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Duo who punched elderly man and stole wallet given probation

Duo who punched elderly man and stole wallet given probation
Oct 20 2021 Share

A duo of drug addicts who attacked an elderly man and stole his wallet have been placed under supervision of probation officers. The two residents of Senglea were arrested in February of 2019 following an anonymous tip sent to police informing them of the mugging. The victim was allegedly approached by two men on February 3rd 2019 at around 5pm. The old man described them as drug addicts and recognised them as being relatives of his neighbours. 

Police were told that the assailants robbed him of his wallet and mobile phone, but the man found his phone in his jacket the following day. An anonymous call relayed more information about one of the assailants, who was engaging third parties to be his theft accomplices. The caller added that around two hours before the call, the assailant and an accomplice attacked an elderly man who appeared to be drunk and took his wallet. 

With one assailant injured during the altercation, the victim was beaten up and injured. The police noted that the victim appeared to be drunk and was slurring his words when making the report. They asked him to return the next day. The victim recognised the aforementioned assailant in court as being the one who punched him. 

The court’s opinion was to place the men under probation and treatment orders. The two assailants were sentenced to 2 years probation along with a 2-year treatment order. The two men were also placed under personal guarantees of €1,000 for the period of one year. A 3 year restraining order in favour of the victim was also imposed. They were also ordered to pay €2,054.31 in costs between them. 

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Mużika Mużika returns for second edition with over 170 submissions

Mużika Mużika returns for second edition with over 170 submissions
Oct 20 2021 Share

Earlier this year, Festival Kanzunetta Malta saw its return through Mużika Mużika, with positive feedback from both local artists and audiences with more than 320,000 televiewers on a span of three days.

Festivals Malta has, for the last few months, been campaigning for the second edition of Mużika Mużika, as the agency opened submissions in July. Last Friday 15th October, Festivals Malta announced that the applications have officially closed, resulting in a total of 170 submissions from local artists.

Mużika Mużika Chairman, Mr Raymond Bugeja, commented that a rise in submissions was to be expected after the success of the first edition of the festival. “The turnout for this year’s edition of the festival has exceeded that of last year’s, strengthening the importance of the festival within the cultural calendar as it provides the platform Maltese music rightly deserves”, concluded Mr Bugeja.

The Festivals Malta team will now be proceeding to the second phase, as the submitted songs will be evaluated by an expert jury. These will be shortlisted to 35 songs, which will go through the process of a live audition in front of a different set of judges. Afterwards, 20 semi-finalist songs will be chosen, which will be joined by the winner of the television programme Mużika Mużika – Il-Vjaġġ Ikompli, as they go on to compete in the second edition of Mużika Mużika between the 24th and 26th of March 2022.

Festivals Malta wishes to thank all those who submitted their application for this festival.

For more information about the second edition of Mużika Mużika visit: www.muzikamuzika.mt

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Facebook could be changing its name as company rebrands

Facebook could be changing its name as company rebrands
Oct 20 2021 Share

You’ve read that correctly – social media giant Facebook is planning to rebrand the company with an entirely new name next week. The news was reported by the Verge on Tuesday, citing a source with direct knowledge of the matter. Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s chief executive officer, plans to announce such a big revelation at the company’s annual Connect conference on the 28th of October. The name change could be unveiled sooner however, with the rebrand positioning Facebook’s social media app as one of many products under a parent company. 

This would be similar to how Google rebranded under the Alphabet umbrella. The parent company overseeing Facebook will be also managing Instagram, WhatsApp, Oculus and other such platforms. Newsroom the Guardian reached out to Facebook, but the reply was that the company does not comment on rumour on speculation. This comes at a time when Facebook faces significant pressure from whistleblower France Haugen who constantly raises concerns about the company’s abuses. We will have to see if this is actually occurring or whether its just a conspiracy. But in the mean time, maybe share with us what possible names Facebook could take on? 

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Photo Source: BBC, Engine Journal

Massive rise in cases could see UK going for COVID Plan B

Massive rise in cases could see UK going for COVID Plan B
Oct 20 2021 Share

Just as life seems to have gone back to normal in the UK for millions, the rise in cases has prompted scientists to recommend the imposition of another round of health restrictions. In July, Prime Minister Boris Johnson lifted all the legal restrictions which had been imposed more than a year earlier, including face coverings indoors and social distancing. However, the UK recorded 43,738 new cases on Tuesday, which is slightly lower than Monday’s 49,156. This was the largest number since mid-July. 

The average of new infections has tipped more than 44,000 a day over the past week, a 16% increase from the week before. A fear of a big spike dominated after the lifting of measures in July but this didn’t happen. Instead infections remained high, with the rising starting just recently. More worrying is that the cases started to rise significantly in children as they remain largely unvaccinated. 

Hospitalisations and deaths are also seeing a significant rise, averaging 130 a day over the past week. Tuesday alone saw 223, with Britain recording more than 138,000 deaths which is the highest total in Europe following Russia. Britons have however gone to pre-pandemic lifestyles, with masks and social distancing evidently absent. Even proof of vaccination to attend nightclubs, concerts and other events was dropped. 

Scientists are now warning at waning immunity. Despite having had a quick rollout at the start, with booster shots now being offered. Critics are stating that the program is going too slow, at about 180,000 daily. With more than half of the people who are eligible for the booster not having received one, scientists are keeping an eye out on a new sub variant of the delta variant which is contributing to the rise in cases. 

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Photo Source: Sky News