Maltese basketball player Sophie Abela highlighted internationally

Feb 9 2023

Swieqi born Sophie Abela, a UCCS senior guard and basketball player, has had her career and her successes highlighted by international media.

The Maltese sports starlet was given a spotlight by news platform ‘The Scribe’, detailing how she found a passion for basketball at an early age.

Sophie finished her Maltese schooling when she was 16 years old, moving to Italy to play the sport she loved until she could continue studying.

She moved to La Junta, Colorado to play basketball for Otero Junior College when she turned 18.

She helped her team win their conference championship and then joined the Mountain Lions in 2021. Despite injuries in her senior season, she continued to push forward.

Not even a broken hand could stop her from chasing her dream, as she also highlighted how Malta needs to boost its sports sector. She never missed an assignment in 4 years, mirroring this consistency in class out in the court.

‘With graduation only a few months away, Abela is excited to begin this next chapter in her life. She plans to return to Europe, but like most students, Abela doesn’t know the exact path her life will take. However, if her time at UCCS is any indicator of how her life will go, I think we can all be sure that not only will she succeed, but so will those she dedicated herself to.’

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Controversial 33-storey tower has been approved by Planning Authority

Feb 9 2023

The Planning Authority gave the green light to a new 33-storey structure that will rise above the Paceville skyline. The project, covering a total of 3,400 square meters, will occupy 32% of the site area, approximately 1,100 square meters, with the remaining area being transformed into a public open plaza.

Located at the top of Triq Santu Wistin and Triq Elija Zammit, the new building will replace several dilapidated structures and sit at the top of the street that is home to Eden Cinemas and a bowling alley. The applicant behind the project is Paul Xuereb of PX Lettings.

The tower will feature apartments on its upper floors and a business center on its lower levels, with retail and dining spaces available in the public sections of the plaza.

The building will also boast 11 floors of office space, with a total floor area of 7,461 square meters, as well as a hotel with 11 suites on two levels, 58 serviced apartments between the 19th and 30th levels, a restaurant at level 31, and additional services on the two top levels.

The project will include 1,254 square meters of open space and an underground car park with space for 259 vehicles, spread across six levels.

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Here are 7 ways to spoil yourself this Valentine’s Day!

Feb 9 2023

1.Make yourself some breakfast: don’t be afraid to indulge! Sure, keeping a diet is important, but take this day to show yourself some self love!

2. Release all those endorphins: get active and don’t mope around this Valentine’s Day. Maybe go for a jog or book a session of your favourite activity!

3. Soak in a bubble bath: sit back, switch on your favourite music or Spotify podcast and just let the warm water relax all your tensions away!

4. Cuddle up with man’s best friend: It doesn’t have to be about human couples this Valentine’s! Go for a walk with your dog, cuddle up with your cat or, if you don’t have one – donate to an animal shelter as a gift of love!

5. Spread love around: Here’s an idea. Pick a random number and call them up to simply tell them how much you love them. Maybe it’s your long time friend you haven’t seen or your elderly grandparents – just spread the love!

6. Try something new: expanding your skill set is a practice which is highly encouraged. Maybe you’ve been meaning to learn how to cook a dish or drawing. Jump out of your comfort zone!

7. Feeling lucky?

Even if you’ve been cutting back on frivolous purchases, we all need a little gift to ourselves sometimes. So why not treat yourself to something special and a bit different? Take Lottoland’s €3 Valentine’s Bundle Offer for instance [SAVE €2]. It gives you:

1x bet on EuroMillions (a chance to be a multi-millionaire)
2x Love Land Scratchcards (€100,000 top prize)

This exciting bundle offer will definitely get your heart racing and who knows, maybe Cupid has you in his sights! Receive 3 chances to win for €3 [SAVE €2], by logging in or signing up through this link. Click here to get started.

So, show some self-love by celebrating yourself and 3 chances to win BIG this Valentine’s Day 2023!

Lottoland is operated by European Lotto and Betting Limited and is licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority, license number MGA/B2C/609/2018. Promotion is available to both new and existing customers. Offer ends Friday 17th February 20:30 CET. Players must be 18 or over. Promotion is redeemable up to 5 times per customer. Any unredeemed scratchcards will become void seven (7) days after being credited to the player’s account. These terms are supplemental to Lottoland’s Promotional Terms and Conditions which are found here. Gambling can be harmful if not controlled. Please play responsibly. For help visit rgf.org.mt.

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Project Green’s Community Greening Grant attracts stakeholders’ attention

Feb 9 2023

More than 60 local councils and NGOs attend information session

The €10 million Community Greening Grant launched by Project Green is attracting the interest of several stakeholders, many of whom attended an information session organised today.

Launched two weeks ago, the scheme seeks to encourage and assist communities in planning and implementing their own greening projects. The information session served as guidance on case studies and best practices as interested applicants prepared their proposals. Guidelines were simplified further, and the application process was explained to ensure that all stakeholders could easily follow all applicable conditions when submitting their proposals.

Over 60 local councils and voluntary organisations were in attendance.

Addressing the session, Environment Minister Miriam Dalli said, “We encourage stakeholders to come forward with innovative projects. Likewise, Project Green is providing the necessary tools to help you make your ideas happen, creating more sustainable localities for the people in your community.”

The minister emphasised the importance of sustainability in the design, planning, and implementation of proposed projects, accompanied by a long-term management plan to ensure that projects delivered are cared for.

Parliamentary Secretary for Local Government Alison Zerafa Civelli remarked how local and regional councils are best placed to highlight the environmental needs of their respective localities and how the quality of life of their residents could be improved.

The parliamentary secretary urged both local and regional councils to take part in the scheme, pointing out that through these projects and other green initiatives in localities, local councils would be complementing the Government’s investment towards a greener environment and a better quality of life.

Project Green CEO Steve Ellul stressed that the agency’s objective is to assist all stakeholders contributing to greening localities and encourage them to continue working for a better environment in their communities.

“The projects must be designed for residents, adapting to their needs. This opportunity will encourage local councils and NGOs to help us achieve that,” he said, explaining that the agency was implementing a bottom-up approach. “We want to empower stakeholders by providing the necessary financing and support to create new green public spaces in their localities while reinvigorating existing ones.”

During the information session, stakeholders were also encouraged to identify spaces that are currently underutilised, so that they can give them a new lease of life and turn them into green public open spaces for everyone to enjoy.

More information about the grant, including the guidelines and application form, can be found at www.project.green. The deadline for submissions is Tuesday 28th February 2023, 12:00 (noon) CET.

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