Power cuts may be inconvenient for most, but for Paul Buhagiar, they could be fatal.

The 65-year-old, a former policeman and water polo player, suffers from pulmonary fibrosis and is now homebound in his Santa Venera apartment.

Pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic lung condition and is characterised by scarring and stiffening of the lung tissue, making it difficult for oxygen to pass into the bloodstream.

He takes over 700 pills a month, some funded by the government, others paid out of his own pocket, and relies on an oxygen machine to stay alive.

So when the electricity goes off, so does his only source of oxygen.

Paul Buhagiar said he has made peace with the idea of death, but not the fear that a power cut could bring it on suddenly.

He shared his story with Hospice Malta in a video interview ahead of this Sunday’s 12-hour telethon, themed Ħajja sal-aħħar [Life till the end].

“I am apparently electrically operated. If the electricity stops, so do I,” he shared. “If you don’t get it back within a few minutes, you’re gone. You turn purple. I have already had a number of close shaves when the electricity goes,” said the pragmatic Buhagiar.

Speaking to Times of Malta, he said he has made peace with the idea of death, but not the fear that a power cut could bring it on suddenly.

“I know where I am heading, so I am not scared to die. I’ve lived a good life,” he said.

“But sometimes the power cuts are the only thing that run through my mind. So much so I am scared to sleep sometimes,” he said.

One of his greatest worries is that a power cut will hit while he’s asleep and unable to react.

“This is my biggest concern these days,” said Buhagiar.

He noted that he even got a generator to use as backup just in case, but due to the heat in summer, even that can overheat and stop.

Paul Buhagiar used to be very keen on fishing.

Buhagiar has lived with the condition for around 20 years, but his health has sharply declined over the past two years and he has been using Hospice’s services since June last year. He now only leaves the house for hospital visits.

Despite the challenges, he maintains an upbeat outlook and reflects fondly on his life.

“I have enjoyed my life. I lived in the UK and spent a lot of time at sea, swimming or fishing. Being by the sea used to make me very happy.”

Though his world has shrunk, he still finds joy in visits from friends and family and watching sports. The care he receives from Hospice Malta has become a vital source of comfort.

“To me hospice is like a second mum. Because I am being loved as much as a mother would her child,” said Buhagiar. He shared that he feels incredibly supported and lucky to receive this service.

Paul Buhagiar after a fishing trip.

Hospice Malta has supported 1,560 patients this year and now operates from the new St Michael Hospice, which will soon house 16 in-patient rooms. Demand is rising and according to Hospice they receive three new patients each day. Sunday’s telethon (11am–11pm) will be aired on every local station and will help fund its free professional home and hospice care.

“What you have to do it because you don’t know what tomorrow will bring,” shared Buhagiar as a reminder for anyone willing to listen.

Perth, Australia – July 4 – The USA Women’s National Team kicked off a two-game exhibition set in Perth, Australia with a 22-13 victory over Italy. The matches are a final tuneup for the World Championships starting next week in Singapore. Ryann Neushul scored four goals to lead the offense with Amanda Longan and Isabel Williams combining for 20 saves in net. Team USA takes on Australia tomorrow at 7:30am et/4:30am pt, live streaming is available by clicking here.

Stats

USA 22  – R. Neushul 4, J. Roemer 3, E. Lineback 3, A. Stryker 2, J. Flynn 2, J. Bonaguidi 2, J. Sekulic 2, E. Ausmus 1, M. Allen 1, T. Prentice 1, A. Pearson 1 

ITA 13

Saves – USA – A. Longan 11 – I. Williams 9

6×5 – USA – 13/15 – ITA – 6/12

Audio By Carbonatix

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is not already thinking about her retirement from track and field. However, the 25-year-old hurdler and sprinter does not plan to be around for another decade.

You won’t have to let her out to pasture because she will already be there. Hypothetically speaking…

Nobody in track and field can touch McLaughlin-Levrone when it comes to the 400 hurdles right now. She is not too far off from that same status in the 400 flat even though she has yet to compete in the event at the World Championships or the Olympics.

To say Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is just now hitting her prime is a crazy thing to say because of how dominant she has been for so long already, but it is an accurate assessment of her current fitness and form. Unfortunately, as is with anything, the American superstar will one day start to decline.

She is going to hang it up once it reaches that point. Hopefully not soon!

McLaughlin-Levrone recently detailed her plans to retire before the age of 35 during an appearance on the Ready Set Go podcast. You will not see her on the track in 11 years! A decade more is more than enough.

There is an end point. I don’t think I’m one of the athletes where you’re gonna have to be like, “dude, it’s time for you…” I think I’m going to know for myself.

— Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, via Ready Set Go

The goal is to keep having fun.

I want to enjoy the rest of my career. The front has been so fulfilling. It’s been beautiful. We’ve accomplished some great things and obviously there’s still more that I am still striving towards.

— Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, via Ready Set Go

However, there is more to Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone than just track.

[I am in] this latter-half of [my career], because I just don’t see myself running for ten more years. We’ve accomplished quite a bit and I think there’s still more to be done, but I do feel like track and field is not everything for me. And I think the more time that passes, the more content I am with what the Lord has allowed us to do.

— Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, via Ready Set Go

This does not mean the 400-meter superstar is going to slow down any time soon.

I’m going to strive and work until the day I do hang up my spikes.

— Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, via Ready Set Go

It just means that there is an end in sight. The end is way off in the distance but it exists. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is not going to run herself into the ground. Of course, this outlook could change over the next decade, but you won’t see her on the track at 35 running against girls half of her age. She is going to retire at some point. She is done as soon as it no longer starts to feel good.

New Delhi: As July begins, the Indian marketing, media, and advertising sectors are seeing several leadership changes. From major exits to new appointments, senior professionals are moving across FMCG, digital media, entertainment, and tech. While Marico’s CMO Somasree Bose Awasthi steps down after three years, PepsiCo India has named Saakshi Verma Menon as its new CMO for Foods. Changes are also taking place at Wellbeing Nutrition, JSW Sports, Dentsu, VML, and Connect Digital. 

This tracker rounds up the key executive moves shaping brand growth, content, and consumer strategy in the coming months.

Somasree Bose Awasthi quits as CMO at Marico

Somasree Bose Awasthi has stepped down as Chief Marketing Officer at Marico, bringing her nearly three-year tenure to a close. The company confirmed her exit, citing personal reasons.

During her time at Marico, Awasthi played a key role in strengthening marketing capabilities, driving innovation, and shaping strategic processes. Before joining Marico, she spent over 16 years at Godrej Consumer Products, where she led marketing for categories like insecticides, hair colour, and soaps.

PepsiCo India appoints Saakshi Verma Menon as CMO, Foods

PepsiCo India has named Saakshi Verma Menon as Chief Marketing Officer for its Foods division, which includes brands such as Lay’s, Kurkure, Uncle Chipps, Quaker, Cheetos, and Doritos.Menon was previously Senior Marketing Director for Africa, Middle East & South Asia at PepsiCo. In her new role, she will lead brand strategy, innovation, and consumer engagement across the India Foods portfolio.

Menon brings two decades of marketing experience, having worked at Colgate-Palmolive, Coca-Cola, Uber, and Kimberly-Clark. She joined PepsiCo in January 2024.

Wellbeing Nutrition appoints Varun Kandhari as Chief Marketing and Growth Officer

Wellbeing Nutrition has named Varun Kandhari as its Chief Marketing and Growth Officer. With over 18 years of experience, Kandhari has held leadership roles at Mars Wrigley, Unilever, and most recently, Davide Campari-Milano N.V.

At Mars Wrigley, he was part of the India Executive Leadership Team and led marketing, category expansion, and profitability initiatives. He has also worked in Unilever’s Home & Personal Care division across South Asia.

JSW Sports appoints Gaurav Kalra as Chief Content and Marketing Officer

Gaurav Kalra has joined JSW Sports as Chief Content and Marketing Officer. He brings over 25 years of experience in journalism, digital media, and sports content across platforms including JioStar, ESPN, CNN-News18, Network18, and Reliance Foundation.

Kalra began his career at BITV in 1996 and has since worked extensively across broadcast and digital media with a strong focus on editorial and sports storytelling. At JSW Sports, he will lead content and marketing strategy to drive deeper audience engagement and build the organisation’s brand presence across channels.

InMobi CMO Bikash Chowdhury steps down, announces new venture

Bikash Chowdhury has stepped down as Chief Marketing Officer at InMobi, ending a 14-year stint with the company.

In a LinkedIn post, Chowdhury reflected on his journey and announced his next chapter, a full-time focus on Zebu, a storytelling and training venture he co-founded with K. Srikrishna.

Over the years, Chowdhury led marketing at both InMobi and Glance, spearheading campaigns with names like Hardik Pandya and Rana Daggubati, and driving brand and digital strategies globally.

Dentsu India appoints Sujeet Behra as President, Carat & CSO, Dentsu Media

Dentsu India has promoted Sujeet Behra to President of Carat and Chief Strategy Officer, Dentsu Media. He succeeds Sanchayeeta Verma, who has moved on from her role as Carat CEO.

Behra has been with Carat for over three years, previously serving as Chief Growth Officer, Chief Strategy Officer, and Carat North business head. In his expanded role, he will lead Carat’s strategic direction and spearhead insight-driven, cross-functional media solutions across the Dentsu Media network. He will report to Amit Wadhwa, CEO, Dentsu Creative & Media Brands, South Asia.

Anurag Prasad takes charge of Lowe Lintas Gurugram as Naveen Gaur exits

Lowe Lintas has elevated Chief Strategy Officer Anurag Prasad to also lead its Gurgaon office, following the departure of Naveen Gaur after a 15-year stint. Gaur is leaving to explore entrepreneurial opportunities.

Prasad, a Lintas veteran of over two decades, has shaped strategies for marquee brands like Maruti Suzuki, Google, and Havells. He has also played a key role in integrating the agency’s cultural insights programme, State of States, into brand planning.

Amit Gupta steps down as Managing Director of VML Commerce India

Amit Gupta has stepped down from his role as Managing Director at VML Commerce India, concluding a 22-year journey with the WPP network.

In a LinkedIn post, Gupta reflected on his time building and scaling Eperium India, which later became part of Wunderman Thompson Commerce and ultimately transitioned into VML.

As MD, Gupta oversaw enterprise-level e-commerce projects and helped shape delivery operations for global clients.

Connect Digital appoints Fabian Cowan as Director to lead DOOH business

Connect Network Inc. has named Fabian Cowan as Director, Connect Digital to spearhead its digital out-of-home (DOOH) operations.

With over 20 years of experience across OOH, DOOH, radio, and print, Cowan is tasked with driving innovation and growth through the company’s AdTech platform, Immersive.

Haresh Nayak, CEO of Connect Network Inc., praised Cowan’s media acumen and commercial clarity, calling him “the ideal choice” to lead this vertical.

Vinay Kumar Guwalani joins Saregama as SVP, Music Monetisation and Marketing

Saregama has appointed Vinay Kumar Guwalani as Senior Vice-President, Music Monetisation and Marketing, effective July 1, 2025.

With over 17 years of experience in the music and entertainment industry, Guwalani was previously Director, Label & Artist Solutions at Believe, where he led digital monetisation and artist partnerships.

He has also held leadership roles at Zee Music Company, with expertise in licensing, marketing, and content strategy.

Huella Services appoints Pankajj Rai as Vice-President, Ad Sales

Huella Services has named Pankajj Rai as Vice-President, Ad Sales. In his new role, Rai will lead monetisation for Newsroom AI and support the company’s wider strategic initiatives across product and partnerships.

With over 18 years of experience in broadcast and digital media, Rai has held senior roles at Zee Media and Qyou Media, and previously led commercial operations for multiple Zee network channels.