Med news english

ROME (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Il governo dell’est della Libia, nominato dalla Camera dei Rappresentanti, guidato da Osama Hammad, ha iniziato i preparativi per una conferenza internazionale sul fenomeno dell’immigrazione irregolare nella città di Bengasi, che si terrà alla fine di gennaio. Il ministro aggiunto per gli affari dell’Immigrazione illegale nel governo di Hammad, Fathi al-Tabawi, ha presieduto una riunione per i preparativi della conferenza. L’obiettivo è quello di discutere sulle sfide e sulle ripercussioni derivanti dal fenomeno migratorio e sui suoi effetti negativi sulle istituzioni statali e sulla società libica. Si discuterà anche sullo scenario africano e internazionale in generale, secondo quanto si legge in una dichiarazione del governo libico dell’est. Il ministro ha sottolineato la necessità di “cercare di ridurre gli effetti di un fenomeno che preoccupa l’intera comunità internazionale”.
Il ministro ha affermato nel suo discorso alla riunione del comitato preparatorio della conferenza che organizzerà le sue attività in collaborazione con il ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale e che il suo lavoro si concentrerà sulle modalità per rafforzare la cooperazione tra i paesi africani nell’affrontare la questione della migrazione irregolare e lo sviluppo di soluzioni sostenibili e a lungo termine per coordinare le politiche di migrazione della forza lavoro. Al-Tabawi ha precisato che la conferenza includerà workshop e sessioni interattive alla presenza di rappresentanti di governi, organizzazioni internazionali, esperti e specialisti in materia di migrazione irregolare nell’ambito delle attività della conferenza, che si svolgerà nell’arco di cinque giorni. Nello stesso contesto, il ministro dell’Interno del governo nominato dalla Camera dei Rappresentanti libica, il Maggiore Generale Issam Abu Zariba, ha discusso ieri di un piano di sicurezza per combattere l’immigrazione irregolare e il traffico di migranti e per mettere in sicurezza le coste libiche.

– Photo Agenzia Fotogramma –

(ITALPRESS).

LA VALLETTA (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The Malta Civil Protection Department has announced the dispatch of 25 mine detectors to aid the war-stricken people of Ukraine.
This is the second time that Malta is sending humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, following the provision of generators in January last year.
The donation of mine detectors is part of Maltàs participation in the European Union Civil Protection mechanism. The detectors will be employed in restricted areas of Ukraine.
The Home Affairs minister Byron Camilleri said, “Once again, Malta is sending humanitarian aid through the European Civil Protection mechanism. The mine detectors will be used inside Ukraine where its people are currently suffering due to war”.
Fredrick Sammut, the Chief Assistance Rescue Officer from the Department of Civil Protection, explained that mine detectors would be instrumental in ensuring the safety of the Ukrainian people by detecting potential landmines and other dangers in the affected regions.
-photo DOI –
(ITALPRESS).

ROME (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The sea level rise along the Mediterranean coast would be underestimated according to the projections published in 2021 by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in the AR6 Report. This is the result of the research “Sea level rise projections up to 2150 in the northern Mediterranean coasts”, just published in the international journal Environmental Research Letters by a team of researchers from the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) and the Radboud Radio Lab of the Department of Astrophysics of Radboud University (Netherlands).

“Subsidence, the sinking of the ground because of underground material movement due to natural or anthropogenic causes, has a crucial role in accelerating the rise in sea levels along the coasts, triggered by global warming since 1880,” explains Marco Anzidei, INGV researcher and co-author of the study.

“Our analyzes show that, precisely because of subsidence, in some areas of the Mediterranean the sea level is rising almost three times faster than in stable areas,” adds Antonio Vecchio, researcher at Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen and first author of the study.

“The Mediterranean, in fact, is characterized by a strong variability in the vertical movements of the coasts, which vary from area to area due to tectonic, volcanic and anthropic activity”, continues Enrico Serpelloni, INGV researcher and co-author of the study.
“In our research, conducted within the SAVEMEDCOASTS, SAVEMEDCOASTS2 and Pianeta Dinamico projects, we used data from the numerous GNSS satellite geodetic stations located within 5 km of the sea, with which we can calculate, with millimeter precision, the vertical displacement speeds of the soil”.

In light of this evidence, the team of researchers recalculated the IPCC projections up to 2150 in 265 areas of the Mediterranean, also corresponding to the 51 tide gauges of the international monitoring networks, including data relating to subsidence in the analyses. “The results show maximum and minimum differences compared to the IPCC Report ranging, respectively, from approximately +109cm to -77cm, with an average value approximately 8cm higher,” explains Antonio Vecchio.

“Sea level rise and subsidence mean that around 38,500 km2 of Mediterranean coastline – of which around 19,000 km2 in the northern sector of the basin alone – will soon be more exposed to the risk of marine flooding, with consequent greater impacts on the environment, human activities and infrastructure. It is therefore necessary to take concrete actions to support coastal populations who will be increasingly vulnerable to rising sea levels and the greater risks associated with this by the end of this century and beyond”, concludes Marco Anzidei.

– Photo press office INGV –

(ITALPRESS).

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – A group of migrants are in distress in the central Mediterranean asking to be rescued, according to the international NGO Alarm Phone. The 25 migrants, including four minors, left from Libya two days ago. Alarm Phone said that the engine is not working and the migrants don’t have any food left. The NGO is urging for an immediate rescue.
Hours before, Alarm Phone alerted the authorities about another group of migrants in distress who escaped from Libya on a wooden boat. The group of around 100 migrants is running out of fuel and one engine stopped working.
Meanwhile, early this week, the Libyan coastguard chased two boats in Maltàs search and rescue area. According to the German NGO Sea Watch the “Libyan militias” intercepted 130 migrants and they were “forcibly returned to Libya, facing abuse.” In another incident, Sea Watch reported that the Libyan militia stole the dinghy’s engine and started shooting at the empty boat.
Libya serves as a transit country for migrants trying to reach Europe, particularly through the Italian coastline. According to the latest figures from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more than 153,000 migrants reached Italy this year from Tunisia, and Libya.
– Foto: Sea Watch International –
(ITALPRESS).

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The Maltese Government is at the center of a joint Europol investigation, called Operation Everest, as third country nationals with expired or false visas are allowed to move within Schengen countries. Recently, the Spanish police arrested third country nationals from Nepal in its fight against criminal gangs operating in human trafficking.
The investigations, so far, revealed that Nepalese workers are using Malta and Poland to access the Schengen area, stay for the minimum period required and then fly to their final destination, Spain. In November 2022, the Spanish Police intercepted a group that was trafficking Indian and Nepali workers with the ultimate goal of entering the United States, via Mexico. Eventually, 9 people were arrested for assisting 300 workers from Nepal to enter Europe through a false visa issued by India. A fee of €15,000 was paid to reach Europe and another €5,000 so that each one enter Spain and pass the necessary tests to obtain Spanish citizenship. This racket was run by a family with contacts in India, Nepal, Malta, Lithuania and Poland, and the group managed to obtain a false D-type visa from European consultancy agencies in India, which used to issue permits to people to live, study or work in the Schengen area for 90 days. The Spanish Police revealed how this clandestine operation unfolded with the involvement of European and Nepali companies; who offered false work and study opportunities with the premise that the visa is issued for this purpose. Third country nationals used to enter Malta first. Then, in Spain, the human traffickers would facilitate the exam questions and falsify the test results, with the help of certain Spanish language schools, to give their Nepali clients the opportunity to obtain Spanish citizenship.
(ITALPRESS).
– Photo credit: Malta Tourism Office –

LA VALLETTA (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Two groups of migrants were rescued by the German humanitarian organization Sea Eye and are sailing towards the port of Brindisi after the Maltese Rescue Coordination Centre did not respond to the distress calls.
A total of 106 people were rescued by the crew of the sea rescue ship Sea Eye 4 in Maltàs search and rescue region. The two boats were spotted by the ship’s crew and the distress cases occurred in the Maltese search and rescue zone, south of Lampedusa. The ship’s head of mission then informed the responsible authorities.
Among those rescued, there were 40 minors of whom some are five and six year olds and are accompanied by their parents. Two unaccompanied minors aged 13 and 14 from Guinea and Mali fled alone.
The people on both boats stated that they had fled towards Europe from Tunisia on Tuesday night. They had fled from Eritrea, Guinea, Cameroon, Mali, Gambia and Senegal, among others.
The ship full of migrants is expected to berth in Brindisi on Friday afternoon. Nour Hanna, a volunteer doctor on board, confirmed none of the migrants were in a critical medical situation.
-photo Agenzia Fotogramma –
(ITALPRESS).

LA VALLETTA (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Food inflation in Malta continue to rise according to a report issued by the Central Bank of Malta. In its Economic Update, the Central Bank food inflation rose to 7.5% in November from 6.8% a month earlier, even though the annual inflation decreased slightly to its lowest level in 12 months. Inflation stood at 3.6% in November, 0.1 percentage point lower than in October.
The decline was driven by lower inflation in several sectors with transport and communication going into negative territory and furnishings and household equipment slowing down to 3.2% from 4.5%. Inflation also slowed down in beverages and tobacco (down to 3.9% from 5%), while clothing and footwear fell by just under a percentage point.
Energy prices remained unchanged, reflecting the Maltese government support to maintain electricity and fuel prices stable.
-photo Agenzia Fotogramma –
(ITALPRESS).

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS) – Malta is expecting a record arrivals of tourists in 2024 with Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo saying that the authorities are expecting another historic year, with at least three million visitors expected to visit Malta by the end of next year.
“These positive results place a greater responsibility on us to continue making the necessary changes and reforms,” said Minister Clayton Bartolo, adding: “the priorities for the upcoming year will be primarily focused on attracting higher-quality tourists than ever before.”
The new record will surpass is the record set in 2019. Minister Bartolo said, “the real economic impact of tourism was to inject an incredible 2.8 euros billion into the Maltese economy alone”.
The Maltese government will be implementing an all-round skills reform, which targets improving standards in restaurants and various other establishments.
“We will introduce a comprehensive skills reform to enhance services in our restaurants and establishments. Moreover, we will intensify efforts in public cleanliness and maintenance,” Minister Bartolo added.
Recently the Tourism Minister has also warned restaurants against profiteering during the Christmas season, after complaints of sales being low despite tables remaining busy.
The Association of Catering Establishments confirmed that diners are spending less on their meals with establishments reported a reduction of 20% in sales.

– Photo Department of Information Malta –

(ITALPRESS).