Malta Selected To Host S. Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition

Jul 11 2024

Malta has been selected to host the esteemed and prestigious S. Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition, which will take place in mid-November 2024.

The Local Jury for the South Europe and Mediterranean Regional Final, tasked with declaring the regional winner, has also been announced with Thanos Feskos from Greece, Iwona Niemczewska from Poland, Alexandru Iacob from Romania, Igor Jagodic from Slovenia and Maltese Victor Borg all suiting up for this important task.

For a chance to compete in the tournament young chefs under the age of 30 need to include a signature and highlighting dish ultimately showcasing their talent, vision and creativity.

The winners of the regional finals held in Malta, will book their place at the Grand Finale to be held in Milan in 2025.

The competition will also feature other awards such as the S. Pellegrino Social Responsibility Award voted for by the Sustainable Restaurant Association which runs the Food Made Good program; the Acqua Panna Connection in Gastronomy Award, voted for by the Competition mentors; and the Fine Dining Lovers Food for Thought Award voted for by Fine Dining Lovers readers.

#MaltaDaily

Fr. Louis Mallia To Inaugurate 22nd Edition Of Oħloq Tbissima

Jul 11 2024

Fr. Louis Mallia MSSP will inaugurate the 22nd edition of the Oħloq Tbissima broadcast marathon.

Oħloq Tbissima will pause at midnight but will resume on Saturday, July 13, and Sunday, July 14, from 4:00 pm to midnight each day. The marathon will be broadcast at various times on TVM, NET, ONE, and F Living.

For 22 years, Oħloq Tbissima has supported Maltese missionaries who have been working for many years with poor families in Peru, Pakistan, and the Philippines.

Without these brave priests, it would be very difficult for these families to live with dignity, access medical care, send their children to school, or have at least one meal a day.

Each country they help has its own challenges, needs, and stories. For example, in Peru, many families, due to a lack of jobs, have to move from one city to another, from rural mountain areas to cities, in search of work. Often, they don’t even have a room to live in, literally leaving with just the clothes on their backs. They have to start from scratch. Easy? Certainly not, and this is where the missionaries come in to help them start building a new life and livelihood.

Additionally, for the past 25 years, Fr. Joe Cremona MSSP has helped numerous families in Bataan, a village about three hours from Manila. This poor village has seen Fr. Joe working tirelessly to assist the poor not only in finding jobs but also in providing social, psychological, and moral support. Fr. Joe also established a youth orchestra, which today receives professional musical training and has had success in their music exams, aiding them in continuing their studies at university.

All of this is possible thanks to the donations made by the generous people of Malta and Gozo during the Oħloq Tbissima marathon. Maltese and Gozitans recognize the need to help people far from them but who remain close to their hearts.

#MaltaDaily

Darwin Nunez And Uruguayan Teammates Clash With Fans

Jul 11 2024

Liverpool star Darwin Nunez was involved in a heated clash with Colombian fans after Uruguay’s 1-0 loss to Colombia in the Copa America semi-final.

According to the Uruguayan news outlet El País, disorder and fights erupted in the section where friends and family of the Uruguayan players were seated.

TV cameras and numerous fans captured footage of the Liverpool striker climbing the railings and making his way into the crowded stands at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Nunez wasn’t the only player involved in the altercation. Center-back and team leader José María Giménez stated that the players were trying to protect their families, describing the situation in the crowd as a “disaster,” Reuters reported.

“There was no police presence, and we had to defend our families,” Giménez said. “This was caused by two or three individuals who had too much to drink and didn’t know how to handle it.”

The tension was not confined to the stands, as the pitch also saw clashes and tense moments between players and staff before the final whistle.

Colombia will now face Messi’s Argentina in next Monday’s highly anticipated Copa America Final.

#MaltaDaily

Stegosaurus Skeleton Could Sell For $6 Million At New York Auction

Jul 11 2024

The largest stegosaurus skeleton ever found is expected to fetch millions of dollars at auction in New York next week, a development likely to stir objections from paleontologists.

The fossil, estimated to be approximately 150 million years old, was put on display at Sotheby’s on Wednesday and will be exhibited there until its sale on July 17.

Named Apex, the giant skeleton—11 feet (3.3 meters) tall and nearly 27 feet long—is billed as “the most complete and best-preserved” stegosaurus specimen of its size, featuring 254 fossil bone elements of an approximate total of 319.

Such sales have become more frequent in recent years, drawing criticism from paleontologists who argue that these finds should be preserved in museums or other public spaces rather than sold to private bidders.

“It’s a very, very rare animal, and to find one of this size and this completeness is phenomenal,” Cassandra Hatton, head of science and popular culture at Sotheby’s, told AFP.

The auction house estimates Apex’s value at $4-6 million, although this is still less than Stan, the world’s most complete tyrannosaurus rex skeleton, which sold in 2020 for a record $31.8 million.

Apex was discovered in May 2022 on the private land of paleontologist Jason Cooper in Colorado. Sotheby’s says it has collaborated with Cooper to “document the entire process, from discovery and excavation to restoration, preparation, and mounting,” ensuring the “highest standards and transparency.”

Stegosaurus skeletons are already on display around the world, but according to Sotheby’s, Apex is 30 percent larger than Sophie, the most complete stegosaurus on public display to date, which is housed in the Natural History Museum in London.

“When you have a scientifically important specimen, the museums usually show up and find donors to bid on their behalf or they bid themselves,” Hatton noted. She emphasized that many involved in such sales often donate or loan specimens to museums, recognizing their significance. Sotheby’s also highlighted that Cooper has previously donated fossils to museums worldwide.

#MaltaDaily