Former councillor & entrepreneur Silvio Zammit dies at age 57

Feb 11 2022

Earlier today, the Sliema Local Council took to Facebook to bid farewell to its former Vice Mayor Silvio Zammit, who passed away on Friday morning.

Zammit was a popular local entrepreneur, councillor and benefactor of Sliema’s St. Gregory Band Club. The local figure was also known for previously being an aide to John Dalli, where he would frequently make local headlines during the period of Dalli’s resignation from the European Commission.

In 2020, the Constitutional Court had ordered a closure on the compilation of evidence against Zammit after concluding that his rights were breached during the process. Through such closure, no further processes could have been made against Zammit, who was accused of requesting €60 million for a change in European law on snus, a type of smokeless tobacco which is only legal in Sweden.

Through various comments and social media posts, thousands celebrated the life of Zammit, who was also a well-known restaurateur, running a restaurant named after his father Peppi ‘tal-Imqaret.’

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WATCH: Locals celebrate St. Paul’s feast in Valletta after health authorities give green light

Feb 11 2022

On Thursday, locals gathered in Valletta to celebrate the feast of St. Paul’s Shipwreck after receiving the green light & adequate seating advice and protocol from the Health Authorities.

A video posted by ‘Għaqda tal-Pawlini, A.D. 1970 – Valletta’ showed an emotional moment for the local community after the statue of St. Paul was lifted and celebrated after a two-year absence. Hundreds of comments flooded various social media posts welcoming the return of the beloved feast.

Valletta Cultural Agency Chairman Jason Micallef took to Facebook to express his satisfaction in the health authorities’ go-ahead for the Valletta celebrations. “After all, today was another clear sign of a return to normality, amongst them the celebration of the largest and most delightful tradition for Maltese and Gozitans; THE FEAST.”

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New Samsung phones made from recycled material and fishing nets

Feb 10 2022

In a new green move, Samsung have announced a range of new Galaxy smartphones which consist of parts made from repurposed fishing nets and used water bottles.

Offering new improved cameras and option of a stylus, the ‘Galaxy for the Planet’ five-year plan aims to eliminate plastics in packaging and stop manufacturing waste going to landfill.

With experts welcoming the green initiative, the nylon fishing nets are turned into polyamide resin pellets used in the production of brackets which hold the volume and power keys in place.

Discarded water bottles and CD cases are also being use to create other components, with Forrester analyst Thomas Husson saying that there is so much more to do in this green initiative.

‘Today, most consumers have no clue how damaging it is for the planet to regularly renew their smartphone hardware. Once they realise, sustainability will become a key way to differentiate between premium smartphone brands’ he said.

CSS Insight chief analyst Ben Wood said that it was encouraging to see Samsung talking about efforts to improve sustainability. However, this is just one piece of the puzzle, he said. The most important thing manufacturers can do is make long-lasting devices.

Samsung still lags behind Apple in most markets, but this new launch could offer Samsung a window of opportunity to catch up. The phones will be going on sale by March 11th, whereas Apple’s next phone is scheduled right before 2022’s end.

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Jenise Spiteri impresses and wins Olympics’ audiences’ hearts

Feb 10 2022

Maltese American snowboarder Jenise Spiteri has placed 21st out of 22 in the Half Pipe qualifiers. She also became the first ever snowboarder to represent Malta at the Olympics. She unfortunately fell on her first round of the event but managed to successfully complete the second round. Spiteri ended the preliminary with a score of 25.25, ending any chances to represent Malta one step further in the final.

I really wanted to show the world the best snowboarding I could do and I’m a little bummed I didn’t put on the show I’m capable of. However, seeing the hundreds of tweets from people congratulating me here really makes me feel special. Thank you all for the support! pic.twitter.com/uHEE9FO5rF

— Jenise Spiteri (@jenisespiteri) February 9, 2022

Even though her performance wasn’t what she was hoping for, Jenise instantly became a fan favourite with press and fans. This unexpected fame came from her post event interview, where she took a bao bun out of her jacket’s pocket and started eating it. This plus her joyful personality and tri colour hair led to her being written about by the New York Times and being badgered with questions from fans and press alike, even posting a story on her Instagram stating that this might be the “Most press attention a 21st place has ever gotten”.

Jenise Spiteri from Malta pulled a bao bun out of her pocket after her halfpipe run 😂 #WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/YSGI9QtrTN

— On Her Turf (@OnHerTurf) February 9, 2022

Spiteri later on said “They’re my favourite thing to eat at the Olympic village, I’ve been eating six red bean paste buns every day, two for breakfast, two for lunch and two for dinner,”

“This morning I was too nervous to swallow any food so I put them in my backpack. I didn’t realise that I still had one in my pocket when I did the run, so I was like ‘Oh okay! Now I can finally eat’.”

We congratulate Jenise for making Maltese people around the world proud and on her newfound fame!

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