Party is expected to be released next Friday and is expected to consist of a whopping 1000 electoral proposals. However, Grech has contentiously stated that this delay is evidence of the government’s lack of ideas and their unpreparedness.

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Cannabis law will not be retracted if PN win says Bernard Grech

Mar 7 2022

Speaking during an interview, Opposition leader Bernard Grech revealed that the cannabis law which was passed just recently will not be retracted if the Nationalist Party is elected to government.

Grech was asked about whether or not the conservative nature of the Nationalist Party on stances such as cannabis decriminalisation, abortion and other issues lead to a loss of votes from the youth.

Grech said that the PN is still very liberal and open about several issues and said that the law would not be taken away since it has passed.

However, he highlighted that the government would work tirelessly to make sure that the negative effects of the drug are minimised and that it does not become normalised in Maltese society.

He said that despite the bill passing, it does not make it easier for one to purchase marijuana safely. He therefore said that the issue is still problematic and will thus ensure it is done in an effective way.

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Roberta Metsola asks Russia to free all imprisoned protesters

Mar 7 2022

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola has called upon the Russian authorities to free all the anti-invasion protestors who demonstrated peacefully.

Calling them ‘unjustly detained,’ Metsola was speaking at the opening of the plenary session in Strasbourg. This comes as the shelling of Ukraine continues, with the number of casualties increasing daily.

Metsola said that ‘our outrage grows with every shell that is fired, as does Ukraine’s defiance and our people’s solidarity.’ She commended the Ukrainian population for their courage to stand up against Putin’s forces.

This also comes as Russia passed two new laws on the 4th of March which criminalises protesting and informing the war in ways that, according to Russia, spreads misinformation about their operation there.

However, Metsola said that Putin will find that the truth is not easily suppressed. On behalf of the European Parliament, she urged the authorities to allow freedom of expression and journalism, as well as to stop the intimidation of protestors and release all those detained.

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