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LA VALLETTA (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Customs officials in Malta intercepted 30 blocks of cocaine in a 40-foot-long container en-route to Valencia. The cocaine was found during a day-to-day operational risk analysis at the Malta Freeport.
“Customs officials intercepted around 30kg of cocaine hidden in a container carrying a shipment of peanuts jumbo packs”, the Department of Customs said.
The container, which was en-route from Nicaragua to Valencia, was found to be carrying 30 blocks of the illicit substance amounting to around 30kg. The case was handed over to the Malta Police Drug Force for further investigation.
– photo Agenzia Fotogramma –
(ITALPRESS).

LAMPEDUSA (AGRIGENTO) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The international NGO Alarm Phone stated no authority has taken responsibility to rescue a group of migrants in distress south-east area of Lampedusa. Alarm Phone confirmed that it is in contact with this boat since Monday morning. Even though various merchant vessels have passed by the migrants, no assistance was given. The NGO is asking the relevant authorities to rescue the migrants immediately.

– Photo: Agenzia Fotogramma –
(ITALPRESS).

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Malta has advised against unnecessary travel to Israel and the Palestinian territories. In a statement it said the embassy of Malta in Israel and the Representative Office to Palestine are following the situation in order to assist Maltese who are currently in the region. Seven Maltese nationals have contacted the Embassy of Malta in Israel and requested assistance as they find themselves stranded in Israel’s territory after attacks from Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. The Ministry for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade said the Embassy of Malta in Israel and the Representative Office to Palestine are following the situation in coordination with the Ministry to assist in the evacuation of those Maltese who are currently in these territories”. Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv is currently closed for civilian flights. Maltà national airline , Air Malta has cancelled its flights to and from Tel-Aviv, Israel on Monday and Wednesday because of the ongoing military situation. It said passengers may either change their tickets to other dates, change their destination or apply for a refund.

– Photo: Agenzia Fotogramma –
(ITALPRESS).

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The Court of Appeal, presided by three judges, confirmed an 18-year imprisonment sentence and a fine of 38,000 for a man from Catania after he was found guilty of aggravated possession of drugs and association with third parties.
The Sicilian was found guilty of the charges at the end of a trial last April with six votes in favor and three against, however with six votes against and three in favour, the jurors did not find him guilty of importing in Malta in 2018, 25 kg of cannabis, with an estimated value of around €700,000.
When the drug consignment arrived in Malta,5′ the Sicilian indicated that it must be put into a garage. Helping him were two Italians who were working on the site.
In the appeal, the man requested the cancellation of the sentence, arguing that there was no proof that he formed part of any criminal association to import drugs in Malta from Sicily. He stated that when the merchanise arrived in Malta he refused to pay for it, although he signed for it and that he received it innocently.
The Attorney General Office noted that the man did not contest that he received the merchandise, unloaded it from a van and placed it in a garage.
The Court of Appeal said that there was enough evidence for the jurors to conclude that there was a prior agreement between him and others so that the drugs arrive in their final destination, adding that Bonannòs testimony is inconsistent. The Court therefore confirmed the first sentence.

– foto: Agenzia Fotogramma –

(ITALPRESS).

ROME (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The number of dead people of what is now a real war is worsening following the attack launched on 7 October morning by Hamas on Israel, with the launch of rockets and missiles and raids by armed groups in various kibbutzim and cities, while Israel resorted to the army to respond to the attacks by Hamas.

In fact, the number of people injured in Israel and transferred to hospital has risen to over 3,000 and at least 700 have died. Meanwhile, around 250 Palestinians were killed and 1,700 injured in Israeli air strikes on Gaza. The Israeli Defense Forces said they had struck targets of the terrorist group, including apparently the homes of senior Hamas officials in the Gaza Strip.

Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah said it fired dozens of rockets at three Israeli positions in the disputed Mount Dov region in solidarity with the Hamas attack on Israel.

According to the Israeli army, there are still a significant number of Israeli civilians and soldiers held hostage by Hamas, including children, women, elderly and disabled people.

Meanwhile, Israeli troops have regained control of 29 locations that had been occupied yesterday by Hamas, but the fight against the militiamen continues with clashes especially in Sderot and Bèeri. The army freed numerous hostages, including from Kibbutz Rèim and Ofakim, and a police station in Sderot was also evacuated.

Israeli fighters also attacked the military compound in the house of the intelligence head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, while there was an attempted attack by terrorists on Zikim Beach, in the Eshkol region of southern Israel.

Meanwhile, as Israel told the Egyptian mediators that the time to negotiate has not yet come, Hamas is preparing to exchange the numerous captured Israeli army soldiers with the release of its leaders present in Israeli prisons.

During a telephone interview on the “Al-Hekaya” programme hosted by journalist Amr Adeeb on the Egyptian broadcaster “MBC Misr”, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem explained “we expect support from Egypt with all its force. Cairo always acts at every opportunity to defend the Palestinian blood, and this is something that matters.” Regarding the objective of the ongoing operation, he added that “this battle comes in response to the attempt to divide the Al-Aqsa mosque, changing its identity from Arab to Jewish. It also comes in response to the aggression against our people in the West Bank and to put an end to the issue of Palestinian prisoners who have spent decades in Israeli prisons”.

– Photo: Agenzia Fotogramma –

(ITALPRESS).

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela met Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the fringes of informal meetings with EU leaders in Spain. Almost 50 European leaders used the summit of the European Political Community in the southern Spanish city of Granada to stress that they stand by Ukraine. Abela also called for further dialogue among the southern EU neighbourhood, looking towards a future where collaborations between the Mediterranean states can benefit all. Emphasising that the current situation is unsustainable, Abela said the EU needs to be more proactive. “As we also agreed during the MED9 meeting, there is a need to rebuild our relationship with the southern Mediterranean,” Abela said, insisting on an asylum system that addresses the needs of all member states. On energy, Abela emphasised the EU’s need for interconnectivity between state members and North African countries, specifically in terms of renewable energy projects.
He added the Maltese government will be keeping the energy and fuel prices stable, with a security guarantee for businesses, families, and the country’s economy, until Malta converts to renewable energy. Climate change and the switch to renewable energy were at the top of the agenda. The Maltese Premier explained the realities and challenges for Malta, including the fact that it is an island at the edge of the Mediterranean, without a direct gas supply. He said that Malta currently has an electricity connection with Sicily, and plans to have the second interconnector in place by 2026. On the switch to renewable energy, Abela listed Maltàs challenges, including the limited space on land on which to install more photovoltaic panels and wind turbines. “We moved forward with an innovative concept which is currently being studied at the tendering stage – that of having panels for renewable energy as well as wind turbines offshore, in an exclusive economic zone,” explained the Maltese Premier. He also made a reference to the Memorandum of Understanding agreed with Libya so that photovoltaic panels and wind turbines are installed in Libya, and then connected to Malta, and then Malta can also export renewable energy towards Europe. Other discussions held by European leaders in this summit centred around this summer’s natural disasters.

– foto: Doi

(ITALPRESS).

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The International NGO Alarm Phone confirmed that a group of migrants are still in distress in the southern area off the coast of Sicily. The 22 migrants escaped from Libya and are at sea for several days. Alarm Phone alarmed the Italian authorities and urged them to rescue the migrants immediately.
– Photo: Angezia Fotogramma –
(ITALPRESS).

TUNISI (TUNISIA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The Tunisian authorities had foiled 52 irregular immigration attempts to cross the Mediterranean into Europe. The Tunisian Interior Ministry said 1,004 people were arrested during a security operation on Sept. 27-29 in the southern province of Sfax. 216 Tunisians, 667 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, and 73 people from other nationalities were rounded up. Sfax is a main route for illegal migrants to cross from Tunisia into Italy. According to Tunisian authorities, over 37,000 irregular migrants had been arrested in 2022. Meanwhile, the Tunisian President Kais Saied rejected financial support announced by the European Union in September, saying the amount is small and goes against a deal signed three months ago. Saied’s move could undermine the “strategic partnership” from July that includes measures on combating human traffickers and tightening borders, and which came during a sharp increase in boats heading to Europe from the North African nation. The European Commission last month said it would disburse €127 million in aid to Tunisia as part of the deal to fight illegal immigration from Africa to Europe.
– Photo: Agenzia Fotogramma –
(ITALPRESS).