VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta welcomed a record 3,160,974 inbound tourists between January and August 2026, an increase of 17.9% over the same period last year, according to figures released by the National Statistics Office.

Arrivals in August alone reached 539,655, up 14.7% year on year, while nights spent rose 9.9% to 3.8 million. Tourist expenditure increased 14.9% to €629.3 million, with average spending estimated at €165.5 per night.

Despite the rise in arrivals, expenditure per tourist for the first eight months fell to €937, from €956 in 2025.

The average length of stay also declined to 5.93 nights, compared with 6.30 in 2025 and 6.39 in 2024. In August, visitors stayed an average of seven nights.

Poland recorded the strongest growth among major markets, with 370,690 arrivals, up 50.2%, while Romania recorded a 50.5% increase to 63,941.

The UK remained Malta’s largest non-EU market, with 644,257 arrivals, an increase of 17.9%. Arrivals from France fell 7.2% to 195,896, while nights spent by French tourists declined 14.1%.

Non-EU arrivals grew by 21.1% in August, compared with 11.7% for EU markets and 7.1% for the euro area.

The figures come amid debate over the impact of rising visitor numbers on Malta’s infrastructure and environment. The country recorded 4.02 million arrivals in 2025, while the government’s Vision 2050 strategy targets 4.5 million annually by 2035.

Finance Minister Clyde Caruana has previously warned of a potential “saturation point”, while the Malta Chamber of Commerce has called for a shift from volume towards higher-value tourism.

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

RIJEKA (CROATIA) (ITALPRESS) – “Has the Manchester City case become a distraction? If I were to say right now that it hasn’t, I could only speak for myself. I think it is—or at least it’s a topic of conversation; we talk about it at dinner, when we’re sitting at the table. So, the Manchester City players are receiving plenty of messages, phone calls, and comments about it.” Thomas Tuchel admits that the events surrounding the Manchester club inevitably come up during the England national team’s training camps. The squad includes players like Anderson and Guehi, among others. “Are they worried? I think it would be a very human reaction if you didn’t know what was happening at the club you signed with. They are still young. They are ambitious. They are being told that they are completely innocent, yet they don’t know what is going on. It’s a topic of discussion, but I’m not sure it’s a distraction. I don’t see it when I observe them during meetings or in how they interact with their teammates, and I don’t see it during training sessions. But it is a subject that comes up—how ​​could it not be?” Regarding whether a potential relegation for Manchester City might influence his squad selection, Tuchel is categorical: “I would always try to call up the best squad for the camp, the occasion, or the tournament. I would never rule out a player simply because they aren’t playing in the top flight. We have to evaluate things on a case-by-case basis.”

– photo IPA Agency –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

BARCELONA (SPAIN) (ITALPRESS) – A sigh of relief for Barcelona. Raphinha, who was sent home early from Brazil due to right-thigh edema—an issue that forced his substitution at halftime during the second friendly against Australia—has undergone medical tests that ruled out any injury. Flick will therefore be able to count on him when play resumes after the break, as the Blaugrana prepare to face Getafe at the Camp Nou on October 10.

– photo IPA Agency –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

ROME (ITALPRESS) – Gianni Infantino can count on the support of Arab football ahead of the March 18 election in Rabat, where he will seek to remain at the helm of FIFA.

At a meeting in Jeddah, the UAFA – the Union of Arab Football Associations, which comprises 22 members across Asia and Africa – reaffirmed “its support and appreciation, for the next term, for FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who over the course of more than a decade has strengthened the unity of the global football community, developed and expanded the game, and broadened its global reach in a way that serves the interests of all stakeholders and meets the aspirations of players and fans around the world,” according to a statement.

While the Swiss football official already knew he could count on Africa’s backing, the position taken by the Union of Arab Football Associations also provides him with important support in Asia, where the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has openly distanced itself from FIFA’s current leadership.

– Photo Ipa Agency –

(ITALPRESS)

Source: medNews

VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta has urged the European Union to strengthen its ties with countries on the southern shores of the Mediterranean, arguing that the region’s future depends on closer cooperation.

Foreign Minister Chris Fearne made the call while addressing the MED9 conference in Trogir, Croatia.

“The Mediterranean is not a border. It is a shared region,” Fearne said, stressing that Europe needed to engage more closely with its southern neighbours.

– Photo DOI –
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

MADRID (SPAIN) (ITALPRESS) – Luis de la Fuente’s Spain will have to do without Ferran Torres for their next two Nations League matches, tomorrow in Oviedo against the Czech Republic and then on Tuesday in Split against Croatia.

The Paris Saint-Germain forward has left the national team camp due to severe discomfort in his left ankle. He has been replaced in the squad by Real Madrid’s Carlos Espì.

– Photo Ipa Agency –

(ITALPRESS)

Source: medNews

FLORENCE (ITALPRESS) – Honest Ahanor has left the Italy senior national team camp to join the Under-21 squad in the coming hours. The team returned overnight to the Olympic Preparation Centre in Tirrenia following yesterday’s victory over Armenia and will face Poland in Pescara on Monday in a decisive match for qualification for the final phase of the European Under-21 Championship.

The Crystal Palace defender did not travel to Paris yesterday, where Italy will face France tonight in their third Nations League group match. Instead, he remained in training at the Federal Technical Centre in Coverciano alongside eight other Azzurri players.

– IPA Agency Photo –

(ITALPRESS)

Source: medNews

VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) rapporteur Baroness Shami Chakrabarti has welcomed Malta’s plans to advance long-awaited media reform legislation, while calling for meaningful public scrutiny before the bill is adopted.

Chakrabarti is preparing a report on Malta’s unfinished implementation of recommendations linked to the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

In a statement, she said legislation protecting media freedom was essential to implementing recommendations arising from the public inquiry into Caruana Galizia’s assassination.

But she cautioned that simply introducing legislation would not be sufficient.

The rapporteur said the reforms must properly address the issues identified by the public inquiry and stressed the importance of transparency and engagement with stakeholders.

Chakrabarti also referred to the Venice Commission’s position that draft legislation should be made publicly available with enough time for meaningful consultation.

“Before the media legislation is adopted, it is essential for stakeholders to analyse the bill, comment upon it, and for their comments to be properly taken into account,” she said.

Her comments follow Justice Minister Clifton Grima’s announcement this week that the government expects to introduce its media reform bill “in the coming weeks”.

Grima said the legislation would be given a high priority in Parliament and that the government was putting the “final touches” to the bill following its latest consultation process.

The government published a White Paper on media reform last year, proposing safeguards against unfounded defamation proceedings that could impose disproportionate financial pressure on journalists.

The proposals also included changes to libel and defamation procedures.

Chakrabarti’s work is part of a PACE process examining the “unfinished implementation” of measures arising from the Caruana Galizia case.

The process followed a motion for a resolution tabled in July 2025.

– Photo Ipa Agency –
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

RABAT (MOROCCO) (ITALPRESS) – Morocco’s trade deficit increased by 25.4% to $29 billion (282.6 billion dirhams) in the first eight months of the year. The Office des Changes disclosed the figures in its monthly report published today by media outlets in Rabat, citing an increase in energy and sulfur imports. Imports rose 15.8% year-on-year to $63.8 billion (617.5 billion dirhams), while exports increased by 8.7% to $34.6 billion (334.8 billion dirhams).

Energy imports rose by 32.6% to $9.9 billion (96.3 billion dirhams), driven by higher diesel and fuel oil prices. Wheat imports, meanwhile, fell by 18.4% to $960 million (9.3 billion dirhams) thanks to an improved domestic harvest. The automotive sector, which includes Stellantis and Renault plants, remained the main driver of exports, reaching $11.9 billion (116 billion dirhams), up 14.5%.

Morocco, which holds the world’s largest phosphate reserves, recorded a 6% decline in exports of the mineral and its derivatives, including fertilizers, which fell to $6.3 billion (61 billion dirhams). Imports of sulfur, a key component in fertilizers, nearly tripled to $2.8 billion (27.2 billion dirhams). Remittances from Moroccans living abroad increased by 9% to $9.9 billion (89 billion dirhams). Tourism revenues rose by 9.7% to $10 billion (97 billion dirhams), while foreign direct investment reached $4.8 billion (47.3 billion dirhams), up 17%.

– IPA Agency Photo –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

ROME (ITALPRESS) – “Club Deportivo Eldense officially announces its acquisition by Leo Messi.” With this statement, the Spanish second-division club revealed that it has been purchased by the Argentine star and former Barcelona champion. The club from Elda—a city in the Valencian Community located about 25 km from the provincial capital, Alicante—“founded in 1921, thus opens a new chapter in its history, with the ambition of consolidating its position and growing within professional football,” the statement issued this evening reads.

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews