Updated 1235: Active Covid-19 cases dropped below 700, as 120 recoveries exceeded the number of new cases, which still remain high at 94. An 85-year-old-woman becomes Malta’s 430th Covid-related death.
Updated 1200
High rate of failure in MATSEC exams
Thousands of students got their Matsec O Level, A Level and Intermediate exam results on Friday, but results show that hundreds failed core subjects. Despite Malta having one of the highest per capita spend on education in the EU, 17% of students who sat for Maltese, 18% who sat for Maths and 14% who sat for an English language exam failed to achieve the minimum pass mark. Figures from the MATSEC board, indicate that 642 of the 3,706 who sat for Maltese failed, while this was true for 762 of the 4,162 students who sat for maths and 575 students of the 4,086 who did their English language exam. (Independent/Times of Malta)
Malta’s first space balloon let off into the skies
Malta’s first space balloon, the Stratos-1, was let off into the skies to capture never-seen-before aerial and space photos of the islands that will enable scientists to carry out studies of the Mediterranean stratosphere. The balloon soared 37km above Malta, collecting information about the atmospheric conditions, the depth of the seas and the health of its vegetation to provide one of the island’s first hyperspectral images — an exact map of the area.
The launch from Esplora at Villa Bighi followed the signing of a three-year collaboration between the Research and Innovation Ministry and the University of Malta, through its Institute of Space Sciences and Astronomy (ISSA), to make space more accessible.
Updated 0840 – Newspaper Review
L-Orizzont follows the case against Deelian Mifsud, charged with injuring Mohamed Hassan in Mġarr Gozo. A witness told the court that the defendant picked up the Somali man “like a sack” and threw him in the sea.
The Times says that O Level exam results issued yesterday show similar rates of success to 2019 in core subjects. The share of students who did not pass their exams was 18 per cent for maths, 17 per cent for Maltese, and 14 per cent for English language.
In-Nazzjon says that more than 9,000 students will receive their O Level and A Level exam results in the coming days. English, maths, and physics were the most popular O Level subjects while English, maths, and biology were the A Levels most sat for.
The Independent says that the Civil Protection Department has put out 513 grass or rubbish fires since the start of June. Rabat and Siġġiewi recorded the highest number of such incidents, with 28 cases each.
The Times reports that Australian-born athlete Jared Micallef is hoping to represent Malta in the Paris Olympics in 2024. The 23-year-old qualified for this year’s Olympics but skipped the events to concentrate on future events.
L-Orizzont says that doctors observe different symptoms in patients infected with the Delta Covid-19 variant compared with those caused by the original virus. The most commons indications are headaches, nasal congestion, and sore throat.
The Independent reports that new daily Covid-19 cases rose to 101 on Friday, the first time to reach over a hundred in a fortnight. Meanwhile, 119 recoveries lowered the number of active cases to 723.
In-Nazzjon reports widespread power cuts in Qormi and Żurrieq on Thursday night while residents in Baħrija reported low voltage for a number of weeks. Social media users complained about the damage caused to appliances.
L-Orizzont says that the World Health Organisation announced that it has green-lit mass testing on three medicines that hope to cure the coronavirus. The promising treatments are Artesunate, Infliximab, and Imatinib.
In-Nazzjon picks a post by Claire Chircop, the founder of the Karl Vella Foundation, sharing her experience with cancer on her birthday. She said that the challenges in the past year helped her to see life in a new light.
Morning Briefing
Malta urged to scale back Covid-19 aid: Assessors from the International Monetary Fund have asked the Maltese government to start scaling back measures aimed at easing the economic impact of Covid-19. A team from the International Monetary Fund met with government officials and heads of local regulators this week as part of a scheduled review of the island’s finances. The IMF is a United Nations body that seeks to foster global financial security, issuing balance-of-payments financing, as well as making forecasts and publishing outlooks on its members.
Covid-19 Update: 101 new cases were registered in the past 24 hours. Malta registered 119 recoveries as active cases stood at 723. 3,597 swab tests were taken.
Details on Sliema murder emerge: Christian Pandolfino and Ivor Maciejowski, the two victims of a homicide which last Summer had shocked the nation, owned at least €119,000 in jewellery, most of which was found on the body of one of the men, a court was told on Friday. Three items, included in this valuation, were retrieved from Albanian national Daniel Muka, one of the three men suspected to have murdered Pandolfino and Maciejowski at their home on Locker Street. All three suspects are pleading not guilty in separate proceedings which is being considered by police as a “poorly planned” robbery.
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