LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – One out of every six people in Maltese households were at risk of poverty last year. This was confirmed by lofficial data released by the National Statistics Office. Statistics from the European Statistics on Income and Living Conditions survey show that 88,462 people were under the poverty line in 2023. This means that 16.6% of the local population was at risk of poverty, a marginal decrease of 0.1% over 2022. A fifth (22%) of those at risk of poverty were aged under 18 years, an increase of 2.7 percentage points from the previous year. Meanwhile, a decrease of 0.2 percentage points was observed among people aged 18 to 64, equivalent to 12.1% in 2023.
The rate for those aged 65 or more went down to 29%, equivalent to a decrease of 1 percentage point. Material and social deprivation indicators are based on 13 items, of which seven relate to the person’s household and six relate to the person.
When compared to 2022, the highest increases in 2023 were recorded in the group of respondents who said that their household was unable to afford a meal with meat, chicken, fish, or vegetarian equivalent every second day, and those whose household found it difficult to face unexpected financial expenses. On a scale from zero to 10, where zero represents not satisfied at all, and 10 represents completely satisfied, respondents at risk of poverty or social exclusion reported lower average scores when it comes to their satisfaction with overall life, financial situation, current job, and personal relationships when compared to those not at-risk-of-poverty or social exclusion. Average scores for overall satisfaction about at-risk-of-poverty or social exclusion were slightly higher in 2023 when compared to 2022. Particularly, in 2023 respondents at risk of poverty or social exclusion reported a mean score of seven for satisfaction with their overall life – an increase of 0.2 points from 2022 and a mean score of 6.2 for satisfaction with their financial situation, translating into an increase of 0.4 points. They also reported a mean score of 7.4 for satisfaction with their current job – an increase of 0.1 points from 2022, and a mean score of 8.5 for satisfaction with personal relationships, representing an increase of 0.3 points.
(ITALPRESS).
– Photo credit: Ipa Agency –

Source: medNews

TRAPANI (ITALPRESS) – “The Mediterranean is a crucial hub on many levels, such as cultural and commercial, but it is becoming so more and more from an energy point of view, as a bridge between Europe, Africa, and Asia. Italy is fortunate enough to be in the center of the Mediterranean. It can consolidate itself as an energy bridge between North and South, East and West of the Mediterranean basin”.
This was declared by the Minister of Environment and Energy Security, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, while speaking during the fourth Workshop of the Presidents of the Mediterranean Energy Association (MEDREG) at the archeological site of Selinunte, in Trapani.
“The Mare Nostrum is already home to many energy infrastructures, such as electricity links, gas pipelines, and LNG terminals,” adding, “The challenge we face is to strengthen and expand infrastructure, to secure greater energy security and to register more progress in decarbonization, and to reach the goal of climate neutrality by the middle of this century. This is a great challenge, and even more significant for the Mediterranean because it is one of the areas most vulnerable to climate change”.
“Energy cooperation is essential as it is an opportunity for each MEDREG country to share its strengths. In this context, the role of Regulators is crucial to stimulate regional integration and energy exchange between countries, favouring the process of energy transition.”
“These days”, added Pichetto Fratin, “we are finalizing the update of the National Energy Climate Plan (PNEC), which will define energy-climate commitments by 2030 horizon, which is a crucial step to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. We will have to deliver the updated version of the Plan to the European Commission by the end of this month. In the process of updating the Plan, a realistic approach based on technological neutrality was followed, which however provides for a strong acceleration of renewable electricity sources; production of renewable gases (biomethane, hydrogen, and other biofuels including HVO – hydrotreated vegetable oil); building renovations, energy efficiency, including the electrification of final consumption”.
“Italy is also evaluating the use of the nuclear source,” continued the Minister. “We have launched the National Platform for Nuclear Sustainability and recently, as the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security, decided to join the European Industrial Alliance on Small Modular Reactors (SMR), to confirm the country’s support and to give a concrete signal of interest to the development of new cutting-edge technologies, which can make an important contribution to decarbonization”.
“A very important part of the Italian National Energy and Climate Plan is regional cooperation in terms of energy infrastructure,” the Minister emphasized, referring to some important projects.
“The Southern Hydrogen Corridor,” he explained, has already been selected at the European level as a Project of Common Interest (PCI). This will help to achieve the target of importing 10 million tonnes of renewable hydrogen by 2030 at the EU level. The project has been strongly supported by Italy from the beginning and is fully in line with the Mattei plan for Africa. Italy, also as the G7 Presidency, has paid great attention to cooperation with Africa and has reiterated the importance of strengthening cooperation with African countries and cooperating to achieve the objectives of decarbonization and energy transition at a global level. The African continent offers great potential that Italy wants to support through the creation of mutually beneficial partnerships on an equal basis, to make Italy an energy hub of the Mediterranean, with the function of a bridge between Europe and Africa”.
“The interventions,” continued the Minister, “will focus on the climate-energy link aimed to strengthen energy efficiency and the use of renewable energies, with actions aimed at accelerating the transition of energy systems, including electricity generation from renewable sources and transmission and distribution infrastructures, as well as the development of the necessary skills and professionalism. Concerning finance, and in conjunction with the objectives of the Mattei Plan, I would like to emphasize that Italy intends to direct an extremely significant share of the Italian Climate Fund, whose total allocation is over EUR 4 billion, to Africa and the Middle East. Italy has also launched the Rome Process, to which several countries that are also part of the MEDREG adhere. The spirit of this initiative is to build partnerships on an equal footing to develop common responses to the current and urgent challenges affecting the countries of the two continents, from migration to the energy transition. At the end of this speech, I reiterate once again the centrality of the Mediterranean Sea in the global energy scenario and the fundamental role of the Regulators in promoting the energy cooperation of the countries within the Mediterranean Basin and achieving a socially equitable energy transition that leaves no one behind”.

– photo Agenzia Fotogramma –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

ROME (ITALPRESS)- The Minister of the Interior, Matteo Piantedosi, visited Morocco where he met his counterpart Abdelouafi Laftit and the Minister of Habous and Islamic Affairs, Ahmed Toufiq. “Morocco – said Piantedosi – is a friendly country of Italy and is a solid point of reference both in the Mediterranean and Atlantic areas, for stability and ability to manage security and migratory challenges”. The Italian Government is working to prevent and combat the action of human traffickers in the main countries of origin and transit, to strengthen legal migration channels, and to enhance assisted voluntary repatriations to the migrants’ countries of origin.
The cordial meeting – the Interior Ministry said – was also an opportunity to discuss various topics such as security in an anti-terrorism perspective, through the strengthening of collaboration between the police forces, the fight against drug trafficking and cooperation between the police of fire for the management of natural disasters. Particular attention was paid to the activities of individuals suspected of proximity to terrorist circuits, the exchange of experiences on the methods adopted to encourage de-radicalization paths, and the fight against religious extremism.
During the meeting with the Minister of Habous and Islamic Affairs, Piantedosi underlined “that Morocco is an authoritative example of openness and tolerance, proof of which is the numerous important interreligious dialogue initiatives of which Rabat is the protagonist”. The minister also informed Minister Toufiq of the agreement signed by the Ministry of the Interior with the European Commission, for the financing of a program intended for the professional training of migrants for subsequent inclusion in Italy.
(ITALPRESS).
– Photo credit: Agenzia Fotogramma –

Source: medNews

ABAT (MOROCCO) (ITALPRESS) – Slovenia welcomed the Moroccan Autonomy Plan as “a good basis for reaching a definitive and consensual solution” to the regional dispute around Western Sahara, under the auspices of the United Nations Secretary General and of his personal envoy. This position – as reported by the Map Express website – was expressed in the joint press release published following the talks, which took place in Rabat between the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Abroad, Nasser Bourita, and the Deputy Prime Minister Slovenian Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Tanja Fajon. Slovenia reiterated its country’s continued support for the process carried out under the auspices of the UN and welcomed, in this regard, Moroccòs serious and credible efforts to reach a mutually effective, realistic, pragmatic and lasting political solution. acceptable and based on compromise on the issue of Western Sahara, is underlined in the joint press release. The two ministers, adds the same source, expressed their common position regarding the exclusive role of the United Nations in the political process, reiterating their support for the resolutions of the UN Security Council, including resolution 2703 of 30 October 2023. They reiterated their countries’ support for the efforts of the Personal Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General to advance the political process on the basis of relevant UN Security Council resolutions, as well as their support for Minurso. This constructive position by Slovenia, the 16th European Union country to support Moroccòs Autonomy Plan, is part of an international dynamic that has seen more than one hundred United Nations member countries provide their support for this initiative.
(ITALPRESS).
– Photo credit: Map –

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – According to the annual report published by the Council of Europe, Malta is amongst other European countries with the highest rates of female prisoners in the continent, with just under one in ten prisoners being a woman. That is almost twice as many as the European average of five, but behind other small European countries like Andorra, Iceland and Cyprus. The report finds that just over a million people are currently held in Europès prisons. Maltàs incarceration rate is in line with most other European countries, with 107 inmates for every 100,000 residents, for a total of some 581 prisoners. Maltese inmates have an average age of 38. Half of Maltàs inmates are foreign nationals, according to the report, almost twice as much as the European average of 27%. The vast majority of foreign inmates, just over 80%, are non-EU nationals.
The report sheds light on the issue of court delays in Malta. Over a third of all inmates in Malta, 39%, are still awaiting a final sentence and are incarcerated on remand. Inmates serve an average of almost 11 months in Malta, again in line with the European average. Just like most other European countries, drug charges are the single most common reason why people in Malta may find themselves behind bars, according to the study. A quarter of all inmates in Malta have been incarcerated because of drug-related offences, with a further 16% for homicide or attempted homicide. Theft is far less common, with just 5% of all prisoners responding to theft charges. The report also finds that Maltàs prisons are generally well-staffed, with a staff member for every 1.2 inmates.
(ITALPRESS).

– Photo: Agenzia Fotogramma –

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The European parliamentary elections sent shockwaves into the Labour Party which was left reeling from various scandals, not least the fraudulent privatization agreement of three state hospitals which has led to the arraignment of former PM Joseph Muscat, three former Ministers and the former Chief-of-Staff at the Office of the Prime Minister. The gap between Maltàs two main parties was reduced to three per cent, completely defying the pre-election polls. In 2019, Labour won the European elections by a whopping majority of 42,600 votes over the PN and in the 2022 general election obtained a 39,400 majority. While the Labour Party secured the popular vote, it lost around 75% of its 2019 majority and conceded a European Parliament seat. The Nationalist Party narrowed the gap by an impressive number. The Labour Party has with a majority slashed to 8,454 votes and one less seat. Nationalist MEP and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola won the highest number of votes ever by an MEP candidate. She has polled a record-breaking 81,130 votes. EP President Roberta Metsola, David Casa and Peter Agius were elected for the Nationalist Party while Alex Agius Saliba, Daniel Attard and Thomas Bajada will represent the Labour Party as MEPs.
Labour obtained 117,805 votes while the Nationalists obtained 109,351. 269,551 people cast their vote in the European Parliament election on Saturday, with turnout for the entire election week reaching 72.82% of registered voters, according to the Electoral Commission.
(ITALPRESS).

– Photo: Agenzia Fotogramma –

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The Labour Party received the highest number of first-count votes in the European Parliament election, but its celebrations were subdued as the Nationalist Party registered strong gains among the electorate.
The Nationalist Party claimed that the gap between the two parties has been slashed to around 13,500 votes from nearly 43,000 in 2019, insisting that it has obtained its best-ever result in EP elections since Malta joined the EU in 2004. This also means that the Labour Party has lost its fourth, out of six seats, at the European Parliament, at the gain of the Nationalist Party. Labour leader Robert Abela said it was a “solid” victory, but voters had sent the party an “important message”. Nationalist leader Bernard Grech said it was his party’s “best” showing in the European Parliament elections. Grech who was speaking on the party’s TV station, said that he is “satisfied” with the PN’s best-ever result in European elections and showed that the people increasingly distrust Labour’s politics and embracing the PN. “The PN is moving forward, with caution and calm, because people are understating that only the PN can offer solid leadership,” he said. Political observers said that the sharp decrease in the gap between the two largest parties would send worrying signs to the party in government, not least since it will continue to face the fallout of various scandals, not least the state hospitals concession which has led to the arraignment of its former leader, prime minister Robert Abela’s predecessor Joseph Muscat. For the Nationalist Party, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola will return to the EP with a huge number of votes, with sources saying she is on course to win two quotas.
Voter turnout in the 2024 European Parliament elections has been 72.82% nationwide. Turnout for local council elections was significantly lower, at 59.47%.(ITALPRESS).

Foto: Net News

Source: medNews

RABAT (MOROCCO) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The Chinese-European Gotion High-Tech group yesterday signed the strategic investment agreement that will allow the set up in Marocco of the first gigafactory in the Middle East and Africa region, with the creation of 17,000 direct jobs with an expected investment of 1.2 billion dollars. According to an official statement, this is an important strategic investment, which concerns the creation of a complete industrial ecosystem, which will be operational in 2026, for the production of electric batteries in Kenitra.
The agreement was signed at the Prime Minsiter’s office of Marocco.
According to the official statement, this is an investment that will consolidate the Kingdom’s position as a regional leader in the automotive industry and energy transition.
It was stated: “For this first gigafactory, the Moroccan State has decided to entrust the Chinese-European group Gotion High-Tech, world leader in the electric battery sector, to develop an integrated project for the production of batteries for electric vehicles with a capacity of 20 GWh”.

– photo MAP –
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

ROME (ITALPRESS) – “A complex of two centers for migrants in Albania will be operational from 1 August 2024”. The Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, confirmed this latest announcement in a press conference with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama after the visit to the Shengjin migrant center.

“There are those who have raised objections about the timing and operation of the centres, on which there would be a delay: it’s a bit curious, because first they accuse us of wanting to create Guantanamo and then they complain about the construction times of Guantanamo…”, she underlined.

“Seven months after the signing of the agreement with Albania we are here to announce the completion of the first structure, that of Shengjin, which will perform the typical functions of initial reception centres, i.e. the flashpoints which clearly also exist in Italy and which are dedicated to the migrants who are rescued and disembarked”, explained Meloni.

“Here, health screening, identification, photo-signalling and the formalization of the application for international protection will be carried out,” she continued, adding, “Only migrants rescued in international waters by Italian ships will be able to disembark at the port of Shengjin, while vulnerable people, like minors, women, elderly and fragile people, will not be brought to Albania”.

“We are not spending additional resources, we are making an investment: making a quick calculation, with the current capacity of these centers at full capacity, considering the migrants who are not welcomed in Italy, we will save 136 million”, she said.

The Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama remarked: “I cannot fail to take this opportunity to express sadness over the many half-truths that have been told by the Italian media, including the public service, about Albania, with the very clear intention of throwing mud on this country, to attack the cooperation agreement between the two governments in the fight against illegal immigration.”

“The Special Prosecutor’s Office against organized crime has reassured us that the criminal heart does not exist neither in this area nor in other areas of Albania where criminal groups certainly operate but, again according to the Special Prosecutor’s Office which is part of the Eurojust network, there are no conditions to talk about an Albanian mafia, a concept widely used lately to throw mud at Albania”, he underlined.

“I have received many messages of solidarity from friends in Italy and around the world following the mud unleashed towards Albania and our government, which will have all the sins but has never had a single day of peace in the fight against crime and corruption, nor did it turn the other way”.

Rama recalled that “Italy has been useful to Albania many times” and said he was “proud” that Albania can be “useful to Italy: let’s take up this opportunity and do it with our hearts and with the conviction that the sea between Italy and Albania is not a space that divides us, but it is a space that unites us”.

– Photo screenshot from video Palazzo Chigi –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

FEZ (MOROCCO) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The 3rd edition of the “Marrakech Platform” was held in Fez, bringing together the heads of anti-terrorism and security agencies in Africa and some Western countries including Italy.
The platform, led by Morocco and the United Nations Office for Counter-Terrorism (ONUCT) based in Rabat, saw the participation of more than sixty delegations from UN member states, as well as regional and international organizations. In his opening speech, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Morocco, Nasser Bourita, presented the most recent data, referring to the evolution of the terrorist threat in Africa. Bourita warned that 60% of the world’s terrorism victims are in sub-Saharan Africa and that West Africa alone suffered more than 1,800 terrorist attacks in the first six months of last year. While welcoming the efforts made by African states to combat the terrorist threat, the Minister called for more attention to be paid to the use of new technologies, in particular artificial intelligence and drones, to be explored further.
Finally, Bourita praised the strategic partnership developed between Morocco and the United Nations Office for Counter-Terrorism (ONUCT), based in Rabat, and its significant contribution to strengthening the national capacities of African states in the fight against terrorism, in particular by providing training to more than 1,500 expert lawyers and law enforcement officers from around thirty African countries.

– Photo Embassy of Morocco –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews