Two government cheques to start distribution from next Monday

Mar 9 2022

It was revealed by Finance Minister Clyde Caruana that two sets of government cheques will start to be distributed to those eligible as from Monday 14th March.

The two rounds will consist of a total of around 580,000 cheques, and are set to cover the yearly tax rebate as well as one-time payments to all working citizens and pensioners due to rising costs of living.

As proposed in the 2022 budget, with regards to the tax rebate cheque, the amount given to workers will be varying from €60 to €140. They are set to be calculated in accordance to the amount of income which each worker earns.

The other cheques will include a one time payment of either €100 or €200, an incentive the Prime Minister and Finance minister announced in February to inject €70 million into the Maltese Economy. Workers will receive a €100 cheque and pensioners a €200 cheque.

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Labour candidate gives out free VR headsets and ECDL classes

Mar 9 2022

Labour candidate Ray Abela on Wednesday distributed virtual reality headsets to a primary school in his third district as well as free ECDL classes.

This comes just days after the Children’s Commissioner warned against using children to gain votes in electoral campaigns.

Abela owns a tech-related business and he went to visit children at a Zejtun primary school on Wednesday, handing out virtual reality headsets to students.

With his name, personal website and electoral details all included with the headset devices, the candidate posted the gesture onto Facebook. However, the general elections act specifically forbids the exchange of goods, food or favours for votes as it lists as corrupt practice.

It is unclear if he had the parents permission to publish photos of the children onto the social media page. The young kids aren’t eligible to vote, but the stunt could influence the adults in their lives to do so in his favour.

When asked about the incident by Times of Malta, Children’s Commissioner Antoinette Vassallo said that it is not right to take advantage of children during political campaigns.

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Justice Minister grants warrants to four new legal procurators

Mar 9 2022

Minister for Justice and Governance Edward Zammit Lewis presented warrants to four new legal proxies after they showed their competence and effectiveness in the legal profession.

Minister Zammit Lewis wished the four new entities all the best, stating that it is their job to guarantee access to justice and legal representation for every citizen. He said that they should carry out their job seriously and with complete respect towards the constitution, the law and the rules of the country.

Attending the ceremony were state lawyer Dr Chris Soler, President of the Room of Legal Procurators Dr Gerald Bonello, Executive Chief for the Agency of Court Service Ms Eunice Grech Fiorini and Vice Chief Dr Vanessa Grech.

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Leonardo DiCaprio donates $10 million his grandma’s homeland Ukraine

Mar 9 2022

Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio has just donated $10 million to support Ukraine amid the invasion by Putin’s Russia.

The donation by the actor has a personal connection, as his maternal grandmother Helene Indenbirken hails from Odessa, Ukraine.

Born as Jelena Stepanovna Smirnova, she emigrated to Germany with her parents back in 1917. Caprio’s mother was in fact born in an air raid shelter in Germany in 1943. The actor was subsequently raised by his mother alone following a divorce from his father.

Leonardo, who is known for a stellar acting career, featuring in classics such as Titanic, became very close to his grandmother before she passed away in 2008 at the age of 93.

The donation by the actor was announced by the International Visegrad Fund, a project aimed at financial support for international initiatives, which promotes development in Eastern Europe.

The donation by Caprio joins other initiatives by other Hollywood actors. Mila Kunis (who was born in Ukraine) and Ashton Kutcher pledged to match donations up to $3 million. Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively too pledged a similar initiative up to £1 million.

#MaltaDaily