6 Year Old Girl Conquers North Africa’s Highest Mountain

Sep 14 2024

Six-year-old Seren from Carmarthenshire has become the youngest girl to climb Mount Toubkal, the highest mountain in North Africa, raising money for Birmingham Children’s Hospital, which saved her life as a baby.

Seren was born prematurely with a haemangioma on her neck, affecting her airways, and underwent surgery at the hospital. Now, she and her father Glyn are raising funds to support the institution by completing challenging climbs.

In mid-August, Seren and Glyn flew to Morocco and embarked on an eight-hour trek in 40-degree heat to the base camp of Mount Toubkal.

The next day, they reached the summit after a tough hike. Seren received applause from about 20 people who had followed her journey on social media. Although Seren humorously claimed she trained for “a week,” Glyn clarified that their preparation included a year of training, including night hikes up Pen y Fan in Wales.

Seren previously became the youngest person to complete the UK’s three peaks challenge in under 48 hours.

She and Glyn now plan to climb Mont Blanc, with Seren excited to see the snow. Glyn, a mountaineer, encourages Seren’s passion for climbing, but notes it cannot be forced.

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Malta Leads EU In Residence Permits Per Capita In 2023

Sep 14 2024

Malta issued significantly more new residence permits per capita than any other EU country in 2023, according to Eurostat data analysed by Times of Malta.

The country approved nearly 42,000 first residence permits, a high figure given its small population.

While Germany issued over 586,000 permits, Malta stands out in the EU for its rate of permits issued per 100,000 people, which exceeded 7,400.

This figure was double that of Cyprus, the second-highest at just over 3,700, and more than 11 times the rate of Italy, which issued 660 permits per 100,000 people.

Employment was the primary reason for Malta’s high number of residence permits, accounting for two-thirds (almost 28,000) of the total.

This trend mirrors the broader EU pattern, where employment accounted for 33.8% of the 1.3 million first residence permits issued across the bloc.

Education was the second most common reason for permits in Malta, with almost 7,300 issued, followed by family-related reasons, accounting for about 3,200.

Across the EU, over 3.7 million first residence permits were issued to non-EU citizens in 2023, marking a 4.6% increase from the previous year and the highest recorded figure to date.

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Hundreds Attend Final Farewell To Karl Gouder

Sep 14 2024

As the final farewell was given to former PN MP Karl Gouder, members from Malta’s political party came together to attend his funeral in St Julian’s Parish Church.

The service was attended by the Nationalist Party’s current leader Bernard Grech as well as former leaders Simon Busuttil, Adrian Delia and former Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi.

European Parliament president Roberta Metsola and Prime Minister of Malta Robert Abela were also in attendance.

Former and current NET employees also convened to bid farewell to Gouder, along with Speaker of the House Anglu Farrugia, accompanied by PN and PL ministers.

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Malta National Team Coach Michele Marcolini Relieved Of Duties

Sep 14 2024

Malta national football team coach Michele Marcolini has been dismissed from his role, as announced by the Malta Football Association (MFA) on Friday.

Marcolini, appointed in January 2022 after Devis Mangia’s departure, had been tasked with leading the national team to promotion in the UEFA Nations League.

In addition to managing the men’s senior team, he oversaw other national squads within the MFA.

Despite his contract running until December 31, 2024, the team’s performance, particularly a 2-0 defeat to Moldova last week, reportedly led to his dismissal.

Although Malta secured a 1-0 win over Andorra on Tuesday, keeping their UEFA Nations League hopes alive, the MFA decided to terminate Marcolini’s contract due to recent results.

Assistant coach Davide Mandelli was also relieved of his duties. The MFA expressed gratitude for both coaches’ contributions during their tenure, and further announcements about replacements will follow after the next Executive Board meeting.

Malta’s next match in the UEFA Nations League is scheduled for October 13, where they will face group leaders Moldova at the National Stadium in a crucial encounter.

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