Morocco’s Nouhaila Benzina First World Cup Player To Wear Hijab

Jul 31 2023

On Sunday, history was made in the World Cup as Nouhaila Benzina from Morocco became the first player to wear a hijab during her team’s triumphant 1-0 victory over South Korea.

The 25-year-old defender, who was an unused substitute in their opening 6-0 loss to Germany, was chosen by manager Reynald Pedros to start in the crucial match in Adelaide.

Thanks to her white Islamic headscarf, authorized by FIFA in 2014 for religious reasons, she played the entire game, contributing significantly to Morocco’s hopes of advancing to the knockout stages in their World Cup debut.

Despite being ranked 55 places below South Korea in the women’s world rankings, Morocco made an early breakthrough when striker Ibtissam Jraïdi scored their first-ever World Cup goal in the sixth minute.

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A post shared by Nouhaila Benzina (@benzinanouhaila)

Benzina displayed crucial interventions during the match, almost scoring from a set piece with a snapshot over the bar. Park Eun-sun nearly equalized for South Korea with a diving header, but it went agonizingly wide of the post, leaving Khadija Er-Rmichi, Morocco’s goalkeeper, relieved.

Benzina’s significance extended beyond her performance; she is the first player to wear a hijab in a senior women’s international tournament. Previously banned by FIFA on health and safety grounds, the rule was changed in 2014, allowing players like Benzina to proudly represent their faith and excel on the world stage.

This historic moment marked a positive step towards inclusivity and diversity in the sport, celebrating the empowerment of athletes irrespective of their religious beliefs.

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Marker At Fort St Angelo Indicates Final Camino Maltes Stop

Jul 31 2023

A marker pointing towards Galicia in Spain has been placed near the entrance to Fort St Angelo, indicating it as the final local stop along the Camino Maltés before setting off towards Sicily.

Minister for the National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government, Owen Bonnici, recalled that last January, it was announced that Malta had been added to the list of starting points for the Camino de Santiago, a pilgrimage route that can be initiated from different starting points in several European countries.

“Thanks to the initiative of several local entities, including Heritage Malta, our country is now one of these starting points, with a route named Camino Maltés, which is around 3,600km long and also includes Sicily, Sardinia, and Barcelona,” Minister Bonnici said.

The Maltese segment of the Camino Maltés route is approximately 35km long. It starts at Saint Paul’s Grotto in Rabat, then on to Żejtun, Fort St Angelo in Birgu, and finally across the harbour to Valletta, where pilgrims catch the ferry to Sicily. More than 300 people from over 15 countries have walked the Camino Maltés in the first months following its inception.

Fort St Angelo was chosen as the home of the marker because of what it represents: the links to the Knights of St John, the service and raison d’être of the Order itself, the maritime routes, its position in the Grand Harbour, its link with Birgu, the Three Cities, and Valletta, as well as local pilgrimages and what they represent.

The Camino Maltés initiative, led by the Ministry for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade via the Embassy of Malta in Spain, is a collaborative effort including Heritage Malta, the Malta Tourism Authority, and Xircammini, Malta’s official association representing the International Federation of the Associations of Friends of the Camino de Santiago.

The marker was unveiled at a ceremony attended by Daniel Azzopardi, Ambassador of the Republic of Malta to the Kingdom of Spain, Jose Maria Muriel Palomino, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain to the Republic of Malta, Gabriel Baltar, Honorary Consul of Malta to the autonomous region of Galicia, Noel Zammit, Chief Executive Officer of Heritage Malta and Carlo Micallef, Chief Executive Officer of the Malta Tourism Authority.

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PN MP Calls Out Horrid State Of Marsa Bridge & Drug Abuse

Jul 31 2023

Nationalist MP Darren Carabott took to Facebook to highlight the state the Marsa bridge is currently in, after it became known for abuse, illegalities and vandalism.

The bridge, which was inaugurated one year ago for around €3.5 million, still became an area for the abuse despite CCTV cameras.

‘How can it be that we see them there and no action is taken by who is responsible’, asked the MP. ‘How is someone taking drugs beneath a CCTV camera not found and given the help required whilst who is trafficking it not feeling the hand of enforcement?’.

Carabott said that he had discussed the matter in parliament last May, with the response by a Minister being that only 5 acts of vandalism were reported, with the vandalism fixed immediately. Only one person was taken to court over vandalism.

Carabott however alleged that, this morning, he found syringes and bottles used for drug abuse, rubbish and foul smells, inoperable elevators and vandalism.

‘All this in a residential area, where families live with children. And two minutes away lie a church and a centre where people meet up.’ He called on for action to take place so that the bridge is used to cross the road safely, instead of taking a path down to drug abuse.

#MaltaDaily

Unemployment Drops To 2.6% In June 2023

Jul 31 2023

In June 2023, the seasonally adjusted monthly unemployment rate was 2.6 per cent, showing a decline of 0.1 percentage points compared to the previous month.

It also decreased by 0.4 percentage points compared to the same month last year.

During June 2023, the number of unemployed individuals totalled 7,820, with males and the 25 to 74 age group being the main contributors to overall unemployment.

Among them, there were 2,192 unemployed youths, while the number of unemployed individuals aged between 25 and 74 years stood at 5,627.

For June 2023, the unemployment rate for males was 2.8 per cent, decreasing by 0.1 percentage points from the previous month.

Meanwhile, the rate for females remained stable at 2.3 per cent, the same as May 2023.

The youth unemployment rate, representing individuals aged 15 to 24 years, increased to 8.7 per cent, while the rate for those aged between 25 and 74 years was 2.0 per cent, a decrease of 0.1 percentage points from May 2023.

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