Elon Musk sets the date for when humans will land on Mars

Dec 30 2021

Tesla CEO and billionaire Elon Musk has expressed his opinion on when he expects humans to land on Mars.

The red planet has been the recipient of many rovers over the years as scientists sought to explore its terrain. A rover also recently discovered a significant amount of water on the planet, providing a potential landing spot for when human exploration begins.

Musk’s prediction is surprisingly early, as he took to the Lex Friedman Podcast to outline when humans will take to the Red Planet.

‘The best case is about five years, worst case 10 years’ he said in terms of when such missions will take place. There may be setbacks in terms of ‘fundamentally engineering the vehicle’ however he said.

Despite Starship being ‘the most complex and advanced rocket that’s ever been made’ according to Musk, he expressed how optimising the Starship is quite problematic.

Costs are also a major barrier, as ‘there is a certain cost per ton to the surface of Mars where we can afford to establish a self-sustaining city.’

‘Right now you couldn’t fly to Mars for a trillion dollars. No amount of money could get you a ticket to Mars. So we need to get that above, you know, to get that something that is actually possible at all.’

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Photo Source: Reuters

Two Italian stars set to accept insane MLS contracts

Dec 30 2021

Italian national team stars Lorenzo Insigne and Andrea Belotti are reportedly set to agree insane contracts to move to Canada and join Toronto FC, according to transfer expert Gianluca Di Marzio. Currently, the deal to get Napoli captain Insigne over to Toronto is more advanced than that of the Torino striker but everything could change in a matter of time.

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If Insigne decides to make the surprising move, he will earn around €11.5 million a year whilst also having the opportunity to get a €4.5 million bonus. This will be a huge increase from his current Napoli contract which sees him earn €5 million a year. Lorenzo will not sign an extension deal with Napoli as president Aurelio De Laurentis has so far only offered him a new deal with a 50% pay cut.

Torino striker Andrea Belotti is also said to be considering moving to Canada, as it is being reported that Toronto FC will offer a way more lucrative deal than Torino or other Italian clubs. However the striker is only considering it as of now as he wants to experience Champions League football and wants to be sure of his place in the Italian national team since it is a World Cup year.

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Chris Fearne thanks PN MPs for helping in vaccination rollout

Dec 30 2021

Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne issued thanks to two Opposition MPs for helping out with rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination.

Maria Deguara helped administer vaccine shots during the summer whilst Mario Galea is currently aiding in the vaccination drive, both on a voluntary basis.

Fearne took to social media to thank them for ‘rolling up their sleeves and being part of the rollout campaign.’

As of yesterday, 1,052,035 doses were administered, 206,611 of which were booster doses. Fearne also highlighted on Wednesday how half of the eligible adult population will be vaccinated with the booster by today.

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Photo Source: Chris Fearne FB, Mario Galea FB, Maria Deguara

Miriam Dalli not excluding wage supplement scheme extension

Dec 30 2021

Minister for Energy and Enterprise Miriam Dalli did not rule out an extension of the wage supplement scheme once it expires next month.

Prime Minister Robert Abela announced an extension of the wage supplement scheme until January 2022 earlier in December.

He said that the one-month extension was approved by the Cabinet after it considered the international landscape and the need for Malta to sustain it’s recovery from the pandemic.

The PN also called for an extension of the wage supplement until March of 2022 in a statement on Tuesday.

Minister Dalli said that the previous months were not easy at all, but there is a ‘government that is investing in the workforce and sustaining business, self-employed and workers.’

‘We are in continuous contact with all stakeholders and we will continue evaluating the trend and take decisions accordingly.’

Varying between €600 and €800 monthly for every full time employee, the wage supplement was a key factor in Malta’s pandemic recovery package. Dalli also appealed for everyone to take the booster dose, in order for infection numbers to decrease.

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