European teams to wear ‘OneLove’ rainbow armband despite FIFA’s request for alternatives

Nov 20 2022

Following a number of European teams’ initiative to wear ‘OneLove’ rainbow armbands at the Qatar World Cup, FIFA has responded by suggesting a number of different armbands with different social causes.

In reaction to the Qatar’s treatment of LGBTQ communities, where homosexuality is in fact illegal, team captains from England, Germany, Denmark and more opted to wear the rainbow armband in order to promote diversity and inclusion.

In a United Nations-backed campaign, FIFA has requested that armbands with promotional messages like “Share the meal” and “Football unites the world” are worn, stating “each round of matches will be associated with its own dedicated campaign design to maximise reach and impact.”

With the huge global competition set to kick off today, the World Cup has been met with its fair share of controversy due to Qatar’s human rights violations and other issues.

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Photo Source: CBS Sports / The Sun

You could earn €30,000 by moving to this Italian town

Nov 19 2022

It’s not the first one to try it out, but the picturesque Italian town of Presicce is paying people up to €30,000 to move to this Puglia situated region.

Towns across Italy have been racing to launch clever schemes aimed at luring in new residents, very often to revive old towns with ageing populations.

Competition has been fierce, with homes selling for little more than a dollar to ready-to-occupy houses offered at very cheap prices. Presicce is the next one to join the ranks in this race towards residency.

The houses up for sale as part of the deal are priced from around €25,000 and have been long abandoned by their original owners. But what might convince movers might be the location itself.

Presicce boasts turquoise clear waters of Santa Maria di Leuca, situated at the heel of Italy’s boot. Authorities hope that the offer of a cash incentive will breathe new life into their depopulating town.

To qualify for the 30,000-euro incentive, buyers must take up residency in Presicce and purchase one of a selection of properties built before 1991, which have been mapped by authorities.

The town has earned the reputation of Puglia’s city of green gold due to its lush olive groves that yield premium extra virgin olive oil. It also boasts a long history which new residents will have plenty of time to explore.

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World Cup fans housed in shipping containers in middle of desert

Nov 19 2022

As fans make their way to Qatar for the 2022 World Cup, the rush to find accommodation is likely to heat up given that Qatar is set to welcome an estimated 1.5 million fans over the month long tournament.

However, the problem of accommodation is further increased by the fact that the peninsula host is the smallest in World Cup history.

So, a total of 30,000 rooms have been erected in the desert for the influx of fans, and they look a whole lot like shipping containers. The temporary residency set up for 60,000 fans are being called college dorm rooms.

The problems will seemingly arise by the fact that these cramped rooms, paired with uninsulated steel or wooden structures are built for an event in the desert.

Interior photos of the rooms show no evidence of cooling, outside of a simple blind over the room’s lone window. Accuweather is showing temperatures this month hitting the highs of 93 and lows of 68.

It remains to be seen how well the dorms will be able to dissipate the heat. The rooms come with a small bathroom and a miniature fridge. That’s because fans will mostly be out and about.

They can watch the games at outdoor viewing areas with beanbag seating if they don’t have tickets or make use of the few designated zones where visitors can consume alcohol. What makes or breaks this is the execution. We’ll just have to wait and see.

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Appeal by 23 groups to regulate ‘cannabis free for all use’ view

Nov 19 2022

A group of 23 organisations has issued a statement calling on the government to urgently address the increase in the view that Malta has become a cannabis use free for all.

The statement says that the recent developments surrounding the appointment of a new executive chairperson for the cannabis authority has confirmed their strong reservations.

This being that the government has introduced legislation with a major social impact in a hurried manner and without creating effective structures to implement the law.

Whilst the ‘free for all’ mentality seems to have taken hold, ‘the structures contemplated by the law to regulate are conspicuous by their complete absence’ the statement reads.

The government has not, according to the group, matched the drive to legislate with the necessary resources to set up a strong authority to implement the law in a serious and responsible manner.

‘We augur that the Cannabis authority would be given the necessary resources to develop the appropriate structures to regulate such a sensitive sector in a manner which protects the interests of the most vulnerable members of society, particularly children and youths’ the statement reads.

The organisations in question are:

Caritas Malta
Malta Association of Psychiatry
Fondazzjoni OASI
Maltese Association of Social Workers
Richmond Foundation
Kamra tal-Ispiżjara
Malta Employers Association
Secretariat for Catholic Education
Anti poverty Forum
Church Schools Association
Alleanza Kontra l-Faqar
Independent Schools Association
Gozo Tourism Association
Karl Vella Foundation
Gozo Business Chamber
Dar Osanna Pia
Dar Tal-Providenza
Fondazzjoni Paolo Freire
Millenium Chapel
St Jeanne Antide Foundation
Dar Merħba Bik
Kummissjoni Ġustizzja u Paci
Fondazzjoni Sebħ

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