Hal Far race track set for November 2022 finish and international championship

Sep 28 2021

With the European Drag Racing Championship around the corner in April of 2023, Malta could host the famed event following the completion of the drag racing track in Hal Far’s industrial estate. Duncan Micallef, president of the Malta Motorsport Federation, announced the news during a press conference on Monday evening, stating that should the project be finished by November of next year, the event could make its way to the island. Micallef highlighted how the international event was being announced the same day as the project.

Organised by the Federation Internationale de l’ Automobile (FIA), dragsters compete in a straight-line acceleration test, and could see hundreds of fans, both locally and foreign, convening to enjoy the spectacle. FIA deputy president Graham Stoker also made an appearance at the conference, praising the investment. He suggested promoting nearby industrial activity which connects to motorsports given the proximity to an industrial site. The three tracks will be built to accommodate motorsport races, drag racing, karting and drifting, all through a €20 million investment.

The project will be funded by the NDSF, and will meet the demand for a racing facility for the local community of motor enthusiasts. Taking Maltese motorsports to the next level, local drivers will be provided with additional training facilities, which could see an increased safety on the island’s roads. Malta’s tourism offer will also be upgraded by diversifying the tourism product, with due focus on specific niches and events.

The project will also see no ODZ land being taken up, with more than half of the land already being used by enthusiasts. A study was commissioned to evaluate the feasibility of the project from the perspective of potential noise pollution. For the majority of residents, no additional noise impact was noted. These results exclude mitigation measures, that will depend on the final layout, elevation and the interaction of all the noise barriers in the area.

A noise management plan for events and combined use of the whole facility will also be set up, all within consultation with local councils. The MFF will ensure that all vehicles will be free of excessive smoke and do not leak oil and other liquids. Any road registered vehicles accessing the racetrack will have to be VRT compliant and comply with the manufacturer’s specifications in terms of CO2 emissions.

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Photo Source: YouTube, Clifton Grima FB

Patients traumatised after finding corpses in Mater Dei corridor

Sep 28 2021

As the hospital’s morgue lift currently undergoes upgrades, patients and workers were shocked when corpses wrapped in body bags were found lining an underground corridor. The elevator which connects the hospital’s wards to a tunnel running between hospital and morgue is currently out of service, making the -3 Level tunnel accessible only via this lift. Times of Malta was informed that this practice is only being carried out until the lift is changed, with the corpses only being left there until they are picked up by ambulance and taken to the mortuary.

One source counted five corpses left at a single instance, but the Health Ministry confirmed to the newsroom that the deceased patients were being taken to Level -2 until the lift was fixed. She denied reports of corpses being left unattended, saying that all corpses are taken care of by trained personnel. The work on the mortuary lift was reportedly ‘practically completed’ and are expected to be back in operation this week, aiming to have them more energy efficient.

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Photo Source: The Mirror, Wikipedia

UEFA punish Hibernians FC with several bans and fines after Riga FC match

Sep 28 2021

UEFA have announced that local club Hibernians FC will be punished with bans to several players, staff and club officials and a fine. These punishments come after the highly controversial match that occurred between Hibernians and Latvian champions Riga FC. Hibernians were punished because of their behavior towards the team of referees after a considerably dubious performance from them.

Bjorn Kristensen and captain Andrei Agius were all banned for 5 European matches together with coach Stefano Sanderra and club official Jesmond Abela. All this outrage was targeted towards the Irish referee Rob Hennessy who in the match was quite evidently helping Riga more than Hibernians. Hibernians were also fined €13,500 for their inability to control their players and staff as they received four red cards in total.

Andrei Agius was banned for five games for trying to assault the referee whilst Bjorn was accused of insulting the referee. Stefano Sanderra was also suspended for insulting the officials heavily whilst Ferdinando Apap is suspended for 4 European games for spitting on the referee. All three players were omitted from Devis Mangia’s latest Malta squad who will play against Slovenia and Cyprus.

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It all started early on in the match when the Irish referee rewarded Riga a dubious penalty, which luckily for the Paolites was saved. The dubious decisions continued throughout the match, but was highlighted again in the second half when Jurgen Degabriele scored what like seemed the winner. The goal was disallowed for no apparent reason and the outrage towards Hennessy started.

The game ended in a 1-1 stalemate, but continued on to extra time. In extra time the game was over for Hibernians at least mentally, as all the players were frustrated with the referee and weren’t focused 100%. Riga scored 3 goals in extra time and broke not only Hibs’ fans but Maltese football fans’ hearts as a historic result for Maltese football was wrongfully denied.

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15% of Maltese believe early humans lived alongside dinosaurs

Sep 28 2021

15% of Maltese believe that the earliest humans shared the planet with dinosaurs, according to a Eurobarometer survey which assessed attitudes towards science. This percentage improved from the previous 29% in 2005, but a substantial 25% in 2021 responded with ‘I don’t know’ when asked whether humans and dinosaurs co-existed. This was one of the highest percentages in Europe, with Romania and Italy scoring the highest 34%.

Around 74% of Maltese correctly believe that humans developed from earlier species of animals. 15% of Maltese do not believe this statement, with 11% remaining on the fence. A 41% majority of Maltese also incorrectly believe that the world population has surpassed the 10 billion mark. In terms of evolution, respondents from Ireland were more likely to support that view at 84%, with Luxembourg most likely to have respondents to correctly answer the population question at 63%.

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Photo Source: Cinemablend