Vote counting officially starts in Naxxar counting hall

Mar 27 2022

After ballot boxes were transported to the counting hall yesterday evening and underwent reconciliation, vote counting has officially started in Naxxar.

Counting officially started at 9:24, with reports indicating that this year’s election may have a historically low turnout. The official election turnout by 2pm on Saturday was 44.8%, which is 8 points less than the turnout in 2013.

Samples released during the course of counting will shine a light on the potential outcome of the election, with over 50,000 votes not being submitted.

This year, votes will be counting electronically as occurs in European Parliament and Local Council elections in what is known a ‘ecounting’.

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PhotoSource: Television Malta

YouTube will start to stream hundreds of free TV shows and films

Mar 26 2022

As if Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney+ weren’t enough, YouTube will be making hundreds of TV shows available to watch free of charge with a couple of small costs.

Despite there being so many options for people to binge and stream their favourite series, YouTube has always remained a platform where many people go to catch up on favourite influencers, content and lots of other types of videos.

Now, the video giant has decided to take on streaming more aggressively by adding nearly 4000 episodes of your favourite TV shows. There will be up to 100 new titles added each week.

In a blog post, YouTube wrote that more people are choosing to experience YouTube on the big screen with friends and family. According to reports, the platform gained over 135 million new people on connected TVs in December 2021 in the US.

‘YouTube is at the forefront of the consumer shift to CTV viewership as the top ad-supported streaming platform with the content people enjoy and the creators they love’ they said.

Despite these shows being free to watch, you will have to put up with a few ads. It will only be available for the US for now but there are plans to extend this service to the rest of the world.

Movies from Disney Media, Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures and other companies will be available to watch on the site. So you can still keep your Netflix subscription along with your YouTube binging habits as the age of streaming rolls on ever stronger.

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Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins dies aged 50

Mar 26 2022

Drummer for famous rock band Foo Fighters Taylor Hawkins has passed away aged 50, according to a statement released by his bandmates on Friday.

The band was a multi-Grammy award winning group, with Hawkins known for his onstage charisma and classic rock inspired beats. He is said to have inspired legends like Phil Collins and Queen’s Roger Taylor.

He had been a band member since 1997, when he was taken on by lead singer and former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. The statement on Twitter said that;

‘The Foo Fighters family is devastated by the tragic and untimely loss of our beloved Taylor Hawkins. His musical spirit and infectious laughter will live on with all of us forever.’

The cause of death was not revealed, with the statement emerging the same day the band was set to play at the Festival Estereo Picnic in Bogota, Colombia. The festival said in a statement that the show will not go ahead.

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Saudi Arabian Grand Prix to be held despite close missile attack

Mar 26 2022

Formula One CEO Stefano Domenicali have announced that the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will still be held despite a missile on a nearby oil facility. This decision has been very controversial, with many fans expressing their wishes for the race to either be cancelled or postponed on social media.

An Aramco oil distribution centre 12 kilometres from the track was set ablaze in an attack that Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for.

A few minutes left of practice but it’s off-track where things appear to be happening, with videos circulating on social media of another attack on the Aramco facility nearby and a big fire breaking out.

Lots of black smoke in the sky near the circuit #F1 #SaudiArabianGP

— Chris Medland (@ChrisMedlandF1) March 25, 2022

The 2nd practice session of the weekend had to be delayed because of the nearby attack. This led to many people believing that the race weekend had been cancelled altogether but to the surprise of many the practice session went on.

After the practice session, over 4 hours were spent in a meeting which included Formula One officials, team principals and all the drivers. The drivers were reportedly unanimous in agreement to cancel the race with Lewis Hamilton leading the way in arguing for the race to be cancelled with the various officials.

However the meeting served it’s purpose of assuring the drivers with GDPA (Grand Prix Drivers’ Association) sole representative George Russel telling F1 officials after the meeting that the drivers decided to go with the race after being convinced of their safety.

Formula One later on released their official statement on their social medias saying;

“Formula 1 and the FIA can confirm that following discussions with all the teams and drivers, the 2022 FIA Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will continue as scheduled.”

“Following the widely reported incident that took place in Jeddah on Friday, there has been extensive discussion between all stakeholders, the Saudi government authorities and security agencies who have given full and detailed assurances that the event is secure.”

“It has been agreed with all stakeholders to maintain a clear and open dialogue throughout the event and for the future.”

We hope that everyone involved in the race will be able to go back home safe and sound.

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