News

Australian regulator demands social media firms disclose anti-terrorism efforts

An Australian regulator has sent legal letters to social media platforms from YouTube, X and Facebook to Telegram and Reddit, demanding they hand over information about their efforts to stamp out terrorism content. The e-Safety Commission said it was concerned…

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UK still aims to begin migrant deportations to Rwanda in the spring, Sunak says

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Monday he still expects the government to begin deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda in the spring, maintaining the original timeline for the scheme…

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Taliban says it hit back at Pakistan after air strikes in Afghanistan kill 8

Afghanistan's Taliban said on Monday that Pakistan carried out two air strikes on its territory, killing five women and three children, and it fired heavy weapons at Pakistani forces along the…

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EU’s Borrell says Israel is provoking famine in Gaza

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Monday that Israel is provoking famine in Gaza and using starvation as a weapon of war, an accusation Israel's foreign minister rejected.…

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At a glance: March 19 presidential primary states and delegate counts

By Helen Coster Five states will hold their presidential nominating contests on Tuesday, a week after both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump netted enough delegates to clinch…

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West decries Putin’s election win, China, India vow closer ties

Western governments lined up on Monday to condemn Vladimir Putin's landslide election victory as unfair and undemocratic, but China, India and North Korea congratulated the veteran Russian leader on extending…

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Malta News Briefing – Tuesday 19 March 2024

Morning Briefing Inflation in February settles at 3% According to data released the National Statistics Office, inflation eased to 3% in February, primarily due to a slowdown in food inflation.…

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Zimbabwe goes hungry as crops wither amid El Nino drought

By Nyasha Chingono BUHERA, Zimbabwe, March 18 (Reuters) - Residents of the Zimbabwean village of Buhera stood in groups at a primary school waiting to be called by name to…

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China’s military, state media slam U.S. after Reuters report on SpaceX spy satellites

BEIJING, March 18 (Reuters) - Chinese military and state-run media on Sunday accused the United States of threatening global security, days after a Reuters report which found Elon Musk's SpaceX…

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Morocco reports first legal cannabis harvest of 294 metric tons

By Ahmed Eljechtimi RABAT, March 18 (Reuters) - Morocco's first legal cannabis harvest was 294 metric tons in 2023, after the country approved its cultivation and export for medicine and…

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Kremlin says the only way to protect Russia is to create a buffer zone with Ukraine

MOSCOW, March 18 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Monday that the only way to protect Russian territory from Ukrainian attacks was to create a buffer zone that would put…

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IAEA to help Iraq develop peaceful nuclear programme, agency head says

BAGHDAD, March 18 (Reuters) - The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi met Iraq's prime minister in Baghdad on Monday as part of a visit to help…

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Bulgarian foreign minister Mariya Gabriel agrees to form new government

SOFIA, March 18 (Reuters) - Bulgarian Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel of the center-right GERB party agreed on Monday to form a new government, following the resignation of Prime Minister Nikolai…

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Mcdonald’s Marks Global Recycling Day In Malta

Premier Restaurants Malta, which operates McDonald’s on the island, has reduced 15 tonnes of plastic waste in 2023 as part of its drive to become plastic-free by 2025. Globally, McDonald’s…

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Somali forces, foreign navies prepare attack on hijacked ship, police say

By Abdiqani Hassan GAROWE, Somalia, March 18 (Reuters) - Somali police and international navies were preparing on Monday to attack a commercial ship that was hijacked by pirates last week,…

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What are Putin’s top challenges in new six-year term?

By Mark Trevelyan LONDON, March 18 (Reuters) - Vladimir Putin has won six more years in the Kremlin with a landslide victory in an election where he faced no serious…

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UPDATED: Reactions abroad to Russia’s presidential election

Following are reactions from foreign governments and officials to Russia's presidential election, which handed Vladimir Putin a landslide win and another six-year term in office, according to first official results…

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Israel to offer six-week Gaza truce for 40 hostages in Qatar talks

JERUSALEM, March 18 (Reuters) - Israel will send a high-level delegation headed by its Mossad chief to Qatar on Monday for mediated talks with Hamas designed to secure a six-week…

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Ukraine downs 17 out of 22 Russia-launched drones, air force says

KYIV, March 18 (Reuters) - Ukrainian air defence systems shot down 17 out of 22 Russian drones over nine Ukrainian regions in an attackthat caused a fire in a residential…

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China warns citizens in Singapore to stay away from gambling

BEIJING, March 18 (Reuters) - China's embassy in Singapore on Monday urged its citizens in the city-state to stay away from all forms of betting, saying gambling overseas violates Chinese…

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South Korea’s Yoon warns of tech threat to democracy at summit

By Ju-min Park and Jack Kim SEOUL, March 18 (Reuters) - South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday called fake news and disinformation based on AI and digital technology…

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Estonian PM Kallas to BBC: Putin afraid of war with NATO

Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said in an interview to BBC that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is very good at sowing fear in Western societies, while he is also afraid of…

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Jordan army detects suspicious aerial movement near Syria border

By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN, March 18 (Reuters) - The Jordanian army said on Monday its air defence radar system had detected suspicious aerial movements from an unknown source along the…

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Israeli military says troops raid Gaza’s Shifa Hospital

JERUSALEM, March 18 (Reuters) - The Israeli military said on Monday its troops raided the compound of Gaza's Al-Shifa Hospital, in an operation Palestinian health authorities said had caused multiple…

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Azeri president says peace with Armenia is closer than ever

March 18 (Reuters) - Azeri President Ilham Aliyev said on Sunday his country is "closer than ever" to a peace with Armenia, half a year after Azerbaijan recaptured its Karabakh…

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Putin warns the West a Russia-NATO conflict is just one step from WW3

Putin warns West over sending troops to Ukraine Putin says NATO personnel already in Ukraine Russia may take buffer zone out of Ukraine regions Putin says he approved exchange of…

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North Korea fires ballistic missiles as Blinken visits Seoul

By Jack Kim SEOUL, March 18 (Reuters) - North Korea fired short-range ballistic missiles into the sea on Monday for the first time in two months, as U.S. Secretary of…

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Putin wins Russia election in landslide with no serious competition

By Guy Faulconbridge and Andrew Osborn Putin wins 88% of vote - exit poll New term gives Putin six more years in power War hung over the election Ukraine strikes…

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Malta News Briefing – Monday 18 March 2024

Morning Briefing Health Minister opens to 'doctor-assisted dying' in exceptional cases Surgeon and newly-appointed health minister Jo Etienne Abela has expressed support to doctor-assisted dying in exceptional cases, he said…

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Czech Republic struggles to contain surge of whooping cough

Whooping cough is on the rise in the Czech Republic is no exception. In the first week of January, say the Czech authorities, there were 28 registered cases of whooping…

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Brazilian rightist Bolsonaro says he does not fear being put on trial

RIO DE JANEIRO, (Reuters) - Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro said he does not fear being put on trial, one day after a police investigation revealed the far-right politician tried…

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Internet outages across West and Central Africa

ACCRA, (Reuters) - Repairs on damaged subsea cables that are causing internet outages across West and Central Africa are expected to take at least five weeks before completion and full…

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Latvia probes MEP for Kremlin spying

Media reports in Latvia claimed the country's VDD state security services had formally opened a criminal investigation into Tatjana Zdanoka, a member of the European Parliament, on suspicion of espionage.…

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Germany’s Scholz say Rafah assault would make regional peace ‘very difficult’

By Sarah Marsh AQABA, Jordan, March 17 (Reuters) - The large number of civilian casualties that would result from an Israeli assault on the Gaza city of Rafah would make…

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What is Britain’s new extremism definition?

Britain unveiled a new definition of extremism this week to counter a surge in hate crimes, raising some concerns it would inhibit free speech and unfairly target Muslim groups. WHY…

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Venezuela’s Maduro announces candidacy for July re-election

By Mayela Armas Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro will run for a second re-election to secure another six-year term in voting planned for July 28, the ruling Socialist party said. Maduro,…

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Australia Foreign Minister Penny Wong marries longtime partner

SYDNEY, March 17 (Reuters) - Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong, the country's first openly gay female parliamentarian, has married her partner Sophie Allouache, Wong said on Sunday. "We are delighted…

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Migrant landings in Italy down 67% in 2024

Migrant landings in Italy have fallen 67% to 6,560 this year compared to last, when there were 19,937, the Italian interior ministry said.Asian countries lead the way over African ones…

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Italy says Europe needs clear, united strategy against Russia

Europe should avoid "grand statements" and contradictions but rather have a clear and unified strategy against Russia with regards to its war in Ukraine, Italy's defence minister said, adding that…

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Trump predicts the end of U.S. democracy if he loses 2024 election

By Tim Reid WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - Donald Trump said that if he does not win November's presidential election it will mean the likely end of American democracy. The Republican presidential…

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UPDATED: Breakaway Georgian region is discussing becoming part of Russia

MOSCOW, March 17 (Reuters) - South Ossetia, a region that broke away from Georgia and calls itself an independent state, has discussed becoming part of Russia with Moscow officials, Russian…

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UPDATED: Putin tightens grip on power in Russian election but thousands join noon protest

Putin due to win six more years in power War hangs over the election Ukraine strikes Russia with drones and rockets Thousands come out for 'Noon against Putin' protest More…

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Russia will be asked for ceasefire during Olympics, Macron tells Ukraine interviewer

KYIV, (Reuters) - Russia will be asked to observe a ceasefire in Ukraine during the Paris Olympics, French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview from Paris shown on Ukrainian…

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Iceland volcano erupts again, spewing fountains of lava

A volcano in Iceland erupted on Saturday for the fourth time since December, the country's meteorological office said, spewing smoke and bright orange lava into the air in sharp contrast…

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Indian Navy seizes Maltese-flagged ship from Somali pirates and rescues crew

Indian naval forces including special commandos seized a cargo vessel that had been hijacked by Somali pirates, rescuing 17 crew members, a spokesperson for the navy said . The navy…

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UPDATED: Ukrainian drones have hit 12 Russian oil refineries, Kyiv source says

KYIV, March 17 (Reuters) - Long-range Ukrainian attack drones launched by the SBU domestic security service have hit 12 Russian oil refineries during the war so far, a Ukrainian intelligence…

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Explosion reported near ship off Yemen coast, UKMTO says

CAIRO, March 17 (Reuters) - The captain of a merchant ship east of Yemen's Aden has reported an explosion near the ship, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency…

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Israel prepares return to ceasefire talks; UN says Gaza hunger crisis worsens

By Andrew Mills and Maayan Lubell DOHA/JERUSALEM, (Reuters) - The main U.N. aid agency operating in Gaza said that acute malnutrition was accelerating in the north of the Palestinian enclave…

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Malta News Briefing – Sunday 17 March 2024

Morning Briefing Labour leads by 13% in run up to EP election Labour's gap on the Nationalist Party stands at 13.1%, a Times of Malta survey has found. With less…

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L’Aquila Italian Capital of Culture 2026

L'Aquila is the Italian Capital of Culture 2026, Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano said this week. He made the announcement during a ceremony at the ministry in Rome, in the presence…

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Hezbollah tells Iran it would fight alone in any war with Israel

By Samia Nakhoul, Parisa Hafezi and Laila Bassam Quds Force, Hezbollah chiefs met in February: sources Risk of Israel-Hezbollah war discussed: sources Iran advises militia allies to avoid wider conflict:…

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U.S. commandos train for the unexpected in North Korea’s shadow

By Josh Smith GWANGJU, South Korea (Reuters) - U.S. special operations troops in South Korea are training and preparing for unexpected threats at a time when global crises are more…

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Pope Francis reflects on his life and mortality in memoir

By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY, March 15 (Reuters) - Pope Francis, at 87 increasingly weak and wobbly, takes a trip down memory lane and speaks of his hopes for the Roman Catholic…

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Malta News Briefing – Saturday 16 March 2024

Morning Briefing President rules out staying on temporary basis Presidet George Vella declared that he does not intend to continue temporarily in the role if there's no agreement on his…

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How Haiti became a failed state

The US military started airlifting embassy staff out of Haiti overnight as the Caribbean island descends further into chaos. Rival gangs have joined forces to overrun the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince,…

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Hungary’s Orban ready to ‘occupy’ Brussels to bring EU change

BUDAPEST, March 15 (Reuters) - Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday he was ready to march to Brussels and "occupy" the European Union's centre in order to "defend…

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Finland moves to block asylum seekers from entering via Russia

By Essi Lehto HELSINKI, March 15 (Reuters) - Finland plans to adopt temporary legislation that will allow its border authorities to block asylum seekers seeking to enter its territory from…

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