VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta has achieved outstanding results in the European Commission’s eGovernment Benchmark 2025 report, emerging as the top-performing country in digital public services among all EU member states.

The report, which analysed the quality of online government services throughout 2024, awarded Malta a perfect score of 100 in both digital services for citizens and businesses. This surpasses the EU average of 82 for citizen services and 86 for business services.

Malta also ranked highest in several key digital areas, including user assistance, service transparency, citizen involvement, mobile accessibility, and online payment facilities. The data shows that Malta outperformed the EU average by around 18% in public digital services and by 14% in business services.

Prime Minister Robert Abela expressed pride in the achievement, stating that Malta now leads Europe in digital governance thanks to the commitment of the Public Service.

Principal Permanent Secretary Tony Sultana highlighted that this success reflects years of strategic investment in technology. He added that the results motivate the public administration to continue improving, particularly through the adoption of emerging tools like Artificial Intelligence.

Sultana also praised the dedication of public officers, whose efforts ensure that citizens can easily access high-quality digital services.

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LONDON (ENGLAND) (ITALPRESS) – For once, Serie A has come before the Premier League. Twelve days after the publication of the calendar of the top Italian championship, here comes the one of the most followed and admired tournament in the world. It will start early, but as usual for England in the week of August 15th. The first day between August 15th and 18th with the reigning champions Liverpool to open the picture, on Friday 15th, facing Bournemouth at Anfield. Kick-off at 21:00 Italian time, when Arne Slot and his boys will begin to defend the title won in the season just ended, with a 10-point advantage over Arteta’s Arsenal and 13 over Guardiola’s Manchester City, the most accredited rivals for the title fight again this season.

After the opening on Friday 15th, Saturday the lunch-match Aston Villa-Newcastle, then at 4pm Brighton-Fulham, Nottingham Forest-Brentford, Sunderland-West Ham, Tottenham-Burnley and, at 6.30pm, Guardiola’s new City playing on the Wolverhampton pitch. On Sunday, at 3pm, Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea, winner of the Conference, fourth in the season just ended, will measure their ambitions in the derby with Crystal Palace.

At 5.30pm the first big-match of the season, if only for the prestige of the two teams: Manchester United-Arsenal at Old Trafford. Finally, the closing on Monday with the newly promoted Leeds hosting Everton.

The second day offers other interesting challenges such as ManCity-Tottenham and Newcastle-Liverpool, the third Liverpool-Arsenal, the fourth the Manchester derby between City and United and for Guardiola’s team an important commitment also on the following day with the challenge on the Arsenal pitch.

Moving forward a couple of months, on November 8th Manchester City-Liverpool, with the return, in the asymmetric calendar of the Premier, set for February 7th at Anfield. The championship ends on May 24th.

Matchday 1 (15-18 August)
Liverpool – Bournemouth (15/8, 9pm)
Aston Villa – Newcastle (16/8, 12.30pm)
Brighton – Fulham (4pm)
Nottingham Forest – Brentford
Sunderland- West Ham
Tottenham – Burnley
Wolverhampton – Manchester City (6.30pm)
Chelsea – Crystal Palace (17/8, 3pm)
Manchester United – Arsenal (5.30pm)
Leeds – Everton (18/8, 9pm)

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

PHILADELPHIA (USA) (ITALPRESS) – “The Club World Cup is an incredible opportunity to show who we are, playing the sport we love”. Pep Guardiola and his Manchester City are ready to start again from the USA at the end of a season lacking in satisfaction.

In the same group as Juventus, the Citizens will make their debut today at 18:00 Italian time in Philadelphia against Wydad Casablanca and in the last six months the club has spared no expense to renew the squad: Reijnders, Ait-Nouri and Cherki are the latest to arrive, who join the various Nico Gonzalez, Omar Marmoush, Vitor Reis, Abdukodir Khusanov and Claudio Echeverri who arrived in January.

City brought 27 players to the USA: excluding Kyle Walker, Kalvin Phillips and Jack Grealish, all close to leaving. “I don’t want to have 24, 25 or 26 players when everyone is in form,” Guardiola reiterated, confirming that he had given the captain’s armband to Bernardo Silva. “I had some offers but like last year, I chose to stay at City,” the Portuguese said. The technical staff has also been renewed, with Pep Lijnders, Klopp‘s former assistant, joining in as well as Kolo Touré.

– Photo IPA Agency –

(ITALPRESS)

Source: medNews

ROME (ITALPRESS) – New troubles for David Coote, the former Premier League referee fired for insulting the then Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp, contained in a video that quickly went viral on social media. Now the Football Association has also opened proceedings against Coote for the alleged violation of FA rule E3.1, which governs cases of offensive expressions.

“The referee is accused of having acted inappropriately and/or having used offensive and/or insulting words, contrary to FA rule E3.1”, reads a note from the FA. Among the charges there is also an aggravating circumstance “as defined in FA rule E3.2, as there is a reference, express or implicit, to nationality”.

– Photo IPA Agency –

(ITALPRESS)

Source: medNews

VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Residents who wish to report cannabis odour in their neighbourhoods can now do so directly to the Authority for the Responsible Use of Cannabis (ARUC) via a newly launched freephone service, 80002088.

Since the launch, ARUC has already received ten assistance requests, including complaints about cannabis odour in apartment buildings.

ARUC’s executive chairperson, Dr Joey Reno Vella, explained that people breaching cannabis use regulations may face fines up to €235. Upon receiving a complaint, the authority first contacts the person involved and attempts to find a solution. If the issue persists, ARUC officers will inspect the complainant’s residence.

Dr Vella emphasised that the process is administrative, not criminal. Offenders will not face criminal charges or have the fine recorded on their police conduct. Cases will be heard before the Justice Commissioner, and both the complainant and ARUC experts must testify under oath.

Cannabis smoking in public areas, especially near children, remains strictly illegal. Dr Vella also noted that cannabis associations must be located at least 250 metres away from sports facilities.

Additionally, if minors are found in licensed cannabis premises, fines can increase by up to ten times, reaching €10,000.

The latest reforms also grant ARUC the power to oversee commercial shops selling cannabis products and provide clearer definitions of psychoactive substances based on European standards.

– Photo IPA Agency –

(ITALPRESS)

Source: medNews

RABAT (MOROCCO) (ITALPRESS) – The fourth edition of the high-level meeting of heads of African counter-terrorism and security agencies, known as the “Marrakech Platform,” officially opened on Tuesday in Agadir. The event is co-chaired by the Kingdom of Morocco and the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT).

The two-day summit brings together around forty African intelligence and security services, along with approximately thirty delegations from the Middle East, Europe, the Americas, and Asia participating as observers. Representatives from United Nations regional institutions are also in attendance. Set against a backdrop of persistent and evolving terrorist threats across the African continent, this meeting builds on the momentum of previous editions held in Marrakech (2022), Tangier (2023), and Fez (2024).

The strong interest shown in this year’s Marrakech Platform by both African countries and international partners reaffirms its central role in shaping coordinated counter-terrorism efforts. The Platform has established itself as a key event for promoting the exchange of expertise, strengthening regional cooperation, and identifying priority areas for capacity-building in the fight against terrorism in Africa.

– photo MAP –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LONDON (ENGLAND) (ITALPRESS) – After playing the second part of the season in Serie A with AC Milan, Kyle Walker is ready to step onto the Premier League pitches again. According to “The Sun”, the English winger will return to his home club, Manchester City, but will then move to David Moyes’ Everton.

It remains to be decided whether he will move on loan or permanently, considering that the 35-year-old player has a contract with the Citizens until June 30, 2026. Fulham are also interested in the player, but the Toffees have the advantage and Walker would be happy to move to the Liverpool club with the aim of playing regularly and remaining in the national team where he has 96 appearances and where he hopes to reach the milestone of 100.

– photo IPA Agency –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LAUSANNE (SWITZERLAND) (ITALPRESS) – The TAS in Lausanne has rejected Drogheda United‘s appeal, thus confirming their exclusion from the next Conference League. The Irish club, in fact, is owned by the same group as the Danish Silkeborg – the American group Trivela – and UEFA rules prohibit the participation in the same European competition of two teams with the same majority shareholder. Since Silkeborg had a better placing in the championship (seventh against Drogheda’s ninth place), it will be up to the Irish to stay out.

– Photo IPA Agency –

(ITALPRESS)

Source: medNews

RABAT (MOROCCO) (ITALPRESS) – With 23 operational data centers, Morocco has established itself as the leading hub for digital infrastructure in Africa, surpassing South Africa. This was reported by Global Finance Magazine, which credits Morocco’s rise to the rapid digital transformation initiated in 2020, driven by the Digital Development Agency (ADD).

The Moroccan government has supported the sector through tax incentives introduced under the new National Investment Charter. A key factor was also a 2021 law requiring sensitive data to be stored locally, which encouraged the return of numerous digital archives to the country.

The main operators—Maroc Telecom, Inwi, Medasys, and N+One—control the majority of the facilities, while large banks manage their own data centres and smaller companies tend to opt for leasing solutions. The most dynamic regions are Casablanca-Settat and Rabat-Salé-Kénitra, thanks to extensive connectivity and reliable energy infrastructure.
The country is also attracting foreign investment: South Korean tech giant Naver has announced plans for a massive 500 MW artificial intelligence-focused data centre aimed at serving European markets. The project will capitalize on Morocco’s low electricity costs and its well-developed network of submarine cables.

The data centre boom is part of a broader digitalization wave that includes fintech, artificial intelligence, and online public services, as showcased at the recent Gitex Africa event in Marrakech, which brought together over 1,400 exhibitors and 45,000 visitors from 130 countries.

-Photo Yabiladi.com-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

ROME (ITALPRESS) – “Is it worth it for me to go to the national team to be insulted and booed? No”. This is the question and the relative answer that the Spain captain Alvaro Morata asked himself in the documentary that “Movistar Plus” presented today, entitled “Alvaro Morata. They don’t know who I am”.

In the documentary, the former Juventus and Milan player, currently at Galatasaray, talks about the problems related to depression and panic attacks that he suffered before the European Championship and from which he recovered thanks to the help of a specialist: “Is “It worth it that every time I go to Spain with my family, I have unpleasant experiences and people mock you, insult you, and laugh at you? I don’t know if it’s worth it. Is it worth it to keep coming to the national team only to be insulted and whistled at in the stadiums where you play wearing the national team jersey? It’s not worth it.”

Morata also talks about his separation from his partner, Alice Campello: “I was afraid of everything. I had a lot of horrible and self-destructive thoughts. It crossed my mind to fake injuries, so that I wouldn’t have to be on the pitch. Your head provides you with all kinds of things that make you avoid what makes you suffer. It was as if I were in a dark room, where everyone was staring at me. My head was sending me signals, messages and voices that told me horrible things all the time,” explains Morata himself in the documentary.

– photo IPA Agency –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews