News

US VP Harris urges Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire, pushes Israel on aid to Gaza

U.S. VP Harris calls for an "immediate ceasefire" Harris urges Israel to do more to allow aid into Gaza Israeli war cabinet member Gantz to visit Washington U.S. envoy Hochstein…

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Zurich steps up security at Jewish sites after possible antisemitic attack

Police have stepped up security measures at Jewish sites in Zurich following a serious knife attack on an orthodox Jewish man in the Swiss city overnight, local police said. Police…

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Malta News Briefing – Monday 4 March 2024

Morning Briefing Police file charges against former Labour MP on social benefits scandal Silvio Grixti, a former Labour MP and doctor, is set to face court charges later this month…

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Canada reinstates some visa requirements for Mexicans

OTTAWA/MEXICO CITY, (Reuters) - Canada reinstated some visa requirements for Mexican nationals, Mexico said, while threatening to do the same in return for Canadian visitors. The move by Canada is…

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Eight arrested for sexual exploitation in Belgium and Hungary

Thee Belgian Local Police Oostende (Lokale Politie Oostende), the Belgian Federal Police (Federale Politie/Police Fédérale) and the Hungarian National Police (Nemzeti Nyomozó Iroda), supported by Europol and Eurojust, have targeted…

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Malaysia says MH370 search must go on, 10 years after plane vanished

By Danial Azhar and Mandy Leong KUALA LUMPUR, March 3 (Reuters) - Malaysia is pushing for a renewed search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, the transport minister said on Sunday,…

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Pope Francis, recovering from bronchitis, calls for end of Gaza conflict

VATICAN CITY, March 3 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday appealed for an end to the conflict in Gaza, as he showed signs of recovery after suffering from bronchitis. On…

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Curiosity grows about Princess Kate out of public eye

Kate, the Princess of Wales, will return to royal engagements after Easter, Kensington Palace said in a new update amid concerns over her lack of public appearances following her surgery.…

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Hamas arrives in Cairo for ceasefire talks with deal ‘on the table’

Hamas delegation arrives in Cairo for talks No word from Israeli side on progress Eight reported killed in strike on Kuwaiti aid truck Abu Anza family buries children killed in…

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UPDATED: Swiss vote to back ’13th month’ pension payment increase

ZURICH, March 3 (Reuters) - Switzerland voted for increased pension payments for the elderly in a referendum on Sunday, as concern over living costs trumped government doubts about its affordability,…

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Police in Berlin arrest individuals in decades-old Red Army Faction case

BERLIN, March 3 (Reuters) - Police have made two arrests in Berlin during their search for individuals wanted for their suspected involvement in Germany's notorious Red Army Faction militant group,…

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At least 15 children dead from malnutrition, dehydration at Gaza hospital – Gaza health ministry

CAIRO, March 3 (Reuters) - At least 15 children have died over the past few days from malnutrition and dehydration at Gaza's Kamal Adwan hospital, the health ministry in Gaza…

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Shehbaz Sharif elected Pakistan’s prime minister for second term

ISLAMABAD, March 3 (Reuters) - Pakistan's newly formed parliament elected Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday as prime minister for a second time, three weeks after uncertain national elections caused delays in…

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Dutch defence to spend billions on new frigates

AMSTERDAM, (Reuters) - The Dutch government said it would replace nearly its entire navy fleet in the coming 15 years, in a project worth several billion euros that it said…

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UPDATED: Six militants killed in special operation in Russia’s Ingushetia region – TASS

March 3 (Reuters) - Russian security forces killed six alleged militants in a special operation in Russia's North Caucasus republic of Ingushetia, TASS news agency reported on Sunday, citing local…

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Spanish police crack counterfeit 100-euro note operation

MADRID, March 2 (Reuters) - Spanish police said they had made 14 arrests in connection with one million euros ($1.1 million) worth of counterfeit 100 euro bank notes which passed…

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Canada, Italy leaders cancel Toronto event for security reasons

By Carlos Osorio Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Saturday canceled a joint visit to the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto for security…

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Trump moves closer to Republican nomination with string of victories

GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan, (Reuters) - Donald Trump on Saturday easily won the Republican caucuses in Michigan, where the party has been riven by infighting that some Republicans fear could hurt…

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Russia says Ukraine attacked Crimea with 38 drones

March 3 (Reuters) - Russian air defence systems destroyed all 38 drones that Ukraine launched at the Crimean Peninsula early on Sunday, Russia's defence ministry said, after reports on Ukrainian…

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Norway’s King Harald on his way home from Malaysia

OSLO, March 3 (Reuters) - Norway's King Harald was discharged from a Malaysian hospital on Sunday and was flying home on a medical evacuation plane, according to Norwegian media reports,…

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Moldova says Russia has no right to lecture on democracy

By Alexander Tanas CHISINAU, (Reuters) - Russia has no right to lecture on democracy, the Moldovan Foreign Ministry said in a statement, as tensions between the two countries have risen…

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US makes its first Gaza aid airdrop as mediators to seek truce deal

More reported dead after strikes in Rafah Israel says it welcomes US aid drops Israeli military promises investigation into aid convoy deaths U.S. official says ceasefire framework in place V.P.…

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Italian naval ship shoots down drone in Red Sea

An Italian navy ship shot down a drone flying towards it in the Red Sea on Saturday, the defence ministry said. A ministry statement described the action as self-defence by…

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Malta News Briefing – Sunday 3 March 2024

Morning Briefing Valletta residents say Evans building should not be commercialised Valletta residents gathered in protest on Saturday, expressing their desire for the Evans Building to be repurposed into a…

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Study reveals Italy has 608,000 Airbnbs

Italy had more than 608,000 accommodation structures available on the Airbnb platform in 2023, according to a study by the JFC tourism consulting agency which ANSA had a sneak preview…

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Singapore’s air force to add more stealth fighters as it phases out older jets

By Gerry Doyle (Reuters) - Singapore will buy eight more F-35 stealth fighters, eventually replacing its older F-16s and putting the Singaporean air force "in the premier league" as regional…

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Russia diverts LNG supplies for Asia around Africa to avoid Red Sea, LSEG data shows

MOSCOW, (Reuters) - Russia is diverting China-bound cargoes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) on a longer route via the Cape of Good Hope due to the heightened risk of attacks…

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Malta News Briefing – Saturday 2 March 2024

Morning Briefing Govt convenes committee to implement Sofia inquiry recommendations Two days after its establishment, the government committee entrusted with implementing recommendations from a public inquiry into the death of…

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German government needs TikTok, Scholz says, as AfD surges in polls

By Andreas Rinke and Sarah Marsh BERLIN, March 1 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he wants the government to open an account on TikTok, with concerns about the…

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Macron maintains his position regarding dispatching troops to Ukraine

French President Emmanuel Macron said his refusal to rule out the prospect of sending Western troops to Ukraine was intentional, despite the uproar it has provoked. Macron swept aside the…

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Ukraine expects to get 16 bln euro in 2024 from EU, says PM

KYIV, March 1 (Reuters) - Ukraine expects to get 16 billion euros ($17.30 billion) this year from the European Union under its four-year loan facility, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said…

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Germany’s Scholz digs in over sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine

BERLIN, March 1 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday said he would not accept any decision that would get German soldiers involved in the war in Ukraine, reacting…

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Putin “weaponising” immigration into Europe

The Telegraph in an article revealed that Russia is using private militias to control and “weaponise” immigration into Europe. The Kremlin has influence over a number of the main routes…

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Finland inaugurates Alexander Stubb as president for the NATO era

By Anne Kauranen HELSINKI, March 1 (Reuters) - Alexander Stubb took office as Finland's president on Friday, ready to oversee a new era after it joined NATO in response to…

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Hope Norway’s king may soon return home from Malaysia

Norway's King Harald may return home from Malaysia in a few days following his hospitalisation, the Norwegian royal household said . "His majesty the king's physician reports today that the…

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Bangladesh building fire kills 46, injures dozens

By Ruma Paul DHAKA, March 1 (Reuters) - A massive fire in Bangladesh that raged through a six-storey building home to restaurants where many families with children were dining has…

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Iran rulers seek big turnout in election amid mounting discontent

By Parisa Hafezi DUBAI, March 1 (Reuters) - Iranians voted for a new parliament on Friday, seen as a test of the clerical establishment's legitimacy at a time of growing…

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Strikes bring public transport to near standstill across Germany

BERLIN, March 1 (Reuters) - Buses, trams and underground trains stood idle across most of Germany on Friday at the culmination of a week of staggered public transport strikes triggered…

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Houthis say they will introduce military ‘surprises’ in Red Sea

DUBAI, (Reuters) - Yemen's Houthis will introduce military "surprises" in their Red Sea operations, the Iran-aligned group's leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said in a televised speech. "Our military operations will…

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Italy to start issuing 10,000 euros fines to students who attack teachers

Students who attack teachers in Italy risk fines ranging from 500 to 10,000 euros according to a government amendment approved by the Senate culture committee.Attacks on teachers have hit the…

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Finland declares that Ukraine is free to use its weapons to bomb Russia

Ukraine can use weapons provided by Finland to hit targets on Russian soil, senior officials in Helsinki said. Finland's Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen said his country has not set any restrictions…

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UPDATED: Alexei Navalny funeral draws thousands

Thousands of mourners gathered in front of a church in Moscow as the funeral service for Russia’s most prominent Putin critic, Alexei Navalny, began. Crowds were heard shouting “Navalny, Navalny!”…

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UPDATED: France’s Macron demands justice after shooting of Palestinians in Gaza

PARIS, March 1(Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday he was angered by the shooting of more than 100 Palestinians seeking humanitarian aid in Gaza and demanded "truth…

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Former Canadian PM Mulroney, driver of US free trade deal, dies aged 84

(Reuters) - Brian Mulroney, the former Canadian prime minister who struck a free trade deal with the U.S. but whose legacy was marred by revelations of improper business dealings with…

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US moon lander Odysseus goes dormant a week after lopsided landing

By Joey Roulette and Steve Gorman (Reuters) - Odysseus, the first U.S. spacecraft to land on the moon in half a century, lost power and went dormant on Thursday as…

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US Senate approves bill to avert government shutdown, sends it to Biden

By David Morgan and Makini Brice WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - The Democratic-majority U.S. Senate approved a short-term stopgap spending bill to avert a partial government shutdown, after the Republican-controlled House of…

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UPDATED: British left-winger Galloway wins election in northern English town

LONDON, March 1 (Reuters) - Veteran left-wing political maverick George Galloway won a vote to become the new lawmaker for the English town of Rochdale on Friday, vowing to be…

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Malta News Briefing – Friday 1 March 2024

Morning Briefing Maltese importer in custody in connection with multi-million fraud caseA Maltese food importer, Mohan Bharwani, 57, residing in Sliema, was remanded in custody for declining to consent to…

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US proposes to strengthen airline passenger wheelchair regulations

By David Shepardson WASHINGTON, Feb 29 (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is proposing on Thursday new rules to strengthen protections for airline passengers using wheelchairs. Transportation Secretary…

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Sri Lanka halts free visas for long-staying Russian, Ukrainian nationals

COLOMBO, Feb 29 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka has decided to stop issuing free long-term visas to Russian and Ukrainian nationals who have lived in the Indian Ocean island nation for…

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Ukraine says it has shot down three more Russian warplanes

KYIV, Feb 29 (Reuters) - Ukraine's military said on Thursday it had shot down three more Russian Su-34 fighter-bombers, the latest successes it has reported against Moscow's air force. "After…

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Swiss industry warns of ‘precarious’ 2024 as franc weighs

ZURICH, Feb 29 (Reuters) - The outlook for 2024 is uncertain, a group representing Switzerland's engineering and technology-linked sector warned on Thursday, as Swiss industrial companies wrestle with a strong…

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Falling inflation in German states points to national decline

BERLIN, Feb 29 (Reuters) - Inflation fell in six economically important German states in February, preliminary data showed on Thursday, suggesting that German inflation is continuing on its downward trajectory.…

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Finland in recession as GDP drops again

HELSINKI, Feb 29 (Reuters) - The Finnish economy again fell into recession during the second half of 2023, the national statistics agency said on Thursday, as high inflation and soaring…

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Updated – Malta News Briefing – Thursday 29 February 2024

Morning Briefing Sofia inquiry: First two officials to resign after leaders demand resignations Prime Minister Robert Abela said that he expects the individuals responsible for failings that led to the…

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Slowdown hits labour market as German unemployment rises

BERLIN, Feb 29 (Reuters) - The number of people out of work in Germany increased more than expected in February as a slowdown in Europe's largest economy took its toll…

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Much of Australia set for warm and dry autumn, weather bureau says

CANBERRA, Feb 29 (Reuters) - Australia could be heading for its third-warmest summer on record, with many places likely to experience a warmer and drier period than normal from March…

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