Loggerhead Turtle Encounter Off Maltese Shores

Jun 21 2023

Marine biologist Alan Deidun shared videos sent to him by Gabriel Bugelli showing an encounter with a loggerhead turtle off the Maltese island coast.

The loggerhead turtle is one of the 2 marine turtle species known to nest on Mediterranean beaches, with the other being green turtles.

The videos show the swimming reptile float as the videographer marvels at its peaceful gliding through the water.

This comes just days after the first turtle nesting site was located at Ramla l-Ħamra, indicating the beginning of summer and a new birthing season for these magnificent creatures.

This could also mean that we’ll be getting some natural jellyfish exterminator services, given that turtles love feeding on the stinging menace.

Yesterday, Deidun posted photos of Compass Jellyfish, which is a rare visitor to Maltese waters. These carry ‘a nasty punch (as it is a close relative of the mauve singer)’, Deidun explained.

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Source: Alan Deidun via Gabriel Bugelli, Philip Spiteri

Missing Billionaire On Titanic Submarine A Maltese Citizen

Jun 21 2023

Shahzada Dawood, a billionaire among the five people aboard a missing submersible vessel, obtained his Maltese citizenship in 2016.

The 48-year-old comes from one of Pakistan’s wealthiest families and serves as the vice-chairman of Engro Corporation.

Times of Malta revealed that he went on to obtain his citizenship along with his parents, with other family members following suit. The business tycoon and his 19-year-old son Suleman were aboard the Titan, a small submersible vessel which was exploring the Titanic shipwreck.

The vessel went missing on Sunday off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, leading to a massive search and rescue operation.

Latest developments reported underwater banging sounds being detected in the North Atlantic where the craft vanished. However, the search is facing complications due to the crushing depths of the water given that the vessel is submerged in hard to reach areas.

Dawood and his son were joined by British billionaire explorer Hamish Harding, former French navy diver Paul Henry Nargeolet and CEO of OceanGate Stockton Rush, the company behind the expedition.

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3 Gold And 1 Silver for Malta in Special Olympics 2023

Jun 21 2023

Malta’s sport stars are not done yet with their bagging of countless awards as this time around, its the Special Olympics delegation who made further history for the island.

The Maltese delegation competed in five different sport disciplines: Athletics, Bowling, Cycling, Golf, Swimming and Table Tennis.

The competitors saw the Maltese team win 3 Gold medals: one for Athletics by Matthew Bugeja in the 200m, another for Bowling by the Unified Team Sport group and, last but not least, in the 15K Road Race Cycling category by Gareth Borg.

There was also a silver medal awarded to Jake Gatt for his performance in the 800m Athletics category.

The Maltese Delegation consists of 22 athletes and five partners, travelling to Berlin to compete in the 2023 edition of the Special Olympics World Games.

The event is scheduled from the 17th to the 25th of June, and sees over 7,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities from 190 countries participating in the event.

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Spring 2023 Drier Than Average With 50mm Of Rainfall

Jun 21 2023

Spring experienced below-average rainfall with a total of 50 mm measured throughout the season, making it drier than usual. The season was characterized by nearly 761 hours of sunshine, providing ample sunny days. The highest air temperature peaked at 27.3°C, while the lowest was recorded in March at 7.9°C.

May marked the end of meteorological spring with 8.2 mm more rainfall than the monthly norm of 10.2 mm. However, the combined above-average rainfall of May and April, which recorded 28.6 mm, did not compensate for March’s meager 3.0 mm, resulting in the season falling short of the expected rainfall quota.

Unstable weather caused by persistent low-pressure systems led to three thundery days and 14 rainy days throughout spring, extending into May. While May had the highest number of rainy days, April accounted for the wettest day of spring when 17.8 mm of rainfall, nearly equal to the average rainfall for an entire April, descended upon the Maltese Islands.

The Maltese Islands enjoyed a significant amount of sunshine during the season, with almost 761 hours recorded. While March and April were considerably sunnier than their respective climate norms, May experienced a gloomier spring month than expected, with only 236.8 hours of sunshine. This can be partially explained by May’s mean cloud cover of 4.0 oktas, surpassing the norm of 3.0 oktas.

May exhibited unseasonal weather, but it also recorded the highest air temperature of the season at 27.3°C. In contrast, March marked the lowest minimum temperature at 7.9°C. When considering the mean temperatures for each spring month, March was warmer than average, April was cooler, and May maintained an average air temperature in line with expectations.

As spring progressed, the sea temperature increased by 2.2°C between March and May, reaching 18.4°C in the latter month. May’s average sea surface temperature aligned with the monthly norm, while March and April both surpassed their respective norms.

Throughout the season, the Meteorological Office issued 43 wind warnings to the public, with 20 of them issued in May. May was notably windier than usual, maintaining an average wind speed of 10.1 knots instead of the expected 8.8 knots. The strongest gust, blowing at 43 knots from the Southeast, was recorded thirteen days into May.

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