Authorities slammed by Tarxien priest over Baby Jesus Procession pandemic rules

Dec 16 2021

Fr Chris Ellul, Tarxien’s parish priest, urged the public to voice their concerns after the authorities announced that barriers will have to be used at the town’s Baby Jesus procession due to the pandemic.

Publishing an email the of the Malta Tourism Authority risk assessment which he received after requesting permission for the traditional procession, he was informed that events guidelines will need to be followed.

These include enclosing the event with barriers, booking, temperature checks, wearing masks and others. The MTA went on to ask him if he could clarify if his event can be organised in such a manner.

The priest questioned why the procession needs to be enclosed by barriers, saying the rule is a sign of a ‘spineless society.’ He criticised the MTA for demanding barriers where they want but not in other places. ‘Now come and clap and pose for photos. People, open your eyes and make your voices heard.’

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Photo Source: Chris Ellul FB

Changes from online to physical examinations spark student outrage

Dec 16 2021

Information sent to this newsroom by students taking their examinations for Masters in Accountancy alleged confusing changes made last minute in regards to exams by the faculty.

A student told MaltaDaily that this morning (16th December 2021), the faculty confirmed to the students that the examinations will take place online, leading to students settling down due to having an idea as to the procedure.

However, after the last lecture was finished, a student was allegedly called to inform her and in turn inform the students that the exams will be held physically, so as not to ‘bombard’ the faculty.

This led to considerable outrage from everyone in the course due to quarantine issues. This is because anyone who isn’t able to attend the exam will reportedly be forced to retake it in September.

This has further consequences of keeping students from stating work due to having to take their examinations at the end of the summer. Students raising their concerns were also allegedly received ‘coldly’ and ignored.

Many students had the main goal of working full time in May, but this can potentially harm their chances of finding jobs or actually being able to work due to the insecurity of quarantines in exam periods. This is a developing story.

This is how Art Attack’s host looks like 31 years after the show!

Dec 16 2021

Remember Art Attack? We’re sure you do. Well, everyone’s favourite art show host Neil Buchanan shared a new photo of himself, 31 years after the show’s debut.

Currently 65 years old, Buchanan hosted the hit show for a whopping 17 years, encouraging kids all around the world to get creative. The show became so popular it won a BAFTA.

The host left in 2007 to pursue a musical career, sharing a photo to his website to show what he’s been up to. And suffice to say, he looks super different!

Buchanan wasn’t completely absent from social media however as he recently took to Twitter to respond to rumours that he’s actually Banksy.

The fan theory emerged on social media last year after a user asked ‘how fantastic would it be if Neil Buchanan really was Banksy?’ The post encouraged more to compare the work done on the show with the street artist.

Buchanan quickly dismissed the theory, stating that there is no truth in the rumour whatsoever. ‘Neil spent lockdown with vulnerable members of his family and is now preparing to launch his new art collection in 2021.’

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Photo source: Liverpool Echo, @neilbuchanan

No needle COVID-19 vaccine trials kick off in UK

Dec 16 2021

A new needle-free COVID-19 vaccine has just kicked off trials in the UK, with participants aged between 18 and 50 years of age.

Aiming to protect against future variants of the virus, the vaccine is administered through a jet of air. It was developed by Cambridge University professor Jonathan Heeney and offers an alternative to those afraid of injections.

Heeney said that it is vital to continue producing new generation vaccine candidates which will help us stay safe from the next virus threats.

Called DIOS-CoVax, it varies from other jabs in that the current vaccines use genes taken from the virus spike protein to encode antigens. These cause the immune system to produce antibodies.

The new needle less jab uses predictive methods which mimic the wider family of COVID antigens.

The research facility wherein the trials will be taking place has stated that the new vaccine fights both variants and possible future strains of the virus.

‘This technology could give-wide ranging protection to huge numbers of people worldwide’ the doctor said.

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Photo Source: USCF