LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Maltese police seized a shipment of 100 kilos of cocaine hidden in a container that arrived at the port of Birzebbuga. The drugs, with a market value of 14 million euros, were hidden in 50 packages among cables sent from Guayaquil to Ecuador, but it was not disclosed whether the shipment was destined for the Maltese market.
This is the second major interception of a drug shipment this month, after 146 kilos of cocaine were found on a truck at the free port in Birzebbuga. In this case, too, the shipment had left from the port of Guayaquil.
(ITALPRESS).
-Photo: Police of Malta-

Source: medNews

TRIESTE (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The 2nd Italy-Serbia Scientific Forum was held at the Science Park in Trieste, organized by the Italian Ministry of University and Research, the Serbian Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation and the Serbian Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the Conference of Rectors of Italian Universities – CRUI. The event, which follows the first Scientific Forum held in Belgrade 2023, was opened by Ministers Anna Maria Bernini and Jelena Begovic. The initiative aims to strengthen scientific cooperation between Rome and Belgrade, promoting exchange and discussion between the players in the Italian and Serbian research and innovation system, also in view of next year’s bilateral Summit.

– Photo Italian Embassy in Belgrade –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

RIYADH (SAUDI ARABIA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud officially inaugurated the Riyadh metro network in Saudi Arabia yesterday, whose six fully automated lines total 176 km. The network, which sees the Webuild Group engaged in the construction of Line 3, the longest of the entire system, will contribute to the urban mobility needs of the capital, improving the quality of life of its residents and visitors, in line with the objectives of Vision 2030.

The Qasrl Al Hokm Downtown Station of the Riyadh metro, located near the Palace of the Governor of the Riyadh Region, stands out among the four iconic network stations. With a surface area of 20,000 square meters, its high-impact design features a large inverted cone in stainless steel, symbolizing the country’s development vision. “We are very proud to contribute to a project of such magnitude and importance, in support of a strategic infrastructure project for the Kingdom and its capital.

The Riyadh Metro is the mirror of a city where tradition embraces modernity,” said Pietro Salini, CEO of Webuild. “The metro network will respond to the needs of the Kingdom’s rapid growth, improving the quality of life of its residents and contributing to the reduction of traffic and the improvement of air quality. The project also represents a model for new sustainable infrastructure, capable of combining engineering technique and aesthetic beauty. The inauguration of the network is the result of great teamwork that has demonstrated the unique skills of our Group, developed by working on the largest sustainable mobility projects in the world. We have been present in Saudi Arabia since 1966, and have completed 90 projects in the Kingdom. To date, we have a programme of projects of interest to us of over 30 billion euros and Saudi Arabia is an area in which we want to continue to grow.”

“We are committed to the realization of large innovative projects. Through NEOM, we are building a Connectorhigh-speed lineand 3 dams in Trojena. We are a Group in great growth, with almost 92 thousand people in the world, 10 thousand people hired in 2024 alone, and 4 thousand engineers involved in design. Only companies of this dimensional scale can guarantee delivery capacity by working with a supply chain of 19,400 companies specialized in infrastructure and investing in quality, legality, innovation, safety, and training. Webuild has been a world leader in the water sector for years, both for desalination plants and wastewater treatment plants, as well as dams. On this front, we are very active, especially in the Middle East, where the issue of water scarcity is central, but we are at the country’s service to contribute to solving the problem in Italy too. For this reason, we have developed a proposal aimed at solving the water emergency in Sicily in the next two years with emergency and structural interventions, as a strategic partner of reference at the service of the country”, concluded Salini.

The Webuild Group has a historic presence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with its first works started in 1966. It is currently involved in significant projects, such as the Connector high-speed line and a system of three dams and a freshwater lake for the city of Trojena, part of the NEOM development programme. In Riyadh, a mega parking lot with 10,500 parking spaces is being developed entirely underground, and the Sang Villas Urbanization Plan. These works are in addition to the projects already completed, including the iconic Kingdom Centre in Riyadh, awarded the Emporis Skyscraper Award 2002 as the best skyscraper in the world for design, more than 70 healthcare facilities, and the Shuaibah-3 desalination plant, built by Fisia Italimpianti, a subsidiary of the Group specialized in water treatment and desalination. In the sustainable mobility sector, Webuild has undergone works such as the M4 in Milan and some of the most beautiful Art Stations of the Naples metro in Italy, the Cityringen metro in Copenhagen in Denmark, and the skytrain viaduct of the Sydney metro in Australia. The Group is currently engaged in the construction of technically challenging projects such as the Rome Metro Line C, for the Grand Paris Express, the recently awarded Line 15 West and Line 16, currently being completed, and the Suburban Rail Loop East in Melbourne, for which the Group signed the contract in recent days.

– Photo Webuild press office –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

ROME (ITALPRESS/MNA) – “As a country at the center of the Mediterranean, Italy knows it has a great responsibility: this government has shown it wants to play its part in global dynamics, in particular with regard to opportunities related to the development of economic interconnections”. This was stated by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during the tenth edition of the Rome Med Dialogues.

“I am thinking, for example, of the development of Imec, which aims to connect Europe with India,” continued Meloni, adding, “connecting the port cities of the Middle East and our continent, including Italy with Trieste on the map, would allow us to unleash enormous potential for our economy and our trade. Conceiving the Mediterranean as a global energy region is an extraordinary opportunity for everyone. We have already proposed Italy to become the main hub for connecting energy between Africa and Europe. Energy connections are one of the pillars of the Mattei Plan with which we aim to become the European gateway for Mediterranean with regard to gas and hydrogen”.

Meloni emphasized, “We want to build an increasingly secure and stable geopolitical space based on equal cooperation, not on exploitation or charity.”

“Our challenge is to enable African nations to make the best use of the resources they have and live with stable governments and prosperous societies. Until now, the right not to emigrate has not been guaranteed,” she continued. “We need to give these people a chance to have a future of dignity, growth, work and opportunities: true solidarity and respect can only be achieved in this way and that is what we have been working on since we took office. We are trying to Europeanize the Mattei Plan to create synergies between different tools that operate with the same objective.”

Meloni said that following the Italian government’s suggestion at our instigation, Von der Leyen has decided to introduce a portfolio dedicated to the Mediterranean into the new European Commission and to work on a plan for the Mediterranean, an initiative we are looking at with great attention and towards which we are ready to provide full cooperation. “This scenario demonstrates a change towards the southern area of Europe and this is due to the Italian motivation: this change is particularly visible in the way of managing the migratory flows, as demonstrated by the support for the memoranda signed with Tunisia and Egypt. The commitment is on the one hand to create development, on the other to fight traffickers’ networks: it is a path that must be consolidated to increasingly combat illegal immigration”.

– Photo Agenzia Fotogramma –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Maltàs Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo has resigned following a report published by The Times of Malta, that his wife, Amanda Muscat received payments which amount to around 50,000 euros from a private company linked to Italian cyclist Valerio Agnoli in 2023, and which financial investigators suspect were a kickback for a Malta Tourism Authority contract.

The payments considered as “suspicious” by the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit – Maltàs anti-money laundering body – have been flagged to the police on suspicion of money laundering.

The Times of Malta reported that the payments were transferred to Bartolòs wife Amanda Muscat over a period of about six months. The Italian cyclist describes himself on social media as Visit Maltàs head of sponsorship.

Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela forced Clayton Bartolo to resign as a minister and Labour MP after the newspaper sent questions querying the matter last week.

Agnoli was hired by the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) in 2021 on an “ad hoc” basis to promote cycling tourism. The arrangement was formalised last year with Agnoli being put on what a Tourism Ministry spokesperson described as an” all-inclusive remuneration of 20,000 euros per annum”.

Muscat was hired by an Agnoli-linked company in mid-2023, roughly 18 months after her job as a ministry consultant was terminated. Her work at the Agnoli-linked company ended in December of that year.

Bartolo was also forced to resign from Labour’s parliamentary group and will now serve as an independent MP.

A spokesperson for Clayton Bartolo confirmed that his wife was “given work on an assignment basis” by an international company connected to Agnoli. The work consisted of Muscat “assisting” in a number of cycling related international initiatives in Equatorial Guinea, Italy, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. “This assignment had absolutely nothing to do with Malta and bore no relation with the work being done by Agnoli for the MTA. Muscat was not employed with the said company, but was providing an assignment-based service, as every private citizen has a right to do. Indeed, she fulfilled her tax obligations in accordance with her income”.

The Tourism Ministry spokesperson said Agnoli provides his professional services in the product and marketing directorates at the Malta Tourism Authority, mainly focusing on cycling tourism. “He has been pivotal in Visit Maltàs strategy to penetrate the cycling world, notably the Giro D’Italia. He lends his expertise to the Authority in managing its branding partnership with the professional cycling team Eolo-Kometa”, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said Agnolìs brief includes the organisation of an annual training camp in Malta, coordinating the activities between the MTA and Vatican Cycling, coordinating the activities relating to the Giro D’Italia, advising the authority on the international cycling world, and assisting the MTA with the development and implementation of cycling tourism product within the Maltese islands.

This is the second time a job given to Bartolòs wife has landed the former Minister in deep trouble. In 2020, Bartolo made his wife and then-girlfriend a ministry consultant. Muscat was his secretary at the time. In March 2021, she was transferred to Clint Camillerìs Gozo Ministry and given a pay bump, shifting her salary up to €68,000 a year. However, Muscat continued to work as Bartolòs secretary, while earning a consultant’s salary – including a €20,000-a-year “expertise allowance” that regulations state should only be given in “exceptional circumstances”.

The Standards Commissioner found no evidence that Muscat – whose sole qualifications were a couple of A levels and whose previous job experience focused on secretarial work and not on any consultancy work for either ministry.

Bartolo initially offered a conditional apology for the breach, saying “no one is perfect” and saying calls for him to resign were based on “political spin”.

– Photo Department of Information Malta –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

RABAT (MOROCCO) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Morocco plans to launch the first tenders in 2025 for the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline project, a strategic infrastructure intended to connect the two countries through several African states. The announcement was reported by the Telquel newspaper.
The project, initially presented in 2016 during the official visit of King Mohammed VI in Abuja, aims to strengthen energy cooperation in Africa, with a particular focus on the supply of natural gas and the development of renewable energy.
The first phase of the pipeline will involve Morocco, Mauritania and Senegal, where tenders for the construction of the infrastructure will be issued. A private company will be in charge of managing the operations, including construction, operation and maintenance of the pipeline.
With a planned length of over 5,600 kilometers, the pipeline will cross 16 countries located mainly along the Atlantic coast of Africa. The total investment is estimated at 25 billion dollars, while the maximum capacity of the pipeline will be 30 billion cubic meters of gas per year.
In addition to meeting local demand, a significant part of the gas will be exported to Europe. Economic and technical studies already carried out have confirmed the feasibility and profitability of the project.
In addition to the transportation of natural gas, there is the possibility of including a pipeline dedicated to the transportation of green hydrogen, a step towards the growing needs of renewable energy.
The National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines of Morocco (ONHYM), in charge of implementation, plans to establish a project management authority in 2024. This supervision will be essential for the final approval of the agreements between the participating countries, paving the way for the start of construction scheduled for 2025.
The Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline is a key project for the energy integration of the African continent and for strengthening Moroccòs role as a regional energy hub.

– Photo IPA Agency –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

VALLETTA (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta’s Environment Minister Miriam Dalli expressed satisfaction with the significant increase in financial support for vulnerable nations following two weeks of rigorous discussions which were held in Baku, Azerbaijan during COP29 summit. The fund is set to increase from $100 billion to $300 billion each year by 2035, aimed at assisting these nations in adapting to the effects of climate change.
Meanwhile, Malta has shown a measured sense of hope regarding the end results where a worldwide consensus on climate action was achieved.
“This conference particularly highlighted the annual financing that will be allocated to the most vulnerable nations,” Dalli stated. “Malta was one of the voices advocating for increased contributions, from both public and private sectors, to ensure the effective support of this fund.”
Malta played a significant role in influencing the global adaptation goals, as Minister Dalli and her Austrian counterpart engaged in negotiations on behalf of the European Union. The established stance sets the stage for ongoing dialogues at the upcoming climate conference in Brazil next year.
Malta voiced its disappointment regarding the insufficient advancements in mitigation, greenhouse gas emissions. “Reaching a robust agreement on adaptation is gratifying,” Dalli remarked, “yet it is evident that some nations showed minimal readiness to engage in initiatives that could truly tackle mitigation and lower greenhouse gas emissions.”
Dalli pointed out that numerous countries continue to depend on fossil fuels like coal and heavy fuel oil for their energy needs, which poses a significant obstacle to making substantial progress in reducing global emissions.
-photo Agenzia Fotogramma-
(ITALPRESS)

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The number of Maltese residents who travelled abroad this summer increased by 10 per cent over the same period last year. According to the National Statistics Office Italy remained the most popular destination, with a share of 44.1 per cent of total tourist trips. During the quarter under review, a total of 196,271 outbound tourist trips were for holiday purposes, followed by 44,598 trips for visiting friends and relatives. Most outbound tourists were aged between 25 and 44 (44.9 per cent), followed by those within the 45 to 64 age bracket (26.6 per cent). Outbound tourists towards EU and non-EU countries increased by 11.6 and 4.4 per cent respectively, when compared to the same quarter of 2023. The total nights spent by outbound tourists in the third quarter of 2024 almost reached 1.9 million nights, an increase by 3.6 per cent. The total estimated expenditure by outbound tourists between July and September stood at €267.5 million, equivalent to an average of €979 per capita.
(ITALPRESS).
-Photo credit: Agenzia Fotogramma-

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela met with Antònio Costa, who is set to take over as president of the Council of the European Union. The meeting was held at the Auberge de Castille in Valletta, and focused on the agenda for the EU’s new legislature, with an emphasis on advancing the bloc’s policy agenda under Costàs leadership.
Costa, formerly Portugal’s socialist prime minister, is on a European tour visiting various capitals ahead of his appointment to the council presidency next month. The Council of the EU, comprised of heads of government from EU member states, plays a central role in shaping the bloc’s policies and direction.
The council defines the general political direction and priorities of the European Union, grouping EU heads of government.

– Photo Department of Information Malta –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

ROME (ITALY) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – A training course dedicated to Italian companies that wish to acquire skills to operate in the geographies included in the Mattei Plan, which aims to create commercial relationships and enhance Italian excellence. It is the “Africa Champion Program”, launched by Sace with the patronage of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and with the support of the mission structure for the implementation of the Mattei Plan of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers together with institutional actors such as the Ice Agency, Cop, Simest, Confindustria Assafrica & Mediterraneo and Càmara de Comèrcio Mocambique-Itàlia, which will officially start in 2025.
“It is a training and meeting program with those who may be the new players with whom Italian companies can interact in Africa. Together with the world of Italian institutions and the actors of the system, we want to accompany this approach towards Africa and we can do it because we start from what is our knowledge of that territory. Since the beginning of the Mattei Plan we have already carried out 1.2 billion initiatives and we are starting from here to ensure that there is even greater impetus for SMEs to enter Africa”, explained Alessandra Ricci, CEO of Sace, underlining how the current geopolitical situation is not creating difficulties because “it has affected other areas. We had already identified Africa as one of the potential so-called gate countries, in fact, we are opening a new office in Rabat in Morocco in addition to the other two offices in Cairo and Johannesburg”.
For Alessandro Terzulli, Chief Economist of Sace, it is “a continent with high potential, it is positioned to capture some macro trends that will increasingly assert themselves such as the demographic one, that of the development of a middle class, urbanization, the technological one. A driving approach is necessary for our companies to be able to seize the potential, but it is also important to shape the bilateral aspect”.
The project is divided into two phases: a training course divided into 3 modules with vertical insights on Ivory Coast, Egypt, Morocco, Mozambique, Tunisia, Kenya and on three key sectors: energy, infrastructure and agri-food; Business Matching, or a second phase dedicated to the creation of business opportunities through business matching sessions, between Italian companies and African counterparts, also within the scope of Sacès push strategy program.
Africa Champion Program is just the beginning of a series of opportunities for discussion and sharing of visions and concrete tools to support Italian companies that are interested in approaching the African market or that are already present and intend to strengthen their presence in the geographical area. Africa looks to the future with the momentum of a region that, after difficult years, aims to be the next protagonist of global growth. Despite the usual, profound differences between the over 50 countries that make up the African continent, positive signals are emerging from markets of interest for our companies. Trade between Italy and Africa has already shown considerable potential during 2024, reaching 60 billion euros, as shown by Istat data collected by Sacès Sudi Office. The forecasts for 2025 are positive: an increase of 7.7% is expected in North Africa and 8.5% in Sub-Saharan Africa, considering 14 billion and 6.5 billion respectively of Italian exports recorded in 2023. In this context, Sacès new approach for Africa has seen a growing exposure to the continent: from 2022 Sace has approved 1.2 billion in 2024, the start date of the Mattei Plan. To the traditional export credit offer, in collaboration with the Mission Structure of the Mattei Plan, Sace has added push operations to strengthen the role of Italian companies in Africa, identifying high-potential geographies such as Ivory Coast, Senegal and the first Push Strategy operation in Benin, granting a guarantee to cover a loan of 120 million euros destined for the Ministry of Finance of Benin. Furthermore, Sace has guaranteed the first financing of 100 million euros to the multilateral development bank Trade Development Bank (TDB) to promote sustainable growth and African regional integration, increasing export opportunities for Italian companies.
(ITALPRESS).
-Photo credit: xb1/Italpress-

Source: medNews