VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Gozo was hit by a major electricity outage on Friday evening after two of the three 33kV high-voltage feeders supplying the island from Malta developed faults.

Enemalta said technical teams were working to locate the faults so repairs could begin, while additional teams and mobile generators were being deployed to restore supply where technically possible.

With only one feeder operational, the network lacked sufficient capacity to supply all affected customers. One of Gozo’s two distribution centres was also affected.

Electricity was being restored progressively as alternative sources became available, Enemalta said, while apologising for the disruption, particularly amid the prevailing extreme heat.

The outage, however, quickly reignited anger among residents and tourists, with social media posts expressing frustration at yet another major power interruption during a sweltering summer.

Many questioned how Gozo and Malta could continue experiencing widespread blackouts despite repeated assurances and significant investment in the electricity distribution network.

Nationalist Party leader Alex Borg was among those directly affected, experiencing a power cut while conducting home visits in his Gozo district.

In a video posted on Facebook, Borg said his aides told him that “more than half of Gozo had no electricity”.

“In 2026, we shouldn’t still be experiencing this type of power cut,” Borg said, calling for Energy Minister Miriam Dalli to take political responsibility.

Borg also called for the Public Accounts Committee to discuss an Auditor General-commissioned report and questioned the government over more than €100 million it says has been invested in Malta and Gozo’s electricity distribution system.

The latest outage comes as Malta faces its second heatwave of the summer, with temperatures expected to feel as high as 46°C over this weekend.

Health authorities have warned that prolonged exposure to extreme heat can cause serious illness, particularly among elderly people, children, pregnant women and those with chronic conditions.

The public has been urged to drink water regularly, avoid strenuous activity during the hottest hours and remain in cool or shaded areas where possible.

The extreme weather has also been accompanied by continuing deteriorating air quality caused by a major Saharan dust cloud crossing the central Mediterranean.

Monitoring stations operated by the Environmental and Resources Authority have recorded poor to very poor air quality in several locations, while Għarb in Gozo was reporting moderate conditions.

The heatwave is expected to ease from Sunday into Monday, with maximum temperatures forecast to fall by around 4°C.

Nevertheless, temperatures will remain above 30°C, with “feels like” temperatures reaching around 36°C in the coming days.

– photo IPA Agency –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – At the trial in Malta over the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, prosecutors have asked the jury to convict businessman Yorgen Fenech, who is accused of ordering and financing the killing.

Caruana Galizia was killed by a car bomb near her home in Bidnija on October 16, 2017. In closing arguments, prosecutor Anthony Vella said Fenech had “Daphne’s blood on his hands” and argued that his involvement was central to the murder.

According to the prosecution, the motive was linked to the journalist’s investigations into Fenech’s business interests, in particular 17 Black, a company registered in Dubai and identified as belonging to the businessman according to the prosecution’s reconstruction, and the Electrogas energy project, in which Fenech held a stake.

Fenech, 44, denies any involvement in the murder and rejects the charge of conspiracy to commit the crime. The defence will now present its closing arguments. Judge Edwina Grima will then sum up the case before the jury, which will retire to deliberate on the verdict.

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

ROME (ITALPRESS) – After the defeat against Fenerbahce that eliminated his Lyon team from the Champions League, Paulo Fonseca responded bitterly to journalists’ questions: “Maybe I’m a s**t coach, but in hindsight it’s easy to talk.” Today, on the eve of the Ligue 1 match against Le Havre, the Portuguese coach puffed out his chest, citing the improved points average under his management: “The numbers speak for themselves: I’m the best coach in Lyon’s recent history (since 2020-2021, ed.), with average investment. I won’t talk about anything else. The numbers are hard to dispute,” said the former Roma and AC Milan player, who then added: “I accept all criticism when it’s logical. But we live in an era where, when we win, we’re the best. When we lose, we’re the worst. That’s just the way it is. In this profession, we have to deal with it and be strong. But I think it’s important to remember the truth. Because when you keep repeating the same lies, they end up being accepted as truth. And the truth comes from the numbers,” Fonseca recalled.

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

ROME (ITALPRESS/MNA) – A powerful explosion caused by the Israeli army rocked the town of Mansouri, in the Tyre district of southern Lebanon, at dawn. The Lebanese newspaper L’Orient le Jour reported that shortly thereafter, at 7:00 a.m., Israeli military vehicles advanced toward Houla, in the Marjayoun district, in the direction of Wadi Slouki. The troop movement was accompanied by artillery fire and machine gun fire during search and rescue operations in the area.

The night was marked by a series of incidents in southern Lebanon. Around 10:00 p.m., the strategic hill of Ali Taher was hit by artillery fire, as was Dohet Kfarremane, in the Nabatiye area.

Shortly after midnight, a powerful explosion rocked Aita el-Shaab and Haddatha, in the Bint Jbeil district, followed by another blast in Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, in the Nabatiye area, the newspaper adds, while helicopters carried out search operations in Kantara and Wadi Slouki, in the Marjayoun district. Around 1:00 a.m., Wadi Houjeir, in the Bint Jbeil area, was hit by artillery fire.

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

ROME (ITALPRESS) – The case of the match between PSG and Rennes has been settled. Due to the unplayable pitch at the Parc des Princes on the season opener, both the first and second legs could have been played at Roazhon Park. The first match was supposed to be held in Paris, but the condition of the pitch forced the League to move the game to Rennes. Now, a solution has been reached for the second match, scheduled for March. The Ligue de Football Professionnel has decided to change the venue for the matchday 23 match. Rennes-PSG will therefore be held at the Parc des Princes. At the same time, Paris Saint-Germain has been fined €150,000.

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

ROME (ITALPRESS) – Celtic and Rangers will play their next Scottish Cup home match behind closed doors. The Scottish Football Association imposed the sanction following the disturbances that occurred in last season’s quarter-finals at Ibrox.

After Celtic’s penalty shootout victory, visiting fans invaded the pitch to celebrate, while home supporters did the same in an attempt to harass the opposing fans. The two Glasgow clubs will also have to pay the visiting team £100,000 for their next Scottish Cup home match.

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

TRIPOLI (LIBYA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Libya’s energy crisis continues, with prolonged blackouts affecting Tripoli and several regions of the country, as citizens take to the streets to protest power outages lasting more than ten hours a day in some areas, including roadblocks and tire burning in and around the capital.

According to local sources, the electricity shortage is accompanied by a new fuel crisis, with long lines at gas stations and increased demand for gasoline and diesel for private generators, exacerbating the difficulties of families and businesses. T

he electricity system suffers from a growing imbalance between production capacity and demand, exacerbated by deteriorating infrastructure, delays in high-voltage line projects, and heat waves that reduce plant efficiency.

Protesters are demanding immediate solutions and that service issues be kept separate from political struggles. Technical teams are working to repair faults and bring generation units back online to avoid a complete blackout. The government has not yet announced a plan to resolve the crisis.

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – More than 100 consecutive days without rain and temperatures reaching 41.2°C. In Malta, an extreme summer has coincided this year with a worrying development: no sea turtle has successfully completed nesting on the islands of Malta and Gozo. Several turtles reached the beaches but later abandoned their attempts to lay eggs.

The environmental organisation Nature Trust Malta has declared the sea turtle nesting season over, while volunteers will continue patrolling the beaches until the end of August. Marine biologist Alan Deidun, speaking to MaltaToday, said the absence of successful nesting in Malta should not be considered an isolated phenomenon.

Among the possible factors, he pointed to disturbance from human activities, changes in Mediterranean currents and rising sand temperatures. Sea temperatures, currently around 30°C, could also alter turtles’ migratory routes. Warmer sand can also affect the ratio of males to females at hatching.

Malta recorded six nests in 2025 and eight in 2024. According to Nature Trust, this year’s outcome shows how much climatic and environmental conditions are changing and how difficult it has become to take sea turtle nesting on Malta’s shores for granted.

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

PERUGIA (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Filling up with fuel in Malta costs up to one euro per liter less than in Italy, despite the archipelago having no refineries on its territory and importing nearly 39% of its refined petroleum products from Italy. This is according to an investigation by Corriere dell’Umbria, by director Sergio Casagrande, which lifts the veil on a true economic and market paradox. In Valletta, prices at the pump remain at significantly lower and stagnant levels: 1.21 euros per liter for diesel and 1.34 euros for gasoline, compared to an Italian average that far exceeds 2 euros per liter. The gap is not justified by a more lenient tax regime: the newspaper highlights that Malta is the European Union country with the highest percentage of taxes on the final price of fuel (56.3% on gasoline and 54.3% on diesel, compared to 51.9% and 43.7% in Italy). The substantial difference lies in the energy strategy adopted by the Maltese government. As explained in the report, the island combats inflation and speculation not with temporary emergency cuts in excise duties, but with a structural plan based on the deliberate use of hedging—financial contracts to hedge against international price fluctuations—combined with direct state subsidies. This system guarantees price stability for businesses and families, leaving open the question of the dynamics that govern price lists and the formation of prices passed on to Italian motorists. – Photo: Ipa Agency –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The murder trial of Maltese businessman Yorgen Fenech entered a critical phase on Thursday as the prosecution delivered its reply to the jury, revealing that police have sought to reopen the investigation into possible third parties involved in the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Prosecutor Anthony Vella made the disclosure during his closing address on the 50th day of proceedings at the Valletta law courts.

Vella said the inquiry concerning Fenech, the Degiorgio brothers and Vince Muscat was closed, but police had applied to investigate other individuals who may have played a role in the killing.

He stressed that the possible involvement of others could not exonerate Fenech, telling jurors: “This is Yorgen Fenech’s trial and no one else’s.”

Vella also rejected defence efforts to implicate former OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri and former minister Chris Cardona, reminding jurors that only Fenech was before them.

The prosecutor acknowledged that pardoned middleman Melvin Theuma was an accomplice and warned that his evidence should be treated with caution.

However, he argued that Theuma’s account was corroborated by other evidence presented during the trial.

Vella accused Fenech of repeatedly changing his version of events and alleged that he used money to continue paying the executioners.

Earlier on Thursday, defence lawyer Charles Mercieca concluded his nearly three-day closing address by urging the jury to find Fenech not guilty on the first two charges.

Mercieca repeatedly attacked Theuma’s credibility and renewed claims that Schembri was the “hidden hand” behind the assassination, while portraying Fenech as someone trying to help his friend.

Following the prosecution’s reply, the defence will make its final submissions before Judge Edwina Grima gives detailed directions to the jury.

The jurors will then retire to deliberate on the case.

Fenech is accused of financing, ordering and conspiring to assassinate Caruana Galizia, who was killed in a car-bomb attack on 16 October 2017. He denies all charges.

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews