Bill Gates gives $1.8 Billion stocks to Melinda following divorce announcement

May 9 2021

Following the news that Bill and Melinda gates will be undergoing divorce, the former has gifted around $1.8 billion in stocks to his soon to be ex-wife. Cascade Investment, Bill’s investment vehicle, transferred the $1.8 billion worth of stocks to Melissa on the same day the divorce was announced – that is, 3rd May 2021.

Melinda is therefore now worth at least that amount, with Bill’s worth falling slightly to $128.6 billion. Despite the transfer, the co-founder of Microsoft is still the fourth richest person in the world. The news comes after 27 years of marriage, with Bill saying that he is proud of what the couple achieved together over nearly three decades.

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Photo Source: BBC

Two Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine doses grant 95% protection against the virus

May 9 2021

Studies in Israel have shown that two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine have proven to grant more than 95% protection against the COVID-19 infection, hospitalisation and even death. Israel is the country with the highest proportion of its population to be vaccinated, with one shot from the vaccine proving 58% effective against infection, 76% against hospitalisation and 77% against death. This only reinforced the need for the second dose to be administered.

The Lancet medical journal stated that this study remonstrates the vaccines’ power to end the heavy impacts of COVID-19. They added; ‘These findings suggest that high vaccine uptake can meaningfully stem the pandemic and offers hope for eventual control of the Sars-CoV-2 outbreak as vaccination programmes ramp up across the rest of the world.’

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Photo Source: Financial Times

This is what Burger King’s sustainable new packaging looks like

May 9 2021

Burger King has revealed the new environmentally friendly makeover for its most used items such as utensils, straws and wrappers. Burger King is part of a cohort of restaurants from across all of Miami participating in a ‘green packaging pilot program’ which aims to remove plastic and cardboard and use alternative materials. From new French fry containers called Frypods to a new plant based plastic for its cutlery, the change could eliminate around 500 million plastic straws from US restaurants.

Burger King is also seeking feedback from customers in order to take the changes worldwide. The company stated that this pilot gives the opportunity to gain knowledge for the industry ‘while getting us one step closer towards our goal of advancing packaging sustainability by improving materials and reducing overall packaging used, including single plastics.’

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Photo Source: cnnclimate, Brandsynario

Trust survey rating; PN Leader down by 10 points as Labour pushes forward

May 9 2021

Statistics revealed by a MaltaToday survey on the trust rating of both political parties show that PN leader Bernard Grech’s trust rating has dropped by 10 points. The Opposition leader now stands at 25.7%, making this his worst result since taking charge of the party last September. The entirety of the PN saw a six-point drop, with the total percentage at 30%.

On the Labour Party side however, it seems that Prime Minister Robert Abela is on the rise as his trust rating increases by more than two points to reach 49.6%. This is Abela’s highest rating since September, with support for the party ranking at 44.8%. In between is a gap of 39,000 votes. The survey was held between Monday 3rd May and Friday 7th May.

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Photo Source: Bernard Grech FB, Robert Abela FB, MaltaToday