Hero dog saves injured hiker by curling around him for 13 hours

Jan 5 2022

Grga Brkic accidentally fell whilst hiking with his dog, North, in the Velebit mountains in Croatia and was left unable to move.

The eight-month-old Alaskan Malamute curled up with the hiker and kept him warm for 13 hours before they were rescued. A photo accompanying a post by Croatia’s mountain rescue service shows the dog curled up on top of Mr Brkic.

‘Friendship and love between man and dog have no boundaries’ the post read. As first respondents made their rescue attempt, the dog helped out by ensuring the hiker did not freeze to death.

After 13 hours nearly 30 first responders reached him and were able to transport him off the mountain. The hiker described the dog as a real miracle, having been certified not harmed by the entire ordeal.

Despite Croatia’s mountain rescue warning against taking dogs for hikes in difficult conditions, North proved to be the hiker’s very survival in this scenario.

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‘Stop offering me votes for favours’ says Labour MP in powerful post

Jan 5 2022

Oliver Scicluna, one of Malta’s newest MPs, asked voters to stop promising him their vote in exchange for favours, finding such pleas offensive.

Taking to Facebook, Scicluna said that despite being new to politics, he constantly contemplates about issues which seem to have been present in the political sphere for quite a long time. Issues which he, Oliver said, will not get accustomed to.

He expressed how many individuals come up to him and tell him that should he serve them, they will ‘think of him’ – implying their vote.

This phrase, he said, makes him feel bad not because he helps that person but because he believes that one should earn something because they have earned it rightfully.

The ‘help me out and I’ll remember you’ sentiment hurts him, Scicluna revealed, as he said that he wants people to vote for him because they believe he can do something good.’

‘This mentality needs to stop, and it has to be us politicians who stop people in their tracks when encountering such instances.’

His post drew a lot of support, with even even Labour deputy leader Daniel Jose Micallef agreeing with the post and stating that for the culture to change, the system itself needs to change.

The system referred to here is Malta’s single transferrable vote system through which parliament is elected. With five members of parliament elected from each of 13 electoral districts, this system of proportional representation means MPS rely on their constituents’ votes to be elected. This incentivises them to focus on local affairs within electoral districts.

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Air Malta will keep all routes open but reduce flight frequency

Jan 5 2022

Air Malta will be reducing its frequency on some of its routes in January and February following a massive drop in demand but still keep all its currently existing routes.

Recent weeks brought the downturn in demands for the airline, with the Omicron variant pushing up the number of COVID-19 cases globally and thus disrupting travel in general.

‘This curtailing, necessitated due to the dramatic downturn in demand over recent weeks, is presently very common in the industry especially in the current scenario during which airlines had to deal with multiple and unprecedented travel disruptions’ a statement by the company read.

Air Malta’s Executive Chairman David G Curmi commented on this plan, stating that this decision is being taken to match customer demand and avoid flying near empty.

‘Given the unprecedented times we are living in and the challenges that Air Malta is facing, we are continuously optimising our network for profitability and liquidity, and we plan to continue to do so without compromises.’

The airline did not specify which of the routes would be impacted by flight cancellations or what notices would be issued for booked passengers.

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George Floyd’s 4-year-old grand-niece shot whilst sleeping

Jan 5 2022

A four-year-old girl believed to be the grand-niece of late George Floyd was shot whilst she was asleep in her bed in the early hours of New Year’s Day.

George Floyd was himself killed by former Minneapolis police office Derek Chauvin in May of 2020, leading to a series of worldwide protests.

The four-year-old girl is reported to have been shot at around 2:55am on January 1st whilst asleep in her family apartment in Texas and rushed to hospital.

The girl’s father Derrick Delane detailed the incident, describing how his daughter jumped up and told her father that she was hit. He described the shock seeing the blood and her confusion due to being asleep beforehand.

She was reported to have suffered a punctured lung, liver and sustained three broken ribs. According to HPD Major Assaults and Family violence Division detectives, several shots were fired by a suspect or suspects into the apartment.

The apartment had four adults and two children inside. Despite thinking the attack was targeted, the detectives said there is currently no suspect description or motive.

There was a significant delay in police arriving which Delane raised concerns about. An Internal Affairs investigation has been launched as Houston Police Chief Troy Finner asked the city to pray for her full recovery and assist in providing information about the case.

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