Comino Environment: Malta’s ERA says a Comino hotel project under court appeal must trigger 540 new indigenous tree plantings, including 10 trees per removed protected tree, with transplanting and genetic-stock rules tied to the permit. Maritime Security: The AFM Maritime Squadron logged over 10,000 operational hours at sea in 2025, covering patrols, boardings, search and rescue and irregular migration interventions, highlighted during a visit by Home Affairs Minister Glenn Bedingfield. Renewables Grid Planning: Interconnect Malta received four submissions after its preliminary market consultation on renewable electricity generation in North Africa and a dedicated cable link to Malta, with inputs meant to guide future policy decisions. EU R&D Funding: Eurostat reports EU public R&D allocations rose to €130.2bn in 2025 (0.69% of GDP), but Malta sits near the bottom at €73.7 per inhabitant, underscoring the local funding gap. Tech & Payments: OKX Europe launched “X-Perps in Simple Mode” for retail leveraged crypto derivatives under MiCA/MiFID II, while a separate report frames Europe’s online gambling as a stress-test for next-gen payment systems. Space Watch: Excitement builds for Europe’s total solar eclipse on Aug 12, with the UK set for the biggest show in decades. Apple Wallet: Apple Account card support is expanding to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Malta, letting users add balances and transactions in Wallet. Innovation Events: EIT Community Hub Malta kicked off “Brain & Bites” with a session on soil, growth and funding opportunities to turn innovation talk into action.