Metsola awarded Ukrainian Order of Princess Olga by Zelenskyy

Apr 5 2022

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola was awarded the Ukrainian Order of Princess Olga by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The Order of Princess Olga is a Ukrainian civil decoration bestowed to women for personal merits in ‘state, production, scientific, educational, cultural, charity and other spheres of social activities, for upbringing children in families’.

Metsola had visited Kyiv and sat down to speak with Zelenskyy last week, making her the most senior EU official to visit Ukraine since the start of the invasion.

Taking to social media, Metsola said that she is honoured to receive it, as it means a lot to her personally. She said that it is symbolic of the special bond the European Parliament has with the Ukrainians.

‘We are with Ukraine today and we will be with them tomorrow’ she said. ‘Slava Ukraini!’

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Photo Source: Roberta Metsola FB

Man arrested for attacking pregnant partner with broom stick

Apr 5 2022

A 28-year-old man who was arraigned under arrest after being accused of beating his pregnant partner with a broom handle has pleased not guilty.

The man, a 28-year-old from Bormla, committed the act at the victim’s home in Valletta, with the defence alleging that the man had been attacked with a pair of scissors.

The man, whose name is subject to a court imposed reporting ban, appeared before magistrate Gabriella Vella this afternoon. He was accused of attempted grievous bodily harm, causing slight injury and attacking his partner with whom he is expecting a child.

The police had been called to the scene by bystanders on 3rd April, after the woman was seen running out of her home, screaming and bleeding from a head wound. The man was taken into custody, where he had told the police he had acted in self defence as the woman attacked him with a pair of scissors during an argument.

The accused had also suffered slight injuries, with the couple already being parents to other children. A plea of not guilty on behalf of the accused was issued, as well as a request for bail. The prosecution objected due to the risk of the accused tampering with evidence.

The inspector said the parties were still in communication, pointing out that the defendant was also accused of breaching previous bail conditions. The bail was request was later upheld, releasing the man from arrest on the condition that he does not contact prosecution witnesses.

He was also asked to sign a bail book three times a week and that he resides with his mother, who took witness stand to confirm her address in Bormla. The accused was forbidden from entering the street in Valletta where his partner resides. Bail was secured by a €1,000 deposit together with a personal guarantee of €5,000. A protection order in favour of the woman was also imposed.

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Woman spends $50,000 to clone her late dog three times

Apr 5 2022

A woman has spent upwards of $50,000 to clone her late dog, becoming one of the now growing number of pet owners investing in identical versions of animals.

Francesca Geertsma, who hails from Florida, was left ‘devastated’ after her dog Osa passed away from canine cognitive disorder in 2019.

Unable to let the dog go, she contacted a company which specialises in pet cloning. Just 18 months later, she was presented with three genetically identical clones of Osa.

The dogs were grown from cells taken from behind the ear of her original dog before her death. Francesca said that due to Osa being a mutt of five different breeds she knew it would be hard to find another similar dog.

Now, she is happily living with three genetic clones of her dog, Osana, Osaki and Osani. According to the BBC, pet cloning has been growing in popularity.

The company contacted by Francesca reported that it has cloned hundreds of pets for clients since it opened in 2015. The process is expensive however, costing from $30,000 for a cat and even $85,000 for a horse.

It is also somewhat controversial, with animal rights activists saying that cloned animals are more susceptible to disease with an average success rate of only around 20%. Some also highlighted how thousands of animals are in shelters around the world, urging people to adopt pets from these sanctuaries.

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Economy Minister looks forward to removing COVID from dictionary

Apr 5 2022

Speaking on Pjazza last night, Economy Minister Silvio Schembri stated that he looks forward to the day when the word COVID-19 will be removed from the dictionary.

Schembri highlighted how Malta has a strong economy which coped with the ramifications of COVID-19. ‘I look forward to the word ‘COVID’ not even being spoken about anymore’ he said.

He spoke about how the pandemic took so much away from us, and how much the people sacrificed. He said that the government want the people to be happy and to live normal lives.

‘Everything indicates that we’re heading in this direction but now let’s make sure that this electoral program that the people voted for is implemented’ he said.

This comes just as Deputy Prime Minister announces more health measure relaxations, introducing self-testing, the removal of masks in schools and even easing travel restrictions.

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