News

Croatia’s president sets April 17 as date for parliamentary election

BELGRADE, March 15 (Reuters) - Croatia's President Zoran Milanovic on Friday set April 17 as the date for a parliamentary election, after Thursday's dissolution of the parliament of the European…

Read More Here

Aid supply ship from Cyprus reaches Gaza coast, Israel rejects Hamas truce offer

Vessel towed from Cyprus carrying 200 tonnes of food arrives off coast of Gaza Israel rejects latest Hamas counter-offer to ceasefire proposal, saying it was still based on 'unrealistic demands'…

Read More Here

No recovery in sight for Germany economy, ministry says

BERLIN, March 15 (Reuters) - A tangible recovery in Europe's biggest economy is not yet in sight despite positive trends in industrial production, construction and foreign trade at the start…

Read More Here

Putin on brink of six more years in power as Russians vote

MOSCOW, March 15 (Reuters) - Russia began three days of voting on Friday in an presidential election that is set to extend the rule of Vladimir Putin by six more…

Read More Here

Germany on track to reach 2030 targets, environment agency says

BERLIN, March 15 (Reuters) - Germany's Federal Environment Agency (UBA) confirmed preliminary projections that Europe's biggest economy's greenhouse emissions fell by around 10% year-on-year in 2023, putting the country on…

Read More Here

Kremlin says Putin didn’t threaten to use nuclear weapons, U.S. took him out of context

MOSCOW, March 14 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said that comments on nuclear weapons that Russian President Vladimir Putin made in an interview with state media did not constitute a threat…

Read More Here

UK PM Rishi Sunak rules out holding an election in early May

By Andrew Macaskill and Farouq Suleiman LONDON, March 14 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that he would not hold a general election in early May, in the…

Read More Here

UK redefines extremism after rise in hate crimes against Jews, Muslims

By Michael Holden LONDON, (Reuters) - Britain unveiled a new definition of extremism on Thursday in response to an eruption of hate crimes against Jews and Muslims since the Oct.…

Read More Here

EU’s Borrell says outcome of Ukraine war will be decided this spring and summer

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said, after holding meetings in Washington, that securing new support for Ukraine could not wait since the outcome of the…

Read More Here

Self-proclaimed bitcoin inventor is not ‘Satoshi Nakamoto’, UK judge rules

By Sam Tobin LONDON, (Reuters) - An Australian computer scientist who claims he invented bitcoin is not "Satoshi Nakamoto", the pseudonymous inventor of the cryptocurrency, a judge at London's High…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Israel’s prime minister’s office: New Hamas truce position still ‘unrealistic’

JERUSALEM, March 14 (Reuters) - Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said a new Gaza truce proposal presented by the Islamist group Hamas to mediators on Thursday was still based…

Read More Here

Ukraine official: two Russian border regions are now active combat zones

A senior Ukrainian intelligence official said that armed groups he described as Russians opposed to the Kremlin were pressing an incursion into Russian territory and had turned two border regions…

Read More Here

France’s Macron says Europe must be ready if Russia escalates

By Michel Rose PARIS, (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron called President Vladimir Putin's Russia an adversary that would not stop in Ukraine if it defeated Kyiv's troops in the…

Read More Here

Merchant vessel struck by missile west of Yemen’s Hodeidah

CAIRO, March 15 (Reuters) - A merchant vessel reported it had been hit by a missile and sustained damage 76 nautical miles west of Yemen's Hodeidah, the United Kingdom Maritime…

Read More Here

Russian election 2024: List of candidates and barred Putin challengers

By Andrew Osborn Russia will hold a presidential election on March 15-17 which President Vladimir Putin is certain to win, barring an unexpected development. That will give the longest serving…

Read More Here

Russia’s presidential election: the who, what and when?

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia will hold a presidential election on March 15-17 which President Vladimir Putin is certain to win, barring an unexpected development. That will give the longest serving…

Read More Here

Malta News Briefing – Friday 15 March 2024

Morning Briefing Sofia report: Government MPs object to political responsibility motion in Parliament Government has defended its Ministers on the Sofia inquiry report, amending an Opposition motion of no confidence…

Read More Here

German government needs tighter conflict-of-interest guidelines, activists say

By Christian Kraemer BERLIN, March 14 (Reuters) - The German coalition government needs tighter guidelines for tackling conflicts of interest, though it has been transparent about the influence of lobbying…

Read More Here

Trump launched CIA covert influence operation against China

By Joel Schectman, Christopher Bing WASHINGTON, March 14 - Two years into office, President Donald Trump authorized the Central Intelligence Agency to launch a clandestine campaign on Chinese social media…

Read More Here

Denmark to start conscripting women for military service

Denmark will boost its defence budget by 40.5 billion Danish crowns ($5.9 billion) over the next five years to meet NATO targets and address major defence shortcomings "in a world…

Read More Here

Sixty migrants feared drowned crossing Mediterranean from Libya

ROME, March 14 (Reuters) - As many as 60 people are feared to have drowned on a vessel carrying migrants across the Central Mediterranean from Libya to Italy or Malta,…

Read More Here

Large police operation against counterfeiting of luxury watches in Antwerp

Europol has supported a large-scale operation led by Belgian law enforcement authorities to dismantle an Israeli organised criminal group. The criminal organisation allegedly produced and imported counterfeit luxury watches and…

Read More Here

US has not adjusted nuclear posture in response to Putin remarks

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - The United States has not adjusted its nuclear posture as a result of Russian President Vladimir Putin's new nuclear saber-rattling, a U.S. official said. The official, speaking…

Read More Here

Updated – Malta News Briefing – Thursday 14 March 2024

Updated 1300 Working population up by 3.4% In the fourth quarter of last year, employment reached 305,218, up by 3.4% compared to the previous year, representing 64.4% of the population…

Read More Here

Helsinki Airport likely to face a shortage of aviation fuel

Helsinki Airport is likely to face a shortage of aviation fuel by the beginning of next week, if political strikes by logistics workers continue for the planned two-week period. "Normally,…

Read More Here

EU’s Lenarcic: Pockets of famine already present in Gaza

BRUSSELS, March 14 (Reuters) - There are already pockets of famine in Gaza and it could spread to the whole region, the EU's humanitarian aid and crisis management chief Janez…

Read More Here

Italy has €1,206 billion in uncollected taxes

Italy has a stockpile of 1,206 billion euros of uncollected taxes, some dating back to the start of the millennium, and much of that money is impossible to pocket, Deputy…

Read More Here

Pope says option of resigning is only ‘a distant hypothesis’

VATICAN CITY, March 14 (Reuters) - Pope Francis has no intention of resigning as he feels that his health is good enough to allow him to carry on, he says…

Read More Here

China’s defence ministry says it held military staff dialogue with NATO

BEIJING, (Reuters) - China and NATO held an eighth military staff dialogue on security policy in Beijing on Wednesday, according to a statement from the Chinese defence ministry. The two…

Read More Here

Moldova says Russia illegally printed ballots for election in separatist region

By Alexander Tanas CHISINAU, (Reuters) - A senior official in ex-Soviet Moldova said Moscow was breaking laws by printing ballot papers in the separatist region of Transdniestria ahead of this…

Read More Here

Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant reports shelling by Ukraine army

MOSCOW, March 14 (Reuters) - The Russian-controlled management of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, said on Thursday that the Ukrainian army had shelled a critical infrastructure…

Read More Here

Dutch politician Wilders says he is ready to forego job of prime minister

By Toby Sterling Dutch politician Geert Wilders said he was ready to forego the job of prime minister in an effort to facilitate the formation of a new right-wing government,…

Read More Here

Greece’s Crete and Gavdos islands see surge in migrant boats from Libya

ATHENS, (Reuters) - The Greek islands of Crete and Gavdos have seen a steep rise in migrant boats landing on their shores from Libya this year, U.N. data shows, piling…

Read More Here

Russia warns Ukraine war could spin out of control due to action of one or two NATO countries

MOSCOW, (Reuters) - Russia warned that the war in Ukraine could spin out of control and expand geographically due to the ill-considered actions of one or two member states from…

Read More Here

US asks Panama to strip flags from Iranian ships sanctioned by Washington

PANAMA CITY, (Reuters) - The United States has asked Panama to ban Iranian vessels sanctioned by Washington from using its flag, U.S. State Department special envoy Abram Paley said. Paley…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Ukraine calls Russia’s election on occupied territories null and void

March 14 (Reuters) - Ukrainian foreign ministry called voting for Russia's presidential election that is also being held in Ukraine's occupied territories illegal and void and called on its international…

Read More Here

US House passes bill to force ByteDance to divest TikTok or face ban

By David Shepardson WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill that would give TikTok's Chinese owner ByteDance about six months to divest the U.S. assets…

Read More Here

US pause on funding UN relief agency for Palestinians may become permanent

U.S. officials are preparing for a pause on funding the main U.N. agency for Palestinians to become permanent due to opposition in Congress, even as the Biden administration insists the…

Read More Here

Italy says global minimum tax on multinationals set to fail

Italy's Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti said on Wednesday he fears that a plan for a global minimum tax on multinationals is set to fail, adding this was the impression he…

Read More Here

Poland’s capital Warsaw earmarks $30 million for bomb shelters and other security

Poland's capital Warsaw will spend 117 million zlotys ($30 million) in the next two to three years on bomb shelters and other security measures, with war in neighbouring Ukraine in…

Read More Here

UK economy returns to growth at start of 2024

Britain's economy returned to growth at the start of 2024, offering some relief to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ahead of an election expected this year, after it entered a shallow…

Read More Here

Putin warns the West: Russia is ready for nuclear war

President Vladimir Putin warned the West on Wednesday Russia was technically ready for nuclear war and that if the U.S. sent troops to Ukraine, it would be considered a significant…

Read More Here

Italy plans prison crackdown that pushes Western boundaries

Prisoners in the northern Italian city of Parma are on hunger strike over poor sanitation and overcrowding, the latest in a spate of protests in the country's jails where cases…

Read More Here

Haitian leader says he will quit after transitional council formed as gang violence increases

Haiti's Prime Minister Ariel Henry, stranded in Puerto Rico as gang violence sweeps across his country, said on Monday night he will resign as soon as a transition council and…

Read More Here

US unveils roadmap to study, shift government spectrum for wireless use

The Biden administration on Tuesday released a detailed timeline for studying significant government-owned spectrum with the aim of helping to expand wireless and other technology uses. The Commerce Department's National…

Read More Here

Russian elite expects Putin to reshuffle some positions after election win

Russia's elite is expecting President Vladimir Putin to reshuffle government positions to bring in younger people after what it sees as the formality of his resounding election victory this weekend, four sources…

Read More Here

Venezuela rushes to mend Iran relationship as US sanctions loom

Iran and Venezuela are trying to patch together an oil alliance that began to fray last year, according to six people familiar with the matter, after the South American country…

Read More Here

Britain considering measures to stop foreign states from buying newspapers

Britain is considering changing the law to stop a foreign state owning a news organisation, government sources said on Tuesday, as it weighs up whether to allow Abu-Dhabi-backed Redbird IMI…

Read More Here

Israeli jets hit Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley for a second day

Israeli warplanes struck deep into Lebanon for a second consecutive day on Tuesday, hitting a facility belonging to Hezbollah in the Bekaa Valley and killing at least one member of…

Read More Here

Malta News Briefing – Wednesday 13 March 2024

Morning Briefing Major drop in AML charges post grey-listing reported Data presented in Parliament has revealed a major drop in the number of individuals brought to court on charges related…

Read More Here

European Commission to recommend EU membership talks with Bosnia, says EU’s Von der Leyen

The European Commission will recommend to the European Council to start accession negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina, EU's Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday during a speech in the European Parliament.…

Read More Here

Prosecutor defends Biden ‘poor memory’ discussion in documents report

The U.S. prosecutor who sparked a political firestorm last month with a report saying President Joe Biden had a "poor memory" defended his assessment in congressional testimony on Tuesday, saying…

Read More Here

Updated – Malta News Briefing – Tuesday 12 March 2024

Updated 1330 Maltese spend on private healthcare is more than double that of other Europeans A recent OECD report on healthcare in the EU reveals that Maltese citizens are twice…

Read More Here

12

Mar