News

‘Pints’ of wine to be sold in Britain for the first time

Britons will soon be able to buy a "pint" of wine, with a new 568ml bottle set to appear on supermarket shelves and in pubs, clubs and restaurants. Pint bottles…

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New Chairman and Directors appointed at the Malta Development Bank

The Malta Development Bank welcomes the appointment by the Minister for Finance and Employment of Mr Leo Brincat as the new Chairman of the Bank. Mr Brincat brings to the…

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Winter smog blankets South Asian capitals of Dhaka, New Delhi

By Ruma Paul DHAKA, Dec 27 (Reuters) - A thick layer of toxic smog wreathed Bangladesh's capital of Dhaka on Wednesday as the air quality index plummeted into the "hazardous"…

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UAE’s Sharjah bans New Year’s Eve fireworks over Gaza war

DUBAI, Dec 27 (Reuters) - An emirate in the United Arab Emirates, one of few Arab states that has official ties with Israel, has banned New Year's Eve fireworks this…

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Migrant caravan advances north as U.S. officials head to Mexico

By Jose Torres VILLA COMALTITLAN(Reuters) - Thousands of migrants and asylum seekers moved slowly north across the southern Mexican state of Chiapas on Tuesday in a caravan hoping to reach…

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Self-driving cars could be on UK roads by 2026 -minister

LONDON, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Self-driving cars could be on some British roads by 2026, the country's transport minister Mark Harper said on Wednesday. Cars with full self-driving technology are…

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South Korean capital drills to guard against surprise attack by North

By Daewoung Kim and Jimin Jung SEOUL, Dec 27 (Reuters) - More than 1,000 South Korean military, police and emergency personnel joined rare defence drills on Wednesday that simulated an…

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No evidence of terrorist attacks in Switzerland

The Swiss Federal Intelligence Service has no indications of concrete plans for terrorist attacks in Switzerland. However, the FIS still considers the threat of terrorism in Switzerland to be heightened,…

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Indian navy to deploy guided missile destroyer ships after strike off its coast

The Indian navy will deploy guided missile destroyer ships in the Arabian Sea as a deterrent after an Israel-affiliated merchant vessel was struck off the Indian coast over the weekend.…

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Ethiopia becomes Africa’s latest sovereign default

Ethiopia became Africa's third default in as many years on Tuesday after it failed to make a $33 million "coupon" payment on its only international government bond. Africa's second most…

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Italy drafts law to ‘safeguard’ school nativity scenes

Italy’s ruling far-right party has identified a new battleground in its war to protect the country’s “cultural roots”: the school nativity scene. A draft law proposed by the Brothers of…

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UPDATED: Veteran German politician Wolfgang Schaeuble dies at 81

BERLIN, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Wolfgang Schaeuble, who served as a member of the German parliament for over half a century, has died aged 81, ending one of Germany's longest…

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British drivers urged to check unused cars as animals cause record breakdowns

Breakdowns in the UK caused by animals getting inside vehicles have reached record levels, the RAC has said. The insurance company was called out to 303 incidents of damage caused by animals…

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Nine dead in Australia after thunderstorms

By Renju Jose and Lucy Craymer SYDNEY, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Nine people were killed in Australia after severe thunderstorms battered the country's east over the Christmas holidays, authorities said…

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Azerbaijan expels French diplomats amid Armenia tensions

Azerbaijan's foreign ministry has declared two employees of France's embassy persona non grata over "conduct that is not compatible with their diplomatic status", it said on Tuesday. The ministry said…

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Italy braces for NYE terror risk

Italy is bracing for the risk of a terrorist attack and "eye-catching" climate crisis protests in its piazze on New Year's Eve, according to a circular from the department of…

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Sweden edges closer to NATO after vote in Turkish parliamentary commission

By Huseyin Hayatsever The Turkish parliament's foreign affairs commission approved Sweden's NATO membership bid on Tuesday in a key step towards enlarging the Western bloc after 19 months of delays…

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Commander says Ukrainian forces still in shattered town of Maryinka

(Reuters) - The commander of Ukraine's armed forces said his troops remained in an area of the eastern town of Maryinka despite assertions by Russia's defence minister that Moscow was…

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Malta News Briefing – Wednesday 27 December 2023

Morning Briefing L-Istrina collects €5.27m for those in need A sum of €5.27m was collected during Malta's largest telethon on Tuesday. President George Vella thanked all donors for their 'feast…

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Gaza war to last months, Israel says, as fears of conflict spread rise

CAIRO/GAZA/JERUSALEM, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Israel's war on Hamas will last months, Israel's military chief said, as a string of incidents outside the Gaza Strip highlighted the risk of the…

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Four children and their mother murdered in France

Police in France on Tuesday arrested a man suspected of murdering his wife and four children in a knife attack early on Christmas Day, a public prosecutor said.Their bodies were…

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Israel grants Intel $3.2 billion for new $25 billion chip plant

Israel's government agreed to give Intel Corp a $3.2 billion grant for new $25 billion chip plant it plans to build in southern Israel, both sides said on Tuesday, in what is…

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Ukraine draft law proposes lowering mobilisation age to 25 from 27

Text of a draft law posted on the website of Ukraine's parliament late on Monday proposed lowering the age of those who can be mobilized for combat duty to 25…

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At least 113 killed in attacks in central Nigeria -local official

The death toll in weekend attacks in the central Nigerian state of Plateau has risen to 113, a local official said on Monday, in a region where clashes between herders…

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Russian forces gain control of Maryinka in east Ukraine, defence minister says

Russian forces have gained full control of Maryinka, a town in eastern Ukraine, Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu told President Vladimir Putin, one of Russia's most significant gains since the…

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Eight police injured, 38 detained in Serb opposition protest over election

Eight policemen were injured and 38 people detained during and after an opposition protest over election results, Serbia's police said on Monday. Thousands gathered in the centre of Belgrade on…

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China expects searing heat, more weather extremes in 2024

China - grappling with one of its coldest Decembers on record - will likely have to brace for another round of scorching heat and an increase in extreme weather next…

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Moldova’s pro-European president Sandu to seek second term

CHISINAU, Dec 24 (Reuters) - Moldova's pro-European President Maia Sandu said on Sunday she intends to run for a second presidential term in late 2024 to bring the issue of…

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Libya’s stock market resumes trading after more than 9 years of closure

Libya's Stock Market resumed trading on Monday at a hall in the capital Tripoli after more than nine years of closure because of the political and security situation. The prime…

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Russia’s Navalny tracked down to ‘Polar Wolf’ prison in the Arctic

Jailed Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny has been tracked down to a penal colony north of the Arctic Circle, his spokeswoman said on Monday, after supporters lost touch with him…

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Pope decries Gaza’s ‘appalling harvest’ of civilian deaths

Pope Francis said in his Christmas message on Monday that children dying in wars, including in Gaza, are the "little Jesuses of today" and that Israeli strikes there were reaping…

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Israeli air strike in Syria kills senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards member

An Israeli air strike outside the Syrian capital Damascus on Monday killed a senior adviser in Iran's Revolutionary Guards, three security sources and Iranian state media said.The sources told Reuters…

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Three-year-old critical after falling from Mellieħa cliffs / Malta News Briefing – Tuesday 26 December 2023

Updated 1200 Three-year-old critical after falling from Mellieħa cliffs A three-year-old boy is in a critical condition after tumbling from cliffs in Mellieħa. Authorities were alerted at 3 a.m. on…

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Malta News Briefing – Monday 25 December 2023

Archbishop calls for mercy and peace in Christmas message In his Christmas message, Archbishop Charles Scicluna echoed Dun Karm's prayer from the national anthem, emphasizing the values of sound judgment,…

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King Charles’ Christmas Day message to feature living tree and Buckingham Palace backdrop

King Charles will deliver his second Christmas message on Monday from Buckingham Palace. In keeping with the King’s strong beliefs in sustainability, this year’s Christmas Day broadcast features a living…

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Russia short of around 4.8 million workers in 2023, crunch to persist – Izvestia

MOSCOW, Dec 24 (Reuters) - Russia was short of around 4.8 million workers in 2023 and the problem will remain acute in 2024, the Izvestia newspaper reported on Sunday, citing…

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“Work with Us”: Website launched to apply for a job at the Vatican

"Work with Us" is a title that says it all. Up to now, lay staff to be hired at various levels of the Holy See were selected based on available…

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Libyan Prime Minister says will not leave until elections are held

The Head of the Government of National Unity, Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, has reaffirmed that “his government will not leave until elections are held and the Libyan people choose who will…

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Israel bombs northern Gaza; Palestinians say 166 killed in 24 hours

By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Emily Rose CAIRO/JERUSALEM, Dec 24 (Reuters) - Israel bombed areas of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip overnight, with fighting throughout Sunday morning, residents and Palestinian…

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Russia has fired 7,400 missiles, 3,700 Shahed drones in war so far

Russia has launched about 7,400 missiles and 3,700 Shahed attack drones at targets in Ukraine during its 22-month-old invasion, Kyiv said this week, illustrating the vast scale of Moscow's aerial…

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El Salvador offers citizenship to foreign bitcoin investors

By Gerardo Arbaiza SAN SALVADOR, (Reuters) - El Salvador's Congress has approved a migration law granting expedited citizenship to foreigners who make bitcoin "donations" to government social and economic development…

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Lithuanian and German police break-up criminal group responsible for stealing luxury cars

Close cooperation between Lithuanian and German authorities, together with support from Europol and Eurojust, has led to the dismantling of an international criminal network of car thieves. The Criminal Investigation…

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Nikki Haley surges in poll

The former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley has pulled within four percentage points of frontrunner Donald Trump in New Hampshire’s 2024 Republican presidential primary, a contest which could prove closer…

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Same-sex nativity scene causes anger in Italy

By Ciro De Luca CAPOCASTELLO DI MERCOGLIANO, Italy, (Reuters) - A church nativity scene which features two mothers of the Baby Jesus, instead of the conventional Mary and Joseph figurines,…

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Yemen’s warring parties commit to ceasefire steps – U.N. special envoy

By Mohammed Ghobari ADEN, (Reuters) - The Saudi-backed Yemeni government and Iran-aligned Houthis have both committed to steps towards a ceasefire, the U.N. special envoy for Yemen said on Saturday.…

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Large parts of Australia endure heat wave, lifting bushfire risk

SYDNEY, Dec 24 (Reuters) - Large swaths of Australia on Sunday sweated through heat wave conditions as authorities warned of a high bushfire risk in many parts of the country's…

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Pantomime and carol singing proposed for Unesco cultural status

British Christmas traditions, such as pantomime, carol singing and wreath-making could receive protected status. It comes as the government confirms it will ratify the 2003 Unesco Convention for Safeguarding Intangible…

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Fighting rages in northern Gaza; Biden speaks with Netanyahu

By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Emily Rose CAIRO/JERUSALEM, (Reuters) - Israel battled Hamas militants on Saturday in pursuit of its elusive goal of full control of northern Gaza after the U.N.…

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Kosovo says gunmen from Serbia are planning more attacks

By Fatos Bytyci Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti said that armed men supported by Serbian security agencies were being trained to launch new attacks in his country after a September…

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US shoots down 4 drones launched from Houthi-controlled areas – CENTCOM

CAIRO (Reuters) - The United States shot down four drones headed towards a U.S. destroyer in the southern Red Sea and launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen on Saturday, U.S.…

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Iran threatens Mediterranean closure over Gaza

(Reuters) - An Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander said the Mediterranean Sea could be closed if the United States and its allies continued to commit "crimes" in Gaza, Iranian media reported…

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Taiwan says eight Chinese fighter jets crossed strait’s median line

TAIPEI, Dec 24 (Reuters) - Taiwan's defence ministry said on Sunday that over the previous 24 hours it had detected eight Chinese fighter jets crossing over the median line of…

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Security hiked at Cologne cathedral for Christmas amid attack threat

BERLIN, (Reuters) - German police said they were heightening security at Cologne Cathedral following indications of an attack planned for New Year's Eve, a week after the interior minister warned…

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Pentagon says Iranian drone ‘attack’ hit chemical tanker near India

A drone launched from Iran struck a chemical tanker in the Indian ocean early on Saturday, the U.S. Department of Defense said. "The motor vessel CHEM PLUTO, a Liberia-flagged, Japanese-owned,…

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Malta News Briefing – Sunday 24 December 2023

Morning Briefing Households get €3m compensation for powercutsHouseholds enduring power cuts of over six hours in July received nearly €3 million in compensation, reports suggest. During that month, consecutive power…

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Irish consumers slightly less gloomy heading into Christmas

DUBLIN, (Reuters) - Irish consumer sentiment edged a touch higher for the third successive month in December, likely in response to falling energy prices and expectations of lower inflation and…

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Biden administration takes first step toward writing key AI standards

By David Shepardson WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - The Biden administration said this week it was taking the first step toward writing key standards and guidance for the safe deployment of generative…

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