Is he compensating for something?

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2020-03-14T16:59:59+01:00Sat, 14th Mar '20, 13:32|

So now we have it. The question whether to lock down or not to lock down has become a policy distinction between the two-party political leaders. This is hardly what we need in a time of crisis, is it? I don’t blame the opposition leader for this. His team has repeatedly asked the government to [...]

Repubblika calls for Ian Abdilla’s dismissal

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2020-03-14T09:10:08+01:00Sat, 14th Mar '20, 09:10|

Repubblika yesterday called for an investigation into suspicions Assistant Police Commissioner Ian Abdilla helped suspects dodge justice. The NGO also asked for his immediate dismissal. Ian Abdilla’s testimony in court showed he was part of the corruption, inefficiency and the police leadership’s cooperation with criminals that has emerged to public awareness in recent months. Whether [...]

Lawyers to avoid court business from Monday

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2020-03-13T17:40:36+01:00Fri, 13th Mar '20, 17:40|

The Chamber of Advocates expressed frustration at the government's decision to delay ordering the closure of court business in spite of the risks of contagion from the coronavirus. The Chamber took the matter in its own hands ordering lawyers not to show in court until further notice. The only exception is attendance in inevitable situations. [...]

Jury considering verdict in Ali Sadr case

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2020-03-13T16:05:36+01:00Fri, 13th Mar '20, 16:05|

The jury in a New York federal court has received instructions from Judge Alison Nathan and is currently considering a verdict in the bank fraud and sanctions busting case against Ali Sadr Hashemi Nejad. The case has been tried in New York over the last few days. The merits of the case concern allegations that [...]

UPDATED: Independent schools announce shut down to control coronavirus

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2020-03-12T12:09:10+01:00Thu, 12th Mar '20, 11:38|

Independent school San Anton in Mġarr informed parents today that it will close down for two weeks starting Monday as a preventative measure against novel coronavirus. In a letter to parents the school administration recognised that parents are "increasingly reluctant to send their children to school, resulting in dwindling attendance records and significant difficulty for [...]

Listen to the doctors

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2020-03-12T10:33:48+01:00Thu, 12th Mar '20, 10:27|

It’s becoming clearer that the government needs to order urgently, immediately even, a proper ban on people congregating. Schools, bars, restaurants, churches remain in business now and this no longer seems wise. No doubt the government is always wary to act in a way that stops the economy. Even shutting down schools has a wider [...]

Deaths in prison

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2020-03-11T14:08:48+01:00Wed, 11th Mar '20, 14:08|

The appointment of Alex Dalli to the directorship of the prison has introduced an element that is strongly discouraged by worldwide experts on prison administration. Alex Dalli is a retired colonel in the army and experts recommend that prisons are run by civilians not members or former members of disciplinary forces. His rule which will [...]

GUEST POST: The cause and effect theory

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2020-03-11T09:26:11+01:00Wed, 11th Mar '20, 09:26|

Sent in by someone known to me: Salarino: Why, I am sure. If he forfeit then wilt not take his flesh. What’s that good for? Shylock: To bait fish withal. If it will feed nothing else, it will feed my revenge. He has disgraced me and hindered me half a million, laughed at my losses, [...]

Let this not be a leadership crisis

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2020-03-11T08:08:29+01:00Wed, 11th Mar '20, 08:07|

Novel coronavirus is an epidemy in a number of countries, most prominently from our point of view including the country closest to us. It has not been declared a pandemic yet as in most countries it has so far been largely contained but people have been looking at growth graphs and many are describing themselves [...]

Ali Sadr testifies in his own defence

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2020-03-11T06:55:41+01:00Wed, 11th Mar '20, 06:55|

Ali Sadr Hashemi Nejad testified yesterday in his own defence at the New York trial he is facing for busting US sanctions against Iran and for bank fraud. It is rare for a criminal case defendant to testify in their own case and they cannot be forced to do so. However, now that he has [...]

Why did Alex Dalli, director of prisons, testify to help Alfred and George Degiorgio get bail?

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2020-03-10T14:22:52+01:00Tue, 10th Mar '20, 14:22|

Judge Edwina Grima yesterday denied Alfred and George Degiorgio’s application for bail while they await the conclusion of their ongoing trial proceedings on the charge of murdering Daphne Caruana Galizia. The Degiorgios were arrested along with co-accused Vincent Muscat early in December 2017, around 6 weeks after the assassination of the journalist on 16 October [...]

Safety authority says “not everything is rosy” but they can’t be blamed for collapsing building

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2020-03-11T08:10:25+01:00Tue, 10th Mar '20, 13:54|

The following was sent to this website by Mark Gauci, chief executive of the Occupational Health and Safety Authority. He was reacting to an earlier post published this morning about a petition calling for the OHSA's worked to be checked in view of deadly accidents on building sites. I refer to your post ‘Italian entrepreneur [...]

Columbia University publishes “landmark” Manuel Delia vs Owen Bonnici free expression ruling

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2020-03-10T12:18:08+01:00Tue, 10th Mar '20, 12:18|

New York’s Columbia University has included the case brought in Malta against Minister Owen Bonnici for the removal of flowers and candles and protest messages and banners from the Great Siege Memorial in front of the court building in its database of human rights courts decisions that “expand free expression”. This is the second case [...]

Italian entrepreneur launches petition for EU inspection of Malta construction sites

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2020-03-10T06:58:34+01:00Tue, 10th Mar '20, 06:58|

Malta-based entrepreneur Daniele Baraggioli, originally from Italy, has launched a change.org petition asking for an EU commission to visit Malta and visit excavation and building sites and make recommendations on changes to Maltese laws to protect families living next door to major building sites. The petition was launched in the aftermath of the death of [...]

GUEST POST: The Anatomy of a Mafia State (3)

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2020-03-10T06:36:19+01:00Tue, 10th Mar '20, 06:36|

Continues from yesterday. This part concludes this series by someone known to me. Dom Mintoff stifled and persecuted the private sector with his centralised economy. Inevitably, private businessmen flocked to the Nationalist Party. The latter party was enriched with donations irrespective of whether they were solicited or not. This was in support of the Nationalists’ [...]

Hospital cleaning contractor forcing employees to find their replacements before allowing them time off

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2020-03-10T06:24:26+01:00Tue, 10th Mar '20, 06:24|

The new hospital cleaning contractor Mediclean JV, that has taken over from Servizzi Malta the management of several hundred employees cleaning Malta’s public hospitals, is refusing to authorise vacation leave for its staff unless they find their own replacement while they’re away. In practice this prevents employees, particularly expatriates who form a large portion of [...]

GUEST POST: The Anatomy of a Mafia State (2)

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2020-03-09T09:03:55+01:00Mon, 9th Mar '20, 09:03|

Continues from yesterday's piece filed by someone known to me: Cosa Nostra’s activities include protection racketeering, arbitration of secret contracts between shady entities and the organisation and oversight of illegal agreements and transactions, where all three parties profit, including the mafiosi who claim considerable brokerage or commission fees. Among their other activities are participation in [...]

Daphne assassination impacted male birth rate – Study

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2020-03-08T10:25:22+01:00Sun, 8th Mar '20, 10:22|

A study published in specialist academic journal Early Human Development measures the impact on the rate of boys born in a society living in the aftermath of the assassination of journalists. The study, authored by Thomas Calleja, measures changes in the ratio of births between boys and girls after Veronica Guerin was killed in Ireland [...]

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