News

Malta News Briefing – Thursday 20 November 2025

Morning Briefing UK Authorities Close Door on Harbinson Testimony in Muscat Case UK authorities have informed their Maltese counterparts that they no longer intend to pursue financial crimes expert Jeremy…

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Poland to close Russian consulate after railway sabotage, urges EU action

Poland said on Wednesday it would close the last Russian consulate in its territory and urged EU allies to restrict Russian diplomats in the bloc's Schengen free-travel area in response…

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Two Miss Universe judges quit scandal-hit pageant, as one claims it’s rigged

Two Miss Universe judges have resigned days before the annual beauty pageant, with one of them accusing organisers of rigging the selection process. Lebanese-French musician Omar Harfouch, who announced his…

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UK says ‘military options ready’ as Russian ship uses lasers against RAF pilots

British defence minister John Healey said on Wednesday that "military options" are ready should the Russian spy ship Yantar become a threat, after the vessel directed lasers at British pilots…

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Nicki Minaj claims Christians persecuted in Nigeria at UN

Rapper Nicki Minaj threw her support behind US President Donald Trump's claims that Christians are being persecuted in Nigeria, despite the West African country and international experts refuting the claims…

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UPDATED: Drone Breach in Romania, Airspace Alert in Poland as Russia Targets Ukraine

Romania and Poland both activated high-alert air defence measures on Wednesday as Russian strikes on Ukraine spilled close to NATO territory, prompting rapid military responses on both fronts. Romania scrambled…

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‘We are under attack’: Italian defense minister accuses Russia of waging hybrid war

Italy’s defense minister is calling for the West to fight back against increasing numbers of potentially “catastrophic” Russian hybrid attacks. In a 125-page paper published on Tuesday afternoon, Guido Crosetto…

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Congress approves bill to release Epstein files

Both chambers of Congress agreed to order the US justice department to release its files on sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein. The House of Representatives overwhelming approved the measure in…

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Trump elevates Saudi Arabia to ‘major non-NATO ally’ status

President Donald Trump said Tuesday the U.S. and Saudi Arabia have entered into a security agreement that will ease weapons transfers and elevate the relationship between the two countries. Under…

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Malta News Briefing – Wednesday 19 November 2025

Morning Briefing Prison Cellmate Claims Bomb Diagram Linked to Labour HQ SuspectA court has heard that the man accused of placing an explosive device outside the Labour Party headquarters allegedly…

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New Lead Emerges in Orlandi Case as Parliamentary Inquiry Uncovers Handwritten Note

A newly identified lead in the long-running disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi has come to light through the ongoing work of the bicameral commission examining the cases of both Orlandi and…

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Singapore reveals world’s first green fuel tax on flights

Singapore is poised to become the first country in the world to sting travellers with a green fuel tax. Last week, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) confirmed its…

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Italian lawmakers revive Italy’s claim on central bank’s $300 billion gold pile

Italian lawmakers have revived attempts to establish that the central bank's $300 billion in gold reserves belong to the state by presenting a proposal to parliament. The lawmakers who signed…

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Number of Britons leaving the UK significantly higher than previously thought

The number of Britons who left the UK last year is significantly higher than previously thought, revised figures show. The number of British nationals who left the UK in the…

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Updated – Malta News Briefing – Tuesday 18 November 2025

Updated 1220 Public sector jobs increase by 2,261 Employment in Malta continued its upward trend in June 2025, with full-time jobs increasing by 4.2% and part-time positions as the main…

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Ukraine Readies New Peace Overture While Kremlin Bows Out of Istanbul Talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday he will travel to Turkey on Friday for meetings aimed at reviving stalled negotiations to end the war, signaling that Kyiv intends to put…

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Japan warns citizens in China about safety as diplomatic crisis deepens

Japan has warned its citizens in China to step up safety precautions and avoid crowded places amid a deepening dispute between Asia's two largest economies over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae…

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Britain toughens asylum policy in major overhaul as anti-immigration sentiment rises

Britain on Monday said it would make refugee status temporary and speed up the deportation of those who arrive illegally, in a major overhaul aimed at stemming the rise of…

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France seals ‘historic’ warplane deal with Kyiv

French President Emmanuel Macron has said he firmly believes that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy can successfully bring corruption in his country under control. Speaking at a joint press conference with…

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Kremlin says it hopes for a new Putin-Trump summit

The Kremlin said on Monday that it hoped another summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump could take place as soon as the necessary preparation had…

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UN Security Council backs Trump’s peace plan in key vote

The U.N. Security Council adopted a U.S. resolution to authorize an international stabilization force for Gaza and back the Trump administration’s peace plan on Monday, a significant early step toward…

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“Unprecedented act of sabotage” on Polish railway line

A railway line linking Warsaw to southeastern Poland was damaged by a weekend explosion that Prime Minister Donald Tusk called an "unprecedented act of sabotage". Tusk, who visited the site…

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Bangladesh’s Sheikh Hasina: From political dominance to death sentence

Bangladesh’s Sheikh Hasina, sentenced to death in absentia on Monday for her deadly crackdown on student protesters last year, has been a dominant figure in the South Asian nation for…

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Far-left, far-right candidates proceed to runoff vote in Chile’s presidential election

Communist lawmaker Jeannette Jara and far-right Jose Antonio Kast were set to head to a runoff vote after coming first and second, respectively, in the first round of Chile's presidential election on…

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Ethiopia confirms outbreak of deadly Marburg virus

Ethiopia has confirmed an outbreak of the deadly Marburg virus in the south of the country, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has said. The Marburg…

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Trump calls on Republicans to vote to release Epstein files

US President Donald Trump said Republicans in the House of Representatives should vote to release all documents relating to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. It is a rare example of Trump…

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Finland’s Stubb Tempers Expectations For Ukraine Cease-Fire

The president of Finland, Alexander Stubb, said a ceasefire in Ukraine is unlikely before the end of the year, pointing to the spring as a more plausible time for progress…

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Fast-track deportations to be announced as part of asylum reforms

Plans to fast-track the deportation of illegal migrants as part of sweeping reforms of the UK's asylum policy are to be announced by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood. In a statement…

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Taiwan to distribute security handbook to all households as China threat rises

Taiwan will begin distributing millions of civil defence handbooks to households across the island this week, in an unprecedented effort to prepare residents for potential emergencies, including the possibility of…

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Malta News Briefing – Monday 17 November 2025

Morning Briefin Political survey puts major parties closer as trust gap narrows The Labour Party and Nationalist Party remain locked in a tight political stalemate, according to MaltaToday’s latest post-budget…

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Migrant arrivals in Spain’s Balearics surge as smugglers switch routes

Nineteen boats carrying around 360 people reached Spain's Balearic Islands in the past two days, the latest surge in arrivals defying attempts by authorities to curb the fastest-growing migratory route…

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Amsterdam Targets Foreign Drivers in Crackdown on Unpaid Parking Fees

Amsterdam will begin immobilizing vehicles from countries where parking fines cannot be recovered by mail starting next July, city officials announced Thursday, positioning the move as a corrective measure to…

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Pope Leo XIV shares his favourite movies ahead of Vatican special audience with Hollywood stars

Pope Leo XIV is set to host a Hollywood gathering at the Vatican on Saturday. Among the high-profile names from across the film and TV industry attending are Spike Lee,…

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Belgium to Reshape Global Diplomatic Network Amid Geopolitical Shifts

Belgium plans to overhaul its network of diplomatic posts in response to shifting global pressures, Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said, outlining a restructuring that will both streamline and reinforce the…

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Systemic Abuse in Libya’s Fuel Sector Redirects Subsidised Stocks to Multiple Markets, Including Malta

A surge in state-sanctioned fuel smuggling between 2022 and 2024 cost the Libyan people about $20bn (£15bn) in lost revenue – an alarming sum that demands decisive international sanctions against…

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Russia says it thwarted a Ukrainian plot to kill a top government official

Russia's FSB security service said on Friday that it had thwarted a Ukrainian plot to assassinate an unnamed top Russian government official and accused Kyiv of planning similar attacks in…

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Hamas quietly reasserts control in Gaza

From regulating the price of chicken to levying fees on cigarettes, Hamas is seeking to widen control over Gaza as U.S. plans for its future slowly take shape, Gazans say,…

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Poste Italiane sees no major impact from EU plan for fee on low-value parcels

Poste Italiane sees no major impact from a European Union plan for a 2 euro levy on small inbound parcels from outside the bloc on the company's volumes, Chief Executive…

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BBC apologizes to Trump over documentary edit

The BBC has apologized to US President Donald Trump for a misleading edit of a "Panorama" documentary, the British public broadcaster said, but denied the issue is grounds for a…

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Germany to introduce voluntary military service

Germany's coalition partners announced a compromise on Thursday over new rules on military service, a key element in a wider drive to rebuild the country's shrunken armed forces. The model…

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US designates four groups in Europe as terrorists

The United States designated four entities in Germany, Italy and Greece as global terrorists, accusing them of being "violent Antifa groups" as President Donald Trump takes aim at left-wing groups.…

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US stops minting 1 cent coin

It is an unlucky time for the humble penny, the smallest unit of the US dollar, as President Donald Trump's decision to "cancel" the minting of the coin earlier this…

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US Coast Guard responds to Russian military ship near waters off Oahu

The United States Coast Guard detected a Russian military ship on October 29 approximately 15 miles (24 km) south of Oahu, near U.S. territorial waters, it said in a statement.…

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Malta News Briefing – Friday 14 November 2025

Morning Briefing Top Police Official Suspended over Car Part Theft AllegationsAssistant Police Commissioner Malcolm Bondin, who heads the organised crime and intelligence units, has been suspended amid claims he stole…

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Dover pushed back EES launch to avoid Christmas travel chaos

The roll-out of the EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) for tourists at Dover has been delayed until 2026, according to port officials. The digital border system was due to come…

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Wild form of polio found in German sewage sample

The wild form of the virus behind polio has been detected in wastewater sampling in Germany, the nation's main public health body told Reuters, in a setback for efforts to…

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Sarkozy appeal against conspiracy conviction to begin in March

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy's appeal against a conviction for criminal conspiracy related to illegal Libyan financing for his successful 2007 presidential bid will be heard from March 16 to…

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Malta News Briefing – Thursday 13 November 2025

Morning Briefing Malta’s First Online Terror Recruitment ConvictionAn Ivorian national, 33-year-old Mouhamadou Dosso, was sentenced to ten years in prison in Malta’s first conviction for online terrorist recruitment. Police traced…

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Holy See Refutes Alleged Vision of Jesus in France

Jesus may answer prayers but he has not made special appearances in a small town in the north of France, the Vatican declared.. In a new instruction approved by Pope…

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US civil rights leader Jesse Jackson hospitalized

U.S. civil rights leader Jesse Jackson is hospitalized and currently under observation for progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), the Chicago-based Rainbow PUSH Coalition, which he founded, said. "He has been managing…

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Italy seeks faster introduction of EU levy on low-value parcels

The European Union needs to adopt "strong and fast" rules against the invasion of cheap and unregulated products, Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti said. He also said the EU should bring…

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Epstein emails say Trump ‘knew about the girls’

House Democrats on Wednesday released emails that they said raised new questions about President Donald Trump's ties to Jeffrey Epstein and how much he knew about Epstein's abuse of underage…

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Trump signs deal to end longest US government shutdown in history

President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed legislation ending the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, hours after the House of Representatives voted to restart disrupted food assistance, pay hundreds of…

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Ukraine corruption scandal explained: The $100M plot rocking Zelenskyy

Ukraine was roiled this week by the most damaging corruption scandal of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s presidency. Ukrainian anti-corruption agencies revealed Monday that some of Zelenskyy’s close associates were allegedly involved in…

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France to help Palestinians draft constitution for future state

France will help the Palestinian Authority draft a constitution for a future state, President Emmanuel Macron said after talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Paris. A number of major…

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Trump vs the BBC

U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to sue the BBC for at least $1 billion over its airing of what he says was a deceptively edited documentary, but the case…

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Strong earthquake rocks Cyprus

A moderate earthquake, registering 4.7 on the Richter scale as per the Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Centre, was experienced on the island at approximately 11.30 am on Wednesday. According to Paphos district…

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