24 Year Old Cypriot YouTuber Elected To European Parliament

Jun 11 2024

Fidias Panayiotou, a popular YouTuber from Cyprus, has been elected as an independent MEP to the European Parliament.

Known for his eccentric online antics, including attempting to hug 100 celebrities and spending a week in a coffin, the 24-year-old boasts over 2.6 million subscribers.

Despite his lack of political experience, Panayiotou garnered 19.4% of the vote, making it the third-largest tally. He described his election as a “miracle” and urged political parties to modernize and listen to the public.

Panayiotou’s candidacy aimed to inspire youth political engagement rather than win. He previously faced backlash for a YouTube video where he dodged train fares and a hotel breakfast bill in Japan.

Celebrating his victory in Nicosia’s Eleftheria Square, he proclaimed, “We are writing history. Not just in Cyprus, but internationally.”

Declared as a candidate in January, Panayiotou admitted on Alpha Cyprus TV to having no prior voting or political knowledge, motivated by a desire to challenge the “nerds” in Brussels. The election saw a voter turnout of nearly 59%, attributed in part to the “Fidias factor.”

Panayiotou received 40% of votes from the 18-24 age group and 28% from the 25-34 group. He was one of six Cypriot MEPs elected, coming third behind DISY and AKEL.

#MaltaDaily

PL Candidate On What Problems Campaigning Revealed

Jun 11 2024

Former European Parliament Labour Party candidate Clint Azzopardi Flores took to social media to highlight 12 problems he encountered people to be having during his campaign.

Among the social issues Azzopardi Flores pointed to were:

Y-Plates: ’No need for more elaboration’; POYC medicines that do not match the patients; The housing and social accommodation reform and high rent. ‘A lot of people are suffering and not keeping up with demands’; The thousands of foreigners who entered Malta as temping agencies became tourist agencies;

Means testing thresholds need expansion as people are not coping due to high cost of living; Campers: ‘thousands caught in a bind’; Hospital and orthopaedic operations as the elderly are waiting 5 to 6 years in pain;

Lands department is a ‘labyrinth’. People desperate to settle ground rent issues to avoid problems for their future children; The benefits which have stuck to the vulnerable, being asked for receipts that date back 7 years; Exaggerated fines on trappers.

The former candidate said that he is exhausted trying to help people on his own. ‘I still have 63 pending cases from 500 which I solved on my own’, concluded Azzopardi Flores, vowing to help the ‘little guy’.

#MaltaDaily

Apple Reveals Siri With AI, Gen-Mojis & Much More

Jun 11 2024

Apple’s nearly two-hour-long Worldwide Developer Conference kick-off event was packed with announcements.

The biggest news was the introduction of Apple’s artificial intelligence model, Apple Intelligence. This AI is designed to draw from users’ personal information on their devices to answer questions in a privacy-conscious manner.

Siri will now be able to answer questions using data from multiple apps. For instance, it can prep you for meetings by accessing your calendar, summarising documents, and checking the weather.

Apple Intelligence also brings AI-generated emojis and images to iMessage, allowing users to create custom emojis and non-photorealistic images with text prompts.

Additionally, there’s a partnership with OpenAI: Siri can determine if a query is better suited for ChatGPT, asking for user permission before sending the request. This integration will be seamless and free, even without a ChatGPT account.

Other highlights include hidden apps with enhanced privacy controls, real-time call transcripts, gesture controls for AirPods, and advanced health monitoring on Apple Watch.

And if you’re worried about math problems, no problem! Math Notes allows iPadOS 18 to write out and solve sums in real time – in your handwriting no less!

#MaltaDaily

More Beach Work As Summer Kicks Off

Jun 10 2024

Clean Malta – Cleansing and Maintenance Division are continuing their work to get our beaches ready for the summer season.

In photos uploaded to social media, Clean Malta shared their ongoing works around the island as they ensure that our beaches are safe and clean for all beachgoers to enjoy.

#MaltaDaily