News

US Navy patrol plane flies over sensitive Taiwan Strait

BEIJING, Dec 6 (Reuters) - A U.S. Navy patrol aircraft flew through the sensitive Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, the U.S. military said, describing the mission as a demonstration of the…

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UK interior minister signs new Rwanda treaty to resurrect asylum plan

By Philbert Girinema, Andrew Macaskill and Michael Holden KIGALI/LONDON, (Reuters) - Britain signed a new treaty with Rwanda on Tuesday which it said would overcome a court decision blocking its…

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US envoy slams Hungarian govt for ‘disregarding’ interests of NATO allies

BUDAPEST, (Reuters) - The U.S. envoy to Budapest sharply criticised the Hungarian government on Tuesday for "disregarding" the interests of its NATO allies and strengthening ties with Russia at a…

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Israel mounts fiercest attacks so far in Gaza war against Hamas

By Bassam Masoud and IbraheemAbu Mustafa GAZA, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Israel's military bombarded southern Gaza's main city in what it said was the fiercest fighting since it began a…

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Biden December fundraising blitz to star Lenny Kravitz, Spielberg

President Joe Biden will kick off a December fundraising blitz on Tuesday that will show off the Democratic Party's star power and is expected to raise millions of dollars, according…

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Hungary’s Orban to meet Macron ahead of EU summit

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban will meet French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Thursday, his press chief said, ahead of an EU summit at which talks on Ukraine's joining the bloc and financial…

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France on ‘high’ alert for bird flu after new cases detected

France raised the risk level of bird flu to 'high' from 'moderate' on Tuesday after new cases of the disease were detected, forcing poultry farms to keep birds indoors to…

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Updated – Malta News Briefing – Tuesday 5 December 2023

Updated 1250 Chamber welcomes building permits term extension, points to anomaliesThe government's choice toprolong building permits by three years for those expiring between November 10, 2023, and December31, 2024, has…

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Kremlin says OPEC+ output cuts will kick in later, confirms Putin to visit Gulf

Oil output cuts agreed by the OPEC+ group will take time to kick in, the Kremlin said on Tuesday, as it confirmed that President Vladimir Putin would visit the United…

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Israel expects difficult new stage in Gaza, sticks to war aims

Israel expects difficult fighting in the new phase of its war in Gaza but is open to "constructive feedback" on reducing harm to civilians as long as the advice is…

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Pause or paralysis? EU-Mercosur hitch stalls EU trade momentum

Just a week after hailing approval of a trade agreement with New Zealand as a sign the European Union's free trade ambitions were back on track, a hitch in a…

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Bitcoin rises above $42,000 for first time since April 2022

Bitcoin rose on Monday, briefly surpassing $42,000 to reach a 20-month high, in a new surge of momentum fueled by the possibility of U.S. interest rate cuts and traders betting…

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Britain announces stricter visa measures to reduce migration

Britain sought to cut the number of migrants arriving in Britain through legal routes on Monday, raising the minimum salary they must earn in a job by a third after…

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India’s Modi seen unstoppable after surprise state polls sweep

By YP Rajesh, Krishn Kaushik and Rupam Jain NEW DELHI, (Reuters) - India's opposition faces a "herculean task" in next year's general elections against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya…

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Deputy Russian army corps commander is killed in Ukraine

Major General Vladimir Zavadsky, deputy commander of Russia's 14th Army Corps, has been killed in Ukraine, a top regional official said on Monday. The governor of Russia's Voronezh region, Alexander…

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Labour leader Starmer praises Thatcher in bid to woo UK Conservative voters

Keir Starmer, leader of Britain's main opposition Labour Party, has praised former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, a deeply unpopular figure among many Labour supporters, as he seeks to woo Conservative…

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Protect Mediterranean ports from EU environmental taxes – Salvini

New green taxes affecting Mediterranean ports damage maritime transport and European Union (EU) competitiveness, Deputy Premier and Transport and Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini said on Monday."The maritime transport sector is…

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Europol’s Operation OPSON breaks up a counterfeit olive oil ring

In the framework of Operation OPSON, Europol’s coordinated effort to combat food fraud and counterfeiting, Europol has supported a spin-off investigation into counterfeit olive oil. The operation was initiated by…

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COP28 president denies he doesn’t respect climate science

By Gloria Dickie DUBAI, Dec 4 (Reuters) - COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber defended his role in hosting this year's U.N. climate summit on Monday and insisted he understood and…

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Belarus President Lukashenko returns to China, seeks stronger ties

By Joe Cash and Liz Lee BEIJING, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko met China's leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on Monday for the second time this year,…

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Tourism surges in October / Malta News Briefing – Monday 4 December 2023

Update 1230 Tourism surges in October: In October, tourist arrivals surged, marking a nearly one-third increase compared to October 2022 and surpassing September figures, as per Monday's released data. The…

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Turkey’s Erdogan says Israel’s Netanyahu ‘will be tried as war criminal’

ISTANBUL, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would eventually be tried as a war criminal over Israel's ongoing offensive…

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White House says it is nearly out of money to help Ukraine fight war with Russia

WASHINGTON, Dec 4 (Reuters) - White House budget director Shalanda Young warned in a letter to Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson and other congressional leaders on Monday that the United…

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‘No plan B’ for Paris opening ceremony after knife attack – sports minister

Dec 4 (Reuters) - There is no "plan B" for the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games, the French sports minister said on Monday, after a man…

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Kyiv accuses Russian forces of shooting surrendering Ukrainian soldiers

Kyiv officials accused Moscow of committing a war crime after a grainy video on social media appeared to show several soldiers shooting two surrendering military personnel who emerged from a…

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UK armed forces face nearly $22 bln equipment-funding shortfall over next decade – watchdog

LONDON, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Britain's armed forces face an equipment funding shortfall of 17 billion pounds ($21.6 billion) over the next 10 years, a public spending watchdog said on…

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North Korea’s Kim calls for action on falling birth rates

By Hyunsu Yim North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called for efforts to tackle the isolated country's falling birth rates, describing the challenge as "everyone's housekeeping", state media KCNA…

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UK needs new plan to reverse hit to living standards, researchers say

LONDON, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Britain needs a new economic strategy to reverse 15 years of falling living standards and worsening inequality, a leading think tank and an academic research…

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Two arrested in Italy for spreading Islamist propaganda

ROME, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Two people have been arrested in Italy for spreading online terrorist propaganda linked to militant groups Palestine Islamic Jihad, Islamic State and al-Qaeda, police in…

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Temperatures in Siberia dip to minus 50 Celsius as record snow blankets Moscow

MOSCOW, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Temperatures in parts of Siberia plummeted to minus 50 degrees Celsius (minus 58 degrees Fahrenheit) while blizzards blanketed Moscow in record snowfall and disrupted flights…

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Paris on high alert after knifeman kills tourist, wounds others near France’s Eiffel Tower

By Dominique Vidalon and Gilles Guillaume PARIS, (Reuters) – Security forces in the French capital and major cities in France are on high alert after a man armed with a…

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What to watch at COP28 on Monday

DUBAI, (Reuters) - Monday is finance day at COP28, which means more funding is likely to be announced for the climate cause. If that sounds familiar, that is because world…

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China’s military: US Navy ship ‘illegally’ entered territorial waters

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's military on Monday said a U.S. Navy ship illegally entered waters adjacent to the Second Thomas Shoal, a disputed South China Sea atoll that has recently…

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UPDATED: Israel orders more Gazans to flee, bombs areas where it sends them

By Arafat Barbakh and Nidal al-Mughrabi GAZA, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Israel ordered people out of swathes of the main southern city in the Gaza Strip on Monday as it…

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Multiple commercial vessels attacked in Red Sea

By Aziz El Yaakoubi and Idrees Ali RIYADH, (Reuters) - Three commercial vessels came under attack in international waters in the southern Red Sea, the U.S. military said, as Yemen's…

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Islamic State claims responsibility for deadly Philippine bombing

Philippine government vows to arrest perpetrators Bombing follows military operations against Islamists Monitoring intensified in southern Philippines, capital region By Karen Lema and Neil Jerome Morales MANILA, (Reuters) - Islamic…

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COP28 lines up new climate pledges – but do they work?

COP 'side deals' have boomed in recent years Voluntary climate pledges yield mixed results Some have led to tougher CO2-cutting policies By Kate Abnett DUBAI (Reuters) - While the world's…

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Struggling bootmaker Dr Martens jumps in on second-hand craze

By Eva Mathews Struggling British bootmaker Dr Martens is planning to sell pre-owned and refurbished boots in the United States next year to attract shoppers looking to save cash, Chief…

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Italy sees a decrease in work-related deaths and accidents in 2023

In Italy, in the first 10 months of the year 868 reports of work-related deaths were submitted to workplace accident insurance agency INAIL, down 4.5% over the same period in…

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Germany wants swift conclusion of EU-Mercosur trade talks – govt spokesperson

BERLIN, (Reuters) - Germany hopes for a swift conclusion of trade talks between European Union and Mercosur negotiators, a spokesperson for the economy ministry said in Berlin this week. "It…

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COVID-19 shrinks life expectancy in S.Korea for first time since 1970

By Hyonhee Shin SEOUL, (Reuters) - Babies born in South Korea last year are expected to live 82.7 years, down from 83.6 years in 2021, the statistics agency said, after…

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UN political mission in Sudan to end on Sunday

By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS, (Reuters) - A United Nations political mission in war-torn Sudan will end on Sunday after the U.N. Security Council voted on Friday to shut it…

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Malta News Briefing – Sunday 3 December 2023

Morning Briefing Energy Minister highlights plight of rising sea levels at COP28 Energy Minister Miriam Dalli highlighted the importance of safeguarding the rights of states in the face of rising…

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Cities face huge climate finance gap, study says

DUBAI, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Cities are receiving only a fraction of the climate finance they need, especially in low-income countries, according to a study published on Saturday on the…

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Britain yet to make the case for a digital pound, lawmakers say

By Huw Jones LONDON, Dec 2 (Reuters) - A digital pound should not be available in large sums initially to avoid the risk of bank runs, UK lawmakers said in…

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Pope’s condition improving but will stay indoors to be on safe side, Vatican says

The health of Pope Francis, who is suffering from a lung inflammation, is improving but he will read his Sunday message indoors from his residence to be on the safe…

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Italian ski resort of Cervinia reverts back to original name of Le Breuil

A small town in the Italian Alps has ditched its Mussolini-era name and reverted to its original one. Cervinia, a well-known ski resort in the Valle d’Aosta region, was for…

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Turkey’s Erdogan: chance for peace in Gaza conflict lost for now

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan said that the chance for peace in Gaza after the humanitarian pause was lost for now due to Israel's uncompromising approach, broadcaster NTV reported on Saturday.…

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US lays out plan at COP 28 to slash climate ‘super pollutant’ methane from oil and gas

By Nichola Groom and Valerie Volcovici DUBAI, Dec 2 (Reuters) - The Biden administration on Saturday unveiled final rules aimed at cracking down on U.S. oil and gas industry releases…

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No let up in tensions between Moldova and Russia

Pro-European authorities in Moldova dismissed as groundless a ban imposed by Russia on imports of its fruit and vegetables, the latest display of deteriorating relations between Moscow and the ex-Soviet…

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UPDATED: Mossad team in Qatar to discuss restarting Gaza truce ordered home

Israeli media is reporting that the Mossad says that a negotiating team that had been in Qatar has been ordered home with talks on extending a truce reaching a “dead…

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What are leaders saying at the UN climate summit?

DUBAI, Dec 2 (Reuters) - World leaders addressed the COP28 summit on Saturday, where their countries' delegations are assessing progress towards meeting global climate goals. Here are the latest comments:…

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Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant suffered power outage-energy ministry

KYIV, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Ukraine's Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant lost its power supply after the last remaining line to it from Ukrainian-controlled territory was disrupted, but it has…

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Malta Seeks Offshore Potential for Green Energy Expansion, PM Tells COP28 / Malta News Briefing – Saturday 2 December 2023

Updated 1140 Malta Seeks Offshore Potential for Green Energy Expansion, PM Tells COP28 During the COP28 summit, Prime Minister Robert Abela highlighted Malta's commitment to diversify its energy sources towards…

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