The Valletta Local Food Festival – a celebration of local cuisine

Oct 7 2022

Minister for the National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government, Owen Bonnici, launched the first edition of The Valletta Local Food Festival organised by the Valletta Cultural Agency.

Minister Owen Bonnici said that this Festival centres around a variety of local products and also celebrates its beauty.

“We will continue to work to make this Festival a success. The main goal remains to foster in people’s lives the awareness and appreciation for Maltese identity and culture, and to embrace the aspects which make us what we are,” stated Dr Bonnici.

The Artistic Director of this Festival said that in collaboration with various other professional chefs, a multi-faceted menu with local products was created. Charles Bone also said that all those who attend will be given a surprise as soon as they enter the building.

Valletta Cultural Agency Chairman Jason Micallef said that this Festival will be another part of the Valletta 2018 legacy and invited the Maltese and Gozitan people and tourists to attend this Festival and celebrate local cuisine.

This festival which will last for 3 days, from the 20th till the 22nd October from 7:30 pm onwards, aims to celebrate local cuisine. The Valletta Local Food Festival will be held at the Valletta Design Cluster, which from a building in a state of near abandonment, today it has become a state-of-the-art building that can be enjoyed by all those who visit our capital city.

All those attending the festival will have the opportunity to taste top-level food cooked by professional chefs as well as local wine, beer and liquors, to music by established local singers.

Some of the different food items which will be available during the festival are Majjal il-Forn, Herbal Chicken Roulade, Butternut Squash Roulade, as well as many other food items which are associated with Malta such as Imqaret, Pies, Krustini, Honey, Qagħaq tal-Għasel and Cheeselets. High quality local wine and draft beer will also be available.

The Valletta Local Food Festival is supported by the Malta Tourism Authority. For more information about The Valletta Local Food Festival visit the Valletta Cultural Agency website or Facebook page.

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Iconic local drink Kinnie featured in Maltapost stamp issue

Oct 7 2022

Mediterranean Classic drink since 1952, Kinnie has just earned a spot on a stamp set which was recently issued by Maltapost earlier this September.

Forming part of SEPAC (Small European Postal Administration Cooperation), Maltapost kept with its annual tradition of a joint stamp issue and this time highlight local beverages.

One of the stamps features a retro Kinnie bottle taking centre stage against a flatly rendered, yet colourful, local backdrop. The stamp set was designed by Daniel Spiteri.

Ms Mary Grace Simpson, Head Philately at Maltapost said, “As soon as the SEPAC stamp theme Local Beverages was chosen, we immediately envisaged depicting a retro Kinnie bottle since it is one of the most popular beverages on the Maltese Island.”

“We are honoured that Kinnie has been represented on a stamp set issue, more so in the year that Kinnie is celebrating 70 years since its launch,” commented Mr Karl Bondin, Marketing Manager at Simonds Farsons Cisk plc.

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Photo Source: Maltapost

World Cup 2022 will be my last says football star Lionel Messi

Oct 7 2022

Football star Lionel Messi has confessed during a Star Plus interview that the 2022 World Cup is set to be his last.

The 35-year-old spoke about the upcoming Qatar tournament and revealed that he will be retiring from the massive football competition. The Argentina team Messi plays for is currently a favourite as a potential cup holder given its recent win streaks.

However, we might want to take the retirement announcement with a pinch of salt. Messi previously announced he was retiring after Argentina lost the 2017 Copa America final but reversed his decision months later.

He had also stepped away for a brief time after the 2018 World Cup. This more recent announcement might be more concrete however given that he will be 39 during the 2026 World Cup.

The Barcelona turned Paris Saint-Germain star could also retire alongside longtime rival Cristiano Ronaldo given their ageing. Messi will be going into the 2022 World Cup as Argentina makes a resurgence in the game.

Argentina failed to win a major tournament through Messi’s international career until it won the 2021 Copa America. This time around, Argentina is tied with France as the second favourite to win at 600 points.

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President Joe Biden pardons simple possession of marijuana

Oct 7 2022

President Joe Biden has just issued pardons for all Americans who have been convicted at the national level of possessing small marijuana amounts.

Official estimates see around 6,500 people with federal convictions benefitting from this new presidential move. In the US, no one is currently in federal prison for possessing marijuana as convictions occur at state level.

The pardons will make it easier for people to get employment, access to housing and even education. This comes after Biden promised to decriminalise cannabis use and expunging convictions.

“Sending people to prison for possessing marijuana has upended too many lives and incarcerated people for conduct that many states no longer prohibit,” Mr Biden said .

He also revealed that he would call upon all state governors to issue their own marijuana pardons. Meanwhile, he is directing the Department of Justice and Department of Health to review how cannabis is classified under federal law.

Classifying marijuana at the same level as heroin makes no sense said the president. Recreational marijuana is already legal in 19 states, but it remains illegal at the federal level.

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