Two new electric buses join Malta’s public transport fleet

Apr 27 2022

Through an investment of €1 million, two new fully electric, zero-emission buses have just been added to Malta’s public transport fleet.

Transport Minister Aaron Farrugia labelled the addition a shift to the next level as he attended the launch of the vehicles by the bus operator, Malta Public Transport, in Valletta on Wednesday.

The Minister said that transport plays a vital role in our society and our economy, impacting everything from our quality of life as well as the sustainability of our local environment.

He said that our current bus fleet is mostly made up of the latest environmentally-friendly buses. ‘But it is now time to shift to the next level to electrically-powered buses. Today’s investment is only the start of the decarbonisation plan and will be further complemented by the free public transport scheme which will be introduced on October 1st of this year.’

Addressing the €1 million price tag of the two buses, MPT Chairperson Felipe Cosmen said that public transport is an important player in the fight against climate change.

Ever since the MPT kicked off operations in 2015, it overhauled the existing fleet with over 300 new buses fitted with the latest Euro 6 engines. Cosmen highlighted how this makes it among the youngest and cleanest public transport fleets in all of Europe.

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320,000 litre of water needed to put out warehouse fire

320,000 litres of water and 50 firefigthers needed to put out warehouse fire

Apr 27 2022

The Civil Protection Department’s chief assistance and rescue officer revealed that it took 50 firefighters, 320,000 litres of water, 10 vehicles and seven hours to put out a foodstuffs warehouse fire.

The French broke out in Santa Venera on Monday afternoon at around 4:30pm, just 30 minutes after the workers closed up shop. The warehouse, located in Triq il-Ħarrub and owned by Strand Palace Agencies, is used for storage of foodstuffs and other raw material.

The last of the flames were extinguished by 11:30pm, but officers were told to remain on site to put out minor flames that broke out during the night. The first firetrucks answered the call a few minutes after the first flames were detected.

The CPD official said that it was evident from the start of the accident that the operation was going to be drawn out and delicate. Officers removed potentially dangerous items such as LPG gas cylinders which were lying inside the warehouse, as well s a number of 45-litre tanks full of oil.

Explosions could be heard mere hours from inside the building after the fire broke out. The temperature inside the warehouse peaked at 350 degrees Celsius, Pace revealed.

Police spokesperson Brandon Pisani confirmed that an inquiry is being held, and that officers on site helped with the evacuation of residents from adjacent buildings as a precaution. Yesterday, following the incident, Home Affairs, National Security and Law Enforcement Minister Byron Camilleri took to Facebook to praise the hard work of all those involved in mitigating the incident.

He said that such situations show why investments into vehicles and other apparatus are important. ‘When it is needed, our workers have the best tools to protect us’ he said. This followed mere hours after the Minister inaugurated an investment of €1.6 million into 4 new Civil Protection vehicles.

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Maltese roads get 56 newly licensed vehicles on a daily basis

Apr 27 2022

The National Statistics Office confirmed that upwards of 56 newly licensed motor vehicles are welcomed by Maltese roads on a daily basis.

Between January 2022 and March 2022, Maltese roads saw 5,009 motor vehicles licensed for the first time for use. By the end of this March, the licensed motor vehicles stock stood at 414,669.

75.6% of this total were passenger cars, whereas 13.8% were commercial motor vehicles. 9.4% were motorcycles, quadricycles, E-kick scooters as well as All-Terrain Vehicles.

Buses and minibuses were in a minority of less than 1%. The bulk of motor vehicles are either petrol-powered or diesel-powered at 245,391 and 155,761 respectively.

Despite pushes for their use, electric and plug-in hybrid motor vehicles accounted for just 1.7% at 7,122. This is still a massive improvement over previous years as the government issues initiatives to ease the switch to such vehicles.

Malta’s traffic problems have been a thorn in the country’s side for quite a while, with proposals such as metros, trackless trams and even pledges to give youth scooter licenses seeking to remedy the issue.

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6 ridiculous things you could do if you won Friday’s €158,000,000 EuroMillions Superdraw

Apr 27 2022

€158 million is a lot of money and for most, it’s difficult (if not impossible) to quantify what one would do with that amount of cash in hand. However, what normally sounds like a fantasy jackpot straight out of a blockbuster movie is actually this week’s EuroMillions Superdraw.

EuroMillions Superdraws guarantee massive, nine-figure jackpots, regardless of whether or not the top prize was won in the preceding draw. By selecting five numbers from 1-50 and two extra star numbers from 1-12, you could be eligible to win the jaw-dropping grand prize this Friday 29th April at 21:00.

To help you get a taste of what you could buy, here are 6 ridiculous things you could do if you won Friday’s €158,000,000 EuroMillions Superdraw:

1. Cover Malta in a blanket of pastizzi

How could we not? While the price of the traditional Maltese snack is set to rise due to inflation, a cool €158 million should be enough to get you all of the pastizzi you could ever need, whatever the price may be.

Whether you like ricotta, piżelli or even chicken pastizzi, the EuroMillions Superdraw jackpot will present you with enough capital to blanket the entire island in crispy, tasty treat… with possibly some change left over for a cup of tea (one sugar and condensed milk, of course).

2. Buy all of the strawberries in the land

With the traditional Frawli Fest going down at Mgarr last Sunday, your newly-acquired millions would be the key to buying all of the strawberries in the land and effectively becoming local strawberry royalty.

Better yet, you could take the iconic strawberry festival to new levels and celebrate local produce even more. Why not hold it every day?

3. Travel to space

Sometimes, all you need is some well-deserved peace and quiet, and locking yourself in a room with some music and a good book just won’t cut it, especially if your house is surrounded by the seemingly-endless droning noises of construction work.

Not to worry, now that you’re the lucky winner of EuroMillions’ stupendous prize, you can travel to space for some otherworldly downtime. As a matter of fact, a trip to space with Virgin Galactic will only cost you €250,000, which means that you could take a relaxing space trip for 632 times.

4. Purchase a football team

Whether you’re into sport or just enjoy a spontaneous business venture, the EuroMillions jackpot could help you build a local team from the ground-up and take them where no Maltese football team has gone before.

Invest in your favourite local club, start from the lowest-tier of local football and make savvy decisions in an attempt to get them to the top of the table, or even venture where no Maltese team has ventured before and attempt to bring home some silverware the most prestigious European leagues.

5. Buy a private jet (to avoid traffic)

Let’s face it, everyone hates facing morning traffic and as it stands, the only reasonable and practical way of bypassing (pun intended) such a tedious obstacle is buying yourself your very own private jet.

While you’re at it, why not build a landing strip on the roof of your house and solve all of your parking problems as well? All that it would be missing is a classic Maltese sticker on the side of the fuselage…

6. Design windshield wipers that do not miss that little triangle

If you, like many others, recently fell victim to the Saharan dust and blood rain (read: Xita tal-Ħamrija) faced by the Maltese Islands, you know how difficult it is to clean and rid of the aftermath.

That said, that crazy jackpot should not only be cause for celebration, but an opportunity for some well-needed research and development. Hire yourself a crack team and design windshield wipers which will not only relieve your car of any post-rain problems, but also cover that dreaded little triangle that regular windshield wipers always miss. How’s that for an idea?

How can I play?

Typically, one chance to win the EuroMillions with Lottoland costs just €3.

However for a limited time only Lottoland is giving all new customers that sign up an opportunity to participate in this Superdraw for free – therefore a chance to win this €158 million jackpot. No payment details or bank card required. Was there ever a better time to put your lucky numbers to the test?

Here’s how it works:

1.Pick your lucky numbers from here.

2.Register your details, no deposit or credit card info is needed.

3.Press the ‘Claim Now’ button and you’re good to go!

Superdraws operate under the same rules as regular draws and the only difference is the size of the guaranteed jackpot.

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DISCLAIMER:

Lottoland is operated by European Lotto and Betting Limited and is licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority, license number MGA/B2C/609/2018. The offer must be redeemed by clicking on and signing up through the link provided in the article above.

The promotion expires on 31st May 2022 at 23:59 CET and is only open to new customers. The offer is redeemable once per player. Winnings from this offer are paid out in cash (not bonus money). Players must be 18 or over. These terms are supplemental to Lottoland’s Promotional Terms and Conditions which are found here. Gambling can be harmful if not controlled. Please play responsibly. For help visit rgf.org.mt

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