News

Half a million Indians flee floods in northeast brought by rain

GUWAHATI, India, May 18 (Reuters) - More than 500,000 people have fled their homes in India's northeastern state of Assam to escape heavy floods triggered by pre-monsoon rains that drowned…

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World in no better place to fight pandemics than before COVID – review panel

LONDON, May 18 (Reuters) - The world is no better prepared for a new pandemic threat than it was when coronavirus emerged in 2019, and may actually be in a…

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Philippines’ Marcos says China ties ‘set to shift to higher gear’ under his presidency

MANILA, May 18 (Reuters) - Incoming Philippines president Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Wednesday said his country's relations with China will be expanded and shift to a higher gear under his…

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Malta: Domestic demand fuel economic growth, exports’ contribution marginal – CBM

Domestic demand was the main driver behind GDP growth during the last three months of 2021, the CBM has found. In its quarterly review, it said that the contribution of…

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Global smoking rates fall for first time, but rise for kids, Africa

LONDON, May 18 (Reuters) - Smoking rates have declined globally for the first time on record, according to a new report on tobacco use from a public health campaign group and U.S.…

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Tube strike action announced for Platinum Jubilee weekend

Strike action has been announced on the London Underground during the Queen's Platinum Jubilee weekend, with staff to walk out of two key stations. Tube staff in the RMT (National…

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Italian bar fined 1,000 euros over overpriced coffee

Florence bar was fined 1,000 euros over an overpriced coffee after the customer called the police.The man called the municipal cops after paying two euro for a decaf coffee at…

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The Ukrainian roundup

May 18 (Reuters) - Finland and Sweden formally applied to join NATO on Wednesday, prompted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and triggering one of the most significant changes in Europe's security architecture…

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GO plc Announces Appointment Of New Chairman

GO plc today announced the appointment of Mr Lassaad Ben Dhiab as Chairman of the Company with immediate effect. Mr Ben Dhiab has been an active Board Member of GO…

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EU proposes emergency funds to help European militaries amid Russia’s Ukraine war

BRUSSELS, May 18 (Reuters) - The European Union's executive proposed on Wednesday a 500 million euro ($525.70 million) defence fund that would help EU governments develop and buy more weapons together, saying…

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France: all parties in Libya must work together and find political solution to end violence

PARIS, May 18 (Reuters) - All sides involved in the unrest shaking conflict-torn Libya must work together towards finding a political solution and refrain from violence, the French foreign ministry…

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Portugal identifies five monkeypox infections, Spain has eight suspected cases

LISBON, May 18 (Reuters) - Portuguese authorities said on Wednesday they had identified five cases of rare monkeypox infection and Spain's health services are testing eight potential cases after Britain put Europe…

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UK unemployment hits 48-year low, pushing up pay

Britain's jobless rate hit a 48-year low in the first three months of 2022 and employers paid bigger bonuses to keep or attract staff, according to data that added to…

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Russian soldier accused of war crimes pleads guilty to killing civilian

A Russian soldier on trial for war crimes in Ukraine has pleaded guilty to killing an unarmed civilian. Vadim Shishimarin is accused of gunning down an unarmed 62-year-old civilian in…

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Germany to close Schroeder’s office in repudiation of ex-chancellor

BERLIN, May 18 (Reuters) - Gerhard Schroeder's publicly funded office is to be closed and its remaining staff reallocated amid mounting dismay at the former German chancellor's refusal to distance himself from…

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Italy commemorates anti-mafia hero Falcone on his birthday

Giovanni Falcone would have turned 83 on Wednesday if the anti-mafia prosecutor had not been murdered by Cosa Nostra in the the Capaci bomb attack in 1992. The huge explosion…

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Oceans are hotter, higher and more acidic, climate report warns

May 18 (Reuters) - The world's oceans in 2021 grew to their warmest and most acidic levels on record, while melting ice sheets helped push sea levels to new heights, the World…

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Australian election polls show race tightening in final campaign stretch

SYDNEY, May 18 (Reuters) - Australia's national election has become too close to call, polls out on Wednesday showed, as the ruling conservative coalition narrowed the gap with the main opposition Labor…

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Major parties reveal no major donations / Malta News Briefing – Wednesday 18 May 2022

Updated 1230 Inflation edges further up In April 2022, the annual rate of inflation as measured by the HICP edged up further, reaching 5.4%, up from 4.5% March. As a…

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Malta: Food prices drive inflation levels above 5%

In April 2022, the annual rate of inflation as measured by the HICP edged up further, reaching 5.4%, up from 4.5% March, the NSO said. As a result, the 12-month…

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Cannes Film Festival rolls out red carpet for 75th anniversary, opens with Zelenskiy appeal to world cinema

The Cannes Film Festival opened up Tuesday with crowded red carpet arrivals, a star-studded ceremony and a call from Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for the world of cinema to speak…

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UPDATED: Top Ukrainian commanders not surrendered from Azovstal, pro-Russian rebel says

LONDON, May 18 (Reuters) - Top-ranking Ukrainian commanders have not yet surrendered from the labyrinth of bunkers and tunnels below the Azovstal steel works in Mariupol, the leader of the Russian-backed separatist…

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Austria’s neutral status here to stay, foreign minister says

BERLIN, May 18 (Reuters) - The foreign minister of Austria said his country would retain its neutral status even as EU allies Sweden and Finland overhauled decades-long foreign policy stances to apply…

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Canada introduces bill to ban Russia’s Putin, officials from entering country

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada introduced a bill in the Senate that will ban Russian President Vladimir Putin and some 1,000 other members of his government and military from entering the country as…

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Western oilfield service firms look to exit Russia amid sanctions -Kommersant

Western oilfield service companies are looking to exit Russia due to sanctions imposed on Russia, including EU sanctions against Rosneft ROSN.MM and Gazprom Neft, the Kommersant newspaper reported on Wednesday. Since May…

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Situation in Northern Ireland is of grave concern – UK’s Truss

LONDON, May 18 (Reuters) - Britain's foreign minister Liz Truss said on Wednesday that the situation in Northern Ireland was of grave concern, adding that the current trade arrangements weren't…

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Pollution killing 9 million people a year, Africa hardest hit – study

Worsening outdoor air pollution and toxic lead poisoning have kept global deaths from environmental contamination at an estimated 9 million per year since 2015 – countering modest progress made in…

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Fukushima nuclear power plant water release plan given initial nod

TOKYO, May 18 (Reuters) - Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) granted an initial approval on Wednesday for a Tokyo Electric Power's (Tepco) plan for releasing water from the destroyed Fukushima…

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UK inflation surges to 9%, highest since 1982

LONDON, May 18 (Reuters) - British inflation leapt last month to its highest annual rate since 1982, piling pressure on finance minister Rishi Sunak to step up help for households facing a…

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North Korean leader Kim angry at response to COVID outbreak

SEOUL, May 18 (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un slammed his country's response to its first confirmed COVID-19 outbreak as immature, accusing government officials of inadequacies and inertia as fever…

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Iran seizes foreign ship with smuggled fuel, detains crew

DUBAI, May 18 (Reuters) - Iranian authorities seized a foreign ship attempting to smuggle fuel out of the country and detained its crew, state new agency IRNA said on Wednesday. Iran, which…

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IZI Finance plc celebrates bond listing with MSE bell ringing ceremony, €30 million bond issue fully subscribed

IZI Finance plc celebrated the listing of its €30,000,000, 4.25% unsecured bond listing, with the traditional bell ringing ceremony event held at the Malta Stock Exchange. In his welcome speech,…

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Pugs as pets condemned because of health issues

People are being warned not to buy pugs as pets due to the high rate of health issues associated with the breed. New research from the Royal Veterinary College shows…

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Fears for Mariupol defenders after surrender to Russia

MARIUPOL, Ukraine, May 18 (Reuters) - Concerns grew on Wednesday for the welfare of more than 250 Ukrainian fighters who surrendered to Russian forces at the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol after weeks…

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UPDATED: China Eastern crash probe looks into crew actions -sources

WASHINGTON, May 17 (Reuters) - Investigators looking into the crash of a China Eastern Airlines 600115.SS jet are examining the actions of the crew on the flight deck, with no evidence found of a…

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UPDATED: Turkeys Erdogan links Sweden NATO bid to return of “terrorists”

ANKARA, May 18 (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday Sweden should not expect Turkey to approve its NATO bid without returning "terrorists", and Swedish and Finnish delegations should not come to…

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Moscow says G7 attempts to isolate Russia make global food crisis worse

Russia's foreign ministry said that attempts by the West and the G7 group of nations in particular to isolate Moscow have worsened global food shortages. G7 foreign ministers promised on…

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WATCH: Queen Elizabeth inaugurates new $24bn London tube line

Britain's Queen Elizabeth on Tuesday made a surprise appearance at a ceremony to mark the completion of a long-awaited London Tube line named in her honour. Elizabeth, wearing a bright yellow hat and…

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Ukraine will get worse for isolated Russia, analyst says on state TV

One military analyst had a brutally frank message for viewers of Russian state television: The war in Ukraine will get much worse for Russia, which is facing a mass mobilisation supported by…

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Ukraine Eurovision winners to tour Europe to raise money for army

Ukraine's Eurovision Song Contest winners plan a tour of Europe to raise money for the army as it continues to put up fierce resistance to Russian forces more than 80 days after…

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Saudi Arabia on track to hit oil output of over 13 mln bpd by 2027 -minister

MANAMA, May 16 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia is on track to lift oil production capacity by more than 1 million barrels per day to over 13 million barrels bpd by the end…

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U.S. Air Force says it conducted successful hypersonic weapon test

The U.S. Air Force said on Monday it had conducted a successful test of a hypersonic weapon, which flew at five times the speed of sound. The test was conducted on Saturday off…

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Hezbollah and allies lose majority in Lebanese parliament, final results show

Iran-backed Hezbollah and its allies have lost their majority in Lebanon's parliament in a general election, a Reuters tally of final results showed on Tuesday, a major blow to the heavily…

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Hillman accused of making over €1m in proceeds of crime / Malta News Briefing – Tuesday 17 May 2022

1745- Latest News update Times of Malta says children aged under 12 will, from June 6, no longer need a PCR test to come to Malta, Health Minister Chris Fearne…

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Clashes rock Tripoli as Bashagha forced from capital

Clashes erupted in Libya's capital on Tuesday as the parliament-appointed prime minister, Fathi Bashagha, tried to take over government there but was forced back by a rival administration that refuses to…

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Iraq balks at greater Chinese control of its oilfields

Iraq's oil ministry thwarted three prospective deals last year that would have handed Chinese firms more control over its oilfields and led to an exodus of international oil majors that…

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EU clarifies how companies can legally pay for Russian gas

The European Commission has explained how EU companies can pay for Russian gas without breaching the bloc's sanctions against Russia, in an updated guidance on the issue seen by Reuters. The Commission…

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Neutral Switzerland leans closer to NATO in response to Russia

Switzerland's fabled neutral status is about to face its biggest test in decades, with the defence ministry tilting closer to Western military powers in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The defence…

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Ukrainian troops evacuate from Mariupol, ceding control to Russia

Ukraine's military said on Tuesday it was working to evacuate all remaining troops from their last stronghold in the besieged port of Mariupol, ceding control of the city to Russia after…

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Suspect in Buffalo supermarket massacre visited city in March, police say

The 18-year-old man accused of the deadly mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, visited the city in March and the day before the rampage, police said on Monday, as public…

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EU has not yet found agreement on oil embargo against Russia, Borrell says

The European Union has not yet found agreement on a sixth package of sanctions against Russia, its top diplomat Josep Borrell said after a meeting of the bloc's foreign ministers…

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UK PM Johnson says legislative ‘insurance’ needed on Northern Ireland

ritish Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday the government needed an "insurance" option to unilaterally scrap post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland, raising the risk of a trade war with the European Union.…

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Nine civilians killed in Russian attacks in Ukraine’s Donetsk region – governor

Nine civilians were killed by Russian attacks on Monday in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region, the region's governor said. Pavlo Kyrylenko, in a post on the Telegram messaging app, said nine residents were killed and…

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Bezos and White House battle over taxes and inflation

The White House and Amazon.com Inc founder Jeff Bezos squared off on Monday over the Biden administration's handling of U.S. inflation and its plans to tax the rich. Starting over the weekend,…

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Hungary’s place is in the EU – at least for the next decade: PM Orban

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Monday raised the spectre of an "era of recession" in Europe as the continent grapples with surging energy costs and rising inflation due to…

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Erdogan says Swedish, Finnish delegations should not bother coming to Turkey

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that Swedish and Finnish delegations should not bother coming to Ankara to convince it to approve their NATO bid. Sweden's government has formally…

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West will not allow Russia a ‘diktat peace’ in Ukraine, says Germany’s Scholz

Russia will not get away with trying to redraw Ukraine's borders by creating facts on the ground and waiting out Kyiv and its allies, Olaf Scholz said, insisting that the West…

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