Who’s the partisan lackey now?

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2021-03-12T11:26:43+01:00Fri, 12th Mar '21, 11:26|

Anthony Abela Medici, commissioner for voluntary organisations, is moving to ban Repubblika. One of the trumped up charges he came up with is that Repubblika is essentially a front for a political party. One presumes he has the Nationalist Party in mind. Except for inveterate watchers of One TV and exclusive admirers of KullĦadd's cartoonist [...]

TIMES OF MALTA: PM, we will not be silenced

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2021-03-12T08:27:36+01:00Fri, 12th Mar '21, 08:27|

From a piece in today's Times I co-wrote with Alessandra Dee Crespo and Vicki Ann Cremona "You’ll be pleased to know then that we shall continue writing our articles and we shall continue levelling criticism where it needs to be addressed. We shall also continue offering our suggestions to make Malta a better place to [...]

And so he spoke

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2021-03-11T16:44:56+01:00Thu, 11th Mar '21, 16:44|

For some time now we have tried to reconstruct in our minds and in our writings the killing of Daphne Caruana Galizia. We heard Matthew’s testimony. We heard evidence from eye witnesses on the scene. We heard the reconstructions of the forensic experts. And now, today, we heard one of the killers. We heard him [...]

We’ve crossed the point where people no longer wait for the government’s instructions

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2021-03-11T16:46:51+01:00Wed, 10th Mar '21, 15:56|

I can't imagine this gives pleasure to anyone but with the exception of the ever-loyal trolls, no one has any confidence left that the government's instructions and actions are of any use in fighting the covid pandemic. This is a catastrophic state of affairs. Consider how the president of the doctor's union is telling people [...]

Repubblika briefs embassies about government attempt to shut it down

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2021-03-10T14:51:47+01:00Wed, 10th Mar '21, 14:51|

Pro-democracy NGO Repubblika gave ambassadors and heads of mission accredited to Malta today copies of the charges it received from the Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations and its reply. In a memorandum to embassies, Repubblika's President Robert Aquilina said the NGO "we vehemently deny all these charges even as we underline the fact that we have [...]

Government abandons plans for prison-ship

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2021-03-10T14:37:42+01:00Wed, 10th Mar '21, 14:37|

Photo: https://manueldelia.com/2020/06/government-considering-allowing-captain-morgan-prisoners-on-land-by-21-june/ A Home Ministry spokesperson confirmed to this website today that the government has abandoned plans to hire a ship on which to detain migrants rescued in Malta’s search and rescue area outside territorial waters instead of bringing rescued people ashore. Plans for an off-shore prison-ship were firmed up last July when [...]

Doctors “gravely concerned” for Malta’s health system

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2021-03-10T13:42:56+01:00Wed, 10th Mar '21, 13:42|

Doctors said in a statement today they are gravely concerned about the current situation our health system is in. "The massive spike in the number of new infections has, as expected, translated into a surge in the number of patients requiring intensive care. Over the past 24 hours, the fifth intensive care unit has been [...]

Conditions in migrant detention centres amount to “inhuman and degrading treatment” – Council of Europe

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2021-03-10T13:24:59+01:00Wed, 10th Mar '21, 13:24|

The Council of Europe’s Committee to Prevent Torture received allegations of deliberate physical ill-treatment by police officers and or detention facility staff of apprehended or detained migrants. The Committee also received allegations concerning excessive use of force by Detention Service staff and private security staff at Lyster Barracks. At least three migrants alleged that the [...]

STAR COMMENT: Who’s reading this?

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2021-03-10T09:46:56+01:00Wed, 10th Mar '21, 09:46|

I realise this is self-referential almost to the point of bragging, but thank you Jason Farrugia. The comment was uploaded under the asset recovery post of this morning. Jason Farrugia: All these articles and arguments make perfect sense, and I couldn't applaud you more for the way you eloquently put facts and your opinions about [...]

While he learns from his mistakes.

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2021-03-10T09:40:38+01:00Wed, 10th Mar '21, 09:40|

The country is bracing itself for the announcement of a fresh record of covid infections. We are now somewhere at a rate of infections which is proportionately about 10 times as high as the UK. They have considerably stricter restrictions there and their health authorities continue to advise caution. The pattern is repeated in other [...]

Asset recovery? You must be joking.

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2021-03-10T08:13:12+01:00Wed, 10th Mar '21, 08:13|

In the series of frantic box-ticking to convince Moneyval that Malta has transformed itself from a Bacchanalian pirate bay into a sin-free theocracy, Edward Zammit Lewis yesterday unveiled drawings for a glorified warehouse where the government intends to store luxury goods taken from criminals who bought them spending proceeds from their illicit activities. Times of [...]

What happens to Monica Vella now?

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2021-03-10T07:50:38+01:00Wed, 10th Mar '21, 07:50|

Monica Vella, first left, on the day of her appointment to the bench with Joe Mifsud. Giovanni Grixti and Myriam Hayman were made judges on the same day. A few days ago, we watched all bemused as the police charged the persons they believe are responsible for the deaths of two tourists decapitated [...]

How about the old mentality, Robert Abela?

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2021-03-10T08:17:16+01:00Tue, 9th Mar '21, 16:18|

Robert Abela told journalists yesterday that he has instructed all CEOs of government entities to refrain from doing business outside of their public roles. He described this as the “new mentality” to replace the mentality that allowed Johann Buttigieg to negotiate a business partnership with Yorgen Fenech while regulating his barbarian invasion of towers and monstrous [...]

The national disease

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2021-03-09T14:18:41+01:00Tue, 9th Mar '21, 14:18|

Don’t they teach logic in schools anymore? Robert Abela told the press yesterday that leaders in the public service have been instructed not to conduct any business outside of their public roles. He called this a “new mentality”. Why did he need to do it? Because, one must presume, he thinks the “old mentality” of [...]

Italian leading anti-mafia organisation demands Robert Abela withdraws attack on Repubblika

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2021-03-09T14:19:46+01:00Tue, 9th Mar '21, 13:11|

In a statement today Libera and member organisations of the Chance network of rule of law civil society organisations expressed their "deepest concern and support to the Maltese civil society" after the government launched a legal bid to ban Repubblika. Libera is an Italian association that promotes outreach activities and various types of protest action against [...]

Commissioner doubts European countries’ commitment to human rights. Malta singled out for criticism.

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2021-03-09T10:51:22+01:00Tue, 9th Mar '21, 10:51|

Europe’s highest human rights official has criticised Malta and Italy for cooperating with Libya to hold migrants trying to escape that country “despite clear evidence of serious human rights risks. The report, authored by the Council of Europe’s human rights commissioner Dunja Mijatovic, singled out Malta for criticism in her update report on how European [...]

Someone at KullĦadd has a crush on me

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2021-03-07T08:27:52+01:00Sun, 7th Mar '21, 08:27|

While I was protesting in Valletta last Monday, my wife, who was at home making tea for the children, had a minor problem. She wanted to know if I had defrosted the bag of frozen chicken drumsticks that she asked me to take out of the freezer that morning because they sure as hell weren't [...]

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