News

Malta News Briefing – Monday 11 March 2024

Morning Briefing Bank raises concern on Abelas bank accounts - reportAn internal examination of Robert and Lydia Abela's accounts by the Bank of Valletta detected concerns regarding potentially "suspicious" transactions…

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What happens to the coins tossed into Rome’s Trevi Fountain?

By Guglielmo Mangiapane ROME, March 7 (Reuters) - As visitors' coins splash into Rome's majestic Trevi Fountain carrying wishes for love, good health or a return to the Eternal City,…

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More Chinese women choosing singledom as economy stutters

By Laurie Chen XIAN, China, (Reuters) - Freelance copywriter Chai Wanrou thinks marriage is an unfair institution. Like many young women in China, she is part of a growing movement…

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Baader–Meinhof group member arrested after 30 years on the run – but Germany still can’t close the chapter on far-left terrorism

One of three long-time fugitive members of the German far-left militant organisation Red Army Faction (RAF) – better known as the Baader–Meinhof Group – has been arrested in Berlin. The…

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Who are the candidates running in Portugal’s snap election

(Reuters) - Portugal will hold a snap general election on Sunday that is likely to produce a hung parliament and give more political clout to the far right. Opinion surveys…

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Malta News Briefing – Sunday 10 March 2024

Morning Briefing Two girls injured in altercation involving knife On Saturday, two girls, aged 12 and 15, sustained injuries when a 43-year-old man allegedly confronted them with a knife. The…

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What’s at stake in Portugal’s general election

By Andrei Khalip LISBON (Reuters) - Portugal's election on Sunday is unlikely to produce a clear winner, opinion polls show, and the far right could play a decisive role in…

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MH370 disappearance 10 years on: can it still be found?

It has been ten years since Malaysia Airlines passenger flight MH370 disappeared on March 8 2014. To this day it remains one of the biggest aviation mysteries globally. It’s unthinkable…

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Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, hits out at ‘hateful’ abuse during pregnancies

LONDON, March 9 (Reuters) - Meghan, Britain's Duchess of Sussex, has said she was targeted with "hateful" online abuse during her two pregnancies, criticising the toxicity and lack of humanity…

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Almost 5,000 false identity documents seized in Greece

The Aliens Division of Attica within the Hellenic Police (Ellinikí Astynomía), supported by Europol, targeted a criminal network involved in document fraud and migrant smuggling activities. The criminal network, based…

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Malta among countries who participated in Europewide police operation against depictions of child sexual abuse

Malta was one of the countries that participated in a Europol coordinated operation child sexual abuse that led to the arrest of over 50 people. The foundation of the operation…

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German local councils demand reopening of bunkers and building of modern shelters

German local councils on Saturday called for the government to refurbish out of use bunkers. The comments were made by André Berghegger, the head of the Association of Towns and…

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Armenia is considering seeking EU membership

March 9 (Reuters) - Armenia is considering applying for European Union membership, foreign minister Ararat Mirzoyan said on Friday, as it seeks to forge closer ties with the West in…

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Greek parliament approves private foreign universities, bucking protests

ATHENS, March 9 (Reuters) - Greece’s parliament narrowly passed a bill early on Saturday that will allow foreign private universities to set up branches in the country, bucking weeks of…

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Hungary’s PM Orban supports Trump after Florida meeting

BUDAPEST, March 9 (Reuters) - Hungary's right-wing nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban lent his support to his long-time ally Donald Trump's bid to return to White House after meeting the…

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EU sees maritime aid corridor to Gaza opening this weekend amid famine fears

By Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Michele Kambas EU says maritime aid corridor could open at weekend Biden says US military to build 'temporary' port in Gaza Ceasefire talks remain stalled, may…

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Ukraine to receive 6 bln euro from EU in next two months

Ukraine will receive 6 billion euros ($6.6 billion) from the European Union via its four-year Ukraine facility in the next two months, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said. The government expects…

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UPDATED: French military says it destroyed four combat drones in Gulf of Aden

PARIS, March 9 (Reuters) - A French warship and fighter jets destroyed four combat drones that were heading towards a European naval mission in the Gulf of Aden on Saturday,…

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Italy has three million undeclared workers

Some three million people in Italy are undeclared workers, employed off the books, the Secretary General of the UIL trade union said this week."We must act so that these ghosts…

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Biden’s port for aid to Gaza might not be ready for 60 days: Pentagon

By Phil Stewart and Michelle Nichols WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden's plan to build a floating U.S. military port to speed up aid to Gaza could take up…

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Turkey’s Erdogan says March election will be his final

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said local elections scheduled for March 31 would be his last vote, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported. Erdogan, modern Turkey's most successful politician, has led…

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Biden launches major tour plus $30 million ad buy

By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Joe Biden visited Pennsylvania on Friday to kick off a tour of battleground states and his reelection team will spend $30 million on…

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Activist slashes painting of British author of Jewish homeland declaration

LONDON, (Reuters) - A pro-Palestinian activist slashed a painting of the early 20th-century British foreign minister Arthur Balfour at Cambridge University on Friday, saying his 1917 declaration was the reason…

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Pentagon UFO report says most sightings ‘ordinary objects’, No evidence that aliens have visited Earth

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - A Pentagon report on unidentified flying objects said U.S. government investigations since the end of World War Two have found no evidence of extraterrestrial technology and had…

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France’s Macron wants to make abortion a right at EU level

PARIS, (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that he wants the European Union to guarantee the right to an abortion in its Charter of Fundamental Rights. Macron…

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US Senate passes spending bill, averts imminent shutdown

By Richard Cowan and David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate narrowly averted a partial government shutdown, as the chamber approved spending legislation for several government agencies just hours…

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Malta News Briefing – Saturday 9 March 2024

Morning Briefing Malta needs to address work-life balance to increase fertility rate - economist Economist Marie Brigulgio said that Malta can only tackle its low fertility rate by shifting the…

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Will Biden’s temporary port plan stop famine in Gaza?

March 8 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden has announced that the military will build a temporary port on Gaza's Mediterranean coast to receive humanitarian aid by sea. It's part…

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Rishi Sunak’s mother-in-law appointed to Indian parliament

Rishi Sunak’s mother-in-law has been appointed to the Indian parliament’s upper chamber after a career in philanthropy. Sudha Murthy, 73, was chair of the Infosys Foundation, `the nonprofit arm of…

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Finland to participate in ASPIDES and Prosperity Guardian operations in Red Sea

Finnish President Alexander Stubb and the government's Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy have decided that Finland will participate in joint military operations to restore security in the Red…

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Ireland to vote on removing ‘sexist’ references to women from constitution

By Padraic Halpin and Clodagh Kilcoyne Ireland is poised to vote on Friday - International Women's Day - to replace constitutional references on the importance of a woman's "life within…

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Gunmen kidnap 227 pupils from school in Nigeria

By Garba Muhammad and Hamza Ibrahim KADUNA, Nigeria, (Reuters) - Gunmen in Nigeria kidnapped more than 200 school pupils in the northern town of Kuriga on Thursday, a teacher, local…

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Snooping scandal of politicians and celebrities in Italy

Italian Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on Friday reiterated calls to identify who was behind the actions of the finance police officer who allegedly snooped on politicians and…

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More Indian troops at border won’t ease tensions, says China foreign ministry

BEIJING, March 8 (Reuters) - China believes that India's move to add more troops at their disputed border is "not conducive to easing tensions", a foreign ministry spokesperson said on…

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IMF’s Georgieva interested in second term as fund’s head, has support, say sources

By David Lawder WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva is interested in a second five-year term heading up the global lender and is poised to secure…

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Malaysia’s missing MH370 plane: What we know, 10 years on

March 8 (Reuters) - The disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 ten years ago with 239 people on board remains one of the world's greatest aviation mysteries. The Boeing 777…

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UPDATED: U.S. embassy warns of imminent attack in Moscow by ‘extremists’

U.S. embassy warns of imminent attack by "extremists" It tells citizens to avoid concerts and mass events FSB says it foiled an attack on a synagogue in Moscow FSB says…

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Hong Kong issues new national security law bill with tougher jail terms

Hefty jail terms proposed for range of offences Rights concerns raised over new security law HK trying to fast-track bill as legislature begins debate Some lawmakers say bill could pass…

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Thailand plans to send 100,000 labourers to work abroad this year

BANGKOK, March 8 (Reuters) - Thailand plans to send 100,000 labourers to work overseas by the yen of this year, government spokesperson Chai Wacharonke said on Friday. New markets for…

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Former British PM Theresa May to stand down at next election

LONDON, March 8 (Reuters) - Former British Prime Minister Theresa May will not stand for re-election to parliament, she said on Friday, becoming the latest member of the governing Conservative…

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Hundreds of guillemots, exhausted by storms, dead on French beaches

BRETIGNOLLES-SUR-MER, France, (Reuters) - Hundreds of guillemot seabirds have been found dead on French Atlantic beaches, exhausted by unusually heavy winter storms that prevent them from feeding, environmentalists said. Over…

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Sweden joins NATO as war in Ukraine prompts security rethink

WASHINGTON/STOCKHOLM, (Reuters) - Sweden joined NATO in Washington on Thursday, two years after Russia's invasion of Ukraine forced it to rethink its national security policy and conclude that support for…

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UPDATED: Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama dies aged 68

By Kiyoshi Takenaka TOKYO, March 8 (Reuters) - Japanese manga comic creator Akira Toriyama, best known for his "Dragon Ball" series that spawned widely popular films, video games and TV…

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Sweden police arrest suspected Islamists believed to prepare attack

STOCKHOLM, (Reuters) - Swedish police on Thursday apprehended four people on suspicion of preparing a terrorist crime tied to violent Islamist extremism, the Sapo security service and prosecution agency said.…

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Alcohol policies need sharper focus on gender, WHO says

LONDON, March 8 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization on Friday urged governments to consider gender when developing their alcohol policies, warning that industry marketing increasingly targeted women who face…

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UPDATED: Ukraine’s Zelenskiy to visit Turkey on Friday

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will visit Turkey on Friday and meet Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish Presidency said. Turkey is expected to emphasise its continued strong support for Ukraine's…

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US to build temporary port to deliver Gaza aid

By Jonathan Landay and Steve Holland WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - The U.S. military will build a temporary port on Gaza's Mediterranean coast to receive humanitarian aid by sea, President Joe Biden…

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Israel, Laken Riley feature in Biden’s State of the Union speech

By Trevor Hunnicutt, Jarrett Renshaw and Nandita Bose (Reuters) - President Joe Biden on Thursday attacked former President Donald Trump's vision for America, criticized Israel and was challenged on immigration…

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Malta News Briefing – Friday 8 March 2024

Morning Briefing Malta tops EU list for syphilis infections According to a report released on Thursday, Malta experienced the highest incidence of syphilis infections in the European Union in both…

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US layoffs reach highest since last March

By Amina Niasse NEW YORK, March 7 (Reuters) - U.S. layoff announcements rose 3% last month to the highest level in 11 months as automation-related restructuring continues to take a…

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In State of the Union, Biden to sharpen contrast with Trump

By Steve Holland WASHINGTON, March 7 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden will use his fourth State of the Union address on Thursday night to sharpen distinctions between him and…

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China’s Xi urges preparation for military conflicts at sea

BEIJING, March 7 (Reuters) - China's President Xi Jinping on Thursday called on the armed forces to coordinate preparations for military conflicts at sea, protect the country's maritime rights and…

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Russia says it neutralized ISIS cell plotting attack on Moscow synagogue

MOSCOW, March 7 (Reuters) - Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Thursday it prevented an attack on a synagogue in Moscow that was plotted by an Islamic State cell,…

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Senior Russian officer warns Ukraine conflict could escalate into full-scale war in Europe

Russia must re-organise its security, says senior officer The West may boost 'proxy forces' against Russia, he says MOSCOW, March 7 (Reuters) - A senior Russian military officer has warned…

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Italy to phase out coal from 2025, excluding Sardinia island

By Angelo Amante Italy's energy transition is building on a myriad of solar panels mounted on roofs, but the country has installed far fewer large plants than its neighbours, data…

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Ukraine aims to conduct counter-offensive actions in 2024

The Ukrainian military will stabilize the battlefield situation shortly and aims to form units for counter-offensive actions later this year, a top military commander said. Ukrainian forces experienced a setback…

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US has a wrong perception of China, says foreign minister

By Bernard Orr and Ethan Wang BEIJING, March 7 (Reuters) - The U.S. is clinging to wrong perceptions of China and has yet to fulfill its "promises" despite some progress…

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