Ministry Thanks MCAST Principal For 6 Years Of Service

Jun 25 2024

The Ministry for Education, Sport, Youth, Research, and Innovation has issued his thanks to Prof. James Joachim Calleja for his service as Principal of MCAST over the past six years.

‘The College is grateful to Prof. Calleja for leading the College to unprecedented academic levels’, with the ministry revealing that an interim committee has been appointed to ensure continuity at the College.

‘This committee will immediately work with the College’s leadership to ensure that students, lecturers, educators, and all College employees continue to receive support during these times.’

Meanwhile, a call for a new principal has been issued as coordination with the current leadership is taking place for the operation of the College towards the opening of the new academic year.

‘The committee is composed of members of the College’s Board of Governors, as well as public officials from the Public Service. This transition process is being carried out in accordance with public administration regulations, as already communicated to the concerned parties last May.’

#MaltaDaily

Croatia’s Modric Breaks Records For Oldest Scorer

Jun 25 2024

Luka Modrić, at 38 years and 289 days old, became the oldest scorer in EURO history by netting a goal against Italy at UEFA EURO 2024. This remarkable achievement came moments after his penalty was saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Despite his historic goal, Croatia’s hopes were dashed when Italy’s Mattia Zaccagni scored in the eighth minute of stoppage time, resulting in a 1-1 draw and advancing Italy to the knockout stage.

Modrić surpassed Ivica Vastic’s previous record of being the oldest scorer, which was set at 38 years and 257 days during Euro 2008. Modrić received standing ovations from fans when he was substituted in the 80th minute and was applauded again at the post-game press conference.

Having played 178 games for Croatia since his debut in 2006 under Zlatko Kranjcar, Modrić is participating in his fifth European Championship. His goal against Italy brings his total to four goals in 16 EURO matches.

While he has enjoyed significant success at the World Cup, leading Croatia to the final in 2018 and third place in 2022, the draw against Italy means Croatia is likely to be eliminated from Euro 2024.

Reflecting on the match, Modrić said, “It was very stressful. We kept fighting like lions right to the end. But football is cruel. Sometimes it brings a lot of happiness, but sometimes it makes you very sad as well.”

#MaltaDaily

June 2024 Brings In July/August Heat To Kick Off Summer

Jun 25 2024

The summer season has arrived in Malta, bringing temperatures typically seen in July and August. This follows an unseasonably warm and dry meteorological spring. March was particularly dry, with temperatures peaking at 27.9°C, significantly higher than the norm of 17.4°C.

April continued this trend, reaching 29.4°C compared to the average of 20.1°C, providing an early taste of summer. May experienced the year’s first heatwave from the 16th to the 18th, with temperatures soaring to 32.3°C, well above the norm of 24.3°C.

Rainfall during these months was significantly below average. From March to May, only 26.2mm of rain was recorded, compared to the seasonal norm of 68.6mm.

May was the driest month, receiving just 5.8mm of rain over three days, with most of it falling on May 8th.

This day was also the dullest, with less than an hour of sunshine. Cloudy skies and dust in suspension contributed to a gloomier month, resulting in only 300.8 hours of sunshine, nearly seven hours below the monthly norm.

Despite the heatwave, May’s average temperature was 21.1°C, almost a degree warmer than usual. The highest temperature ever recorded in May remains 35.3°C in 2006.

#MaltaDaily

Zaccagni’s Last Minute Equaliser Saves Italy’s Euro Hopes

Jun 25 2024

Italy really tested everyone’s heart today, waiting until the very end for Mattia Zaccagni to score the equalizer in the 90+7th minute. This crucial goal secured the much-needed points for Italy to advance through the group stages and into the round of 16.

Croatian veteran and former Ballon d’Or winner Luka Modric seemed to have other plans for Italy. He had an eventful evening, first missing a penalty that was saved by Italian giant Donnarumma, and then just one minute later, scoring in the 55th minute to put Italy behind by one goal. With this goal, Modric became the oldest player to ever score in the UEFA European Championship finals.

However, Italy waited until the last minute to spoil Croatia’s lead, with Zaccagni scoring the equaliser that put Italy through to the next round. They will face Switzerland on Saturday, June 29th.

#MaltaDaily