Some in Abela’s ministry are too impacted by Facebook posts says Joseph Muscat

Feb 12 2022

In an exclusive interview with Lovin Malta, former prime minister Joseph Muscat criticised confidantes of current PM Robert Abela, saying that they are too impressed by a few Facebook posts.

He claimed that these people, who did not name, don’t appreciate the work it took to turn Labour into a winning political party. These people, which amount to a small number according to Muscat, don’t appreciate the level of commitment and energy it took to ‘bring so many people together.’

Despite this, Muscat said that these people are still well-intentioned and do not want to break up the movement. ‘However, they think that it’s only natural that PL is in government and they don’t remember, or probably weren’t even there, when we spent all those years in the wilderness of the Opposition’ he said.

He emphasised that he was not saying the newcomers are the ones to blame but did not name any of the people he was referring to and not specifying whether they worked at Castille. He went on to say that these unnamed individuals may have had a hand in government U-turn when it came to the COVID-19 pandemic.

‘I think that if one takes a decision on a response to COVID-19, and I think they were the right decisions, then it’s obvious that one would be criticised’ he said. Muscat said that the sudden turns in measures did not come from Abela or Health Minister Chris Fearne, whom he said were both doing a wonderful job.

He instead blamed individuals who were ‘spending their lives looking at social media and trying to please everyone.’ This is impossible, said Muscat. He urged the government not to let social media posts and comments dictate its agenda.

‘I think decision making, policymaking, even how to deal with people, shouldn’t have anything to do with social media or the pressure one gets from it’ he said.

A second part of the interview will be released by Lovin Malta.

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Eve Borg Bonello the youngest candidate to contest election in Maltese history

Feb 12 2022

PN youth activist Eve Borg Bonello will be contesting the next general election and, in so doing, has become the youngest candidate in Maltese political history.

The 18-year-old is the President of the PN teenage wing ‘TeamStart’, and was approved as a candidate on the ninth and tenth district yesterday.

Bonello acquired local prominence back in 2019 when she addressed crowds at a Valletta protest held after suspect Yorgen Fenech was arrested in connection to the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Eve Borg Bonello (@eveborgbonello)

She described that speech as a moment which changed her life forever, even accusing former prime minister Joseph Muscat of stealing her future.Posting to social media, Bonello thanked Opposition Leader Bernard Grech and the Nationalist Party itself for giving her the opportunity to contest the election.

She expressed how grateful she feels for having been given this opportunity which, she said, will serve a learning and growing opportunity. ‘This is what believing in the youth truly means’ she said.

She said that youth are the future, but also the present. ‘I will keep fighting for a more just and clean Malta as I have always done’ she said to end her statement.

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Photo Source: Eve Borg Bonello FB/IG

US warns Russia could attack Ukraine on any possible day

US warns Russia could attack Ukraine any possible day

Feb 12 2022

The United States has raised massive alarm on Friday over Ukraine, warning that a Russian invasion starting with civilians caught under aerial bombing could start in days.

The US has even urged its citizens living there to leave within 48 hours, with White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan saying that an attack by the more than 100,000 Russian troops currently massed next to Ukraine could occur any day.

Sullivan dismissed speculation that Russia would never trigger the conflict while the Beijing Olympics were still under way in China. He said such an attack could occur before the Games ended on February 20th.

Despite stressing that it was not yet known whether President Vladimir Putin had taken a decision yet, Sullivan made clear that the US was bracing for the worst, including a rapid assault on the capital Kyiv.

‘If a Russian attack on Ukraine proceeds, it is likely to begin with aerial bombing and missile attacks that could obviously kill civilians,” he said. “Any American in Ukraine should leave as soon as possible, and in any event in the next 24 to 48 hours.’

Sullivan repeated warnings that Russia would face severe Western sanctions and said also that Nato, which Putin wants to push back from Eastern Europe, is now ‘more cohesive, more purposeful, more dynamic than any time in recent memory.’

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Increase in child abductions in 2020 during the pandemic

Feb 12 2022

19 children were allegedly taken out of Malta illegally in 2020 as child abductions spiked. The kids were taken out of the country by one of their parents/guardians due to a trend fuelled by ‘opportunities and travel complications’ created by the epidemiological situation.

Family lawyer Robert Thake, who specialises in child abduction cases notice the uptick, saying that COVID-19 added a layer of complication as courts stopped operating and flights were halted for months.

Thake stated that COVID did impact the spike in child abductions because in some cases, parents took advantage of the circumstances created by the pandemic. He revealed how he had clients leaving to the UK to visit their family but staying there and blaming it on the risk of travelling during the pandemic.

‘As time passes’ he said, ‘the children are setting up roots in that country – like going to school – making the return process more complicated.’ This prompted Thake to call for child abduction to become a crime in Malta.

According to the Maltese Central Authority, which handles child abduction cases, around 104 children were reported to have been abducted and taken out of Malta illegally over the past decade. The numbers peaked in 2020.

‘Taking a child away from a parent and forcing a child and a parent out of contact should be a crime. Making it a crime would, at least, act as a deterrent. This sort of illegal removal is very cruel on both the child and on the left-behind parent’ he said.

Thake had 12 enquiries and cases, with two new ones just this January. Clients were seeking the return of their children from places such as UK, France, Libya, Ukraine, Sweden, Germany, North Macedonia and Guatemala. Most children were under aged 10 and were taken out of Malta by their foreign mother.

Under current civil law, a child must have the written consent of both parents to be able to leave the island. However, if one parent takes the child out of the country without permission of the other parent, this constitutes a breach of civil law and not criminal law. This means it is not punishable.

Recent Criminal Code amendments make it a crime to remove a child from Malta if this is in breach of a court order or a care order. Thake believes this does not go far enough, saying it is an excellent amendment but falls short.

This is because abductions can, and often, happen when the court isn’t involved. Sometimes, the parents are still in a relationship, with cases falling under two categories.

The first is illegal removal, which is commonly referred to as abduction, and is when a child is removed from he child’s country of habitual residence without the consent of the other parent. On the other hand, illegal retention is when a parent is given consent to travel for a defined period but refuses tor return at the expiration of the time period.

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