Clifton Grima officially sworn in as Education and Sport Minister

Dec 30 2021

Clifton Grima has officially been sworn in as Education and Sport Minister on Wednesday afternoon.

Being appointed to the post last week, he will be taking on the post previously held by Justyne Caruana. Caruana had resigned following an ethics breach, in which she gifted a €15,000 contract to footballer Daniel Bogdanovic.

Previously serving as parliamentary secretary responsible for sport, recreation and voluntary organisations, Grima will be the fourth education minister over the span of a single legislature.

Apart from Justyne Caruana, Owen Bonnici and Evarist Bartolo had served as ministers as well.

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Photo Source: Clifton Grima FB

Scientists figure out why pandas are black-and-white

Dec 30 2021

We all know them as being the big, clumsy and cuddly black-and-white bears. But scientists have long wondered why their fur is coloured this way.

Why the mystery? Well, giant pandas live in colourful forests in the wild. Being black-and-white doesn’t seem to intuit a survival advantage given the environment.

Finally, after analysing photographs of 15 wild pandas over the course of 7 years, a team of researchers from different countries concluded that the black-and-white print is actually a valuable camouflage colour.

Scientists from the University of Bristol, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and University of Jyvaskyla in Finland say that the colour can help them evade predators such as leopards, tigers and wild dogs.

The black fur helps them blend into dark shades and tree trunks, whereas white fur matches foliage and snow when present. The intermediate fur tones actually match rocks and the ground.

The colours are also confusing for predators, discouraging a potential attack. Scientists could treat pandas as if they were predators looking at their photographs, resulting in the conclusion.

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Photo Source: Medium

Covid vaccine mandatory for all Italian athletes as of January 10th

Dec 30 2021

Italy’s athletes will have to comply with the new rules authorised by the Italian government in regards to vaccination against COVID-19.

Coming into mandatory effect as of January 10th, all Italian athletes will have to be jabbed. The green pass has so far been the main tool used, along with a negative test posted within 48 hours or recovering from COVID.

The Omicron variant has however led to a spike all around the globe, resulting in the tightening of restrictions. The Italian government drew up the new plans, introducing even the Super Green Pass, which means only vaccination status or recent recovery is acceptable.

Stadiums, gyms, swimming pools, locker rooms or any roofed sporting establishment will no longer allow negative tests as verification.

This means that athletes will have to be jabbed against the virus as otherwise they would have to wait for post-infection.

However, this shouldn’t so much of a problem, as the Lega Serie A report 98% of its players having been vaccinated in October.

In comparison, only 68% of English Premier League players were vaccinated in October, rising to 77% just this month.

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Photo Source: Juvefc, Guardian

First journalist with Māori face tattoo presents news and makes history

Dec 30 2021

On Monday December 27th, Oriini Kaipara read the news bulletin whilst donning a cultural Māori face tattoo.

She was filling in for the usual hosts, and in the process made history. The 37-year-old’s chin tattoo is traditionally worn by Māori women and is called a moko kauae.

It had always been her lifelong dream to read the news sporing it, she revealed, after having gotten the ink in 2017 after discovering she was 100% Māori via a DNA test.

Kaipara noted how exciting it was and how much she was enjoying being the first woman to have a Māori face tattoo on a primetime news bulletin. ‘It’s definitely a step forward, and a step -up’ she said.

‘It’s also a big win for this generation and the next 10 generations – don’t let identity or your culture hold you back from anything. In fact, you use it as your power, to be greater and do great things for everyone.’

‘It’s breaking new ground for us as Māori, but also for people of colour. Whether you’ve got a moko kauae or not’ she concluded. She is set to read the news on Newshub Live until Thursday 30th.

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Photo Source: Sportskeeda