LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – A group of migrants are in distress in the central Mediterranean asking to be rescued, according to the international NGO Alarm Phone. The 25 migrants, including four minors, left from Libya two days ago. Alarm Phone said that the engine is not working and the migrants don’t have any food left. The NGO is urging for an immediate rescue.
Hours before, Alarm Phone alerted the authorities about another group of migrants in distress who escaped from Libya on a wooden boat. The group of around 100 migrants is running out of fuel and one engine stopped working.
Meanwhile, early this week, the Libyan coastguard chased two boats in Maltàs search and rescue area. According to the German NGO Sea Watch the “Libyan militias” intercepted 130 migrants and they were “forcibly returned to Libya, facing abuse.” In another incident, Sea Watch reported that the Libyan militia stole the dinghy’s engine and started shooting at the empty boat.
Libya serves as a transit country for migrants trying to reach Europe, particularly through the Italian coastline. According to the latest figures from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more than 153,000 migrants reached Italy this year from Tunisia, and Libya.
– Foto: Sea Watch International –
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The Maltese Government is at the center of a joint Europol investigation, called Operation Everest, as third country nationals with expired or false visas are allowed to move within Schengen countries. Recently, the Spanish police arrested third country nationals from Nepal in its fight against criminal gangs operating in human trafficking.
The investigations, so far, revealed that Nepalese workers are using Malta and Poland to access the Schengen area, stay for the minimum period required and then fly to their final destination, Spain. In November 2022, the Spanish Police intercepted a group that was trafficking Indian and Nepali workers with the ultimate goal of entering the United States, via Mexico. Eventually, 9 people were arrested for assisting 300 workers from Nepal to enter Europe through a false visa issued by India. A fee of €15,000 was paid to reach Europe and another €5,000 so that each one enter Spain and pass the necessary tests to obtain Spanish citizenship. This racket was run by a family with contacts in India, Nepal, Malta, Lithuania and Poland, and the group managed to obtain a false D-type visa from European consultancy agencies in India, which used to issue permits to people to live, study or work in the Schengen area for 90 days. The Spanish Police revealed how this clandestine operation unfolded with the involvement of European and Nepali companies; who offered false work and study opportunities with the premise that the visa is issued for this purpose. Third country nationals used to enter Malta first. Then, in Spain, the human traffickers would facilitate the exam questions and falsify the test results, with the help of certain Spanish language schools, to give their Nepali clients the opportunity to obtain Spanish citizenship.
(ITALPRESS).
– Photo credit: Malta Tourism Office –

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Two groups of migrants were rescued by the German humanitarian organization Sea Eye and are sailing towards the port of Brindisi after the Maltese Rescue Coordination Centre did not respond to the distress calls.
A total of 106 people were rescued by the crew of the sea rescue ship Sea Eye 4 in Maltàs search and rescue region. The two boats were spotted by the ship’s crew and the distress cases occurred in the Maltese search and rescue zone, south of Lampedusa. The ship’s head of mission then informed the responsible authorities.
Among those rescued, there were 40 minors of whom some are five and six year olds and are accompanied by their parents. Two unaccompanied minors aged 13 and 14 from Guinea and Mali fled alone.
The people on both boats stated that they had fled towards Europe from Tunisia on Tuesday night. They had fled from Eritrea, Guinea, Cameroon, Mali, Gambia and Senegal, among others.
The ship full of migrants is expected to berth in Brindisi on Friday afternoon. Nour Hanna, a volunteer doctor on board, confirmed none of the migrants were in a critical medical situation.
-photo Agenzia Fotogramma –
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Food inflation in Malta continue to rise according to a report issued by the Central Bank of Malta. In its Economic Update, the Central Bank food inflation rose to 7.5% in November from 6.8% a month earlier, even though the annual inflation decreased slightly to its lowest level in 12 months. Inflation stood at 3.6% in November, 0.1 percentage point lower than in October.
The decline was driven by lower inflation in several sectors with transport and communication going into negative territory and furnishings and household equipment slowing down to 3.2% from 4.5%. Inflation also slowed down in beverages and tobacco (down to 3.9% from 5%), while clothing and footwear fell by just under a percentage point.
Energy prices remained unchanged, reflecting the Maltese government support to maintain electricity and fuel prices stable.
-photo Agenzia Fotogramma –
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS) – Malta is expecting a record arrivals of tourists in 2024 with Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo saying that the authorities are expecting another historic year, with at least three million visitors expected to visit Malta by the end of next year.
“These positive results place a greater responsibility on us to continue making the necessary changes and reforms,” said Minister Clayton Bartolo, adding: “the priorities for the upcoming year will be primarily focused on attracting higher-quality tourists than ever before.”
The new record will surpass is the record set in 2019. Minister Bartolo said, “the real economic impact of tourism was to inject an incredible 2.8 euros billion into the Maltese economy alone”.
The Maltese government will be implementing an all-round skills reform, which targets improving standards in restaurants and various other establishments.
“We will introduce a comprehensive skills reform to enhance services in our restaurants and establishments. Moreover, we will intensify efforts in public cleanliness and maintenance,” Minister Bartolo added.
Recently the Tourism Minister has also warned restaurants against profiteering during the Christmas season, after complaints of sales being low despite tables remaining busy.
The Association of Catering Establishments confirmed that diners are spending less on their meals with establishments reported a reduction of 20% in sales.

– Photo Department of Information Malta –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The Irish authorities impounded a Maltese registered ship following a seizure of at least 300kg of cocaine with an estimated street value of €21 million. The MV Verila arrived in Foynes from Montreal in Canada. The Irish authorities also questioned the 20 crewmembers.
The cocaine was hidden on MV Verila, a Malta-flagged cargo ship and the discovery was made after the bulk carrier ship docked at the Port of Foynes. The drugs were found hidden in a bale which had a buoyancy aid and a beacon attached. This is a method used by maritime traffickers which allows the drugs to be thrown overboard and picked up by a so-called ‘daughtership’.
The vessel is owned by Navibulgar, a Malta registered company that also owns MV Ruen which has been hijacked by pirates few days ago. International action is underway to free the ship from the group of pirates who boarded it and seized its control near Yemen.
The vessel was carrying a cargo of steel to Turkey, and it was going to be distributed to traders in vehicle production. The hijacking of the vessel is raising concerns that it could lead to higher prices of various materials, including steel products. The hijacking of the vessel, which was sailing on a trip for Samsung, with material produced by the Korean company Posco, could lead to hampering the journeys with goods from Asia.
Turkish traders and buyers stated that ship owners and charter companies are avoiding the Red Sea and the Suez Canal and go for much longer routes such as around the Cape of Good Hope and the east coast of Africa. Some of these routes mean a journey of 35 days longer, in order to reach the Mediterranean, with the consequence that there may be an impact on various steel products. This is apart from concerns that European buyers may experience delays in receiving goods.

– Foto: Agenzia Fotogramma –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – New autonomous robots will soon be sweeping and scrubbing promenades and public places across Malta.
The fleet consists of 73 mostly electric vehicles, includes fully automated sweeper and scrubbing robots, street sweepers and rough terrain utility vehicles.
There are two types of automated robots among the vehicles: one can scrub and will be used for street cleaning while the other sweeps and will be on promenades, pedestrian zones and public spaces.
Narrow passageways, beaches and other restricted areas will be cleaned with the help of rough-terrain utility vehicles.
The vehicles costed 7 million euros, with 5 million euros coming from EU funding.
Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo said a national campaign is passing on the message that public cleanliness and maintenance need to be taken seriously. “If we don’t take this seriously, we risk losing our competitiveness as a tourist destination”.
Tourism Ministry permanent secretary Anthony Gatt said that street cleaning will increase significantly.

– Photo Department of Information Malta –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The Mediterranean Sea is increasingly becoming a cemetery: statistics show that the number of drowned migrants has reached 2,571 since the beginning of the year. These statistics show a 60% increase in deaths. This number includes only official data and the real numbers are believed to be much higher. Between January and July alone, the Tunisian authorities recovered 901 immigrants from the Tunisian coast. The latest episode occurred in recent days, when a boat sank and all the people on board lost their lives. This despite Malta, Italy and Tunisia having all been informed by Frontex of the danger they found themselves in. “Deaths in the Mediterranean are on the rise”, warns the non-governmental organization Medicines sans Frontiers, which condemns the European Union for “choosing to protect borders instead of saving human lives, which are lost at the rate of 8 people every day”. The International Organization for Migration noted that the number of deaths so far is much higher than last year’s 1,417 victims. According to the 3 October Committee, established after the 2013 tragedy near Lampedusa, in the last 10 years at least 60,000 people have drowned along the routes leading to Europe, of which over 27,000 in the Mediterranean, and thousands more are missing.

foto: Agenzia Fotogramma

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said that at least 61 out of about 86 migrants who were onboard a boat off the Libyan coast are feared dead. It is believed that high waves caused by a massive storm swamped their vessel after it left from Zuwara, on Libyàs northwest coast. The IOM confirmed that 25 migrants were rescued and transferred to a Libyan detention centre. They all received medical support from IOM staff in Libya and are in good health. According to some of the survivors, the migrants, including women and children, were from Nigeria, Gambia and other African countries. According to the United Nations refugee agency, Libya and Tunisia are principal departure points for migrants risking dangerous sea voyages in hopes of reaching Europe, via Italy. More than 153,000 migrants arrived in Italy this year from Tunisia and Libya. The United Nations has described the central Mediterranean migration route as the world’s deadliest, claiming hundreds of lives each year.
Flavio Di Giacomo, an IOM spokesperson, wrote on social media platform X on Saturday that more than 2,250 people died this year on the central Mediterranean migrant route, a “dramatic figure which demonstrates that unfortunately not enough is being done to save lives at sea”.

foto: Agenzia Fotogramma
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – HSBC UK Bank decided to close the contact centre operations in Malta following an extensive review of the locations that serve its customers. Although the decision means a loss of around 200 jobs, the operations of HSBC Bank Malta plc. will not be affected. The call centre was opened in November 2006.
The workers were informed by the bank during a specially convened meeting as part of a wider restructuring exercise to streamline its operations.
Around 30% of the staff are Maltese. Local authorities have held discussions to explore the possibility of impacted employees moving to new opportunities at other local contact centres. Local operators in this sector showed they had a large number of vacancies and would facilitate the rapid re-employment of the contact centre employees.
In a statement HSBC Bank Malta p.l.c. said it remains an active participant in the local economy and community and is committed to offering the best service to its customers.
The Bank confirmed its investment in Malta as announced in August. Throughout next year, the Bank will be replacing and upgrading its ATM network and it will officially inaugurate its new premises – HSBC Hub – a capital investment of €30 million.

– Foto: HSBC Bank Malta plc

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews