News

Anti-dengue fever measures introduced at Fiumicino airport

Authorities at Rome's Fiumicino airport have lifted the level of alert for planes and goods arriving from countries where the risk of contracting dengue fever is "frequent and ongoing". The…

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UK economy falls into recession, adding to Sunak’s election challenge

By Suban Abdulla and Andy Bruce LONDON, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Britain's economy fell into a recession in the second half of 2023, a tough backdrop for Prime Minister Rishi…

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Israeli strikes on Lebanon kill 11 civilians

BEIRUT, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Eleven people, including six children, were killed by Israeli strikes on villages across southern Lebanon on Wednesday, a hospital director and three Lebanese security sources…

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Record number of migrants died or went missing off Tunisia in 2023

A record 1,313 migrants were reported to have died or went missing off the Tunisian coast last year, a rights group said, highlighting the worsening migrant crisis in the North…

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Japan unexpectedly slips into recession, Germany now world’s third-biggest economy

By Leika Kihara and Tetsushi Kajimoto Japan's GDP shrinks for two straight quarters Frail consumption, capital spending point to challenging outlook Supply constraints may be delaying execution of spending plans…

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Italy launches COVID inquiry over opposition protest

By Angelo Amante Italy's parliament approved on Wednesday the creation of an official inquiry into the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, angering opposition parties who were in power at the…

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US, EU discuss Russia sanctions ahead of Ukraine war’s second anniversary

By Daphne Psaledakis and Gabriela Baczynska The U.S., EU and other partners discussed Russia sanctions at a meeting in Brussels this week ahead of the two year anniversary of the…

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Israel vows action against Hamas in Rafah amid global calls for restraint

By Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Maayan Lubell Israel will press ahead with an offensive against Hamas in Rafah, the last refuge for displaced Palestinians in southern Gaza, after allowing civilians to…

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New York Mayor sues social media firms for fueling youth mental health crisis

Adds Google's response in last paragraph (Reuters) - New York City Mayor Eric Adams said on Wednesday that his administration has filed a lawsuit against social media companies including Meta…

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US warned allies about Russian space, nuclear capabilities that could pose an international threat

By Patricia Zengerle, Steve Holland and Jonathan Landay WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - The United States has told Congress and allies in Europe about new intelligence related to Russian nuclear capabilities that…

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Tides move oil spill away from Tobago to the Caribbean, neighbors in alert

By Curtis Williams and Marianna Parraga PORT OF SPAIN (Reuters) - A week after an oil spill was first spotted near Tobago's shore, portions of the stain are moving in…

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Putin says he prefers ‘more predictable’ Biden over Trump

By Mark Trevelyan Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview broadcast on Wednesday that he preferred Joe Biden to Donald Trump but was willing to work with any U.S.…

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Malta News Briefing – Thursday 15 February 2024

Morning Briefing Walliams fee reflected in strong marketing for Malta - Tourism Minister Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo insisted that British author David Walliams played a key role in promoting the…

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Cyprus could produce first natural gas as soon as 2026, minister says

Cyprus could start producing its first natural gas as soon as 2026, and plans to participate in a high-powered electricity cable project linking the eastern Mediterranean to continental Europe, its…

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Traffic casualties increase in Q4- NSO

During the fourth quarter of 2023, road traffic accidents and casualties increased when compared to the same quarter of the previous year, the NSO revealed today. Road traffic fatalities amounted…

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UK Labour Party’s lead falls to lowest since June 2023

Labour's lead over Britain's Conservatives has fallen 7 percentage points to its lowest since June 2023, a Savanta poll showed on Wednesday, after the opposition party scrapped a green spending…

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US House Republicans win impeachment of Biden’s top border official

The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday narrowly voted to impeach Democratic President Joe Biden's top border official, as immigration shapes up to be a major issue in this…

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NATO chief says 18 countries meet 2% military spending target

Eighteen out of 31 NATO countries will hit the target of 2% in defence spending of their gross domestic product in 2024, NATO's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday.…

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Russia’s parliament to vote on suspending Moscow’s participation in OSCE Parliamentary Assembly

Russia's parliament will vote on Feb. 21 on suspending the country's participation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation (OSCE), Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said on…

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Russia’s airstrikes kill three, injure 13 in east Ukraine, Ukrainian officials say

Russia launched several missile attacks on the town of Selydove in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region overnight, killing three people, injuring a dozen and damaging a hospital and several apartments, Ukrainian…

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Private sector should foot climate bill, French finance minister says

Funding to combat climate change needs to come from the private sector as there is no more public financing available from France or other European Union countries, French Finance Minister…

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Australia wants China to lift trade barriers

Australia's trade minister said on Tuesday he would meet his Chinese counterpart at a World Trade Organization conference in Abu Dhabi this month and push for the removal of restrictions…

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Gazans fearing Israeli assault on Rafah look to Cairo truce talks for hope

U.S., Egyptian, Israeli and Qatari officials were expected to meet in Cairo on Tuesday to seek a truce in Gaza as more than a million civilians crammed into a southern…

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Armenian soldiers killed by Azerbaijani fire in biggest skirmish since exodus

Armenia said on Tuesday that four of its soldiers were killed by Azerbaijani fire along the heavily militarized border, the first fatal incident since they began negotiating a deal to…

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Kremlin dismisses Europe’s warnings about ‘Russian propaganda’

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday dismissed European warnings about "Russian propaganda", saying that anything which countered the mainstream narrative was now labelled as propaganda by the West. Peskov was…

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Malta News Briefing – Wednesday 14 February 2024

Morning Briefing Malta needs emergency powerplant to sustain Summer demand - Enemalta Enemalta's executive chairman, Ryan Fava, has cautioned that without a new 60MW temporary diesel-powered "emergency plant" in Delimara,…

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Italian far-right leader Salvini fights to escape Meloni’s shadow

Five years ago, Matteo Salvini confirmed his status as a rising star of European far-right politics when his League party swept a third of the vote in Italian EU parliamentary…

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Pakistan parties wrangle over premiership, vote rigging allegations rejected

Pakistan's two largest political parties were still wrangling over who will be prime minister after an inconclusive election last week forced them to join forces and try to form a…

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Russia warns the West: we will be very tough if you ‘steal’ our assets

Russia warned the West on Tuesday that Moscow would be very tough if the United States and European Union seized hundreds of billions of dollars worth of Russian assets. After…

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Ukraine’s military intelligence says Russia buying Starlink terminals in ‘Arab countries’

Russian forces are buying Starlink internet terminals in "Arab countries" for use on the battlefield, Ukraine's military intelligence said on Tuesday. It made the statement on the Telegram messaging app,…

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Haley attacks Trump for mocking husband’s military service

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley had one word on Monday for rival Donald Trump's personal comments about her husband's military deployment: "Disgusting." Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican nomination, brought…

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All for one, one for all, Poland’s Tusk says in message to U.S

There is no alternative to the partnership between Europe, NATO and the United States for facing mounting security risks, Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Monday, as fears grow…

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Brazil beefs up its military presence in the Amazon

Border tensions over Guyana's Esequibo and the humanitarian crisis among the Yanomami Indigenous people have led Brazil's army to increase its forces in the Amazon by 10% ahead of plan,…

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Russia’s war economy faces tough times ahead, says IMF’s Georgieva

Russia's war economy is in for tough times due to the outflow of people and shortages of technology, the International Monetary Fund's managing director Kristalina Georgieva said on Monday, even…

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Holistic approach needed on migration, Cyprus says, not just cash

Throwing money at irregular migration will not make it go away, Cyprus said , saying the EU needed to take a holistic approach and rethink a ban on deportations to…

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Finland’s new president sees no limit to NATO ties, Ukraine support

By Anne Kauranen HELSINKI, (Reuters) - Alexander Stubb declared himself winner of Finland's presidential election on Sunday after a campaign built on promises to make the most of his country's…

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White House presses Israel to work toward pause in Gaza war

The White House on Monday pressed Israel to work toward a pause in the Gaza conflict to win freedom for more hostages held by Hamas and rapidly increase the flow…

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Malta News Briefing – Tuesday 13 February 2024

Morning Briefing Sovereignty of majority should be respected on Presidential appointment Prime Minister Robert Abela highlighted the importance of respecting the majority's sovereignty in discussions between the government and opposition…

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Madagascar to surgically castrate paedophiles

Madagascar’s parliament has passed a law that would punish paedophiles with surgical castration. The law drew criticism from international rights groups but won backing from some local activists who say…

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Moldova police find Russian drone fragments near Ukraine border

CHISINAU (Reuters) - Police on Sunday found fragments of a Russian drone alongside the Moldova border with Ukraine, prompting pro-European President Maia Sandu to renew her support for Kyiv in…

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Orban says Serbia should join EU before Ukraine

The EU “will lose” Serbia to China unless it lets the country join the bloc soon, and should do so before admitting Ukraine, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in…

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Russia slaps sanctions on British officials, historians and academics

MOSCOW, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Russia on Monday imposed sanctions on 18 British citizens including a number of top academics and Russia experts for what Moscow said was an attempt…

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One in five of world’s migratory species at risk of extinction – UN report

By David Stanway SINGAPORE, Feb 12 (Reuters) - More than a fifth of the world's migrating species are at risk of going extinct as a result of climate change and…

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Political leaders wrangle over premiership after inconclusive Pakistan vote

By Asif Shahzad ISLAMABAD, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Pakistan's two largest political parties are wrangling over who will take the prime minister's job after inconclusive elections last week forced them…

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Seventeen Tunisians on migrant boat towards Italy missing

TUNIS, Feb 12 (Reuters) - At least seventeen Tunisians who were on a migrant boat heading towards the Italian coast are missing, a Tunisian national guard official said on Monday.…

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WHO head concerned at attacks on Gaza’s Rafah

DUBAI, Feb 12 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Monday reiterated calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and expressed particular concern at Israeli attacks on…

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UPDATED: All for one, one for all, Poland’s Tusk says in message to U.S.

Three EU members seek greater defence unity Ukraine war, Trump election bid create uncertain climate Poland's change in government resets European ties By Alan Charlish and John Irish PARIS, Feb…

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Shooting incident at Greek shipping company leaves one dead, wounds two

ATHENS, Feb 12 (Reuters) - At least one man was killed and two wounded during a rare shooting incident at a Greek shipping company in Athens on Monday, police sources…

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UPDATED: Ukraine says Russian forces obtaining Musk’s Starlink via third countries

KYIV, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Russian forces are obtaining Starlink satellite terminals illicitly from third countries and increasing their use on the front line, the Ukrainian military spy agency's spokesperson…

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Biden calls on snack companies to stop ‘shrinkflation” rip-offs

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Sunday called on snack companies to stop shrinkflation, which is when businesses cut product sizes but keep prices the same, describing the…

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Armenia’s PM: ‘We are not Russia’s ally’ in war against Ukraine

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in an interview published on Sunday that his country was not Russia' ally in its war against Ukraine, but stressed its military cooperation projects…

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Centre-right’s Stubb wins close-fought Finnish presidential election

By Anne Kauranen and Essi Lehto HELSINKI, (Reuters) - Alexander Stubb of the centre-right National Coalition Party narrowly won Finland's presidential election on Sunday, defeating liberal Green Party member Pekka…

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Republicans blast Trump over threat to abandon NATO allies

By Richard Cowan WASHINGTON, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Some of former President Donald Trump's fellow Republicans on Sunday lashed out at him for saying he would not want to protect…

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UPDATED: Israel frees two hostages, Gaza officials say airstrikes kill 67

Gaza health authorities say 28,340 Palestinians killed, 67,984 wounded Netanyahu says rescue of hostages shows war should continue Reuters footage shows overnight damage, displaced Gazan says children were killed far…

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UPDATED: Yemen’s Houthis target cargo ship in Red Sea

DUBAI, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said on Monday they had targeted a cargo ship in the Red Sea, the latest such strike since the start of the…

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Malta News Briefing – Monday 12 February 2024

Morning Briefing Survey gives Labour seven point advantage on PN The first major survey of 2024 on voting intentions for next June’s MEP elections puts Labour solidly in pole position…

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Who is Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ukraine’s new army chief

Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi, who has led Ukraine's ground forces since 2019, was promoted to commander of the armed forces on Thursday as the war with Russia nears its third year.…

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