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We’re back to clear and sunny weather for August’s last full week

We’re back to clear and sunny weather for August’s last full week
Aug 23 2021 Share

Weather forecasts from multiple sources are pointing towards a sunny and rather warm week ahead as August draws to a close. After several localities in Malta experienced some rain showers, the weather has cleared up and it seems to be staying as such up for these 7 days. 

Temperatures are set to feel like 35 and 36 degrees Celsius with a low UV of 9. Chances of more rain are also very low at around 5 to 15% spread throughout. Winds are set to rack up a Force 2 and 3 to kick off the week. 

Summer lovers make sure to make the best of this week as the weather starts to shift towards more cold nights and more frequent rainfall. Stay safe and avoid the sea when the wind is crashing waves against the shoreline, but try to enjoy the waning summer days as much as possible! 

#MaltaDaily

Photo Source: MaltaInfoGuide, Malta International Airport,

Afghan mother gives birth while on Kabul evacuation flight

Afghan mother gives birth while on Kabul evacuation flight
Aug 23 2021 Share

As thousands of Afghans rush to Kabul airport to secure a safe voyage from the now Taliban-occupied Afghanistan, a woman has given birth during an evacuation flight. A statement tweeted by the Air Mobility Command, the mother had been travelling from an Intermediate Staging Base in the Middle East on August 21st. While on the C-17 flight, the woman went into labour, albeit with some complications.

The aircraft commander decided to descend in altitude in order to increase air pressure within the aircraft. This helped stabilise and save the mother’s life. The baby girl was delivered in the cargo bay after the plane landed at Germany’s Ramstein Air base. Mother and daughter were taken to a nearby medical facility where they were both alleged to be in good condition. This story comes as more Afghans are attempting to escape the country after the US withdrawal of troops opened a pocket of power for the Taliban. Gunfire has also been reported in the airport as new information is updated. 

#MaltaDaily

Photo Source: Air Mobility Command Twitter, Nisha Brown PhD

Where are all the aliens?

Where are all the aliens?
Aug 22 2021 Share

The universe is about 90 billion light years in diameter, with at least 100 billion galaxies. This points to trillions of planets similar to Earth existing in many of these galaxies. And yet, we seem to be alone. We have sent out messages as a species deep into space… but no one responded. Where is everyone? What might be the reason for this silence?

This is called the Fermi paradox. To start off, everything outside our ‘local group’ has become out of reach forever as the universe continues to expand. We would have to already limit our scope to our own galaxy – The Milky Way, which consists of around 400 billion stars. 

It is also estimated that a fifth of sun-like stars have planets very similar to Earth and situated in just the right habitable zone. If 0.1% of these planets had life, that would translate to a whopping 1,000,000 planets which can support life. 

With the Milky Way being around 13 billion years old, the first habitable planets started to form after 2 billion years. That would give life several opportunities to form on a number of planets. And yet, there doesn’t seem to be anything. One possible explanation has to do with filters.

A filter is a limit which life has to surpass before it can advance to the next stage. What if alien life trying to get beyond its filter was annihilated? Or what it certain filters can never be surpassed by any form of life? Filters could be anything from ecological disaster to war to even a species killing pandemic. 

But even if this was the case, there would at least be remains of alien civilisations floating around in space or just sitting on a different planet. Humans have already shaped the earth, with many objects set to outlive us for thousands of years. There is one scary alternative…

We could be the first forms of life. What if the reason why we haven’t detected anything yet is because there wasn’t anything to detect? What if we were the first conscious life in the entire local group, or maybe the universe itself? If this scares you, its okay. 

Contemplating such cosmic proportions is bound to make us feel small and insignificant. But we really aren’t. If we are indeed alone, we have each other to experience the universe together. If we aren’t alone and it’s just a matter of time before we make contact, we can explore new ways of life together as well… with some new galactic neighbours. 

#MaltaDaily

60 vehicles stopped for excessive driving on Mellieha bypass in one night

60 vehicles stopped for excessive driving on Mellieha bypass in one night
Aug 22 2021 Share

Traffic police and community officers stopped 60 vehicles and fined around 22 drivers for excessive speeding just this morning. All these interventions occurred in the Mellieha bypass leading to Ghadira, an area whose residents’ have allegedly reported speeding countless times. 

Triq Louis Wettinger has been subject to intense speeding by such reckless drivers, prompting authorities to intervene. The huge amount of stops and fine administrations showed the resident complaints to be true, whilst also prompting other drivers making their way to and from the area to drive more carefully to avoid fines and, more importantly, any life-threatening accidents. 

#MaltaDaily

Photo Source: Mellieha Local Council