Sportswoman of the year goes to Olympic Weightlifter Laurel Hubbard

Oct 4 2021

The University of Otago in New Zealand has named weightlifter Laurel Hubbard Sportswoman of the Year. The 43-year-old made history this year when she became the first transgender athlete to compete in an individual event at the Tokyo Olympic Games. Despite not being able to make a successful snatch and ended up knocked out of the competition, her achievements have been recognised by the university, awarding her the title at the Blues Awards earlier this year.

Hubbard expressed her gratitude in a statement made to Otago Daily Times, highlighting the support and kindness received from the teaching staff and students at the university. ‘This award belongs to everyone who has been part of my Olympic journey’ she said. Hubbard had broken her arm three years prior at the Commonwealth Games, with doctors advising that her sport career had likely ended. Hubbard persisted however, exclaiming that encouragement and love carried her through darkness.

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Photo Source: Alamy

Romanian billionaire and his family die in Milan plane crash

Oct 4 2021

A horrific plane crash resulted in the deaths of Romanian billionaire Dan Petrescu, his wife, son and five others aboard the light aircraft. The plane, a single-engine Pilatus PC-12, crashed into an empty office building near Milan on Sunday after taking off from the Linate airport shortly after 1pm. It was heading for Olbia in the north of the Italian island of Sardinia, but crashed just a few minutes later in San Donato Malinese, with aviation agency ANSV opening an investigation.

Witnesses claimed that the aircraft was already in flames before it crashed into an office building which was thankfully empty due to ongoing renovations. Petrescu, 68, was one of Romania’s richest men, heading a construction firm and owned a string of hypermarkets and malls. His wife, 65, and son, 30, were killed, along with a child.

May they all rest in peace.

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Photo Source: Splash, AP

You can cross Malta 30 times on a single charge of this new electric car

Oct 4 2021

The Lucid Air Dream Edition was recently rated by the Environmental Protection Agency with an estimated driving range of 520 miles on a full charge. This is the longest range of any battery-powered car yet rated by the EPA, including Tesla’s Model S Long Range. The Air goes an estimated 115 miles farther on a charge than the Tesla variant, going every farther than most gasoline cars go on a full tank.

For any locals considering getting their hands on this $169,000 vehicle, this means that you can cross Malta from side to side around 30.5 times on a single charge. Lucid’s chief executive Peter Rawlinson however stated that the distance isn’t actually important. Rawlinson thinks that efficiency will determine the winners and losers of the electric car future. The greater energy efficiency will make such vehicles more accessible at all price ranges.

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Photo Source: MotorTrend

Rape victim’s interview by authorities postponed by over a year and raises concerns

Oct 4 2021

Deep concern has been expressed by the Maltese Association of Social Workers (MASW) over alleged reports that police took well over a year to hear a rape victim’s story. The association released a statement on Monday highlighting how ‘cases like this demonstrate the importance of having a victim-focused criminal justice system. The #MeToo movement made it clear that society needs a culture where victims, especially women and children, are given a space to be heard.’

Times of Malta released a story claiming that a woman was brutally sexually assaulted for around an hour, but has been waiting for over a year to tell authorities the story. The assault occurred in June 2020, but police are yet to interview her. MASW said that despite advocating for victims to have a voice with authorities, such cases show the exact opposite. This creates more barriers for victims and, despite applauding the creation of the Victims Support Unity, it maintains more needs to be done.

MASW is hoping that this particular case is investigate without further delay and the victim is interviewed. Failure to do so, the association says, will continue to cause victim to re-live trauma induced because of the assault. The Malta Women’s Lobby also denounced the indifference shown by the police. Also thanking authorities who helped the victim during the assault, the lobby also points to the inaction over such a lengthy period as being unacceptable.

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Photo Source: National Chronicle