Space organisations to decide on time zone for moon

Mar 6 2023

Have you ever wondered what time it is on the moon? Well, to be fair, Earth’s time zones are also established by convention so the moon itself does not have a timezone.

However, given that more lunar missions are currently being planned, space organisations around the world are considering how best to keep time on Earth’s only natural satellite.

The idea came up during a meeting in the Netherlands late last year as participants agreed on the urgent need to establish ‘a common lunar reference time’.

Navigation system engineer Pietro Giordano said in a statement that a ‘joint international effort is now being launched towards achieving this.’

Currently, the moon runs on the time of the country that is operating the spacecraft. However, European space officials said an internationally accepted lunar time zone would make it easier for everyone.

This, given that more countries and even private companies aim for the moon, as well as NASA, gets set to send astronauts onto the moon.

The problem of time zone arose when NASA struggled while designing and building the International Space Station. The space station doesn’t have its own time zone as it runs on Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which is based on atomic clocks. This helps split the time difference between NASA and the Canadian Space Agency, and the other partnering space programs in Russia, Japan and Europe.

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Ronaldo sends plane full of supplies to Turkey and Syria

Mar 6 2023

Former Manchester United world football star Cristiano Ronaldo has sent an entire plane full of supplies and care items to survivors of the devastating earthquakes in Syria and Turkey.

The Al-Nassr player decided to pay for an entire bulk of tents, food packages, pillows, blankets, beds, baby food, milk and other medical supplies and send them on a one-way trip to be distributed in the earthquake sites.

This comes after footage emerged last week of the famous player meeting a young Syrian boy who opened up about wishing to meet the renowned footballer.

The act of kindness is hoped to inspire others with similar levels of wealth to donate to the earthquake stricken areas, with this not being the first time Ronaldo has done so.

Meanwhile, the most recent figures indicate that the death toll of the catastrophes has risen to around 50,000, with 44,218 dying in Turkey alone.

Ronaldo has held ambassadorial roles for Save the Children, UNICEF and World Vision, having donated $83,000 to pay for child’s brain surgery, $165,000 to help fund a cancer centre in Portugal, another £1 million to Portuguese hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic, and various other instances of humanitarian aid.

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Massive traffic to and from airport due to lane closure

Mar 6 2023

A lane closure in Triq il-Kunsil tal-Ewropa in the direction of Marsa has caused massive traffic jams as people convene to their respective early morning and daily duties.

Heavy traffic has formed to and from the airport area, with the site still undergoing construction for the bypass being built in the area.

Try to avoid using the road if in a rush and if not completely necessary. Social media comments on pages like Maltese Roads Traffic Updates have touted waiting times of up to an hour, urging others to avoid the area and with some even calling for the now common calls for traffic management.

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Protest by Nationalist Party with theme ‘You deserve better’, attended by thousands

Mar 5 2023

The Nationalist Party organized a protest with the theme “You deserve better,” which was attended by thousands. PN Leader Bernard Grech expressed his gratitude to the attendees for making their voices heard for the second time that week in Valletta.

During his speech, the Leader of Opposition, Bernard Grech, spoke about the negative trend of corruption and stealing from public funds, stating that it has gone on for too long. He emphasized the importance of continuing to speak out because the people of Malta deserve better.

PN MP Adrian Delia also addressed the crowd, stating that the Maltese citizens have won back the three hospitals that were stolen from the public along with 4,000 million euros. He appealed to the government to retrieve the money given to Steward Healthcare and Vitals and return it to the people of Malta.

UHM Voice of the Workers President, Josef Vella, also spoke and appealed to the Maltese citizens to voice their opinions regarding recent national events. He emphasized that this fight against corruption is not a partisan issue but rather one that the country needs to win.

Finally, law student Michela Ann Bayliss appealed for a change in direction for the future of students and teens in Malta and Gozo.

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