The Voice of the Maltese No.285

The Voice of the TMaltese

Maltese

I n f i r s t s e v e n m o n t h s . . I. n f i r s t s e v e n m o n t h s . . .

Close to 90% of pre-Covid year numbers in inbound tourists

If more proof is needed to show that the efforts by those involved in the tourism sector is paying off, and that tourism in Malta is fast recovering to pre Covid num bers it was given by the National Statics Of fice (NSO) that has just announced its statistic for July indicating that after the first seven months of 2022 the total number of inbound tourists has amounted to 1,168,741, nearly 90% of the 2019 total. The total nights spent reached 8 3 million nights

It estimated that during the month under review, the number of inbound tourists reached 273,646, with 247,029 of them vis iting the island for holiday, and 11,092 doing it for business purposes The total nights spent amounted to 2,274,414, which is almost 95 per cent of the July 2019 fig ure, the NSO said

The total tourist expenditure reached €275 0 million, while the average expendi ture per night was estimated at €120 9

Attracting the young people

The largest share of tourists (36 7 per cent), were aged under 24, followed by the 25 44 age bracket (36 2 per cent) Which means that more young people were at tracted to Malta than the corresponding month last year

Tourists from Italy, France and Germany made up 37 3% of the total

The largest share of guest nights (83 6%) was spent in rented accommodation estab lishments

The average length of stay of total inbound tourists stood at 8.3 nights.

Total tourist expenditure reached €275 0 million, whie the average expenditure per night was estimated at €120 9

Total tourist expenditure for the first seven months of this year is estimated at €970.9 million, reaching 96 5% of its respective pre COVID 19 value Total expenditure per

capita stood at €831, a decrease of €115 from the 2021 total.

COVID 19 recovery

Comparison can be made between the 2019 and 2022 July data to quantify the re covery of inbound tourism from the effects of the pandemic

The National Statistics Office uses 2019 as the reference year for the pre COVID 19 situation Total inbound tourists for the month under review have reached 89 9 per

cent of those registered pre COVID 19, and the associated nights spent made up 94 3 per cent of the respective figure

The highest recovery can be seen in the 0 24 age bracket (106 9 %) and the lowest re covery is associated with the 65+ age bracket (75.7%).

NSO stated that the segment of inbound tourists visiting Malta for other purposes experienced a better recovery (95.0%) than that of tourists visiting Malta for business (90 1%) and holiday (89 6 %) purposes

C o n v e r t i n g P j a z z a Tr i t o n i i n t o S a n t a ’s F a i r y l a n d f o r C h r i s t m a s

To add to the atmosphere of Christmas, for almost a whole month, from the 8th of December to 6th of January 2023 the Malta Tourism Authority will once again, transform the Pjazza Tritoni in Valletta into a Christmas Village known as Fairyland with Santa and his Elves taking the reins the lead the merriment

The attraction, that has also been held in previous years, is a touristic haven that has been a staple of the capital city during Christmas time is known for its various at tractions such as a massive Ferris wheel, mulled wine stands and ice skating rink.

Announcing the 2022’s version of Fairy land with MTA CEO Carlo Micallef and in the presence of Dr Gavin Gulia, Chairman of the Malta Tourism Authority, Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo said that this year the village would even have a specialised area for football fans to follow the Qatar World Cup on big screens

The Minister said that Fairyland is another confirmation that Malta is capable of com bining different niches together for the en joyment of the locals and the foreigners of age groups

He pointed out the importance to keep working to create a strategy by means of which tourist figures would be further in creased during the winter.

He mentioned efforts to develop various sectors such as sports, including e sports, training camps for various disciplines, and short holidays with a cultural, gastronomic, artistic, musical and religious interest, along with meetings and conferences

Carlo Micallef said that such attractions are one example of how Malta is going beyond seasonal tourism

BELOW: Minister Clayton Bartolo (flanked by Dr Gavin Gulia (left) and Mr Carlo Mi callef) announcing Fairyland

Family law knowledge sharing: when will the court make interim property orders?

by PaulSANT

What is an interim order? Put sim ply, an interim order is made ‘pending further order ’ It is an order that applies ‘in the meantime’, the interim period until a final hearing or fi nalization of proceedings by agreement

Further orders can be made at any time during proceedings by consent (where par ties agree about one or some issues in dis pute), or are otherwise made by the Court

You can ask the Court to make interim orders at the same time you ask it to make final orders, or at any time proceedings are on foot, with an Application in a Pro ceeding Some examples of interim or ders commonly sought include:

Orders for exclusive occupation: one party asks the Court to make an order al lowing them to occupy a property, to the exclusion of the other party, regardless of whether it is solely or jointly owned

This type of order can be sought to be made about an asset owned by one of the parties solely, or jointly owned by the parties It is not necessary to show that the party seeking the order for exclusive occupation would likely receive or retain the subject property on a final basis.

Spousal maintenance: one party asks the Court to make orders for the other party to pay them a periodic sum of money These payments can be increased or decreased throughout the course of proceedings, depending on the circum stances and applications before the Court

It is separate from child support, which relates to costs involved with raising a child Instead, spousal maintenance is as sociated with the spouse’s reasonable liv

ing costs.

Partial property settlement for legal costs: one party may seek access to mar ital funds, for example from the sale of the former matrimonial home, or from a bank account in the other party’s name, to meet ongoing legal costs in resolving the entirety of their family law matter

Injunctions: these orders restrain a party from doing something, such as drawing down on a mortgage, mortgag ing a property, selling property or chang ing the structure of corporate entities, usually in one party’s sole control

The Court’s approach when asked to make interim orders

Vernon & Vernon (2020) 62 Fam LR 573 provided a useful overview of guid ing case law and legal principles for in terim relief

First step: Is it necessary and in the in terests of justice to make this order now? Have circumstances arisen before the matter is ready for final hearing which make it appropriate for interim orders to be made?

Second step: If the first question is an swered in the affirmative, the second step for the court is to exercise the power and determine interim orders to make.

The result may be orders sought by one or the other of the parties, a combination of orders sought by each of the parties, orders the court determines necessary that may not be sought by either party, or a combination of orders made by the court and sought by the parties

Balancing exercise

The Court must balance the ‘risk’ of un duly limiting what final order might be

made against the appropri ateness of making a just and equitable interim order

now If a pro posed inter im order is not rever sible, is it still appropriate to make now?

Consideration is to be given as to whether, on a preliminary likely range of the overall outcome, a partial property settlement order is just and equitable The court will not advance large percent ages of the overall net property pool on an interim basis for this reason

Conversely, consideration is also to be given to denying a party’s ability to seek orders to liquidate assets prior to the final hearing, for example, if a bank given no tice of legal action due to mortgage ar rears

Conclusion

Each case turns on its circumstances, competing orders the parties are seeking to be made and of course, evidence The Court will exercise its power to make in terim orders conservatively, where evi dence is limited so any exercise of power is likely to be imprecise; and be satisfied the remaining property will be adequate to meet the legitimate expectations of both parties at the final hearing (unless a contemplated interim order is capable of being reversed or adjusted later, if nec essary)

Scenario food for thought

Party A files an application seeking an interim order that Party A & B sell a jointly owned property, and net proceeds of sale be held in a lawyer ’s trust ac count, pending further order

LEGAL

Party B files a response seeking to re tain the jointly owned property as a final order

It is unlikely Party A would convince the Court it is appropriate and necessary to make an order selling the property now, in the absence of evidence the prop erty was at risk of a bank sale and neither party has capacity to pay the mortgage

Alfred Deakin three times Australian Prime Minister

A lfred Deakin was born in Colling wood, right in the middle of Mel bourne, on 3 August 1856 He was the son of the Englishman William Deakin and a Welsh lady Sarah neé Bill, who had arrived in Australia seven years earlier He started his education aged four at a board ing school in Kyneton, about 85km from his home This was quite far in those days, so I’m not surprised he later continued school at South Yarra, practically next door this time He did not enjoy his schooling, deeming it mainly a waste of time

However when he joined the Melbourne Church of England Grammar School, he was inspired by the oratory of the head master Dr John Bromby, and this is re flected in the young Alfred’s own when later in life he had the highest calling in the land.

At the University of Melbourne, he stud ied law in the evening and worked part

time to earn some pocket money with pri vate tuition and teach ing Alfred was a keen debater and participant in spiritualism and was admitted to the Victo rian Bar in 1877, how ever it seems that the practice of law was not enthusiastic.

Shortly after, Alfred Deakin entered into journalism, becoming editor of the Leader, a weekly publication of the Age newspaper, also providing contri butions to politics, lit erature and other topics for a period of five years

His mentor in jour nalism David Syme, influenced his politi cal views from free trade to protectionism. Deakin contested par liament on behalf of the Protectionist Party (today, the Liberal Party) for the first time in West Bourke in 1879 and was elected.

Deakin soon started making a difference For example, in 1884, he chaired a royal commission on irriga tion, a cause he was passionate about, and promoted irrigation in Australia using meth ods he saw first hand in California.

Act that provided for inspections of these workplaces, limited working hours for fe males and youths and introduced injury compensation

Not all was well, however, and Deakin’s responsibility for problems of railway con struction and the use of militia during a maritime strike to protect workers who were not unionised led to the defeat in Oc tober 1890 of the ruling coalition of which he was part Melbourne had also been rid ing a land boom that was faltering and eventually burst, making many investors lose a lot of money, and that included Al fred Deakin

Although outwardly, Deakin continued to project self confidence, he was quite dis illusioned and harboured self doubt, as ev idenced by his private writings.

By this time, he had a growing family with three children He used this time to practice law to supplement his income as a member of parliament, as well as pub lishing some books.

Alfred Deakin with his wife

example came the next year when he introduced a

and

His main political interest at this time turned to the Federation, attending all the relative conventions and conferences as a popular delegate from the state of Victoria He was deemed to be a progressive liberal

P ro m o t e d A u s t r a l i a n nationalism, federalism over parochialism

*Continued from page 4

Deakin earned a reputation of achieving compromises and reconciling differences and promoting Australian nationalism and federalism over parochialism He had a sig nificant hand in shaping the proposed Con stitution Initially, this was not popular; however, Deakin agitated for taking the matter out of the hands of parliamentarians and establishing a Federation League in Victoria, as Edmund Barton was doing in Sydney in NSW, in order to widen the ap peal of the idea and its campaigns

This turned out to be a successful strat egy Deakin was one of several delegates from the Australian states selected to travel to London to negotiate with Joseph Chamberlain, British Secretary of State for the Colonies, the passing in January 1900 of the Constitution bill in the Imperial par liament After some compromises were made, the bill received royal assent in July of that year

The first federal election resulted in a small victory for the Protectionists, of which Deakin and Barton formed part, over the Free Traders Deakin became Attorney Gen eral, the youngest in the Barton ministry

His outlook was less racist than many, though today his positions would still be considered considerably racist For example, he and Barton argued against having a more direct exclusion method for immigrants than the infamous dictation test but then argued that the Japanese had to be kept out due to their good qualities rather than their bad, which was and still is rather jarring Deakin’s time as Prime Minister started when Barton was appointed to the High Court in September 1903. He did not stay long in the job, as a failure of the Arbitration Bill before parliament in 1904 due to suc cessful Labor amendments was taken by the PM as a vote of no confidence, and the Gov ernor General Lord Northcote was advised to appoint the Labor leader as PM instead.

The Labor time in office was also short lived, followed by another short stint of a coalition of Free Traders and Protec tionists Gov

tBust of Al fred Deakin by sculptor Wallace An derson lo cated in the Prime Minis ters Avenue in the Bal larat Botani cal Gardens

ernor Northcote invited Deakin to form government again in July 1905, and this lasted until November 1908

This period can be considered quite pro ductive, with Deakin’s ministry passing legislation or moving on matters of signif icance, such as fixing a site for the future capital of the Federation, initiation of plan ning for an inter continental railway, set ting up nationwide statistics, wireless telegraphy, meteorology, copyright, proce dures and safeguards for accepting con tract labour, taking of control of the former British New Guinea (later called the Ter ritory of Papua, today the southern part of Papua New Guinea or PNG), providing revenue and financial independence for the Commonwealth and last, but not least, providing for old age pensions

Deakin was in favour of expanding the navy, but he was frustrated by the Imperial Government on his proposed Australian naval ambitions Around this time, Deakin suffered some health problems, including faltering speech and memory, even a breakdown, but his political problems were perhaps greater

The Liberal and Protectionist numbers were decreasing in the house, while those of Labor were increasing, and in 1908, the Governor sent for Labor ’s Fisher to form a government.

Deakin soon demonstrated that he was still as shrewd as ever by fusing disparate political groupings of anti socialists, Lib eral Protectionists and an informal group ing led by Sir John Forrest, an old colleague of his in parliament, intending to ‘liberalise conservatives and maintain radical liberalism’. This changed the num

Photo taken in 1898 showing the future first Prime Minister of Australia Edmund Barton (left) with the second Prime Minister of Australia Alfred Deakin who made a great impact in the his tory of Australia having served as Prime Minister on three separate occasions

bers to the extent that Fisher was swiftly dispatched, and Deakin called for his third and final stint as PM on 2 June 1909

In the short time of the Fusion grouping in government, Deakin finally realised his dream of ordering a flagship battle cruiser the Australia; set up the Inter State Commis sion (today the Industry Commission); wel comed the Northern Territory into the Australian Commonwealth; came up with a financial agreement between the Common wealth and the states which, although not successful in being embedded into the Con stitution, still formed the basis for the finan cial relationships for almost two decades

This government was voted out of office in April 1910, being replaced by Labor Deakin was a spent force and not very ef fective as Leader of the Opposition He re tired in January 1913

A notable activity outside of parliament was chairing a Royal Commission in 1914 on war time food supplies and prices Deakin did not enjoy a peaceful life post politics Around 1916 his health deterio rated further, and his notebooks exhibit his spiritual loneliness and intellectual isola tion at this time He died with meningo encephalitis on 7 October 1919, leaving his wife Pattie and daughters Ivy, Stella and Vera, and was buried at St Kilda cemetery.

*In the next issue, we feature John Winston Howard perhaps the stand out leader of the Liberal Party after Bob Menzies Howard represented both new and old Australia: a prime minister understanding the need for economic change but less at ease with the modern social face of the nation

G l o b e t r o t t i n g m i g r a n t

This special feature is known for unearthing politicians, writers, community leaders and the like. This month we introduce our readers to an exceptional migrant who travelled the world seeking a better life. From the underground water mines in Siggiewi to Melbourne, New Orleans, and Sydney, our selection this month is a salt-of-the-earth character.

Emanuel (Bill) Schembri

E

manuel was born in Siggiewi on Christmas Day 1940 hence his name to mother Salvina Aquilina and father Nazju, both from Siggiewi known as Tal Għajn il Kbira They owned and operated farms next to Girgenti, the summer res idence of the Prime Ministers

At the age of 15 Emanuel (Leli for short) worked for three years at Ta’ Zunta Quarry at Ta' Kandja, a small area situated between Ħal Farruġ and Siġġiewi, an area that is mainly composed of limestone quarries, a small number of facilities, such as the De tention Centre housed by the Armed Forces of Malta and the Water Services Corporation's Groundwater Pumping Station

In the area there are also underground galleries that are part of the Maltese water supply system The Ta' Kandja Underground Galleries are around 100m below ground level and are an impor tant source of groundwater for Malta. It was the last pumping sta tion to be built It was completed in 1963

It consists of six galleries (around 6 2 km of galleries out of a network of 42 km), which are beneath the is land These spread out from a sump like the spokes of a wheel, spreading out under villages in the area Water collected in the sump area is then chlorinated to eliminate any bacteria and then pumped to a reservoir in the nearby village of Qrendi

Young Leli also worked in the family fields at Girgenti He never went to school and learned what he could from private sources at Ta' Fifu. Before he decided to migrate, he received private tuition

Bill and his wife Mary

from Fr Daniel He told The Voice of the Maltese, “It cost me more than five shillings a day. I did not earn that much from my work ”

Work at the water mines was coming to an end, and Leli was advised he should emi grate That he did in 1960, ar riving in the Leichhardt (Sydney) area where he befriended Fr Pupul Cassar OFM Cap Mary Vassallo was the love of his life They knew each other in Malta, and as Emanuel settled in Sydney they kept in touch His first job was with Level & Kitchen at Balmain along with several other Maltese who were employed there. Here his Aussie workmates started calling him Bill, as they found it hard to pronounce Emanuel Meanwhile, Mary and her sister Kolina ar rived in Sydney Emanuel and Mary got married in 1962 Leichhardt They then went to live in Morwell in Victoria, where they stayed for four years Here at Morwell, Emanuel worked in the open cut coalmines. By 1971 Leli and his wife Mary returned to Sydney However, Mary's sister, then living in New Orleans in the United States, convinced them to join her there along the Mississippi River in the southeastern re gion in the state of Louisiana

In 2005 New Orleans was severely af fected by hurricane Katrina that flooded more than 80% of the city, killed more than 1,800 people, and displaced thou sands of residents, causing a population decline of over 50%

Eight months in New Orleans more than

*Continued from page 6

New Orleans is world renowned for its distinctive music, Creole cuisine, unique dialects, and its annual celebrations and festivals, most notably Mardi Gras. The historic heart of the city is the French Quarter All this did not impress Bill and Mary; they just wished to reunite with Mary's sister

On Christmas Eve 1979, Bill and Mary, now parents of two kids, Sam 15 years and Marthese 12, arrived Bill said that their backyard was the Pontchartrain River However, according to Bill and Mary, life was not the best in New Orleans, and working conditions there were primitive So after only eight months the Schembris returned to Sydney, to settle in the western suburbs.

In 2000, Emanuel (Bill) Schembri was elected President of the St Nicholas Festa Committee at Plumpton and held the po sition for 16 years With the assistance of many, he built this festa from scratch, and

when he resigned he left it in a very healthy financial position. SNFC also in vested wisely in festa equipment by organ ising several activities, tours, and other fundraising activities

The annual festa of St Nicholas at Plump ton NSW is now very popular in the Mal tese community's calendar of events

For his voluntary work in the community and his contribution to culture and the Maltese community, on Victory Day, (8th September) 2018 the Maltese Cultural

Award recognised and honoured Emanual (Bill) Schembri with the Cultural Award.

While in 2011, the Maltese Welfare Asso ciation also awarded him with the Quiet Achievers' Award

Bill represented the St Nicholas Festa Committee as a delegate to the Maltese Community Council of NSW and is an ac tive member of the Seniors group meeting at the MCC Centre at West Parramatta every last Tuesday of the month

The Schembris with grandchildren. Back (from left): Billie, Jess, Amy and Brendon. Front (from left): Rachel, wife Mary, Bill & Blake

Have your say/Xi trid tghid?

The Voice of the Maltese

Dun Karm and the word “ħakimha”

Depiro from Bondi NSW writes:

With reference to the news item Nibdlu kliem l Innu Malti? (VOM 4th October 2022 page 15) may I refer you to the views expressed by now departed Malta’s national poet and critic Oliver Friggieri He was keen to dis pel the notion that the anthem may be somewhat outdated now, insisting that it remains irrelevant to contemporary Malta

Asked to comment on the somewhat fraught use of the term “hakkiem” in the anthem, Friggieri insisted that, contrary to what some may think, the word carries no

Change to the anthem

J Cassar from Middle park Victoria writes:

Why is it so hard to consider changing some outdated words in our national anthem? Australia changed some words from “young and free” to one and free The English have a go every time they change from Queen to King or vice versa. I agree that we change the word “jaħkima”.

Unity and harmony?

Ant Vella from Mascot NSW jikteb:

In the July 19, 2022 issue of The Voice, you kindly published my letter under the heading “Stop this rubbish” referring to the usage of Facebook by some people for insults and comments that should never see the light of day Now I notice that the same people who have allowed their Facebook page to be used in such a disgusting and infantile manner are urging the community to unite so we can have harmony Are we living on the same planet? Unity, harmony and respect are like commodi ties; they are earned

explicit colonial connotation

The word ‘ħakem”, from which “jaħkimha” is derived, occupies a wide se mantic range that includes the notion of administering, governing, leading, ruling. It has no colonial connotation at all Oliver Friggieri said, highlighting the fact that “Dun Karm is Malta’s most emi nent voice of Maltese statehood the awareness of being on the road towards in dependence permeates his word, even the ones written in Italian Friggieri had added that the use of the verb in this context precedes Dun Karm by many years and that it can be found in po etry published prior to December 1922, when the anthem was first performed

Cheaper to holiday in Malta than to reside in the UK?

Graham Camilleri from East Finchley, UK writes:

Iam nearing the end of my extended va cation in Malta after just over three weeks of heaven on this lovely island that I still call home despite having lived more years in the UK than on it

I left Malta when I was 24 and since then I have lived mostly in England where I settled After six years I met this lovely girl from Scotland, got married and raised a family of three kids They made us grandparents to four beautiful siblings

Though living in England has its ups and downs, and recently more downs then ups, I weigh this up by visiting Malta when we get the chance. We have become frequent visitors since my retirement but our last visit was pre pandemic. We missed it.

To make up for that this summer we combed the holiday brochures and planned a fortnightly hotel accommoda tion at a four class hotel at a very moder ate price

However, with so much going on around us, we decided to extend our stay at the same venue with the same rate. That way we experienced for the first time, the Notte Bianca and also last weekend’s Birgu Fest They were fabulous occasions

After that, I wish to make a suggestion for any readers of the magazine in the UK. If you can afford it, do not hesitate to visit Malta During our three weeks on the is land we spent less (on hotel accommoda tion, food and transport) than we would have had we stayed in London Food for thought isn’t it?

Speaker Anglu Farrugia boasts of the track record in war on drugs

Addressing the Inter national Society of Addiction Medi cine, which was organised in Malta by the Interna tional Society of Addiction Medicine (ISAM), the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Anglu Farrugia said that Malta has a great track record where the war on drugs is concerned

He said that last May, 1,494 tonnes of cocaine worth at least €300 million, were intercepted by the Customs Department while it was in transit between Columbia and Slovenia, and in the preceding month, 800kg of cocaine had been intercepted and seized by Cus toms of Malta at the Freeport

Speaker Farrugia stated that the Customs of Malta has been breaking its cocaine seizure records year after year. He mentioned that in 2019 it recorded a total of 750kg (in 13 separate seizures), another 612kg in one seizure in 2020, 740kg in one seizure in 2021, and 800kg and 1,494kg in two separate seizures this year

The Speaker said that while cutting off the supply both locally

and abroad is very important, it is equally important to have the necessary structures in place to deal with physi cal, mental and social harm done to the victims of this criminal activity addressed

He added that in this re gard, the Government of Malta, national entity en trusted by is the Foundation for Social Welfare Services (FSWS) to address psycho social matters. Speaker Far rugia informed those present that 78% of the personnel employed by the FSWS are professionals in the social care sector that work di rectly with clients and pa tients

He added that in this regard, the Government of Malta entrusted the Foundation for Social Welfare Services (FSWS) to address psycho social matters, and informed those present that 78% of the personnel employed by the national entity (FSWS) are pro fessionals in the social care sector who work directly with clients and patients

The Foundation for Social Welfare Services and the University of Malta also had a say in the organisation of the conference

Speaker Anglu Farrugia addressing the ISAM international conference

A new MDIA scheme to implement innovative technology projects

In line with the government’s mandate for the country to stay at the forefront of the fourth technological revolution that is developing around the world, the Malta Digital Innovation Authority (MDIA) is allocating funds for innovative technology projects in the community in a scheme aimed to encourage local councils to invest in innovative technology so that traditional services can become more effi cient and sustainable for the benefit of the residents and businesses

At the launch of this initiative, the Min ister for the Economy, European Funds and Lands Silvio Schembri said that the pandemic and the Russia Ukraine war showed us the importance of diversifica tion in the economy, and that this can be done not just by investing in technology, but by serving as a hub where technology can continue to develop He said that in order to create an environ ment whereby both local and foreign busi nesses can grow, in the past years Malta started to invest in innovative technologies such as blockchain, artificial intelligence and cloud computing among others, whereby both local and foreign businesses can grow

Today with the new technologies that are

being developed, such as quantum technology and the Internet of things, among others, Mal ta will also be at the forefront of such technologies The Minister said that this can be done by continuing to invest in the country’s dig ital infrastructure, as well as in human resources.

Minister Schem bri added that the best way to see that technological innova tion is used in the community is by launch ing schemes like the one just launched,that involves local councils

“In the technology sector, we need to en sure that we offer the necessary learning tools to our children so that they can con tinue to specialise in these sectors In the past, Malta’s diminutive size was a hurdle at times, but in the technology sector this is not the case, and we can continue to flourish, and we already started to see Malta becoming a leading hub for techno

logical developments,” concluded Minis ter Schembri

Parliamentary Secretary for Local Gov ernment Alison Zerafa Civelli who was also present for the launch said that today, digital technology is used in many systems across various sectors, therefore it should also serve as a valuable tool for local councils in a bid to help overcome social, economic and environmental challenges

She encouraged local councils to submit their application in order to benefit from this funding scheme

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Minister Silvio Schembri at the launch of the MDIA’s new scheme

The invited Presidents

‘Arraiolos’ discuss most pressing issues

The President of Malta, George Vella hosted 12 Presidents at the one day ‘Arraiolos’ Meeting for Non Execu tive Heads of State of the European Union at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta

During the 17th meeting of the Arraiolos Group since the formation of this Group in 2003, the Heads of State were invited by Dr George Vella to share their views and thoughts on the subjects discussed during the course of the day.

They held discussions on some of the most pressing issues, global and European that they collectively face, particularly se curity and the threat currently facing Eu rope resulting from the war in Ukraine.

The first discussion that took place in the atmosphere of war, the role of the EU and its members in the face of challenges and threats was discussed The Presidents ex pressed their revulsion to breaches of inter national law, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the necessity to offer the people of Ukraine their solidarity and assistance

Globally the EU is often the largest responder to humanitarian aid

Dr Vella spoke about the worrying devel opments in Malta's immediate neighbour hood, the Mediterranean, and stressed the need for the interna tional community to keep these develop ments high on its agenda He men tioned the issue of irregular migration on the Central Mediterranean route and reiterated his calls for solidarity with frontline coun tries being put into practice

The problem of cli mate change, immi gration, lack of equality and the standard of living in EU countries were also high on the agenda with the par ticipants discussing what instruments are needed to create a more equal Europe

It was also impor tant too, not to lose sight of what have been the great mo ments of hope in re cent years, agree ments eached glob

ally in relation to sustainability and in relation to what they must do to cease the terrible con sequences of climate change

They pointed out that it was very impor tant that the European public is not dis tracted from the achievements that are so necessary under those two great challenges.

The Presidents were able to consider the ways in which the EU can respond to global social injustices that are deepening, and to propose new policies

In discussing insecurity, they discussed what many consider to be the most basic security of all security of being free from hunger. As such, they took account for in stance of what’s happening in the Horn of Africa, which is an example of how those who are least responsible for climate change consequences have in fact paid the highest price.

The meeting was made aware that, for ex ample, 0 024% of emissions come from the Horn of Africa where 36 million people are threatened with food insecurity They dis cussed how the different dimensions of multilateralism interact Those most threat ened with hunger and starvation are threat ened by debt dependencies with 16% of what they earn from their exports going to debt servicing and as low as 5% available for public health

Globally the EU is often the largest respon der to humanitarian aid and it was vitally im portant that all of the individual countries make the immediate humanitarian funding available that is required to avert immediate disaster in the Horn of Africa

However, one must also acknowledge that a humanitarian response alone is not suffi cient to address what are recurring famines, unless one takes the transforming structural actions that are required, indeed long over due, in order to tackle the issues mentioned

The Presidents were told that countries must have the courage to get beyond hu manitarian responses and also have courage to make the structural changes needed

The next Arrailos Meeting will take place next year in Portugal where it all began 20 years ago.

The invited Presidents came from Bulgaria, Germany, Italy, Estonia, Ireland, Greece, Croatia, Latvia, Hun gary, Poland, Portugal, and Slovenia For the first time, they were joined by the President of Slovakia

Roundup of News About Malta

Degiorgio brothers plead guilty to Caruana Galizia murder and each get 40 years jail term

Almost five years to the day of the as sassination by means of a car bomb of 53 year old Daphne Caruana Gal izia on 16th October 2017, the Degiorgio brothers Alfred and George pleaded guilty of the murder and were sentenced to 40 years in prison They were convicted of planting and detonating the car bomb that killed her

On the day of the start of the trial by jury on Friday, the pair pleaded not guilty to the charges, but later in the day; in a remark able turnaround they changed their pleas to guilty on all six charges. They were also or dered to pay €42,930 each in legal costs and another €50,000 in criminal proceeds to be confiscated

Shortly after the judgement, Prime Min ister Robert Abela tweeted: “Today's judg ment is another important step in bringing justice to the Caruana Galizia family

Prime Minister Robert Abela said that the Government would continue to pur sue a responsible policy which does not im pose burdens on businesses and which offers as much support as it possibly can

He said this in one of the pre Budget meetings he has been holding with different sectors of society before the presentation of the 2023 Budget set for Octiber 24

He noted the resilience of the Maltese eco nomy and how, when businesses found support from the Government, they could face unprecedented challenges.

The Government’s plan aims to improve the quality of life which means strengthen ing new rights for workers, as has already been done in recent months

In the meeting with the Maltese Associa tion of Employers (MEA), he reaffirmed the commitment to reduce the tax burden on businesses over a five year plan and in troduce new incentives for those who in vest and create jobs.

He also met delegations from the Malta De velopers Assoiation, the Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises and the unions

He pinted out that the Malta Government is the only one in Europe that is bearing the burden of the increases in energy and fuel prices, which has allowed businesses in Malta to remain competitive

“When we strengthen workers’ rights I be lieve we create new economic opportuni ties,” said the Prime Minister, who also explained that it was crucial to focus on the improvement of workers in a strong em ployment sector in Malta

He defined this priority as a necessary change for the economy in the context of other major changes that must be made as a country due to digitalization and climate change

He said up to September the Government

“Three people have now been convicted for this murder and three others are await ing trial. We remain committed to seeing justice done for the family and for Malta ”

When the trial of the two brothers opened on Friday the Degiorgio brothers pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and crimi nal conspiracy. But at around 4pm on re sumption of the sitting after the break, out of the blue they reversed the not guilty plea in exchange for a lighter sentence and at around 7 pm Madam Justice Edwina Grima passed sentence.

During the recess, the defence and prose cution had reached the 40 yer sentencing agreement, which the court was only bound to take into consideration

With this plea, four people have now ad mitted their involvement in Caruana Gal izia’s assassination Confessed middleman Melvin Theuma turned state’s witness, while the third hitman in the murder, Vince Muscat confessed and was given a reduced 15 year sentence in a plea bargain deal that saw him turn State’s witness

Robert Agius, and Jamie Vella also stand accused, in other proceedings, of having provided the car bomb They are both claiming their innocence.

Another man, businessman Yorgen Fenech, who is suspected of ordering the murder and is accused of complicity in murder has pleaded not guilty and is await ing trial

One of Daphne’s ons, Paul, welcomed the defendant's change of plea, describing it in a Tweet as "a break in the clouds”

had invested more than €20 million to in centivise people to go for projects safe guarding the Maltese character, and explained this has been done through tax savings or direct grants

He added that just under €19 million had been saved by those purchasing property in urban conservation zones, and just over €1 million had been saved by purchasers of property that had long been vacant

The brothers Degiorgio: George (above) and Alfred (below) sent 40 years jail term

G o v t d e t e r m i n e d t o c o n t i n u e t o p u r s u e re s p o n s i b l e p o l i c y

Prime Minister Robert Abela (right in shirt sleeves) in his meeting with the MDA

Roundup of News About Malta

Essential to expand relations with UAE

The Minister for Foreign and Euro pean Affairs Ian Borg said that it was essential for Malta to continue to grow and expand its bilateral relations with a country such as the UAE that is so strong and that has several resources, so that its collaboration continues to improve

and translate in more opportunities for the people and businesses

During his visit to the UAE where he met the UAE’s Minister of State for Interna tional Cooperation Reem Al Hashemy, Minister Borg discussed with him the ad vances made in recent years in terms of re l a t i o n s between the two coun tries and their com mitment to continue to improve on what al ready ex ists

Dr Borg spoke about the UAE’s e x p e r i e n c e

during the past year serving on the UN’s Security Council, and about how to strengthen the already good cooperation between the two countries during the pe riod that Malta would be serving on this same Council.

Minister Borg also had a meeting with the Federation of UAE Chambers of Com merce and discussed how best to continue to build on the agreement that already ex ists with Malta’s Chamber of Commerce and spoke about how they can continue to build and further facilitate the transition for Maltese and Gozitan businesses to roam in these markets

During his meeting with the President of the Federation, Mr Abdullah Mohammed Al Mazrui, Dr Borg mentioned the bene fits the country offers foreign businessmen who intend to invest in Malta, and that the island currently has one of the fastest growing economies.

R e g i s t r a t i o n o f a i rc r a f t e x p e c t e d t o e x c e e d 8 0 0

MTA awarded Best MICE Destination

The Malta Tourism Authority of fice in Italy, headed by Ms Ester Tamasi picked up the prestigious ‘Best MICE Destination’ Award dur ing the European Mission Awards in Rome that stem from an experience dating back to 2013 They are set up by the publishing house of the Busi ness Travel magazine, Mission, on line and offline.

The winners were chosen by an ex pert jury made up of expert Travel Executives from leading European companies as well as representatives of providers and coordinated and supported by the editorial staff Malta was a finalist alongside Cannes, Israel, and Krakow.

Upon announcing Malta as the

winner, the event host said that “the recognition of the jury goes to Malta for the best leisure location, its air connectivity from all over Europe, for the widely spoken Eng lish language and for the favourable climate all year round He said Malta offers a range of diversified hotels and charming residences

MTA CEO Carlo Micallef said that this is the first recognition for VisitMalta Incentives and Meetings following the rebranding earlier this year, through which it aims to con solidate further the potential that Malta and Gozo have for this im portant niche, which is crucial in the steady recovery of the tourism sector post pandemic

600 in Malta earning their living from Blockchain

Ablockchain company operating from St Julian’s said it believes that Malta will have a six year advantage over other EU countries as the EU Parliament and the EU Commission have approved regulations re garding EU markets and digital coinage

Four years ago Malta’s Parliament ap proved the first technological framework for blockchain Now 600 employees are earning their living from this new eco nomic niche

Companies operating in this system have collective assets that reach €9 billion

Following the establishment Eurowings Europe Ltd in Malta earlier this year, the company has now received its Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) from the Malta Civil Aviation Directorate (CAD) within Transport Malta (TM), and its first flight is scheduled for November 3 By April next year, it will register 20 aircraft.

Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects Aaron Farrugia said that the future looks bright for avia tion in Malta The industry is thriving in even in the con text of challenging times

He said that Malta is experiencing rapid growth and by next year registration of aircraft on the island is expected to exceed 800

“Our various recent developments in this sector will have a significant impact on our economy and generate further jobs”, Minister Farrugia said.

Eurowings Europe Ltd Managing Director, Stefan Bev eridge, said that their move to Malta would help them re duce complexity for their staff based at the various bases in Europe, and that Malta's economic and regulatory frame work would enable them to enter new markets and compete successfully in their highly competitive environment

660,000 passengers travel through MIA

Meanwhile, in September, almost 660,000 passengers travelled through Malta International Airport bringing the peak summer season (June September), through which it welcomed 2 66 million passengers to a close.

It has now launched the Winter 22/23 flight schedule that features the return of Air Serbia and a re established connection with Sweden

At 86.4 per cent, September ’s recovery of pre pandemic traffic was similar to the re covery rates posted in July (86 3 per cent) and August (86 5 per cent)

In September, 89 5 per cent of the seats

available on the flights operated to and from Malta were occupied, marking an in crease of 3.3 per cent over the same month in 2019

In relation to the top drivers of traffic there were almost no changes from the previous three peak months with the Italian market registering an increase of 13 1 per cent in passenger numbers over September 2019 and remaining top of the leaderboard for the seventh consecutive month.

It was followed by the United Kingdom, which generated 33 per cent less traffic than it had in 2019 Germany ranked third with 34 7 per cent

Malta’s Foreign Minister Ian Borg during his visit to UAE

Iridu partit ġdid?

Ilgazzetta Maltatoday hi magħrufa għall istħarriġ dwar is sitwazzjoni poli tika f ’Malta Dan ma tagħmlux meta toqrob xi elezzjoni, imma s sena kollha L aħħar stħarriġ ippubblikah nhar il Ħadd, 9 ta’ Ottubru Fl istess jum l illum, pubb likazzjoni mill istess media house, imma bil Malti, ippubblikat stħarriġ ieħor li tista’ tgħid ‘jorbot’ ma dak tal Maltatoday

X’aktarx li l aktar fatt impressjonanti li ħareġ miż żewġ stħarriġ ma kienetx id dif ferenza bejn l appoġġ għall mexxeja tal ikbar żewġ partiti jew id differenzi bejn l istess partiti, imma l fatt li ħafna nies qed jitbiegħdu mill partiti tradizzjonali

Innfatti, skont dan l istħarriġ il maġġo ranza assoluta 56 4% ta’ dawk li wieġbu għall mistoqsija dwar jekk jaħs bux li wasal iż żmien li Malta jkollha par tit ġdid, wieġbu iva;filwaqt li 43% qalu le

Quddiem nett ta’ dawk li qalu iva kien hemm dawk li fl aħħar elezzjoni ma vvutawx Ma ninsewx li fl aħħar elezzjoni ġenerali kien hemm madwar 60,000 li ma vvutawx li mxebbaħ ma elezzjonijiet preċedenti hu kbir ħafna

Is sabiħa li dawk li qalu ‘iva’ għal partit ġdid, u saħansitra ma kkunsidrawx il par titi hekk imsejjħa ‘żgħar ’ li diġà jeżistu, bħala alternattiva

Interessanti wkoll li kienu dawk li qalu li jappoġġjaw lill Parit Nazzjonalista li l aktar kienu favur partit ġdid Infatti 58 7% minnhom (kważi sitta minn kull 10 votanti) wieġbu li hemm bżonn ta' partit ġdid fil pajjiż

Min naħa l oħra 67.8% ta' li jivvutaw lill Partit Laburista, kieku ssir elezzjoni kellha ssir issa, qalu li ma jarawx il bżonn ta' par tit ġdid. Dan anke jekk minoranza notevoli, li tlaħħaq kważi terz (31 7%) qalu li jemmnu li pajjiżna għandu bżonn partit ġdid fix xena politika lokali..

Dan ir riżultat jagħti ħjiel tar riżultat li kisbu l mexxejja u l Partiti politiċi fl istħarriġ li sar mill Maltatoday, li juri li, minħabba li għadd ta’ eletturi stqarrew li ma kienux se jivvutaw, iż żewġ partiti marru lura fl appoġġ li għandhom u jikkonferma l apatija li għandhom ċerti eletturi lejn l istess partiti.

Infatti, mill aħħar stħarriġ li sar f ’Lulju li għadda l perċentwal ta’ dawk li qalu li jekk issir elezzjoni ma kienux se jivvutaw żdied bi 8 1%, jiġifieri li 22 6% tal eletturi kienu se jastjienu f ’elezzjoni ġenerali.

L istħarriġ ta’ illum jaħbat jagħti ħjiel ukoll fuq il qagħda tal partiti għax fil fatt, il Partit Nazzjonalista, li kif rajna, għadd konsiderevoli minn dawk li jappoġġjawh xtaqu li jkollna partit politiku ġdid, kien il partit li kellu riżultat xejn sabiħ fl istħar riġ tal Malta today

Minn dan l istħar riġ ħareġ li ż żewġ partiti marru lura, imma filwaqt li l Partit Laburista mar lura bi 2 6 punti u issa għandu l ap poġġ ta’ 39 4%, il Partit Nazzjonalista naqas b’5.9 punti u niżel għall 19 9%, li jfisser li l Partit Laburista għandu vantaġġ ta’ kważi 20% fuq il Partit Nazzjonalista. Dan ir riżultat hu wa rifless ukoll, fejn jidħol l appoġġ lill kapijiet tal partiti Infatti filwaqt li minkejja li kellu nuqqas ta’ 3 5punti, Robert Abela, baqa’ jgawdi l ap poġġ ta’ 46 9% tal poplu, Bernard Grech mar lura bi 3.53 u niżel għal 18.1%... dif ferenza ta’ aktar minn 38%

in Abela and Grech

Forsi li l aktar inkwetanti għall Partit Nazzjonalista huwa l fatt li kienu biss 7 3% ta' dawk li għandhom bejn 16 u 35 sena li qalu li lesti jivvutawlu kieku kellha ssir elezzjoni llum

Tassew li fattur inkwetanti

Skont il ġurnal illum, dak li ħareġ miż żewġ stħarriġ inkwieta sewwa lill MŻPN, (il fergħa taż Żgħażagħ tal Partit Nazzjonalista) li wera t tħassib tiegħu għall fatt li l istħarriġ għal darb'oħra wera li l Partit Nazzjonalista jbati sew fil popo larita’ maż żgħażagħ u għalhekk sejħu laqgħa biex jiddiskutu dan ir riżultat Fil fatt f ’dan is settur il Partit ADPD, partit li f ’dan l istħarrġ kiseb biss 3 2 % ta’ dawk li wieġbu dan l istħarriġ (żieda ta’ 1.2%), fejn jidħlu ż żgħażagħ irnexxielu jmur aħjar mill PN billi ġab 8 3% Il Partit Laburista mar aħjar billi ġab 28,3% Il bqija 33 7% ma taw l ebda preferenza għax qalu li ma kienux ser jivvutaw

Skont l istess ġurnal l MZPN stqarr: “Wara sondaġġ ippubblikat lbieraħ li wera li l partit tagħna mhux jikseb fiduċja miż żgħażagħ, ħassejna d dover li niltaqgħu immedjatament biex niddeċiedu x'għandna nagħmlu bħala fergħa responsabbli miż żgħażagħ sabiex nerġgħu nirbħu l fiduċja taż żgħażagħ," saħaq l MŻPN”

Fil fehma opinjoni tiegħi mhux il MŻPN biss għandu jinkwieta dwar dak li ħareġ mill istħarriġ, imma kull min għandu għall qalbu l ġid tal pajjiż Għax ma jawgurax tajjeb għall futur li terz ta’ dawk li għadhom telgħin, li huma l futur tal pajjiż, joħorġu jgħidu li mhux se jivvutaw

Jekk se nkomplu b’dan ir ritmu nistgħu nispiċċaw li filwaqt li matul is sena kollha

nikkustinjaw dwar il politika, meta niġu għas ‘si’ u n ‘ no ’ , fl elezzjoni ġenerali dawk li jmorru biex jaħtru Gvern u Op pożizzjoni jkunu perċentwal ferm inqas milli mdorrijin bih U minn pajjiż li dejjem kellu konkorrenza qawwija waqt l elez zjonijiet, nispiċċaw bħal ċerti pajjiżi Ewropej fejn il perċentwal tal votanti jkun tassew baxx.

Morna lura

Mhux darba u tnejn kien hemm min il menta li tassew morna lura fejn jidħlu ċerti valuri u li l midja soċjali tant rikbitna li spiċċajna li nagħtu mportanza aktar lil din il midja milli li nġibu ruħna kif jixraq

Dan deher ċar f ’inċident li seħħ fl ewwel xita qawwija li ħakmet lil Malta.

Omm marret tiġbor lil binha mill iskola u filwaqt li kienet sejra lura lejn id dar in ħakmet fl aqwa tax xita bil karozza tieq filha f ’nofs ta’ triq

B\kuraġġ, il mara ħarġet mill karozza qabdet it tifel, refgħetu u fl ilma għoli sew bdiet sejra għal f ’post aktar salv Sfortu natament, f ’mument minnhom waqgħet bit tifel b’kollox

Jidher li xi ħadd kien qed jara dan kollu j s e ħ ħ , u m i n f l o k m a ħ a r e ġ j a g ħ t i d a q q a t’id, qagħad jiffilmja dak li kien qed jiġri biex tefa’ l filmat fuq il midja soċjali.... tassew att ta min jistmerru

Pulizija mixlija bi swat lill-barranin

F’dawn l aħħar snin, sikwit kellna rapporti ta’ argumenti, ġlied u saħansitra qtil fejn kienu mdaħħla xi barranin l aħħar wieħed, li spiċċa fuq il midja kollha, kien dak tal Ħamrun

Imma l ġimgħa li għaddiet kellna xi ħaġa mhux tas soltu l arrest mill pulizija ta’ tliet pulizija sħabhom. Dawn, Rica Mifsud Grech ta’ 22 sena, Jurgen Falzon ta’ 24 sena u Luca Brincat ta’ 20 sena (stampa), ittellgħu l Qorti mixlija li ħatfu persuni barranin u sawwtuhom f ’post imwarrab f ’Ħal Qormi. Ingħad li meta kienu jkunu xogħol filgħaxija, dawn il pulizija kienu jsibu l barranin, jgħabbuhom fil karozza u jeħduhom f'post imwarrab f'Ħal Qormi fejn kienu jsawtuhom u jħalluhom hemm Dawk li kixfu dan l allegat swat ma kienx min ġie msawwat,

imma pulizija oħra.

L inċident ngħata mpor tanza kbira mhux biss mill midja, imma wkoll mill Korp tal Pulizija, bil Kummissarju tal Pulizija jsejjaħ konferenza tal aħbarijiet fejn qal: “Il pulizija tieħu dawn ir rapporti bl akbar serjetà Dan sabiex ikun żgurat li l poteri jintużaw għall ħar sien tal ġid komuni ”

Il Kummissarju żied jgħid li dak li allegatament seħħ żgur li m’għandux jirrifletti l ħidma fejjieda li qed iwettaq il Korp speċ jalment f ’dik li hija governanza tajba “Korp tal Pulizija ma jittollera l ebda abbuż ta’ poter mill mem bri tiegħu”, tenna l Kummissarju Gafá U hekk għandu jkun

Ħsejjes li Gjdejjqu ħajnuna fil-qasam edukattiv

F’Malta l edukazzjoni fil pri marji dejjem kienet bla ħlas. Wara l miżati tneħħew mis set turi kollha tal istituzzjonijiet edukattivi tal Istat, u fl univer sità u l iskejjel post sekondarji u saħansitra l istudenti bdew jingħataw l istipendju

Fil ħamsinijiet l awtoritajiet taw verżjoni ġdida tal edukaz zjoni b’xejn għax xi familji kienu qed ibatu biex jibagħtu lit tfal fl iskejjel lebsin kif xieraq u fornuti b’dak kollu meħtieġ Il Gvern beda jsellef il kotba u jagħti il pitazzi, lap sijiet u ħwejjeġ oħra

Is servizzi żdiedu u llum tfal fl iskejjel kollha, tal istat, tal Knisja, jew privati, qed jiġu of fruti trasport b’xejn lejn u mill iskola

Il ġenituri ta’ tfal fl iskejjel

tal Istat li jmorru għax xogħol jistgħu jibagħtu lil uliedhom l iskola qabel il ħin tal ftuħ u mhux biss isibu lil min jieħu ħsiebhom, imma jingħataw ukoll kolazzjon

Il ġenituri li jaħdmu u ma jkunux id dar fil ħin li tispiċċa l iskola jistgħu jħallu lil ulied hom fl istess skola fejn jiġu in dukrati

Fl aħħar snin żdied ukoll is servizz magħruf bħala l iskema

9 li toffri l għażla lil tfal ta’ familji fil bżonn sensiela ta’ għajnuniet, bħal uniformi ikla kuljum, mezzi ta’kitba, u fo tokopji b’xejn

Fejn qabel dawn it tfal setgħu jagħżlu biss waħda minn dawn l għajnuniet, issa l Gvern qed joffri l għajnuniet kollha li min jinħtieġhom.

‘Dinja tal-kartapesta’

*Ikompli minn paġna 14

Imma dan mhux kollok, għax meta l fil mat intefa’ fuq il midja soċjali, bdew isiru kummenti, fosthom minn uħud li, fil kum menti tagħhom, bdew jiżżufjettaw bl in ċident

Mhux ta’ b’xejn li iben ieħor ta’ din il mara, ħareġ fuq l istess midja jikkundanna d diversi kummenti li ppruvaw iwaqqgħu lill ommu għaż żufjett hekk kif f ’tentattiv biex binha ma jixxarrabx meta waqgħet fl ilma.

Dan stqarr: “Qed ngħixu f ’dinja tal kar tapesta, artifiċjali daqs kull tbissima li ma tagħtix lemħa lil tiegħek. Dinja tal likes, views u gaffati oħra ”

Kellu mitt raġun jikteb hekk

L

i kelli nistaqsi x’taħsbu li jikkawża l aktar ħsejjes li jdejqu lil dak li jkun, x’aktarx tpoġġu fuq quddiem: it traffiku (għal min joqgħodu fi triqat traffikużi), il mużika għolja (għal dawk li jgħixu f ’ċentri fejn hemm id diskoteki u fejn jinġabru ż żgħażagħ), u l għodda mekkanikai li jintużaw għat tħaffir eċċ

Imma, jekk wieħed iħares lejn ir rapporti li jirċivu l pulizija minn dawk li jilmentaw mill ħsejjes żejda, l istampa hija to talment differenti.Tant li meta sar stħarriġ fl għasses tal pulizija, instab li l aktar rap porti li jsiru huma ta’ ħsejjes ikkaġunati minn ġlied bil kliem (argumenti) bejn in nies Filwaqt li dan l aħħar għadde jja polemika sħiħa dwar iż

żieda fil ħoss tal mużika fil belt Val letta, kien propju f ’dan il lokal li saru l aktar rap porti għand il pulizija Imma r rapporti ma kienux dwar mużika għolja, imma dwar ħse jjes minħabba argumenti

Fil fatt, bejn l 2021 u l 2022 fl Għassa tal Belt saru 38 rapport ta’ għajjat waqt ġlied u 18 biss dwar mużika għolja Wara l akbar rapport dwar argumenti kien f ’Birkirkara, b’9, u b’4 biss minħabba mużika għolja

L istess sitwazzjoni nsibu fi bliet u rħula oħra, inkluż f ’San Ġiljan, fejn hemm l akbar konċentrazzjoni ta’ stabbilimenti tad divertiment, Paceville

F’Ħal Lija fejn, il pulizija kellhom biss rapport wieħed dwar il ħsejjes eċċessivi, dan ukoll kien ikkawżat minn argu ment.

F i r s t N a t i o n s h e a d o f S t a t e i n s t e a d o f C h a r l e s 111

Now that the period of mourning for Queen Elizabeth II is over, debate is heating up about Australia's fu ture, including whether it should become a republic.

Waleed Aly, host of Channel 10 show The Project, floated the novel idea of re placing the British monarch currently King Charles III with a First Nations head of state in Australia, who would be appointed for life

“If we’re going to do this, we need to draw on our own sources of tradition, cer emony, even spirituality," he said on the show Aly said the Queen provided a sense of constancy, history and ritual some thing that appointing a president would not

Cash rate: highest in 9 years

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has lifted the official cash rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 2.6 per cent, its highest level in nine years It's the sixth consecutive month the central bank has lifted the rate, with it now sitting at its highest level since July 2013 RBA Go v e r n o r P h i l i p Lowe (left) said that the rate in crease will h e l p achieve a more sus

tainable balance of demand and supply in the Australian economy “This is neces sary to bring inflation back down,” he said in a statement

The nation's official cash rate sat at a record low of just 0.1 per cent between No vember 2020 and May this year, when the first of a series of consecutive rises began

According to financial comparison web site Canstar, if the full 0 25 percentage point increase is passed onto mortgage holders, someone with a $500,000 loan over 30 years can expect their monthly re payments to rise by $78 a month. That would take the total increases in their monthly repayments over the last six months to $730.

For someone with a $750,000 mortgage, the latest increase adds $117 to their monthly repayments They can expect to be paying $1,096 more than they were be fore rates began rising in May.

be able to replicate

He said the monarchy was powerful pre cisely because it had no real power “The Queen was loved because she was fre quently silent, so often a blank canvas.”

But he said the power of the monarchy went beyond the personal “Every nation needs a 'we', a symbol that stands for the whole ” “The republican objection is mainly that the monarchy is the wrong symbol of the 'we '

“That argument is sharpest coming from In digenous Australians, for whom the crown isn't merely foreign, but dispossessing.”

Aly said that installing an Indigenous head of state would enable the pomp and ceremony associated with the royals to continue, with something more fitting in Australia but still magical

He acknowledged the position would be “racially closed” but so was the monarchy, which was “always going to be white” He also noted Catholics could not become king or queen

Quarantine facilities are no longer in use

Purpose built COVID 19 quarantine fa cilities in three states are no longer in use, leaving open questions as to what will happen to them

Almost eight months after opening its doors, Victoria's purpose built COVID 19 quarantine hub at Mickleham will soon close The facility opened in February and housed 2,168 people for isolation purposes during the pandemic

It comes after a similar closure was an nounced for the Queensland Regional Ac commodation Centre(QRAC), while the Bullsbrook facility in Western Australia has yet to be used at all.

EU single-charger reforms and Australia

The European Parliament passed the sin gle charger reforms, which are the first of this kind around the world Under the new laws, USB C connectors which are currently used by Android phones will be come the standard for most electronic de vices

The regulations that come into effect in 2024 also cover devices such as e readers, earbuds and other technologies

According to EU Maltese politician Alex Agius Saliba, (pictured right) older charg ers will not be outlawed, so customers will be able to continue to use older models

Mr Saliba told a news conference that out

lawing old chargers would have had a dis proportionate impact on consumers and the environment, but noted that the change is expected to lead to a gradual phase out of older products.

The European Commission has estimated that implementing a single charger would save about 250 million euros ($381.1 mil lion) for consumers

While there have not been any reports of Australia changing its regulations or adopt ing a similar model, the EU ruling has sparked conversations about whether sim ilar reforms could be introduced in other countries

King Charles III... are his days numbered as King of Australia?

p r o c e s s T h e t r u t h - t e l l i n g

Linda Burney, Minister for In digenous Australians said that while Australia is mak ing progress in telling the truth about its shared history, there is still a journey ahead “There is still so far to go with truth telling, which is why we as a nation, we as a parlia ment, will embark on a truth telling process," she said.

She still vividly remembers the history lessons she was taught in high school, and how it made her feel “I was 13 or 12 and made to feel absolutely ashamed of my Abo riginality,” she said “I remember it so clearly it was a social studies les son. And I was taught that Aborigi nal people were the closest example to stone age men living on Earth today

“I was taught that we had no cul ture. I was taught that we were no madic and just roamed around

Minister for Indigenous Austral ians Linda Burney

wherever we wanted to And I was taught that we had no science or technology, which of course is ab solute rubbish, but that's what I was taught ”

No valid IDs in Optus massive data breach

O

ptus has revealed more than 2 1 million customers have had their ID documents exposed after the massive data breach

In a statement released, the telco confirmed the stolen data did not contain valid or current document ID numbers for about 7.7 million individuals or businesses.

About 1 2 million of the ID numbers stolen, which include dri ver's licences, are current If a customer's licence number and li cence card number have both been exposed, Optus is strongly recommending a replacement driver ’s licence

The company says it will contact all im pacted customers to advise them whether they need to replace their driver ’s licence

Depending on the state or territory in which your licence is issued, the cost of re placing your driver ’s licence will either be waived, or Optus will automatically credit customers an amount equal to the cost of the replacement to their Optus account or for former customers, via cheque

“If customers have not been advised by Optus to replace their licence, then there is no need to do so,” the spokesperson said “We will only be crediting customers whom we recommend replace their li cence.”

For customers who need to organise a new licence, Optus is directing people to contact their relevant state or territory de partments, with the instructions varying in different jurisdictions

Pasifika, Maori players in Rugby League

The NSW NRL grand final 2022 marked a seismic moment for the most culturally diverse area in the entire country Western Sydney It was an enormous battle between two fierce rugby league rivals, the Pen rith Panthers and the Parramatta Eels. Nineteen of the 34 players that took the field were of Pasifika or Maori heritage, many of them born and raised in Sydney's western suburb.

With Pasifika and Maori players comprising almost 50 per cent of those in the league, the “Battle of the West” was celebrated for more than just 80 minutes of action packed sport

Jioji Ravulo, professor and chair of social work and policy studies at the University of Sydney, said the major representation of Pasifika players, coupled with the Western Sydney derby, is a recipe for success.

“By seeing our visibility in the spaces as representing these teams that gives us a sense of connection, and this gives us a sense of purpose, but it also gives us a sense of achievement,” Professor Ravulo said

“It's a moment in time; people understanding more Pasifika perspectives, the way in which we see the world we're seeing more of that at the moment, and I think that's really positive.”

Australia is home to more than 150,000 people who have claimed Pasifika and Maori ancestry, with at least 40,000 living in Sydney's west, according to data avail able from the 2016 Census

N i t k e l l m u m a ’ L a w re n c e B u h a g i a r

(il-Konslu Generali ta’ Malta fi NSW)

Lawrence Buhagiar huwa r rap

preżentant ta’ Malta fl Istat ta’ New South Wales (NSW) bħala Konslu Ġenerali f ’Sydney Ilu fil kariga għal dawn l aħħar erba’ snin Huwa trabba Ħaż Żab bar u ħa l edukazzjoni tiegħu fil kulleġġ ta’ De La Salle fil Kottonera

Minbarra l istudji kien ta’ sikwiet immur jgħin lil missieru fuq xogħol relatat mal qasam tal kostruzzjoni fejn beda japprezza li xejn ma jiġi b’xejn u dak li tixtieq trid taħdem għalih Kif temm l iskola, daħal jaħdem mal Awtorità tax Xandir f ’karigi f ’livelli diversi, inkluż dawk maniġerjali

Minkejja li kien okkupat bix xogħol u l familja rnexxielu jiggradwa b’diploma fl Amministrazzjoni Pubblika mill Univer sita’ ta’ Malta, u b’żewġ Masters minn Uni versitajiet Brittanniċi, fl Amministrazzjoni Pubblika u fl Immaniġġjar, u fl Immaniġġ jar tar Riżorsi Umani u t Taħriġ

Fl 2014 inħatar direttur għall Ħarsien u t Trattament Xieraq tal Annimali u wara okkupa karigi oħra maċ ċivil, fosthom bħala Konslu Ġenerali

Lawrence huwa miżżewweġ lil Rosieanne fejn għadhom kif iċċelebraw il 25 sena ta’ żwieġ u għandhom żewġt itfal, Michael ta’ 21 il sena u Amy ta’ 17 Apparti l familja iħobb ħafna n natura, u hu dilettant tal films u t tisjir

Huwa jħobb ħafna jiltaqa’ mal komunità Maltija waqt attivitajiet li jiġu mtella’ mill għaqdiet tal Maltin fi New South Wales. Minkejja d distanzi ġeografiċi minn art twelidna, huwa japprezza ħafna l ħidma volontarja tal komunità biex iżommu l kul tura, il lingwa u t tradizzjonijiet Maltin ħa jjin fil kommunitá, u jittama li dan l entużjażmu jkompli jissaħħaħ għal ġen erazzjonijiet futuri

Imma fi kliemu, “hemm bżonn ta’ aktar ħidma fost il Komunità Maltija fi NSW biex il ġenerazzjoni żagħzugħa u wliedhom jiġu attirati lejn dak kollu li hu Malti ħalli tibqa’ tiġġedded l identità Maltija fost il ġeneraz zjonijiet tal Maltin li jgħixu barra”

Qalilna li l aktar affarijiet li jistgħu jatti raw liż żgħażagħ huma l isport u l mużika. Tenna li “jekk iridu jassiguraw kontinwaz zjoni tal identità Maltija fost id diaspora ta’ Malta fl Awstralja, il mexxejja tal komu nità jinħtieġ jaħdmu f ’din id direzzjoni”

Ħidmet il Konslu tissokta fuq diversi liv elli fosthom dik konsolari, li jkun qrib il komunità Maltija fi NSW u li jippromwovi lil Malta bħala pajjiż miftugħ għan ne gozju Għal dan il għan huwa jkollu għadd ta’ laqgħat ma’ negozji biex jippromwovi lil Malta u jgħinhom jesploraw u jagħmlu l kuntatti meħtieġa biex jinvestu f ’Malta, bil vantaġġi li l pajjiż joffri

Fost dawn il vantaġġi semma l ħila u r reżiljenza tal ħaddiem Malti, il pożizzjoni strateġika ta’ Malta fiċ ċentru tal Mediterran, fi ħdan l Ewropa u l viċinanza mal kontinent Afrikan li lkoll joffru opportunitajiet kbar

Il Konslu huwa nvolut mal Kamra Maltija

tal Kummerċ Maltija Awstraljana u jżomm laqgħat mal membri tal eżekuttiv bil għan li jiffaċilita u jgħin fejn meħtieġ sabiex jitkattar aktar negozju mill membri kemm fl Awstralja kif ukoll f ’Malta

F’sena l-konsolat ta’ Sydney jipproċessa 600 applikazzjoni għall passaporti u 200 applikazzjoni għaċ ċittadinanza Maltija

Il ħidma konsolari tiegħu tinkludi wkoll dik fuq livell diplomatiku flimkien ma’ kollegi Konsli Ġenerali oħra bbażati f ’Sydney kif ukoll mal Awtoritajiet mill istat ta’ NSW Xogħlu hu wkoll relatat ma’ servizzi oħra mal Komunità Maltija bħal: applikazzjoni jiet għal Ċittadinanza Maltija, għall Pass aport Malti jew tiġdid tiegħu, tipi ta’ reġistrazzjonijiet, fosthom tat twelid u żwieġ, assistenza fl applikazzjonijiet għall pensjoni Maltija għal min kien ħadem għal xi żmien f ’Malta u affarijiet oħra Fil fatt, il Konsolat Ġenerali joffri ukoll servizzi ta’ awtentikazzjoni u xiehda ta’ firem u identita’ fuq prokuri, u jassigura li d drittijiet taċ ċittadini Maltin fil kaz li dawn jinqabdu f ’emerġenzi u kriżijiet urgenti ta’ ċerta gravita’, jiġu mħarsa b’dinjita’

Minn żmien għal żmien Lawrence iżur iċ ċentri tal Maltin ta’ La Valette fi Black town, il Hamrun Club f ’Marsden Park, u l George Cross Maltese Falcons fi Cringila f ’Wollongong F’dawn iż żjarat ikun għamel appuntamenti ma’ individwi li jkunu jinħtieġu s servizzi iegħu Minkejja li għad ma rnexxielux iżur lil Maltin li jgħixu s Central Coast, qalilna li dan se jagħmlu dalwaqt, u fil fatt il Kon solat qed jistieden lill Maltin li jgħixu hemm sabiex jagħmlu kuntatt magħhom ħalli jorganizzaw tali żjara.

Lil hinn mill istat ta’ NSW, il Kummis sjoni Għolja f ’Canberra kif ukoll l Konsolati Ġenerali f ’Melbourne u f ’Sydney jikkop eraw fuq il proġett Consul on the Move fejn il Konsli jmorru fi bliet oħra fl Aw stralja u fi New Zealand fejn m’hemmx uf fiċini Maltin, u jagħtu s servizzi tagħhom Fakkar fl investiment li sar mill Ministru tal Affarijiet Barranin, f ’apparat ġdid li jte jjeb il kwalità u s sigurtà ta’ din l inizjat tiva u li għadu kif beda jintuża f ’Settembru

Qal li l proġett qed jintlaqa’ b’apprezza ment minn bosta għax għal ħlas baxx jiġi ffrankat l iskariġġ u jagħmilha possibli li l provvista ta’ dawn is servizzi tkun aktar aċċessibbli għal Maltin fi Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia u fi New Zealand Sal lum, dan is servizz mhux of frut fl Istati fejn il Maltin għandhom aċċess għal Konsolati bħal dak ta’ Sydney.

Huwa semma li kull sena l konsolat jiproċessa medja ta’ madwar 600 applikaz zjoni għal passaporti, 200 applikazzjoni għaċ ċittadinanza Maltija, mal 150 prokura u aktar servizzi relatati, filwaqt li jkun hemm ukoll bosta applikazzjonijiet mar buta ma’ reġistrazzjonijiet li jġibu ’l fuq minn 400 applikazzjoni

Ix xogħol amministrattiv marbut mal ip proċessar tas servizzi offruti żdied Issa li l Maltin qed jivvjaġġaw aktar kibret id do manda relatati mal passaporti.

Il Konsolat Ġenerali ta’ Malta f ’Sydney jinsab f ’St Martins Tower Level 10, 31 Market Street. Jista’ wkoll jiġi kkuntattjat bit telefon fuq 9262 9500, jew b’email fuq: maltaconsulate sydney@gov mt.

L-Ewfonija tiftaħ b’kunċert grandjuż l-istaġun tal-opri

N

har it 8 ta’ Ottubru filgħaxija l Foss taċ Ċittadella nbidel f ’palk miftuħ tal opra għal The Ewfonija Grand Operatic Concert, b’għażla mirquma ta’ 13 il silta prinċipalment korali minn diversi opri kbar liriċi The Ewfonija Orchestra, magħmula minn bosta mużiċisti bravi lokali u bar ranin, flimkien ma’ kor b’saħtu ta’ 16 il ruħ taħt id direzzjoni tal Għawdxija Mariella Spiteri Cefai, paxxew udjenza nu meruża b’xogħlijiet ta’ Verdi, Leoncavallo, Gounoud, Mas cagni u Bizet

Il kunċert, appoġġjat mill Ministeru għal Għawdex, u d Di rettorat għall Wirt Kulturali fi ħdanu bħala parti mill inizjattiva Opera in Gozo, tista’ tgħid li fetaħ l istaġun tal opra f ’Għawdex għal din is sena hekk kif aktar tard fix xahar, iż żewġ teatri l kbar fil belt Victoria se joffru lid dilettanti tal mużika klassika l Aida u l Carmen.

L Ewfonija Ensemble, li ilha għal dawn l aħħar erba’ snin tpaxxi lill pubbliku minn darba għall oħra b’kunċerti li jiġbru l aqwa xogħlijiet klassiċi, din is sena kibret f ’orkestra mdaqqsa li flimkien mal ilħna korali, dejjem taħt il bakketta ta’ Spiteri Cefai, għamlu minn dak il kunċert, kif xehed ismu, fil veru sens tal kelma “grandjuż”

Mill Gżira Għawdxija Charles Spiteri

Mariella Spiteri Cefai

Fid diversi korijiet operistiċi għad dell tas swar imponenti taċ Ċittadella, wieħed seta’ jaqra leitmotif wieħed u ċar: it tema patrijot tika Mill kor tal purċissjoni ta’ I Lombardi, li jeżalta l assedju tal Ewwel Kruċjata fuq il belt qaddisa ta’ Ġerusalemm, għall famuż kor tal ilsiera Lhud fin Nabucco mxennaq fl eżilju għall patrija, silta li fi żmienha saret simbolu tal ġlieda Taljana għall indipendenza, wasslet għall innu Nazzjonali Taljan u nebbħet lil Verdi f ’epoka li fiha fl Italja ta’ nofs is seklu 19 beda jinħass sew il qawmien kontra l ħak kiema barranin

L għażla ta’ Mariella ħaditna wkoll fid dinja tal opra Franċiża kif ukoll tal valzijiet u ż żfin tal ballet, hekk kif ma naqsux selezzjonijiet

Attivitá sportiva mill-Fondazzjoni Oasi

Il Fondazzjoni OASI temmen bis sħiħ li kif xjentifikament ippruvat, l isport huwa mod b'saħħtu biex titjieb is saħħa mentali ta’ dak li jkun, biex tirrilassa, biex tittejjeb il kunfidenza u tissoċjalizza, u tis saħħaħ il probabbiltà li ma jsirx użu tas sustanzi, u filwaqt jippromwovi l irkupru tal vizzju

Għal dan il għan, għat tmien darba, il Fon dazzjoni organizzat l OASI Cup Run & Fun

Walk bil Kap Eżekuttiv Noel Xerri jisħaq li aktar milli wieħed jikkompeti ma’ ħad dieħor, aktar importanti li wieħed jisfida lilu nnifsu u jistinka biex ikun aħjar milli kien. Il Ministru għal Għawdex Clint Camilleri, u l membri parlamentari, l Avukat Alex Borg (PN) u Abigail Camilleri (PL) li ħadu sehem fl attivitá, għaddew messaġġi pożit tivi lill preżenti dwar l importanza li ngħixu stil ta’ ħajja sana, u taw ħajr lill

F o n d a z z j o n i

OASI għall k o n t r i b u t tagħha lejn is soċjeta’ Ġie e n f a s i z z a t ukoll il mes saġġ ta’ “il p r e v e n z j o n i hija aħjar milli l kura”

Fl avveni ment ħadu sehem 180 pe suna, fosthom

tfal

mill Faust ta’ Gounoud u naturalment mill Carmen ta’ Bizet, l opra li lejn l aħħar tax xahar se tittella’ fit teatru Astra, fejn Mariella hi wkoll Direttriċi tal Kor tal Opra

Iktar korijiet b’saħħithom kienu minn Il Trovatore ta’ Verdi, I Pagliacci ta’ Leoncav allo u bla dubju ta’ xejn l istess Aida, li wara 13 il sena se tirritorna fuq il palk tat teatru B’maestrija kbira l Ewfonija Chorus għen lill udjenza, magħmula wkoll minn diversi barranin, tiggosta l ġmiel ta’ dawn is siltiet korali, li alternaw ma’ oħrajn sinfoniċi u strumentali, bħall preludji tal Aida u l Macbeth, u, biex jagħti dik it togħma de likata f ’nofs il programm, l Intermezz mill Cavalleria Rusticana ta’ Mascagni

Imqar min qatt ma rifes f ’teatru tal opra, seta’ jiggosta biċċiet operistiċi familjari għall widna, flimkien ma’ oħrajn kemmx ejn inqas komuni li wieħed seta’ jiggosta għaż żiffa ħelwa tal ħarifa Għawdxija

Il-festa ta’ San Franġisk f ’Għajnsielem

Il Komunitá tal patrijiet Franġiskani (magħrufa bħala ta’ Ġieżu) f ’Għajn sielem, fakkret il festa liturġika ta’ San Franġisk ta’ Assisi b’quddiesa konċelebrata minn Patri Gwardjan Marcello Ghirlando (taħt lemin) flimkien ma ’ Patri Gabriel Mi callef), li għamel ukoll l omelija tal okkażjoni Il kant kien animat minn Albert Lauren Agius

Għall okkażjoni sar it tberik tal annimali f ’diversi knejjes fosthom dawk tal Patrijiet Kapuċċini u Franġiskani Konventwali fir Rabat, Għawdex u f ’parroċċi u f ’għadd ta’ skejjel

Dun Franġisk Catania u l-mutur

Kitba ta’ PeterPaulCIANTAR

Għad hawn ħafna, l aktar u l aktar

Rabtin li jiftakru sewwa lil Dun Francisco Catania li miet fl 1970, fl età ta’ 97 sena Ismu għadu jidwi kemm minħabba li hemm triq imsemmija għalih, kif ukoll għax kien karitattiv u għax kien għalliem fl iskola elementari ta’ Wied Gerżuma, il Kunċizzjoni, limiti tar Rabat li hu stess waqqaf u fetaħ

Huwa kien joqgħod fi Strada Reale (illum hija Triq il Kbira) r Rabat u biex imur jgħallem fl iskola tal Kunċizzjoni’ kien jin ħtieġlu jagħmel mixja ġmielha biex jasal, u dan, dak iż żmien, f ’toroq kienu strapattużi ħafna, ħżiena u fix xita kienu jkunu mimlija tajn

Fit 3 ta’ Marzu, 1920, Dun Franġisk kien talab l għajnuna tal Logutenent Gvernatur biex jgħinu ħalli jixtri mutur, biex bhekk ikun jista’ jasal l iskola bla tfixkil

Fil fatt, fl Arkivji ta’ Santu Spirtu hemm petizzjoni li turi dan Interessanti wkoll li fl istess petizzjoni hemm imniżżel li Dun Franġisk kien qal lil Logutenent Gvernatur li kien sama’ li fil Machine Transport Depot fil Furjana kien hemm ‘sale’ li fih kien hemm għall bejgħ żewġ muturi, għalhekk qallu biex juża l awtorità tiegħu ħalli jgħinu jakkwista wieħed minn dawn il muturi.

Imbagħad fis 16 ta’ Marzu, ftit jiem mill ewwel ittra, Dun Franġisk kiteb ittra oħra lill gvernatur fejn din id darba wrieh li kien qed jitlob l għajnuna tiegħu mhux biex jap profitta ruħu, tant li għarrfu li kien lest jof fri anki joħroġ minn butu s somma ta’ 45

lira biex jinxtara wieħed mill muturi

Kien anke semmielu li kienu tal marka ‘Triumph’. Reġa qallu li dan kien qed jagħmlu biss biex ikun jista’ jgħin lil dawk it tfal tal kampanja ħalli huma wkoll ikoll hom edukazzjoni xierqa. Itenni wkoll li kien jqed ittama li din l offerta jgħadduha lid Direttur tas Supplies and Transport X’ġara eżatt minn din it talba ma nafx Li hu żgur hu li Dun Franġisk kellu mutur

Dun Franġisk huwa z ziju ta’omm Dun Joe Fsadni Dun Joe huwa qassis fil par roċċa li kien kappillan l Imġarr Meta tlabt lil Dun Joe jgħidli x’jaf dwar dan il mutur, qalli li ma jafx x’sar minnu għalkemm sama’ li spiċċċa għand xi ħadd is Siġġiewi Qalli wkoll li jekk isibu kien jipprova jix trih, għax wara kollox hu tifkira ħajja taz ziju t’ommu.

Minkejja l konnessjoni tiegħu mar Rabat, Dun Franġisk ma kienx Rabti imma Żeb buġi. Hu twieled fl 4 ta’ Settembru 1872 u miet fil 15 ta’ Frar, 1970

Għalkemm huwa magħruf bħala Kanonku tal Grotta u tal Kolleġġjata ta’ San Pawl tar Rabat, huwa fil fatt kien fl Ordni Dum nikana u daħal fiha ta’ 16 il sena. Kien ħa l isem ta’ David L istudji tiegħu għamil hom fil Kulleġġ tal istess Ordni fir Rabat, u sar saċerdot fl 1895 meta kellu 23 sena.

Bħala Dumnikan huwa wettaq ħidma pas torali mad Dumnikani f ’Palermo, imma fl 1908 sar saċerdot sekulari, jippriedka l Eżerċizzi Spiritwali lill Maltin fit Tuneżija u fl Alġerija Bejn l 1917 u l 1920 kien ukoll kappillan militari Dun Franġisk ħadem ħafna matul l imxija tal pesta (Spanjola) f ’Malta u għal seba’ snin kien il kappillan fl isptar tal mard tas

sider (mard tat tuberkolożi) fil Konot l Im dina meta ħadd ma kien imur hemm

Ta’ min jgħid ukoll li minbarra li kien edukatur, Dun Franġisk Catania kien ukoll awtur ta’ diversi pubblikazzjonijiet, fos thom ‘Żajda Bint Nahum’, li qiegħed fil kollezzjoni Kotba tal Mogħdija taż Żmien Nru 17 (1902) Huwa wkoll awtur ta’ kit biet oħra, fosthom ‘Il Ħajja ta’ Sant’A gata’, ‘Sigħat quddiem Ġesù Sagrament’, ‘Il Ħajja ta’ San Franġisk’ u ‘Il Ħajja ta’ San Duminku’

Dun Frangisk baqa’ mimli ħeġġa sal aħħar u meta kellu aktar minn 90 sena ppubblika ‘Is Sellum ta’ San Gużepp Leġġenda’

Maltese Sen ior s Social Welfar e Day Gr o ups

Llandilo Maltese Seniors

Meets on the first Wednesday of each month at the Llandilo Community Hall, 257 Seventh Avenue, Llandilo 11am to 1 00 pm Group holds regular Informa tion Sessions/Workshops & Bus Trips Group Leader: Helen Azzopardi

Merrylands Social Maltese Seniors

Meets every second Friday of the month Miller Room, Memorial Avenue Merrylands from 10 30am to 12 30 pm

Group Leader: Salvina Falzon

Fairfield Active Maltese Seniors

Meets on the last Tuesday of the Month Group meets in St Theresa’s Parish Hall, cnr of Stella Street & The Boulevard, Fairfield Heights from10 am to 12 noon

Group Leader: Dorothy Gatt Maltese of Bankstown

Group meets 3rd Wednesday of month in the Bankstown CBD area Every other 3rd Thursday an outing Enquiries call: Sam Galea 0410 269 519

Daceyville Maltese Seniors

Meets the last Wednesday of the month in Meeting Room One, No 3 General Bridges Crescent, Daceyville Note: The Groups also arrange regular Bus Trips Join us and make new friends Group Leader: Doris Scicluna

The Sutherland & St George Maltese Group

Meets every first Wednesday of the month in July, September, November & December and in February, April & June 2023 From 10:00am to 12noon at the Miranda Community Centre 93 Karimbla Rd cnr Kiora Rd Miranda Meetings are interesting & informative. Membership is free, so is Morning Tea/Coffee/Cake

*(All Groups are coordinated by The Maltese Community Council of NSW) with a sponsorship from Multicultural NSW. Contact the MCC Welfare Offi

Outings every other month. Come & make new friends For more information contact our Coordinator: Charles Mifsud JP Phone (mb 0421 662 298)

Greystanes Maltese Seniors

Meets on the second Monday of each month at the George Preca Parish Cen tre Our Lady Queen of Peace (OLQP) Church, 198 Old Prospect Road, Grey stanes from 10 am to 12 noon Group holds regular Information Ses sions/Workshops & Bus Trips Gro up Leader: Frances Montesin

Men’s Group

Meets every last Tuesday of the month at the MCC Centre at 59b Franklin Street Parramatta West (next to the Pri mary School), from 10 to 12 noon Dis cussion, information and renew friendship Pastizzi, Kinnie etc avail able Contact Fred or Laurie 9631 9295

cer: Marisa Previtera JP on 0414 863 123. The MCC offices are at 59b Franklin Street (Cnr Young St) Parramatta West NSW.

BOV and

Diaspora clients

In the September 13 issue of The Voice we published Prof Stephen Gatt’s complaints about the difficulties he encoun tered with the Bank of Valletta, which are similar to the difficul ties others have also experi enced. He has made available to The Voice the correspondence between him and BOV, therefore we are publishing excerpts that we believe could be of interest to our readers

BOV regretted any inconven ience caused, and requested him to appreciate the fact that current laws and regulations oblige the bank to ensure that it has updated and accurate customer informa tion.

To this end, from time to time, and whenever necessary it is compelled to reach out to its cus tomers to update their profile with the institution

According to Prof Gatt, one of the greatest headaches for Mal tese citizens overseas all of them long standing loyal customers is “the unnecessary, onerous, offi cious and extensive useless data collection needed in this AFC01,

Facta, CA99 and AFC04 recur rent data”, which, in either case, in his opinion is BOV window dressing and which is entirely ig nored once you receive it He de scribed it as “meaningless drivel generated by the BOV Restruc turing Unit”.

For more details regarding the Bank’s Request for Information Exercise readers may wish to access https://www.bov.com/con t e n t / b o v r f i Their web page also includes an informative section about ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If one is dissatisfied with the Bank’s reply, one may as well refer matters to the Office of the Arbiter for Financial Services. Further information can be ob tained through the official web site: https://www financialarbiter org mt

Prof Gatt has told the bank that he is very happy with the service BOV is currently providing to him (and possibly to others) and said that he has little doubt that BOV would eventually restore the tremendous mutual respect he previously held for it

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The MCCV is an umbrella body of some thirty Maltese asso ciations that are currently affiliated to it

Its main centre, located at 477 Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC, 3052 is open Monday to Thursday till 3.00pm. Other times by appointment Tel: +61 3 9387 8922; +61 3 9387 8309 Other of fice: at Shop 5, 14 Watt Street Sunshine Vic Tel: 393120086

From left: Andrew Gatt, Antonia Camilleri and Tania De Carli

Llandilo Maltese community made pottery to care for their wellbeing

DavidRYAN

Growing up, my closest friends were a Maltese family Like my Irish family, they were mi grants As our mothers had fun with 1960s fash ion and the men grew sideburns, we cycled the streets: The six brothers were fierce friends.

I am reminded of those past, sunnier times today, as I drive a packed minibus from Llandilo during a rainy July and August We spent Mon day afternoons in an art studio at St Marys with seniors from the Llandilo Maltese community Hearing their accents and laughter brings me back to my boyhood.

Twelve seniors from the Maltese commu nity joined in an innovative health pro gramme where they learned to make pottery and help care for their wellbeing Nepean Multicultural Access (NMA) de livered the hands on workshops in the pur pose built art and craft studio at 29 Swanston Street, St Marys Corner, 2760.

For three hours once a week, we have had a lot of fun together making pottery with Australian Serbian ceramic artist Gala Gra hovac Gala is a patient teacher who built our confidence to play with clay and gently encouraged us to take risks with the clay As one of the participants, Nick Scicluna,

he Maltese Com munity Council of NSW is the um brella body for Mal tese associations in NSW It was estab lished in 1967 and ever since has been providing social, cultural, recreational and welfare support to the Maltese community

The Maltese Community Council of NSW is recognised by the Govern ment of Malta as the prime advocate body for the Maltese Diaspora in NSW

The Maltese Community Council of NSW aims to preserve and promote indentity, culture, heritage and lan guage for all who are Maltese by birth or descent in NSW Website: MalteseCommunity Council of NSW: (mccnsw

exclaimed, “ ... nobody is perfect, right!”

We learned to accept any mistakes as part of the process of making rather than judge our pottery as imperfect.

Once a week, Senior Cross Cultural De velopment Officer, Una Turalic from NBMLHD* Multicultural Health Service joined us to make pots Una shared many tips with the group on how to stay healthy and look after our mental health and well being

Anxiety a part of life

Una explained that anxiety is a part of life, but anxiety should be kept at appro priate levels For example, feeling anxious can help us stay alert when crossing a busy road However, anxiety can become a problem when a person cannot get a good night sleep for several nights in a row.

TDuring the workshop, if anyone had con cerns about a family friend, a neighbour, or our own wellbeing, we could talk as a group while we made pottery or individu als could have a chat directly with Una in another room

During the past few years, the Covid 19 pandemic and lockdown has made life more difficult for everyone In the conver sations it was clear that many of us were concerned about friends and family over seas The changes to the climate and un precedented flooding also made some of us feel nervous

Yet within the safety of the art studio, we felt less nervous. At that moment as we

struggled with our hands to make sense from a very basic ma terial a lump of clay being worried or feel ing negative thoughts (such as depressive symptoms) felt like a thing of the past Being anxious about the fu ture was something we could put on hold dur ing the workshop

The programme brought culturally and linguistically diverse (CaLD) communi ties into the same room with artists and cli nicians from diverse backgrounds When someone speaks your language, it is easier to hear the health message.

The Maltese senior group trusted the cli nician and the art teacher Although they were absolute beginners, the art teacher, and the counsellor (clinician) did not past judgement or qualify their individual con tributions.

Many participants would like to continue making art to care for their wellbeing in a social group setting Until then, why not come and see some of the pottery and art made by the group during the workshop?

You are invited to attend the exhibition of their work and the other craft makers at ARTWEST 2022 on 28th 30th October 2022 at Memorial Hall, 29 Swanston St, Marys, 2760

If you are interested to Make Pottery and Care for your wellbeing, please contact the Arts Health Coordinator, David Ryan by phone: 02 9833 2416 or email david@nma org au

* The Art+Health project is a partnership with the Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District (NBMLHD) Multicultural Health Service NMA are grateful for the financial support from the Diggers and Band Club, St Mary’s, the local Primary Health Network (NBMPHN), and Penrith City Council

NOTE: Llandilo is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, 54 kilometres northwest of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Penrith.

It is part of the Greater Western Sydney region It is a small semi rural outcrop be tween two creeks with a population of 1637 (Census 2016)

The Maltese Landillo Group meets on the first Wednesday of each month at the Landillo Community Hall, 267 Seventh Avenue Landillo from 11 am Group leader is Helen Azzopardi.

LEFT: Llandilo Maltese community members; Vicky Grima, Antoinette Gauchi, Chris tine Pace, and Rose Grima with artist Gala Grahovac (standing) at St Marys Corner art studio

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Listen live on www.northwestfm.org/ ethnic radio/ 97 9 FM Melton: Tuesday 6 00pm to 8 00pm Maltese Program Presenter: Miriam Vella Live streaming on

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2GLF FM 89.3 Maltese Voices with Marthese Caruana: Sundays 10:00 am to 11:00am One hour of Maltese talent, songs from Maltese artists

2GLF FM 89.3 Maltese Community Council programme: Sundays 11 00am to 12:00pm News from Malta, music, information, culture, in terviews, community notices and top ics of interest. Listen live on

www 893fm com au or On Demand on www 893fm com au/on demand/ WOW-FM 100.7: Tuesdays 6pm to 9pm Maltese program with Joe Borg and Michael Mallia. Listen live on www wowfm1007 com au VOX FM 106.9: Mondays 5pm to 6pm Voice of Valletta Illawarra Mal tese program presented by Louis Parnis Live streaming on www voxfm org au

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S p o r t Ss p o r t s

Malta to face England, Italy in Euro 2024

With its head coach currently under sus pension for alleged improper conduct against two national team players and the Malta FA involved in investi gating the allegations, Malta’s national football team has been drawn to face England and Italy in a five team Group C in the Euro 2024 qualifiers in Germany

The other teams in the five team Group C are Ukraine and Northern Macedonia

This is certainly Malta’s toughest ever group in an international competition It is also perhaps the most attractive for the football enthusiasts keen on seeing their favourite players from the two most pop ular national teams on the island, Euro pean champions Italy, and finalists En gland The other two teams are Ukraine and Northern Macedonia

The MFA will have its work cut out as first it will try to solve the problem of na tional coach Devis Mangia, and also to prepare the team to face the five oppo nents in the competition, starting with the March 23 opener against North Macedo nia.

Three days later (March 26) Malta hosts

Italy at Ta’ Qali Then its next match would be on Friday June 16 at Ta’ Qali against England and three days later plays Ukraine away from home Malta will be playing just one game in September 2023 when it hosts North Macedonia in the re turn fixture on on the 12th, a Tues day

In October, Malta plays plays two matches, the first on Saturday 14th against Italy away from home, and three days later, hosts Ukraine at Ta’ Qali.

The final match is against England on Friday November 11 Meawnwhile, the Malta national team’s preparations for the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign is set to kick off with a friendly international against Ireland in Novem ber

The draw for the the qualifying cam paign, (which runs from March to No vember 2023)in Frankfurt split 53 teams into 10 groups

Ten group winners and 10 runners up will qualify for the final tournament, with the remaining three spots decided via the 2022 23 Nations League play offs in March 2024

Gold, silver medals for Malta players in World Blackball Championships

Malta’s participation in the World Blackball Championships just ended at Albi in France proved to be another successful venture On the final day, the Malta team lost by 13 4 to the hosts’ team, France to get the silver medal, Malta’s second However, the Malta squad also won two gold medals, the first by Lydan Debono and Clint Azzopardi, the duo who retained the Men’s Doubles title they had won in the last championships in Bridlington, England in 201 In the final they beat fellow Maltese pair, Owen Attard and Leon Azzopardi by 4 1 The losing finalists got the silver medal

The Castaldi brothers, Jake and Chaylon Castaldi won the U/15 doubles title

Rugby Union: Disappointing home loss in Conference South tie

The Malta rugby national team were de feated 14 23 by Bulgaria in their initial match in the FIRA AER Conference South 1 campaign played at the Tony Bezzina Stadium on Saturday

The Bulgarians dominated and enjoyed a commanding 16 0 lead at the interval

In the second half, Malta played much better to obtain 14 points from two tries and two conversions But the Bulgars managed two more tries for a convincing win.

Aweek earlier Malta defeated Bulgaria in their Rugby League match at the Lokomotive complex in Sofia by 50 6

It was a great team performance with some great individual shows that included full back Zarrin Galea posting four tries to gether with 14 points from the boot, while Josh Gatt scored a try double Alfie Jewitt, Peter Debono and Karl Cas sar made the other tries

‘Local’ Rugby League: Knights of Malta in action

The sizable crown at Lidcombe Oval

saw a return to the park for the Malta Men’s XIII, as they took on an emerging Italy side It was a full day of rugby league, showcasing plenty of up and coming talent for the Maltese side

Malta U17's lost to Italy: 30 16, but coach Simon Cassar said was overall very proud of the efforts the boys put in

Malta Premier Football League

Spartans drop first points but retain two-point lead

Hamrun Spartans extended their unbeaten run in Malta’s Premier League to seven matches but dropped their first points when Birkirkara, who like them are also still un beaten, held them to a scoreless draw

Their top of table clash was the past weekend’s most anticipated match At the end of it the Spartans still retained their two point lead over their oppo nents

The weekend was also a disap pointment for Valletta support ers as their team were beaten 3 1 by Mosta It was their fourth loss from seven out ings

Doubles