Woman spends $50,000 to clone her late dog three times

Apr 5 2022

A woman has spent upwards of $50,000 to clone her late dog, becoming one of the now growing number of pet owners investing in identical versions of animals.

Francesca Geertsma, who hails from Florida, was left ‘devastated’ after her dog Osa passed away from canine cognitive disorder in 2019.

Unable to let the dog go, she contacted a company which specialises in pet cloning. Just 18 months later, she was presented with three genetically identical clones of Osa.

The dogs were grown from cells taken from behind the ear of her original dog before her death. Francesca said that due to Osa being a mutt of five different breeds she knew it would be hard to find another similar dog.

Now, she is happily living with three genetic clones of her dog, Osana, Osaki and Osani. According to the BBC, pet cloning has been growing in popularity.

The company contacted by Francesca reported that it has cloned hundreds of pets for clients since it opened in 2015. The process is expensive however, costing from $30,000 for a cat and even $85,000 for a horse.

It is also somewhat controversial, with animal rights activists saying that cloned animals are more susceptible to disease with an average success rate of only around 20%. Some also highlighted how thousands of animals are in shelters around the world, urging people to adopt pets from these sanctuaries.

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Economy Minister looks forward to removing COVID from dictionary

Apr 5 2022

Speaking on Pjazza last night, Economy Minister Silvio Schembri stated that he looks forward to the day when the word COVID-19 will be removed from the dictionary.

Schembri highlighted how Malta has a strong economy which coped with the ramifications of COVID-19. ‘I look forward to the word ‘COVID’ not even being spoken about anymore’ he said.

He spoke about how the pandemic took so much away from us, and how much the people sacrificed. He said that the government want the people to be happy and to live normal lives.

‘Everything indicates that we’re heading in this direction but now let’s make sure that this electoral program that the people voted for is implemented’ he said.

This comes just as Deputy Prime Minister announces more health measure relaxations, introducing self-testing, the removal of masks in schools and even easing travel restrictions.

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UPDATED: Corpse found in car in Hal Qormi

Apr 5 2022

A corpse has been found in a car in a Ħal Qormi valley as several police officers from different units assess the situation.

Not much information has as of yet been released, but NET News reported that the body was that of a man.

Officers were reported to investigate after a very unpleasant stench emerged from the vehicle. It is unclear for how long the corpse was in the car.

This is a developing story and further investigations are currently ongoing.

Police have confirmed that the car, a grey Peugeot 407, is the same one flagged in a police statement last Saturday in a missing person’s report. The missing man was 62-year-old Mario Farrugia from Pembroke, who was last seen on 28th of March close to his home.

Despite police not yet confirming the body, a photo of the back side of the car shows what appears to be blood stains from he trunk trickling down to the bumper.

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Zelenskyy in tears as he visits sites of Russian war atrocities

Apr 5 2022

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had to hold back tears as he visited the site of alleged atrocities in Ukraine. The leader was visibly haunted by what he witnessed in Bucha, which is northwest of Kyiv, following the withdrawal of Russian troops.

Associated Press (AP) journalists spotted 21 bodies in Bucha, with a group of nine civilians who appeared to have been shot at close range. Two of them had their hands tied behind their backs. Ukrainian officials said that the bodies of 410 civilians were found in towns around the capital which were recaptured from Russian forces. Zelenskyy told reporters that thousands of civilians had been raped, tortured and murdered.

‘Every day we find people in barrels, cellars, and everywhere else, some strangled, some clearly tortured. These are war crimes and will be recognised by the world as genocide’ said Zelenskyy. Satellite images taken in Ukraine indicated that civilian killings took place before Russian soldiers left the town, which is contrary to what the invading force claimed.

Russia’s ministry of defence had denied responsibility for the crimes, suggesting that Russian troops withdrew from Bucha around 30th March. World leaders are unanimously condemning the act. US President Joe Biden accused Putin of being a war criminal after the images emerged. EU President Roberta Metsola also issued a strengthening of sanctions on Moscow.

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