Office kettles and fridge door handles could carry dangerous bacteria

Mar 6 2023

Ok maybe don’t tag your boss for this one. Office staff are being advised to seriously consider improving workplace hygiene after scientists found an influx of bacteria when examining communal kitchen items.

Scientists from the UK found evidence of bugs which are typically spread through faeces on items like fridge door handles, coffee machines, microwave buttons and even kettles.

A microbiologist from Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and chief researcher of the campaign named Dr Adam Roberts said that results predict that staff are not washing their hands thoroughly, or at all, after using the bathroom.

Dr Roberts and his team took swabs from shared kitchen areas in office spaces and construction worker break rooms and found various types of bacteria.

These included E.coli – a common bacteria known to cause gastro-intestinal illnesses -, pseudomonas – linked to respiratory infections -, and Klebsiella – which can lead to pneumonia.

The best way to combat this, the researchers said, is to practice good hygiene as much as possible. With fridge door handles being some of the most impacted areas, workers were encouraged to wash their hands often and clean after using the kitchen.

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“PBS has become Super One 2”; National broadcaster HQ plastered with Labour media branding

Mar 6 2023

Earlier today, a photo of the PBS headquarters plastered with Labour media branding began to make the rounds of social media, with the Nationalist Party and various other local figures addressing the situation.

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In a statement, the Nationalist Party stated that “PBS and Labour media have become one. PBS has become Super One 2.” PN spokespersons Graham Bencini and Michael Piccinino stated that PBS is censoring the PN and that is why the party will continue to insist that responsibility is claimed and action is taken against whoever took the decision to restrain the Nationalist Party.

The spokespersons went on to say that public funds must be used to benefit the public and “not just Robert Abela’s government.”

The is not the first local episode that addressed the state of controversial politics and media, with a string of constitutional court deliberations and Appeals Court confirmation finding that the Public Broadcasting Service breached the PN’s right in an impartiality case.

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Raising awareness on how EU funds are used; enormous restoration work at Fort St. Angelo

Mar 6 2023

The European Parliament Liaison Office held a widely-attended event of Fort St. Angelo in collaboration with Heritage Malta. The aim of the event was to raise awareness on how EU funds are used, with particular reference to the enormous restoration work carried out at Fort St. Angelo.

An introductory video by Heritage Malta kicked off the morning, where the audience were taken through the history of Fort St. Angelo and the state it was left in after the British forces left Malta in 1979. The initial talks were then followed by three simultaneous private tours offered in either English or Maltese.

The video and the physical tours focused in particular on how ERDF Funds were utilised in practise for the restoration of the fortification walls, the barracks and the Egmont Hall. The passage to the Sally Port was also rehabilitated and an interpretation centre and cinema hall were created.

The First Documentation of Fort St. Angelo was provided in 1241 by Giliberto Abate where Castrum Maris was mentioned. The Fort developed as a strategic defence point, particularly for the Knights of St. John during the Siege of Malta in 1565 and in 1800 it became a base for the 35th regiment of the British military. In 1912 it was know as HMS Egmont and later HMS St Angelo. In the years following 1979, projects to develop the Fort as a tourism resort were advanced. In 2007, the Maltese Government entrusted Fort St. Angelo to Heritage Malta to manage for restoration. In 2010, Heritage Malta developed as assessment plan and a basic financial estimate for restoration. In May 2011, an application for EU funding on the basis of the European Regional Development Fund was submitted. The goal was to make the fortress accessible and to ensure preservation as a tourist site for future and present generations.

The event, which was attended by a hundred-strong audience, was followed by a light and networking lunch.

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1,812,834 total guests welcomed by local hotels in 2022

Mar 6 2023

According to newly released information by the National Statistics Office (NSO), a total of 1,812,834 guests stayed in collective accommodation establishments in 2022.

This is an increase of 831,044 over the same period in 2021. The total nights spent increased by 3,593,362, reaching 8,204,068 nights.

Looking at the fourth quarter of 2022, the largest share of guest nights was reported in 4-star hotels, with 46.4% of the total. The average length of stay in collective accommodation establishments went down to 4.2 nights in the court quarter of last year.

This dropped from the average of 4.6 nights registered during the same quarter of 2021. The net use of bed-places stood at 49.8%, which is up by 8.9% points when compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year.

On a national level, there were 251 active collective accommodation establishments with a net capacity of 18,227 bedrooms and 41,809 bed-places in December 2022.

As per a regional breakdown, the total guests in Malta numbered 447,098, whereas the number of nights spent stood at 1,913,262. The total guests and nights in Gozo and Comino increased to 21,368 and 54,198 respectively.

This is up from 19,729 and 54,060. When compared with the same quarter of the previous year in Malta, the average length of stay went down by 0.4 of a night to 4.3 nights.

In Gozo and Comino, the average length of stay decreased by 0.2 of a night to 2.5 nights. The net occupancy rate in Malta increased by 9.6% points, reaching 50.8%. That in Gozo and Comino decreased by 3.0% points to 29.9%.

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