News

China military says it ‘drove away’ US destroyer in South China Sea

China's military said it closely monitored and "drove away" USS Halsey that entered the territorial waters of Paracel Islands in the South China Sea on May 10, the Southern Theater…

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Putin suggests that Mishustin remains as Russia’s prime minister

Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed the reappointment on Friday of Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, a technocrat who has helped him through the war in Ukraine and the economic challenges wrought…

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Pope puts Rome in panic mode by declaring 2025 Holy Year

Pope Francis used the Feast of Ascension on Thursday to preside over the reading of a papal bull at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, declaring 2025 a Holy Year for…

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UN General Assembly set to back Palestinian bid for membership

The United Nations General Assembly on Friday is set to back a Palestinian bid to become a full U.N. member by recognizing it as qualified to join and sending the…

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Israel strikes eastern Rafah as ceasefire talks end with no deal

Israeli forces bombarded areas of Rafah on Thursday, Palestinian residents said, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed U.S. President Joe Biden's threat to withhold weapons from Israel if it assaults…

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Anti-aircraft units intercept drone south of Moscow

Russian anti-aircraft units intercepted a drone south of Moscow and there were no injuries or damage from falling debris, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said early on Friday. Sobyanin, writing on…

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Panama Papers law firm co-founder Ramon Fonseca dies in hospital

Ramon Fonseca, who co-founded the now defunct law firm linked to the Panama Papers scandal, died overnight, his lawyer told Reuters on Thursday morning. During the night Fonseca "died while…

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Russia says Western actions compel it to boost its nuclear deterrent

Russia is warning its Western adversaries that it feels obliged to boost its nuclear deterrent due to what it sees as their "escalatory" course, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was…

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Europe Day: celebrating solidarity, democracy and diversity

Europe Day, celebrated every year on 9 May, marks the anniversary of the Schuman Declaration which was presented in 1950. This founding document of the European Union laid the groundwork for…

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UK’s Labour holds 30-point poll lead over Sunak’s Conservatives

Britain's opposition Labour Party has increased its poll lead over Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservatives to stand 30 points ahead, according to a YouGov poll for the Times newspaper. The…

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UPDATED: Putin warns of global clash as Russia marks Victory Day

MOSCOW, May 9 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the West on Thursday of risking a global conflict and said no one would be allowed to threaten the world's…

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Lithuania minister says Western military trainers could go to Ukraine

Lithuania’s foreign minister has raised the prospect of an ad hoc coalition of western countries sending military training personnel into Ukraine backed by ground-based air defence, days after Russia took…

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UK refuses to sign global vaccine treaty

Britain is refusing to sign the World Health Organization's (WHO) pandemic accord because the country says it would have to give away a fifth of its vaccines, the Telegraph reported.…

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Ukraine lawmakers back bill allowing some convicts to enlist in army

Ukraine's parliament passed a bill on Wednesday that would allow some convicts to enlist in the army in return for a chance at parole, part of a push to generate…

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Ice cream sellers in Germany probed over Mafia money

Authorities in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia said they had charged three men with money laundering. The three are alleged to have used an ice cream parlor in the…

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Biden says US will stop some weapons shipments to Israel if it invades Rafah

President Joe Biden has warned Israel in his toughest public comments so far that the US would stop supplying it with some weapons if Israel invades the southern Gaza city…

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Right-wing opposition makes big gains in North Macedonia election

North Macedonia's right-wing opposition won big in parliamentary and presidential elections on Wednesday, on a night that saw the Balkan country also elect its first female head of state. Hundreds…

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Malta News Briefing – Thursday 9 May 2024

Morning Briefing President says judiciary must be allowed to work in calm environment The President has cautioned that the courts and judiciary must operate in a calm environment to carry…

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Lithuanian intelligence warns of provocations ahead of Russia’s Victory Day

Lithuanian intelligence has warned of possible provocations as Russia and some other former Soviet countries are about to celebrate the so-called World War Two Victory Day on May 9. “Recently,…

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Italy bans NGO planes from using airports close to migrant routes

Italy announced that planes used by charities to track migrant boats in difficulty would no longer be able to fly from airports on the islands of Sicily, Pantelleria and Lampedusa…

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Europe must increase defence capabilities to be safe, says Poland’s Tusk

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that in order for Europe to avoid conflicts and be safe it must increase its defence capabilities, and he repeated his call for the…

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Another British Conservative lawmaker defects to opposition Labour Party

A lawmaker in Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative Party defected to the opposition Labour Party on Wednesday, the second to do so in less than two weeks, criticising what she…

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Russia warns France against sending troops

The Russian Foreign Ministry says Moscow would view any French soldiers deployed in Ukraine as legitimate targets. Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the warning was in response to renewed comments from…

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Canadian man shot dead in Egypt

A Canadian man "of Jewish Israeli descent" has been shot dead during a robbery in the Egyptian city of Alexandria and authorities are investigating the incident as a criminal case,…

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Updated – Malta News Briefing – Wednesday 8 May 2024

Updated 1300 'We will not accept this' - Law students slam PM's criticism of judiciary Law students protested outsidethe law courts, criticising Prime Minister Robert Abela's statements for allegedly pitting…

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Another German politician attacked

A senior figure in Chancellor Olaf Scholz's party became the latest target in a string of attacks on German politicians when a man struck her from behind with a bag…

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Qatar calls for ‘urgent international action’ over Rafah

Qatar called on the international community on Wednesday to prevent a “genocide” in Rafah after Israel’s seizure of the Gaza city’s crossing with Egypt and threats of a wider assault,…

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Russia’s biggest airstrike in weeks piles pressure on Ukraine power grid

Russian missiles and drones struck nearly a dozen Ukrainian critical infrastructure facilities in a major airstrike early on Wednesday, causing serious damage at three Soviet-era thermal power plants, Kyiv officials…

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Australia raises minimum savings for student visa, warns on fake recruitment

Australia said on Wednesday it would raise the amount of savings international students will need to get a visa and warned several colleges of fraudulent student recruitment practices, as part…

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UK rules out cyber threat after resolving passport gate outage

Britain's Home Office said border control systems are operational after an outage that it deemed was not a cyber attack led to lengthy queues and chaotic scenes at airports nationwide.…

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North Macedonia votes in elections crucial for EU accession

North Macedonia will head to the polls on Wednesday in parliamentary and presidential elections in which the rightist opposition is expected to gain ground against a ruling party that has…

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US paused shipment of weapons to Israel to head off Rafah invasion-official

U.S. President Joe Biden's administration paused a shipment of weapons to Israel last week in opposition to apparent moves by the Israelis to invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah,…

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Belarus conducts tactical nuclear inspection together with Russia

Belarus has begun checks on the readiness of its army to deploy tactical nuclear weapons, state media said on Tuesday, simultaneously with preparations for a nuclear drill being carried out…

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US optimistic revised Hamas proposal may break Gaza ceasefire impasse

The United States believes the remaining differences between Israel and Hamas can be bridged in negotiations over the Palestinian militant group's latest ceasefire proposal, as talks resume in Cairo on…

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UPDATED: AstraZeneca to withdraw COVID-19 vaccine worldwide

AstraZeneca said it had initiated the worldwide withdrawal of its COVID-19 vaccine due to a "surplus of available updated vaccines" since the pandemic. The company also said it would proceed…

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Ukraine catches Russian agents plotting Zelenskiy assassination, SBU says

Ukraine's SBU State Security Service said it had caught Russian agents within the Ukrainian state guard service plotting the assassination of the president and other senior governmental officials. "Counterintelligence and…

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Judge warns Trump of imprisoment if jurors, witnesses are harassed

The judge presiding over Donald Trump’s Manhattan "hush money" trial warned of potential imprisonment if the former president persisted in harassing witnesses and jurors, following repeated violations of a court-ordered…

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Hungary’s anti-corruption authority wants stronger powers for prosecutions

Hungary's anti-corruption body, tasked with stamping out fraud in the spending of billions of euros of European Union funds, has requested greater powers including for prosecutions, raids and sanctions, a…

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Good governance is a priority for the MDB and the NAO

The MDB Chairman Mr Leo Brincat welcomed the Auditor General Mr Charles Deguara and the Deputy Auditor General Mr Noel Camilleri, at the MDB offices, stating that the bond that…

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EU ready to make ‘full use’ of trade defence tools against China, von der Leyen warns Xi

European Commission chief von der Leyen issued a strong warning on CHina, stating that the European Union is prepared to take decisive action against its aggressive trade practices. This comes…

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UK’s Lib Dems to submit motion of no-confidence in Rishi Sunak’s government

Britain's Liberal Democrat party said that it would submit a parliamentary motion of no confidence in Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government to try to force a June general election after…

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Israel rejects ceasefire deal, talks continue

Israel has rejected a ceasefire deal with Hamas with one official criticising it as 'watered-down'. According to a copy of the proposal that Hamas says it has agreed to, there will be…

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Falklands dispute may last decades – Argentina president

Argentina’s President Javier Milei has acknowledges that the Falkland Islands are currently under UK control. In an interview with the BBC, the right-wing leader expressed his intention to pursue diplomatic…

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Ukraine accuses Russia of ‘nuclear blackmail’ over weapons drills

Ukraine’s military spy agency spokesperson has expressed anger at Russia’s recent announcement of tactical nuclear drills as part of its ongoing nuclear coercion tactics. Andriy Yusov stated on Monday that…

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Malta News Briefing – Tuesday 7 May 2024

Morning Briefing PN wants immediate publication of Vitals inquiry Opposition leader Bernard Grech has urged the Attorney General to provide him with a copy of the hospitals inquiry report, highlighting…

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Belgian ship joins EU Aspides mission in Red Sea

The Belgian frigate Louise-Marie has joined the European operation Aspides in the Red Sea. The Louise-Marie will participate in the Aspides mission for “just over five weeks” before moving onto…

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Mladic defence seeks his release to Serbia on health grounds

Defence lawyers for Bosnian Serb general Ratko Mladic, who is serving a life sentence for his role in the bloody 1992-95 war in Bosnia, are seeking his urgent release to…

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Finland is stockpiling military equipment in Norway and Sweden

Finland has started storing military equipment in neighbouring Norway and will soon begin doing the same in Sweden, the Financial Times has reported. Lieutenant General Mikko Heiskanen, deputy chief of…

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Hezbollah says its drone hits northern Israeli town, casualties reported

Hezbollah said on Monday it carried out a drone attack on an Israeli military position near the northern Israeli town of Metula that left several dead and injured. Israel's military…

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Scholz pledges Germany’s steadfast backing for the Baltic states

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says Berlin is firm in its resolve to defend the Baltic states against Russian aggression. His comments came on a visit to Lithuania, where German troops…

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Updated – Malta News Briefing – Monday 6 May 2024

Updated 1300 National Bank shareholders want €1.4 billion in compensation Shareholders of the former National Bankof Malta are seeking €1.4 billion in compensation, challenging a court decision that awarded them…

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Single-sex toilets mandatory in new bars, restaurants and offices in England under proposed laws

Single-sex toilets are set to become a legal requirement for all new bars, restaurants, offices and shopping centres under new laws proposed by the government. Self-contained toilets for both sexes…

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UPDATED: Russia to practice tactical nuclear weapon scenario to deter West

Russia on Monday said it would hold a military exercise that will include practice for the use of tactical nuclear weapons after what the defence ministry said were provocative threats…

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Italy calls for Ukraine truce, peace talks with Putin

Italy's Defence Minister said on Monday economic sanctions against Russia had failed and called on the West to try harder to negotiate a diplomatic solution with President Vladimir Putin to…

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Condemnation and concern in Germany after a series of assaults on politicians

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and European Union leaders denounced on Saturday a recent spate of attacks on politicians in Germany, including one that sent a member of the European Parliament…

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UPDATED: Israel begins evacuating part of Rafah, Hamas decries ‘dangerous escalation’

Israel told Palestinians to evacuate parts of Rafah on Monday in what appeared to be preparation for a long-threatened assault on Hamas holdouts in the southern Gaza city where more…

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Moscow blames Baltic states ‘confrontational’ actions

Moscow is determined to respond to what it labelled as confrontational actions by Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia with asymmetric measures. Russia blamed the "hostility" of Baltic states for them severing…

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