Queen Elizabeth uses cane in public for first time in 17 years

Oct 15 2021

Appearing at a service at Westminster Abbey with her daughter earlier this week, Queen Elizabeth brought out her cane after a 17 year absence. The monarch accompanied Princess Anne to commemorate the Centenary of the Royal British Legion last Tuesday, making an appearance at a Service of Thanksgiving. The Queen carried a simple cork-handled, black cane – the last time she used such support having been back in 2003 following a knee surgery.

The Queen was walking stick-free outside Buckingham Palace last week, so this is a pretty recent development. The queen finished up the outfit with a deep blue coat with large gold buttons over a navy and ivory prints dress paired with a matching wide-brimmed hat.

The monarch also wore Queen Mary’s Russian brooch which features a sugarloaf cabochon sapphire. This was a wedding gift from Empress Marie Feodorovna in 1893, with the Queen inheriting it from her grandmother in 1953.

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Photo Source: Vanity Fair, People

Customs has seized 39,578 bottles of wine in 2021

Oct 15 2021

Customs Malta have revealed that in 2021, they seized 39,578 bottles of wine and 584 bottles of spirits, amounting to a total market value of €456,364.

The bottles were seized between January and September of this year, with €430,084 in value confiscated lots attributed to wine bottles and another €26,280 in bottles of spirits.

The wine bottle’s endangered taxes amounted up to €6,146 in excise duty and €78,521 in VAT. As for the bottles of spirits, endangered taxes amount to €2,224 in excise duty and €5,131 in VAT.

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Photo Source: Customs Communications

Maltese Neville Ciantar to compete in Off-Road King of Portugal

Oct 15 2021

Maltese Neville Ciantar, Off-Road racer and All-Wheel Drive Club member, will be bringing his skill to Portugal to compete in this year’s edition of ‘Off-Road King of Portugal.’ The event takes place between today, Friday 15th October, and next Sunday, 17th.

The event kicked off in 2013 and is one of the biggest, and dare we say one of the most difficult, off-road races around the globe. Each year sees the event grow and become more challenge as competitors continuously up their game. The participants are challenged through several daring circuits in their respective segment.

Ciantar is no stranger to these types of challenges as he has already competed twice in the event. There would would have been a third try for Ciantar, but the event was cancelled due to devastating fires which ravaged the region in 2019. Ciantar placed fifth in 2017 and sixth in 2019. Neville’s own 20-year-old son Lee Ciantar, is also his co-driver, having already participated as co-driver in King of Hammers in the USA in 2019.

Good luck to you both!

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Photo Source: Neville Ciantar FB

Public broadcaster a tool in the hands of government says PN leader

Oct 15 2021

Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech revealed today that during a meeting with the Chairman and CEO of the Broadcasting authority, he insisted that the authority must comply with its legal obligations. This means that it must ensure that PBS is impartial, truthful and balanced, saying that the time for using airtime and presence as measurements of impartiality are over.

He called the public broadcaster a ‘tool in the hands of the Government’ and a ‘station of power that deliberately twists news items and blatantly lies in such a way that stifles and twist the Opposition’s message.’ He said that through its own volition, the Broadcasting Authority should ensure that the right of every citizen that the public broadcaster delivers news in a balanced and correct manner is protected.

This should of course exclude partisan manipulation from Castille. This is in light of the letter sent to all producers requiring information two weeks in advance about the items to be discussed. He said that this is limiting every possible opportunity of discussing current affairs and eliminates the effect of issues that might arise.

Grech closed off by saying that in a democracy, the authority has an indispensable role to play to safeguard democracy, transparency and the right to correct information. Grech said that he is not excluding any further action, including legal, if the situation persists.

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Photo Source: Bernard Grech FB