News

Kremlin warns West against using frozen Russian assets as collateral for Ukraine

This content was produced in Russia, where the law restricts coverage of Russian military operations in Ukraine. MOSCOW, Feb 5 (Reuters) - The Kremlin on Monday warned the West that…

Read More Here

Malta News Briefing – Tuesday 6 February 2024

Morning Briefing Jeremie Camilleri pleads guilty to Pelin Kaya murder A man who deliberately ran over a stranger and subsequently threw stones at her lifeless body has confessed to the…

Read More Here

South Africa says platinum restructuring could cut 4,000-7,000 jobs

Sector reeling from metal price decline EV advances add to PGM uncertainty By Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo CAPE TOWN, Feb 5 (Reuters) - South Africa's Minerals Council said on Monday that the…

Read More Here

Swedish economic growth ‘subdued’ in 2024, IMF says

OSLO, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Sweden's economic growth is projected to remain subdued in 2024 following a mild recession last year, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said in a regular…

Read More Here

Germany outlines plan to subsidise gas-to-hydrogen shift

Germany to tender up to 10 GW gas power plants New gas plants must switch to hydrogen by 2040 Berlin to agree new electricity market design this year Plants will…

Read More Here

Ukrainian parliament asked to extend martial law and general mobilisation

Some soldiers in the east of Ukraine say they will have little choice but to fight until the war is over, despite attempts by the government in Kyiv to mobilise…

Read More Here

South Korea, Saudi Arabia sign agreement on defence cooperation

SEOUL, Feb 5 (Reuters) - South Korea and Saudi Arabia on Sunday signed a memorandum of understanding to expand defence cooperation, Seoul's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said, as Seoul…

Read More Here

US Senate unveils $118 billion bill on border security, aid for Ukraine, Israel

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A group of U.S. Senators said Sunday they had reached a bipartisan $118 billion security agreement to put new restrictions on the U.S. border and provide military…

Read More Here

Update – Malta News Briefing – Monday 5 February 2024

Updated 1300 Ministry wants business pitch for 50MW floating solar farm off Delimara Malta's energy ministry has initiated a market consultation for solar farm projects at sea, particularly focusing on…

Read More Here

Palestinians hope Blinken visit can deliver Gaza truce before Rafah assault

US Secretary of State in the air en route to Middle East for first visit since truce offer Hamas says it will not accept ceasefire without guarantees of end to…

Read More Here

Forest fires kill 112 in Chile’s worst disaster since 2010 earthquake

Firefighters in central Chile on Sunday battled to quell fierce forest fires that have killed 112 people so far and razed entire neighborhoods, while President Gabriel Boric warned the country…

Read More Here

Canada extends ban on foreign ownership of housing by two years

By Kanishka Singh Canada announced a two-year extension to a ban on foreign ownership of Canadian housing, saying the step was aimed at addressing worries about Canadians being priced out…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Spain to send UNRWA extra $3.8 mln in aid

MADRID, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Spain will send the United Nations' Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA an additional 3.5 million euros ($3.8 million) in aid, Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told…

Read More Here

US intends further strikes against Iran-backed groups – White House

After two days of strikes, U.S. indicates more to come U.S. hit militias in Iraq, Syria in response to Jordan attack Iran not interested in direct conflict - analyst By…

Read More Here

Bike-friendly Paris votes to triple parking fees for SUVs

By Michel Rose PARIS (Reuters) - Parisians voted in a referendum on Sunday in favour of subjecting large SUVs to a threefold increase in parking charges as the French capital…

Read More Here

Salvador’s Bukele declares victory in presidential poll

By Nelson Renteria and Sarah Kinosian SAN SALVADOR, (Reuters) - President Nayib Bukele on Sunday declared himself winner of El Salvador's national elections in a landslide, claiming he captured more…

Read More Here

Morocco trade deficit shrinks 7% on tourism and lower imports

RABAT, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Morocco's annual trade deficit contracted by 7.3% to 286 billion dirhams ($28.6 billion) in 2023, helped by a drop in energy imports and higher tourism…

Read More Here

The US military is preparing for a potential conflict with China by storing supplies in Australia

When US and Australian troops practised amphibious landings, ground combat and air operations last year, they drew headlines about the allies deepening defence cooperation to counter China’s growing military ambitions.…

Read More Here

Italy tops new European ranking for tourism reputation

Italy is top of a new ranking for overall reputation as a European tourist destination but it needs to improve on its institutional use of social media, the market research…

Read More Here

Hamas hounds Israeli forces in main Gaza cities

By Nidal Al-Mughrabi, Bassam Masoud and Dan Williams DOHA/GAZA/JERUSALEM, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Palestinian gunmen kept up attacks against Israeli forces on Sunday in the Gaza Strip's two main cities,…

Read More Here

Zelenskiy visits front line, army chief’s future in question

KYIV, Feb 4 (Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited Ukrainian troops on the southeastern front and handed out medals, his office said on Sunday amid intense speculation that his popular…

Read More Here

Stop human trafficking says pope

Pope Francis on Sunday urged the world community to stop human trafficking saying at his weekly Angelus prayer that "too many people are being exploited".Francis also said that tolerance and…

Read More Here

Biden courts Nevada voters after narrow 2020 win

By Jarrett Renshaw LOS ANGELES, Feb 4 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden will take his pitch for reelection to Nevada voters on Sunday as part of a two-day stop…

Read More Here

Russian secret electronic weapon playing havoc with airliners’ GPS

A highly secret Russian electronic warfare system is interfering with the GPS guidance of airliners and ships on Nato’s eastern flank. A surge in disruption had been detected in an…

Read More Here

Short on cash, El Salvador doubles down on Bitcoin dream

By Sarah Kinosian and Nelson Renteria BERLIN, El Salvador (Reuters) - James and Nicki Malcolm moved to El Salvador from New Zealand to be part of a bitcoin dream sold…

Read More Here

Poland extends border controls with Slovakia to stem illegal migration

Poland has extended border controls with Slovakia until March 2 to try to stop illegal migrants entering from Slovak territory, the interior ministry said. "Due to the continuing threat of…

Read More Here

UK, Italy seek ‘innovative partnerships’ to deal with illegal migration

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni agreed to keep working together to deal with illegal migration by developing "innovative partnerships" along migration routes, Sunak's office…

Read More Here

Philippines ready to use ‘forces’ to quell any secession attempt- official

MANILA, Feb 4 (Reuters) - The Philippine government is ready to use "authority and forces" against attempts to divide the nation, a security official said Sunday, after former President Rodrigo…

Read More Here

Pope condemns anti-Judaism, anti-Semitism amid new wave of attacks against Jews

Pope Francis condemned all forms of anti-Judaism and anti-Semitism, labelling them as a "sin against God", after noticing an increase in attacks against Jews around the world. "(The Church) rejects…

Read More Here

Bike-friendly Paris votes on raising parking fees for SUVs

PARIS, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Paris holds a referendum on Sunday asking Parisians whether the city should impose a parking surcharge on large SUVs, as the French capital pushes on…

Read More Here

Swiss hospitality school closes after measles outbreak

(Reuters) - Switzerland's famed hospitality management school, Ecole Hotelier de Lausanne (EHL), closed its campus in Lausanne on Saturday after cases of measles were discovered among students. "We have been…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Russian cosmonaut sets record for most time in space – more than 878 days

By Guy Faulconbridge and Lidia Kelly MOSCOW, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko on Sunday set a world record for total time spent in space, surpassing his compatriot…

Read More Here

Italy’s junior culture minister quits after stolen painting scandal

Italian junior culture minister and art critic Vittorio Sgarbi, under investigation over possession of a stolen painting, announced he was quitting because Rome's antitrust body was trying to curb his…

Read More Here

Russia says death toll in Ukraine shelling of Lysychansk rises to 28

Feb 4 (Reuters) - The death toll from what Russia said was a Ukrainian attack on Lysychansk - a city in the Moscow-controlled Ukrainian region of Luhansk - has risen…

Read More Here

Northern Ireland appoints Irish nationalist as First Minister in historic shift

By Amanda Ferguson and Natalie Thomas Northern Ireland's parliament appointed an Irish nationalist as First Minister for the first time on Saturday, a historic milestone in a state established a…

Read More Here

Iran says US strikes are a ‘strategic mistake’

Iran has called US air strikes on Iraq and Syria a "strategic mistake" after 85 targets were hit across the region on Friday. The US has launched retaliatory strikes in…

Read More Here

Portugal’s far-right closes in on mainstream parties before March election

LISBON, (Reuters) - Portugal's far-right Chega party jumped to 21% of voting intentions in a new opinion poll ahead of a March 10 snap election, closing in on the mainstream…

Read More Here

US House panel recommends $17.6 billion in military aid for Israel

By Richard Cowan WASHINGTON, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Legislation providing $17.6 billion in new military assistance to Israel as it wages war against Hamas was unveiled on Saturday in the…

Read More Here

Biden cruises to South Carolina Democratic primary win-Edison Research

By Trevor Hunnicutt, Jarrett Renshaw and Liliana Salgado U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday won the South Carolina Democratic primary - the first officially sanctioned race of the party's nominating…

Read More Here

Vittorio Emanuele of Savoy, son of Italy’s last king, dies aged 86

Vittorio Emanuele of Savoy, the only son of Italy's last king, who lived in exile in neighbouring Switzerland for most of his life, has died aged 86 at his home…

Read More Here

Malta News Briefing – Sunday 4 February 2024

Morning Briefing MHRA backs farmers after protest The Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA) has endorsed the protests held by local farmers, expressing apprehension about the manner in which the…

Read More Here

Malta need second national hospital – Health Minister / Malta News Briefing – Saturday 3 February 2024

Updated 1230 Malta need second national hospital - Health Minister Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela has expressed the need for a second national hospital in Malta to accommodate the growing…

Read More Here

Nearly 100 dead or missing migrants in Mediterranean so far in 2024 – IOM

Nearly 100 migrants have died or disappeared in the central and eastern Mediterranean since the beginning of 2024, more than double the toll recorded last year during the same period,…

Read More Here

Japan Inc opens door to more women directors, but managers remain rare

By Anton Bridge TOKYO, (Reuters) - Mitsuko Tottori's appointment as Japan Airlines' 9201.Tnext president makes her something of a rarity in Japan - a female head of a well known…

Read More Here

Canada braces for possible wave of business bankruptcies

A fifth to a quarter have not paid pandemic-time govt support Insolvencies rose 38% in first 11 months of 2023-official data By Promit Mukherjee OTTAWA (Reuters) - Thousands of Canadian…

Read More Here

Migrant arrivals to Spain’s Canaries jump by over 1,000% in January

The number of migrants from West Africa who braved the sea in fragile boats to reach Spain's Canary Islands jumped more than 1,000% in January from a year ago, data…

Read More Here

Election staff find flaws in paperwork of Putin’s anti-war challenger

Supporter lists include dead people, official says Decision due next week on whether Nadezhdin can run Candidate blames Putin for "fatal mistake" in Ukraine MOSCOW, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Irregularities…

Read More Here

Finland joins NATO operations with fighter jets, mine clearing vessel

HELSINKI, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Finland will send up to eight fighter jets and a mine hunting navy vessel to take part in NATO's joint operations in 2024, the country's…

Read More Here

Hungary under pressure to ratify Sweden’s NATO bid after EU deal

Hungary agreed on Thursday to EU aid package for Ukraine PM Orban said he "went to the wall" for Hungary Hungary is only NATO state yet to ratify Swedish accession…

Read More Here

British submarine to test fire nuclear missile in the Atlantic

Britain will in the coming days test fire a nuclear missile for the first time in eight years. A warning was issued to shipping that a test would be carried…

Read More Here

France confirms death of two French aid workers in Ukraine

PARIS, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Two French volunteer aid workers were killed in a Russian drone attack in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson, French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne said…

Read More Here

Iran won’t start a war but will respond to bullies, says president

Feb 2 (Reuters) - Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi said on Friday that his country would not start a war but that it would "respond strongly" to anyone who tried to…

Read More Here

Armenia can no longer rely on Russia for military and defence needs – PM Pashinyan

Pashinyan questions Russian alliance Suggests closer ties with United States and France Armenia needs new national security strategy - Pashinyan Armenia is home to Russian military facilities By Guy Faulconbridge…

Read More Here

Why are farmers protesting in France and other parts of Europe?

By Sybille De La Hamaide and Gus Trompiz Farmers' protests have mounted across the European Union to press leaders to do more to help them with taxes and rising costs,…

Read More Here

Northern Ireland to restore government after UK parliament approves deal

By Andrew Macaskill and Amanda Ferguson House of Commons backs deal without formal vote DUP requests sitting of Northern Ireland parliament Local government set to be elected on Saturday Region…

Read More Here

Public transport across Germany disrupted as workers strike

BERLIN, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Bus and tram stations across Germany were at a standstill on Friday, disrupting millions of commuters and travellers, as 90,000 public transport workers were called…

Read More Here

Kosovo Serbs carry on using dinars as government allows transitional phase

Kosovo Serbs in the ethnically divided town of Mitrovica carried on using Serbian dinars this week after the government allowed a transitional phase before the currency is fully outlawed under…

Read More Here