Some restaurants plan on closing or cutting operations until restrictions are eased

Jan 21 2022

A new survey has found that around 14% of restaurants may shut down temporarily following the introduction of mandatory vaccination for entry into their establishments. Struggling with lack of staff and poor custom due to the new measures, half of the respondents to the survey claimed they had no option but to reduce operations. Only a third want to run the business as usual.

The survey was carried out by the Association of Catering Establishments, which revealed that the impact in the first week was already a huge blow. Associations representing catering and hospitality establishment have been warning of the impact before the restrictions were put into effect. More than a third of restaurants have one or more frontline staff member who is not vaccinated. This means they could no longer work, with some some having taken the Sputnik vaccine or others not recognised by the EMA and Malta.

The ACE said that many staff are leaving the industry since they do not need to be vaccinated in other sectors. ‘If the government wants to impose vaccination, then it should take responsibility for it and not put the burden on businesses. It should also consider the different vaccinations that are now accepted in other EU countries. The Ministry of Health has shown it is detached from reality and yet again is playing Russian roulette with the livelihood of restauranteurs’ they said.

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Malta’s Airport wants to bring at least 2 million tourists this year

Jan 21 2022

Malta’s International Airport plans on attracting at least 2 million tourists to the island this year. This is the double amount of tourists which Malta managed to bring in back in 2021.

This target was unveiled by Communications Associate Michela Catania during an interview on TVAM. She explained how, last year, around 2.5 million tourists and Maltese passenger passed through the airport. This means 1 million tourists and 1 million Maltese passengers.

This was a 65% decrease over 2019, which was a record year for the arrival of passengers. Catania emphasised how last year a significant increase was noted, even though the Omicron variant landed a heavy blow.

Other foreign markets managed to recuperate better than Malta however as they did not have the same travel restrictions. Whereas in Malta tourists required a vaccine certificate to enter, other countries simply required negative PCR tests or recovery certification.

Speaking about last year, the first six months were essentially lost, said Catania. She stated that tourists in Malta should be required to present the same documentation that they present in other countries. This would make them more likely to travel to Malta as it facilitates travelling.

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Doctor claims stinky farts can make people go blind

Jan 21 2022

So, there might be a reason why some farts are called silent but deadly as according to one doctor, really stinky farts can, theoretically, temporarily blind you. Dr Anthony Youn, who is a holistic plastic surgeon from Michigan, was responding to a comment by someone who claimed to have gone blind for three minutes after farting.

Despite happening in very, very extreme cases, it turns out there could be a reason for the sight loss. The medical professional explained the science behind the phenomenon. In a video, Youn said that although it is very unlikely, ‘if the gas you pass is extremely pungent, it could contain large amounts of hydrogen sulphide.’ This chemical is very effective at reducing blood pressure.

‘If a fart reduces blood pressure to the central retinal artery, your silent but deadly toot could theoretically make you go blind.’ The clip garnered a whopping 3.1 million views on social media platform TikTok. Some people were utterly surprised by the revelation, but some seemed already experienced in this occurrence.

This follows a former reality star being rushed to hospital for farting too much after she made $200,000 farting in jars, prompting her to announce her retirement.

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Photo Source: Jam Press

Man who witnessed Dembska murder thought Abner was doing push-ups

Abner Aquilina follows court case via video link due to being quarantined

Jan 21 2022

The beginning of the compilation of evidence against Abner Aquilina for the murder and rape of Paulina Dembska kicked off today.

However, the suspect followed the court case via a video link due to being placed in quarantine and thus not being able to present in court. The 20-year-old from Żejtun denies attacking and killing Dembska, 29, at Independence Gardens on January 2nd.

As the court case went on, it was revealed that a man is believed to have witnessed the rape of Paulina, but thought he saw a man doing push-ups. The man was allegedly walking early on in the morning when he saw a man who he assumed was doing push-ups.

He then saw a pair of woman’s legs beneath him, noticing as well that the man had his trousers down. No sounds were being made by either person, with the man himself listening to the rosary on RTK and thus couldn’t hear very well.

Further details also emerged, revealing that he followed two men prior to murdering Dembska, placing a key between his knuckles when approaching them and that he related to the main character of ‘A Clockwork Orange.’

When asked about how he killed Dembska, Aquilina made noises and pointed towards his knees and the bottom of his shoe. He also claimed that he didn’t ‘want to hurt [Dembska] that much.’

During the interrogation, Aquilina stated that he heard voices from the devil on the night of the murder. He was later found in the Balluta church causing a commotion. Investigations had stopped after Aquilina was admitted to Mount Carmel.

According to court reporting, Aquilina’s quarantine was confirmed today at around 10:23 am, with Abner joining via the link a few minutes before. The case is ongoing with new details emerging.

The case is set to continue on February 4th, with the magistrate checking the medical certificate and stating that Abner is due to be out of quarantine on January 27th. The next date will b Friday February 4th.

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Photo Source: Kamra tal-Periti