VALLETTA (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta will not impose any restrictions on travellers from China. This was confirmed by the Health Ministry. However, the Ministry said that the Maltese government is assessing the situation and is in direct communication with the European Commission and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) for any actions which need to be taken.The Ministry added that the European Health Security Council is not recommending compulsory testing for travellers from China.
Earlier this week, Italy announced it would impose restrictions in a bid to curb a new surge in infections. The move came after nearly half of the passengers on two flights from China to Milan’s Malpensa Airport tested positive for coronavirus.
Spain became the latest EU country to require a negative test or vaccination proof on arrival.
China unexpectedly changed its zero-Covid policy after widespread protests erupted in the country.
Meanwhile, the Maltese health authorities have confirmed the death of two other patients with Covid-19 bringing the total number of deaths linked to the pandemic in Malta to 815.
The number of active cases of Covid-19 is presently registering an increase with 274 cases of Covid-19. The number was 190 at the start of the month.
36 new cases were reported on Friday while 27 individuals have recovered from the virus.
144 new cases were detected over the past seven days.
-photo agenziafotogramma.it-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The international NGO Alarm Phone confirmed that 45 migrants are in danger in the Maltese search and rescue area. Alarm Phone said on Twitter that there are six migrants on board the boat who are in a very critical condition and they need urgent medical assistance.
Although the Maltese authorities were informed, so far no immediate rescue took place. The group of migrants escaped from Libya towards Europe.

– foto: xl2/Italpress

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

VALLETTA (ITALPRESS/MNA) – A group of 24 Ukrainian soldiers will be coming to Malta to be fitted with prosthetics after they lost body parts due to the war in their country.
It is estimated that 3,000 Ukrainian soldiers lost part of their body in the war in Ukraine.
The two first soldiers will arrive in Malta during the first days of January. It is expected that two patients will be arriving in Malta every month to undergo the intervention.
Although each prosthetic leg costs around 15,000 euro, the Ukrainians will receive all services free of charge. Two Maltese professionals are working on the form and design, and on the insoles and orthotics. The prosthetoc legs will be fitted by another Maltese-Australian professional.
Each patient is expected to spend four weeks in Malta for rehabilitation and to be able to walk with prostheses.
-foto agenziafotogramma.it-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – An independent survey commissioned by the Archdiocese of Malta concludes that almost 70 per cent of the respondents have declared their opposition against abortion when a woman’s life is not a risk.
The survey was conducted last November when the Maltese Parliament was debating a draft law presented by the Labour government which add a new amendament that would allow the termination of pregnancy when the woman’s life is not a risk. Yesterday, the Maltese Parliament voted infavour of the bill; 42 govenment MPs voted in favour whie 34 opposition MPs voted against as had vowed to do.
The controversial bill amending Maltàs abortion legislation was approved in its second reading in Parliament on Monday, and is now headed to the committee stage where amendments are expected to be discussed.
According to the survey, 80% of the respondendes are in fabour of a medical intervention which terminates a pregnancy when the woman’s life is in danger. 21% declared that abortion can be a solution to limit the size of the family irrespective of the mother’s health or life is at risk. 58% of the women questioned against 78% of the men said they were against abortion in cases where the woman’s life is not at risk. The survey indicates a significant increase among those over 24 years of age who are against abortion.
– photo agenziafotogramma.it-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Two boats with about 220 migrants onboard are in distress to the southwest of Malta. This was confirm by Alarm Phone who appealed to the competent authorities to send their assistance.
Alarm Phone said that on Sunday evening, the migrants on board one of the boats reported that water was coming in, and although it had contacted the relevent authorities, no immediate help was availble. On board there are about 60 migrants and they are south to the Italian island of Lampedusa and east of the Tunisian islands of Kerkennah.
Meanwhile, on Sunday night another boat with around 160 migrants was in distress close to the first boat. The second boat was reported to be heavily damaged with all migrants in panic fearing of drowning. Although the migrants were spotted by a vessel operated by NGO, they were not saved as the vessel is not well equipmed to save so many people on board.
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – As Christmas and New Year holidays approach, Malta’s national airline is warning its customers that they should expect delays in the immediate future as a new ground handling company took over the operations as from the begining of this month.
Air Malta has fired its own ground handling services in an attempt to cut the financial costs either by transfering them to other government departments or given a generous financial incentive to leave the national airline. The ground handling services have been outsourced to Aviation Services Handling Limited – a new joint venture between Rome-based Aviation Services Spa (60%) and Air Malta (40%).
Several Air Malta customers complained on social media about the difficulties they have experienced since December 1, some have had their luggage lost and others missing their connection flights because of mistakes made by the newly foreign grounded handling staff.
The Aviation Services Handling Ltd, is actively recruiting new staff, mostly Italians, because of lack of employees. According to local reports, the new employees are not adequately trained, there is a language barrier with the customers, and have received no handover since the takeover took place. The Italian employees were given a three-month define contract.
Air Malta stated that the transition was expected to take place over a period of time in a phased approach that will see passenger handling, baggage handling and cargo handling being transferred to the new operator. Describing the whole operation as “very complex and challenging” due to new employees working in a new environment, Air Malta said it was “doing its utmost to limit disruptions at the Malta International Airport, but the dimension of the transition is such that delays are likely to occur.”
The European Commission is yet to decide on the request made by the Maltese government to provide another state aid package to Air Malta in an effort to save the national airline.
-photo agenziafotogramma.it
(ITALPRESS)

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS) – Former Italian football player Michele Marcolini is Maltàs new National Teams Head Coach. The appointment was announced by the Malta Football Association. Marcolini, 47, will assume his new role as of the 1st of January 2023, until the end of 2024.
Michele Marcolini played for a number of football clubs in Italy, including Bari, Torino, Atalanta and Chievo Verona, and with junior Italian National Team selections. Marcolini has coached several Serie B and C teams and won the Coppa Italia Serie C with piemontese club Alessandria in season 2017-18. Maltàs FA President Bjorn Vassallo said: “we are very pleased that Michele Marcolini has accepted our offer to become the new National Teams Head Coach. We have gone through a thorough process to arrive at this decision. His profile fits the requirements set by the Association, focused on the long-term development of our elite football players. The Malta FA’s priority is to ensure that its technical project proceeds as planned in line with our strategy to achieve a unified game philosophy for all the National teams”. Vassallo added “besides his coaching qualifications, Marcolini brings a wealth of football experience having played in the top tiers of Italian football for almost two decades”. Michele Marcolini will be joined by Davide Mandelli as Assistant Coach. Mandelli is also a former player who started his football career with Monza, and then moved on to play for Serie A and Serie B clubs Torino, Siena and Chievo Verona. Following retirement, he followed Marcolinìs footsteps and assisted him in a number of clubs where he worked as a football manager. Mandelli will join the current technical staff as of 1st January 2023.
Coaches Marcolini and Mandelli will be presented to the local media in the next days.
– foto LivePhotoSport –
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The President of Malta George Vella appealed for further discussion on the controversial draft bill reforming Maltàs abortion legislation. In his speech on the occasion of Maltàs Republic Day, President Vella declared he is hoping for a solution that would address all concerns the bill has raised. “I feel that these are very particular circumstances and I should convey my hope that with the ongoing discussions, a solution which duly addresses all the points being raised by the different stakeholders in this debate will be found,” the President said.
The parliamentary debate came to an end yesterday and a vote on the bill in its second reading is scheduled for next Monday.
The bill, is proposing an article to the Criminal Code which states that provisions criminalising abortion do not apply “when the termination of a pregnancy results from a medical intervention aimed at protecting the health of a pregnant woman suffering from a medical complication which may put her life at risk or her health in grave jeopardy”.
The Nationalist opposition, experts and activists are opposing the bill, with the Opposition will present amendments at committee stage.
The government has already said that amendments would be introduced including decisions on the termination of a pregnancy would be taken by a conference of two or three doctors in a bid to minimise the potential for abuse.
President Vella is not ready to sign the bill as it is presented by the government, and he is waiting for the final version of the bill before taking his final decision.
– photo Department of Information –
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The President of Malta George Vella is reported that he would be ready to resign if the Maltese Parliament approve the bill which is proposing an amendment to the Criminal Code allowing the termination of pregnancy in case the woman’s life is at serious risk.
The amendment to Maltàs abortion laws presented by the Labour government is being discussed in Parliament. Although the wording of the draft bill could still be changed at the committee stage, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health Chris Fearne has dismissed the possibility of excluding mental health even as he declared himself open to “genuine” suggestions for revision, insisting that the mentality that mental health is somehow less serious than physical health needed to be eradicated.
President George Vella is reported that he was ruling out “crusades, like the one the opposition leader is on,” and he is also ruling out the proposed wording put forward by 80 academics and activists opposed to what they describe as a bill introducing abortion by stealth.
If the Maltese Parliament approves the amendment, the President needs to sign the bill and be published in the Government Gazette for it to become law. If Vella resigns, it would be a first in Maltàs political history. In May 2021, President Vella, a doctor by profession, reiterated his stand against abortion and said he would resign if such a bill came before him.
The Nationalist Opposition said the Labour Party in government has no electoral mandate to introduce abortion in Malta. The Nationalist Parliamentary Group stated that it will vote against government’s proposal to allow the termination of pregnancies when a pregnant woman’s life is at serious risk and adopted the position taken by a group of academics, pro-life activists and adopted by 44 organisations.
Former President of Malta Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca is also endorsing the proposal to redraft with the aim of ensuring that an amendment with the stated aim of ensuring the life and health of pregnant women is protected does not lead to the effective legalisation of abortion.
A national protest is scheduled to take place in Valletta next Sunday to oppose the bill amending Maltàs abortion legislation.
-photo Department of Information-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta and the State of the Vatican held official talks in Rome during an official visit by the Maltese Foreign Minister Ian Borg. Both sides discussed the set up of a Joint Commission which will discuss the management of property owned by State of the Vatican in Malta.
During an audience with Minister Borg in the Vatican, Pope Francis declared that his visit to Malta reminded him of the kindness of the Maltese people. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that during the audience with His Holiness, Minister Ian Borg saidthat Malta is always honored by the visit of His Holiness to Malta. They also discussed the ongoing bilateral work between the two states, as well as the ongoing work by the Maltese government in preparation for the United Nations Security Council with Malta continuing to be an agent of peace and stability around the world.
During this visit to the Vatican state, Minister Borg also met with the Secretary of State of the Vatican, His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher. The long relationship between the two states and the importance of Catholicism in Malta were also discussed. Both sides also discussed the issue of migration in the Mediterranean, the situation in Libya and the conflict between Ukraine and Russia were also on the agenda.

– photo Department of Information – Malta –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews