VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta’s fiscal watchdog has endorsed the government’s latest fiscal forecasts, but warned that the country is unlikely to fully comply with EU fiscal rules under current projections.

In its latest report, the Malta Fiscal Advisory Council (MFAC) said Malta has significantly exceeded its expenditure commitments under the excessive deficit procedure opened by the EU in 2024.

While the council found the government’s fiscal projections for 2025 and 2026 to be within an “endorsable” range, it cautioned that exceptional spending in 2024 has pushed expenditure well beyond agreed limits.

The latest forecasts now project a 5.8% rise in net expenditure, despite Malta benefitting from the most flexible EU spending limits available.

As a result, cumulative deviations from the agreed expenditure path are expected to reach 2.19% of GDP in 2025 and 1.44% in 2026, leading the council to conclude that full compliance with EU fiscal rules is not expected.

The MFAC also warned that while risks to the 2025 deficit appear broadly balanced, 2026 carries a higher risk of a larger-than-projected deficit due to weaker revenue and upward pressure on spending.

The council urged the government to rein in expenditure, pursue sustainable deficit reduction, address long-term structural challenges, and urgently update national legislation in line with the revised EU fiscal framework.

– photo IPA Agency –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta will shoulder almost €8 million in interest payments by 2028 after EU leaders approved a €90 billion loan to support Ukraine’s strained public finances.

The agreement was struck early Friday morning, with 24 of the EU’s 27 member states backing the plan. Czechia, Hungary and Slovakia opted out.

Under the deal, the participating states will raise the funds on the open market and lend them to Ukraine, using the EU budget as a guarantee. This allows support to be provided without requiring governments to contribute money upfront.

Instead, member states will cover the interest costs of the loan in line with their economic size. Sources say the loan is expected to run for 40 years at an interest rate just below four per cent.

Malta’s contribution is estimated at €2.65 million in 2027 and €5.3 million in 2028. What happens beyond the initial two years remains unclear.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said Ukraine would only repay the loan once Russia compensates for war damages, raising the possibility it may never be paid back.

The deal follows tense negotiations after objections to an earlier plan to use frozen Russian assets, which Malta feared could breach international sanctions law.

– photo IPA Agency –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

BELO HORIZONTE (BRAZIL) (ITALPRESS) – After playing the last Brazilian league games with a torn meniscus in his left knee to help Santos avoid relegation, Neymar is undergoing surgery. The 33-year-old Brazilian striker is in Belo Horizonte where he will undergo surgery today, under the supervision of Rodrigo Lasmar, medical director of Atlético Mineiro and the Brazilian national team.

This surgery will force Neymar to sit out for a month, missing the preseason with Santos, where the renewal – his current contract expires on December 31st – is now being finalized. Peixe will go into training camp on January 2nd and nine days later will take the field against Novorizontino in the São Paulo championship. Neymar will be available only from early February, when his pursuit to the World Cup begins: the former Barça and PSG striker will have just four months to convince Carlo Ancelotti to include him in the squad.

– photo IPA Agency –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

MANCHESTER (ENGLAND) (ITALPRESS) – Everyone is free to relax, but keep an eye on the scales. Manchester City players will be given three days off before beginning preparations for Saturday’s match against Nottingham Forest, but anyone who overdoes it will face consequences, Pep Guardiola has warned.

Haaland and his teammates were weighed before last Saturday’s win over West Ham and, upon their return, they will step on the scales again. “When they come back after three days off, I want to see how they return. They can eat, but then I want to check them,” the Spanish coach stressed. “A player might be at his ideal weight today and then come back three kilos heavier: at that point he stays in Manchester, he won’t travel with us to Nottingham.”

Guardiola is uncompromising on this issue. Back in 2016, he excluded some players from training for failing to maintain their ideal weight, and former City defender Gaël Clichy has previously recalled how the coach advised his players to avoid pizza and heavy foods.

On the other hand, the Spanish manager believes it is right to allow players to switch off. “Since I arrived in England I’ve learned that, when possible, it’s right to give them days off. The schedule is very congested and the players need to rest. When it’s match time, they’ll have fresh legs.”

– Photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

ROME (ITALPRESS) – There are no major changes in the latest FIFA rankings for 2025. Spain remains the king, closing the FIFA National Team rankings with 1,877.18 points, ahead of world champions Argentina in second place with 1,873.33, having overtaken the Reds last September.

There are no changes in the top ten, with Italy remaining outside the top ten and occupying 12th place with 1,702.06 points, behind 11th-placed Morocco, which has risen sharply over the past two years. Morocco has just won the Arab Cup (Jordan, defeated in the final, moved up two spots to 64th) and is the clear favorite to win the Africa Cup of Nations, which began just yesterday, and which they are hosting.

Returning to the top 10, France sits third, followed by England, Brazil, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and Croatia, who have a mere 0.54 point advantage over the Atlas Lions.

RANKING FIFA

1. Spain 1877.18 points (–)
2. Argentina 1873.33 (–)
3. France 1870.00 (–)
4. England 1834.12 (–)
5. Brazil 1760.46 (–)
6. Portugal 1760.38 (–)
7. Netherlands 1756.27 (–)
8. Belgium 1730.71 (–)
9. Germany 1724.15 (–)
10. Croatia 1716.88 (–)

12. Italy 1702.06

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

ROME (ITALPRESS) – Dani Alves could return to football… for his team. The former Barcelona and Juventus defender is close to finalizing the purchase, along with a group of investors backing him, of a Portuguese third-division team.

Specifically, negotiations are nearing completion with Sao Joao de Ver, a team currently ranked tenth in the Portuguese third-division Serie A, where the Brazilian could end his career. Alves is considering playing for the Portuguese club for six months, years after hanging up his boots due to legal troubles that landed him in prison just a couple of years ago.

Alves recently returned to the spotlight when news broke of his new life as a preacher, and he is reportedly determined to return to the sport at 42 for the club he owns. The former Brazilian international stopped playing in January 2023, when he was accused of sexual assault and put on trial in Spain. Following his acquittal by the Spanish courts last March, the Brazilian would like to retire from football but not before putting on his boots again.

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Inflation and the rising cost of living remain the top concern for the Maltese public, according to the latest Eurobarometer survey, with anxiety over prices continuing to grow.

The study shows that 40% of respondents cited rising prices as one of the most important issues facing the country, up five percentage points from March and nine points above the EU average.

On a personal level, concern was even sharper. A striking 61% said the cost of living was among their two biggest challenges, a 16-point increase since March and 13 points higher than the EU average.

Immigration and the environment followed as major national concerns, named by 30% and 26% of respondents respectively, both well above EU averages and significantly higher than earlier in the year.

Government debt (17%), housing (16%), health (12%), education (9%) and threats to democracy (9%) were also cited, though fewer Maltese expressed concern over the economy or security compared to other Europeans.

At EU level, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine emerged as the leading concern, cited by 33% of Maltese respondents.

Trust in the EU rose to 57%, while satisfaction with democracy in Malta reached 50%. Despite a slight dip, overall life satisfaction remained high at 92%, and overwhelming majorities said Malta has benefitted from EU membership.

– photo IPA Agency –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

MADRID (SPAIN) (ITALPRESS) – Kylian Mbappé, on his 27th birthday, scored the 2-0 goal in the match between Real Madrid and Sevilla. The Frenchman scored his 59th goal in 2025: equaling Real Madrid’s record for goals in a calendar year, previously held by Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored the same number in 50 games in 2013, while Mbappé needed nine more.

– photo IPA Agency –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

RABAT (MOROCCO) (ITALPRESS) – On the eve of the 35th edition which begins today in Morocco, the African Confederation of Nations (CAF) announces that starting in 2028, the Africa Cup of Nations will be played every four years instead of two. This is a small revolution considering that the biennial schedule has been in place since 1968, with the exception of the 2012 and 2013 editions, which were played 12 months apart. The CAF’s decision, announced President Patrice Motsepe, was made in agreement with FIFA to try to concile the tournament with the international calendar.

A first step had been taken in 2019, when the tournament was played in Egypt between June and July, then in 2021 and 2023 – due to Covid and the climate – the tournament returned to being played between January and February, while the edition in Morocco was moved to the end of the year to avoid clashing with the Club World Cup. The dates for 2027 (it will be played in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda) and 2028, whose venue has not yet been chosen, are still to be determined. At the same time, however, the African Nations League will be born, which will be held annually starting in 2029, in which all 54 affiliated federations will participate, divided into four zones: North (6 national teams), East (16), Central-West (16), and South (16). In November, the finals between the local champions will decide the winner.

– photo IPA Agency –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

PARIS (FRANCE) (ITALPRESS) – Marseille will compete for the Trophée des Champions League against PSG on January 8 in Kuwait without their fans. ICI Provence, the association that brings together OM supporters’ groups, announced today that it will boycott the trip to the Middle East, despite Marseille itself having offered to contribute to the travel expenses. Moreover, both De Zerbi in early November and president Longoria in recent days had expressed their doubts about the League’s decision to take the French Super Cup abroad, even though the trip to Kuwait will bring in approximately €3.5 million.

– photo IPA Agency –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews