News

WHO calls for urgent action on mental health

The World Health Organization reports that over 1 billion people worldwide are living with mental health disorders, with anxiety and depression creating immense human and economic costs. Despite some progress…

Read More Here

Putin and Kim join Xi in show of strength as China unveils new weapons at huge military parade

China's President Xi Jinping unveiled advanced laser weapons, nuclear ballistic missiles and giant underwater drones at a massive military parade commemorating 80 years since victory over Japan in WWII. The…

Read More Here

NATO to strike back against Russian jamming after von der Leyen’s plane loses GPS in Bulgaria

NATO is intensifying efforts to counter Russian interference with civilian aviation after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's aircraft lost GPS navigation over Bulgaria on Sunday. Bulgarian authorities suspect…

Read More Here

Man shot dead by French police after stabbings at Marseille hotel

A man was shot dead by police in Marseille after stabbing five people on Tuesday afternoon. Prosecutor Nicolas Bessone said the attacker, a Tunisian national legally residing in France, had…

Read More Here

Europe to US: Coalition of the willing is ‘ready’ on security guarantees for Ukraine

European allies are pressing for certainty that the United States will provide a crucial backstop before they move ahead with security guarantees for Ukraine, according to the Elysée. Officials in…

Read More Here

US sliding into autocracy, hedge fund billionaire warns

Hedge fund billionaire Ray Dalio cautioned that the United States is drifting toward 1930s-style autocratic politics, driven by widening wealth gaps, value disparities, and collapsing trust. Speaking to the FT,…

Read More Here

China’s Xi convenes ‘Axis of Upheaval’ in Beijing, sidelining Trump

Chinese President Xi Jinping convened a landmark summit in Beijing on Tuesday, hosting Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in what analysts have dubbed an…

Read More Here

French PM Bayrou’s marathon talks unlikely to avert no-confidence vote

French Prime Minister François Bayrou is holding intensive talks with political leaders in a last-ditch attempt to prevent a no-confidence vote scheduled for 8 September, which threatens to topple his…

Read More Here

Spain’s far right gains as leading parties fight over fires

Spain has endured its worst wildfire season in 30 years, with nearly 400,000 hectares burned, sparking both environmental and political crises. The blazes have exposed tensions between Prime Minister Pedro…

Read More Here

Belgium to recognise Palestine at the UN General Assembly

Belgium will recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly session opening on 9 September, Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot announced. This move places Belgium alongside Australia, France, Canada and…

Read More Here

African swine fever outbreak confirmed in Latvia, cull required

An outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) has been confirmed at SIA Baltic Pork in Laubere parish, Ogre region, affecting 20,000 pigs, the Food and Veterinary Service (PVD) said on…

Read More Here

German Chancellor Merz ‘mentally preparing’ for war in Ukraine to ‘drag on’

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he is “mentally preparing” for Russia’s war in Ukraine to drag on, warning that Moscow has no real interest in ending the conflict. Speaking to…

Read More Here

Malta News Briefing – Tuesday 2 September 2025

Morning Briefing Malta’s Dwelling Value Triples in a Decade The value of Malta’s dwellings has surged from €30 billion to €88 billion over the past decade, fuelled mainly by speculation…

Read More Here

Putin says NATO enlargement has to be addressed

Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, reiterated that NATO’s eastward expansion is a key obstacle to achieving sustainable peace…

Read More Here

Updated – Malta News Briefing – Monday 1 September 2025

Updated 1300 Multi-National Companies with Over €750 Million in Turnover to Pay Higher Taxes – Abela: Malta will introduce a 15% minimum tax rate on foreign-owned companies with annual global…

Read More Here

Trump to order voter ID for every vote

US President Donald Trump announced plans to sign an executive order requiring voter ID for all voters. Posting on Truth Social, he said, “Voter I.D. Must Be Part of Every…

Read More Here

Dozens of Colombian soldiers released after three-day captivity in Amazon

Thirty-three Colombian soldiers have been released after being held captive for three days in the remote Amazonian village of Nueva York in Guaviare province, an area dominated by armed rebel…

Read More Here

More than 600 killed in Afghanistan quake, Taliban interior ministry says

A powerful 6.0-magnitude earthquake has struck eastern Afghanistan, leaving more than 600 people dead and over 1,500 injured, according to figures released by the Taliban interior ministry. The hardest-hit province…

Read More Here

Thousands in Australia march against immigration, government condemns rally

Demonstrators marched in cities across Australia in “March for Australia” rallies, demanding cuts to what they called “mass immigration”. The protests drew strong counter-demonstrations, with opponents branding the movement racist…

Read More Here

Israel intensifies attacks on Gaza City

At least 20 Palestinians have been killed since on Sunday as Israeli forces intensified their bombardment of Gaza, a day after 77 people lost their lives, including 11 waiting in…

Read More Here

Putin and Modi join Xi at landmark Summit in China

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are among the leaders attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China – the largest gathering since the…

Read More Here

Malta News Briefing – Saturday 30 August 2025

Morning Briefing National debt tops €11bn by end July - NSO By the end of July 2025, Malta’s Government faced mounting financial pressures, with the Consolidated Fund recording a deficit…

Read More Here

Israel recovers body of hostage and remains of another

Israel’s military recovered the body of one hostage and the remains of another in Gaza on Friday, as it declared Gaza City a “dangerous combat zone” ahead of a major…

Read More Here

Minneapolis school attacker ‘obsessed with idea of killing children’, officials say

Investigators say the attacker who opened fire on pupils as they were praying at a church in Minneapolis was "obsessed with the idea of killing children." Robin Westman, who killed…

Read More Here

Taiwan has right to be free and ‘preserve self-determination’, senior US senator says

Taiwan has the right to remain free and uphold its self-determination, U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and a staunch supporter of Taiwan in Congress,…

Read More Here

UN votes to end its peacekeeping force in Lebanon after nearly five decades

The United Nations Security Council has voted unanimously to end the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, marking the conclusion of nearly half a century of international…

Read More Here

Italy protests US double tariff on cheese exports

The European Union’s recent trade deal with the United States may have averted a damaging tariff war, but it has already sparked tension with Italy over the treatment of hard…

Read More Here

Updated – Malta News Briefing – Friday 29 August 2025

Updated 1100 Carlo Gavazzi to Close Malta Factory Putting 230 Jobs at Risk: Swiss manufacturing firm Carlo Gavazzi will close its Malta operations after nearly 40 years, affecting 230 workers.…

Read More Here

Tourists Arrivals in Italy Rose 9.3% in August

Tourist arrivals in Italy increased by 9.3% in the first half of August compared with the same period last year, the Interior Ministry said Wednesday. Between Aug. 1 and Aug.…

Read More Here

Geert Wilders’ far-right party leads polls two months before Dutch vote

Migration, the economy, housing, and foreign affairs are expected to dominate the upcoming election campaign in the Netherlands. With two months to go before voters head to the polls, the…

Read More Here

Germany, France, UK trigger process to reimpose sanctions on Iran

France, Germany, and the United Kingdom have triggered the “snapback” mechanism to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran, accusing Tehran of violating the 2015 nuclear deal. The move, announced Thursday, follows…

Read More Here

US CDC chief fired after weeks in role as other top officials quit

The White House has dismissed U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Susan Monarez, less than a month after she took office, while four senior officials resigned amid…

Read More Here

Japan plans stricter terms for visas to foreign entrepreneurs

Japan plans tougher requirements for visas to foreign entrepreneurs, with a six-fold increase in minimum capital to 30 million yen ($204,000) and full-time employment of at least one person in…

Read More Here

US reaffirms Greenland’s right to self-determination amid political sway allegations

The United States' top diplomat in Denmark has reaffirmed Greenland's right to determine its own future, following Danish intelligence reports alleging that private U.S. citizens attempted to sway political sentiment…

Read More Here

Updated – Malta News Briefing – Thursday 28 August 2025

Updated 1230 Services and Industry Fuel Malta's 5.1% GDP Growth in Q2 2025: NSO provisional estimates show that Malta's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for Q2 2025 reached €6.1 billion, a…

Read More Here

EU leaders open their arms to Moldova

The leaders of France, Germany and Poland on Wednesday issued an open invitation to Moldova to join the EU while urging the country to turn its back on Kremlin propaganda…

Read More Here

North Korea’s Kim Jong Un to join Putin at China military parade

North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un will attend a military parade in Beijing next week alongside Russia's Vladimir Putin, China's foreign ministry has said, in what will be a landmark…

Read More Here

Trump administration moves to tighten duration of visas for students and media

The Trump administration aims to tighten the duration of visas for students, cultural exchange visitors and members of the media, according to a proposed government regulation issued on Wednesday, part…

Read More Here

Israeli Foreign Minister Saar says there will not be a Palestinian state

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, asked on Wednesday what the plan was for a Palestinian state, said there would not be any. Saar made the comment to reporters following a…

Read More Here

Shock and Grief After Gunman Opens Fire in Minneapolis Catholic Church, Killing Two

An assailant armed with three guns fired through stained-glass windows into a Catholic church where parish school students were attending Mass on Wednesday, killing two children and wounding 17 other…

Read More Here

Pope Leo calls for ceasefire, hostages’ release in Israel-Hamas conflict

Pope Leo made a "strong appeal" to the global community on Wednesday to end the nearly two-year conflict between Israel and Hamas, calling for a permanent ceasefire, the release of…

Read More Here

Denmark summons top US envoy over ‘covert operations’ in Greenland

Denmark summoned the top U.S. diplomat in Copenhagen on Wednesday after Danish media reported that Americans with ties to President Donald Trump had carried out covert influence operations in Greenland.…

Read More Here

Lithuania presses EU to act on Ukraine as Hungary blocks accession

As tensions between Budapest and Kyiv flare again, hopes are fading that Hungary will lift its veto on the start of Ukraine’s European Union accession talks. Lithuania, however, is urging…

Read More Here

German firms want tough action from EU in U.S. tariff talks, DIHK says

The agreement between the United States and European Union on tariffs serves only as a burden to companies due to its lack of clarity, according to a poll of German…

Read More Here

UPDATED: German cabinet passes bill for voluntary military service

Germany's cabinet passed a draft bill on Wednesday that would introduce a voluntary military service as the country seeks to bolster national defences over Russian security concerns. The text also…

Read More Here

Updated – Malta News Briefing – Wednesday 27 August 2025

Updated 1200 Central Bank says Public Spending Growth Far Exceeds EU Benchmark: A Central Bank report shows Malta’s government spending grew by 14% in 2024—more than double the EU’s recommended…

Read More Here

France plunges back into crisis after PM Bayrou’s confidence-vote backfires

France found itself mired in yet another crisis on Tuesday, after Prime Minister Francois Bayrou's gamble to win backing for his deeply unpopular debt-reduction plan backfired, plunging the country deeper…

Read More Here

Ukrainian men aged 18-22 now allowed to cross the border freely

Ukrainian men aged 18 to 22 are now allowed to cross the border freely in either direction under martial law, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said. Previous regulations introduced after Russia's…

Read More Here

UK’s Farage warns of ‘civil disorder’, unveils plan to deport asylum seekers

Nigel Farage, leader of Britain's anti-migration Reform UK party, announced a plan on Tuesday to repeal human rights laws to allow for mass deportations of asylum seekers, action he said…

Read More Here

Lithuania Appoints Trade Union Veteran Inga Ruginienė as Prime Minister

Lithuania’s parliament on Tuesday confirmed Inga Ruginienė — a longtime trade union leader and relative newcomer to politics — as the country’s new prime minister, following the resignation of Gintautas…

Read More Here

Headphones Only: London Targets Noisy Commuters

A new public awareness campaign is being launched in London to discourage commuters from playing music or videos out loud on trains and buses. Starting this week, posters will appear…

Read More Here

Flemish Government Launches Major Push to Promote Dutch in Brussels

The Flemish government has approved a sweeping plan to strengthen the role of Dutch in Brussels, marking the most ambitious effort in years to bolster the language in Belgium’s officially…

Read More Here

US fighters intercept Russian aircraft off Alaska for 3rd time in a week

Fighters from the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) on Sunday intercepted a Russian aircraft in the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone for the third time in the past week,…

Read More Here

US orders more ships to southern Caribbean with eye on drug cartels

The United States has ordered additional ships to the southern Caribbean as part of President Donald Trump's effort to address threats from Latin American drug cartels, two sources briefed on…

Read More Here

Ten years on: Merkel reflects on 2015 refugee decision

It has been ten years since German Chancellor Angela Merkel made her famous "Wir schaffen das" ("We can do this") statement regarding her decision to accept hundreds of thousands of refugees into Germany.…

Read More Here

Eruption at Mount Etna, Catania Airport Stays Open

Mount Etna is exhibiting intense Strombolian activity at its summit craters, accompanied by a strong emission of volcanic ash, according to Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), Etna…

Read More Here

MSC Cruise Ship Bound for Malta Arrives Safely in Naples After Engine Failure

The flagship of MSC Cruises, the World Europa, arrived safely in Naples late Monday after drifting powerless for nearly 10 hours off the Italian island of Ponza due to an…

Read More Here