Party leaders to face off in debate today for first time at UOM

Mar 10 2022

The election campaign is well underway, with just over two weeks to go before the country heads to the polls to vote.

And today, 10th March 2022, Prime Minister Robert Abela, Opposition Leader Bernard Grech and three other party leaders will be participating in the first debate at noon.

Set to be held in Sir Temi Zammit Hall at the University of Malta, the debate is organised by the Malta University Debating Union which is a joint initiative between the UOM and the University Student’s Council.

Attendance was limited to UOM students and Junior College students, and it is expected that 550 will be attending as lectures will be suspended for the duration of the event.

Joining the two main party leaders are Carmel Cacopardo for ADPD, Paul Salomone for Partit Popolari and Ivan Grech Mintoff for Partit ABBA. This will be the first time Grech and Abela have debated outside parliament since the Prime Minister was appointed two years ago.

Arnold Cassola, an independent candidate, as well as Volt Malta, did not fit the criteria for the debate as they are not fielding candidates on all electoral districts. The debate is set to run for two hours, with each leader making opening statements.

It is set to be live-streamed on the Malta University Debating Union’s Facebook page as well as Campus FM. The moderator will be Yasmine Ellul, a fifth year law student, who will go on to ask questions about different themes.

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Labour pledges free gender reassignment surgery if elected

Mar 10 2022

Speaking during a political rally yesterday, Labour Party Deputy leader Daniel Micallef announced that gender reassignment surgeries would be provided for free under a new PL government.

Speaking in Siggiewi during another political rally alongside Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne, Micallef highlighted how the party wants to keep broadening the services to transgender people.

The announcement was accompanied by the reveal of a new centre for LGBTIQ+ services opening in Malta, with Micallef highlighting how Malta is already one of the most pioneering and safest places for the LGBTIQ+ community.

However, there is more work to be done he said and pledged to introduce more measures in support of the community. Micallef also unveiled that if elected into government, the Labour Party would initiate a mature national discussion on voluntary euthanasia for people with terminal illness as well as the opening of a new trade institute at MCAST.

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Panic buying of gas supplies following PM comments

Mar 10 2022

In just two days, the sale of gas cylinders almost doubled in unnecessary panic buying following comments by the Prime Minister.

According to Liquigas Malta sources, the run on liquified petroleum gas kicked off on Tuesday afternoon and intensified yesterday. This comes after Prime Minister Robert Abela said Malta was facing problems sourcing LPG.

Police had to be calling in at Pama Supermarket in Mosta yesterday where the LPG supplier had a fixed spot as traffic chaos ensued due to the rush. People were allegedly buying up to three cylinders at a time, with people turning up minutes later finding out they had run out.

Liquigas Malta issued a statement yesterday revealing that there was no reason to panic as the supply was sufficient and guaranteed. It claimed that it secured supplies of LPG to meet demand for the foreseeable future. The LPG supply by Liquigas was not from Russia, the company insisted.

Abela said that he had been told by an importer that difficulties were being faced in sourcing gas. With government working to identify solutions, Abela retracted the claims by saying that there was no LPG supply problem in the country.

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Threats to Russian Embassy lead to more security

Mar 9 2022

The Russian Embassy in Malta has been receiving threats since the invasion of Ukraine, leading to it requesting security outside its Kappara premises.

A senior government source confirmed this to Times of Malta, saying that just like other embassies around the island, it has military presence outside its gate. With more patrols in the area, armed soldiers and a Land Rover were spotted outside the embassy on Wednesday.

This comes after a protest was held outside the embassy on Tuesday, lead by Repubblika, who held a life size cardboard cut out of Russian president Putin dressed as Adolf Hitler.

Foreign minister Evarist Bartolo also met the Russian ambassador Andrey Lopukhov to explain Malta’s position.

‘We summoned the ambassador and explained the positions we are taking in the United Nations and the EU, namely that we do not agree with the use of force or invasions to force a country to change its borders or change its security arrangements.

We uphold the principles of the United Nations Charter in terms of sovereignty, independence and the peaceful resolution of conflicts and we made that very clear’ he said.

Bartolo revealed he was aware of the threats and violent messages, with police even intervening into the case. A notice on the door of the Russian Cultural Centre states that its premises have been temporarily closed to the public since March 3rd.

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Photo Source: Jonathan Borg (Times of Malta), Repubblika