The Italian Environment Ministry has approved Malta’s second interconnector, Energy Minister Miriam Dalli announced on Friday. The project, first launched in 2021 with a target completion date of 2025, is now expected to be finalised by 2026. Dalli highlighted the interconnector’s role in enhancing supply security and supporting a greater share of renewable energy. She thanked Italy’s Minister of Environment and Energy Security, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, for his support. This approval follows a green light from regional Sicilian authorities last year and Malta’s Planning Authority in January 2024. The 245kV cable will span 122km between Magħtab and Ragusa, with 99km running along the seabed, linking Malta to the European energy grid. (Maltatoday)
Maltese in working age bracket decline by 15k in a decade
From 2013 to 2023, the number of Maltese citizens within the working-age bracket of 15 to 64 years declined by 15,492, according to data from Malta’s National Statistics Office, highlighted in a policy document on labour migration. In 2013, the population in this age group was 267,773, but by 2023, it had dropped to 252,281. Despite this decline, Malta experienced significant growth in employment opportunities, with approximately 30,000 more Maltese citizens employed compared to 2013. (Newsbook)
Five charged after Paceville assault
Five people have been charged with violently assaulting a 21-year-old woman in Paceville, an incident captured on video and widely shared on social media. The accused include three women, aged 17, 18, and 19, and two men, aged 23 and 26, who were arraigned on Friday. The charges stem from a video circulating online that shows the victim being dragged by her hair across the ground while being punched and kicked. Magistrate Lara Lanfranco, presiding over the case, has imposed a publication ban on all names involved to protect the victim’s identity. (Times of Malta)
