Second autogas station opened – car conversion incentives planned
The government intends to announce, at the appropriate time, incentives to encourage conversions of cars to use gas, Transport Minister Joe Mizzi said today.
He was speaking at Liquigas Malta opened its second AutoLiquigas fuelling station at J. Micallef Service Station below Mdina.
The main incentive will consist of a €200 grant.
The first AutoLiquigas fuelling station was opened last year at Malta International Airport service station. A third will open later this month and Liquigas is working towards installing dispensers at fuelling stations across Malta and Gozo.
The Chief Executive Officer of Liquigas Malta, Roberto Capelluto, said market response so far had been good and it was therefore natural to increase the number of fuelling stations.
Gas is cleaner and cheaper than petrol or diesel, selling at €0.73 per litre.
Vehicle LPG conversions are being carried out by three authorised autogas installers. LPG conversion results in a dual-fuel car, that is a car that can run on either LPG or petrol at the flick of a switch, even while driving. The cost of an LPG conversion is between €700 and €1,200, depending on the vehicle being converted.
Updated: Gozitan run over during argument
A 54-year-old man from Victoria is in a critical condition after he was run over by a car this afternoon following an argument.
The police said the man was run at Qbajjar in Gozo at about 3.30pm following an argument with a 63-year-old man from Zebbug, Gozo.
The argument apparently started over the cutting of some branches.
The 63-year-old got into his Daihatsu Terios and drove towards the other man, running him over and grievously injuring him.
The 63-year-old also suffered injuries during the argument.
An inquiry is being held.
Drink link to child balance probed
Drinking in moderation through pregnancy does not harm a baby’s neurodevelopment – but this could be because affluent mothers are more likely to do so, according to new research.
Children whose mothers consumed the equivalent of a glass of wine a day were able to balance as well as those who had not been exposed to alcohol in the womb.
Almost 7,000 10-year-olds were asked to take part in balance tests, which are an indicator of prenatal neurodevelopment.
The drinking habits of their mothers had been recorded during and after pregnancy, with those who drank three to seven glasses of alcohol a week classed as moderate drinkers.
Social advantage could be a large factor in the findings, as the research found mothers who were more affluent and better educated were more likely to drink in moderation.
Mothers from a working-class background were more likely to abstain from alcohol through pregnancy, to drink heavily or binge drink.
The study, which has been published by the journal BMJ Open, was led by John Macleod, from the University of Bristol’s School of Social and Community Medicine.
“Most of the women in this study either didn’t drink at all or if they did drink, they didn’t drink...
Updated: Two hurt in 12th May Fireworks Factory incident
Two men were hurt in an explosion at 12th May Fireworks Factory, near Zebbug this afternoon. They are a 57-year-old man from Ta' Xbiex and a 33-year-old man from Msida.
The older man was grievously injured in his upper body, the younger one was slightly injured. They were taken to Mater Dei Hospital by ambulance.
Sources said the two men were mixing material in one of the 12 rooms at the complex, which is located near San Blas, when the explosion took place. Other people in the complex were not injured
The blast took place at about 4.15pm.
A team of paramedics, the police, rescuers of the Civil Protection Department and members of the Bomb Disposal Unit, are on the scene.
Red meat linked to diabetes risk
Eating larger amounts of red meat can heighten the chances of developing diabetes, researchers have found.
Raising consumption by more than half a serving a day was associated with a 48 per cent increase in risk over the next four years.
Lowering red meat consumption by the same amount led to a 14 per cent reduction in risk.
Scientists analysed data from three studies involving around 150,000 men and women. Diets were assessed by means of food questionnaires.
The researchers recorded more than 7,500 cases of type 2 diabetes.
“Increasing red meat intake during a four year interval was associated with an elevated risk of T2DM (type 2 diabetes mellitus) during the subsequent four years..” the authors, led by An Pan, from the National University of Singapore, wrote in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.
“Our results confirm the robustness of the association between red meat and T2DM and add further evidence that limiting red meat consumption over time confers benefits for T2DM prevention.”
Commenting on the research in the journal, US expert William Evans, from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, wrote: “A recommendation to consume less red meat may help to reduce the epidemic...