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Social housing waiting list to drop as many find new homes

Social housing waiting list to drop as many find new homes
Oct 9 2021 Share

By the end of this year, the number of people waiting for social housing is expected to drop by a whopping 60% as new public accommodation becomes available. This was revealed by Social Accommodation Minister Roderick Galdes as he addressed a press conference Friday evening. The waiting list for social housing was at its highest in 2017, having 3,288 hopefuls awaiting a state-financed home.

The waiting list will stand at 1,321 by the end of 2021, which marks a 60% drop from 2017. Around 279 families will be moving into their new home as early as 2022 as newly built housing sites in areas such as Attard, Birkirkara, Siggiewi, Kirkop, Zebbug, Qrendi and Zurrieq all become available. There will also be an additional 100 housing units allocated rom a new rental scheme operated conjointly between government and private owners. 

These projects will result in less than 800 people on the waiting list by the end of 2022, with the approved applicants soon to be notified about when they will be given their keys to their new abode and its location. The Minister said that in the housing sector, the ministry is not only ‘giving a key to a new home but a key to a new life’, as he highlighted how the allocations are based on a new policy announced last August seeking to help those in need. 

The Minister also revealed that this would be the first time the government will be fully transparent in the way social housing is allocated as it publishes the process. He said that a new profiling study and the building of around 1,700 new homes halved the waiting list rate. There had been around 700 allocations in the past three years – from existing available housing units to new ones from restorations and regenerations of vacant homes. 

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Photo Source: Roderick Galdes FB

Meet Europe’s newest airline – Italia Trasporto Aereo

Meet Europe’s newest airline - Italia Trasporto Aereo
Oct 9 2021 Share

As of October 15, the skies will be introduced to Europe’s newest airline Italia Trasporto Aereo. With just a week to go before the launch and with Alitalia’s floundering over the years, ITA was ruled as a separate company in September by the EU. There has been a lot of debate as to whether ITA was a separate enough entity to take over, and we’ll make do with the scarce information we have. ITA is set to take over most, if not all, of Alitalia’s slots. Alitalia served 94 destinations, with 26 of those being in Italy. 

ITA will be starting slow however, with 16 local local destinations, 19 short and medium haul destinations (Malta included), and 2 long haul destinations (Tokyo and New York). March 2022 will see Buenos Aires, Boston and Sao Paolo added, along with Luxembourg, Stuttgart and Florence. Los Angeles is scheduled for summer 2022 along with other European destinations. The company’s press release about its US flights might also imply that it could focus on long-haul business. 

The airline also announced it will buy 28 new aircraft and leasing 45 more. The first new jets will enter ITA’s fleet in early 2022, and states that 70% of the fleet will be new-generation eco-friendly aircraft by late 2025. It plans to start with 52 and increase to 105 by 2025. The big question is whether or not the airline will survive, with the short-haul competition being its biggest challenge. With new leadership, zero debt and a new fleet, it might have a better faring chance than Alitalia did. 

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Malta suffer a 4-0 defeat against Slovenia

Malta suffer a 4-0 defeat against Slovenia
Oct 9 2021 Share

Malta’s national football team suffered a 4-0 defeat by a superior Slovenia play at the National Stadium last night. Slovenia’s returning Josip Ilicic delivered a double score, with Sporar and Sesko rounding up the 4-0 score in the 49 and 67 minutes respectively. This was the heaviest defeat in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers for Devis Mangia’s team, and should serve as an opportunity to brush up before the vital clash against Cyprus next week. 

They will still have to play without two key players however, as both Joseph Mbong and Alex Satariano received a yellow card. The Maltese will have to show how last night’s defeat was merely a slip up after stellar performances against Cyprus, Russia and the same Slovenia before yesterday. The title of captain was handed over from Steve Borg to Zach Muscat as Slovenia welcomed back a previously suspended Ilicic. The national team are definitely becoming a competitive powerhouse at an international level, and yesterday’s unfortunate result could be just what was required to refocus and get back on the pitch. 

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Photo Source: SportsDesk (Chris Sant Fournier)

LeBron James is the first basketball player to reach 100 million Instagram followers

LeBron James is the first basketball player to reach 100 million Instagram followers
Oct 9 2021 Share

LeBron James becomes the first-ever basketball player to reach 100 million followers on Instagram. One of the best players in the sport ever, this makes James the 5th athlete in the world to reach 100 million followers on the platform. This recent achievement however goes further than just personal Instagram followers as James has managed to get more followers than top American sporting leagues combined. 

This means his follower count has shadowed NBA (60m), NFL (27.1m), MLB (7.9m), and WNBA (1.2m) by around 10 million users. James is following the likes of Ronaldo, Messi, Neymar Jr and cricket sensation Virat Kohli. The basketball super star is also allegedly earning up to $474,000 for every Instagram post. 

His impact in the world of basketball came at the youthful age of 18, making the Lakers superstar one of the most celebrated world athletes. With 17 All-Star appearances, 17 All-NBA selections, 4 MVPs, 4 titles and 4 Finals MVPs, James’ list of achievements is nothing short of extraordinary. 

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