LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The Maltese health authorities confirmed that three people died of dehydration and another passed away because of hyperthermia over the weekend as Malta is experiencing one of the longest and worst heatwaves in its history with temperatures reaching above 40 degrees.
The health authorities stated that 34 people had died in the past weekend, mostly due to cardiovascular conditions or chronic exacerbations of other chronic conditions. During the past few days, elderly people needed medical attention from hospitals and health centers. Between July 17 and 21, four patients were admitted to Mater Dei Hospital’s emergency department as a result of heatstroke, sunstroke, hyperthermia, and sunburn.
The deaths come as Malta struggles through a week-long heatwave coupled with a series of power cuts. An outage was also reported at Mater Dei Hospital in the early hours of Tuesday after backup generators failed to operate. An investigation is being carried out by the health authorities.
Malta has entered into its eleventh day of widespread power outages, with the Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela announcing the launch of a compensation scheme to address the recent power outages. The scheme will provide relief to those affected by the faults in the electricity distribution system, offering compensation for losses incurred, particularly spoiled food and essential items stored in refrigerators and freezers during power outages.
The Leader of the Opposition Bernard Grech has asked Prime Minister Robert Abela to declare a state of emergency regarding the ongoing power cut crisis.
Many families spent sleepless nights without electricity and businesses threw away perishable goods and suffered a bad reputation. He insisted that giving the public compensation is not enough, as the people deserve to be helped as soon as possible. Last week, the Nationalist Opposition called for Parliament to urgently convene to discuss the so-called national electricity crisis, however, this request was not accepted by the government.
Meanwhile, the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development will be meeting to discuss the continued power cuts, following a request by the Malta Chamber of Commerce. Prime Minister Robert Abela said that he has asked the MCESD chairman to summon social partners to meet to discuss what he described as “the present climate challenges, energy and the ongoing and upcoming works to strengthen the electricity distribution system”.
The Malta Chamber of Commerce has said that the ongoing electricity crisis has caused a lot of turmoil within the business community, with the hospitality sector saying that the power cuts not only caused hotels and restaurants financial losses but have also led them to suffer reputational damage. “This current state of play cannot persist and worst of all repeat itself – the right decisions and timely investment need to be taken now. This country needs to have a long-term economic and social vision that goes beyond the political spectrum”, it urged.
Power cuts left thousands without water supply. A number of localities’ water supply has been interrupted after a boosting station stopped working.

– Foto: Agenzia Fotogramma –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta registered on Monday a new record of electricity demand on the same day which also set a new temperature record for July. Enemalta, the State energy provider said that the peak energy load reached 649MW surpassing the 600MW mark for the first time last week.
The Meteorological Office has confirmed that the temperature on Monday afternoon peaked at 42.7°C, equaling the highest temperature ever recorded in July in Malta since records started to be kept. The record temperature ever recorded in Malta to date is 43.8°C, recorded during a heatwave in August 1999.
The heatwave has caused an energy crisis that has frustrated and outraged the public and embarrassed the Maltese government. The Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association stated that the numerous power cuts that have plagued Malta in the past week have not only caused hotels and restaurants financial losses but have also led them to suffer reputational damage.
“Many tourists who found themselves in hotels without electricity have turned to social media complaining that their vacation was ruined with some also giving low scoring reviews to hotels on booking platforms. The same applies to restaurants affected by power cuts whose patrons were disappointed. These restaurants lost precious peak season opportunities as they were not able to function without electric energy,” it said.
In view that such phonomena caused by climate change is here to stay, the association called on the Maltese government “to take urgent action and address various difficulties which currently are impacting the tourism industry, risking to seriously damage the identity and reputation of Malta being a truly beautiful and authentic Mediterranean destination.”
Meanwhile, power outages persisted on Tuesday for the tenth consecutive day, despite Enemalta assuring the public on Sunday that electricity had been restored to those affected by cable outages. Enemalta said that it has so far repaired 45 out of 64 high voltage cable faults and workers were dispatched to address another five faults that developed over Sunday night, in order to restore electricity supply to the affected areas.

– photo di xf3/Italpress –
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The Libyan authorities are coordinating efforts with neighbouring countries like Tunisia and Malta with regard to the difficult conditions facing immigrants on land and during their tentative to reach the European coasts.
In the last hours, five bodies of sub-Saharan migrants have been recovered in a desolate area near the border between Libya and Tunisia. Libyàs interior ministry said the bodies were found during patrols near the border areas with Tunisia between Dahra and Tawilat Al-Rutba. Dozens of sub-Saharan Africans are stranded near the Libyan border and say that the Tunisian authorities removed them to this border area from the city of Sfax. The Tunisian government then moved them to shelters in two towns, but rights groups said that dozens are still stuck there in very difficult conditions, left thirsty and hungry in an unprecedented heatwave.
The Libyan Red Crescent and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have provided the necessary relief for about 400 stranded migrants on the Libyan-Tunisian border, a quarter of them are children in urgent need. In a tweet, UNICEF indicated that they have provided drinking water, food, and hygiene kits to meet the immediate needs of the migrants. The Libyan Red Crescent made an urgent appeal to humanitarian organizations to help illegal migrants stranded on the border between Libya and Tunisia.
Meanwhile, the Libyan Minister of Interior, Imad Al-Trabelsi, and his accompanying delegation have arrived in the Maltese capital, Valletta, to attend the Libyan-Maltese joint naval exercises (Dolphin 1). Al-Trabelsi was received by the Chief of Staff at the Maltese Ministry of Interior, the Maltese government’s special envoy to Libya for interior and national security affairs, and a number of members of the Libyan mission in Malta.
The participation of the two Libyan boats “Wadi Ghan” and “Wadi Kaam” of the General Directorate of Coast Security comes within the framework of joint security cooperation between the two countries to combat illegal immigration and transnational organized crime.

– photo: Agenziafotogramma –
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

TUNIS (ITALPRESS/MNA) – A loan for a total amount of US$87.1 million (the equivalent of 267.56 million dinars) for the financing of a project to support the inclusive and sustainable development of the cereal sector was signed on Wednesday in Tunis by the Minister of Economy and Planning, Samir Saied and the Deputy Director General of the AfDB North Africa Regional Office, Malinne Blomberg.
During the signing ceremony, the Minister said that the AfDB loan, which will be repaid in 24 years, with a grace period of 4.5 years, will increase the storage capacity from two to three months of the country’s needs, through the modernization of the silos in Rades and Bizerte and the building of a new silo at Djebel Djelloud and the relaunch of grain transport by rail.
-photo Agenzia Fotogramma –
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – A week-long power cuts that hit Malta, left many tourists leaving the island early than expected while restaurant owners confirmed damages to equipment due to power outages. The peak of the tourism season was badly by a strong heatwave that engulfed the Maltese islands with temperatures over 40 degrees celcius which also caused a series of electricity faults in Malta and Gozo.
The Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association said several hotel owners all over the island reported early check-outs. The Association criticized the Maltese government for not taking action on a report presented by the Association urging the government to invest in energy distribution as it might have serious issues to satisfy the demand.
The Association of Catering Establishments said that tens of restaurants were forced to close early or not open at all their establishment. In contrast, others had to throw away refrigerated products.
However, the State energy provider has announced that it has restored electricity supply to all the customers affected by the high voltage cable faults, as repairs on the numerous faults that have occurred in recent days are ongoing. More than 60 high-voltage cable faults have been reported since last Monday.
Meanwhile, a national protest is scheduled next Thursday against the “corruption, incompetence and carelessness which are leading to the unbearable situation of repeated and long power cuts.” The protest organised by Alternattiva Demokratika will be held in front of Parliament.

foto: Agenzia Fotogramma

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela stated that the immigration problem is better handled through sustainable economies. Abela was addressing the international conference on the immigration situation in the Mediterranean Sea. He insisted on the importance that Africa should be treated as an equal partner to Europe so to have economic cooperation.
Abela was one of a number of world leaders from European Union countries, Africa, other Mediterranean countries, and Arab Gulf countries who met in Palazzo della Farnesina in Rome, together with representatives from international organizations and leaders of European institutions.
Abela praised the work done between the countries of origin of immigrants who escape their country to reach Europe, the transit countries, and ultimately the destination countries for these immigrants.
He praised the initiative of Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to organize and host the conference and put on the agenda economic cooperation with countries further afield of Europe, including in Africa, on the agenda. Abela said that this is in conformity with the position that Malta has consistently pushed when it comes to the topic of immigration.
Abela remarked that there has to be a clear and collective message against human trafficking, particularly in the face of the ugly realities in the Mediterranean where vulnerable people have lost their lives. “This is a moral obligation for all of us,” Abela said while adding that the repatriation of people who do not qualify for asylum must be done in a safe and efficient manner.
Abela referred to the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and said that the Covid-19 pandemic should not stop the implementation of these aims or work on larger challenges such as climate change.
At the end of the conference, leaders agreed on a number of conclusions including those about the founding of the ‘Rome Process’ – an important framework for the implementation of collective work in favour of stability and economic development, while addressing the immigration question from its roots while also keeping in mind the implementation of the obligations declared in the Paris Agreement on climate change.

foto: Doi

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

ROME (ITALPRESS/MNA) – “Today a dialogue between equals is inaugurated, based on mutual respect between Europe and the southern Mediterranean”. In the introductory speech of the International Conference on Migration and Development at the Farnesina, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said: “Italy and Europe need immigration but we cannot give the signal that those who enter illegally will be rewarded”.
“We need a common commitment and more collaboration to fight the network of traffickers” who manage illegal migration.
-photo by Agenzia Fotogramma-
(ITALPRESS)

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta is facing a crisis following six consecutive days of power cuts as the country is facing one of the longest heatwaves in history. While a number of localities are still left without electricity, the Meteorological Office issued a red alert, warning the temperature is expected to continue reaching over 40°C until at least mid of next week.
People are sleeping outdoors. Shops particularly supermarkets had to throw away frozen food and other refrigerated items worth thousands of euros. Businesses had to close down. Mental health patients were left in panic as the mental hospital was plunged into darkness for more than hours. According to local reports, “Some patients were screaming, panicking, and shouting. Nurses had to use their mobile phones to walk around. They had to give out the evening tablets by using mobile phone light”.
Enemalta, the State energy provider described the situation as “abnormal” with an increase of 8% in the peak load. 42 electrical faults over four days were reported some 22 are still being repaired, 12 of which are “works in progress”. The State energy company is blaming high temperatures for damaging underground cables.
The Nationalist Opposition has called on Energy Minister Miriam Dalli to resign and asked for parliament to be reconvened for an urgent session on Saturday to address the “national crisis” issue of the numerous blackouts the country has experienced this week. The Opposition’s request was refused by Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela.
The Leader of the Opposition Bernard Grech stated: “We are experiencing and living during a national crisis,” adding “elderly, vulnerable people, families and businesses are suffering due to the lack of electric services. Power cuts have been ongoing for days”.
However, Energy Minister Miriam Dalli declared: “My focus is on addressing this challenge, and options for compensation will be tackled later. Dalli said that she “cannot exclude further consequences from the heatwave”.
European Parliament President and Nationalist MEP Roberta Metsola accused the Labour administration of a long list of shortcomings. “The government has failed. Failed in traffic management, planning, and development, electricity, and infrastructure. Failed to find solutions and ensure that by the year 2023, people are not living without energy. Failed in harnessing solar energy and renewable solutions”.
photo Enemalta
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Maltàs national airline announced that it has cancelled 10 flights to Catania Airport from today till next Tuesday. In a statement, Air Malta confirmed that the decision was taken as a result of the recent fire at Fontanarossa airport.
The cancellations were imposed by the Italian airport authority on airlines and flight schedules to and from Catania Airport due to aircraft movement limitations.
Air Malta said, “this is an ongoing situation with more information to be updated as and when received”.
photo Agenzia Fotogramma
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

VALLETTA (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Three passengers lost consciousness on an Air Malta flight, the airline said in a statement. The incident happened on Thursday afternoon.
The incident has led to delays for both KM614 and its return flight, KM615 from Rome to Malta where the aircraft was preparing for its scheduled departure to Rome.
“Flight KM614 Malta to Rome experienced an incident whilst on the ground because of a combination of the extreme temperatures exacerbated by an air-conditioning fault. During this event, three passengers onboard the aircraft lost consciousness due to the unprecedented soaring temperatures”.
Air Malta added, “these passengers were swiftly attended to by the cabin crew on duty and supporting medical emergency services. All customers were duly disembarked onto buses back to Malta International Airport terminal and provided refreshments before the provision of onward travel to Rome”.
-photo Agenzia Fotogramma-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews