Med news english

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The Maltese government committed itself to pay €46.7 million from taxpayers money to Paramount Studios, the film company producing Gladiator sequel film. According to the Times of Malta, the payment is part of rebate scheme that promises production houses up to 40% cash back if they film in Malta. The payment of €46,653,961 to the subsidiary company of Paramount Studios for the production of Ridley Scott’s epic film breaks the record for the biggest state aid to cinema in the EU. Figures published on the European Commission state aid website show that the second biggest rebate was handed out by Italy, however, it was less than half the rebate Malta promised to Gladiator. When the first Gladiator film was shot in Malta, the cash rebate scheme did not exist. At the time, the film reportedly left around €21 million in the Maltese economy.

– Photo Agenzia Fotogramma –
(ITALPRESS).

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – A study by Eurostat has shown that at least a third of Maltese people have at some point reported their neighbours to the authorities for being excessively noisy. The survey found that 34.7% of Maltese have reported their neighbours about excessive noise, topping the list of persons who have submitted such reports. The Maltese were followed by the Dutch, 32.3%, and the Portuguese, 27.2%. Albania is classified at the bottom of the list, with only 3.1% of Albanians making such reports. Meanwhile, one in every five Maltese has been exposed to excessive noise caused by the traffic on the Maltese roads. The study carried out by the European Environmental Agency found that in 2017, 22.4% of Maltese were exposed to more than 55dB of noise because of traffic. 1.9% were exposed to the same levels of noise because of airplanes. Meanwhile, only 3.7% of Maltese living in rural zones were exposed to excessive noise caused by traffic. The study also found that noise caused by cars negatively affected around 113 million persons in the European Union. As a result, there were 48,000 new cases of cardiac health issues and 12,000 premature deaths in the year of the study. It was also calculated that around 6.5 million persons were unable to sleep due to noise and that approximately 12,500 students possibly did worse in their studies due to noise generated by airplanes. While noise levels have remained the same, the study laments the fact that the EU’s goal of reducing noise pollution by 2020 was not reached.
(ITALPRESS).

Foto: Agenzia Fotogramma

GHAJNSIELEM (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – As the AMPPA Interreg V-A Italia Malta programme is coming to an end, the Ghajnsielem Local Council in Gozo continued to organise a series of events related with this project.
The Interreg V-A Italy-Malta Programme promotes the development of areas of common interest such as environmental protection, land and sea safety, cultural heritage, quality of life and citizens’ health.
During the events, the local council of Ghajnsielem took the initiative to involve different ages. The ‘Tombola in the Square’ event was aimed to the elderly whilst the ‘Echoes from the Sea’ event was aimed for a mass audience but mainly youths and families. Flyers and freebies for children were available in the information stand. Officials from Department of Fisheries also joined to share information about Marine Protected Areas and the Artisanal Fishing.
Kevin Cauchi, the Major of Ghajnsielem said “we are also excited about the new Environmental Education Center which is in advanced stage of completion”, adding that this project will be the legacy of the AMPPA Interreg V-A Italia Malta programme.
The programme aims to promote the sound scientific management of biodiversity in Sicilian and Maltese marine protected areas.
Three marine protected areas of the central Mediterranean take part, MPA “Isole Egadi”, MPA “Island of Ustica, MPA Gozo (including the municipality of Ghajnsielem).
It is a joint work between the Marine Protected Areas of the Egadi Islands, Ustica and Gozo (Malta) carried out in collaboration with the Regional Department of Mediterranean Fishing and the municipalities of Gharb and Ghajnsielem which aims – through the exchange of good practices and experimentation and awareness – to promote the conservation of marine biodiversity by maintaining the productivity of ecosystems and contributing to the economic and social well-being of human communities. The project also aims to create a new integrated management tool for MPAs that directly involves all operators (public bodies, fishermen, citizens, tourists, etc.) also through awareness-raising and environmental education actions.
The AMPPA project is a measure financed under the INTERREG V-A Italy-Malta Program with priority axis: III (environmental protection and promotion of efficient use of resources); specific objective: 3.1 (To contribute to halting the loss of terrestrial and marine biodiversity in the area by maintaining and restoring ecosystems and protected areas). Lead partner: Municipality of Favignana – Management body of the Marine Protected Area “Isole Egadi”; partners: Regional Department of Mediterranean Fishing; Municipality of Ustica – Management body of the Marine Protected Area of Ustica Island; Gharb Local Council; Ghajnsielem Local Council.
– photo xf3 –
(ITALPRESS)

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – According to a scientific study the Mediterranean and Black Sea are among the highest exposure risk areas for seabirds to plastic pollution in the world. The study published in the scientific journal ‘Nature Communication’ highlights the need for improved international cooperation and collaboration to address the global threat of plastic pollution to marine life, as well as the urgency for strong political action to limit plastic production, use, and disposal. The study used data collected through BirdLife Maltàs successive seabird studies. It was found that Yelkouan Shearwaters breeding on Malta are suffering from the highest plastic exposures of any seabird worldwide. Spending all their life between the Mediterranean and Black Sea, they are constantly exposed to high plastic density throughout their annual cycle.
The Maltese Islands are home to three species of seabirds that formed part of the study – the Scopolìs Shearwater, the Yelkouan Shearwater and the European Stormpetrel. Seabirds are sensitive to plastic pollution as they accidentally swallow plastic which they mistake for food, or become entangled in plastic debris when foraging.
– Photo credit: Agenzia Fotogramma –

VILNIUS (LITHUANIA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – After the withdrawal of Russia from the grain agreement, the port of Klaipeda could become a new access point for Ukrainian agricultural products.
Lithuania has proposed to deliver Ukrainian grain to the port across the Niman River. The use of an internal water corridor can be the best logistics solution. It would also help to the development of freight transport on the largest river in Nieman. When transporting Ukrainian grain by rail and you recharge in Kaunas, it would be necessary to change platforms and transfer cargo from one train to another, not once but twice. Eliminating the additional grain transfer would reduce costs significantly. Transportation of goods by road inland waterways can be 30-40% cheaper than that by land. In addition, it is possible to improve the capacity of storage and transshipment of the Linas Agro grain company, already operational at the moorings of Nieman. Also, the construction of the European railway line to Klaipeda will take time. However, Lithuania could receive Ukrainian and other grain cargoes in the port of Klaipeda including its internal waterways as part of its transportation chain. The port could also become an alternative to the Polish ports of Gdansk and Gdynia.
-photo Agenzia Fotogramma –
(ITALPRESS).

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The Spanish police has revealed the dismantling of an international network for smuggling Syrian migrants, crossing three continents via Libya, in exchange for 3,500 euros per person. The police said that with the cooperation of Europol and the German Federal Police, it was able to dismantle the logistical structure of a criminal organization specialized in smuggling Syrian migrants, arresting 19 people on suspicion of belonging to the organization, putting six of them in pre-trial detention.Preliminary investigations showed that the migrants were departing from Lebanon, passing through Beirut airport to Egypt for 4,000 euros, and then the Syrians traveled by land to Libya, Tunisia and Algeria for 3,500 euros.(ITALPRESS).

Foto: Agenzia Fotogramma

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Italians remained the most popular market for Malta during July, followed by the United Kingdom. This was confirmed by Malta’s International Airport who confirmed that during last month it has welcomed 848,716 passengers. The company operating Malta’s international airport said that aircraft movements during last month remained in line with July 2019 levels, while seat capacity saw an increase of 3.8% as a result of larger aircrafts being operated on flights to Malta. Being Malta International Airport’s most connected market through flights to 20 airports, Italy showed no signs of ceding the top spot to the United Kingdom, which was the second most popular market for the month. The French market continued to perform exceptionally well, registering growth of 52% over 2019 and outperforming Germany to rank third. Five airlines currently connect Malta International Airport to 10 French airports, contributing to this market’s increasing popularity. Passenger traffic from Spain grew by a marginal 1.2% compared to pre-pandemic levels, with this market retaining the same position it has held since May 2023. The airport said that the August holiday rush is set to bring busier days. Traffic is expected to peak on 17 and 24 August, with each one of these days forecast to see more than 32,000 passengers.(ITALPRESS).

Foto: Agenzia Fotogramma

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta is registering an increase in Covid-19 cases and in respiratory infections this summer. This was confirmed by the local health authorities saying that positive cases of coronavirus continued to be detected.
According to the local health authorities, between June 5 and August 6, an average of 12 positive cases of Covid-19 were reported daily. Between July 31 and August 6, one person died while COVID positive and 151 new cases were registered.
Breaking down the ages of reported COVID-19 cases from June 5 to August 6, most positive cases (169) were over the age of 80 and those aged between 50-69. Another 163 cases were reported between the ages of 30 to 49 and 147 cases aged between 70-79.
There is no longer a legal requirement to report positive cases to health authorities. This means that the number of COVID-19 cases in the community could be much more than what is being reported.
Local doctors reported that this summer more patients are turning up with coughs, sore throats and nose infections, which is all very unusual for this time of year.
Patients who have COVID-like symptoms are advised to take a rapid medical test and, if found positive, should isolate and retest on the seventh day.
This spike is not a local phenomenon. In recent weeks, US public health officials have warned of a “mild summer surge” of COVID-19 while the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention noticed that hospitalisations for COVID were up 12 per cent for the week ending July 22. According to studies, the new coronavirus variant – EG.5 – is causing 17 per cent of new COVID-19 cases in the US.
Symptoms associated with this variant are a sore throat, runny nose, fever, cough, fatigue, muscle aches and headaches.
According to the local health authorities no new variants have so far been detected in Malta and herd immunity remains high in Malta, thus, most cases are mild.

– Foto: Agenzia Fotogramma –

(ITALPRESS).