News

French president Macron sues right-wing podcaster over claim France’s first lady was born male

French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte filed a defamation lawsuit in the U.S. on Wednesday against right-wing influencer and podcaster Candace Owens, centered on her claim that France's…

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Trump was told he is in Epstein files, Wall Street Journal reports

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi told President Donald Trump in May that his name appeared in investigative files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the Wall Street Journal reported…

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Russian plane crashes in Russia’s far east, nearly 50 people on board feared dead

A Russian Antonov An-24 passenger plane carrying about 50 people crashed in the country's far east on Thursday and everyone on board was feared to have been killed, emergency services…

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Malta New Briefing – Thursday 24 July 2025

Morning Briefing Parliament backs new ‘merit-based’ Citizenship law Parliament has unanimously approved a bill replacing the controversial sale of Maltese passports with a new “merit-based citizenship” system, even as the…

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Japan’s PM Ishiba denies he has decided to quit

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba denied on Wednesday he had decided to quit after a source and media reports said he planned to announce his resignation to take responsibility for…

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Italy to add 15,000 prison places to ease overcrowding

Italy's government has pledged to expand prison capacity by up 15,000 places and facilitate the transfer of inmates with addiction problems to treatment centres to tackle a long-standing overcrowding crisis.…

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UK sanctions target people smugglers, small boat dealer in migrant crackdown

Britain announced sanctions on Wednesday on 24 people and one company it said were involved in people smuggling, as part of efforts to cut the number of migrants arriving on…

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Blazing Heat Sparks Dozens of Wildfires Across Sicily

Sicily is engulfed in soaring temperatures and widespread fires, prompting emergency alerts from the Civil Protection and intense mobilization of firefighting teams across the region. Temperatures climbed well above 40 °C…

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Ukraine’s military loses first French Mirage fighter jet in crash

A Mirage 2000 fighter jet supplied to Ukraine from France crashed on Tuesday after experiencing equipment failure during an assignment, with the pilot ejecting safely, Ukraine's military said. It was…

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Trump strikes trade deal with Japan to cut tariffs

The United States and Japan struck a deal to lower the hefty tariffs President Donald Trump threatened to impose on goods from its Asian ally that included a $550 billion…

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More than 100 aid, rights groups call for action as hunger spreads in Gaza

More than 100 largely aid and rights groups on Wednesday called for governments to take action as hunger spreads in Gaza, including by demanding an immediate and permanent ceasefire and…

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Malta News Briefing – Wednesday 23 July 2025

Updated 1200 Pilots Set to Receive €74m in Early Retirement Payouts by 2028: KM Malta Airlines pilots are set to receive nearly €74 million in early retirement payouts over the…

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Why the Epstein case looms large in MAGA world

When Jack Posobiec walked into the Department of Justice in Washington, DC last February, he thought he would finally get some answers about Jeffrey Epstein. But when he and other…

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Russia says it is monitoring reported positioning of US nuclear weapons in UK

MOSCOW, July 22 (Reuters) - Russia said on Tuesday that it detected a rise in international tensions and was monitoring developments after Britain's Times and Telegraph newspapers reported that the…

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Putin says FSB approval will be needed for foreign vessels entering Russian ports

Foreign vessels will require the approval of Russia's FSB security service to access the country's ports, according to a decree signed by President Vladimir Putin. The decree said that permission…

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UK launches review into raising state pension age

Britain on Monday said it would launch a review into raising the state pension age - a key factor for the public finances - at the same time as a…

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Poland Sounds Alarm: New Guide To Tell Citizens How to Survive War, Disaster

Poland is preparing a manual on how to cope in case of war or natural disaster, an interior ministry official told Reuters, aiming to strengthen national resilience amid heightened regional…

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Mediterranean heatwave sparks concern for marine life

A recent heatwave in the Mediterranean Sea has been so severe that scientists are concerned for marine life. The human-induced climate crisis is making marine heatwaves more intense and prolonged,…

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People smugglers to have assets frozen and be banned from UK

People smugglers face having their assets frozen and being banned from entering the UK, the foreign secretary has announced. David Lammy said new powers under the Sanctions Act will allow…

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Zelenskiy says Ukraine, Russia to hold peace talks in Turkey on Wednesday

Peace talks between Ukraine and Russia - the first in seven weeks - are planned for Wednesday in Turkey, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy quoted a senior Kyiv official as saying.…

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Trump releases Martin Luther King assassination files

The U.S. Justice Department released more than 240,000 pages of documents related to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., including records from the FBI, which had surveilled the civil…

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Israel intercepts missile launched from Yemen

The Israeli military said on Tuesday it had intercepted a missile launched from Yemen toward Israel that triggered sirens across several areas in the country. The launch from Yemen follows…

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Updated – Malta News Briefing – Tuesday 22 July 2025

Updated Joint Police Patrols Between Italy and Malta Launched to Enhance Public Safety in Tourist Areas: Italy and Malta have launched joint summer police patrols as part of a new…

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Greece reveals boundaries of two marine parks in Ionian and Aegean seas

Greece revealed on Monday the boundaries of two planned marine parks in the Ionian and Aegean seas, with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis saying they will be the largest in the…

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Only 16% of Italians would fight for their country, survey shows

Almost a third of Italians believe the country will be directly involved in a war within five years, but only 16% of those of fighting age would be willing to…

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Slovenia passes assisted dying law

Slovenia approved a law to allow assisted dying on Friday, joining an increasing number of countries giving terminally-ill adults the right to end their lives if they face unbearable suffering…

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Europe’s busiest cruise port Barcelona to scale back amid overtourism concerns

The port of Barcelona, Europe's busiest for cruise ships, will scale back its passenger terminal capacity by 2030 as the city tries to put the brakes on surging arrivals and…

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Gaza killings denounced as ‘disgrace to humanity’ by Belgian king

Belgium’s King Philippe said Europe “must show stronger leadership” on the crisis in Gaza, adding that “the current situation has gone on far too long” and “is a disgrace to…

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Japan’s shaky government loses upper house control

Japan's ruling coalition lost control of the upper house in an election on Sunday, further weakening Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's grip on power even as he vowed to remain party…

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Italy on alert after West Nile Virus Death Reported in Lazio

Health authorities in Italy's Lazio region have reported the first death of the year linked to the West Nile virus, marking a renewed public health concern as mosquito-borne illnesses rise…

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Malta News Briefing – Monday 21 July 20255

Morning Briefing Cabinet to decide on revised db Group concession dealCabinet is expected to discuss a revised agreement with db Group that would defer over €4 million in ground rent…

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Pope Leo calls for end to ‘barbarity of war’

Pope Leo called for an end to the 'barbarity of war' on Sunday as he spoke of his profound pain over an Israeli strike on the sole Catholic church in…

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Bulgaria’s Small Businesses Wary as Euro Adoption Nears

As Bulgaria prepares to adopt the euro on Jan. 1, 2026, small business owners across the country are expressing concern about the transition, fearing disruption and financial strain despite reassurances…

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People in Germany are driving more again

In a reversal of a trend, people in Germany are driving more again. According to data from the the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA), personal cars registered in Germany covered 594…

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Malta News Briefing – Saturday 19 July 2023

Morning Briefing Air quality in Malta fails to meet WHO standardAll five air quality stations in Malta and Gozo have reported pollution levels above the World Health Organisation’s guideline for…

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Taiwan says it will not provoke confrontation with China

Taiwan does not seek conflict with China and will not provoke confrontation, but Beijing's "aggressive" military posturing is counterproductive, Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim said on Friday. China considers democratic Taiwan…

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Libyan ICC war crimes suspect arrested in Germany

German authorities have arrested a Libyan war crimes suspect accused of being a senior official for a notorious prison where inmates were routinely tortured and sometimes sexually abused, the International…

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Updated – Malta News Briefing – Friday 18 July 2025

Updated 1200 Annual inflation eases to 2.5% as restaurant and food prices rise: Annual inflation in Malta dropped slightly to 2.5% in June 2025, down from 2.7% the previous month,…

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Trump receives vein issue diagnosis amid leg swelling rumors

US President Donald Trump has been diagnosed with a common, benign vein condition, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said. "In recent weeks, President Trump noted mild swelling in his…

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Extreme athlete Felix Baumgartner dies in crash in Italy

Extreme athlete Felix Baumgartner, the first skydiver to fall faster than the speed of sound during a 24-mile leap through the stratosphere more than a decade ago, died in a…

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Trump Directs Release of Additional Epstein Files Amid Growing Pressure

US President Donald Trump says he's ordered the justice department to produce some additional documents related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. "Based on the ridiculous amount of publicity given to…

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Air India cockpit recording suggests captain cut fuel to engines before crash

A cockpit recording of dialogue between the two pilots of the Air India flight that crashed last month supports the view that the captain cut the flow of fuel to…

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Russia’s Medvedev says preemptive strikes against the West could be needed

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday that the West was practically waging a full-scale war against Russia and that Moscow should respond in full and, if necessary, launch…

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Pope calls for ceasefire after strike on Gaza church

Pope Leo XIV reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Thursday, following an Israeli strike on the Holy Family Catholic Church that killed two people and wounded…

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UK Lowers Voting Age in Unprecedented Overhaul of Electoral System

The British government said on Thursday it planned to give 16 and 17-year-olds the right to vote in all UK elections in a major overhaul of the country's democratic system.…

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Ukrainian parliament approves new prime minister

Ukraine's parliament voted on Thursday to appoint Yulia Svyrydenko as the country's new prime minister. According to several lawmakers, 262 of them voted for Svyrydenko, a comfortable majority in the…

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Drug ring taken down in joint sweep across Belgium, the Netherlands and the UK

On 15 July 2025, a coordinated Europol-supported operation involving authorities from Belgium, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom (UK) led to the arrest of seven suspects involved in the trafficking…

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Babies made using three people’s DNA are born free of hereditary disease

Eight babies have been born in the UK using genetic material from three people to prevent devastating and often fatal conditions, doctors say. The method, pioneered by UK scientists, combines…

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Malta’s Golden passports to be replaced with broader citizenship-by-merit

Malta’s so-called golden passport scheme will be scrapped, while a citizenship-by-merit system will be expanded and strengthened, the government has announced. The proposed amendment to the Citizenship Act – Chapter…

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Trump says he will set tariffs for 150 small countries in one swoop

President Donald Trump said that he intends to send a single letter telling more than 150 countries what tariff rate they will face. “It’s all going to be the same…

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US Confirms Efforts to Calm Syrian Tensions Underway After Israeli Air Raids

Israel's military struck the Syrian defence ministry in Damascus and government forces in southern Syria on Wednesday, as deadly sectarian fighting in the mostly Druze province of Suweida continued for…

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Malta News Briefing – Thursday 17 July 2025

Morning Briefing Malta to Scrap Golden Passport Scheme, Shift Focus to Citizenship by MeritHome Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri announced that Malta will abolish its controversial citizenship-by-investment programme, following an April…

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Italy may release up 10,000 people from prison to ease overcrowding

Italy may release up to around 10,000 people from prison, or about 15% of the total population of inmates, to ease overcrowding, the Justice Ministry has announced. Some 10,105 prisoners…

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Tripoli Stonewalls Athens on EEZ as Turkish Influence Prevails

Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis visited Libya’s capital without achieving substantial progress on maritime boundary delimitation, the key issue affecting relations between Athens and Tripoli’s government. According to diplomatic sources,…

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Trump urges release of ‘credible’ Epstein info amid furor

US President Donald Trump urged the Justice Department to release all "credible" information related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex…

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Updated – Malta News Briefing – Wednesday 16 July 2025

Updated 1030 Hili Ventures acquires 4.99% stake in Bank of VallettaHili Ventures has acquired a 4.99% stake in Bank of Valletta from Unicredit, making it the bank’s third-largest shareholder after…

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Trump says Zelenskiy should not target Moscow

U.S. President Donald Trump said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy should not target Moscow and that Russian President Vladimir Putin should agree to a ceasefire deal by a 50-day deadline…

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