Malta suspends golden passport scheme for Russians and Belarusians

Mar 2 2022

Malta has officially suspended Russians and Belarusians from its cash-for-passports scheme.

The sudden stance change comes after recent developments when it comes to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The government said that due diligence checks cannot be carried out effectively.

‘Consequently, Community Malta Agency and Residency Malta Agency have suspended, until further notice, the processing of applications for the above-mentioned statuses from nationals of the Russian Federation and Belarus.’

This applies to both Malta’s citizenship-by-investment scheme as well as a residency through investment scheme which is renewed on a yearly basis. Renewal applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Both the US and the European Commission said this weekend that they would take measures to stop such golden passport sales to wealthy Russians as part of a list of sanctions agains the country. Malta resisted introducing this sanction at first.

The Nationalist Party commented on the move after having been very vocal about the need to suspend the scheme. The party said that Robert Abela did this out of convenience and that this proves the PN right. ‘He should have done this well before others told him what to do.’

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Here are some interesting proposals from Volt Malta’s 2022 manifesto

Mar 2 2022

Volt Malta have just published their electoral manifesto, and suffice to say it includes some very interesting (for some controversial) proposals.

The new progressive political party shall be contesting the eighth, ninth, tenth and eleventh districts, with two candidates currently revealed: Thomas ‘Kassandra’ Mallia and Alexia Debono.

Outline in 54 pages, the party has proposed, amongst other things, the decriminalisation of abortion and the legalisation of medical abortions up to the first trimester. Two abortions pills are also put up for accessibility as essential medicine as well as legalisation of surgical abortions in exceptional circumstances.

Volt also proposes the legalisation of voluntary passive euthanasia, voluntary indirect euthanasia and voluntary assisted dying. Involuntary and active euthanasia are to be illegal.

Volt are also proposing the regulation of the sex work industry, the legalisation of cooperative run-brothels, STD testing policies for workers, a fixed-term parliament, an end to two party-owned media, a Portuguese drug model and an increase for teacher’s salaries up to €30,000 yearly.

Here are some more proposals being made by Volt Malta:

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The reduction of business start-up costs to €1
A pause to the Malta-Gozo tunnel project
A revision of the 2006 local plans
Inclusion of all psychiatric medicine in the POYC scheme
Hazard pay for COVID front-liners
Increasing minimum wage to €1,100 over three years
Replacing maternity leave with 20 weeks of parental leave per parent.

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PN candidate recalls time woman mistook bookmark for memorial card during house visits

Mar 2 2022

General elections are associated with a lot of things. From mass gatherings to commemorative campaign tokens, electoral campaigns are the source of many memories for candidates & political fanatics alike.

In the Nationalist Party’s recent video feature ‘Ħerġin‘, PN candidate Ivan Castillo recalled the time a woman mistook his commemorative campaign bookmark for a memorial card. Telling the story, the 12th district candidate recollected a time when, during his house visits, he knocked on the door of a woman who was shocked at the very sight of him when opening. The woman reportedly distanced herself slightly from Castillo when welcoming him into her home, eventually stating that he looks just like a young man who passed away recently.

PNUpon showing him the ‘memorial card’, Castillo realised that the woman mistook his commemorative bookmark for a memorial card, remaining in disbelief when he told her that it is a bookmark.

After bursting into laughs at the hilarious situation, the woman told Castillo that she took quite a liking to him, eventually telling him “don’t worry, we’ve always voted Labour.” Still bewildered at the situation, Castillo thanked the woman and bid her farewell before continuing with his house visits.

Watch the full video here:

What would you have done?

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Ukrainian asylum seekers offered free accommodation by MHRA

Mar 2 2022

The Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA) is working to offer free accommodation to cover the quarantine period required by law for Ukraine asylum seekers.

Yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne announced that Ukrainians seeking asylum in Malta due to the invasion by Putin’s Russia, they would be exempt from COVID-19 regulations.

Ukraine is currently considered a dark red zone, meaning that travellers would required proof of residency or work permits in Malta to travel. However, Fearne revealed that the Ukrainians will only have to abide by quarantine rules.

Expressing their solidarity with the citizens of Ukraine, the members of the MHRA, along with their president Tony Zahra, said that they share the sorrow at the lives lost and the damage being cost.

‘In the same way that Maltese hoteliers provided beds to emergency and frontline workers during the pandemic, the hospitality sector is now ready and willing to provide support and show solidarity with Ukrainian refugees.’

Free accommodation covering the quarantine period required by law for the asylum seekers is being sought after by the hotel members of MHRA.

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