The refugee who inspired millions during the Olympics

Jul 28 2021

Yusra Mardini a Syrian swimmer, who back in 2015 had to watch her father be beaten and her house be destroyed by regime soldiers has managed to qualify to two consecutive 100 m races in the Olympics. Yusra and her sister Sarah left Syria because of the massive war going on and both successfully made it to the coast of Turkey. From there, both sisters embarked on a journey they wouldn’t forget.

The sisters, with 18 other refugees who wanted to flee to Europe, went on a 7-person dinghy to Lesbos in Greece. Unfortunately upon leaving, the boat engine seized and the whole boat started to sink slowly. Remembering the swimming training their father used to give them, both Yusra and Sarah jumped into the freezing sea and helped keep the boat stable and firm. Using one arm, they both latched on to the rope the boat came with whilst using their feet to swim and push the boat. Yusra told Vogue that the stinging of the salt water on her eyes was the hardest part. When they reached land, the sister went to Germany from Greece on foot.

In Germany, the sisters spent six months in a refugee camp in Berlin. There they got to know about Wasserfreunde Spandau 04, a swimming club which trains young swimmers to this day. Pleasantly surprised by the ability both sisters showed, the club helped the sisters stay in Germany and from then, Yusra went from strength to strength. With the help of her coach Sven Spannenkrebs, she was selected to be a part of the Refugee Olympic team in the 2016 Olympics where she competed in the 100m butterfly and won her heat. Yusra is also the youngest ever Goodwill Ambassador of the UN refugee agency. She also managed to compete this year at the Tokyo Olympics, where she was chosen to be a flag bearer for the Refugee Olympic team. She came 3rd in her 100m butterfly heat but unfortunately didn’t pass to the semi-finals.

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Yusra Mardini is an inspiration to a lot of young people, given that she is only 23. She is living proof that youths can make the world a better place.

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Proposal to build a crematorium close to Addolorata Cemetery

Jul 28 2021

Applications have been vetted to The Planning Authority to build a crematorium close to the Santa Maria Addolarata cemetery in Paola. Spanning more than 7,600 metres of land, the crematorium’s application was submitted by Active Group, the company which owns the land in the Tal-Ħorr area. With a crematorium on three levels, the application proposes two underground levels, the building of two mortuary rooms, a cremation room and a space for relatives to keep the ashes of their deceased should they wish not to keep the urn at home.

The Planning Authority had turned down the application three years ago as the law to regulate crematoria was not yet in effect. Cremation in Malta came into effect May 2019, with Parliament approving a bill submitted by MP Rosianne Cutajar. The bill provides for a legal framework on how cremation can be carried out and what can be done with the ashes of those cremated.

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Photo Source: Virtual War Memorial Australia, Forest Lawn

€10,000 for Puttinu Cares by hero teen runner Tommy Wallbank

Jul 28 2021

16-year-old Tommy Wallbank presented a €10,000 donation to Puttinu Cares this morning after completing a 100km marathon in memory of his friend Rebecca Zammit Lupi. Puttinu Cares expressed their honour to have met such an inspiring youth, with the donation urging them to keep working hard for children suffering all around Malta.

Speaking to this news room, Wallbank stated that Rebecca was an inspiration to him as she had a heart of gold, did a lot of charitable work and was always doing everything she could to make the world a better place. ‘The challenge was to run 1km for every 5 euros donated to Puttinu cares via my Facebook page with a goal of reaching €500 and running 100km but since the thing blew up I pledged to run 1000km. And now we have raised over €10000 in total. Now that the challenge is over I intend to continue running and there is a lot more to come.’

Rebecca Zammit Lupi, a 15-year-old known by most as ‘Becs’ passed away earlier this year after losing the battle against a rare form of cancer known as Ewing’s Sarcoma, which attacks the victim’s bones. Wallbank’s heroic deed is a wonderful tribute to young Rebecca.

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Photo Source: Tommy Wallbank FB, Puttinu Cares FB

91 COVID-19 cases registered with 125 recoveries

Jul 28 2021

Malta has registered 91 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours from 3,862 swab tests, while 125 patients have recovered. 2 deaths were registered in the past 24 hours. This information was announced by the official Facebook page of Malta’s Ministry for Health.

As of Tuesday 28th July 2021, 750,641 vaccine doses were administered of which 396,087 were 1st doses. 373,771 people are currently fully vaccinated.

To date, Malta has registered 33,995 COVID-19 cases in total, of which: 30,982 have recovered, 423 died and 2194 are still active.

Mater Dei Hospital is currently treating a total of 36 COVID-19 positive patients, one of which is in the ITU. The average age of yesterday’s cases was 35.

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