Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher to match $3 million in Ukrainian refugee donations

Mar 6 2022

Stars Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher have pledged to match ip to $3 million in donations to support fleeing Ukrainian refugees after the Russian invasion.

The couple have kicked off a Stand With Ukraine GoFundMe page, aiming to raise $30 million for organisations which provide help to Ukrainians fleeing their homes.

Mila Kunis, born to a Jewish family, had fled Soviet Ukraine to the USA back in 1991 before making her TV debut around seven years later at the age of 14. Posting a video to instagram with Kutcher, she went on to say;

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A post shared by Ashton Kutcher (@aplusk)

‘I have always considered myself a proud American. But today I’ve never been more proud to be a Ukrainian. The events that have unfolded in Ukraine are devastating.’

Kutcher added that as they witness the bravery of the people of the country that she was born in, they are also witnessing the needs of those who have chosen safety.

The donations by the couple will be going towards freight transporter Flexport and non-profit Airbnb.org, with the former organising shipments of relief supplies to refugee sites across Eastern Europe and the latter providing free, short-term housing arrangements for refugees escaping conflict.

Kunis and Kutcher described the Ukrainians as brave and strong, but in need of help as any other human being. This follows another Hollywood couple, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, matching donations to Ukrainians up to $1 million.

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Scrap Wied Żnuber miniature airstrip say activists and residents

Mar 5 2022

Birżebbuġa residents and farmers, accompanied by activists, have called for the plans of a miniature airstrip in Wied Żnuber to be scrapped.

A press conference held on Saturday by those involved in the protest described the shock at the plans which ere announced on 12th February. The plans include the construction of an airstrip by the valley and cliffs of the area in an agreement between government agency INDIS and an airplane model association.

The protesters said the project was done in secret without public consultation, and is believed to have major environmental and social impacts. The activists said that official plans have not been published and an application for development is yet to be filed. However, indications are clear, they said, that the airstrip would cover 44 acres of natural and agricultural land (around seven football grounds).

Requiring extensive landfills to accommodate a long tarmac strip and clubhouse, the project would also increase incessant noise of model remote control airplanes which would compromise the serenity of the valley and cliffs.

This would also have impacts on habitats of threatened species of bird, the Scopoli’s and Yelkouan Shearwaters as well as threaten historical remains such as a dolmen, a military shelter, ancient water canals and prehistoric recipients used in burial rites.

It was said that an alternative site could be found for the project which would have less of a negative impact on the people and the environment. According to the activists the site is cited in the Local Plan as part of an industrial area, which does not reflect the true conditions of an area located right by the valley and the surrounding cliffs.

‘This project will continue to burden the south by robbing it of the ecologically sensitive and socially important sites of Wied Żnuber and surrounding areas. We therefore call for the immediate dissolution of the plan and a change in the Local Plan that would see the site become an ODZ’ they said.

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Photo Source: Moviment Graffiti

Ghasri mayor in first political speech since PN resignation

Mar 5 2022

Giving his first official political speech, Ghasri mayor Daniel Attard spoke about his decision to join the Labour Party after resigning from the Opposition.

Receiving a massive applause by Labour Party supporters, Attard went on to discuss how Robert Abela’s administration looks after the underdog and the little guy.

Attard said that in his experience, the Labour Party follows a similar philosophy to his – one of cooperation, respect and love. The mayor said that Abela recognised the good in Ghasri as well as other areas, people and institutions, and strengthened all of it.

Attard had resigned from the Nationalist Party last February, just after posting a photo of himself with the Prime Minister. The rumours had already started circulating after the photo was shared to social media, culminating in Attard’s speech in the political rally in Sannat, Ghawdex.

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New hospital with 400 beds in Gozo pledged by Bernard Grech

Mar 5 2022

Speaking at a political rally, Opposition leader Bernard Grech pledged that a Nationalist Party in government would introduce a new hospital for Gozo which constitutes up to 400 beds.

The PN leader revealed that following the termination of agreements of privatisation with Steward Healthcare, the Nationalist Party pledges to carry out a ‘massive developmental capital project’ to bring a new general hospital.

The bed is set to include up to 400 beds, making healthcare and other vital services for the Gozitan people. In the same rally, Grech pledged a new ship for the Gozo channel to increase connectivity. Grech said that Gozitans are not second class citizens and thus deserve the best services.

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