Marathon runner caught cheating in Olympics

Aug 9 2021

French long distance runner Morhad Amdouni, was caught cheating in the official Olympic marathon final. The runner was caught knocking off all the bottles of water, until the last available one, which he took. This action was met with a lot of controversy online, with many people including Piers Morgan calling him a cheater and stating that he finished the marathon unfairly.

The runner finished in 17th place out of the 106 runners that started. Only 76 runners actually finished the marathon. The world record-holder Eliud Kipchoge successfully retained his gold medal, finishing the race in 2:08:38. The Kenyan was a class above everyone else as he finished nearly two minutes before Abdi Nageeye who came in 2nd.

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A post shared by Morhad Amdouni (@morhad_amdouni)

As of right now the IOC haven’t said anything about the matter. Since the Olympics are now over there most probably won’t be any repercussions on Morhad Amdouni.

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Iconic Mosta Rotunda to get state of the art glow up

Aug 9 2021

The iconic Mosta Rotunda will be getting a state of the art glow up through an external lighting system through an €850,000 investment. The investment is set to come from the National Social and Development Fund, further enhancing the architectonic elements of the Basilica.

By using energy far more efficiently and sustainably, the Rotunda will attempt to create the least amount of pollution possible as it shines as a piece of Maltese national heritage.

Franck Franjou is set to be the architect behind the project, with a CV of work boasting more than 300 similar projects around the world. Apart from theatres, train stations and museums, Franjou has designed the lighting of the Parliament Building and the City Gate.

Parliamentary Secretary for Communities Alex Muscat commented, stated that this project will embellish the aesthetics of the Rotunda while also increasing the value of the landmark for locals and tourists. The Roman Catholic Parish Church was built between 1833 and the 1860s on the site of an earlier Renaissance church. With the third largest unsupported dome in the world, the Rotunda survived destruction during World War II when a German aerial bomb fell into it during mass but did not explode. This event alone continued to increase the Rotunda’s national and international fame.

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Photo Source: Medium

Solar panels for Malta Public Transport vehicles to reduce carbon emissions

Aug 9 2021

Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects Ian Borg announced on social media that a €40 million investment into Malta’s public transport has been secured. This investment will see the fleet of public transport vehicles go electric as Malta acquired a strong fund packet from European Funds as it works to recuperate from the pandemic’s negative effects.

The project will see the installation of solar panels on the roof of several vehicles, with testing by Zarb Coaches Malta and Tallinja currently underway. The vehicles will, through this investment, reduce the level of CO2 emissions and cut back on yearly diesel expenses. The investment will also mean that, locally, diesel consumption will decrease by 8 to 10% annually.

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Photo Source: Ian Borg FB

VAR to be introduced in Malta

Aug 9 2021

UEFA have confirmed that VAR will be used in the next batch of World Cup qualifying matches, including Malta’s matches against Cyprus, Slovenia and Russia. This will be the first time that VAR will be used in Malta as it is still not allowed in the domestic leagues and tournaments.

The decision to install VAR at the World Cup qualifying matches was supposed to happen earlier, but due to Covid-19 issues they delayed it to the matches in September. MFA president Bjorn Vassallo told the Times of Malta newsroom that the technology and resources to install VAR at the National stadium will be covered by UEFA. Bjorn also confirmed that VAR will not be used in domestic competitions as they still do not have the necessary resources and technology for it but he did confirm that Maltese referees are being trained by FIFA and UEFA how to operate the VAR software.

This is a huge step in the future of Maltese football. Hopefully more and more local referees will learn how to operate VAR!

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