Nescafé LifeCycle Challenge cyclists successfully complete 10-day challenge to Santiago, Chile

Nov 15 2022

Participants of the 2022 Nescafé LifeCycle Challenge have successfully completed the 22nd edition of the challenge – involving a mammoth 1,700 km cycling adventure from Buenos Aires in Argentina to Santiago in Chile. The participants arrived in the Chilean capital Santiago on Friday.

Argentina and Chile respectively were the 49th and 50th countries visited by LifeCycle participants since the challenge started more than 20 years ago. In this year’s edition the cyclists’ route included a trek up to the Andes Mountains reaching an altitude of more than 3,000 metres – a milestone in LifeCycle history.

Throughout the 10-day challenge, participants had to face some tough conditions. The strong winds were a constant daily adversary which added to the long rides and never-ending straight roads, made it a tough mental challenge too. The cyclists had to also deal with different terrains along the route, from deep sandy farm roads to long tarmac-surfaced highways, as well as never ending stretches of rough gravel as they climbed through the Andes.

The endpoint of this year’s challenge was the iconic San Cristóbal Hill in Santiago – itself rising to more than 800 metres above the rest of the city of Chile.

As in previous years, the goal of the Nescafé LifeCycle Challenge is to raise awareness on kidney disease as well as raising funds for kidney disease research and the treatment for kidney disease.

LifeCycle (Malta) Founder Alan Curry said: “It is extremely satisfying to once again conclude an epic challenge and dare I say the most ambitious challenge LifeCycle has managed yet and I’ve of the toughest. It is a great accomplishment to not only finish another LifeCycle challenge but also to collect these funds for renal patients and their families that they sorely require.”

Donations to the LifeCycle (Malta) Foundation can continue to be made via Revolut on 9932 9101, by PayPal on this link: https://buff.ly/35g17CC and via SMS: 5061 7370 for €2.33; 5061 8920 for €6.99; 5061 9229 for €11.65; or via a call to 5160 2020 for €10; 5170 2005 for €15; and 5180 2006 for €25.

Donations can be made also via bank transfers via Swift code VALLMTMT, IBAN MT 18 VALL 22013000000014814521017, with the Bank name being Bank of Valletta, and account number 14814521017. For more information, one can visit here or here.

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Kyran’s golden buzzer performance receives praise on global level

Nov 15 2022

The first golden buzzer performance of the first episode of season 2 of Malta’s Got Talent has not just blown away local viewers.

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The performer was Kyran Bonello, whose angelic voice left almost everyone crying and stunned. The golden buzzer was awarded to him by a tearful influencer and judge Sarah Zerafa.

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As Kyran prepares for his next round in the competition, the clips of his audition were posted onto Got Talent Global across social media. And, unsurprisingly, they have been turning eyes from all over the world.

On YouTube, the video racked up a whopping 25K views in just 2 days of posting, with comments echoing similar ones made by Maltese viewers the night the episode aired.

The singer’s talent was recognised on Facebook as well, with the video racking up 230K views and around 5.9K reactions. The comments, too, continued to rain praise on Kyran. Now we’re just waiting to see what the amazing singer will come up with for his semifinal round.

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Banksy confirms 7 new murals in war torn Ukraine

Nov 15 2022

The anonymous graffiti artist Banksy confirmed that he completed 7 new works in Ukraine total, just three day after he dubbed his latest mural on Instagram.

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The first artwork identified went viral over the weekend and shows a female gymnast balancing on a pile of rubble on the side of a building destroyed by Russian bombings.

Banksy confirmed the news to ‘The Art Newspaper’ after a series of murals suspected to be his work started to appear in Borodianka. The city is located around 35 miles northwest of Kyiv. Other works are situated in the capital and other cities in the region.

Another work shows a little boy wearing a martial arts uniform flipping a much older man onto his back. The black belt worn by the boy in the painting was highlighted to some as being Vladimir Putin’s honorary black belt which was revoked earlier this year by World Taekwondo.

Another image shows a woman in hair curlers wearing a gas mask and holding a fire extinguisher whereas another image shows two kids using a metal tank trap as a seesaw.

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The town, which back into Ukrainian control on April 1st, was hit particularly hard by airstrikes in the early days of the invasion. It was home to 13,000 people, but most fled following the war’s beginning.

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Amazon’s Jeff Bezos pledges giving away most of his $124bn fortune

Nov 15 2022

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said he is planning on giving away most of his $124 billion fortune during his lifetime.

The business tycoon told CNN that he would donate his wealth to aid in the fight against climate change as well as to reduce inequality. This comes following critiques of him not promising to dedicate his fortune to charity.

Bezos revealed his plans after a donation of $100 million to the country music star and philanthropist Dolly Parton to use for charitable causes.

Despite pledging to give away his wealth, he declined to provide details on where he would spend or donate the money. ‘The hard part is figuring out how to do it in a levered way’ he said.

The multi-billionaire previously pledged $10bn to the Bezos Earth Fund, which was launched inn 2020 to fight climate change. Bezos’ wealth was mainly accumulated through Amazon, the internet retailer he founded in 1994.

Bezos stepped down as Amazon chief executive in 2021 but still remains chairman of its board. He also owns the Washington Post as well as space tourism company Blue Origin.

Speaking about the more recent donation by Bezos, Parton expressed how she thinks that people in such positions should put their money where their heart is. Parton works on various philanthropic causes such as child literacy and has vowed to do good with the money.

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