Roberta Metsola meets Jean Paul Sofia’s mother Isabelle

Mar 22 2023

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola had the chance to meet Isabelle Bonniċi, the mother of late Jean Paul Sofia.

‘No mother should go through what Isabelle Bonniċi is going through’ wrote Metsola. ‘We are obligated to fuel our courage so that justice is delivered’.

Metsola finished her post by echoing the slogan which has been touted by activists and concerned citizens alike ever since the tragedy: ‘Justice for Jean Paul Sofia.’

Jean Paul Sofia was tragically killed in December of 2022 during the collapse of a three-story building in Kordin. The death sparked not only a controversy into infrastructural issues on the island but also protests calling for transparency due to the inquiry into his death not being made public.

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World’s first athlete with 76% physical disability to finish a marathon

Mar 22 2023

Alex Roca, a 32-year-old athlete with 76% cerebral palsy, has just become the first to finish a marathon with the physical disability.

Roca, ambassador of the FC Barcelona Foundation and currently the only Nike athlete with cerebral palsy in the world, suffered from herpetic viral encephalitis at just six months.

This cause cerebral palsy and a 76% disability. This did not stop him however, as the Catalan decided to prepare to run a marathon and spread awareness, and encouragement, to all those around him.

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A post shared by Alex Roca ➕ (@alexroca91)

And on Sunday he did just that, finishing the line of the Barcelona Marathon in 5:50:51, thus fulfilling his lifelong dream to run with cerebral palsy.

Speaking to Spanish media ‘El Mundo’, he stated that: ‘The limit is up to you, and if you want to achieve an objective, whatever difficulties you have, with attitude, willpower, perseverance and resilience, you can achieve everything you propose. And if you do not achieve it, you will have given everything and must feel gratified.’

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Ħamrun Spartans meet school kids for World Down Syndrome Day

Mar 22 2023

Ħamrun Spartans, in association with NGO Ħamrun Ħanin, celebrated and created awareness for World Down Syndrome Day by visiting their little fans in St Joseph School, Blata l-Bajda.

@hamrunspartansfc

Happy World Down Syndrome Day. 🧦🧦 #spartansontiktok #hamrunspartans #downsyndromeawareness #downsyndromeday #foryou

♬ Until I Found You – Stephen Sanchez

The players met, played and even gifted some of the kids at the school – with one of these special supporters with Down Syndrome herself absolutely loving it!

The players even set up a little podium to hand out gifts and Ħamrun Spartans shirts as trophies for the little supporters. They also had the chance to interact with some of the educators of the school to highlight the importance of physical activity.

‘A day which reminds us that everyone is special, in their own unique way’ wrote Ħamrun Ħanin on social media.

Well done to all involved!

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The Weeknd named world’s most popular artist by Guinness World Records

Mar 22 2023

Abel Tesfaye, known most prominently by his music artist name ‘The Weeknd’, has just made history after he was deemed the most popular artist in the world by Guinness World Records.

The organisation crowned Tesfaye with the title after analysing the Spotify data of some the biggest names in the music industry.

There’s two new world records for @theweeknd as he has become the first artist to reach 100 million monthly listeners on @Spotify 👏https://t.co/Z2zCtVay8n

— Guinness World Records (@GWR) March 20, 2023

And, considering that The Weeknd had previously broken records by becoming the first and only artist in Spotify history to reach 100 million monthly listeners as of the end of February, it made sense to bestow him with this new record.

Even in the few weeks since he crossed the 100 million threshold, the singer managed to gain even more streaming followers as they racked up to a whopping 111.4 million.

This comes after the ‘Starboy’ singer swept the 2023 Juno Awards in his home country of Canada, bagging four awards which included artist of the year and songwriter of the year for a record fourth time.

According to data reviewed by Guinness, there is a massive gap between The Weeknd and the second artist on this list. Miley Cyrus currently racks 82.4 million monthly listeners, right off the back of her eighth studio album ‘Endless Summer Vacation.’

turns out we’ve been friends for a while pic.twitter.com/r1NQo1LVAl

— Guinness World Records (@GWR) March 20, 2023

The artists are followed by Shakira (81.6 million), Ariana Grande (80.6 million), Taylor Swift (80.2 million), Rihanna (78.5 million) and Ed Sheehan (77.5 million).

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