LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The Government of National Unity in Libya has launched a programme to localize treatment in the specialty of pediatric cardiac surgery, starting next September in a number of public health centers. The head of the Department of Support and Development of Medical Services in Libya (DSDMS) Ahmed Mlitan, met at the Tripoli headquarters with Dr. Salvatore Agati, the head of the Department of Paediatric Heart Deformities Surgery at the Bambino Gesù (Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù / Baby Jesus Paediatric Hospital) Hospital, Rome, Italy. During the meeting, it was agreed to start implementing the localisation of treatment programme in the specialty of paediatric heart surgery, starting from September, in several public health centres across Libya. The programme will continue over a long period according to a clear strategy and plan and aims to train Libyan medical staff and to perform surgical operations, in this speciality. This agreement comes within the framework of the DSDMS’s work with the Tripoli government’s “Restoration of Life” project through the “Localisation of Health Treatment” policy.

– Photo: Angezia Fotogramma –
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

ATLANTA (UNITED STATES) (ITALPRESS/LA VOCE DI NEW YORK/MNA) – Former US President Donald Trump turned himself in the Fulton County Jail, near Atlanta, Georgia. As La Voce di New York reports, he had announced that he would appear in prison at 7.30 pm as he actually did. Helicopter footage showing long line of police and security services and a score of motorcycles, as they rode the 15 miles from Hartsfield-Jackson airport to the county jail, have entered the homes of millions of Americans showing a city where the only people in the street were agents and journalists and a small group of supporters of the former president on one side of the street while on the other there were people who want to see him in prison. In front of the prison there was a crowd of journalists and television crews camped out for days. There were no violent demonstrations. Within less than 45 minutes the former president entered the prison and after he was released. His mug shot was taken, never happened to a former American president.
Trump, who was accompanied by his lawyer, was read out the indictments for his attempts to overturn Georgiàs 2020 election defeat. Trump was arraigned on Aug. 14 charged with 13 felonies, including violating the statès anti-racketeering law by setting up a criminal organization, soliciting a public official to violate his oath, conspiracy to impersonate a public official, conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree and conspiracy to present false documents.
Trump had changed his legal team. Drew Findling a well-known Atlanta attorney, was replaced by Steven Sadow. “He should never have been indicted. He is innocent of all the charges presented against him”, said Sadow who, moreover, was immediately called to his job even before the arrival of the former president because one of the 19 defendants, the lawyer Kenneth Chesebro, accused of having orchestrated the plan to send false voters to Congress, asked the magistrate for a shortened trial. The request was also supported by the district attorney Fani Willis who asked the magistrate to schedule the start of the judicial proceedings in two months for October 23. Steve Sadow objected and indicated that he would file a motion to separate his case, Trump’s, from Chesebròs, which would free him from expedited proceedings.
The matter now depends on Judge Scott McAfee, who handled the process of validating the arrests and bail bonds for the 19 defendants. A trial just two months from today seems implausible, given the number of defendants, pre-trial motions and the complex legal issues that could be discussed before a jury can start. Trump’s decision to switch attorneys came after Drew Findling negotiated a $200,000 bail for Trump. In the early afternoon, his former chief of staff, Mark Meadows, was released after posting $100,000 bail.

– photo: Agenzia Fotogramma –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Maltàs economic growth is expected to slow down to 3.7% this year from just above 7% in 2022. The Central Bank of Malta revised its projections in its latest forecast for the Maltese economy, adding that the Gross Domestic Product growth will decline marginally to 3.6% by 2025.
In 2023, net exports are expected to be the main contributor to GDP growth. However, the domestic demand is expected to grow at a slower pace when compared to 2022, which had been characterised by extraordinary investments. The Central Bank of Malta added that from 2024 domestic demand is expected to be the main driver of growth.
The forecast projects moderate employment growth over the period, while wages are expected to pick up due to relatively high inflation and a tight labour market.
The CBM said annual inflation is projected to stand at 5.9% this year, only marginally lower from 6.1% in 2022.
The government deficit is expected to decrease while Maltàs debt-to-GDP ratio is set to reach 54.7% by 2025.
The Central Bank of Malta noted that there are risks for this year that might lead to an increase in the deficit as a result of additional support measures related to the national airline Air Malta and higher than expected outlays on electricity distribution and compensation for energy blackouts.

– photo: Agenzia Fotogramma –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

KIEV (UKRAINE) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – According to reports from Ukrinform, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyj stressed that Ukraine has nothing to do with the plane crash in which the leader of the Wagner group, Yevgeny Prigozhin was killed.
Zelensky was addressing a joint press conference with the Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa in Kiev. “When Ukraine spoke out and appealed to countries across the world about planes, we didn’t mean that,” adding “we meant something completely different were we were asking for support.”
While acknowledging “probably, it will also help us in a certain way,” Zelensky declared, “we have nothing to do with this situation, that’s for sure. I think everyone realizes who did it”.
-photo Agenzia Fotogramma –
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – An analysis by the Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE) shows that Malta has the highest number of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) per capita in Europe. According to the study, 2022 saw a significant number of SLAPPs lodged in Malta, France, Croatia, Greece, the United Kingdom, Turkey, and Georgia. 44 new SLAPPs were recorded in Malta in 2022, a significant change from 2021 where only 4 SLAPPs were recorded. This was the highest annual number of SLAPPs since 2017, when 33 SLAPPs were filed against murdered journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia alone. Malta had the highest number of SLAPPs per capita, with 19.93 cases per 100,000 people, although the data was highly influenced by multiple cases brought by the Robert Abela administration against the online investigative portal The Shift. By the end of 2022, the majority of cases ?led were civil lawsuits (69.6%), while 20.9% were criminal lawsuits. 6.5% of cases were injunctions.
The three most common targets of SLAPPs are all media-related: journalists, media outlets, and editors. Activists and NGOs are the fourth and fifth most common SLAPP targets. The report found that the most common type of SLAPP offenders, were businesspersons (335) followed by politicians (227), and State-owned entities (113) in third place. The European Commission is trying to restrict the use of such lawsuits and last April it put forward proposals for an anti-SLAPP Directive, known as Daphnès Law, in honour of Caruana Galizia. The directive is aimed at enabling judges to swiftly dismiss unfounded lawsuits against journalists and human rights defenders, and establish safeguards – such as compensation for damages and dissuasive penalties – for launching abusive lawsuits. The Daphne Law would also ensure uniform legal protection across member states, where current laws on SLAPPs vary widely.

– Photo: Agenzia Fotogramma –
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – While Malta registered its highest annual inflation rates in food and non-alcoholic beverages last month due to higher prices of bakery products, the inflation rate decreased to 5.6% from 6.2%. Data published by the National Statistics Office (NSO) also shows that the inflation rate in Malta is lower than the European Union average but its average rate is higher than that in the Eurozone. Meanwhile, Eurostat data also indicated that Maltàs inflation rate for July was slightly lower than Sloveniàs (5.7%), but slightly higher than the Netherlands’ (5.3%). The highest annual inflation rates were observed in Hungary (17.5%), Slovenia, and Poland (10.3%). The lowest annual rates were reported in Belgium (1.7%), Luxembourg (2.0%), and Spain (2.1%). The Eurostat report said the most significant upward impact on the annual Euro area inflation rate in July came from services, followed by food, alcohol, and tobacco, non-energy industrial goods, and energy. In Malta, the largest upward impact on annual inflation was seen in the food and non-alcoholic beverages index primarily due to higher prices of bakery products. The second and third most significant impacts were observed in the Restaurants and Hotels Index and the housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels Index. This was mainly due to higher prices of restaurant services and rents, respectively. Downward impacts on annual inflation were registered in the Communication Index and the Clothing and Footwear Index.
(ITALPRESS).
– Photo credit: Agenzia Fotogramma –

Source: medNews

FAVIGNANA (TRAPANI) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The sea experience through different and “wonderful” points of view. This is the goal of Egadi Blu Fest, which will be held in Favignana on the weekend of 26 and 27 August. The initiative is organized by the Municipality of Favignana, the entity responsible for the Egadi Islands Marine Protected Area as part of the “AMPPA – Marine Protected Areas and Artisanal Fishing. Integrated management through awareness and environmental education” funded by the INTERREG V-A Programme Italy-Malta.
On Saturday 26 August in Piazza Europa, in Favignana, the cooking show “The sea narrated around the table” is scheduled at 7 pm, curated by chef Peppe Giuffrè. The Ciumara band will perform the music.
Three appointments are scheduled for Sunday 27 August, again in Piazza Europa: at 7pm the presentation of Paolo Balistrerìs book “Favignana, water paths”, at 7.45pm the talk show with the theme “The sea as a resource. Take care of it”, moderated by journalist Jana Cardinale, and at 8.30pm musical show with the Macuccusonu band.
The two days are the preview of an event scheduled from 11 to 15 September which will also involve Levanzo and Marettimo. The Egadi Islands MPA is the leader of the “AMPPA”project which aims to help protect and safeguard the marine and terrestrial biodiversity of marine protected areas (in the islands of Sicily and Malta) through the creation of systems and services for the protection and restoration of cross-border biodiversity.
The project partners are the Regional Department of Mediterranean Fishing, the Municipality of Ustica – Management body of the Marine Protected Area of the Island of Ustica, together with Gharb Local Council and Ghajnsielem Local Council representing Gozo.
“The respect towards the protection of the sea, the territory and biodiversity represent for us a precious wealth to defend and to take care of”, said the mayor Francesco Forgione, adding “the role of the Marine Protected Area must be at the forefront in respect to nature and we must carry out this task with great care”.
-photo mgg –
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The Maltese government committed itself to pay €46.7 million from taxpayers money to Paramount Studios, the film company producing Gladiator sequel film. According to the Times of Malta, the payment is part of rebate scheme that promises production houses up to 40% cash back if they film in Malta. The payment of €46,653,961 to the subsidiary company of Paramount Studios for the production of Ridley Scott’s epic film breaks the record for the biggest state aid to cinema in the EU. Figures published on the European Commission state aid website show that the second biggest rebate was handed out by Italy, however, it was less than half the rebate Malta promised to Gladiator. When the first Gladiator film was shot in Malta, the cash rebate scheme did not exist. At the time, the film reportedly left around €21 million in the Maltese economy.

– Photo Agenzia Fotogramma –
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – A study by Eurostat has shown that at least a third of Maltese people have at some point reported their neighbours to the authorities for being excessively noisy. The survey found that 34.7% of Maltese have reported their neighbours about excessive noise, topping the list of persons who have submitted such reports. The Maltese were followed by the Dutch, 32.3%, and the Portuguese, 27.2%. Albania is classified at the bottom of the list, with only 3.1% of Albanians making such reports. Meanwhile, one in every five Maltese has been exposed to excessive noise caused by the traffic on the Maltese roads. The study carried out by the European Environmental Agency found that in 2017, 22.4% of Maltese were exposed to more than 55dB of noise because of traffic. 1.9% were exposed to the same levels of noise because of airplanes. Meanwhile, only 3.7% of Maltese living in rural zones were exposed to excessive noise caused by traffic. The study also found that noise caused by cars negatively affected around 113 million persons in the European Union. As a result, there were 48,000 new cases of cardiac health issues and 12,000 premature deaths in the year of the study. It was also calculated that around 6.5 million persons were unable to sleep due to noise and that approximately 12,500 students possibly did worse in their studies due to noise generated by airplanes. While noise levels have remained the same, the study laments the fact that the EU’s goal of reducing noise pollution by 2020 was not reached.
(ITALPRESS).

Foto: Agenzia Fotogramma

Source: medNews

GHAJNSIELEM (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – As the AMPPA Interreg V-A Italia Malta programme is coming to an end, the Ghajnsielem Local Council in Gozo continued to organise a series of events related with this project.
The Interreg V-A Italy-Malta Programme promotes the development of areas of common interest such as environmental protection, land and sea safety, cultural heritage, quality of life and citizens’ health.
During the events, the local council of Ghajnsielem took the initiative to involve different ages. The ‘Tombola in the Square’ event was aimed to the elderly whilst the ‘Echoes from the Sea’ event was aimed for a mass audience but mainly youths and families. Flyers and freebies for children were available in the information stand. Officials from Department of Fisheries also joined to share information about Marine Protected Areas and the Artisanal Fishing.
Kevin Cauchi, the Major of Ghajnsielem said “we are also excited about the new Environmental Education Center which is in advanced stage of completion”, adding that this project will be the legacy of the AMPPA Interreg V-A Italia Malta programme.
The programme aims to promote the sound scientific management of biodiversity in Sicilian and Maltese marine protected areas.
Three marine protected areas of the central Mediterranean take part, MPA “Isole Egadi”, MPA “Island of Ustica, MPA Gozo (including the municipality of Ghajnsielem).
It is a joint work between the Marine Protected Areas of the Egadi Islands, Ustica and Gozo (Malta) carried out in collaboration with the Regional Department of Mediterranean Fishing and the municipalities of Gharb and Ghajnsielem which aims – through the exchange of good practices and experimentation and awareness – to promote the conservation of marine biodiversity by maintaining the productivity of ecosystems and contributing to the economic and social well-being of human communities. The project also aims to create a new integrated management tool for MPAs that directly involves all operators (public bodies, fishermen, citizens, tourists, etc.) also through awareness-raising and environmental education actions.
The AMPPA project is a measure financed under the INTERREG V-A Italy-Malta Program with priority axis: III (environmental protection and promotion of efficient use of resources); specific objective: 3.1 (To contribute to halting the loss of terrestrial and marine biodiversity in the area by maintaining and restoring ecosystems and protected areas). Lead partner: Municipality of Favignana – Management body of the Marine Protected Area “Isole Egadi”; partners: Regional Department of Mediterranean Fishing; Municipality of Ustica – Management body of the Marine Protected Area of Ustica Island; Gharb Local Council; Ghajnsielem Local Council.
– photo xf3 –
(ITALPRESS)

Source: medNews