Qormi murder victim confirmed to be Mario Farrugia following DNA tests

Apr 11 2022

The man who was found dead in the booth of a car in Qormi last Tuesday has been identified as the owner of the car Mario Farrugia.

Police confirmed this on Monday, saying that the 62-year-old Pembroke resident has been missing since March 28th. Farrugia had last been seen in the vicinity of his house using a grey Peugeot 407.

The same vehicle is the one in which he was found killed last week. DNA tests confirmed his identity, but this was difficult to do as his body was badly decomposed. Sources say that Farrugia has been stabbed for more than 40 times.

Some of the stab wounds were inflicted to the heart and lungs, with some knife marks on his hands indicating the the was defending himself from the assault. The police said investigations into the homicide are ongoing.

They appealed to anyone with information about the crime to contact the police at 2122 4001 or 119.

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Huge increase in properties sold in Malta throughout March

Apr 11 2022

Throughout last March 2022, the number of confirmed sales and contracts increased over the previous month. This information was revealed by the National Statistics Office (NSO), which claims that in March, when compared with February, around 100 more contracts were registered.

In March, there were around 1,165 contracts signed, compared to February’s 1,067. Promise of sale also increased, and did so well over actual contracts signed. In February, 967 promise of sale were issued, whereas in March 1,113 promises of sale were issued. This is an increase of around 150 promises of sale in just a month’s time.

The property value sold in March also exceeds that of February. In February, the value of property sold reached up to €202,700,000. In March, the same value reached up to €214,400,000. This means an increase of €12 million in jut one month.

The largest amount of contracts throughout March were properties in Gozo and in the South of Malta, including the likes of Ħaż-Żabbar, Żejtun and Marsaxlokk.

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A microchip implant now lets people pay by scanning their hand

Apr 11 2022

The future really is now as new developmental technology is giving people the ability to pay by using their hand.

And no we don’t mean using your hand to scan your card or to use Revolut. We actually mean scanning a part of your hand as a microchip implant does all the payments for you.

Patrick Paumen is one such figure who is utilising the technology, paying by using his hand as he had one of these chips implanted in him back in 2019 just under his arm’s skin.

British-Polish firm Walletmor says that last year it became the first company to offer such microchips for sale for the general public. The company excitedly (or hauntingly) boasted how this chip will be used in all sorts of establishments come the near future.

From paying for a haircut to groceries, people will be able to use such chips to instantly pay for various items or services. It can technically already be used anywhere contactless payments are accepted.

The chip weighs less than a gram and is a little bigger than a grain of rice. The chief executive Wojtek Paprota says that the chip is entirely safe, has regulatory approval, works immediately and will remain firmly in place. Over 500 of them have already been sold and they do not require batteries.

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Malta with the lowest minimum wage in Western Europe

Apr 11 2022

According to statistics by Eurostat, the minimum wage for Malta ranks at €792, which is just slightly higher than that of Greece and Latvia but lower than that of Portugal and Slovenia.

This gives Malta the lowest minimum wage when compared to countries in Western Europe.

Out of 21 member states which have clear regulations to determine minimum wage, Bulgaria ranks as the country with the lowest minimum wage at €332 per month.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Luxembourg has the highest minimum wage, racking up to €2,757 monthly. Austria, Cyprus, Denmark, Italy, Finland and Sweden do not have a determined minimum wage.

The call to increase the minimum wage has been constantly made by third parties, among them ADPD. The third party claims that the minimum wage is not sufficient to survive in the 21st century and that there needs to be an update to wages in Malta.

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