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LA VALLETTA (ITALPRESS/MNA) – A cargo airline was forced to make an emergency landing at Maltàs International Airport last Sunday night. This was confirmed by the company operating Maltàs airport, adding that the emergency landing was due to technical problems. The Boeing 747-400, with the Maltese registration 9H-MSK had taken off from the Mitiga International Airport in Tripoli, Libya and was heading to Sharjah International Airport, in the United Arab Emirates. Technical issues were reported shortly after take-off. The cargo aircraft is the only one operated by Mesk Air. The airline was established recently and is based in Sharjah.

– foto: Agenzia Fotogramma –
(ITALPRESS).

TEL AVIV (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The toll of Palestinian deaths following the Israeli raids on Gaza has increased and exceeded 23 thousand victims. Gaza’s Health Ministry announced the latest balance of the Israeli military operation which rose to 23.084 dead and 58,926 injured since last October 7th. The ministry has claimed that Israeli forces committed 17 massacres in the Gaza Strip, leaving 249 dead and 510 injured in 24 hours. The Gaza’s health ministry added that hospitals in the southern Gaza Strip do not have the capacity to accommodate the injured in all departments, including the intensive care. Unit. There is a significant overcrowding in the hospitals area with hundreds of injured people sleeping on the floor and in the corridors.
– photo Agenzia Fotogramma-
(ITALPRESS).

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The Archbishop of the Maltese Diocese, Monsignor Charles Scicluna, a well-respected among the Catholic Church’s highest echelon declared that the Church should look into revising its rules to allow Catholic priests the option to get married. However, he acknowledged it is only the Pope who gets a final say on these matters.
Archbishop Scicluna confirmed that he has already openly spoken about it at the Vatican, while adding that this is the right time to “discuss the issue seriously”. In a interview with The Times of Malta, the respected Vatican official, added celibacy still has and will continue to have a place in the Church, but said he learnt from experience that priests should also be given the option to marry, just like in Catholic Churches of the Oriental rite. “It was optional for the first millennium of the Church’s existence and it should become optional again,” he said.
He acknowledged “a man may mature, engage in relationships, love a woman. As it stands, he must choose between her and priesthood, and some priests cope with that by secretly engaging in sentimental relationships”. He added, “This is a global reality; it doesn’t just happen in Malta. We know there are priests around the world who also have children and I think there are ones in Malta who may have too,” he said. The 64-year-old archbishop and lawyer, apart from leading the Church in Malta, he also serves as Adjunct Secretary of the Holy Seès Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. He is often summoned by Pope Francis to launch investigations into some of the most high-profile, international abuse cases in the Church. In 2019, the Synod of Bishops overwhelmingly voted to allow married men in the Amazon region to become priests to help meet the needs of the Church there. However, Pope Francis did not go ahead with the change at all.
Maltàs archbishop said, however, that the Pope is right in insisting such a change should not be about mitigating the vocation crisis. Vocation has everything to do with faith and a person’s relationship with God, and the rules should not be changed to merely attract more men to priesthood or to fill in the gaps.
(ITALPRESS).
– Photo credit: Archdiocese of Malta –

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – A report published by Eurostat highlights how the inflation rate in Malta remained higher than that of the Eurozone during the month of December. Data from Eurostat show that the inflation rate in December was 3.6%, while in the Eurozone the average rate is at the level of 2.9%.
In December, the largest impact on annual inflation was recorded by the alcoholic beverages and food index.
Besides that, the statistics also show that other European countries have a much better inflation rate than Malta including Italy, Belgium, Ireland, Spain, Cyprus, Latvia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Portugal.
In recent months the plague of the cost of living has repeatedly dominated the news, as thousands of people are unable to make ends meet.
– photo credit Agenzia Fotogramma –
(ITALPRESS).

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – A Maltese registered ship reported three explosions on the right side close to Yemen. It is possible that the explosions were from missiles.
The agency Ambrey, which provides security services to ships navigating this region, the ship was about 24 kilometres southwest of Yemen. The ship CMA CGM TAGE was on its way from Singapore to Alexandria, in Egypt, and requested the assistance of a nearby warship in case of another attack.
In the past months, in light of the war in Gaza, tensions have increased in the Red Sea, as attacks have increased on shipping in the region.
Houthis, who control the Yemeni capital city Sanaa, are attacking ships passing through the Red Sea in protest against Israel’s military intervention in Gaza.
Last month, the Maltese-flagged ship MV Ruen was hijacked by a group of pirates close to Yemen, while, last week, another Maltese registered ship was hijacked close to Somalia.
– photo credit Agenzia Fotogramma –
(ITALPRESS).

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Two passengers who were on board an Air Malta plane were stopped by police after they behaved inappropriately with the crew. Flight KM3642 from Malta to Catania was due to leave at 21.55 on Tuesday but departed at 02.15. Due to this significant delay, the crew’s shift on board the first plane ended and therefore another plane had to be used while passengers waited at the airport. As a result of this delay, flight KM3643 from Catania to Malta was delayed by several hours and ended at 04.00.
A spokesperson for the Malta Police confirmed that some passengers were disembarked at the request of the captain.
In 2022, several passengers were ordered to disembark from a flight at the airport after being caught with invalid documents.
– photo credit Malta Airport –
(ITALPRESS).

CAIRO (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Egypt has decided to freeze its participation as mediator between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza conflict, following the killing of Saleh Al-Arouri, the deputy head of Hamas’ political office.
The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reported this, citing anonymous sources. Egypt has officially informed Tel Aviv of the freezing of its role as mediator between Israel and the Palestinian factions in protest against the assassination of Al-Arouri.
Yesterday the “Al Arabiya” television channel cited sources according to which the Hamas movement had informed mediators to freeze negotiations on any truce or prisoner exchange with Israel, following the assassination of Al-Arouri.
Al Arabiya cited sources as saying that Al-Arouri was communicating with mediators to reach greater understandings regarding the truce, indicating that mediators are currently working to stop any possible major escalation following Al-Arouri’s assassination.
Mustafa Bakri, member of the Egyptian parliament, commented on the news broadcasted by the Israeli channel, stating that Egypt’s position is respectable and responsible. Bakri continues on his “X” account: “The Zionists have not fulfilled any promises or fulfilments, they beg Egypt, asking for its mediation to conclude a new prisoner exchange agreement, then they kill one of the most important leaders of the movement and continue their barbaric aggression against our people in Palestine”.
– photo Agenzia Fotogramma –
(ITALPRESS)

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The international NGO Alarm Phone said that though it had alerted several authorities to send rescue in international waters in Central Mediterranean, nobody has reacted yet to save a group of migrants in distress. The group of 44 migrants left from Libya and the NGO confirmed that it has lost contact with the group late on Tuesday evening.
According to Alarm Phone, the migrants reported fuel shortage and worsening weather conditions.

Foto: Agenzia Fotogramma

(ITALPRESS).