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What is the Willow Project? Controversial oil-drilling project approved by Joe Biden administration

What is the Willow Project? Controversial oil-drilling project approved by Joe Biden administration
Mar 15 2023 Share

Over the past few days, Joe Biden’s administration approved the massively controversial Willow Project in Alaska, initiating a global uprising of online activism against the project.

A reported total of one million protest letters were sent to the White House, with another 3 million Change.org petitions against the enormous oil drilling project on Alaska’s north Slope.

If you have not heard already, ConocoPhillips’ Willow Project is a decade-spanning oil drilling project in Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve, owned by the federal government.

The project is reported to hold up to 600 barrels of oil, which oil would take years to reach the market due to construction delays. It was initially approved by the Trump administration in 2020, with the Biden administration reducing the initial five drill pads to three.

Two government sources reported that Joe Biden’s administration felt its hands were tied with The Willow Project due to Conoco already having valid leases in the area. It was determined that the project could not have been legally rejected or drastically reduced due to potentially steep fines as a result of legal action from ConocoPhillips’ part.

Despite the project receiving the green light, multiple legal challenges, international controversy and backlash from activists and organisations have made it unclear when the project will go forward, with both parties racing against the clock.

State lawmakers have argued that the Willow project will create jobs, boost domestic energy production and decrease the country’s reliance on oil from beyond their shores whilst those opposing such as Alaska natives, city officials and others remain deeply concerned about the project’s negative effects on the environment.

What do you make of this?

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Caruana Galizia killer George Degiorgio files another leave request for daughter’s birthday

Mar 15 2023 Share

Daphne Caruana Galizia convicted killer George Degiorgio has once again requested for prison leave, this time for his daughter’s birthday.

This comes weeks after Degiorgio and the authorities came under fire for the killer being allowed to leave the prison to attend a family baptism, an event which came under intense scrutiny by the media and the public.

The news was leaked by the European Centre for Press & Media Freedom’s Twitter page, which stated that “Prison should not be a hotel where people come and go as they please.”

The Non-Governmental & Nonprofit Organisation stressed that the Maltese authorities should make sure Degiorgio is not allowed this time.

The organisation then retweeted legal advisor Flutura Kusari, who stated “this is how #Malta treats criminals who kill journalists – it allows them out of jail to party and enjoy life when they are serving a sentence for a journalist’s murder.”

According to Kusari, the Attorney General’s office is against this decision, previously stating that Malta’s approach to Daphne’s murder ‘sets the standard for other countries’.

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Last few spots to fill as final Brillanti auditions wrap up

Last few spots to fill as final Brillanti auditions wrap up
Mar 14 2023 Share

The final stage of the Brillanti auditions has arrived as the selection process by Andrea Attila, Brenda Lee Grech and Patrick Odametey wraps up next Friday.

The auditions were tough, as dancers had to show that they had what it takes to be chosen for far more difficult phase of the competition.

Presenter and host Joseph Chetcuti was there to motivate every single one of them, but at the end of the day, it was the judges who made the call.

The final audition episode will see even more professional movers take to the big stage to try and squeeze into the last remaining spaces.

And from then on, the quarter final challenges will officially begin. That means an even tougher competition, higher level as well as the judges exercising their years in the field to deem who is the best of the best.

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World Cup 2026 set to have 104 matches & 48 teams in major expansion

Mar 14 2023 Share

The World Cup as we know it is about to change massively, with governing body FIFA set to approve an expansion of 40 more matches and 16 more teams.

The new World Cup format will grow from 64 to 104, rather than the originally-planned 80 matches. This increase in matches will aid FIFA in reaching it £9 billion revenue target whilst also solving format issues for the tournament, which will be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Sources have stated that the World Cup will have 12 groups of four countries each, rather than having 16 groups with three teams. The top two teams then advance to the round of 32 with the top 8 third place teams.

The final decision will be approved at a FIFA Council meeting in the Rwandan capital of Kigali on Tuesday.

The World Cup final will take place on Sunday 19th July 2026 in the United States. Matches will take place in 16 cities across the host countries, with matches in the USA to take place in Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia and San Francisco. Toronto and Vancouver will host a few matches in Canada whilst Mexico’s Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey are also set to welcome World Cup fanatics.

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