President Vella calls on election candidates for honesty, sincerity and transparency

Feb 21 2022

In an unprecedented appeal, President George Vella called for the election candidates to show honesty, sincerity and transparency at the start of the campaign.

In a message released on Monday, Vella said he felt obliged to remind those involved in the election of their duties and the consequences which people may face if the exercise is no given the importance it deserves.

This is the first time a president released a statement on the opening day of the electoral campaign. ‘I remind them that they should consider themselves primarily as those offering a service to the rest of the community with the aim of achieving the highest level of common good’ he said.

He urged the candidates to clearly state their goals and the means they intend to employ to achieve them. He said that they should be unequivocal in order not to ‘give rise to any surprises or misinterpretation later on.’

He also appealed to voters, urging them to weigh responsibly all their choices as this will determine where Malta will go over the coming years.

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Mużika Mużika set to change dates due to election date announcement

Feb 21 2022

Following the recent announcement of a March 26th election, Maltese artists and participants of Mużika Mużika have expressed their concern regarding the future of the song contest.

This newsroom is informed that internal discussion is currently under way in order to change the dates of the Maltese language song contest as not to clash with the election date. Many fans of the local product have been eagerly waiting for the song contest after its massive success in 2021.

Ryan Calleja took to Facebook to express his frustration at the fact that, while an election is important, such a decision only adds to the struggles faced by local artists, production crews and many others. Calling the March 26 election date ‘disrespectful, inappropriate and inconsiderate move’, Calleja went on to state that if it were him, he would change the election date rather than the Mużika Mużika date.

This year’s edition is set to feature a myriad of local talent including Bloodline, Nicole Frendo, Kurt Calleja, Kyle George, Norbert and many more.

More on this story as it develops.

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Disney building a village community where people can actually stay forever

Feb 21 2022

Disney has revealed plans to build a residential town where fans can live and stay forever. And no, this isn’t a dream, although it might be a dream come true for fans of Disney.

DMB Development and Disney Imagineers, who design the entertainment brand’s theme parks, are behind the project.

As of yet, it features 1,900 homes, a beachfront hotel and a huge lagoon open to the public. As reported by USA Today, the development named Cotino will be spread over 618 acres outside the city of Rancho Mirage in California’s Coachella Valley.

Part of Disney’s new Storyliving communities, the proposed development will not be linked to Disneyland. It will however be infused with the company’s special brand of magic, especially as it is the location where Walt Disney once lived.

The communities are intended to ‘inspire residents to foster new friendships, pursue their interests and write the next exciting chapter in their lives.’ It is proposing single-family homes, estates and condominiums.

There will also be a neighbourhood for residents over 55, shops, 24-acre lagoon and a hotel with 400 rooms. Cooking classes, wellness programmes and live performances will be offered to Cotino residents.

Non-residents will be able to buy day passes to access the beach and water activities. A completion date is not yet confirmed but this could be an actualisation of Walt’s dream to build cities which he could not achieve due his passing.

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COVID positives in the UK will no longer need to self-isolate

Feb 21 2022

The UK government has announced that it plans to end all pandemic legal curbs in England, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying that it is time to ‘move on.’This comes despite political opposition and unease from the UN’s health agency. Johnson will be addressing parliament to outline his plan as he stands accused by opposition parties of seeking to distract public attention.

In a Downing Street statement, Johnson said that Monday will mark a moment of pride after one of the most difficult periods in our country’s history ‘as we begin to live with COVID’.Under the ‘living with COVID’ plan, the government says it intends to end the legal requirement for people to self-isolate should they test positive for the virus.

Local authorities will be required to manage further outbreaks with pre-existing legal powers and is expected to phase out free COVID-19 testing for the public. The NHS confederation however said that the government cannot wave a magic wand and pretend the threat disappeared.

This comes as Malta seems to be going COVID restriction free due to the announcement of the general election. Nothing is yet on paper in Malta, but as mass meetings and political activities have already kicked off, businesses are still taking the load of such restrictions.

This also sparked massive outrage from even organisers, who called out the double standards as crowds gather for political rallies. The Opposition too called for the government to allow all events and not just political rallies to take place.

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