Rain showers and colder temperatures expected for next week

Aug 16 2022

According to weather forecast portals, next week in Malta is set to bring us colder temperatures and even some rain showers, following the Santa Marija Gherejjex which saw areas around Malta battered by massive amounts of water.

According to Facebook page ‘It-Temp Madwarna’, this week is set to end with some intense heat and southerly winds, but will shift during the weekend towards fresher air.

This is due to the formation of a cold pool at the centre of the Mediterranean. Should this forecast prove correct, the page revealed, August will get much stormier weather when compared with previous years.

According to Malta International Airport weather forecasts, this prediction is somewhat backed up as temperatures will see a decline from 38 degrees Celsius on Friday to 33 degrees Celsius throughout the weekend.

Last week, massive bouts of rain and flooding hit various parts of the island. Despite being a respite from the usual heat, the stormy weather did cause some ruckus across Malta and Gozo, and it seems we’re in for another round.

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Photo Source: Flickr

Sending a letter abroad will now cost €1.25 as tariffs increase

Postage tariffs raised by Maltapost to make up for delivery losses

Aug 16 2022

Times of Malta revealed that Maltapost has raised the price of both inbound and outbound mail as ‘its role as the national postal service is costing it more money than it makes.’

The price of a stamp to send a letter locally was upped from €0.30 to €0.37 whereas letters going overseas will now cost €1.25, which is a €0.39 increase over the previous €0.86.

Speaking to Times of Malta, Maltapost executive director David Attard said that the company was struggling to cope with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain issues, Brexit, the rising airfreight costs as well as the introduction of VAT on low-value purchases made from outside the EU.

Despite this, sending physical letters from literally any place to any other place in the country remains one of the cheapest economic activities in modern life.

Malta still retains the cheapest postal rates in the EU, even with the new tariffs. Denmark has the most expensive tariffs, with domestic mail costing €3.88.

The Maltese tariff was sustained as the cheapest one in the EU every year since 2008, a study by Deutsche Post revealed. However, chairman Joseph Said highlighted concerns about profitability, saying that Maltapost simply cannot be expected to continue fulfilling certain services at a financial loss.

This follows dropping in profit in 2021 to €2.35 million from 2020’s €2.8 million and 2019’s €2.98 million.

Maltapost currently deploys around 800 personnel six days a week to collect mail from around 600 letter boxes around the country. This is done to serve its ‘universal service obligation’ which means that the company must provide an affordable service to each person in the country, no matter where they live or where they wish to send their mail.

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Burglar injures police officer during Hamrun arrest

Aug 16 2022

Police from Ħamrun’s Police Depot were informed at around 2245hrs that a suspicious individual was approaching parked cars and attempting to break into them.

Following the lead, the police officers intervened on site, but found no suspect in the area identified. Despite this, they continued their search in the area and found the man who matched the description provided in Triq Mile End.

The man attempted to escape when police officers approached him, with the officers giving chase. During his arrest, the man was uncooperative and even injured the police constable.

Watches, mobile phones and a catholic pyx (a container for the eucharist) were found on his person after the officers conducted a search following his arrest.

The man was later identified as a 22-year-old Chad national, and was apprehended to the Police General Headquarters lockup. The injured police constable was given medical aid in the medical centre and was certified as having suffered light injuries. Investigations are ongoing.

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Man grievously injured after balcony railing gives way

Aug 15 2022

Police were informed in the early hours of this morning at around 0200hrs that their assistance was needed in Triq l-Imrejkba, San Pawl il-Baħar.

Upon convening on site, preliminary investigations showed that a 32-year-old H’Attard resident fell from a balcony and suffered injuries. The incident occurred after the balcony railings gave way due to unknown reasons.

A medical team was called on site to give medical assistance to the victim. He was taken to Mater Dei Hospital where he was certified as having suffered grievous injuries.

Investigations are ongoing.

#MaltaDaily