Cute father’s day gift for Ian Borg following knee operation

Jun 20 2022

Minister for Foreign Affairs, EU Affairs and Trade Ian Borg was surprised by his wife and daughter in London after undergoing a knee surgery.

The minister explained on social media that this was the most wonderful Father’s Day gift he could have received following such difficult week.

‘I am feeling better and I am working hard to get back on my feet with newfound strength’ said Borg. He also went on to wish a Happy Father’s Day to all father figures and dads, especially his own, Louis.

The Minister was awarded a tiny trophy and a paper with paint handprints by his adorable daughter, who seemed immensely delighted to be seeing her father once again on the special day.

Get well soon Ian!

#MaltaDaily

Transgender women swimmers banned from female competitions by Fina

Jun 20 2022

The swimming’s world governing body, Fina, voted to bar transgender women from elite female competitions if they experienced any part of male puberty.

The decision was decided by 71% of the vote of 152 national federations at the world championships in Budapest. It follows a report from a Fina scientific panel finding trans women to have retained significant advantage over cisgender female swimmers, even after reducing testosterone levels through medication.

Fina said that male-to-female transgender athletes could now compete in the women’s category only provided they did not experience any part of male puberty.

The puberty cannot exceed Tanner Stage 2 [which marks the start of physical development] or could not have occurred after age 12. Fina president Husain al-Musallam said that ‘we have to protect the rights of our athletes to compete, but we also have to protect competitive fairness at our events, especially the women’s category at Fina competitions.

Fina has however promised to create a working group to establish an open category for trans women in some events as part of its new policy. This has not done before, but the Fina president said this would mean everyone has the opportunity to compete at elite levels.

Swimming is now the second Olympic governing body to take such a vote after World Rugby in 2020. Other sports have used testosterone limits as a basis for allowing trans women to compete in women’s categories.

#MaltaDaily

Gozo traffic accident leaves motorcyclist seriously injured

Jun 20 2022

Yesterday, police were informed at about 2245hrs that a traffic accident had occurred in Triq ir-Rabat, Zebbug, Ghawdex.

Preliminary investigations showed that a crash between a Toyota Yaris driven by a 21-year-old woman from Xaghra and a motorcycle Kymco MXU driven by a 31-year-old Qala man had occurred.

The motorcyclist was given medical attention and subsequently taken to Gozo General Hospital. He was later certified to have suffered grievous injuries. Investigations are still ongoing.

#MaltaDaily

Max Verstappen wins Canadian Grand Prix to increase Championship lead

Jun 19 2022

Current World Champion Max Verstappen has won yet another race, this time in Canada to increase his championship lead over teammate Sergio Perez and Ferrari golden boy Charles Leclerc. The Dutch driver claimed his 5th win in 6 race whilst withstanding immense pressure from Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz who is still looking for his first Formula One win.

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It was looking like a comfortable win for the Red Bull driver, until the 49th lap where a Yuki Tsunoda crash forced a safety car to come out. It seemed like everything had gone perfect for Carlos Sainz and Ferrari as the Spanish driver was now very close to Verstappen whilst having a fresher set of tires. However it was not to be yet again for Sainz, as Max proved his credentials as World Champion and calmly withstood Sainz’s pressure to win his first ever Canadian Grand Prix.

The last podium place went Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton. This was his second podium finish of the season, a far cry from his incredible form in past years which saw him win the Driver’s Championship numerous times.

It was another tough race was for Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc and Red Bull driver Sergio Perez. Leclerc who started the race from 19th place could only muster a 5th place finish due to yet another inconsistent performance from the Ferrari pit team and race engineers. Perez race unfortunately did not last long with him having to retire due to a gearbox issue in the 7th lap.

The next race will be held in the iconic Silverstone circuit on Sunday the 3rd of July. Red Bull will be hoping to further extend their Championship lead whilst Mercedes and Ferrari will be looking for a good performance to catch up.

#MaltaDaily