LA Lakers Unveil Kobe & Gianna Bronze Statue

Aug 5 2024

The Los Angeles Lakers and the Bryant family unveiled a bronze statue outside Crypto.com Arena honouring Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, celebrating Kobe’s pride in being a “Girl Dad” and his support for women in sports.

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The statue, depicting Kobe with his arm around Gianna and surrounded by symbolic elements, reflects their shared basketball legacy and Kobe’s dedication to his daughters.

Vanessa Bryant, speaking at the event, highlighted the significance of the statue, merging two iconic moments of Kobe and Gianna court side. She emphasised Kobe’s support for Gianna’s dreams and the broader movement towards gender equality in sports.

Vanessa urged everyone to support young girls in sports, reinforcing their potential and encouraging their ambitions, as Kobe and Gianna would have wanted.

The statue, designed by Karon Davis and created by Rotblatt Amrany Studio, features Kobe and Gianna with angel wings, surrounded by elements representing Kobe’s Italian childhood and the Lakers’ colours.

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A plaque honours Gianna as an “Inspirational Icon for Girls in Sports” and Kobe as a “Proud Supporter of Women in Sports.” The installation date, 8/2/24, commemorates the numbers worn by Kobe and Gianna during their basketball careers.

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Djokovic Wins 1st Olympic Gold, Completes Golden Slam

Aug 5 2024

Novak Djokovic won his first Olympic gold medal, defeating Carlos Alcaraz 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-2) in an emotionally charged and high-stakes match, completing a career Golden Slam.

This victory adds to Djokovic’s remarkable career, which already includes a men’s-record 24 Grand Slam titles and the most weeks at No. 1 in tennis rankings.

Previously, Djokovic had won a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and had lost to the eventual gold medalists in three other Games.

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Despite losing to Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final just three weeks prior and not having won a title all season, Djokovic delivered an outstanding performance for Serbia at age 37.

Expressing immense pride and joy, Djokovic described this achievement as arguably the biggest success of his career. He joins an elite group of players—Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal, Andre Agassi, and Steffi Graf—who have also completed the career Golden Slam.

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26 Persons Found Living Irregularly In Malta Arrested

Aug 5 2024

Surveillance in Ħamrun by police and relevant authorities continued to be intensified, leading to further investigations and arrests.

In coordinated work, police found 26 persons from Ħamrun, Santa Venera and Marsa living in Malta irregularly.

Other inspections continued in gardens and other public spaces.

The investigations also took place on workplaces as well as commercial areas.

All persons found living irregularly in the country are taken to the detention centre and housed there until repatriation to their country of origin or a country they have permission to live in takes place.

The work is carried out by the Malta Police Force in conjunction with entities related to immigration, work and the Detention Services Agency.

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EU Reintroduces 100ml Liquid Restrictions at Airport

Aug 4 2024

The EU Commission has reinstated restrictions limiting all air passengers to carrying liquids no more than 100ml in their hand luggage, effective from 1 September. This applies to all EU airports, including those with new-generation C3 scanning equipment, due to concerns over the scanners’ performance not meeting approved standards. The UK had similarly reintroduced the restrictions in June at airports like London City and Aberdeen, citing the need for further improvements without a clear timeline for lifting the rule.

Airports in the Netherlands, including Schiphol and Rotterdam The Hague, which had installed new scanners allowing larger liquid quantities, are now informing travellers about the changes. Measures include additional staff, extensive information, and water collectors for emptying drink bottles.

The group stressed that all liquids in containers up to 100ml can stay in hand luggage during security searches, as can electronic devices.

European airport trade body ACI EUROPE criticized the decision as a setback and a blow to investments made by airports in C3 technology. ACI EUROPE called for the European Commission and Member States to develop a roadmap to waive the restrictions and restore trust in the EU certification system for aviation security equipment.

Do you agree with this restriction?

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