Wanted Serbian fugitive extradited over drug-related offences

Dec 3 2021

Mario Marjanov, a fugitive criminal wanted by Serbian authorities, will be extradited upon the decision of the court.

The 29-year-old was found guilty of the unlawful production and subsequent circulation of drugs as well as facilitating the use of such drugs. The charges resulted in a three year and three-month prison term as decided by the Higher Court of Zrenjanin Serbia back in February 2019.

Marjanov is the holder of a Serbian passport and Maltese residence permit. He was based in Malta and could not be traced by Serbian authorities, remaining at large until he was tracked to Malta. The fugitive was arrested in October and arraigned before a Magistrates’ Court, where Marjanov contested the request for extradition.

The 29-year-old was allowed 15 days from judgement, in line with the right to appeal and file an action for any alleged breach of rights.

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Germany may move towards mandatory vaccination as pandemic hits hard in Europe

Dec 3 2021

Germany may be moving towards mandatory vaccination against COVID-19 as Chancellor Angela Merkel, together with her successor Olaf Scholz, met with state premiers to address Germany’s current outbreak.

The measure has not been approved yet, but there seems to be a growing consensus amongst German politicians that this move is a required one. Conservative premier of Bavaria Markus Soeder stated that “almost all are in agreement that [they’re] moving forward on the issue of general mandatory vaccination.” This move would go against what German leaders have been saying for months that citizens would be able to decide themselves if they get inoculated or not. This may be the reason for the Germany’s comparatively low vaccination rate at less that 70%.

Angela Merkel’s chief spokesman Steffen Seibert stated in an email that “There is agreement that the fourth wave of the pandemic has led to an extremely serious — and in some regions dramatic — situation in our health system,” going on to highlight that the state and federal governments will move forward together in a resolute fashion.

Germany is currently experiencing a nation-wide surge in infections all while it transitions into a new administration led by Scholz’s Social Democrats, complicating the country’s pandemic coordination.

What do you make of this?

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Remembering Malta’s Nanna: Mary Rose Bonello passed away 7 years ago today

Dec 3 2021

7 years ago, Malta lost one of its most beloved figures in actress Mary Rose Bonello, who will forever be remembered as Malta’s very own Nanna. Mary Rose Bonello had an illustrious and celebrated career in television, radio and theatre, with one of her most prominent roles in fact being Nanna Katrin in the hit series Simpatiċi.

Mary Rose was always an active member in Malta’s media scene, participating in Simpatiċi until the end of the series, with the scripts reportedly being arranged to leave her in the series’ story and even if she did not appear, her memory remained alive.

Bonello was born in Sliema on June 30th 1934 and was the oldest of two siblings, going on to study at Sacred Heart in St. Julian’s and landing her first role in the comedy Alfredo by Gużeppina Attard Montalto at Gżira’s Empire Stadium in 1952. She went on to appear in a number of television productions including Wenzu u Rożi, Il-Madonna taċ-Ċoqqa, Għaddi Il-Bieb Miftuħ and Mil-Lejl Għan-Nhar.

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Nurses union calls on President to hold off on signing Cannabis Reform Bill

Dec 3 2021

The Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses has urged the President of Malta George Vella not to sign the proposed cannabis reform bill into law unless amendments are made to ensure medics are not under the influence of cannabis while at work.

The Cannabis Reform Bill entered its final stage on Wednesday after being approved at a committee level, where the House reviewed each clause within the Bill with zero amendments proposed. On Friday, the MUMN published a statement calling upon President Vella to refrain from signing the bill unless the special provision regarding hospitals and elderly homes is introduced.

The union also put forward its proposal for an urgent meeting with social partners regarding the matter. As it stands, the current reform bill legalises cannabis for personal use and will allow adults to possess up to seven grams of cannabis without being under risk of arrest or having the cannabis confiscated.

Andrew Azzopardi also previously called on the President to hold off on signing the reform bill due to a number of reasons, which include the fact that there is a lack of agreement between political parties and organisations as well as a alleged lack of clear position from the Superintendent of Public Health, police commissioner and others.

What do you make of the situation?

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