Male contraceptive pill set to undergo human trials very soon

Apr 27 2022

Very recently, the news that a male contraceptive pill is in development made much waves on social media.

Now, the pill is set to engage in human trials as scientists in the US embarked on the challenge of developing a non-hormonal male contraceptive pill.

So far, the pill proved to be safe and effective on mice, meaning that clinical trials in humans are set to begin alter this year. The researchers from the University of Minnesota presented their findings at the American Chemical Society’s Spring 2022 conference last month.

The pill is different from those of its type as it does not target testosterone. This means that the risk of side effects is far less than other drugs which never ended up on pharmacy shelves.

As it stands, most female birth controls work on the female sex hormones. ‘Targeting the male sex hormone leads to a lot of side effects such as weight gain, depression and increased risk of cardiovascular diseases’ said researcher Abdullah al Noman.

“Men are less willing to take a birth control pill that has significant side effects. That’s why we are targeting a non-hormonal pathway to developing a male birth control pill.”

Of course, mice are not humans and so the researchers are taking all necessary precautions so that the pills pass peer review safely and effectively.

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Parish request to keep dogs locked during blessings divides opinion

Apr 27 2022

Public opinion was quite drastically divided by a Facebook post uploaded by a Paola parish church social media page requesting that dogs be locked in another room during priestly blessings.

The post requested that during house visits by the priest, one is ‘kindly requested to keep [one’s] dog under control. [One] is to keep the dog in another room and not leave him roaming about the house as other wise the priest will not enter.’

The post was met with considerable backlash but also comments defending the status. In opposition to the post, people requested the priest perform the ritual outside whilst others questioned if the parish priest was afraid of dogs.

Another rhetorically asked whether or not a dog is God’s creation as well. In response to such comments, some pointed out that the post was simply asking for prudence and that some comments were outright rude and unnecessary.

The official parish page later pinned a comment, revealing that an incident had already occurred wherein one of the volunteers was bitten during the blessings. ‘Prudence asks that such incidents are avoided.’

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Żaren tal-Ajkla says he would challenge Bernard Grech for Nationalist Party leadership

Apr 27 2022

In an interview with Malta Daily on his 63rd birthday, Nazzareno Bonnici better known as Żaren tal-Ajkla stated that if he were a member of the Nationalist Party, he would challenge Bernard Grech for party leadership.

When asked for his opinion on the recent electoral result, which saw Labour win by a massive margin, Żaren stated that it is not healthy for the Nationalist Party to only have one individual contesting its leadership. The popular Partit tal-Ajkla leader urged the PN to get their act together to provide a strong Opposition for Malta, otherwise risking having “a communist government”.

With the Nationalist Party General Council kicking off on Sunday April 24th, Bernard Grech remains the only contender for Nationalist Party leadership, with popular figures like Joe Giglio, Adrian Delia and Mark Anthony Sammut shutting down election rumours.

Gozitan MP Alex Borg had revealed that while he will not contest the upcoming PN leadership race, he has not ruled out any future bids. Borg was amongst the most successful election candidates in Gozo during the last election, surpassing multiple PN stalwarts and securing his spot as a shadow minister for Gozo.

A recent MaltaToday survey revealed that around 70% of Nationalist Party councillors want Grech to stay on as leader, whilst others have been vocal about the need for change.

WATCH THE FULL CLIP BELOW:

Could you imagine Żaren tal-Ajkla as PN leader?

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‘We won’t let you turn Twitter into a forum for hate’ Maltese MEP warns Elon Musk

Apr 27 2022

Following the purchase of social media platform Twitter by Tesla and Space X CEO Elon Musk, Maltese MEP Alex Agius Saliba reacted to the deal by describing it as shocking.

Agius Saliba warned the business magnate that he will still have to abide by the new EU rules which regulate social media platforms, despite having bought the platform for $44 billion.

Today we are living in a world where the super rich can buyout platforms to change their rules to their liking. @elonmusk #Twitter buyout doesn’t mean Twitter could do away with respecting EU rules or ending up as a hotspot for #misinformation and #hatespeech @TheProgressives

— Alex Agius Saliba (@alexagiussaliba) April 26, 2022

Taking to Twitter, Agius Saliba said that ‘today we are living in a world where the super rich can buyout platforms to change their rules to their liking.’

The vice-president for digital related issues of the S&D European political group tagged the multi-billionaire to tell him that Twitter’s buyout doesn’t mean the platform could do away with respecting EU rules.

Nor will it mean that it will end up as a hotspot for misinformation and hate speech. This follows Musk’s push to ‘unlock Twitter’s potential’. He had tweeted out saying that ‘free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy.’

🚀💫♥️ Yesss!!! ♥️💫🚀 pic.twitter.com/0T9HzUHuh6

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 25, 2022

‘Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated. […] I look forward to working with the company and the community of users to unlock it.’

#MaltaDaily