Malta Could Betting First Heat Wave This Weekend

May 18 2024

Malta is bracing for a heatwave this weekend, with temperatures expected to reach 30°C on Friday and Saturday, and slightly decrease to 28°C on Sunday.

The Meteorological Office at Malta Airport indicates that the current hazy conditions will clear by Sunday, May 19. Despite the clearing skies, temperatures will remain significantly higher than the May average of 24.3°C, potentially marking the first heatwave of the year for the Maltese Islands. A heatwave is defined by temperatures being five degrees above the monthly average for three consecutive days.

Additionally, moderate to strong east-northeasterly winds are anticipated from Saturday afternoon to Sunday morning.

Reflecting on April, the month saw varied weather patterns. April 1 recorded a high of 29.4°C, nearing the 1950 record of 30.7°C.

However, the latter half of April experienced unstable weather, with the lowest temperature dropping to 9.2°C on April 26. April also had lower-than-average rainfall, with only 13.2mm, falling short of the norm by 5.5mm.

The month was particularly windy, with average wind speeds reaching 11.3 knots and a peak gust of 49 knots on April 19. The sea surface temperature for April was warmer than usual at 17.5°C, 1.2°C above the norm.

#MaltaDaily

Is The Iconic St. Julian’s ‘LOVE’ Sign Going Red?

May 17 2024

Photos sent to this newsroom have revealed that the iconic ‘LOVE’ sign at Spinola, St. Julian’s seems to be going red.

With workers visibly plastering the recognisable sign in what seems to be a red sticker, questions have started to arise about the future of the recognisable Maltese landmark.

The popular tourist spot and beloved Instagram snap location was erected in 2003 and designed by prolific architect and academic Richard England. Partly due to its captivating reflection trick, spelling ‘LOVE’ on the sea-water below it, the sign went on to win an award from the International Academy of Architecture in 2003.

In 2020, the sign received a much-need facelift, with broken marble and rusted railing replaced to look as polished as ever.

Could this sticker be the sign of the latest makeover?

#MaltaDaily

Minecraft Celebrates 15 Year Anniversary

May 17 2024

Record breaking video game Minecraft today celebrates it’s 15 year anniversary since it was first released.

The game first released on the 17th of May 2009 by Swedish video game developer Mojang Studios was originally titled Cave Game. In the original prototype players would explore a flat world filled only with cobblestone and grass in the form of pixelated, square blocks.

Little did Mojang know how the game, later titled Minecraft, would take the world by storm becoming the best-selling game of all time with a reported 300 million copies sold since release.

For the first couple of years, Minecraft was only a prototype of what it would become with various alpha and beta versions of the game being released prior to 2013 when the full game finally landed.

Over the years the game has passed through several updates and spin off videogames as well as books and millions of toys. To round things up a Minecraft movie starring Jack Black and Jason Momoa is also currently in production and set to release in 2025.

#MaltaDaily

Teachers Union Claims Discrimination After Members Denied Doughnuts

May 17 2024

The Union of Professional Educators (UPE) in Malta has raised concerns over alleged discriminatory practices at a recent COPE session held at a local Primary school.

According to a recent statement published by the UPE, staff members at the school who followed the union’s directive to abstain from attending the COPE meeting were excluded from receiving doughnuts distributed by the school’s Head and management team. This action, perceived as an attempt to penalise UPE members, has been labeled as “immature behaviour” by the union.

The UPE has condemned the incident, asserting that such actions only reinforce their resolve to combat unethical practices among public servants. The union is questioning whether similar treatment is meted out to members of other unions and suggests that this may be indicative of a broader issue of bias within the school’s administration.

In response to the incident, the UPE has announced its intention to take further action against those responsible, emphasising their commitment to ensuring fair treatment for all educators.

#MaltaDaily