The Voice of the Maltese No. 147

The Voice of the Maltese (driven by the voice of its readers )

Issue 147

o on nlliin ne e m ma ag ga az ziin ne e

February 14, 2017

Malta Knights(red and white) beat The Philippines in a Rugby League international in NSW. (report page 24)

Malta welcomes the new High Commissioner of Australia Julienne Hince (left with her husband Mike) in her meeting with Malta President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca (See page 2)

Maltese Group Etnika on tour in Australia

The members of the Etnika Group in front of the Sydney Opera House. – Photo: Ronit Robbaz (Report, editorial comment on page 6)

2 The Voice of the Maltese

Tuesday February 14, 2017

New Australian HC to Malta meets the locals at Australia Day event N

ine days after presenting her credentials to the President of Malta Marie Louise Coleiro Preca on January 31, Julienne Hince, the new Australian High Commissioner to Malta found the perfect way to introduce herself to other members of the Diplomatic Corps serving in Malta, and associations and friends of the Australian High Commission at a reception at her residence at San Pawl tat-Targa to celebrate Australia Day. Her Excellency Julienne Hince the sixteenth Australian High Commissioner to serve in Malta since the opening of the High Commission 50 years ago. She succeeds Ms Jane Lambert.

The President of Malta Marie Louise Coleiro Preca who was accompanied by her husband Edgar was the guest of honour at the reception that. A number of Maltese Cabinet Ministers and Members of the House of Representatives, members of the Maltese-Australian Association, Australians living in Malta, some members of the media, including The Voice of the Maltese magazine, and others from different sections of society were also among the guests.

As the occasion marked Australia The Australian High Commissioner Julienne Hince (right) with the President of Malta Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca at the reception

High Commissioner Julienne Hince (left) presents her letter of accreditation to Maltese President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca

Day, in her welcoming speech, Ms Hince who is in Malta with her husband Michael and her son Alexander gave an overview of this important day and explained its historic value. She said that on this day the nation comes together to celebrate and also to reflect on what it has achieved.

The Australian HC also expressed her joy at being in Malta and hoped

she could help to strengthen even further the relations between the two countries.

Malta’s President also delivered a speech in which she welcomed Ms Hince and praised the relations between the two countries. She also reminisced about her visit to Australia in July last year.

Maltese singer Ozzie Lino then sang the national anthems of Malta and Australia.

Afterwards, both Ms Hince and the President mingled with the guests and as the theme was Australia, it was also fitting that the guests were served with wines produced from top Australian winemakers and savour finger food, including kangaroo meat specifically imported from the Australian sponsors.

Ozzie Lino singing the two anthems of Malta and Australia at the reception

The Voice of the Maltese 3

Tuesday February 14, 2017

T

Q. I am 80 years of age and not very happy seeing my conhis is a monthly service offered by The Voice of the Maltese siderable amount of cash assets earning so little. However in which Marie Louise Muscat from the Fiducian FinanI have been advised by family and friends that investing cial Services helps our readers understand the complexities in shares or managed funds are long term investments associated with financial planning. If you need more advice and at my age this may be unwise. Can you help? send an email to Marie Louise via: maltesevoice@gmail.com.

A. We normally say growth assets are long able cash both term investments and need to be maintained in the super for at least 5 years. These days 80 years of fund and in age is not considered very old as quite a my bank aclarge number of people are living into their count.

90s and above.

A. This depends Depending on your circumstances and at- entirely on what titude towards ‘growth’ investments that you plan to do fluctuate in value regularly I may recom- with this propmend that you invest some of your cash re- erty. If you are serves in growth assets. This will still leave just going to you with adequate liquidity in case it is re- have it as an inquired but at the same time you would be vestment prophappy knowing that some of your money is erty than I working hard for you. would recomBoth shares and managed funds are paying mend that you a higher percentage of income than cash or use the cash fixed interest and some or most of this in- within the super fund to purchase it and if the come would be franked, which means that cash is not sufficient then make a non-con- This of course will entirely depend on the tax has already been paid on the earn- cessional contribution into superannuation whether the current legislation is mainings. Just be aware of the volatility that with your available cash to build it up. This tained. shares and listed property trust have but un- way your super fund will not need to borrow. Q. My wife and I have just come into a less you need to sell at the time of the marHowever if you plan to use this property small inheritance of $50,000. We have a kets correcting, this should not be of great for personal use such as a holiday home, mortgage on our home of $98,000 and a concern your self-managed superannuation will not large mortgage of $400,000 on an investment property. We want to pay this Q. I am 45 years of age and in the process be able to purchase it.

As an investment property, being in super- money on one of these mortgages in order of purchasing an investment property. I run a self-managed superannuation fund annuation could be quite advantageous at to reduce them. Which mortgage do you and at present it has more than half of the the time you come to sell. The capital gain think we should pay it on? funds sitting in a bank account waiting to will be taxed at only 10% if sold before A. The interest on the mortgage on your be invested in growth assets. Would it be preservation age, and if at the time of selling home is not tax deductible while the interest better for me to purchase the property the property you would have started an ac- on the investment property is. I would therewithin the superannuation fund or keep count based pension i.e. after you turn 60, fore place these funds on the mortgage on it out of superannuation? I have avail- then there will be no capital gains tax to pay. your home as it would be much more beneficial for you. The quicker you pay off your home mortgage, the better Q. I am a retiree and have no family. I have recently had an operation and coming home has not been easy. I find I get very muddled and confused every time I try to deal with my bills and unending paperwork that seems to arrive in the mail all the time. Could you recommend something?

Q&A

Marie-Louise Muscat is fluent in Maltese and English and can assist you in: * Wealth Creation * Pre Retirement and Retirement Advice * Maximising Centrelink Benefits * Tax effective strategies in retirement e.g. sale of property * Rearranging finances to minimise ongoing fees prior to entering Aged Care facilities Call Marie-Louise for a complimentary consultation on:

(02) 9231 2133

Marie-Louise Muscat is a representative of Fiducian Fiinancial Services Pty Ltd ABN 46 094 765 134 AFSL and Australian Credit Licence 231103

A. If you have a financial planner I would recommend you contact him or her. Let them know your current dilemma. They may offer to visit you at home and while going through your review they may go through your paperwork and sort it out for you. They would know what needs to be kept and what needs to be thrown away and they may have you sorted all out in an hour or two.

Unfortunately, when dealing with paperwork you need to make sure that whoever you ask to help you is trustworthy. In your case your financial planner would know all about your finances and therefore you are not introducing anyone else to go through your financial affairs.

This document contains factual information only and is not intended to provide any recommendation or opinion in relation to the topic/s discussed. Fiducian recommends that you seek advice from a professional to address any issues that may be raised by this article. Fiducian accepts no liability for any loss suffered by anyone who has acted on any information in this document

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Tuesday February 14, 2017

`

Canadian Cristina family reunion, August 2016, in Barrie, Ontario. Arrowed is Vinnie, wearing a black Malta cap.

Cristina’s family: a legacy in Canada VinnieCristina (as told to DanBrock and MarkCaruana)

M

y father, Anthony Richard Cristina, was born in Hamrun 1920 and my mother, Maria Assunta Azzopardi in nearby Marsa four years later, in 1924. They were married at St. Gaetano’s Church, Hamrun, in 1943. By this time my father was a member of the Royal Malta Artillery (RMA). By 1961, they had 10 children – I was the third eldest – and my father was now a sergeant, but he was looking for more for his family.

My father had a cousin, Emmanuel Cristina, who had immigrated to Australia with his wife, Rosina, and their seven children in late 1958. Father also had a nephew, Charles Cristina, who was single when he immigrated to Canada in 1959. On returning to Malta for a visit, Charles told my father that, since he had such a big family, he should try to immigrate to Canada. Father reasoned that since he had more children than his Australian cousin and Canada was bigger than Australia he should to go to Canada. I for one wished he had gone to Australia since its winters are milder than in Canada.

In June 1962 father booked a flight on British Airways for himself and his two eldest children: Gejtanu and Carmen.

Gejtanu, the eldest had worked since 1960 for an uncle at Edwards Tailoring in Hamrun. My sister had just finished school. They took a flight from Malta to Kingston, Ontario via England and Montreal. A Maltese man, probably a friend of my cousin Charles, picked them up and drove them to Toronto.

My father was a very kind-hearted person. Before the Maltese man gave

him a ride to Toronto from Kingston, my father asked if, before they starting the trip he could get something to eat for the kids. Six months after we arrived in Canada, he brought my brother Tony’s dog over as he kept crying for it.

Their first job in the new land was working the night shift at a meatpacking plant in The Junction, the heart of the Maltese community in the western part of Toronto. This neighbourhood was close to the junction of four railway lines, with the stockyards in its northwestern section. Historically, the meat industry there attracted other immigrants such as Irish Catholics, workingclass English, Italians, Poles, Macedonians and Croatians.

Within three months, my father, brother and sister rented a house on Quebec Street in The Junction. It was large enough to hold the entire family.

They had saved enough money to bring the whole family to Canada. My mother arrived by plane by way of The Netherlands and New York to Toronto early that September, with eight of us siblings, namely” me, Josephine, An-

thony, Doris, Marcel, the twins Ian and Raymond and nine-month old Rita.

By this time my father, now a veteran, managed to sit for an exam and became a postman. At the beginning it was hard for my parents, but we all helped and made it work in our new country.

Gaejtanu got a new job as a tailor and Carmen took up a job in a bank.

My parents are now gone, but they left a big legacy in Canada. They left behind them l0 children, 28 grandchildren and, so far, 32 great-grandchildren... and it is still ongoing. Among the grandchildren are teachers and electronic engineers. We all live in the Toronto area. None of us has returned to Malta to live since our families are all in Canada. However, we do go back to Malta for holidays.

My two children and five grandchildren are here in Canada. My memories are here with them. But, for me, my heart is in Malta. My father always requested us to speak Maltese at home.

He was proud to be Maltese and so we all are. Our roots are Maltese; but now we live as Canadians. We are now over l50 family members strong.

Vinnie (first left)with her nine brothers and sisters

Tuesday February 14, 2017

The Voice of the Maltese 5

History remembered in multicultural NSW

H

istory was not forgotten when during a stupendous night at the Park Royal in Parramatta the Community Migrant Resource Centre celebrated its 20th anniversary. Simultaneously it paid tribute to the original Parramatta Migrant Resource Centre that was officially opened by Hon. M.J.R Mckellar, the Federal Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs in November 14, 1977. It was the first Centre of its kind to be established in Australia.

Lawrence Dimech OAM, MOM, JP the first director/coordinator of the Centre and his wife Marlene, were special guests at this commemorative event attended by various Federal and State politicians and other activists within multicultural Australia.

Speaking to The Voice after the event, Lawrence Dimech said that the first MRC was launched as a pilot project within the Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs to promote understanding and to facilitate communications between ethnic communities and the Australianborn population.

“I was put in a position to spearhead the government initiative in fostering a closer liaison between government service providers and the migrant communities. I was instrumental in establishing many of the Migrant Resource Centres around Australia and travelled extensively on behalf of the Department.

The Hon: Michael McKellar Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs (left) at the opening of the Parramatta Migrant Resource Centre with Lawrence Dimech “Together with Mark Caruana and 11 MRCs statewide. In 2003 the others, we also put the Maltese com- MRC again changed its name to munity in NSW on the map, as the Community MRC in order to reMRC in Parramatta became a hub spond to the needs of the migrant for the Maltese community benefit- and refugee population in the ting from various essential services.” Northen Region.

Today, the CMRC is governed by a When, in 1996 the Department decided that the MRC should be run Board of Directors under Warren by the community, the Parramatta Schweitzer, the current chairperson Holroyd and Baulkham Hills was of- and Melissa Monteiro the Executive ficially opened in February of that Director who has been in this capacity since 2000. Ms Monteiro is conyear.

Later the name was changed to sidered to be a very capable leader, The Hills Holroyd Parramatta Mi- most respected in Australia in the grant Resource Centre now part of area of multicultural affairs.

Lawrence Dimech at the celebration marking the 20th anniversary of the Community Migrant Resource Centre, flanked by Melissa Monteiro the Centre’s current CEO (on left) and Mrs Marlene Dimech

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Tuesday February 14, 2017

Maltese group Etnika’s O Australia tour n February 1 Maltese group Etnika, which has been at the forefront of the revival of Maltese traditional music and culture since 2000, performed at the Sydney Opera House as part of its Australian tour 2017. Etnika has toured close to 20 countries worldwide.

In a milestone event for Maltese music and culture, Consul General Mr Salvino Giusti welcomed delighted dignitaries and fans of the band to the packed venue of The Sydney Opera House Utzon Room to a programme that was packed with Etnika’s trademark zany interpretation of Maltese roots music.

In its Australian tour that also included Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Newcastle and Wollongong, Etnika showcased its latest repertoire from its new album ‘Maddalena’s Marvellous Tripfolk Klabb’.

The tour was supported by the 2017 Maltese Presidency of the Council of the EU, The Ministry for Foreign Affairs, The High Commission of Malta in Australia and Arts Council Malta.

Frome left: Alison Galea, Andrew Alamango, Walter Vella and Oliver Degabriele

Photos: Fiona Pace

Editorial comment e believe that the readers of W The Voice of the Maltese have a right to know what is going on in our community without any restrictions. We also acknowledge and respect the talents of the group Etnika that were given the opportunity to perform at the Utzon Room at the Opera House complex in Sydney.

This was a unique cultural experience to enhance and promote Malta’s EU Presidency, but we are a total loss to comprehend why their performances were restricted to rather small halls in Sydney and Melbourne.

Many of our readers were denied the opportunity to attend to Etnika’s performances because it was by invitation only due to locations that are restrictive. It was prestigious to perform at the Utzon Room although this event was initially to target an Australian audience.

Having budgeted thousands of dollars to have Etnika perform in Australia, it would have made additional sense to have them perform as well in capacity halls.

That would have eliminated members of our Maltese community to beg for an invitation, leaving many very disillusioned and disappointed to have missed such an excellent and rare cultural experience.

Andrew Alamango and Alison Galea

Francesca Grima Andrej Vujicic

The Voice of the Maltese 7

Tuesday February 14, 2017

- fails to surface for lack of sponsors

F

ollowing a disappointing crowd funding campaign over a period of five weeks, Marlene Scicluna and Mark Avellino (pictured right), the producers of the MDUtv have advised c31 that despite the fact that the feedback they had for the three seasons of MDUtv was phenomenal, because of lack of financial sponsors, they would not be producing a new season of Maltese DownUnder.

The producers told The Voice of the Maltese: “we received hundreds of messages via email/FaceBook/encounters, encouraging us to keep producing the show, praising the quality of the show, suggesting stories and ways of improving the show. The show was available on free to air TV, but this doesn’t mean that it’s free to produce.”

They went on to say that the cost of putting one season to air amounted to $6000, but this meant not paying their editors full commercial rates, nor paying for filming, travel expenses, pre-production planning/research, first edit and post production.

“Our true budget for the show would be around $15,000 for just one season, and whilst we did have good financial support from our sponsors to produce another season, we still wouldn’t have reached our production budget to cover all costs. We have been running on a very lean budget for the three seasons we produced in 2016.”

They said that for them it was “a true labour of love” and none of them has profited from the production of the show. “In fact, both of us have funded any deficiencies in the budget out of our own pockets!”

Viewers had suggested they should contact businesses to help them out, but unfortunately, even though the pool seems to be quite big and they did reach out to as many as they could, the burden of businesses that did support them, were the same ones that carried them throughout their three seasons and the proposed season 4.

“It is disappointing that other Maltese businesses seem to have a lack of vision when it comes to innovative initiatives such as Maltese DownUnder!”

This also came across in their contact with Maltese Associations in Victoria. “It’s disappointing that, from the numerous Maltese Associations, only a handful came through with their support for season 4, Marlene and Mark told The Voice.

They wished to thank the Maltese Community Council of Victoria, the Maltese Historical Association and Klabb Għannejja Maltin.

They explained that the purpose of the crowd funding campaign had always been to give their established online audience of 2700 plus on FaceBook, the opportunity to show their support for the future of the show.

“If every like on our FaceBook page translated to as little as a $10 donation, we would’ve been well on our way to producing season 4 of the show,” they added.

The Maltese producers said they were aware that their audience was the younger generation of Maltese in Australia, and in fact, demographics show that their followers were aged between 25 and 54 years old.

It is for this reason that they reached out

L-istatwa ta’ Don Bosco tin©arr mill-knisja tal-Vitorja f’Horsley Park NSW

through this medium and not reach out to the older generation of Maltese, who they believe have contributed more than enough to the Maltese community in Australia!

“We are honoured to state that both the older and younger generations of Maltese in Australia have embraced the show. In an age when the Maltese media landscape is very limited in Australia, we were the only programme producing content that was original and bridged all generations! No wonder Maltese DownUnder shot straight to 2nd most popular online on c31,” they said.

They acknowledged and wished to thank Agnes Fenech, Lee Gale and Mark Bonello for their efforts to promote the crowd funding campaign through their networks, Michael Zammit of Airwaves Studio and Gorge Bajada for their artistic input, in creating their look (logo) and feel (theme) for Maltese DownUnder. They are grateful to them as they did it without any financial compensation.

Marlene and Mark also thanked their sponsors and among others, The Voice of the Maltese for featuring articles about MDUtv.

Don Bosco mfakkar

ull sena fi NSW ti©i ççellebrata ilK festa ta’ Don Bosco mill-g˙aqda Maltija li ©©ib ismu. G˙al dawn l-a˙˙ar

sentejn il-Maltese Past Pupils & Friends of Don Bosco NSW ing˙aqddet mal-parroçça ta’ Horsley Park li hija mmexxija mill-kongregazzjoni mag˙rufa b˙ala CSMA li ©iet imwaqqfa minn Father Bronislaw Markiewicz li kien dixxiplu ta’ Don Bosco, biex ifakkru l-festa talpatrun tag˙hom flimkien.

Dis-sena, wara quddiesa ççelebrata minn Fr Stan, il-provincjal tas-CSMA, Fr Domnic, u Fr Carmelo Sciberras, is-segretarju tal-g˙aqda Maltija li g˙amel ukoll diskors interessati dwar il-˙ajja ta’ Don Bosco, saret il-purçissjoni bl-istatwa.

Wara sar ukoll riçeviment fil-Marion Hall fejn Mark Caruana, il-president talg˙aqda ta ˙ajr lil dawk kollha li taw lg˙ajnuna tag˙hom biex din-il festa tirnexxi.

8 The Voice of the Maltese

Tuesday February 14, 2017

Have your say/Xi trid tghid?

Your letters/ L-ittri tag˙kom ...

Lack of publicity for Etnika’s tour Ken Mizzi from The Ponds NSW, writes:

The Voice of the Maltese on nlliin ne e m ma ag ga az ziin ne e o

is is a bi-lingual (in English and Maltese) fortnightly online publication specifically targeting all Maltese living abroad with emphasis on the Australian scene. is online magazine is sent via email by request.

But if you require a printed copy we can oblige.

Editors: Malta: Joseph Cutajar Australia: Lawrence Dimech: MOM, OAM, JP email address: maltesevoice@gmail.com Letters for publication in The Voice either in Maltese or English should be e-mailed to: maltesevoice@gmail.com.

Now you can also join us on facebook: https://www.facebook. com/groups/thevoiceofthemaltese

y friends and I are disappointed at The Voice of the Maltese magazine’s failure M to give any publicity to the tour of the Maltese Etnika group in Australia. It was indeed a unique occasion and should have been supported. All Maltese must be given every opportunity to watch such events wherever they are performed.

I heard that they gave very good performances in the few places they visited, and I for one am very sad that I missed them. To a certain extent I am also very angry that I was not given the chance to attend the activity.

Editorial Note: We at The Voice would like to make it absolutely clear, that nobody, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Malta down to the Malta High Commission in Canberra or the Consul Generals released any press statements that we know of, or attempted to officially notify the Voice of the Maltese of Etnika’s Australian tour itinerary.

In time perhaps, somebody may give us the reason for this strange behaviour. As our readers can testify, we always try to give the utmost publicity to performances by Maltese talent artists, be they from the community, or visitors from Malta. This was a Government of Malta sponsored tour. Therefore, an official announcement would have been most appropriate.

Business interests not America first SBS? Don’t need them; Anthony Borg from Williamstown, Victoria, use Malta TV channels writes: Paul Zammit from Harvey SA writes:

he new US President Donald Trump is not out to make America great but to T lease allow me to thank Chas Farrugia make his empire and that of his billionaire Pwho, in a letter on The Voice of the Malfriends richer. He issued an executive order tese (No. 146) was kind enough to share his

barring citizens from seven Muslim countries from entering the US but it seems to backfire.

The new US President also imposed a 120day suspension of the US refugee programme and blocked Syrians from entering the US indefinitely.

Trump claims that he was motivated by the September 11 terrorist attacks, but most of the 19 hijackers in those attacks came from countries, not on the list – mainly Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Lebanon.

Yet he excluded from his list a credible list of terrorists’ breeding grounds like Pakistan, Turkey and Afghanistan. It appears that he has deliberately excluded countries where he has business interests. Never mind America!!!.

While visiting Malta Stay at: The Diplomat Hotel, 173 Tower Road Sliema

Email: sales@diplomat.com.mt Tel: (00356) 23497000

knowledge to help the Maltese community be able to watch Maltese TV programmes on our TV screens.

My friends and I tried his suggestion and it works. Two of us who are very keen on football and still support our home (Malta) teams also tried it by watching a Maltese football match late at night one weekend. It was most enjoyable to watch it on our TV set instead of the computer.

I have to say that we are a very nostalgic family and sometimes greatly miss Malta, so we have also watched other programmes late evening and I can tell the readers who have not yet tried it to do it. All it took was a HDMI cable that we bought for a couple of dollars, quite cheap and our mood has changed completely since then.

Now we are also watching Maltese news from different Maltese TV channels on out sets as we found out that the top channels all stream their news bulletins. It is so different from just watching on our laptop.

It is so nice to see Malta in all its glory, particularly now that it is hosting the EU Presidency, on a large screen.

What we now do is to find out the schedules of the different stations and tune to what fancies us. The news gets a priority so we now don’t have to wait for SBS to air the programme from Malta any more.

I really like and appreciate this solidarity (as shown by Chas Farrugia in this instance) between the readers of this magazine. Something that, I am sorry to say, sometimes seems to be so lacking in some sections of the Maltese community out here.

Tuesday February 14, 2017

The Voice of the Maltese 9

Il-bidu tal-Karnival f’Malta Il-Karnival f’Malta g˙andu Karnival beda jsir kull sena storja antika ˙afna. Dari lu ©ieli anke sar barra minn Karnival kien xort’o˙ra u Ωmienu, b˙al meta kien ferm differenti minn tal-lum jil˙aq sultan ta’ pajjiΩ fejn sar xi ˙a©a ta’ spettaklu Ewropew jew lil xi sovran u li fih tiddomina wkoll lkienet titwilidlu xi tarbija arti. Dari l-karnival kien eredi g˙at-tron. aktar spontanju u forsi wkoll Hu mifhum li fl-1639 ilaktar divertenti u allegruΩ. ÌiΩwitikienu ˙e©©ew lillPeterPaulCiantar Jekk illum il-©urnata Gran Mastru Lascaris biex wie˙ed jiltaqa’ ma’ xi anzjan jipprojbixxi milli jsir l-uΩu ˙afna, dan ikun pront jg˙idlu kemm kien isba˙ il-Karnival ta’ tal-maskri min-nisa waqt il-©ranet tal-Karnival. dari. Naturalment maΩ-Ωmien kollox jinbidel, u llum il-KarniLascaris kien anke ˙oloq il-piena tal-fla©ellazzjoni g˙al min val ˙a sura o˙ra ... iΩda Ωgur li dik li tg˙aqqad il-karnival tal- jikser din l-ordni. Kien ried ukoll li n-nisa ma jit˙allewx jid˙lu img˙oddi mal-karnival tal-lum hija Ω-Ωifna Maltija. fil-bere© jew jie˙du sehem fid-drammi li kienu jsiru fis-swali StudjuΩi tal-istorja ta’ Malta jg˙idu li s-sena l-aktar bikrija li ta’ dawn il-bere©. Mhux ta’ b’xejn li ˙ar©et u bdiet il-fraΩi ta’ g˙andna dwar l-eqdem Karnival f’Malta tmur lura biss sas- ‘g˙andek wiçç Laskri’ (wiçç imqarras). sena 1535, fiΩ-Ωmien meta kien hawn il-Gran Mastru ta’ Malta Dwar il-Gran Mastru Lascaris jintqalu ˙afna affarijiet li Pietro del Ponte. B’danakollu ma rridux ng˙idu li qabel il- f’kelma wa˙da ma tantx ˙allewh popolari fost il-poplu Malti. mi©ja tal-Kavallieri ma kinux isiru karnivali imma dwarhom Dan kien l-aktar min˙abba l-ordnijiet li ˙are© g˙all-Karnival. ma nsibu l-ebda tag˙rif.

Madankollu, mill-bidu tieg˙u, u g˙al kwaΩi ˙ames sekli, ilDan l-ewwel karnival ‘organizzat’ li nafu bih kien sar fil- Karnival f’Malta dejjem kellu post importanti fil-kalendarju Birgu u fih kien isir taqbid finta bejn il-Kavallieri armati kulturali Malti, u mhemm l-ebda ra©uni g˙aliex ma b’armi ming˙ajr ponta. Wara dawn it-taqbidiet jew a˙jar m’g˙andux jibqa’ meta sar jibqax... anzi pjuttost se jibqa’ ‘tornej’ kien isir iΩ-Ωfin. jissa˙˙a˙ g˙ax sar ukoll attrazzjoni turistika.

Tg˙id kienu dawn it-tornej li taw il-bidu tal-Parata? Ma Dis-sena se jsir bejn l-24 u t-28 ta’ Frar. (ara wkol pa©na 20) nafux, iΩda ˙afna jsemmu li l-Parata kellha l-bidu tag˙ha dritt wara l-Assedju l-Kbir tal-1565. Nafu wkoll li fil-Karnival tal-1535 il-Birgu kien ikun miΩg˙ud bil-maskarati.

Il-Gran Mastru La Valette jista’ jitqies ukoll b˙ala wie˙ed mill-pijunieri tal-karnival tag˙na. Jing˙ad li hu ta l-permess li l-maskri jintlibsu fil-pubbliku billi qabel kienu jintlibsu biss fil-Bere© tal-Kavallieri.

Fl-1560 kien sar Karnival kbir. L-okkaΩjoni kienet il-preΩenza ta’ flotta kbira tal-alleati Nsara li kienet in©abret fil-port ta’ Malta biex minn hawn issalpa ˙alli ta˙bat g˙al Tripli.

Jing˙ad li qatt qabel f’Malta ma kien sar Karnival b’daqshekk g˙ana, Ωfin u maskri. Ix-xalar kien daqshekk kbir li wassal lill-Gran Mastru li janfar lill-Kavallieri u lill-Maltin. Kien wissihom biex fil©ejjieni x-xalar u d-divertiment ikunu aktar xierqa. B’danakollu t-tba˙rid tant ing˙o©ob li l-

10 The Voice of the Maltese

Tuesday February 14, 2017

Perspettiva Alleanzi fi Ωmien Trump A version of this series in English may be found in the author's blog at: https://ivancauchi. blogspot.com

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ara t-trepidazzjoni ta' qabel il-˙atra tieg˙u, il-President Amerikan Trump qed jurina li g˙andu kull intenzjoni li jtellaq kemm terrimot jifla˙ itellaq, u ji©i altament jitmella˙ mill-konsegwenzi.

Din il-persuna qisha qieg˙da tikkontrolla krejn tat-tifrik, ixxejjer il-balla tal-metall 'l hawn u 'l hemm biex tfarrak kull m'hemm madwarha, waqt li jixher bil-pjaçir - fuq Twitter naturalment.

Alla biss jaf il-˙sara inkalkulabbli li se jwettaq, mhux biss lil pajjiΩu, imma lid-dinja u lir-relazzjonijiet ta' bejniethom, speçjalment dawk il-partijiet tad-dinja li kienu jqisu lill-Istati Uniti (aktarx romantikament) b˙ala tarka tal-libertà u tal-progress, u allejat prinçipali tal-pajjiΩi hekk imsej˙a tal-Punent kontra dawk il-pajjiΩi l-˙Ωiena, çjoe w˙ud minn dawk tal-Lvant.

Ma kienx l-ewwel kaΩ, imma t-telefonata issa famuΩa bejn Trump u l-Prim Ministru Awstraljan Turnbull, kienet sajjetta (mhux se ng˙id fil-bnazzi) fl-istorja ta' alleanza twila. F'dan il-kaΩ, l-isfond huwa alleanza li rat lill-Awstralja ti©©ieled spalla ma' spalla malIstati Uniti f'tant kunflitti, mit-Tieni Gwerra Dinjija.1 Wara li l-gvern Awstraljan kien ftiehem ma' dak Amerikan fi Ωmien il-President Obama biex jie˙u sa 1250 mir-refu©jati miΩmumin fuq Mauru u l-gΩira Manus fil-PNG, il-President il-©did Trump sploda hekk kif sema' bih. Ìie rrappurtat li fuq it-telefon xela lil Turnbull li jrid jibg˙at lillbomers tal-futur fil-pajjiΩ. 'Ftehim stupidu' gerger fuq Twitter.

Darb'o˙ra akkuΩa lill-Awstralja li kienet ˙adet vanta©© minn pajjiΩu, u staqsa retorikament 'g˙alfejn qed nag˙mlu dan? X'inhu liskop?'2 Óeqq, li pajjiΩ jie˙u r-refu©jati fi ˙danu hija obbligu ta' firmatarji tal-Konvenzjoni fuq ir-Refu©jati tal-1951 u tal-Protokoll tal-1967 tal-Ìnus Mag˙quda.3 U li pajjiΩ jg˙in lil ie˙or fi Ωmien il-bΩonn hija ˙a©a li ssir spiss meta l-pajjiΩi jkunu ˙bieb, jew meta pajjiΩ i˙oss obbligu morali li jg˙in lil ie˙or anke jekk mhux ˙bieb, jew çinikament meta ja˙seb li se jie˙u xi vanta©© ie˙or mhux imsemmi.

Trump jista' jsaqsi lilu nnifsu, x'inhu l-iskop li l-Awstralja tie˙u rifu©jati mill-Costa Rica fl-Amerika Çentrali, rifu©jati li kienu qieg˙din jag˙tu w©ig˙ ta' ras lill-Istati Uniti? Forsi l-Istati Uniti kienet qieg˙da tie˙u vanta©© mill-Awstralja? Xi jrid, li Ω-Ωew© pajjiΩi ˙bieb jirtiraw mill-kelma li taw lil xulxin? Din hija possibiltà li naraha stramba kif mhix qed tissemma.

Il-problema ewlenija ta' Trump mhix il-personalità tieg˙u, jekk hux diplomatiku jew le, imma x'inhuma l-prinçipji tieg˙u.

Per eΩempju, jidher çar li l-ewwel prijorità tal-President il-©did hija l-Amerika, u din mhix ˙a©a ˙aΩina. Li huwa ˙aΩin, fil-fehma tieg˙i, hi li din hi l-unika prijorità tieg˙u, jew fi kliem ie˙or jekk jimpurtahx minimament minn dak li ji©ri barra, u li jkun lest li jkun çittadin tajjeb globali.

Ftit ilu, meta kien qed ji©i mistoqsi jekk jixtieqx jara stabbiltà politika u tkabbir ekonomiku fil-Messiku, ©ie kkwotat li qal, “Jien onestament ma jimpurtanix mill-Messiku, verament ma jimpurtanix mill-Messiku”.4 Çittadin tajjeb globali? Ma na˙sibx!

Din l-attitudni tista' tispjega wkoll g˙aliex huwa daqshekk qatta bla ˙abel kontra kull ftehim ta' kummerç ˙ieles bejn il-pajjiΩi.

Dawn il-ftehim veru li jista' jkollhom diversi problemi, fosthom li titnaqqas il-protezzjoni lil diversi industriji lokali jew li jing˙ataw wisq drittijiet lil entitajiet kummerçjali u/jew globali.

Madankollu hemm ukoll diversi vanta©©i ta' dan it-tip ta' ftehim,

kitba ta’

IVAN CAUCHI

fosthom it-tkabbir ekonomiku (g˙alkemm l-gvernijiet çertament ˙atja li l©id li jin˙oloq ma' jitqassamx b'mod li l-popolazzjoni kollha t˙oss li qed timxi 'l quddiem) kif ukoll li l-pajjiΩi l-fqar u d-dg˙ajfa ji©u meg˙juna jeg˙lbu lfaqar u dg˙jufija tag˙hom bl-attività ekonomika, u li pajjiΩi li g˙andhom interess ekonomiku f'xulxin aktarx jevitaw il-kunflitti milli jfittxuhom, li jwassal g˙al paçi relattiva.

Trump u dawk li g˙aΩel li jmexxu lill-amministrazzjoni tieg˙u ma qag˙dux lura li jmaqdru l-istituzzjonijiet li l-Istati Uniti tant ipparteçipat fihom: - Il-Ìnus Mag˙quda huwa 'klabb g˙al nies biex jie˙du gost'5; - In-NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) 'g˙adda Ωmienha' u hemm it-theddida li jekk pajjiΩ membru ma jonfoqx daqskemm hu mistenni minnu, jista' jkun li ma jsibx l-Istati Uniti biex tiddefendih fi Ωmien il-prova. Jien nistaqsi, liema pajjiΩ b'rasu fuq g˙onqu se jafda l-integrità nazzjonali tieg˙u f'allejanza li ma ssibhiex meta jkun hemm il-bΩonn?

Ma nistax ma nsemmix ukoll l-istennija tieg˙u, jew forsi xxewqa, li l-Unjoni Ewropeja tisfaxxa bit-tluq tal-membri tag˙ha wie˙ed wie˙ed.6 Huwa çar li l-President Trump lest li jiddistabbilizza d-dinja talPunent kif nafuha llum.

Il-pajjiΩi li huma parti minn din id-dinja jag˙mlu ˙aΩin jekk ma jibdlux l-arkitettura tan-nis©a ekonomika, militari u ta' sigurtà tag˙hom biex inaqqsu l-impatt tal-Istati Uniti li mil-lum 'il quddiem se tkun inqas prevedibbli, iktar t˙ares 'il ©ewwa milli 'l barra, inqas interessata li tkun çittadin tajjeb globali - fi kliem ie˙or, se tkun ˙afna inqas affidabbli llum milli qatt kienet.

Na˙seb li l-a˙jar poΩizzjoni hija dik espressa mill-Kançillier ÌermaniΩa Angela Merkel, li f'messa©© xott lill-President il-©did wara l-elezzjoni, iva offrietlu l-koperazzjoni tal-pajjiΩ tag˙ha, imma abbaΩi tal-valuri komuni taΩ-Ωew© pajjiΩi - id-demokrazija, il-libertà, ir-rispett tal-li©i u tad-dinjità umana ming˙ajr distinzjonijiet.7 Mhux miktub, imma lo©ikament, li jekk dawn il-valuri jkunu mittiefsa, din il-kooperazzjoni titraΩΩan.

Jien nemmen li din il-poΩizzjoni g˙andha tkun adottata mill-pajjiΩi kollha li fihom a˙na l-qarrejja ng˙ixu, huma fejn huma, jekk irridu nkunu koerenti mag˙na nfusna u jekk verament nemmnu f'dawn il-valuri. Sadanittant, a˙jar jippreparaw!

Referenzi

1. http://www.afr.com/news/world/north-america/us-australia-alliance-faces-strongest-challenge-yet-20170202-gu4cyq,retrieved 6/2/2017 2. http://thenewdaily.com.au/news/world/2017/02/04/trump-australiaflattery/, retrieved 6/2/2017 3. http://www.unhcr.org/about-us/background/4ec262df9/1951-convention-relating-status-refugees-its-1967-protocol.html,retrieved 6/2/2017 4. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/wall-street-journal/donald-trump-provokes-little-mexicanwar/newsstory/02-d7da5cf171644bbee4e2520ea9f25b, retrieved 6/2/2017 5. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trumpunited-nations-club-have-good-time-barack-obama-israel-settlementsa7496786.html, retrieved 6/2/2017 6. https://www.thelocal.de/20170203/trumps-top-eu-pick-warns-german-media-of, retrieved 6/2/2017 7.https://www.bundeskanzlerin.de/Content/EN/Artikel/2016/11_ en/2016-11-09-merkel-zu-us-wahl-trump_en.html, retrieved 6/2/2017

Tuesday February 14, 2017

The Voice of the Maltese 11

Doomsday Deferred I

n his recent bo- by GwynneDyer ok, former general Michael Flynn, President Trump’s National Security Adviser wrote: “Without a proper sense of urgency, we will be eventually defeated, dominated and very likely destroyed,” and added: “They are dead set on taking us over and drinking our blood.”

It’s so early in the new year that nominations for Year’s Most Ridiculous Statement are not even officially open yet, but this has to be a strong contender. Flynn was talking, believe it or not, about the “Islamic terrorist threat”.

He was predicting that the United States, despite having the world’s biggest economy, 325 million people, the world’s most advanced technology, and more than 4,000 nuclear weapons, faces defeat, domination and probably destruction at the hands of ten or twenty thousand Islamist terrorists – unless, presumably, it gets serious and starts torturing people again.

Even if all of the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims were politically and militarily united – an event less likely than their mass conversion to the Jedi faith – and they were all committed to a cold or even a hot war against America, the United States would survive.

This is not just Doomsday talk. It is extremely stupid Doomsday talk.

But there is a lot of it around at the moment.

Take, for example, the famous Doomsday Clock, a metaphorical device concocted by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists in 1947 to signal how close we are to the end of the world. Midnight was the apocalypse, all-out nuclear war. Two weeks ago the Bulletin moved the minute hand of the Clock to two-and-a-half minutes to midnight, the closest it has been since the depths of the “Second Cold War” in 1984.

I was already a journalist in 1984 (a much better-looking one than I am now), and I had already interviewed the commanders and the operators of the nuclear forces on both sides of the Iron Curtain. And I was ten times more frightened then than I am now.

What’s going on here is simply inflation. Terrorism is strategically a mere nuisance, and in terms of your personal threat level it is statistically irrelevant. An American, for example, is ten times likelier to drown in the bath than to die in a terrorist attack.

Yet terrorism gets as much media attention today as the threat of a global nuclear war got back in the Cold War. To paraphrase Parkinson’s Law, threats expand to fill the media space available.

The scientists who calibrate the Doomsday Clock are not immune to the inflationary trend. The Clock was set at seven minutes to midnight during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962

(which came close to triggering global nuclear war and killing hundreds of millions of people).

Now, they say, it’s only two-and-a-half minutes to midnight. Really? Are you sure?

Nonsense. The world is a bit more dangerous than it was just after the end of the Cold War in 1991, when the Clock was set back to seventeen minutes to midnight, but no year in the past 25 has been as dangerous as any of the years before 1991. Nuclear war between great powers is still the real Big Deal.

However, the people who run the Clock have greatly expanded the range of threats they worry about since the risk of a nuclear war declined. They include climate change now, and the resurgence of old-fashioned nationalism from America and Britain to India and Japan, and pretty well everything else down to acne and hangnail. There is no fate worse than being ignored.

That’s how we got to this point, allegedly two-and-a-half minutes to midnight. From seventeen minutes after the end of the Cold War, they Donald Trump pushed the minute frightening people hand forward every with his reckless time anything wortalk and impulsive risome happened – actions and only once pushed it back, by one minute, for only two years.

It went forward three minutes in 1995 because there were still 40,000 nuclear weapons in the world. It jumped forward another five minutes in 1998 because Indian and Pakistan had tested nuclear weapons (although the total number of weapons in the world had halved).

And another two minutes in 2002 because the Bush administration in the United States withdrew from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.

Another two minutes forward in 2007 because North Korea tested a nuclear weapon and Iran was rumoured to be working on one (it wasn’t). Then a two-minute jump forward in 2015 because of "unchecked climate change, global nuclear weapons modernizations, and outsized nuclear weapons arsenals.”

So when Donald Trump came to power a month ago, frightening people with his reckless talk and impulsive actions, the Clock was already at three minutes to midnight, and they could only push it forward by another 30 seconds.

That’s about right in terms of the extra threat Trump represents. It’s completely wrong in terms of where the global threat level is now. Trump is a loose cannon, but he’s not the Apocalypse, and most other world leaders are still grown-ups. Let’s say ten minutes to midnight. *Gwynne Dyer is an independent journalist whose articles are published in 45 countries. From time to time he also contributes to The Voice of the Maltese.

12 The Voice of the Maltese

Tuesday February 14, 2017

Roundup of News About Malta The so-called ‘Family photo’ of the EU leaders at St George’s Square in Valletta on the occasion of the EU informal Summit

Malta lives up to expectations in its hosting of first informal EU Summit

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n the first weekend of February, Malta and Prime Minister Joseph Muscat were the focus of the international media, particularly the European, as the island nation hosted the first of three informal EU Council Summits for important discussions pertaining to the European Union.

Malta was given the thumbs up sign by the participants it hosted during the first of three Summits during the six months of its EU Presidency. It passed the test with flying colours. The meeting proved to be quite fruitful and all the 28 EU leaders, without exception voiced the opinion that though Malta is the smallest of the EU member states it was up to it in all aspects.

At the end of the day, following a discussion on the external dimension of migration in the first session on the morning of the summit on February 3, the 28 EU heads of state forming the European Council unanimously adopted the Malta Declaration, which focuses on the external aspects of migration and also addressing the Central Mediterranean route.

The summit unanimously agreed on measures to stem the flow of migration from Libya to Italy, and declared their readiness to cooperate with Libyan regional and local communities as well as international organisations active in the country.

In the declaration they noted that on the Central Mediterranean route over 181,000 irregular migrants arrived in 2016, and the number of persons dead or missing at sea reached a new record every year since 2013.

They agreed that, “Efforts to stabilise Libya are now more important than ever, and the EU will do its utmost to contribute to that objective. In Libya, capacity building is key for the authorities to acquire control over the land and sea borders and to combat

transit and smuggling activities.”

The leaders also confirmed their support for the Presidency Council and the Government of National Accord backed by the United Nations. And declared readiness to cooperate with Libyan regional and local communities as well as international organisations active in the country.

At the afternoon session, the 27 leaders (minus Britain’s PM) discussed preparations for the upcoming 60th anniversary of the Rome Treaties Aside of the summit, the 28 leaders had a chance to feel the hospitality of the Maltese people, and it seems that Joseph Muscat’s call for the EU to be closer to the people was readily accepted.

After the morning session the leaders and their delegations walked to St John’s CoCathedral where they were briefed on the famous Caravaggio painting known as The Beheading of St John. This visit over, they walked to the Upper Barrakka where they admired the view of the Grand Harbour before going down the lift to the Harbour where they embarked on two sailing boats that took them to Fort St Angelo where they were entertained to lunch and Maltese traditional food.

During their stay in Malta, some of the EU leaders tried to get even closer to the Maltese. German Chancellor Angela Merkel for one surprised everybody when she went to Gzira accompanied by her security got inside a food kiosk and ordered a Maltese ftira.

On the morrow, Joseph

Muscat and his wife Michelle took four Prime Ministers, Charles Michel of Belgium, Xavier Bettel of Luxembourg, Miro Cerar of Slovenia, and their partners to a small bar in Rabat, where they experienced one of the pleasures of the Maltese traditions, for a tea/coffee (the old way, in a glass) and Malta’s favourite snack, the pastizzi (Maltese cheesecakes). It paid off as both the leaders and the locals enjoyed the experience.

Even the 600 journalists who were in Malta to report on the summit also had a field day as they feasted on traditional Maltese finger food at the Press Centre at St Elmo.

The other two summits are scheduled for March and June.

German Chancellor Ms Angela Merkel pictured at St John’s Co-Cathedral where with other EU leaders she was briefed on the famous Caravaggio painting (seen in the background) of The beheading of St John

Tuesday February 14, 2017

The Voice of the Maltese 13

Roundup of News About Malta

Plans for Building of Gozo Medical School get the nod

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An artist’s impression of the Hard Rock Hotel and City Centre. Right: hotelier and investor Mr Silvio Debono

€300 million St George’s Bay investment to create 1,500 jobs

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rime Minister Joseph Muscat announced a €300 million new iconic Hard Rock Hotel and CityCentre investment by Seaport Franchising, the company owned by hotelier Silvio Debono of DB Hotels, on the former Institute of Tourism Studies site at St George’s Bay that would be creating 1,500 new jobs.

The Government inked a €60 million deal with db group for the transfer of the land on which the developers would be building a whole complex that would include a 315room hotel under the Hard Rock franchise, 209 residences, a commercial centre, and a recreational area. Additional fees would need to be paid if masterplan allows group to develop further.

he Malta Planning Authority has approved the full development permission application for the building of the Barts Medical School in Gozo to be developed within the existing Gozo General Hospital. It will cover an approximate footprint area of 2,400 square metres and a gross departmental area of 4,500 square metres, set on four floors.

The new medical school is expected to receive its first 60 students this September, though not in the new campus building, which will be opened in 2018. By the end of its first five years the campus that would eventually cater mainly for international students will host about 300 trainee doctors.

Creating opportunities for indigenous filmmakers t the 46th edition of the International A Film Festival Rotterdam Minister for Tourism Edward Zammit Lewis has signed

The value of the land was carried out by Deloitte Malta. It evaluated economic impact assessments after meeting stakeholders and applied international valuation methodthe Council of Europe Convention on Cinologies.

At the end of the land transfer, Hotelier Sil- ematographic Co-Production between Malvio Debono presented his project. The prime ta and Member States of the Council of site held by the ITS covers an area of 25,000 Europe, as well as other States parties of the sq. metres, with only 20% being earmarked European Cultural Convention.

It aims at encouraging multilateral film cofor residential units. Gross floor area, as designed, is calculated to reach 140,000 sqm. productions and to allow for bilateral co-proIn an overview in Parliament Minister Kon- ductions between signatory countries where rad Mizzi said that in the first 10 years the no bilateral agreement exist. It also provides investment would generate around €100 mil- a common legal policy regarding the multilion in the economy, and the Government lateral cinematographic relations of all the would engross €490 million in direct and in- States Parties, and allows smaller countries direct taxes and the price the investor will like Malta to benefit from a legal framework for co-productions involving just two Parties. pay for the land.

The Minister said the Convention now takes The land was given on into consideration new technologies, current a 99-year emphytheusis, with the condition diversified funding capacities, economic and he EU Council presidency has reached a provisional agree- that the project be com- financial changes within the film industry. ment with the European Parliament to slash rates telecom pleted within five years Following the signing of the Convention, companies charge each other resulting in a steep drop in roaming of the planning permits Zammit Lewis had talks with the Minister for prices that by June 15, will secure the abolition of mobile roaming being issued, A Group Education, Culture and Science Mariëtte fees for consumers. They could be 90% lower than current ones. spokesman said they Bussemaker on the film industry – with the Malta had long been working hard for this to happen. Now the planned to have it ready aim of strengthening synergies between prodeal brokered between Council and Parliament will allow people within three years. ducers of the respective countries – and eduto use their mobile phones across the 28-country bloc without cational opportunities in the film industry. paying roaming fees. Consumers will pay the same price for calls, texts and mobile data as at home, wherever they are travelling in the EU at no extra charge.

One of the EU’s big pledges had been to eradicate roaming fees for consumers by June and Council’s Maltese presidency wanted a deal before March.

They have now agreed to cap wholesale mobile data prices at €7.75 per gigabyte from June 15, decreasing to €6 as of January 1, 2018. The fees will slide to €4.5 per gigabyte in 2019, €3.5 in 2020, €3 in 2021 and then to €2.5 in 2022.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat hailed the announcement as great news for European consumers and businesses, and an example of Europe getting closer to its citizens.

Dr Emmanuel Mallia, the Minister for Competitiveness and Digital, Maritime and Services Economy said that reaching a quick agreement on wholesale roaming prices was a top priority for the Maltese presidency. The decision is the final step in a Edward Zammit Lewis at the signing ceremony process that started ten years ago.

End of mobile roaming charges by June T

14 The Voice of the Maltese

Tuesday February 14, 2017

Il-Prim Ministru Joseph Muscat (tieni xellug) flimkien ma’ tliet Prim Ministri barranin u nnisa tag˙hom g˙all-pastizzi u tazza te/kafe` fir-Rabat

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˙al darb’o˙ra l-pastizz Malti jinsab fl-a˙barijiet.

Kif tafu ftit tal-jiem ilu lPrim Ministri tat-28 pajjiΩ li jiffurmaw l-Unjoni Ewropea kienu f’Malta g˙al wa˙da minn tliet laqg˙at ta’ matul il-Presidenza Maltija tal-UE. Sintendi, iΩ-Ωjara, id-diskussjonijiet u r-riΩoluzzjoijiet tag˙hom ing˙ataw importanza fil-midja lokali u barranija. Imma, barra dan it-tag˙rif, kien hemm a˙barijiet o˙ra, li forsi huma ta’ anqas importanza, iΩda xorta spiççaw fil-©urnali u l-mezzi l-o˙ra tax-xandir.

Fost dawn kien hemm il-fatt li lKançellier ÌermaniΩa, Angela Merkel, li waslet Malta lejliet li sar is-summit, u sintendi kienet allo©jata f’lukanda lussuΩa, meta qamet, minflok ˙adet il-kolazzjon (breakfast) fir-ristorant tallukanda, iddeçidiet li tfittex xi ˙a©a lokali. Fi triqitaha lejn il-Belt, flimkien ma dawk li kienu jakkompanjawha da˙let f’gabbana, (li qabel kienet isservi biex il-passi©ieri jistennew il-karozza tal-linja u issa nbidlet f’kafe`, u hemmhekk ˙adet kafe u ftira Maltija.

Sintendi din il-waqfa ng˙atat importanza fl-istampa Maltija, mhux biss, g˙ax mhux soltu li waqt Ωjarat uffiçjali nies f’karigi hekk g˙olja jippreferu gabbana minn ristorant f’lukanda, iΩda wkoll g˙ax tqieset b˙ala xhieda tal-fiduçja ta’ mexxej barrani

Mill-©did fl-A˙barijiet fis-siguta` li teΩisti f’Malta... g˙ax na˙seb li anke f’pajjiΩha stess, Merkel ta˙sibha darbtejn li fi triqitha g˙a xi laqg˙a uffiçjali tid˙ol f’gabbana tie˙u l-kafe`.

Tistaqsuni, imma fejn jid˙ol il-pastizz?

L-g˙ada tal-laqg˙a g˙olja l-Prim Ministru Malti Joseph Muscat flimkien ma’ martu Michelle stiednu lil tliet Prim Ministri barranin g˙al dawra, u dawn ukoll, b˙al Merkel, ma ttie˙dux f’xi ristorant, iΩda fil˙anut tat-te ‘Is-Serkin’, fir-Rabat, Malta li hu mag˙ruf g˙all-pastizzi u t-te u l-kafe` l-

tweet ta’ Jean Pierre Debono (Assistent Segretarju Ìenerali tal-Partit Nazzjonalista

bhalissa ma’ Ann Fenech 2 kafe` u erba’ pastizzi minghand is-Sirkin tar-Rabat.

Maghna Freddie Ciangura missier Kenneth Ciangura sid is-Sirkin

antika, fit-tazza minflok fil-kikkra.

Ftit wara li l-midja ˙ar©et bl-a˙bar u r-ritratti ta’ dawn il-mistednin prominenti f’atmosfera rilassanti f’dan il-˙anut, ˙ar©et il-presidenta tal-Kunsill tal-Partit Nazzjonalista, Dr Ann Fenech, li qalet li l-Prim Ministru u martu (li hi Rabtija) “ma ng˙atax parir tajjeb li jie˙u lill-prim ministri tal-Lussemburgu, is-Slovenja u lBel©ju g˙al tazza te f’tazza tal-˙©ie© u pastizz fuq ‘paper napkin’ f’kamra mdawra bil-madum tal-kamra tal-banju”.

Fenech qalet li kien hemm diversi postijiet o˙ra tipiçi Maltin milli dan il-post ‘komuni u ˙amallu (crude)’.

U Fenech spiççat fil-mira ta’ ˙afna kummenti li, prinçipalment ittimbrawha b˙ala klassista’ u bil-Prim Ministru jwie©eb: “A˙na ma niddejqu xejn immorru nie˙du kikkra te’ man-nies, anzi kburin li qatt ma ninqatg˙u minn man-nies. Kburin li a˙na tfal ta’ ˙addiema, ta’ nies li bdew mixxejn”.

U ta˙t baraxx ta’ kritika, mhux biss fuq ilmidja imma anke s-siti soçjali, Fenech spiççat biex hi stess l-g˙ada marret f’dan il-˙anut fejn ©iet servuta b’pastizz u te’ fit-tazza.

L-istampa qieset din il-mossa b˙ala dak li l-IngliΩi jsejj˙u “damage control”, ji©ifieri tipprova ssewwi l-˙sara li g˙amlet, g˙ax b’dak li kitbet mhux biss g˙amlet ˙sara lilha nnifisha, imma po©©iet f’dell ikra˙ lill-Partit li tieg˙u hija presidenta u b˙alissa qed jag˙mel minn kollox biex jidher b˙ala l-Partit tal-Popolin.

Alla jaf kemm fil-jiem ta’ wara rajna stampi ta’ pastizzi b’çerti kummenti, fosthom u˙ud li mhux ta’ min jistampahom... imma llum il-midja, u l-aktar u l-aktar issiti soçjali, saru jaççettaw kollox.

The Voice of the Maltese 15

Tuesday February 14, 2017

Min˙abba Brexit

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Il-Ministru Chris Cardona

Daphne Caruana Galizia

Burdell!!

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ill-pastizzi ta’ pa©na 14 g˙all-burdell... u burdell partikulari fil-Ìermanja li min jaf kemm sarlu reklam bla ˙las filmidja Maltija, wara li l-artikolista’ Daphne Caruana Galizia sostniet li kellha tag˙rif li filwaqt li kien fuq Ωjara ta’ xog˙ol fil-Ìermanj, il-Ministru u Deputat Mexxej Laburista, Chris Cardona, flimkien mal-konsulent tieg˙u, Ωar f’burdell.

Din l-a˙bar tant ing˙atat importanza, li sa˙ansitra l-Kap tal-OppoΩizzjoni fil-Parlament qal li tkaΩa kemm ˙afna b’dak li ©ara. Sostna li dan ˙ammar mhux biss wiçç Malta, iΩda wkoll dak tal-Unjoni Ewropea billi b˙alissa Malta g˙andha l-presidenza f’idejha.

U biex jipprovaw li dan il-fatt kien minnu, l-istazzjon televiΩiv tal-Partit Nazzjonalista – Net TV – sa˙ansitra bag˙at reporter u fotografu fil-Ìermanja li Ωaru dan il-burdell u b’kamera mo˙bija, intervistaw Ωew© nisa’ li ja˙dmu f’dan il-burdell, li skont dak li deher fil-filmat ikkonfermaw li kienu raw lil Cardona fil-burdell.

Il-Ministru ça˙ad dan u sostna li g˙andu l-provi li fil-˙in li ©ie rrappurtat ma kienx fil-burdell. Ma waqafx hemm, g˙ax beda ifajjar il-libelli lil din l-artikolista u kkonvinça lill-Qorti biex tiffriΩa l-assi (€46,000) tal-artikolista u li allura sabet li €46,000 mill-flus li g˙andha fil-bank ma tistax tmisshom.

Forsi jkun hemm min jistaqsi g˙aliex din is-somma?

Il-li©i tal-libell f’Malta tindika li lQorti tista’ tati s-somma ta’ €11,500 b˙ala danni lil min ji©i llibellat, u billi l-Ministru g˙amel erba’ libelli ssomma tla˙˙aq g˙al €46,000 ©iet iffriΩata.

Din tal-iffriΩar tal-assi kienet mossa mhux mistennija, g˙ax jidher li qatt ma sar sekwestru f’kawΩa ta’ libell.

Kif mistenni ©abet kritika ˙arxa mill-

l-fatt li l-Ingilterra qed t˙ejji biex t˙alli l-Unjoni Ewropea di©a` qed ikollu l-effett tieg˙u f’diversi oqsma. Fost dawn hemm dik taç-çittadinanza.

G˙add ta’ çittadini IngliΩi li draw il-liberta’ ta’ moviment ˙ieles fl-Ewropa, xejn ma g˙o©bithom l-idea li issa jistg˙u jispiççaw jitilfu dawn id-drittijiet u g˙alhekk qed ja˙sbuha darbtejn jekk isibux mezz biex isiru çittadini ta’ xi pajjiΩ fl-Unjoni Ewropea.

Fost il-pajjiΩi li joffru din il-possibilta’ hemm Malta... u l-IngliΩi, li ˙afna minnhom jafu sew lil Malta, di©a` bdew iffitxu ç-çittadinanza Maltija.

Attwalment, fis-senali l-IngliΩi vvutaw biex jo˙or©u mil-UE, dawk li jixtiequ jibqg˙u fl-Ewropa billi jiksbu çittadinanza ta’ pajjiΩ tal-UE, jidher li Ωdied sew. Infatti fis-sena li g˙addiet kien hemm 390 IngliΩ li g˙amlu talba g˙al çittadinanza Maltija mal-Awtoritajiet Maltin. Din hija Ωieda sinifikanti fuq talbiet millIngliΩi g˙aç-çittadinanza li kienu jsiru qabel, tant li s-sena ta’ qabel kien hemm biss 196 talba minn çittadini IngliΩi.

Hemm diversi possibiltajiet biex dawn l-IngliΩi jsiru çittadini Maltin: (1) jekk ikollhom axxendenti Maltin, (2) ikun ilhom aktar minn ˙ames snin miΩΩew©in çittadina jew çittadin Malti (3) jekk ikun ilhom jg˙ixu Malta japplikaw biex ikunu naturalizzati b˙ala çittadini Maltin u sintendi (4) billi jixtru çittadinanza Maltija ta˙t l-iskema tal-IIP.

OppoΩizzjoni. Fi stqarrija l-Partit Nazzjonalista sejja˙ l-iffriΩar tal-assi b˙ala “attakk estrem fuq il-libertà talistampa u tal-espressjoni u theddida çara g˙ad-demokrazija f'pajjiΩna”.

Fl-istess waqt il-mexxej Nazzjonalista wieg˙ed li meta jkun fil-Gvern kien se jne˙˙i d-dritt tas-sekwestru filkaΩ ta’ libell lill-©urnalisti. L-G˙aqda ˙al Ωmien twil l-akbar g˙add ta’ barranin jg˙ixu tal-©urnalisti appellat lil Cardona biex f’Malta kienu l-IngliΩi, tant li ˙afna drabi meta jirtira l-iffriΩar tal-assi. Min-na˙a tag˙ha Caruana Galizia sostniet li, “L- l-Maltin kienu jaraw barrani, mill-ewwel kienu jittimimplikazzjonijiet fuq id-demokrazija u brawh b˙ala IngliΩ.

IΩda llum Ωdiedu sew l-g˙add ta’ barranin jg˙ixu l-libertà tal-espressjoni huma terribbli.

M'hemm l-ebda proçess ta' skrutinju Malta, u nistg˙u ng˙idu li fostna hawn nies minn kull g˙al-libelli çivili u l-politiçi jistg˙u nazzjon. Sa tmiem l-2015, l-g˙add ta’ dawk b’permess ta’ residenza f'Malta kien ta' 19,317. Minn dawn, jtellg˙uk il-Qorti fuq baΩi frivola.”

Min-na˙a tieg˙u l-Ministru Cardona 4,377 kienu jgawdu minn protezzjoni internazzjonali. sostna li jemmen fil-libertà tal- L-g˙add ma jinkludix residenti li minn pajjiΩi tal-UE espressjoni ˙ielsa u ta assigurazzjoni li ma jin˙ti©ux permess ta’ residenza.

Fost li l-aktar kisbu, u g˙andhom permess ta’ residenza, lill-©urnalisti li huma ˙ielsa fix-xog˙ol ©urnalistiku tag˙hom u li ma kienx se hemm Libjani - 3,507. Wara s-Serbi u l-Fillipini.

L-aktar lokalità f'Malta li kellha persuni minn barra jag˙mel iffriΩar tal-assi fil-kaΩ ta’ libelli o˙ra fejn jid˙lu ©urnalisti. Min- l-UE kienet Tas-Sliema - 2,964 persuna, imbag˙ad na˙a l-o˙ra sa˙aq li “l-gideb intiΩ biex San Pawl il-Ba˙ar b'2,429.

Tassew sirna pajjiΩ kosmopilitan, li fejn qabel kienet ixerred il-˙dura, il-mibg˙eda u l-firda mhuwiex ©urnaliΩmu. Óadd tispikka l-emigrazzjoni, issa qed tispikka l-immigrazm’g˙andu juΩa’ l-professjoni ©urnal- zjoni. istika serja biex jg˙id li jrid u jkasbar bi ˙dura u b’gideb lil kwalunkwe persuna kemm fil-˙ajja pubblika u anke barra minnha.”

Fil-fehma tieg˙i dak li saret ftit li xejn diskussjoni hi, jekk persuna Guaranteed cheapest rates ta’ çerta kariga, barra lAll vehicles in NRMA road Service ˙in tax-xog˙ol, anke jekk tkun fuq xog˙ol barra Low holding Deposit minn Malta, fil-˙in liberu Discount for weekly rentals g˙andiex tmur f’çerti postijiet, li g˙alkemm Shuttle service to the Airport f’g˙ajnejna m’g˙andPhone: 9622 2208 Mob: 0418 405 271 homx reputazzjoni tajba, ma jkunux jiksru l-ebda 102 Kildare Rd Blacktown NSW 2148 li©i.

Óadu post l-IngliΩi

G

Leo’s Vehicle Rentals

16 The Voice of the Maltese

Tuesday February 14, 2017

A quick glimpse at Australia

‘As Catholics, we hang our heads in shame’

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ccording to research by the Royal Commission, between January 1980 and February 2015, 4444 people alleged incidents of child sexual abuse were made to 93 Catholic Church authorities around Australia, relating to more than 1000 separate institutions. This explosive finding was revealed at the commission’s final public hearing into the Catholic Church in Sydney.

One in 14 Australian Catholic priests who worked between 1950 and 2010 among 75 Catholic Church bodies surveyed by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse were alleged perpetrators of child sexual abuse.

The Commission found 1880 alleged perpetrators were identified in claims, along with over 500 unknown people.

Of the 1880 alleged perpetrators: • 597 (32 per cent) were religious brothers, • 572 (30 per cent) were priests, • 543 (29 per cent) were lay people, and • 96 (5 per cent) were religious sisters.

“These numbers are shocking. They are tragic, and they are indefensible,” chief executive of the Church's Truth Justice and Healing Council Francis Sullivan said in a statement to the Commission.

“This data, along with all we have heard over the past four years, can only be interpreted for what it is: a massive failure

on the part of the Catholic Church in Francis Sullivan Australia to protect children from abusers. As Catholics, we hang our heads in shame”.

Leading Sydney psychologist and former consultant to the St John of God order, Michelle Mulvihill, told the Commission “Australian Catholics needed to stand up to the Vatican hierarchy. The amount of systemic abuse inside the organisation is massive, it all about power..all road lead to Rome. It’s all about who’s in charge. I think it’s time for us, as Australians to stand up to Rome” she said.

From Manus and The poor getting poorer he gap between Australia's richest and sings, 'Everybody knows the fight is fixed, Nauru to the US Tpoorest grew by 13 per cent over the the poor stay poor and the rich get rich'. rime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has past decade and is projected to jump by a That is true of the past ten years of vigorous Preceived Donald Trump's personal as- further 10 per cent over the next 10 years, growth.

“What this report tells us, however, is that surance that a deal for the US to resettle according to a report, by the National Cenrefugees from Nauru and Manus Island will go ahead, despite the US President's harsh immigration policies sending shockwaves around the world.

Fears Mr Trump might torpedo the deal struck last year with Barack Obama, were allayed during a phone call between the Australian and US leaders.

Mr Turnbull's office declined to comment on the 25-minute phone call with Mr Trump. However, sources close to the President confirmed his administration would honour last year's agreement, though it remains unclear how many of the roughly 2000 asylum-seekers held on Nauru and Manus Island will be resettled in the US as Trump vowed to apply extreme vetting processes

tre for Social and Economic Modelling.

The report, conducted by Anglicare Australia, finds that the "likely driver" of difference between the standard of living today and in 2024-25 is changes in the Abbott government's first two budgets. These include cuts to family payments and pensions.

Anglicare Australia executive director Kasy Chambers said: “As Leonard Cohen

the poor will not just stay poor. They are on track to get poorer.

"Australia has reached a watershed. We can continue to walk away from many of the most vulnerable and the most disadvantaged among us, as this research shows we are doing. Or we can commit now to ensuring our economy and our society gives everyone a fair go.”

January hottest

ydney and Brisbane had the hottest JanS uary on record. Sydney had 11 days when the temperature topped 30C and five days above 35C, smashing not only all previous records for the month but for any month since records began in 1858.

January’s average minimum was 21.6C, breaking the previous January record of 21C in 1991 and the previous average minimum for any month which had been 21.2C in February 201 Brisbane also experienced its hottest January on record as temperatures climbed almost two degrees above the monthly average.

Data released by the Bureau of Meteorology showed Brisbane’s temperature average maximum of 27.2C, well above the mean of 25.4C and breaking the previous record of 27C set in 2004.

The average minimum temperature topped 23C throughout January, breaking the 22.8C recorded in 1973.

The Voice of the Maltese 17

Tuesday February 14, 2017

A quick glimpse at Australia

Cory Bernardi forms new party

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enator Cory Bernardi from South Australia who has just been elected to the Senate for six years has resigned from the Liberal Party to form a Conservative Party “that will

restore faith in politics, railing agai-nst the “outof -touch political class".

His resignation has drawn withering attacks from Liberal MPs, with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull suggesting the senator should do the honourable thing and resign from the Senate, “The body politic is failing the people of Australia. It is clear that we need to find a better way. The level of public disenchantment with the major parties, the lack of confidence in our political process and the concern about the direction of our nation is very, very strong,” he told the Senate, announcing his resignation. What he did not say, “I will make Australia great again”.

The South Australian Senator received just 2043 first preference votes

First female Chief Justice I for 30 years is sworn in

ore than 113 years since the first chief M justice of Australia’s High Court was sworn in, and 30 years after the first woman sat on its bench, Justice Susan Kiefel (pictured above) was sworn in as the court's first female chief justice.

“When I came to the bar in 1975, there were very few women members of the profession,” Justice Kiefel said shortly after taking the oaths of office and allegiance.

After leaving school shortly before she turned 15, Justice Kiefel completed her high school studies at night while working as a legal secretary.

She was admitted to the bar at the age of 21 but her “demanding intelligence” and “unerring instinct for the critical issue in a case”, as Attorney-General George Brandis put it, were not always enough to overcome potential clients' anxiety about engaging the services of a woman.

She also pledged to continue the court's role in promoting “public understanding and an appreciation of the Australian Constitution, its history and contemporary relevance”.

Senator Cory Bernardi

as the second candidate on the Liberal Party ticket at the 2016 election or 0.025 per cent of a quota.

Cory Bernardi, born November 6, 1969. He has been a Senator representing the state of South Australia in the Australian Senate since 2006.

From the late 1980s to 2006 Bernardi was a rower. He entered politics in 2006 when he was selected by the Liberal Party to fill a Senate seat vacancy for South Australia left by the resignation of Robert Hill. Bernardi is staunchly conservative and a Roman Catholic. He is the author of The Conservative Revolution.

Give us death tax

n a speech to the Fabian Society, Tim Ayres, NSW Secretary of the left wing Australian Manufacturing Union suggested that young Australians should be given a grant, funded by an inheritance tax on wealthy estates, to help them enter the housing market, pay university fees or start a business.

The senior union officer raised the idea about inequality and connecting with voters amid the rise of populist politicians like Pauline Henson in Australia and Donald Trump.

He quotes Community Council of Australia figures that say if four per cent of the 25,000 families with assets of $10 million paid 35 per cent duty it would raise $3.5 billion “while affecting only a fraction of the top one per cent of Australians.”

He says that politicians like Henson and Trump have exploited people’s anger and pitted them against those who have benefitted from globalisation.

18 The Voice of the Maltese

Tuesday February 14, 2017

The Malta Zodiac:

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ne of the most important exhibits at Valletta’s Museum of Archaeology is the so-called Tal Qadi Stone, one of the 10 most important archaeological findings worldwide. This stone, on which celestial navigation charts for the Mediterranean and Black Sea as well as a seaworthy Phoenician birdship were represented, is a maritime navigation instrument as proposed

by Isaac Newton according to which heavenly constellations enable navigation on sea routes.

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The Tal-Qadi Stone Enigma revealed

he Tal-Qadi Stone, a unique symbol for Malta having been the centre of trans European trading and cultural exchange in Europe is the subject of a 76-page book published last year authored by German scientist/researcher Dr Kai Helge Wirth, titled, ‘The Zodiac of Malta, The Tal Qadi Stone Enigma”. It is also described as the “Ultimate proof of Newton’s Theory”.

In his book - originally written in German, which now also has an English version - Wirth says that, “No other archaeological slab compares with the Tal-Qadi Stone in the museum in Valetta.”

The engraved slab discovered in Malta has been the object of several interpretative studies.

Previous theories have claimed the following assertions: - The gravures represent a moon - The gravures show astral constellations - The gravures are to preserve priest knowledge - The gravures are to show the entrance to a temple - The gravures' purpose is to evoke multiple impressions - To validate an interpretation of the slab some aspects must be ignored, others added - The artefact is approximately dated at 3000 years B.C. Dr Kai Helge Wirth

standing interest in pre-historic astral cults and archaeological insights from a scientific aesthetic viewpoint.

Dr Wirth who curIn accordance with all the rules of rently lives in Malta is the father of art theory, Wirth perceives the en- four kids, one of them called gravings on the stone and discovers “Malte”. Two years ago he also besomething that all came an uncle to a Maltese experts have born! simply overlookHe dedicated his ed ... ... “Exciting book to his famscience plausiily – “especially bly explained the Maltese and proved - a one, Nadine real Wirth and Frank halt” and to the wonderful Dr. Wirth The Tal-Qadi Stone people of first enfrom the ArchaeologiMalta”. countered cal Museum in Valletta After disthe Talcovering Q a d i the stone Stone in a at the publication Archaeby Ken Taylor ological Ken Taylor who Museum developed the in Valtheory that the enletta three graving in the star-free years ago zone represents the after readMoon and stars. ing about it The identification of the in a magaengraved forms as Moon apzine, Wirth peared too superficial and motianalysed it from vated him to closer examination different angles and making use of scientific aesthetic perceived a number of stars procedures.

He says that under close examina- and also a boat the likes of which tion of the form it be- was used by the Phoenicians. He comes apparent that one concluded that the stars indicate is dealing with neither routes seafarers could take and semi- nor third- circular names three zodiacal stars in particpart that might justify ular, Leo, Scorpio and Virgo.

He says: “To my mind it is abidentification with the solutely amazing that those three Moon.

“On the contrary: close signs of the zodiac were represented scrutiny and correct illu- that refer to the Mediterranean area mination leave no doubt charts. As I commenced my studies that the engraving was I would not have expected such a reperformed to a high de- sult due to the geometry of the segree of subtle differentia- quences nor that such elongated tion,” he adds. constellations could provide a sigThis book is the result of nificant whole. Before the immaseveral research trips to nent scientific examination of the Malta. Wirth was also in- stone I had presumed that the centerested in the presence of tral point of the slab represented the stars on the disc as his fa- North. ther has been for *Continued on page 19 decades; He had a long-

The Voice of the Maltese 19

Tuesday February 14, 2017

Tal-Qadi Stone: world's most ancient proof of the Zodiac Dr. Kai Helge Wirth studied at three Universities in Germany and is part of the UNESCO world heritage arteducation and head of a think thank called Artandscience institute (artandscience.de) He worked together with his Father: Professor Heinz Willi Wirth (Johann Wolfgang Goethe University) who also did research in Maltese Prehistory. He also made a number of presentations on his theme in America and Europe.

He also appeared in some of the best-known TV stations in Germany and France to present his theories and was featured in some of the most popular German newspapers.

Dr Wirth who currently lives in Malta is the father of four kids. He named one of them "Malte", a name he gave his son before he had even set foot on Malta. Two years ago he also became an uncle to a Maltese born!

(One can read his eBook for free with the readfy App)

*from page 18 Much before Wirth, Isaac Newton too had studied the importance of the stars in relation to sailors and concluded that the designs were made by men in order to help them in their voyages.

Newton’s theory took years to be confirmed, but Wirth’s research has given those who strongly believed in Newton’s theory more weight.

Wirth made a clay model of the stone and divided it into three parts. He discovered that the Scorpio zodiac sign referred to the west of the Mediterranean and Virgo to the east. When he put them together he concluded that the boat much resembled Malta and that the stone goes back to the time when the Phoenicians occupied the island.

Dr Wirth concludes that the Tal-Qadi stone is thus the world's most ancient proof of the zodiac – particularly in this precision - and especially due to the exact form of the zodiacal symbols and therefore the first found evidence proving the atlas of the heavens in Newton's premise.

In his opinion, the Maltese stone provides the first evidence of a precise representation of a part of the zodiac, and is the initial proof that exactly shows the form of the zodiacal system. That means that the first form of the zodiacal signs in the Bronze Age corresponds exactly to the form we know today.

That was Isaac Newton's assumption, but in his day there was no evidence that his theory could be proven in fact. Wirth adds that on account of the double occurrence of the date 1450 BC one can presume that there had been no previous zodiac and that the signs were a product of the Phoenicians.

Apart from this the following issues arise: * The slab (Bronze Age) is dated precisely at 1450 BC * Provenance of the constructors of the slab (Philistines/Phoenicians) * The complex knowledge apparent in the slab (navigation, knowledge of geography) * First emergence of representation of a specific form of the zodiacal system * The most ancient fragment of a zodiacal system ever * First concrete evidence for Sir Isaac Newton's assumption that zodiacal signs were invented "in the time of the Argonauts" to aid mariners to navigate the world oceans * Possibility to re-evaluate Phoenician traces in other regions * Starting point of a new phase of Maltese culture In Dr Wirth’s view, the Tal-Qadi stone is around 1,500 years older than Egypt’s Dendra that also includes zodiacal signs.

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20 The Voice of the Maltese

Tuesday February 14, 2017

Tag˙rif dwar il-kitba Maltija

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ktar regoli u tag˙rif uffiçjali dwar kif wie˙ed g˙andu jikteb ilMalti, ma˙ru© mill-Kummissjoni fi ˙dan l-Akkademja talMalti.

10. Il-Verbi s˙a˙ jibnu lL-GÓAMLA TAL-VERB Il-Verb fl-Ilsien Malti hu l-kelma li tfisser l-g˙emil ta’ konsonanti tag˙hom fuq dak, ta’ dik jew ta’ dawk li jitkellmu, ta’ dak, ta’dik jew tqeg˙id u sura wa˙da.

G˙alhekk b˙alma nikta’ dawk lil lilhom inkellmu, ta’ dak, ta’ dik jew ta’ dawk li fuqhom nitkellmu, b˙al fil-kelmiet: jiena rqadt, tbu feraq, ©ibed, raqad, a˙na rqadna; jiena g˙ext, a˙na g˙exna; jiena qg˙adt, a˙na xe˙et, inqisu li niktbu wkoll: sama(g˙), g˙ilet, bag˙ad, qg˙adna; jiena xrobt, a˙na xrobna; inti rqadt, intom bag˙at, qag˙ad, meg˙er. Kif ukoll fuq ©bidt, x˙itt, qbadt nibnu ˙milt, Ωidt, qg˙adt, bg˙adt, bg˙att. irqadtu, eçç.; hu raqad, huma raqdu.

Il-Verb jista’ jkun ta’ sura ewlenija jew ta’ sura mnis- T.ç. Il-kliem g˙amilt, g˙aΩilt, g˙atast u o˙rajn li l-ewwel konsonanti tag˙hom hi g˙, ideffsu vokali bejn dik il-g˙ sla.

6. Verb ta’ sura ewlenija hu dak li jinbena fuq l-ewwel u t-tieni konsonanti skont kif urejna fit-T.ç. (2) ta˙t ilsura ta’ g˙erq il-kelma li hi aktarx ta’ tliet konsonanti, Wie˙ed u Tletin Regola – l-Ewwel Taqsima. IΩda fuq ofroq, i©bed, a˙tar, nofroq, ni©bed, na˙taf, niktbu wkoll og˙tor, jew s˙a˙ kollha jew biçça minnhom dg˙ajfin (a, w, j).

Ara: qábad, qág˙ad, féhem, ˙áseb, wíΩen, sáma(g˙), ag˙fas, ag˙mel, bil-vokali qabel il-g˙; kif ukoll nog˙tor, g˙éwa, xéwa(j), téfa(j), méxa(j), sáfa(j), g˙êx, sár, tár, dám, nag˙fas, nag˙mel u mhux ng˙otor, ng˙afas, ng˙amel.

11. Il-Verbi neqsin fil-Malti huma ta’ ˙ames xorta: qàrr.

(1) Verbi ta’ Ωew© konsonanti (bit-tieni wa˙da mten7. Il-Verb hu ta’ sura mnissla meta jitwessa’ b’Ωieda ta’ konsonanti barranin s˙a˙ jew dg˙ajfin fuq is-sura nija) u b’vokali ma˙tufa ta’ accent s˙i˙. Dawn il-verbi jissej˙u torox. Aktarx huma sura mqassra ta’ verbi s˙a˙ ewlenija tal-verb jew tan-nom.

Hekk minn verbi ewlenin innisslu qabbad, qieg˙ed, ewlenin.

Ara: ràdd, mèss, ˙àtt, bèxx, dàqq (mill-ewwel sura ta’ fiehem, ˙asseb, samma(g˙), mexxa(j), g˙ajjex, sajjar, tajjar, dewwem, stqarr, kollha minn qábad, qág˙ad, féhem, radad, meses, ˙atat, bexex, daqaq).

(2) Verbi ta’ Ωew© konsonanti b’vokali twila bejni˙áseb, sáma(g˙), méxja(j), g˙âx, sâr, târ, dâm, qàrr. Minn nomi: ba˙˙ar minn ba˙ar; mewwe© minn mew©; demmel ethom. Dawn jissej˙u verbi mo˙fijin (concavi).

Ara: kiel, sâb, târ, ˙ât, qâm, mâr, miet (mât), ©ieb (©âb), minn demel; g˙ajjen minn g˙ajn.

Il-verb ta’ sura ewlenija jista’ jkun ukoll ta’ Ωew© g˙am- kien (kân) u mag˙hom g˙ên, g˙âm, g˙êx, g˙êb.

(3) Verbi ta’ tliet konsonanti li g˙andhom l-ewwel konliet: s˙i˙a u nieqsa.

8. Il-Verb jissejja˙ s˙i˙, meta s-sura ewlenija tieg˙u hi sonanti wa˙da mill-ittri dg˙ajfin a jew w. Dawn jissej˙u tax-xebh. mibnija fuq g˙erq ta’ konsonanti s˙a˙.

Ara: ˙a li ©ejja mill-verb a˙ad, ˙adt, ˙adu, eçç., wiΩen, Dan narawh f’verbi b˙al qátel, féraq, rábat, fejn kull wa˙da minn dawn is-suriet hi mibnija fuq g˙erq ta’ wiret, waqa’. Jissej˙u tax-xebh g˙aliex g˙andhom sura konsonanti s˙a˙ li huma q-t-l, f-r-q, r-b-t. Dawn ix-xorta ewlenija li taqbel ma’ dik tal-verbi s˙a˙. Biss ji©ri li jitilfu lewwel konsonanti fit-tiswir tal-verb. G˙alhekk ta’ verbi g˙andhom vokali b’aççent ˙afif.

9. Il-Verb jissejja˙ nieqes, meta s-sura ewlenija tieg˙u minn wiret, wiΩen, waqaf insawru iret, iΩen, ieqaf; niret, hi mibnija fuq inqas minn tliet konsonanti, jew meta niΩen, nieqaf, bit-telfa tal-ewwel konsonanti, sura li ma wa˙da jew aktar mill-konsonanti tas-sura hi wa˙da taqbilx ma’ dik ta’ ofroq, oqtol, nofroq, noqtol, fejn lewwel konsonanti tibqa’ bla mittiefsa. mill-konsonanti dg˙ajfin a, j jew w.

Ara: ta, ©ie, mar, dam, kien (kân), dab, waqaf, wiΩen, Aktar regoli u tifsir fil-˙ar©a li jmiss. rema(j), kera(j), tefa(j), beda(j).

Il-Karnival ta’ Malta fi Frar: Brijju u artistrija insabu fix-xahar, Frar, li ˙afna f’N Malta jassoçjawh mal-Karnival u min˙abba f’hekk, jaslu li anke jsejj˙ulu x-

xahar tal-bluha, g˙ax fih isir it-tba˙rid u d-divertiment qabel is-suppost il-jiem tas-sagrifiççju, ir-Randan, li jwassal g˙allÌimg˙a l-Kbira… u wara aktar çelebrazzjonijiet, g˙al dik li ˙afna jsostnu li hi l-akbar festa reli©juΩa g˙all-Insara, ji©ifieir l-G˙id il-0Kbir (il-qawmien millmewt ta’ Ìesu`Kristu).

Dis-sena l-Karnival se jsir bejn l-24 u t28 ta’ dan ix-xahar, imma g˙al ˙afna dilettanti li jag˙tu ˙inhom biex jifir˙u u jferr˙u, filwaqt li wkoll juru l-˙iliet tag˙hom bil-bini tal-karrijiet, il-maskaruni u l-kostumi, li jintuΩaw fl-isfilati fil-kapital Maltija, Valletta u bnadi o˙ra, ˙idmiethom tibda ˙afna xhur qabel.

Il-˙ila tag˙hom tittrasforma dan iΩΩmien tas-sena f’xalata ta’ kuluri. Ûied ma’ dan il-kostumi mill-isba˙ li ˙afna,

kemm kbar u wkoll Ωg˙ar jilbsu biex g˙al ftit jiem juru li huma dak li mhumiex, u l-okkaΩjoni tasal biex ©ieli tnessi xi dwejjaq f’˙ajjithom.

Minbarra s-soliti attivitajiet, fosthom ilparata fi Triq ir-Repubblika , l-isfilata tal-

karrijiet immexxija mir-Re tal-Karnival u Ω-Ωfin mill-kumpaniji tal-karrijiet, ma jonqosx lanqas il-Karnival tat-Tfal li jsir isSibt filg˙odu.

Imma dis-sena l-Fondazzjoni Valletta 2018 qed ukoll tissokta bil-pro©etti mag˙rufa b˙ala Ìewwa Barra li jag˙tu lil dawk li jg˙ixu fil-belt Maltija ç-çans li jie˙du sehem f’attivitajiet li jag˙tu xhieda tal-artistrija tal-Maltin. Bejn is-26 u s-27 lin˙awi mag˙rufa b˙ala tad-Duwi Balli u Triq it-Tur©ien se jkunu fil-qalba.

Jing˙ad li l-Karnival f’Malta ilu jsir mill1400. Kien isir jum biss qabel jibda r-Randan. Fl-1535 il-Gran Mastru Piero De Ponte kien tah imbuttatura billi tawwlu g˙al tlett ijiem u da˙˙al l-uΩu tal-maskri.

Fl-1752 Ωied jittawwal g˙al ˙amest ijiem, u maΩ-Ωmien, bil-˙ila ta’ g˙add ta’ dawk li wie˙ed façilment jista’ jsej˙ilhom artisti, issokta jΩid fil-popolarita` g˙al dak li nafuh illum. (ara wkoll pa©na 9)

The Voice of the Maltese 21

Tuesday February 14, 2017

C Co om mm mu un ni it ty y N Ne ew ws s

Teresa, book by Deborah Abela Death announced of ‘Guy’ Spiteri Shortlisted for WAYRBA Award former president of Green Gully eborah Abela’s book, ond World War when lie was he Maltese Community, President from 1978-1986.

D Teresa, published early difficult for everyone, with Tparticularly in the state of He was well known for his last year in Australia with a not enough food to eat, no Victoria, and especially the hard work, dedication and version in the Maltese language launched in Malta in October, has made the shortlist of 15 books nominated by the young readers of Western Australia for the West Australian Young Readers' Book Award (WAYRBA).

The readers’ choice award is organised on a statewide basis for young readers.

It will now be up to the children to choose the winners.

They have the next few months to vote for their winners from that list.

Teresa is a novel set about life in Malta during the Sec-

one safe from the Luftwaffe’s bombing raids, and even the people whose houses were still standing, never knowing when they might be the next ones to die.

It tells the story of Teresa and her family who, like the rest of the Maltese people do not lose hope, and never give up.

Deborah’s dad, who, with a million other refugees, sailed to Australia after the devastation of WW2, inspired Teresa.

It is dedicated to her Nanna Teresa, who made the journey to offer her children a better, safer life.

Green Gully Soccer Club (Melbourne) is saddened to hear of the death of Joe ‘Guy’ Spiteri.

A long time servant of the Club since its formation as Green Gully Ajax, Guy served as the club’s Vice President from 1973 -1978 and then also as

passion for Green Gully.

The Voice of the Maltese joins the Board of management, staff, players and members of Green Gully and also Parramatta Melita Eagles Sports Club in NSW in expressing sincerest condolences to the Spiteri family.

Tinteressak il-kitba u trid tippubblika?

arrejja li j˙ossu li g˙andhom talent g˙all-kitba, l-aktar blQ Ilsien Malti, imma mhux biss, jew li jkunu jridu li kitbiet tag˙hom ji©u ppublikati f’The Voice of the Maltese, huma m˙e©©a

jibag˙tu l-kitbiet tag˙hom, b’email lil: maltesevoice@gmail.com.

PereΩempju jinteressa lill-qarrejja stejjer dwar kif forsi waslu g˙ad-deçiΩjoni li j˙allu art twelidhom, Malta biex jemigraw g˙al art o˙ra bil-g˙an li jfittxu ©ejjieni a˙jar.

Quiet Achievers Night of Recognition on March 8

An open invitation - Come and say thank you

T

he NSW Quiet Achiever’s Night of Recognition, the prestigious event that honours Maltese volunteers in the Maltese community in NSW will be held on Wednesday March 8 at 7.30 p.m.

The Maltese Welfare (NSW) extends an invitation to all to participate in this prestigious annual event at the Annunciation Hall - St Dominic’s Aged Hostel (next to the LaValette Centre), 171 Walters Rd Blacktown NSW. Entertainment provided by Grace Camilleri - Light refreshments – Free entrance

Consul-on the-Move service in Perth WA Paul Calleja, the Hon Consul of Malta in Western Australia, has told The Voice of the Maltese that the Malta High Commission believes the level of demand for consular services in Perth justifies another visit from the Consul-on-the-Move to our city. For more information, one should contact below details.

The Hon Consul is pleased to inform that he is now able to deliver full consular services including witnessing signatures and certifying documents.

Consular services will be conducted at the Maltese Association of Western Australia, 1 May Holman Drive Bassendean on Fridays 5.00 p.m. - 6.00 p.m.

To request an appointment one should phone: 9271 1847 or email: calleja1948@optusnet.com.au.

For issues concerning: Ageing and disability - community services education - environment - health - housing planning - Police - transport - water

MALTESE LANGUAGE SCHOOL OF NSW A Division of the Maltese Community Council of NSW Inc.

Learn Maltese!

Classes are available for students from six years to adults at all levels of ability in the Maltese language. We have trained and experienced teachers qualified in language teaching and with Maltese study credentials.

Learn the Maltese language, the culture, lifestyle, cuisine, traditions and about the amazing history of the island.

Teachers urgently needed - Paid positions For more information and enquiries Phone 9601 2189 Or email: malteselanguageschoolnsw@hotmail.com Supported by the Minister of Education and Training and the NSW Community Languages Schools Programme.

Member of the NSW Federation of Community Language Schools of NSW; Member of the Federation of Maltese Language Schools of Australia; Supported by 16 Maltese associations affiliated with the MCC of NSW. The Maltese Language School of NSW is a NotFor-Profit organisation.

22 The Voice of the Maltese

Tuesday February 14, 2017

Community News Tune In to Radio and Television

Maltese Radio Programmes MELBOURNE, on 3ZZZ 92.3FM or on www.3zzz.com.au. Mondays 5-6 pm, Fridays 5-6 pm and Saturdays 1011am.

MELBOURNE on 98.9 North West FM, every Friday 6.00 - 7.00p.m. and Mondays 7.00 to 8.00pm. Presenter: Emmanuel Brincat.

MELBOURNE: STEREO 974 (93180930): 97.4FM Wed (Maltese Magazine) & Thursday (Mer˙ba): 6.00pm to 8.00 pm Co-ordinator – Ray Anastasi In SYDNEY, listen to the MCC radio programmes on 2GLF FM 89.3. Thursdays 2 4p.m: Martese Caruana presents Golden Mix. Available on demand.

Follow same procedure as for MCC programmes, except select programe in reference.

In BRISBANE listen to the Maltese Programme on 4EB on Tuesdays 6.00 8.15am; Sundays 4.15pm to 5.15pm Listen to John Borg & Ronnie Borg every Saturday at 1.00 p.m. on RADIO 2RRR 88.5FM or on the Internet www2rrr.org.au ON DeMAND

The SBS MALTESE NEWS

Isma’ l-programm tar-radju bilMalti mill-Kunsill Malti ta’ NSW minn fuq l-istazzjon 2GLF 89.3FM. Jista’ wkoll jinstema’ On Demand minn fuq l-Internet www.893fm.com.au (On Demand >Ethnic >Maltese Council 11am) Il-programm tal-Óadd 11.00 am: l-a˙˙ar a˙barijiet minn Malta, muΩika, tag˙rif, kultura, avviΩi u su©©etti ta’ interess.

UNCLE SAM DJ (Maltese Radio) tune in to link: www.unclesamdj.com On SBS Radio Day Time Analogue and Digital Friday: 12:00-13:00 97.7fm SBS Radio 2 Saturday: 14:00-15:00: 97.7fm SBS Radio 2 To tune into digital radio you need a receiver or device with a DAB+ chip. Tuning in is by station name not frequency. Digital radio can also be heard via digital TV. SBS Radio 2 is on Channel 38.

The radio programmes can be accessed online (live or catch up) at sbs.com.au/maltese and via mobile phone, using the SBS Radio app. For television news from Malta - SBS 2 TV on Thursdays and Sundays at 8am.

VIVA MALTA on COAST FM 96.3 Community Radio in Gosford Central NSW. Aired on Thursdays every fortnight from 6 pm -7 pm.

Presenter: Nathalie Gatt.

Web streaming on: www.coastfm.org.au.

L-A˙barijiet on SBS TV twice a week nationwide Sunday at 8.00 am on SBS2 (Chan. 32); Thursdays at 8.00 am on SBS2

Maltese Seniors Social Welfare Day Groups

Fairfield Active Maltese Seniors Meets on the last Tuesday of the Month.

Group meets in Parish Hall, cnr of Stella Street & The Boulevard, Fairfield Heights.

Maltese Seniors Central Coast

Have to contact our Welfare Officer for an appointment. For all information and referral matters call Censina Cefai: 02 439 000 12 or 0414 267 652

Daceyville Maltese Seniors

Meets on the last Wednesday of the month in the Meeting Room One, No. 3 General Bridges Crescent, Daceyville.

Note: The Groups also arrange regular Bus Trips Join us and make new friends.

Merrylands Social Maltese Seniors Meets every second Friday of the month: Miller Room, Memorial Avenue Merrylands from 10.30am to 12.30 am

Llandilo Maltese Seniors Meets on the first Wednesday of each month at the Llandilo Community Hall, Seventh Avenue, from 11am to 1 pm.

Maltese of Bankstown

Group meet 3rd Wednesday of the month at New BCRG offices 15 Kitchner Parade, Bankstown NSW (opposite RSL Club).

Every other 3rd Thursday they have an outing. For enquiries call Sam 9534 2357

Make a difference this year at Clean Up Australia Day

D

o you like a clean and beautiful neighbourhood, streets, bushlands, creeks and parks?

Then join your neighbours, friends and family for Clean Up Australia Day on Sunday March 5 and pick up litter in your local area.

Every year thousands of volunteers donate their time to clean up litter and so making an invaluable contribution to preserve our beautiful environment.

Being involved is easy – you can either create your own clean-up site with your community, family and friends or join one of the existing clean-up sites.

Each registered site will be provided with Clean Up Kits and support.

For more information or advise on a Clean Up site, contact Nicole Collas on 9840 9690 or Marika email: Marika.Kahle@cumberland.nsw.gov. au

Meeting every last Tuesday of the month

A special group for men. Meetings at 10 am at The Maltese Resource Centre, 59b Franklin Street, Mays Hill (Parramatta West).

Meet friends and enjoy Maltese food.

For more information: Emanuel 0409 744 376

Join us on facebook:

https://www.facebook. com/groups/thevoiceofthemaltese Greystanes Maltese Seniors Meets on the second Monday of each month at the George Preca Centre of OLQP Church, 198 Old Prospect Road, Greystanes from 10 am to 12 noon

The Sutherland & St George Maltese Group Meets every First Wednesday of the Month from 10:00am-1:00pm. Meetings/Get Togethers are interesting, informative & entertaining, so come Join us and make new Friends For more information contact our Coordinator: Charles Mifsud J.P.Phone (02) 9501 5525 – mobile 0421 662 298.

*(All Groups are co-ordinated by The Maltese Community Council of NSW) with a sponsorship from Multicultural NSW. Please contact the MCC Welfare Officer: Marisa Previtera JP on 0414 863 123. The MCC offices are at 59b Franklin Street (corner with Young St) Parramatta West NSW (next to West Parramatta Primary School).

The Voice of the Maltese 23

Tuesday February 14, 2017

C Co om mm mu un ni it ty y N Ne ew ws s The Voice: by far the most popular

T

Share it with The readers of The Voice

If you have a story to tell that you believe could make interesting reading and you would like to share it with The Voice of the Maltese readership, get in touch with us by email at: maltesevoice@gmail.com

Saint Nicholas Festa Committee Main events for 2017 Sunday March 12: Fete Sunday July 2: Lejla

fil-Buskett Sunday October 15: Fete Sunday December 3:

St Nicholas Feast.

Feast

For more information: Joe Fenech 0412 009 957 or PRO Emm. Vella 045 677 064

he Voice of the Maltese online magazine is by far the most widely read publication among the Maltese Diaspora, with subscribers from Australia, Canada, the UK England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ieland), Ireland Rep., Belgium, France, Italy, India, the Caribbean island of St Kitts & Nevis.

But not only. It is also gaining popularity in Malta and it keeps growing with every issue.

The Friends Of Providence House NSW together with The Óamrun Club

Ful ly b ook ed

are organising a Fund Raising Night for Id-Dar tal Providenza, Malta Saturday February 18 from 6.00pm At the Óamrun Club, 100 Jackson Street Marsden Park.

Entry by donation of $10 for Adults (children free) There will be a marathon of Maltese entertainment Traditional Maltese food & drinks A great night for the whole family with lots of singing, dancing & prizes Bookings essential for those wishing to have dinner there.

Contact Greg Caruana: 0411 517 187; r Jim Borg: 0418 825 591.

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY BREAKAWAY TRAVEL BLACKTOWN 9622 7799

IL-MALTESE BOWLERS SOCIAL GROUP TA’ NSW Jistiednu nisa u r©iel Maltin li j˙obbu l-lawn bowls biex jing˙aqdu mag˙hom, jie˙du sehem fil-log˙ob u jag˙mlu ˙bieb ©odda.

• Jilqg˙u wkoll lil dawk li jridu jitg˙allmu jilag˙bu dan l-isport, li jing˙ataw lezzjonijiet b’xejn.

• Jilag˙bu log˙ba darba fix-xahar fir-Rosehill Bowling Club u klabbs o˙ra.

• G˙al aktar tag˙rif çemplu lis-segretarju, Tony Pace-Feraud (0400 376 607) jew email lil: maltesebowlersnsw@hotmail.com Il-logħba li jmiss se ssir nhar ilĦadd 12 ta' Marzu fis-1:00 pm. firRosehill Bowling Club.

FEDERAZZJONI TAL-ISKEJJEL TAL-MALTI INC. (AWSTRALJA

Registration for the 2017 Maltese Language classes is now open: MacKay Qld: Skola Maltija assisi@mackay.net.au NSW: The Maltese Language School of NSW –

malteselanguageschoolnsw@hotmal.com Akkademja Maltija ta’ NSW skolamaltijasydney@yahoo.com.au Saturday School of Community Languages - carmelgl108@gmail.com VIC: Maltese Community Council Maltese Language Classes – admin@mccv.org.au

24 The Voice of the Maltese

Tuesday February 14, 2017

Sports The squads of the Malta Knights (red and white strip) and the Philippines Tamaraws in a comemorative photo at the New Era Stadium in NSW

Rugby League International

Malta come from behind to beat Philippines

C

hants of “Malta, Malta, Malta” echoed around the New Era Stadium in Cabramatta Leagues Club in NSW, when the Malta Knights clashed with the Philippines Tamaraws in their Rugby League International match on February 4.

The whole-hearted support of the Maltese community among the crowd helped the Knights claim a memorable 44-26 win.

The Knights were 16-10 down at half time, but emerged the stronger and dominated in the final quarter, running in 26 points in very quick time to secure victory in their second ever game on Australian soil by 18 points.

Malta’s points-getters were: Tries: Aaron Grech, Luke Cauchi 4, Jake Attard, Nathan Benson, Joel Bradford. Goals: Aaron Weston 0/1, Nathan Benson 6/7 The win saw Malta collect the double, as earlier in the day in the U17s they beat the Philippines 18-0.

In the other curtain raiser the Mediterranean Middle-East Eagles defeated the Philippines Admirals, the Philippines National Rugby League development team 26 – 12.

Malta’s win over the Tamaraws, however, is the initial stepping stone for the Knights to qualify for the 2021 World Cup, which will be hosted by England.

So the efforts and hard work put in by officials and players who represented Malta has paid off. Many regarded it as a massive honour to represent Malta.

It was also most satisfying that whilst hosting the 28 EU heads of EU government in Valletta, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat found time in his busy schedule to offer his support to the national rugby league team, tweeting the result of the match to his 43k followers on social media.

In April next year, Malta will participate in the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games with an expected television audience of 1.5 billion people worldwide.

Malta will also contest the Emerging Nations Rugby League World Championships in Sydney, November 2018 where the following lower tiered nations will compete as each team pushes for RLWC2021 inclusion to be hosted in the UK: Belgium (19); Cook

Hibernians are back on top

Malta RESULTS – DAY 20 Premier 2-1 Sliema W v Balzan Hibernians v Tarxien 1-0 League Floriana v Birkirkara 2-1 y virtue of their narrow 1-0 victory over neighbours Tarxien and Valletta v Hamrun S 2-0 Balzan's shock defeat against Sliema W, last weekend, Hibernians Gzira v St Andrews 3-2 5-0 regained the leadership of the Premier League and therefore wrap up Pembroke v Mosta DAY 21 Round 2 of the championship a point ahead Standing P W D L Pts 1-0 Balzan v Hamrun S Hibernians 22 14 4 4 46 of the former table toppers Balzan whose Hibern’ns v St Andrews 2-1 loss was their their third this season.

For Balzan 22 13 6 3 45 1-1 Valletta v Tarxien 2-1 Valletta 22 11 8 3 41 Hibernians it was their second victory in as Birkirkara v Gzira U 4-0 Floriana 22 11 6 5 39 many matches having previously beaten St Floriana v Mosta Sliema W v Pembroke 1-1 Birkirkara 22 11 4 7 37 Andrews.

Sliema W. 22 7 8 7 31 As a result of the Day 20 results, and with 11 more matches reTarxien R. 22 7 8 7 29 maining to the end of the competition, Valletta are back in conHamrun S. 22 8 2 12 26 St Andrews 22 5 7 10 22 tention following a 2-0 victory over Hamrun Spartans.

Gzira U 22 5 4 13 19 Birkirkara who kicked off the season with high hopes keep losing Pembroke 22 4 5 13 17 points. Their defeat against Floriana leaves them in fifth place, two Mosta 22 3 4 15 13 behind the Greens.

B

Islands (26); Norway (27); Denmark (28); Greece (29); Sweden (30); South Africa (32); Niue island (33); Philippines (34); Chile (35); Vanuatu (36); Latvia (37); Solomon Islands (38); Hungary (39); El Salvador (40); and five unranked nations, namely: Thailand; Poland; Hong Kong; Japan, and Cameroon.

To improve on the current world ranking (20), and consolidate Malta's position inside the top 15, MRL seeks to identify, recruit and equip a new management team on-theground in Malta to oversee domestic operations and assist in the development and retention of players. The game is probably the island’s fastest growing sport,

Sydney FC 19 unbeaten N

ineteen matches into the A-League football season Sydney FC have managed to preserve their unbeaten record, and the way things are going, could most likely even finish the campaign without a loss.

RESULTS – DAY 17 They enjoy a very comforta- Sydney FC v Weillington 3-1 v Melbourne V 0-0 ble 11-point le- Newcastle Melbourne C v Brisbane 2-2 ad over Melbo- Adelaide v Perth G. 0-5 0-2 urne Victory at W. Sydney v Central C DAY 16 the top. v Sydney FC 0-0 On Day 18 the Brisbane Melbourne V v Melbourne C 2-1 Victory got the Perth G v Newcastle J 3-2 better of their Wellington v W. Sydney 1-3 2-1 crosstown riv- Central C v Adelaide P W D L Pts als, the City by Standing 2-1, while de- Sydney FC 19 14 5 0 47 spite only draw- Melbourne V 19 11 3 5 36 ing their last Brisbane R 19 7 8 4 29 games, Brisba- Melbourne C. 19 7 6 6 27 Glory 19 7 6 6 27 ne Roar stay Perth West Sydney 19 4 9 6 21 third two points Newcastle J 19 5 6 8 21 above the City. Wellington 19 5 4 10 19 Adelaide bring Cent. Coast 19 5 4 10 19 19 2 5 12 11 up the rear.

Adelaide