Peppi Azzopardi likens Jean Paul Sofia’s mother’s grief to Our Lady of Sorrows

Mar 31 2023

Holding up an image of the late Jean Paul Sofia and his mother, Isabella Bonniċi, Xarabank TV host Peppi Azzopardi wrote on social media that the Lady of Sorrows is still with us today.

Today, the 31st of March, many Maltese Catholics will be remembering Mary, Mother of Jesus, under her title as ‘Our Lady of Sorrows’ ahead of Good Friday and Easter celebrations.

The feast commemorates the sorrow felt by the mother of Jesus upon the loss of her son via crucifixion as is taught in Christian, in this case Catholic, doctrine and faith.

The TV host likened the sorrow felt by Mary to the pain currently being felt by Isabelle, the mother of Jean Paul, who sadly lost his life in a tragic incident in Corradino after a building collapsed and took his life.

The tragedy prompted many to protest not just for better infrastructural measures but also the publicising of the inquiry into the death following the announcement by the government that it will not be made public.

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Is Cisk actually teasing a beer fountain?

Mar 31 2023

Beloved Maltese beer brand took to social media to tease a literal beer fountain, posting an image of blueprints in the making.

Of course, April Fool’s Day is literally just around the corner, but even if this turns out to be the perfectly thought out joke, we couldn’t help but imagine what a beer fountain would look like?

‘Who needs a water fountain when you can have a free-flowing Cisk fountain’ the brand wrote.

From the design, the fountain would be something to behold, featuring the iconic horse crafted into a statue with beer sprouting from its head. All that’s left is to decide where to situate the fountain.

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Scheme to promote good use of Maltese language & culture in newspapers launched

Mar 31 2023

The Ministry for National Heritage, the Arts, and Local Government has launched a scheme for printed newspapers through the Arts Council with the aim of promoting the good use of Maltese language and culture in newspapers.

Minister for the National Heritage, the Arts, and Local Government Owen Bonnici stated that “through such an initiative we are promoting the Maltese language and its correct use, whilst also continuing the dissemination of more information and knowledge on the arts, culture, and creative sectors in the various languages.

“We are addressing a need and encouraging more recognition of the sectors and their role in the wellbeing of our society by making them more accessible”.

Arts Council Malta’s Director of Funding and Strategy, Mary Ann Cauchi, said, “Arts Council Malta is working together with the ministry to continue creating more synergies within the sector, to further strengthen it as a platform, and also to let the public know about opportunities offered within the cultural and creative sector, whilst also creating more awareness.”

The scheme is divided into two strands.

Strand 1 aims at supporting linguistic services for print newspapers in the Maltese language. Newspapers published in Maltese will benefit from financial support for linguistic development, including orthography and the improvement of journalistic expression in terms of style, clarity, syntax, and semantics.

With a budget of €150,000, each project is eligible for a maximum amount of €30,000.

Strand 2 aims at supporting expenditure for the creation of regular arts, culture, and heritage content designed to disseminate knowledge to readers about cultural aspects via features, articles, and pictorial material in view of promoting events and projects to attract new audiences.

With a budget of €250,000, each project is eligible for a maximum amount of €30,000. The fund may cover up to 100% of total project costs, with a maximum eligible timeframe for project implementation of 12 months.

The deadline for the call is May 23, 2023, at noon, with results being published on July 4. The eligible timeframe is from July 5, 2023, to July 4, 2024.

White Storks roosting in Malta safely guarded by police & BirdLife

Mar 31 2023

BirdLife Malta took to social media to announce the arrival of circa 47 White Storks (Ċikonja Bajda in Maltese) that arrived over Comino and settled in two different locations in Malta.

BirdLife Malta requested aid from the Malta Police Force to keep watch over them ‘given the high risk these birds pose for illegal hunting and taxidermy purposes.’

‘Currently the hunting season is closed, and any shots fired at any location or time of day should be reported’ the NGO stated. In an update post, it was revealed that around 2130hrs, three shots were fired from two locations in the vicinity of their current Wied iz-Ziju roosting area.

It was reported that a witness who saw two persons acting suspiciously near the scene of the shooting also alerted the police.

Various Rapid Intervention Units blocked a road and apprehended the individuals who have been questioned.

‘The number of remaining storks was not immediately clear after the events of last night. However, following further investigations, as at 9am this morning only 33 storks out of the initial flock of around 50 are accounted for. It seems that the highly-protected birds dispersed in small roosts and this morning two different flocks of six and 13 birds were observed taking off, and were later joined by another 14. The White Storks continue to roam the Maltese Islands.’

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Photo Source: Sæřæh Cæmîłł, Bird Life Malta