News

Cyprus aims to become regional space hub

Cyprus is set to be a player in the field of space technologies which have revolutionised our ability to manage the earth’s resources, Deputy Minister of Research and Innovation Nikodemos…

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Swiss women win landmark climate victory at human rights court

By Gloria Dickie and Kate Abnett The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled on Tuesday in favour of a group of elderly Swiss women who had argued that their…

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TikTok’s popularity among European politicians rises despite security fears

By Andreas Rinke and Matthias Williams When Simon Harris became Ireland's prime minister-in-waiting in March, he turned to a favoured platform to express himself: TikTok. In a video with 'THANK…

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Bulgaria’s president calls snap parliamentary election for June 9

Bulgaria's President Rumen Radev appointed a caretaker government on Tuesday led by Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev, and set June 9 as the date for snap elections, the president's office said…

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EU Red Sea navy mission commander hopes for more ships to repel Houthi attacks

The commander of a European Union naval mission in the Red Sea wants to significantly increase its size to better defend against possible attacks by Houthi rebels based in Yemen,…

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Sweden expels Chinese journalist over national security fears, lawyer says

Swedish authorities have ordered the expulsion of a Chinese journalist, saying she could pose a serious threat to national security, a lawyer representing the woman said. The 57-year-old Chinese woman…

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Suspect charged with planning ‘coup’ attempt in Germany

Prosecutors in the northern German city of Hamburg filed charges against a 66-year-old man accused of supporting a terrorist organization and aiding and abetting the preparation of a treasonable enterprise…

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Italy arrests Tajik man suspected of belonging to Islamic State

Italian police on Monday arrested a man from Tajikistan wanted for terrorism-related crimes and suspected of being an active member of the Islamic State militant group, a police statement said.…

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Israel deploys C-Dome defence system for the first time

Israel for the first time deployed its ship-mounted defence system, called the C-Dome, against a "suspicious" target that entered the country's airspace near the southern city of Eilat, the military…

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Panama Papers money-laundering trial begins

The trial of 27 people charged in connection with the Panama Papers money laundering scandal has started in a Panamanian criminal court. The leak of secret financial documents in 2016…

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Malta Suffers Brunt Of 33% Drop In Suez Canal Trade

Ongoing assaults by the Houthi rebel group on commercial vessels have disrupted vital maritime routes in the Red Sea, with a reported drop of around 33% drop of trade passing…

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Malta News Briefing – Tuesday 9 April 2024

Morning Briefing Politicians should not take over abortion debate - PMPrime Minister Robert Abela has urged politicians to step back from discussions on abortion following President Myriam Spiteri Debono's suggestion…

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The risks at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant after the latest drone attack

Russia said Ukraine struck the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station controlled by Russian forces three times on Sunday and demanded the West respond, though Kyiv said it had nothing to do…

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Spain to scrap ‘golden visas’ for foreign real estate investors

Spain will scrap the so-called golden visa programme granting residency rights to foreigners who make large investments in real estate in the country, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told reporters on…

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New Zealand tightens visa rules amid near record migration

New Zealand said that it was making immediate changes to its employment visa program after a near record migration last year which it said was "unsustainable". The changes include measures…

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‘Multiple proposals’ being considered for new Commonwealth Games 2026 host

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) says it is "considering multiple proposals" to host the event in 2026, amid continued uncertainty over its long-term future. Last week, Singapore joined Malaysia in…

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Germany’s Lindner plays down coalition breakup fears

German Finance Minister Christian Lindner on Sunday evaded questions on whether his Free Democratic Party (FDP) was prepared to leave the country's ruling coalition over tough budget talks, saying the…

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Israel says prepared to handle any Iran scenario

Israel is ready to handle any scenario that may arise with Iran, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said, after Tehran threatened to retaliate for the killing of Iranian generals on April…

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Latin American governments rally around Mexico after embassy raid in Ecuador

Latin American governments, including regional heavyweight Brazil, rallied around Mexico after its embassy in Ecuador was raided to arrest a controversial politician who had been granted asylum by Mexican authorities.…

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Israel reduces troops in south Gaza, Egypt to host new talks

By Ari Rabinovitch and Nidal Al-Mughrabi Israel said it had withdrawn more soldiers from southern Gaza, leaving just one brigade, as it and Hamas sent teams to Egypt for fresh…

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Pellegrini wins Slovak presidential election in boost for pro-Russian PM Fico

By Radovan Stoklasa and Jan Lopatka Slovak nationalist-left government candidate Peter Pellegrini won the country's presidential election over the weekend, cementing the grip of pro-Russian Prime Minister Robert Fico over…

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Malta News Briefing – Monday 8 April 2024

Morning Briefing Referendum should decide abortion issue - President Malta's new president, Myriam Spiteri Debono, has advocated for a referendum as the most equitable method to resolve the contentious issue…

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Could the Palestinians become a full United Nations member?

The Palestinian Authority on Tuesday formally asked for renewed consideration by the United Nations Security Council of its 2011 application to become a full member of the world body. Palestinian…

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Israeli troops recover body of hostage from Gaza’s Khan Younis

Israeli commandos have recovered the body of a hostage held in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, the military said on Saturday, three months after he pleaded for his…

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Iran warns ‘enemy’ will ‘regret’ Guards killings in Syria

Iran on Saturday again threatened retaliation for the deaths of seven Revolutionary Guards in a strike on Damascus, with the army chief saying his country’s enemies will “regret” the killings,…

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Wildfire rages on Greece’s Crete island, settlements evacuated

ATHENS, April 6 (Reuters) - A wildfire raged out of control on the Greek island of Crete on Saturday, with authorities ordering the evacuation of four residential settlements, the fire…

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Estonian military suspects Russia preparing to launch major offensive in Ukraine

Russia may be preparing for a major offensive in Ukraine at the start of summer, indicated by troop reorganization and the mass bombing campaign, said Col. Ants Kiviselg, commander of…

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EU launches €270M plan to bring Armenia into the Western fold

The European Union has agreed on a landmark plan to help pull Armenia out of Russia’s orbit and support its economy in the face of growing tensions in the region.…

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Norway plans to massively increase military spending

Norway plans to increase its defense budget by NOK 600 billion (about EUR 51,6 bn) by 2036, which would set its military spending to 3% of GDP, the Oslo government…

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CDC issues health alert for bird flu infection in US

The U.S. CDC issued a health alert to inform clinicians, state health departments and the public of a case of avian influenza in a person who had contact with dairy…

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Mexico to require visas for Peru nationals after migration spike

MEXICO CITY, (Reuters) - Mexico will require a visa application for Peruvian nationals seeking to enter Mexican territory, according to an announcement published in the official gazette on Friday, amid…

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Iceland prime minister resigns to run for president

Icelandic Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir announced her resignation and said that she will run for president, a ceremonial post that is mostly above the daily political fray. It was not…

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New York rattled by rare East Coast earthquake

By Julia Harte and Joseph Ax A 4.8-magnitude earthquake struck near New York City on Friday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey said, shaking buildings up and down the East Coast…

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US on high alert for Iran threat in region after Israeli strike in Syria

By Steve Holland The United States is on high alert and preparing for a possible attack by Iran targeting Israeli or American assets in the region in response to Israel's…

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Slovaks pick between Fico ally and pro-Western diplomat for president

By Eva Korinkova Slovaks go to the polls on Saturday to pick a new president, choosing between pro-Western opposition candidate Ivan Korcok and Peter Pellegrini running for the ruling nationalist…

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Italy arrests 22, seizes millions in EU fund fraud case

Italian police said they had arrested 22 people and seized assets from villas to Rolexes worth over 600 million euros ($652 million) as part of an investigation into alleged fraud…

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Finland under no special military threat

Commenting on the nation's current security situation, the new Chief of Defence and Commander of the Finnish Defence Forces, General Janne Jaakkola, said on Thursday that Russia poses no particular…

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Train drivers in England begin three-day series of strikes

Rail passengers across England will face significant disruption on Friday as train drivers at five operating companies carry out industrial action. The 24-hour strike will be the first of three…

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Italy insists dialogue must remain open with Russia

Communications with Russia must remain open despite its attack on Ukraine, Italy's defence minister said on Friday, commenting on recent talks between his French and Russian counterparts. On Wednesday, French…

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Uproar in the UK as MP admits passing colleagues’ numbers to stranger met on dating app

A senior member of Britain's governing Conservative Party has admitted supplying the personal details of fellow lawmakers to someone he met online, saying he had felt compromised after he sent…

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Cyprus demands Lebanon control migrant flows

Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides will head to Lebanon on Monday for talks on migration after the Mediterranean island declared a crisis on refugee flows. “We are indeed in a crisis,…

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Poland is biggest economic beneficiary of EU from post-2004 entrants: report

Poland was the biggest beneficiary of EU membership among all countries in the region that joined the Community in 2004 and beyond. Between 2004 and 2022, the country’s GDP doubled,…

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Russia’s Lavrov says Chinese peace plan on Ukraine is most reasonable so far

China has proposed the most reasonable peace plan so far for resolving the Ukraine conflict, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted as saying. Beijing put forward a 12-point paper…

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Flood warnings issued as Sydney hit by torrential rains

SYDNEY, April 5 (Reuters) - Torrential rains pummelled Australia's southeast on Friday, dumping almost a month's worth of rainfall on Sydney and triggering flood warnings, with authorities urging people to…

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Venice starts trial of 5-euro entry ticket

Venice on Thursday began a trial of a 5-euro entry ticket as part of efforts to limit the tourist flows that risk suffocating the Lagoon city.The trial will be done…

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Fragments of presumed Russian drone found in Moldova

Border police in ex-Soviet Moldova said they had found and cordoned off what appeared to be fragments of an Iranian-made Russian drone just inside the country's border with Ukraine. A…

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Finland extends Russia border closure indefinitely

By Essi Lehto Finland will indefinitely extend the closure of land border crossings with Russia and add several ports to a list where travel from its eastern neighbour is prohibited,…

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Biden to Netanyahu: Protect civilians in Gaza or US policy will change

President Joe Biden threatened on Thursday to condition support for Israel's offensive in Gaza on it taking concrete steps to protect aid workers and civilians, seeking for the first time…

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Malta News Briefing – Friday 5 April 2024

Myriam Spiteri Debono inaugurated as Malta's 11th President In her inaugural address on Thursday, Malta's newly appointed president, Myriam Spiteri Debono, condemned what she termed as the "disease of greed"…

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Taipei replica in remote Chinese province fans Taiwan invasion fears

China seems to have created a mock-up of Taipei’s presidential district to use the site as a training ground to prepare for a future invasion of Taiwan. Satellite images verified…

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Kremlin says Russia and NATO are now in “direct confrontation”

MOSCOW, April 4 (Reuters) - Russia and NATO are now in "direct confrontation", the Kremlin said as the U.S.-led alliance marked its 75th anniversary on Thursday. NATO's successive waves of…

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Germany announces military overhaul

Germany's defence minister announced a restructuring of the military on Thursday, including a new central command and a dedicated branch for cyber space, furthering a Bundeswehr overhaul launched in response…

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Israel boosts defences after Iran revenge threat

The Israeli military halted leave for all combat units on Thursday amid concerns of a possible escalation in violence after the killing of Iranian generals in Damascus this week drew…

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Food price fears as Brexit import charges revealed

The British government has revealed how much companies will have to pay to import foods from the EU due to Brexit. Small imports of products such as fish, salami, sausage,…

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Russia says dialogue with NATO at ‘zero’ but it doesn’t seek open conflict

Russia-NATO relations are worsening but Moscow has no intention of entering a conflict with a NATO country, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said in an interview published on Thursday.…

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UPDATED: US Secretary of State Blinken says Ukraine will be NATO member

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday that Ukraine will eventually join NATO as support for the country remains "rock solid" among member states. "Ukraine will become a…

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Easing of UK airport security rules on liquids and laptops delayed

A planned relaxation of rules around airline passengers carrying liquids in hand luggage has been delayed by a year. Major UK airports are believed to have been granted an extension…

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