VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta has urged the European Union to strengthen its ties with countries on the southern shores of the Mediterranean, arguing that the region’s future depends on closer cooperation.

Foreign Minister Chris Fearne made the call while addressing the MED9 conference in Trogir, Croatia.

“The Mediterranean is not a border. It is a shared region,” Fearne said, stressing that Europe needed to engage more closely with its southern neighbours.

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(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

MADRID (SPAIN) (ITALPRESS) – Luis de la Fuente’s Spain will have to do without Ferran Torres for their next two Nations League matches, tomorrow in Oviedo against the Czech Republic and then on Tuesday in Split against Croatia.

The Paris Saint-Germain forward has left the national team camp due to severe discomfort in his left ankle. He has been replaced in the squad by Real Madrid’s Carlos Espì.

– Photo Ipa Agency –

(ITALPRESS)

Source: medNews

FLORENCE (ITALPRESS) – Honest Ahanor has left the Italy senior national team camp to join the Under-21 squad in the coming hours. The team returned overnight to the Olympic Preparation Centre in Tirrenia following yesterday’s victory over Armenia and will face Poland in Pescara on Monday in a decisive match for qualification for the final phase of the European Under-21 Championship.

The Crystal Palace defender did not travel to Paris yesterday, where Italy will face France tonight in their third Nations League group match. Instead, he remained in training at the Federal Technical Centre in Coverciano alongside eight other Azzurri players.

– IPA Agency Photo –

(ITALPRESS)

Source: medNews

VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) rapporteur Baroness Shami Chakrabarti has welcomed Malta’s plans to advance long-awaited media reform legislation, while calling for meaningful public scrutiny before the bill is adopted.

Chakrabarti is preparing a report on Malta’s unfinished implementation of recommendations linked to the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

In a statement, she said legislation protecting media freedom was essential to implementing recommendations arising from the public inquiry into Caruana Galizia’s assassination.

But she cautioned that simply introducing legislation would not be sufficient.

The rapporteur said the reforms must properly address the issues identified by the public inquiry and stressed the importance of transparency and engagement with stakeholders.

Chakrabarti also referred to the Venice Commission’s position that draft legislation should be made publicly available with enough time for meaningful consultation.

“Before the media legislation is adopted, it is essential for stakeholders to analyse the bill, comment upon it, and for their comments to be properly taken into account,” she said.

Her comments follow Justice Minister Clifton Grima’s announcement this week that the government expects to introduce its media reform bill “in the coming weeks”.

Grima said the legislation would be given a high priority in Parliament and that the government was putting the “final touches” to the bill following its latest consultation process.

The government published a White Paper on media reform last year, proposing safeguards against unfounded defamation proceedings that could impose disproportionate financial pressure on journalists.

The proposals also included changes to libel and defamation procedures.

Chakrabarti’s work is part of a PACE process examining the “unfinished implementation” of measures arising from the Caruana Galizia case.

The process followed a motion for a resolution tabled in July 2025.

– Photo Ipa Agency –
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

RABAT (MOROCCO) (ITALPRESS) – Morocco’s trade deficit increased by 25.4% to $29 billion (282.6 billion dirhams) in the first eight months of the year. The Office des Changes disclosed the figures in its monthly report published today by media outlets in Rabat, citing an increase in energy and sulfur imports. Imports rose 15.8% year-on-year to $63.8 billion (617.5 billion dirhams), while exports increased by 8.7% to $34.6 billion (334.8 billion dirhams).

Energy imports rose by 32.6% to $9.9 billion (96.3 billion dirhams), driven by higher diesel and fuel oil prices. Wheat imports, meanwhile, fell by 18.4% to $960 million (9.3 billion dirhams) thanks to an improved domestic harvest. The automotive sector, which includes Stellantis and Renault plants, remained the main driver of exports, reaching $11.9 billion (116 billion dirhams), up 14.5%.

Morocco, which holds the world’s largest phosphate reserves, recorded a 6% decline in exports of the mineral and its derivatives, including fertilizers, which fell to $6.3 billion (61 billion dirhams). Imports of sulfur, a key component in fertilizers, nearly tripled to $2.8 billion (27.2 billion dirhams). Remittances from Moroccans living abroad increased by 9% to $9.9 billion (89 billion dirhams). Tourism revenues rose by 9.7% to $10 billion (97 billion dirhams), while foreign direct investment reached $4.8 billion (47.3 billion dirhams), up 17%.

– IPA Agency Photo –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

ROME (ITALPRESS) – “Club Deportivo Eldense officially announces its acquisition by Leo Messi.” With this statement, the Spanish second-division club revealed that it has been purchased by the Argentine star and former Barcelona champion. The club from Elda—a city in the Valencian Community located about 25 km from the provincial capital, Alicante—“founded in 1921, thus opens a new chapter in its history, with the ambition of consolidating its position and growing within professional football,” the statement issued this evening reads.

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

TRIPOLI (LIBYA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Libyan Interior Minister Emad Mustafa Trabelsi met with executives from Rapiscan Systems and S2 Global in the United States; these companies specialize in security inspection technologies and management and protection solutions for ports, borders, airports, and crossing points.

According to a statement released by the Libyan Ministry of the Interior on Facebook, the meeting was part of the minister’s visit to the US and focused on the latest non-intrusive inspection technologies—including systems for vehicles, containers, cargo, baggage, and individuals, as well as for the detection of explosives, narcotics, radioactive materials, and prohibited substances. Both companies are part of the American group OSI Systems.

During the meeting, the companies presented their range of systems for airports, ports, border crossings, and critical infrastructure, including X-ray equipment for baggage, parcels, and cargo; systems for vehicles and containers; detectors for explosives and hazardous materials; and image analysis solutions.

The meeting aligns with Libya’s initiative to modernize its border crossings and frontiers, shifting gradually from traditional inspection methods to non-intrusive systems, image and data analysis, and risk assessment.

The project, the result of 14 months of technical and operational engagement, includes training for Libyan personnel and knowledge transfer to establish an integrated inspection system across ports, airports, and land borders, thereby supporting efforts to combat smuggling and irregular migration.

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

MANCHESTER (ENGLAND) (ITALPRESS) – As previously announced, Manchester City has confirmed that it filed an appeal yesterday against the findings of the Premier League commission, which had ruled the club guilty of all alleged breaches of financial regulations covering the period from 2009 to 2018.

“The club’s firm position is that, for a variety of reasons, the findings contain clear errors of substance, law, principle, and fact, and are unreliable,” read City’s statement. “The club is innocent of the charges brought by the Premier League, and there is a substantial body of irrefutable evidence supporting its position in this case. We will continue to respect due process and are necessarily limited in what we can add until all proceedings have concluded.”

Meanwhile, the Football Association (the English governing body) has issued a statement, noting that “the independent Commission’s decision has significant implications for the integrity of the game. We are carefully reviewing the decision and its implications and will take appropriate action where necessary. As proceedings between the Premier League and Manchester City are ongoing, we do not intend to make further comments at this stage. However, we will continue to monitor developments closely.”

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

COPENHAGEN (DENMARK) (ITALPRESS) – “Today is match day. I want to focus on the match. Then we’ll head to the Dragão and focus on the game against Norway. After that, we’ll certainly have time to talk about this. For now, the matter is closed.” Speaking to RTP ahead of the match in Copenhagen, Portugal ct Jorge Jesus sidestepped the topic of Ronaldo following yesterday’s dramatic fallout, which saw the player leave the national team camp. “The squad is highly motivated and believes in the project,” he added, speaking to Canal 11 and Sport TV. “It’s been a crazy few days. I have years of experience in football, and I know I did nothing to derail our progress. My conscience is completely clear.” The Ronaldo issue will be addressed after Sunday’s match against Norway—“without running away from it. But he is an icon and a key figure. That is not in question.” Ruben Neves also preferred to steer clear of the subject: “Our total focus is on the match and what we need to do on the pitch. We are all consummate professionals; there will be time to discuss these matters, but today our focus is on Denmark.”

– photo IPA Agency –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

NYON (SWITZERLAND) (ITALPRESS) – UEFA has confirmed receipt of extensive documentation from Real Madrid regarding the ongoing investigation into Barcelona concerning the “Negreira case,” which involves José María Enríquez Negreira, the former vice-president of the Spanish Technical Committee of Referees. According to a statement, the new documents have also been forwarded to UEFA’s Ethics and Disciplinary inspectors, who will examine them as part of the ongoing investigation.

– photo IPA Agency –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews