World Cup fans housed in shipping containers in middle of desert

Nov 19 2022

As fans make their way to Qatar for the 2022 World Cup, the rush to find accommodation is likely to heat up given that Qatar is set to welcome an estimated 1.5 million fans over the month long tournament.

However, the problem of accommodation is further increased by the fact that the peninsula host is the smallest in World Cup history.

So, a total of 30,000 rooms have been erected in the desert for the influx of fans, and they look a whole lot like shipping containers. The temporary residency set up for 60,000 fans are being called college dorm rooms.

The problems will seemingly arise by the fact that these cramped rooms, paired with uninsulated steel or wooden structures are built for an event in the desert.

Interior photos of the rooms show no evidence of cooling, outside of a simple blind over the room’s lone window. Accuweather is showing temperatures this month hitting the highs of 93 and lows of 68.

It remains to be seen how well the dorms will be able to dissipate the heat. The rooms come with a small bathroom and a miniature fridge. That’s because fans will mostly be out and about.

They can watch the games at outdoor viewing areas with beanbag seating if they don’t have tickets or make use of the few designated zones where visitors can consume alcohol. What makes or breaks this is the execution. We’ll just have to wait and see.

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Appeal by 23 groups to regulate ‘cannabis free for all use’ view

Nov 19 2022

A group of 23 organisations has issued a statement calling on the government to urgently address the increase in the view that Malta has become a cannabis use free for all.

The statement says that the recent developments surrounding the appointment of a new executive chairperson for the cannabis authority has confirmed their strong reservations.

This being that the government has introduced legislation with a major social impact in a hurried manner and without creating effective structures to implement the law.

Whilst the ‘free for all’ mentality seems to have taken hold, ‘the structures contemplated by the law to regulate are conspicuous by their complete absence’ the statement reads.

The government has not, according to the group, matched the drive to legislate with the necessary resources to set up a strong authority to implement the law in a serious and responsible manner.

‘We augur that the Cannabis authority would be given the necessary resources to develop the appropriate structures to regulate such a sensitive sector in a manner which protects the interests of the most vulnerable members of society, particularly children and youths’ the statement reads.

The organisations in question are:

Caritas Malta
Malta Association of Psychiatry
Fondazzjoni OASI
Maltese Association of Social Workers
Richmond Foundation
Kamra tal-Ispiżjara
Malta Employers Association
Secretariat for Catholic Education
Anti poverty Forum
Church Schools Association
Alleanza Kontra l-Faqar
Independent Schools Association
Gozo Tourism Association
Karl Vella Foundation
Gozo Business Chamber
Dar Osanna Pia
Dar Tal-Providenza
Fondazzjoni Paolo Freire
Millenium Chapel
St Jeanne Antide Foundation
Dar Merħba Bik
Kummissjoni Ġustizzja u Paci
Fondazzjoni Sebħ

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ŻiguŻajg Arts Festival for Children and Young People 2022 officially open

Nov 19 2022

The 12th edition of the ŻiguŻajg Arts Festival for Children and Young People kicks off today. The festival will include productions involving theatre, dance, as well as visual arts and musicals, creating a variety of artforms that appeal to everyone.

Dr Lydia Abela, patron of ŻiguŻajg, stated that this year’s programme continued to grow in artistic content. She said that art and culture give us our identity, and through this festival, we are bringing children closer to art and culture from a young age. Dr Abela stressed that art should play a crucial role in children’s education and personal development and that, through ŻiguŻajg they are being given access to this.

Minister for National Heritage, Arts, and Local Government Owen Bonnici emphasised the importance of having a festival like ŻiguŻajg, because it not only exposes today’s generation to the beauty of art, but it also has an impact on a mental, emotional, and educational level. “Our young audiences will carry these experiences and what they have learned from them as guidance throughout their daily lives”, Dr Bonnici concluded.

Fondazzjoni Kreattività Chairman, Rupert Cefai, said that the importance of such a festival is also found in the inspiration that it provides for future generations. In fact, he claimed that some of those children who today are part of the audience, could be our future artists who, in the same way, will continue to create more art for those who come after them, creating a sort of chain reaction.

ŻiguŻajg Festival Director Marta Vella stated that the festival is back to life and thriving after two years of constant changes, adaptations, and uncertainty. She explained that the festival consists of no less than seventeen events, including theatre, dance, concerts, musicals, and visual arts. All these art forms will contribute to the audiences’ experiences in different ways and will continue to expand everyone’s love for art and creativity.

ŻiguŻajg Arts Festival for Children and Young People 2022 will take place between the 18th and 27th of November 2022. For more information or ticket bookings, visit www.ziguzajg.org.

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Alleged global sperm decline furthers debate over male fertility

Nov 19 2022

According to an updated review of medical literature, a trend of falling sperm count by 50% has been noted across a period of 50 years.

If these findings are confirmed, and the supposed declines continue, researchers are worried that it could have important implications for human reproduction. Semen quality can be an important marker for overall health in general.

The review and its conclusions have reinvigorated an ongoing debate amongst experts in the field. Some say the findings are real and urgent whilst others are not convinced by the data collecting methods due to them changing over time.

The new analysis updates a review published in 2017 and includes data from Africa, Asia and South America for the fist time. Published in the Human Reproduction Update, around 3,000 studies recording men’s sperm counts between 2014 and 2020 were reviewed.

Ruling out various studies to make sure that they were only considering a ‘norm’ (excluding infertility issues, etc), just 38 studies met their criteria. The studies showed that sperm counts fell by slightly more than 1% per year between 1973 and 2018. Globally, the average sperm count was found to have fallen by 52% by 2018.

The causes of the alleged decline are unknown. Damage to reproductive health may begin in the womb, some researchers said. However, there is no cause for panic as the counts are still by and large normal.

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