VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Storm Helios left its effect of weather conditions in the past hours across Malta and Gozo.
A search and rescue operation resumed on Saturday morning after a person fell into rough seas in Valletta on Friday. The Armed Forces of Malta dispatched an aircraft in the area, while the police and a medical team are onsite. The operation was suspended on Friday evening due to poor visibility and weather conditions.
The Civil Protection intervened to save 17 people who were trapped in their vehicles, buildings sustained structural damage and several stones were dislodged and at risk of crashing down.
Malta registered the highest ever recorded rainfall in February with 140.4mm recorded on Friday. This amount is also more than double the average for this month.
The effects of the storm are still very evident with several areas and services having been affected.
The strong waves that battered Maltàs shores smashed through the newly-built Gozo fast ferry terminal in Valletta, leaving destruction.
A 17th-century watch tower in Ghajn Tuffieha has partially collapsed due to the powerful winds.
The damage is widespread, including other historic locations such as Cittadella ditch in Gozo and the Bighi peninsula wall which has collapsed.

– photo Clean Malta –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

VALLETTA (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Storm Helios continues to batter Malta and Gozo on Thursday as various incidents were reported with the Civil Protection Department issuing a warning for the public to stay indoors.
A person was slightly injured after part of the ceiling at the VIP lounge of Malta International Airport collapsed. A spokesperson for MIA said that this happened because of the strong storm that has gripped the Maltese Islands in recent hours. The Airport advised that the hall is currently closed and that the necessary repairs will be made for the safety of the passengers.
Six cars were severely damaged after a parapet wall collapsed in Gharb, Gozo. No one was injured while members of the Civil Protection were on site to clear the debris.
Easterly gale force winds have seen many people encounter difficulties on roads. A number of roads are experiencing severe flooding while boats have been damaged as the rough seas and gale force winds hit the Maltese coast. This also led to a number of disruptions, including the suspension of voyages from Malta to Gozo.
The gale-force winds and strong seas caused serious flooding in coastal areas with people warned to stay away from these areas.
Due to the bad weather all outdoor activities planned for the feast of St Paul’s Shipwreck today and Friday have been canceled.
Satellite images show the extent of the storm hitting the central Mediterranean with thick clouds covering the whole stretch from Rome all the way down to Malta, with the south of Sicily taking the brunt of the storm.
The Meteorological Office at Malta International Airport has meanwhile issued an Orange warning as the weather is expected to get worse.
– photo by Enry di Giacomo –
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

ROMA (ITALPRESS) – The San Donato International Hospital Group has expressed its willingness to the Farnesina to send twelve doctors, four pallets of medicines and four ambulances to Syria, after the devastating earthquake that claimed thousands of lives in the night between 5 and 6 February. All assistance will be transported by aircrafts provided by the Foreign Ministry.
“We feel the duty to be present in Syria in these dramatic hours for the affected populations. We have decided to donate 4 ambulances and send 12 doctors to give our contribution by providing resources and assistance. We requested the support of the Farnesina and Minister Tajani whom we really thank for the commitment in these hours to allow us realize the proposed assistance”, said Kamel Ghribi, Vice-President of the San Donato Group.
In a speech on Mosaique FM, the main private Tunisian radio station, Ghribi made an appeal not to abandon the Syrian people who are experiencing the same tragedy as Turkey. And he contacted the President of the Syrian Red Cross to ascertain what are the most urgent needs of the population at the moment.
Ghribi pointed out that he had also contacted some Italian and Arab officials, to work with them on the organization of medical and logistical aid and rescue operations.
The President of the Syrian Arab Red Cross, Khaled Hboubati, noted that relief efforts in Syria are currently facing a number of obstacles, the first of which is the lack of adequate equipment to locate people under the rubble. For this reason, the Syrian Arab Red Cross has appealed to the European Union to lift economic sanctions against Syria.

Immagine uff stampa GKSD
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

VALLETTA (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta gone down in the corruption index, ranking 54th according to a report published by the Transparency International.
Transparency International released the 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) in which Malta recorded its worst ever score. Losing three points from the previous year, Malta’s score is well below the average of Western European and European Union countries.
Countries are ranked on a scale from zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). The Western Europe and EU average is 66. Denmark (90) tops the region and the world, with Finland (87) and followed by Norway (84).
Transparency International said that recommendations from the public inquiry into the assassination of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia are yet to be implemented in legislation, with continued concerns for media freedom and political interference in public media and for the fight against organised crime.
The report also added that a state of impunity is still persisting, and it remarked that there were no convictions in cases related to high-level corruption.
The report about Malta said that great independence and resourcing of the Maltese justice system is needed to uphold the rule of law.
– photo agenziafotogramma.it-
(ITALPRESS)

Source: medNews

VALLETTA (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The Maltese government has outlined its priorities as Malta will hold the Presidency of the United Nations Security Council from today.
Foreign Affairs Minister Ian Borg confirmed that Malta will convene four important meetings in the United Nations headquarters in New York, including one on the anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine.
The first meeting scheduled for this month will be held on 13 February, through a debate about the precarious situation of children in conflicts. A meeting about the increase in sea levels is scheduled for 14 February, and on 23 February Malta will host an annual meeting about relations between the European Union and the United Nations, which will be attended by the European Union High Representative on Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell. The last meeting, on 24 February, marks the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Malta will organise this debate with the participation not only of members of the UN Security Council but also of others affected by the war.
Minister Borg explained “these priorities are an integral part of Malta’s policies in regard to foreign affairs; being safeguarding of children, whether it is in the interests of people and the vulnerable when we speak about peace and security, climate change, and also the aspects of education and literacy.” He added these are themes related to ongoing international situation just as much as conflicts, particularly the war in Ukraine that will be an absolute priority for Malta. Minister Borg said attention will also be given to Israel and Palestine, Somalia and Iraq.
During Malta’s two years as member of the Council, it will also hold the Presidency in April of next year.
-photo agenziafotogramma.it-
(ITALPRESS)

Source: medNews

PALERMO (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The Guardia di Finanza in Palermo is carrying out a preventive seizure order of over €7 million requested by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Palermo. The suspects had obtained funds from the Sicilian rural development programme (PSR Sicilia) to construct a livestock farming complex with an attached slaughterhouse. They issued invoices with a higher price than the actual price of their expenses, which led to inflated invoices of over €12 million (VAT incl.).
The officials of the Sicilian Region, who were misled by the supposed over-invoicing, consequently attributed undue public contributions over €5 million to the company. In addition, the estimated damage of the tax fraud is of almost €2 million. Hence, a preventive seizure order of over €7 million was issued to recover the damages.
The European contribution to the Sicilian rural development programme (PSR Sicilia) amounts to 45% and is financed by the European agricultural fund for rural development (EAFRD).
The suspects used multiple contractual arrangements and related invoices between companies formally distinct from each other, but indeed attributable to a single business group, aimed at increasing the cost of the assets reported to the Sicilian Region for obtaining public subsidies.
The supplies subject to public contribution would have undergone purely paper-based “handovers” between several companies owned by the suspects with the aim to artificially increase the final investment costs submitted to the Sicilian Region.
foto Guardia di finanza
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The Maltese government has launched the operational programs of the European funds for Malta for the seven years between 2021 and 2027. The financial allocation exceeds the sum of €2.25 billion. It was negotiated by the Maltese Government and agreed at the European Council in June 2020. The Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela said that this largest allocation of European funds for Malta will change Malta in a tangible way for the next decade through more investment in people. The main objectives of the operational programs is for Malta to become more sustainable, resilient and digital in the future. Abela also referred to the need for more investment from European funds in Gozo, in the public health and mental health, as well as in the improvement of the touristic product and in farming and fisheries. He added that his government would invest from the European funding in more Natura 2000 sites, in natural parks and gardens, in water management and in measures that would secure less pollution including a new interconnector with Sicily.
The European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, said that the European Commission was partnering with the Maltese Government so that with these funds Malta becomes more modern and more competitive with the participation of everyone in a safer, greener environment, with an economy built on wisdom that leaves no one behind thanks to investment in education, research and innovation. She said that the ultimate goal was to make the Maltese economy more innovative. From 0.7 percent, this must rise to 2.3 percent of the GDP to reach the European average.
(ITALPRESS).
-photo credit xf3-

Source: medNews

ROME (ITALPRESS) – Kamel Ghribi, the Vice President of the Group
“San Donato” clinics, said that the group is ready to invest in the Tunisian health sector to contribute in creating “a strong and modern system of health care for all age groups across all the social strata”. This was reported by mosaiquefm.net, the former’s website Tunisian private radio.
Ghribi recently signed partnership treaties with the Egyptian government to invest in health and other sectors of the country. “As a Tunisian and an Arab, I am proud of my origins, and I feel that Egypt is the heart of the Arab world, the gateway to Africa and the bridge between the past and the future, and Tunisia the cradle of history, culture, arts and my homeland; deserves all the support, especially right now”, he said.
Ghribi emphasized the importance of “strengthening the historical ties between the two pillars of the Mediterranean so that both countries can unite to work together and encourage a single future for the North African and the Mediterranean region”.
Ghribi added: “Egypt is in the centre of the Eastern Mediterranean region and Tunisia is the gateway to Africa; the key to Europe and the bridge that connects the north with the south, so that less than an hour’s time separates Europe and the African continents. These serve and can be exploited in a way to make Tunisia a tourist and a medical treatment destination for the European citizen”, said Ghribi. It is “this Arab-Mediterranean cooperation that would be a strong supporter of Mediterranean relations, not only in terms of health, but also on a level of exchange of experience and which the Tunisian workforce enjoys a good reputation on a global level.”
He has also expressed his intention to hire “a good number of Tunisian nurses to employ them with the San Donato hospitals in Italy”.
He clarified “today we are ready to put all our efforts, relationships and all the skills and abilities of our hospital group at the service of the Tunisian and Arab citizens to reach the top levels in the field of care, training and
scientific rehabilitation and overcome the daily challenges that the citizens suffer in the health sector”.

Photo: GKSD
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Cannabis clubs will be able to apply for a license to operate in Malta as from the end of next month. However, they have to conform with a set of regulations related to the operations, cultivation, sampling, testing, packaging and labelling of the cannabis products.
The applications will be received by the Authority for the Responsabile Use of Cannabis. The Authority will issue the license and will see that the regulations and quality control are being observed. It has also the power to revoke or suspend the licence. The registration fee will be 1,000 euros while the license fee will be 8,750 euros for the first 50 members. The license will be valid for one year initially, renewable for three years. The clubs must be non-profit and that only cannabis grown in Malta can be sold. The clubs cannot exceed the limit of 500 members while their premises cannot be closer than 250 meters to a school or youth centre. Clubs cannot advertise their products or include references to cannabis in their name. The cannabis that is sold must include warning discouraging people from consuming cannabis. Cannabis can only be grown in a greenhouse or in a remote location. The income of the clubs must be reinvested in the operation of the club or in the wages of the workers while part of the income must be put in a fund intended for harm reduction.
-photo credit agenziafotogramma.it-

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The Maltese government has issued an exploration licence to a Maltese subsidiary of an oil and gas company based in Jersey to drill in two maritime zones of the souteast coast of Malta. The zone is considered to have the same characteristics of several offshore oil fields in Libya and has a hgh potentional for oil and gas. However previous attempts ended without positive outcome. The Ministry of Finance stated that Albion Energy Malta Ltd will have the right to explore zones two and seven, covering an area of around 18,000 square kilomteres for a period of two years. Albion Energy Malta Ltd is expected to carry put geological and geophysical studies on existing data. This is the first announcement of its kind in recent years. Over the past months no active oil exploration licences in Malta and its waters were awarded. Albion Energy has extensive history of drilling in several sub-Saharan African countries and is considered as one of the globol oil and gas producer. The company’s Chief Executive Officer, Tony Buckingham, is also the founder of Heritage Oil. The company was granted an oil exploration licence by Malta for the same two offshore zones in 2007.
(ITALPRESS).
-photo credit agenziafotogramma.it-

Source: medNews