These are some of the benefits of having a dog

Aug 27 2021

Dogs truly are humankind’s best friend and bring joy to our lives unlike any other material possession, but do we truly understand the benefits that come with having a furry companion by your side?

One of the immediate benefits has to do with cardiovascular health, with a 2019 study of close to 4 million people in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, United Kingdom and Scandinavia finding that subjects who owned a dog were connected to a 24% drop in risk from dying early, with previous stroke or heart attack victims being 31% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease.

The reasoning behind could not be firmly credited to an increase in exercise or change in behaviour but the American Heart Association also find that people who walk their dogs regularly face 33% of the risk of diabetes in comparison with non-dog owners.

While these studies claim to substantiate the ownership of pets, different studies have had mixed results with other saying there is no difference in health between people who own pets and people who don’t.

Other studies have also shown that having pets by one’s side during anxious events may help reduce the stress during such event, backing up the claim that pets have an effect on mental health and provide emotional support.

Psychologist and Western Carolina University professor Harold Herzog also highlighted that studies have shown increase in good moods and decrease of bad moods in the presence of pets, going on to claim that he has ‘no doubt’ that interaction with pets has its immediate psychological and physiological benefits.

#MaltaDaily

Manchester City player Benjamin Mendy charged by the police

Aug 27 2021

Yesterday, Premier League champions Manchester City released a statement where they announced that French left back Benjamin Mendy has been suspended indefinitely over 4 charges of rape and one count of sexual assault. The player played in Manchester City’s opening game versus Tottenham and was on the bench in their most recent game versus Norwich.

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The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) confirmed that the charges took place in Cheshire, England between October 2020 and August 2021. All four charges are about females over the age of 16. The CPS statement also announced that “Mendy, of Withinlee Road, Prestbury, has been remanded in police custody and will appear before Chester Magistrates’ Court on Friday 27 August 2021,” meaning there will be more news today.

The Manchester City statement was quite short but also straight to the point. They stated that “The matter is subject to a legal process and the Club is therefore unable to make further comment until that process is complete.” They also confirmed that the player has been suspended pending an investigation.

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Two Maltese athletes compete at Paralympics

Aug 27 2021

Earlier today, Malta’s two para athletes at the Paralympics competed in both of their first heats. Malta will be represented by runner Thomas Borg and swimmer Vladyslava Kravchenko.

Today, Thomas competed in the T47 1oom heat whilst Vladyslava took part in the S5 butterfly 50m heat. T47 races are races for those who have below elbow or wrist amputation and S5 is the swimming category where the competitors have limited or can’t use their legs.

Thomas in the heat, broke his personal record of 12.16 seconds by ending the race in in 12.01 seconds. He came in 7th place, above Gabonese runner Moukangi. Unfortunately, The runner failed to qualify as he didn’t finish in a top 3 position or be one of the remaining fastest two runners. Borg will now be setting his eyes towards his 400m heat where he will be hoping for a good result.

Vladyslava in her S5 butterfly 50 m heat, ended up in 7th place with a time of 1:18.48 . She also failed to qualify as she didn’t finish her heat in a top 4 finish. Vladyslava finished the heat nearly 37 seconds after the winner Marta Fernandez Infante. This is Vladyslava’s second Paralympics after she competed in the 2016 Rio de Janiero Paralympics. Like Thomas, this isn’t Vladyslava’s only event as she will now compete in the S5 backstroke 50m event.

We wish the best of luck to Thomas and Vladyslava in their next events.

#MaltaDaily

MATSEC results to be studied to analyse high failure rates

Aug 27 2021

Education Minister Justyne Caruana has revealed that during the upcoming scholastic year, results of previous MATSEC sittings will be evaluate to attempt to understand the issue of high failure rates in core subjects in Malta.

During this year’s MATSEC O-Level, A-Level and Intermediate exams, hundreds of students did not manage to obtain a passing grade in their core subjects, an issue which Minister Caruana stated has nothing to do with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier this week, proposals were made to make post-secondary schooling mandatory. The Malta Union of Teachers hit back at these proposals to state that schools are not the producers of workers to meet the needs of businesses, but education is a holistic experience being provided to individuals to enable them to reach their potential beyond employment needs’.

#MaltaDaily