President of Malta visits Maltese patients in London

Nov 23 2022

Currently, 48 Maltese patients are being given medical care in various specialised hospitals in London.

President of Malta George Vella and his wife Miriam Vella visited some of these same patients and met with various professionals who care for the cases of these patients.

The main aim, the president said, is to be close to the patients and their families during their most difficult moments. Accompanied by the Administrative Boardman Chairman of the Malta Community Chest Fund Sir John Huber, the President and his wife visited the Great Ormond Street Hospital, the Royal Marsden in Sutton and the London Gynaecology Clinic.

In the Great Ormond Street hospital, 76 children from Malta experienced recovery this year alone. Four kids are currently receiving treatment, with the youngest being a months-old infant.

Meanwhile, 67 Maltese patients travelled to Sutton for cure from the Royal Marsden hospital as of January of 2022.

‘I am delighted to hear about how the specialists carry out treatment with love’ said the President. ‘Many of them become acquainted with Malta pretty well and keep intact with their Maltese representatives.’

The pair also met patients and relatives who are currently living at the Puttinu Cares apartments in Sutton as well as the Franciscan Sister’s residency. Sir John Huber explained that the MCCF is helping these families cover the costs that come with undergoing such treatment.

The costs of MCCF are increasing, with President George Vella explaining that more than 80% of the MCCF costs are tied to the specialised medicine necessary for oncological treatment.

‘We are doing everything we can to provide the medicine to the patients. Telling a patient we do not have the medicine does not even cross my mind’ said the President.

The visit was also carried out in anticipation of the 27th edition of the annual Istrina to raise money to help more patients who require aid.

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National Curriculum Framework Board launched by Education Minister

Nov 23 2022

The education system in Malta is currently experiencing a transformation in the way the teaching process is carried out across all levels. The system started to shift from one based on curriculum to one based on Learning Outcomes.

Education Minister Clifton Grima said that this system is the fruit of work and discussions carried out throughout the years with various sectors and schools as well as the Malta Union of Teachers.

‘An holistic education system which cares for the individual should not work on producing workers but producing better people who have skills with different potentials’ he said.

The National Curriculum Framework (NCF) is a backbone for the national curriculum, with the assessments gauging where students are in terms of knowledge, competence and skills.

The Learning Outcomes have one goal: that learning does not remain prescriptive but becomes based on the skills that a student can achieve. Pedagogy and assessment will be carried out through a progressive experience for students.

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Japan stun Germany with incredible 2-1 victory in Qatar

Nov 23 2022

In the latest stunning result of the Qatar World Cup, unlikely heroes Japan have managed to stun the German national team with a 2-1 victory at the Khalifa national stadium.

After a stunning penalty by Manchester City’s İlkay Gündoğan in the 33rd minute, Japan came back swinging in the late second half with spectacular goals by Ritsu Doan in the 75th minute and Takuma Asano in the 83rd minute.

The Japanese national team truly showed their attacking prowess during the second half, celebrating their first with of the Qatar World Cup.

Germany are set to take on Spain on Sunday 27th November, while Japan will face fellow Group E participants Costa Rica on the same day.

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Minister and Police Commissioner must resign, say Repubblika

Nov 23 2022

NGO Repubblika issued a statement saying that the inefficient justice administration is aggravating the suffering of victims and propping up criminals.

The NGO expressed its communitarian sadness with the rest of Malta at the murder of Bernice Cassar, saying that women in this country are victims of abuse, violence, discrimination and sometimes even killings committed by men.

Expressing solidarity with activists fighting for women’s rights, the NGO went on to point out three observations which highlight the suffering of women in Malta.

Firstly, they said, the decision by Minister Byron Camilleri and Police Commissioner Angelo Gaga to announce to announce the centralisation of domestic violence reports process made it more difficult for victims to access authorities who could protect them.

This was announced on November 30th, 2020, and means that victims who wished to file a report were planned to go back home and back to the place where the violence may have occurred.

The situation was made worse by the fact that domestic violence cases are heard by just one magistrate, delaying the time for justice to be served. At present, people reporting domestic abuse would only have their case heard in 18 months’ time.

Despite Bernice Cassar having a protection order issued in her favour, nothing was done to ensure that this order was adhered to. These are all political and administrative failures, the NGO said.

An independent inquiry would establish the facts so that mistakes would not be repeated, Repubblika said. However, the inquiry cannot work serenely given that the decisions made by the minister and the commissioner resulted in the brutal death of Bernice.

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