Malta to send six containers of medicines to Ukraine as donations open

Mar 12 2022

The Maltese government will be aiding the Ukrainian people during the invasion of their country by Putin’s Russia by sending six containers packed with medicines and other medical equipment.

Simultaneously, the government will be accepting donations from the Maltese public to help those affected by the war. The government revealed in a statement that it is committed to providing official aid to address the needs and the crisis in Ukraine.

The Ministry for Foreign and European Affairs and the Ministry for Home Affairs, National and law Enforcement will be sending six large containers with a value of over €1.15 million in medicines and equipment.

These were provided by the Ministry for Health, the Malta Chamber of Pharmacists and St Thomas Hospital. The Civil Protection Department are coordinating the effort to address the immediate needs of the Ukrainians.

People can still help the cause however, as anyone who wishes to do so can make a financial contribution to the Official Development Assistance fund which is dedicated to this specific crisis.

To ensure that the funds are distributed where required, a bank account administered by the Foreign Affairs Ministry has opened for anyone who wishes to donate. Donators are asked to provide details so as to receive an acknowledgement note.

The government issued gratitude in advance to those individuals and groups who contributed or will be doing so as every little bit of support helps alleviate the suffering caused by the war.

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European champions Chelsea running out of money

Mar 12 2022

Over the past few days, European champions Chelsea have been quickly running out of money after the UK government announced that Russian owner Roman Abramovich had all of his assets seized. This comes after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Abramovich’s close ties to Russia president Vladimir Putin.

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This news has left the London based club not being able to sign or sell players, renew contracts and sell merchandise and tickets. This essentially means that Chelsea will not have any income in the coming future. To add salt to wounds various sponsors such as shirt sponsor Three UK have suspended their partnerships with the club.

This also means that the club can’t be currently sold even though that was the intention of Abramovich only a couple of days ago. According to various British reports with no money able to come into the team, and without Abramovich being able to sell, they could in theory be out of money in just 17 days time.

The Blues will now hold talks with the UK government to see if any sanctions regarding the club can be soften in order for the club to be run normally. As of right now the only fans able to see matches at Stamford Bridge will be season ticket holders. The club might be allowed to be sold if the Russian can prove that the sale will not be benefitting him.

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Rita Ellul’s partner spontaneously admits to strangling her during cigarette break

Mar 12 2022

The man who stands accused of murdering partner Rita Ellul in Gozo last month confessed to the police that he strangled her due to him thinking she was cheating on him.

The confession came spontaneously while the accused was smoking a cigarette as he waited to enter the interrogation room, police inspector Kurt Zahra revealed.

Lawrence Abina, a 30-year-old from Ghana, stands charged with the murder of 49-year-old Rita Ellul on the 26th of February 2022. Ellul was discovered dead in an Ghajnsielem apartment in Triq Dun Frangisk Mizzi last month.

Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech was told that despite there being no signs of violence on her body or any signs of altercations inside the apartment, autopsy concluded that the cause of death was asphyxiation due to pressure around the neck.

The accused and the victim had been in a relationship, with Ellul crossing over to Gozo frequently to spend time in his apartment.

Inspector Ellul said it was Abina who called 112 on February the 26th, claiming he found her dead in bed after he arrived from work. He said he last spoke to her before leaving for work at 7am.

Inspector Zahra revealed that while waiting for the second interrogation, Abina asked to go smoke a cigarette after which he spontaneously admitted to killing Ellul. Bursting into tears, Abina said that he did it because she was cheating on him. He also revealed that he thought of killing her the previous evening.

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Photo Source: Times of Malta

Student wanted to ask Bernard Grech if he still felt Greek moderator reveals

Mar 12 2022

Following the University debate, which was, suffice to say, an event which received much social media attention, the moderator revealed what the ‘inappropriate question’ intended to ask.

During the debate, moderator and 5th year law student Yasmine Ellul picked out questions from a box which the students had submitted to ask the political leader.

One of the very first questions picked was immediately put to the side due to it being inappropriate and not relevant to the debate. Speaking to Newsbook, Ellul revealed that the question wanted to ask whether Bernard Grech felt Greek anymore.

The question was in reference to a 2020 story wherein Bernard Grech allegedly stated that he pretended to be Greek when abroad as he felt ashamed of what Malta had become due to corruption.

Grech had denied that he felt ashamed to be Maltese, saying that this is yet another spin by the Labour government to tarnish his reputation as leader of the Opposition. He said he did so because his surname Grech is close to the word Greek and makes it easily believable.

However, he had also said that he could not defend the Prime Minister and his clique and was afraid of what people would say if they found out he was Maltese. The moderator revealed that if she asked the question, the students would not have learned anything from it and so, she decided to skip the question.

Following the debate, Yasmine revealed that she felt grateful for the opportunity and all the positive messages she received for her leading of the debate. The debate itself saw the two main party leaders going head to head for the first time in public since Abela was anointed Prime Minister.

It was also the subject of much criticism after many students chanted party catchphrases such as ‘Viva Labour’ or Nazzjonalisti’ and even booed some politicians, including Grech himself.

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