FRIENDS star Mike Hagerty dies aged 67

May 9 2022

Mike Hagerty, the actor who played the iconic building superintendent in the FRIENDS apartment, has passed away aged 67.

Hagerty portrayed Mr Treeger in FRIENDS, and appeared first in the episode ‘The One Where Heckles Dies’, when the main cast group clean up Mr Heckles’ apartment.

His most popular appearance however has to be in ‘The One With the Ballroom Dancing’, which saw Joey agreeing to help Mr Treeger practise his ballroom dancing to appease him after he threatened to throw Monica and Rachel out of their apartment.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Malta Daily (@maltadaily.mt)

Comedian Bridget Everett, who stars in HBO’s Somebody Somewhere with Hegarty, shared the news on Instagram on Friday 6th May. Hagerty had quite the acting portfolio, with his most recent role being in the aforementioned HBO series as Everett’s character Sam’s father.

Rest in Peace Mike.

#MaltaDaily

€65,000 raised during Victory Kitchen fundraiser swim

May 9 2022

This weekend saw the 24-hour charity swim held by Victory Kitchen founders Rafel Sammut and Andrew Arrigo. The pair managed to raise over €65,000 during the challenge, taking to the water for 24 hours.

The funds raised will be going towards two separate initiatives. The first aim is to keep Victory Kitchen itself afloat due to the rising costs and prices following the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The charity found it difficult to feed around 1,700 people due to the severe impact of the invasion. Apart from this, 25% of the funds will be going towards the Len and Jacob Wellness Fund as the parents of the twins suffering from a rare but serious disease contribute to the discovery of a cure.

Those who wish can still donate to support those fed through the NGO as well as the Galea family in charge of the Len and Jacob Wellness Fund.

BOV Mobile/Revolut: +35699441950

IBAN: MT10APSB77013000000044687710017

#MaltaDaily

1.8 million tourists expected for Malta in 2022

May 9 2022

Malta’s Tourism Authority is forecasting that around 1.8 million tourists will make their way to Malta this year, following the heavy impact on the sector due to the pandemic these past two years.

Speaking with TVM News, the Tourism Authority’s Deputy Chief Executive, Carlo Micallef, said that the predictions for this year’s summer are good. This, despite the Omicron variant depriving Malta of around 400,000 tourists.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Malta Daily (@maltadaily.mt)

Micallef also revealed that the only tourism sector which continued to grow the pandemic period was the Polish one. For this reason, the Maltese tourism sector strengthened its tied to this sector by planning to open an office in Poland.

This comes after the Easter period in Malta drove up traffic, welcoming 513,979 passengers during the month of April. This figure, according to a statement issued by the airport, marks a recovery of 78.7% of pre-pandemic passenger numbers. This is the strongest monthly recovery MIA registered so far.

#MaltaDaily

Fawaz Najem: Gozo murder victim tried to stop the fight

May 9 2022

25-year-old Fawaz Najem was the Syrian teen identified as the Gozo homicide victim who was killed in an apartment in Triq il-Wied Marsalforn.

According to several sources, Najem attempted to calm the situation down but was instead stabbed multiple times. Some sources also state that he was not even involved in the original altercation.

The homicide occurred Saturday evening in Gozo, with sources close to Gozitan police saying that the fight kicked off in a bar near Marsalforn harbour. The fight resulted in hot beverages being thrown and blood being spilled. The altercation involved two groups of Syrians, and continued to escalate in an apartment.

Fawaz was admitted was later admitted to Gozo General Hospital with stab wounds but was certified dead soon after arrival. Another three Syrian men were also admitted to hospital.

Police believe at least eight men were involved in the fight. The fight broke out at around 9pm, with officers being alerted and convening on site. A knife, pieces of wood and chairs were used in the fight, with those involved aged between 24 and 29. Steps leading to the apartment were covered in blood, making this the fourth murder of the year and the second one to take place in Gozo.

#MaltaDaily