News

Updated – Malta News Briefing – Thursday 29 January 2026

Updated 1000 Valletta Retail in Retreat as High Rents and Nightlife Push Out Traditional Shops: The impending closure of the Energy complex on Republic Street underscores deeper problems facing Valletta’s…

Read More Here

Trump warns Iran ‘time is running out’ as US military builds up in Gulf

Donald Trump has warned Iran that "time is running out" to negotiate a deal on nuclear weapons following the steady build up of US military forces in the Gulf. The…

Read More Here

Spain to grant around half a million undocumented migrants legal status

Spain's Socialist-led government presented a draft decree to expedite legal status to hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants, in its latest move to integrate migrant workers even as other European…

Read More Here

Human trafficker who tortured migrants in Libya jailed for 20 years in Netherlands

An Eritrean people trafficker who tortured African refugees and migrants in camps in Libya was jailed for 20 years on by a Dutch court, with a judge saying he had…

Read More Here

Sweden aims to lower age of criminal responsibility to 13

Sweden is moving forward with plans to lower the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 13 in serious cases as it grapples with a growing number of children recruited…

Read More Here

Trump says ‘Cuba will be failing pretty soon’

U.S. President Donald Trump said that "Cuba will be failing pretty soon," adding that Venezuela, once the island's top supplier, has not recently sent oil or money to Cuba. Emboldened…

Read More Here

Dutch parties agree on rare minority government

Leaders of political parties in the Netherlands have agreed to form a rare minority government. The centrist pro-EU D66 party, which won the election last October, will team up with…

Read More Here

Atomic scientists set ‘Doomsday Clock’ closer to midnight than ever

Atomic scientists set their "Doomsday Clock" on Tuesday closer than ever to midnight, citing aggressive behavior by nuclear powers Russia, China and the United States, fraying nuclear arms control, conflicts…

Read More Here

Malta News Briefing – Wednesday 28 January 2026

Morning Briefing Five arrested in major drug, money laundering crackdown Police arrested five people following a series of raids across Msida, Sliema and Swieqi, seizing 13kg of suspected cocaine and…

Read More Here

1926: The Year Television Became Reality

In 1926, the West End of London offered a dazzling range of evening entertainment. Choices included watching Fred Astaire and his sister Adele on stage at the old Empire theatre…

Read More Here

Zelenskyy eyes 2027 for Ukraine’s accession to European Union

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he wanted to target 2027 for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union. In a brief update after his phone call with Austrian chancellor Christian…

Read More Here

Planned U.S. ICE Security Presence at Winter Olympics Draws Scrutiny in Italy

A political controversy is emerging in Italy ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan-Cortina following reports that agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) may be…

Read More Here

Deadly virus outbreak in India triggers Asia airport screenings

An outbreak of the deadly Nipah virus in India's West Bengal state has sparked concern in parts of Asia, with some tightening screening measures at airports. Thailand has started screening…

Read More Here

Azerbaijan arrests three men for planning embassy attack at behest of Islamic State offshoot

Authorities in Azerbaijan said on Tuesday they had arrested three individuals planning an attack on a foreign embassy in the capital Baku at the instructions of Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K),…

Read More Here

Holocaust Remembrance: “Never again should not be an empty promise” – Metsola

Updated 1300 The European Parliament dedicated a special plenary session marking the International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp in 1945. The date…

Read More Here

Malta Weighs Trump ‘Board of Peace’ Invitation

Malta is seeking legal advice after being invited to join US President Donald Trump’s proposed ‘Board of Peace’, Prime Minister Robert Abela told parliament on Monday. Abela confirmed that Malta,…

Read More Here

Blizzards in North America, Heat Emergencies in Australia as Weather Extremes Intensify

Toronto is beginning the lengthy process of digging itself out from the largest snowfall in the city’s history, even as parts of the United States remain paralyzed by a powerful…

Read More Here

Border patrol chief and other agents to leave Minneapolis following second fatal shooting

The Trump administration agreed to scale back federal presence after a second fatal shooting by federal officers. President Donald Trump said he will replace Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino with…

Read More Here

France’s lawmakers vote to ban social media for under-15s

Lawmakers in France's National Assembly on Monday passed a bill that would ban children under 15 years old from usingsocial media. They voted 116 to ⁠23 in favor the bill.…

Read More Here

Hundreds feared missing or dead trying to cross the Mediterranean

Hundreds of people are feared dead or missing after attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea, with reports of multiple shipwrecks in the last ten days following bad weather, the U.N.…

Read More Here

Malta News Briefing – Tuesday 27 January 2026

Morning Briefing Malta invited to join Trump's Board of Peace Malta has been informally invited to sit on US President Donald Trump’s so-called “Board of Peace”, Prime Minister Robert Abela…

Read More Here

The Conversation – How cocaine traffickers launder cartel money

The cocaine market exploded between 2014 and 2023. Production in Colombia increased more than sevenfold to nearly 2,700 tonnes, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).…

Read More Here

USS Abraham Lincoln enters Middle East amid US-Iran tensions

A U.S. aircraft carrier and supporting warships have arrived in the Middle East, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Monday, expanding President Donald Trump's capabilities to defend U.S. forces, or…

Read More Here

Italy declares state of emergency after storms in southern regions

Italy's government on Monday declared a state of emergency for southern regions battered by a violent storm last week, pledging swift financial aid to rebuild roads and businesses hit by…

Read More Here

Suella Braverman joins Nigel Farage’s populist Reform UK

British lawmaker Suella Braverman, an ex-interior minister, became the latest prominent Conservative to join Nigel Farage's populist Reform UK on Monday, using her unveiling at a rally to accuse her…

Read More Here

France probes link between two baby deaths and milk formula

French investigators are examining the deaths of two infants who had consumed baby formula products that were subject to a precautionary recall earlier this month, the French health ministry said.…

Read More Here

Winter storm grips much of US in snow, ice, Arctic cold

powerful winter storm spread a paralyzing mix of heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain from the Ohio Valley and mid-South to New England on Sunday, compounded by bitter, Arctic cold…

Read More Here

Iran prepares for potential US attack

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reportedly moved to a fortified underground bunker in Tehran following warnings from military and security officials about an increased likelihood of a US strike…

Read More Here

Clinton and Obama urge Americans to ‘speak out’ and take action after Minneapolis shootings

Two Democratic former presidents condemned the scenes in Minnesota after Alex Pretti was killed this weekend, framing the tragedy as a pivotal moment that calls Americans to "speak up" and…

Read More Here

One rescued, 50 feared drowned after migrant boat sinks off Tunisia

A migrant has been rescued and 50 others are feared drowned after a boat sank in the Mediterranean, officials said on Sunday. The man had been in the sea for…

Read More Here

Malta News Briefing – Monday 26 January 2026

Morning Briefing Labour maintains slim lead as disengagement increases The Labour Party continues to hold a slim lead over the Nationalist Party, according to the latest MaltaToday survey, with the…

Read More Here

Anti-Government Protests in Tirana Escalate into Violence

On Saturday evening, the Albanian capital of Tirana became the scene of violent clashes between police forces and anti-government demonstrators. The protest, which was organised and led by opposition leader…

Read More Here

Labour NEC Blocks Burnham’s By-Election Candidacy

Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has been prevented from standing in the upcoming Gorton and Denton by-election after the Labour Party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) voted 8-1 against allowing him to…

Read More Here

Minneapolis ICU nurse latest victim of US led immigrant purge

Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old Intensive Care Unit nurse at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, was fatally shot by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis. Known for his dedication to caring for…

Read More Here

Developments in Gaza: Diplomatic Efforts, Ongoing Conflict, and the Rafah Crossing

United States envoy Steve Witkoff announced that he and his colleague Jared Kushner held "constructive" discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. These talks occurred as Israel maintained its deadly…

Read More Here

Pope Leo XIV Calls for Peace in Ukraine and Beyond

On Sunday, Pope Leo XIV addressed the faithful, urging them to pray for peace in regions afflicted by conflict. He specifically highlighted Ukraine, the Middle East, and other areas where…

Read More Here

Risk of foreign drones crossing into Finnish airspace is increasing, officials say

The risk of drones drifting into Finland as a result of the ongoing war in Ukraine is rising, the head of the country's military intelligence service told the AFP news…

Read More Here

Malta News Briefing – Saturday 24 January 2026

Morning Briefing Greenland’s Future Is Not Up for Debate, Says AbelaPrime Minister Robert Abela has stressed that decisions on Greenland’s future belong solely to Greenland and Denmark, warning that Europe…

Read More Here

Trump’s Latest Statements Prompt Anger Among NATO Veterans

Veterans from across Europe hit back at U.S. President Donald Trump's suggestion that they had stayed off the front lines in Afghanistan, saying on Friday that hundreds of their comrades…

Read More Here

Ferrari unveils the SF-26

Scuderia Ferrari HP today launched the SF-26, the car with which it will contest the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship, which gets underway on 8 March in Australia. It is…

Read More Here

Which Passports Open the Most Doors: Singapore Reigns

The latest Henley Passport Index, updated quarterly, reveals which passports offer the broadest global access without a visa. Singapore has reclaimed the top spot, granting its citizens visa-free entry to…

Read More Here

Heathrow’s new scanners end dreaded rummage for liquids and laptops

Passengers will no longer be forced to dig around in their hand luggage to extract shampoos, water bottles and laptops when travelling through security at Heathrow, Europe's busiest airport, thanks…

Read More Here

Major U.S. Naval Buildup Near Iran as Carrier Group Approaches Gulf

The United States is continuing to build up its military presence in the Middle East as tensions with Iran remain high, with the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and its…

Read More Here

Polish army reports increased small drone activity near Belarus border

Poland said it had detected heightened activity of small drones near its border with Belarus on Wednesday evening, in a further sign of tensions after an airspace violation involving suspected…

Read More Here

Unprecedented 16.66-Metre Wave Recorded in Sicily Channel During Cyclone Harry

Cyclone Harry has marked a clear turning point in the history of meteorology and oceanography, not only for Italy but also at an international level. On the afternoon of Tuesday,…

Read More Here

Zelenskiy tells Europe: have courage to finally ‘act now’

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy criticised Europe on Thursday as a "fragmented kaleidoscope of small and middle powers" lacking courage to act decisively and facing a dark future unless it stood up…

Read More Here

France seizes suspected Russian ‘shadow fleet’ tanker

France says it has seized an oil tanker in the Mediterranean suspected of being part of Russia's sanction-busting "shadow fleet". French President Emmanuel Macron said the tanker, named the Grinch,…

Read More Here

Malta News Briefing – Friday 23 January 2026

Morning Briefing Ferry Delays Continue as Gozo Channel Restores ServicesPassengers and freight operators continued to face delays at Ċirkewwa and Mġarr on Thursday as Gozo Channel services gradually returned to…

Read More Here

Putin says who owns Greenland is of no concern to Russia

President Vladimir Putin said that Greenland's ownership was not Russia's concern and that the United States and Denmark - whose historical treatment of the island he criticised - should sort…

Read More Here

New trade map takes shape in Davos as world adjusts to Trump tariffs

President Donald Trump's use of tariffs as a foreign policy tool added fresh impetus in Davos this week to efforts to boost global trade beyond the U.S., with frustration palpable…

Read More Here

Germany’s Merz: Europe must not rush to write off transatlantic ties

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz welcomed on Thursday U.S. President Donald Trump's shift in rhetoric on Greenland and urged Europeans not to be too quick to write off the transatlantic partnership.…

Read More Here

Trump launches Board of Peace that some fear rivals UN

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday launched his Board of Peace, initially focused on cementing Gaza's ceasefire but which he said could take a wider role that may worry other…

Read More Here

The Disruption of Global Order: Trump’s Impact Explained

In what has become a familiar, exhausting cycle, the rest of the world is left with the futile task of trying to dredge meaning from the wreckage left behind by…

Read More Here

Infant formula contamination scare spreads to Danone and Lactalis

Three of the world's largest dairy companies are recalling and blocking batches of infant milk formula after a contamination scare that began with Nestle widened to French groups Danone and…

Read More Here

House panel advances contempt measures against Clintons in Epstein probe

A Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives panel on Wednesday recommended former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton be found in contempt of Congress for refusing to…

Read More Here

Two dead as rainstorm pound Greece

Two people died on Wednesday in Greece after torrential rain flooded homes and businesses in Athens and other parts of the country, authorities said. A woman died after being hit…

Read More Here

Trump backs down on Greenland tariffs, says deal framework reached

U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly stepped back on Wednesday from threats to impose tariffs as leverage to seize Greenland, ruled out the use of force and suggested a deal was…

Read More Here