LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The NGO Alarm Phone accused the Armed Forces of Malta of giving orders to a merchant ship not to intervene to save a group of migrants in the Maltese search and rescue area. The NGO added that the Armed Forces of Malta was monitoring the group of 88 migrants from the air.

However, the group of migrants, including a baby and 27 unaccompanied minors have been rescued by Ocean Viking – a humanitarian vessel chartered from July 2019 by SOS Mèditerranèe.

The humanitarian NGO explained that the group was on board an overcrowded wooden boat when they found themselves in distress in the Libyan search and rescue region after the engine had broken down.

There are currently a total of 181 migrants on board the Ocean Viking.
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The newly elected President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola made her first official visit following her election last month.
On Thursday she met with George Vella, the President of Malta describing the discussions as “very interesting”.
During the meeting, Metsola emphasised on the importance that the European Parliament reaches out to people in all EU Member States and the importance of bringing the European project closer to the citizens of the bloc.
Vella and Metsola also discussed the role of the EU in confronting challenges brought about by the global pandemic and globalisation. Maltàs role within the European Union was also discussed.
President George Vella said there was a need for greater awareness about the European Parliament’s work and how this impacts the daily lives of the European citizens.
He added that the discussions with the newly elected President of the European Parliament gave a clear explanation of the vision and goals with which Metsola is carrying out her duties and functions.
Moreover, both sides discussed the challenges in the Mediterranean and the current escalation of tension between Russia and Ukraine.
Later in the day, Metsola paid a visit to the site in Bidnija where Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was assassinated outside her family home on 16 October 2017.
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The Vatican confirmed that Pope Francis, 85 will be visiting Malta for two days in April. This was announced this morning by Apostolic Nuncio Alessandro D’Errico during the Pontifical Mass celebrating the national feast of St Paul’s Shipwreck.
Nuncio D’Errico announced that Pope Francis will be in Malta on 2 and 3 April. He said the Pope will visit Valletta, Rabat, Floriana and Hal Far, and Gozo. In Hal Far, Pope Francis will most probably will be visiting the centre hosting migrants. However, further details about the pastoral visit will be published in the coming weeks. A delegation from the Vatican will soon be visiting Malta in preparation ahead of the visit.
The Archbishop’s Curia has already published the logo which will be used in connection to the papal visit. The chosen theme for the upcoming visit “they showed us unusual kindness” was taken from the Acts of the Apostles referring to the shipwreck of St. Paul and how the apostle found the Maltese people to be extraordinarily welcoming, which has given Malta a reputation for hospitality.
The Maltese government said the apostolic visit comes after Prime Minister Robert Abela visited the Holy See in October when it was discussed.
Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela said this will be an opportunity for Malta to unite and means that the Holy See looked at Malta in a positive manner. “The news was emotional,” he said, adding he looked forward to welcoming the Pope” among the Maltese people.
Pope Francis’ first apostolic journey to Malta was scheduled for 31 May 2020. However, the Covid-19 pandemic, disrupted the original plans.
The Holy See did not wish to visit Malta close to an electoral campaign, and it is expected it that Prime Minister Robert Abela will seek the dissolution of Parliament within a few weeks, so that an election can be held in mid-March.
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta was referred to the Court of Justice of the European Union by the European Commission over the dumping of sewage waste into the sea.
The decision by the commission was taken following Maltàs failure to comply with the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive. According to the European Commission, Malta should have been compliant by end of March, 2017.
“The main issue in Malta is the performance of the waste water treatment plants. The Maltese agglomerations have a municipal collecting system in place and the waste water is being directed to a treatment plant, however, the waste waters exiting the treatment plants do not meet the quality requirements of the directive”. This situation, the Commission said, is mainly due to the discharge of farmyard waste (animal manure) into the municipal waste water system, a long-standing problem in Malta, which hampers the performance of the treatment plants and for which the authorities have not yet found solutions.
The Commission said that despite some progress, the Maltese authorities have not fully addressed the grievances. The Commission considers that efforts by the Maltese authorities have to date been unsatisfactory and insufficient.
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Former EU commissioner for health John Dalli was charged in connection with an alleged 60 million bribery bid aimed at overturning an EU-wide ban on snus, a form of smokeless tobacco, at the time when he was European Commissioner.
Dalli, 73 pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him.
Police Commissioner Angelo Gafa, who was an inspector at the time of the scandal, took the witness stand in Court during Wednesday’s sitting.
Dalli is being charged over a €60 million bribe which he allegedly sought during his time as European Commissioner to influence the EU’s tobacco legislation and allow the sale of snus. At present, snus is only legal in Sweden through a derogation.
Dalli resigned from European Commissioner in September 2012 following an investigation by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) that showed he had been in contact with his former aide Silvio Zammit who allegedly solicited a €60 million bribe from a Swedish tobacco company seeking the end of a retail ban on its products.
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The Russian navy is expected to sail close to the Maltese islands to carry out military exercises including missile-firing over the Maltese airspace.
According to a local report the military excercises are expected in the coming days or weeks. Two Russian fleets will be based in the Mediterranean Sea, outside the Maltese territorial waters to carry out these military exercises.
The Maltese Foreign Affairs Ministry did not confirm and neither denied the report published by the Opposition’s media in Malta. Questions sent to the Ministry have remained unanswered.
Foreign affairs observers remarked that these military exercises could lead to disruption of traffic in Maltese airspace. This is because these missiles are fired up to 60,000 feet, when aircrafts fly on an average between 30 and 40,000 feet over the Maltese airspace. This also means that aircrafts scheduled to fly into thee Maltese airspace will have to change their course completely.
Similar military activity by the Russian military was carried out recently over the Irish airspace. Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney has strongly condemned these military manoeuvres by the Kremlin forces.
In 2016, then Maltàs Foreign Minister George Vella confirmed that the Maltese government did not allow President Putin’s eight-strong battlegroup to refuel in Malta on suspicion that the fleet was on its way to Syria.
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – As Covid cases continuing to fall in Malta, the government announced further decisions to drop pandemic mandates. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health Chris Fearne revealed that as from next Monday, valid vaccine certificates will no longer be needed by restaurants, bars and social clubs owners. Visiting hours at Mater Dei hospital will be extended and the restriction limiting private home gatherings will be completely removed. Standing weddings with a maximum of 300 guests can be held as from 1 April but the number of fully vaccinated guests will remain 500 for seated weddings.
Fearne added that individuals found positive through a primary contact will only be required to stay five days in quarantine but a negative test will be needed before leaving quarantine. Secondary contacts will not be required to go into quarantine.
It was also announced that the quarantine period will be reduced from 14 to 10 days to those passengers entering Malta from a red listed country. Third country nationals with work permits will no longer need to quarantine at a hotel but at a fixed residence.
Fearne said based on the current data, if the forecast remains the same, most Covid-19 mitigating measures will be removed by the end of spring.
Meanwhile, Covid-19 claimed five more lives in the last 24 hours, with two women aged 84 and 87, and three men aged 80, 83 and 86, died while Covid positive. The number of people who died since the beginning of the pandemic in Malta now stands at 565. 86 patients are being treated for Covid-19 in hospital, six of whom are in intensive care.
In Saturday’s medical bulletin, the local health authorities said that 195 new cases were confirmed. With 310 recoveries, the number of active cases is 2,555.
1,220,359 vaccine doses have been administered to date, 333,738 of which are booster doses.
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – As the upcoming general election in Malta is expected to be announced soon, the Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela today unveiled a financial package of €70 million to boost economic growth. During a press conference together with Finance Minister Clyde Caruana, Abela announced that the Maltese government will give a one off grant of €100 to all workers and students in Malta, while the pensioners and those receiving social benefits will get a grant of €200.
Abela reaffirmed that the €70 million package is expected to generate economic activity as the Covid voucher scheme boosted the local economy. “This is a cash injection that will generate economic activity,” Abela said while announcing that the wage supplement scheme will be extended for as long as it is needed to ensure that the economy recovers quickly as it emerged from the global pandemic. According to the Finance Minister, despite the deficit forecasts of 11.1% last year, the deficit is now expected to drop to 8.1%.
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The Maltese goverment will strengthen the fight against gender-based violence and will introduce the concept of femicide in the Criminal Code. The decision was taken by the Cabinet and announced by Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela over ruling the decision taken last month by Justice Minister Edward Zammit Lewis who dismissed calls by the civil society to codify femicide in law.

The latest development came following the killing of Polish student Paulina Dembska, 20 who was also raped in a public garden in Sliema on January, 2. 20-year-old Abner Aquilina is accused of the deliberate murder of Dembska.

Maltese Premier Robert Abela said that the decision was taken after consultation with the civil society and announced that the parliamentary process to approve the legal amendments will start as soon as possible. Activists and women rights’ organisations have campaigned for the introduction of femicide as an aggravation.

Although Malta implemented the Istanbul Convention in 2018, the laws in place do not fully protect women who experience domestic violence incidents.
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides praised Maltàs vaccination programme against Covid-19.

During a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health Chris Fearne, Commissioner Kyriakides thanked him for his cooperation in the past two years that have been dominated by the pandemic.

She said the way EU member states confronted the Covid-19 pandemic had brought about a significant change in member countries’ health systems.

Commissioner Kyriakides also mentioned how the European Commission is working with member countries to reach as many other countries as possible outside of Europe. She added that access to medicines would remain a priority for the European Commission.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health Chris Fearne said that Malta has a high vaccination rate where 76% of the population over the age of 18 received the booster. “The vaccine is the solution to control the spread of the pandemic. That is why we are now about to release certain restrictions.” 1,204,550 vaccine doses have been administered to date, 327,112 of which are booster doses.

In the last 24 hours, the pandemic claimed three more lives; two men aged 70 and 81 and a female aged 90. A total of 541 people have died while Covid-19 positive since the start of the pandemic. 102 patients are being treated for Covid-19 in hospital, seven of whom are in intensive care.

Meanwhile, the health authorities said that 230 new cases were found. The number of active cases currently stands at 3,946.

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews