Melting face among 123 new and inclusive emojis added to iOS 15.4

Mar 15 2022

Apple has just released iOS 15.4, and it is also introducing a whopping 123 new emojis which seek to be more inclusive and expressive in the language that is emojis.

The new emoji roster includes everything from heart hands, melting face, saluting face as well as a handshake emoji combinations.

A troll, beans, X-ray and a coral reef were also added to the new emoji batch. Among them are also pregnant persons through two new gender neutral person emojis. These also come with crowns and a biting lip emoji.

This is the largest number of smiley emojis introduced in an Apple emoji update since iOS 11.1 debuted back during Halloween 2017.

The emoji additions are available to iPhone and iPad users, and are extending the bounds as to what people can express through emojis alone. Emojis has become a certified language due to its versatility and is constantly growing to include more signs and symbols.

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National Centre for Motorsport in Ħal Far officially starts development

Mar 15 2022

With an investment of around €20 million, the work on the National Centre for Motorsport in Ħal Far officially kicked off following a new deal signing.

Speaking at the announcement, Sport and Education Minster Clifton Grima said that this investment is one which will see Malta have an official motorsport centre of international caliber.

‘Everyone will benefit from this new investment, and it is yet another promise which will be brought to life’ he said. Grima highlighted how such measures show that the government is placing sport at the peak of the agenda.

The Malta Motorsport Federation, SportMalta and the NDSF were all present for the signing which will see around €16 million sent to the Motorsport centre.

Speaking at the event, parliamentary secretary Alex Muscat said that this project will become a reality with an investment of €20 million. He said that no such project has ever occurred in Malta, and through this initiative the government will be investing in the community.

With designs made by German experts, the centre will be ensuring a drag racing and karting community has the facilities and space it needs to focus on the passion of many locals. The project will also not take up any land which is outside the development zones.

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Fourth COVID jab will be necessary to fight virus says Pfizer chief

Mar 15 2022

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla has revealed that most people will need to receive a fourth COVID-19 vaccination to beat the pandemic.

The company’s chief said that the first booster currently fights off the virus enough to reduce chances of hospitalisation. However, the second booster or fourth jab in total will be effective against the initial infection.

He said that the protection one is getting from the third shot is good enough, especially against death and hospital admission. But when it comes to infections, the effects don’t last very long.

The announcement comes just after Maltese health authorities revealed that extending the vaccine certificate to 12 to 17-year-olds could be a possibility.

Israel was the first country in the world to start introducing the jab, having already given out half a million injections of the fourth booster. It was offered to elderly citizens in hopes of protecting them against the Omicron variant.

However, a lead researcher in the study said that the vaccine is less effective against the Omicron strain. The Pfizer CEO has thus revealed that scientists at the pharmaceutical company are working on a jab which could protect agains tall variants of the virus.

It remains to be seen whether the fourth jab will become a worldwide necessity, as previously Maltese health authorities revealed that no plans to introduce it are currently present. However, Malta has enough jabs to cover this requirement, said Chris Fearne earlier this year.

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Forcing workers to join unions unacceptable says Grech

Mar 15 2022

Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech said that it is not acceptable to force workers to join a union. When asked by newsroom the Malta Independent, the PN leader revealed that the party disagrees with the concept of having all workers join a union.

Grech acknowledged that people should be free to join a union if they want as it is better for workers to be represented. This would give them a stronger position to fight for better wages and conditions.

However, making it mandatory, said Grech, is unacceptable. ‘We believe that which is found in the constitution, that everyone has a basic right to join a union, but are not forced to join’ said Grech. In the PL manifesto, the party agreed in principle with mandatory union membership.

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