News

UPDATED: Finnish president confirms his country will apply to join NATO

HELSINKI, May 15 (Reuters) - Finland's President Sauli Niinisto confirmed on Sunday that his country would apply for membership of the NATO military alliance. The announcement came after Niinisto and Prime Minister…

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Harrods imposes sanctions on Russian shoppers

The Telegraph reports that Harrods department store has contacted Russian customers warning that it will no longer sell them “luxury goods” worth more than £300. The move, the store said,…

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EU threatens to kick Switzerland out of passport-free zone

Brussels has threatened to throw Switzerland out of the EU’s passport-free zone if it does not back paying more to the bloc's border agency, as the country prepares to vote…

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Russian fighter jets take part in Baltic Sea drills as support grows for Finnish and Swedish NATO membership

Russian Su-27 fighter jets have taken part in drills to repel a mock air strike on Russia's Kaliningrad exclave, Interfax news agency reported on Saturday, citing the Baltic Sea fleet.…

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Chancellor Scholz’s SPD party faces test in key state vote

BERLIN, May 15 (Reuters) - An election in Germany's most populous state on Sunday poses an early test for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats five months after he took office with a…

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Factbox: Who is running in Lebanon’s election?

Lebanon holds a parliamentary election on May 15, with candidates vying for 128 seats that are divided among 11 religious groups according to a sectarian power-sharing system. The vote takes…

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North Korea reports more deaths, says taking ‘swift measures’ against COVID outbreak

SEOUL, May 15 (Reuters) - North Korea said on Sunday a total of 42 people had died as the country began its fourth day under a nationwide lockdown aimed at stopping the…

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Ukrainian forces press towards Russian-held Izium in east

KYIV/BEZRUKY, Ukraine, (Reuters) - Ukrainian forces have launched a counteroffensive near the Russian-held town of Izium in eastern Ukraine, in what could prove a serious setback for Moscow's plans to capture the…

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Polls open in Lebanese parliamentary election

BEIRUT, May 15 (Reuters) - Polls opened on Sunday in Lebanon's first parliamentary election since the country's economic collapse. Voting was due to begin from 7 a.m. (0400 GMT) across 15 electoral…

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Huge public support sweeps Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra to Eurovision win

Ukraine's Kalush Orchestra won the Eurovision Song Contest in Italy on Saturday with their entry "Stefania", riding a wave of public support to claim an emotional victory that was welcomed…

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Gunman kills 10 in racially motivated shooting at New York state supermarket

BUFFALO, N.Y (Reuters) - An 18-year-old white gunman shot 10 people to death and wounded three others at a grocery store in a Black neighborhood of Buffalo, New York, before surrendering after…

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Malta News Briefing – Sunday 15 May 2022

Morning Briefing Gzira marina plans resurface Plans to develop marine offices near a Gzira public area have been resurrected by Transport Malta. The Transport Authority submitted a planning proposal last…

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India bans all wheat exports over food security risk

India, the world’s second largest producer of wheat, has banned all exports with immediate effect after a heatwave affected the crop. A notice in the government gazette by the directorate…

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EPA’s Eye In The Sky: ‘PARCUR’ Park, Mexico City, Mexico

An aerial picture taken with a drone that shows a general view of 'PARCUR' park, in Mexico City, Mexico. The Government of Mexico City opened the Urban Culture Park 'PARCUR',…

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Foreign ministers of Finland, Turkey, to meet over NATO tensions, Haavisto says

BERLIN, May 14 (Reuters) - The foreign ministers of Finland and Turkey will meet in Berlin later on Saturday to try and solve disagreements over Finland's and Sweden's plan to join NATO,…

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Russia forges new partnerships in face of West’s ‘total hybrid war’ – Lavrov

LONDON, May 14 (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday that Moscow was the target of "total hybrid war" by the West but would withstand sanctions by forging deeper…

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Global warming made S.Africa’s recent floods twice as likely -study

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Global warming made the heavy rains behind South Africa's devastating floods last month twice as likely as they would have been if greenhouse gas emissions had never heated the…

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UPDATE – Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed elected UAE president

DUBAI, May 14 (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates' de facto leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan was elected president of the Gulf Arab state by a federal supreme council on Saturday,…

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U.S. cities are backing off banning facial recognition as crime rises

By Paresh Dave OAKLAND, Calif. (Reuters) - Facial recognition is making a comeback in the United States as bans to thwart the technology and curb racial bias in policing come under threat…

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Ukraine wages counteroffensive in east

KYIV/BEZRUKY, Ukraine, May 14 (Reuters) - Ukrainian forces have launched a counteroffensive near the Russian-held town of Izium in eastern Ukraine, a regional governor said on Saturday, in what could prove a…

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Hungary’s new president condemns Putin’s ‘aggression’, plans trip to Warsaw

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungary's President Katalin Novak at her inauguration ceremony on Saturday condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine and said her first trip would take her to Poland, in an…

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Explainer: How Sri Lanka spiralled into crisis

Sri Lanka's economic crisis has turned into deadly violence. Eight people died and over 200 were injured on Monday, the country's powerful prime minister quit and his brother, the president,…

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Putin tells Finland that swapping neutrality for NATO is a mistake

May 14 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin told his Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto on Saturday that ditching neutrality and joining NATO would be a mistake that could damage relations between their…

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EXCLUSIVE-Turkey ‘not closing door’ to Sweden, Finland NATO entry, Erdogan advisor says

ISTANBUL, May 14 (Reuters) - Turkey has not shut the door to Sweden and Finland joining NATO but wants negotiations with the Nordic countries and a clampdown on what it sees as…

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UPDATE: Building fire kills 27 in New Delhi, police arrest company owners

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Police in New Delhi arrested two people suspected of flouting fire safety regulations on Saturday after at least 27 people died in a blaze at a…

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Anti-coronavirus offences push political crime to record in Germany

Offences by those opposed to COVID-19 restrictions drove politically motivated crimes in Germany to a record high last year, an Interior Ministry report showed this week. The number of politically…

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Analysis: Hero to hindrance: Australia PM Morrison hurts party’s election hopes

SYDNEY(Reuters) - Three years ago, Scott Morrison's ebullient personality as the little known and newly installed leader of Australia's Liberal Party was a big factor in its unexpected election victory.…

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3.7 magnitude earthquake recorded near Malta

A 3.7 magnitude earthquake was registered in the Central Mediterranean region on the west to Malta. The earthquake was also recorded by the Maltese University's Seismic Monitoring and Research centre.…

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Lebanon to vote in first election since financial meltdown

Vote is first since economic collapse, Beirut port blast BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese vote on Sunday in the first election since their country's economic collapse, a test of whether Iran-backed Hezbollah and…

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Italy sets course for ITA Airways sale by end of next month

Italy’s government aims to sell state-owned ITA Airways, the successor to Alitalia, by the end of June after setting a deadline for binding offers of May 23, Economy Minister Daniele…

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UK paper touts possible Papacy for Mario Grech / Malta News Briefing – Saturday 14 May 2022

Mid-Day Briefing UK paper touts possible Papacy for Mario Grech Cardinal Mario Grech is one of several cardinals who have been considered as possible successors to Pope Francis in the…

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Fitch affirms Malta at ‘A+’; outlook stable

Fitch Ratings - Frankfurt am Main - FitchRatings has affirmed Malta's Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) at 'A+' with a Stable Outlook. Malta's rating is supported by high per-capita…

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G7 foreign ministers vow to continue economic pressure on Russia

WEISSENHAUS, Germany May 14 (Reuters) - Foreign ministers from the G7 group of nations vowed on Saturday to reinforce Russia's economic and political isolation, continue supplying weapons and work to ease global…

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Factbox: How can Europe get gas if Russia’s supply is disrupted?

Pressure on Europe to secure alternative gas supplies increased on Thursday as Moscow imposed sanctions on European subsidiaries of state-owned Gazprom a day after Ukraine stopped a major gas transit…

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PHOTO STORY: Platinum Jubilee Decoration in London

A glittering banner decoration in the Union flag's colours across Carnaby Street shopping district ahead of the Platinum Jubilee of Britain's Queen Elizabeth in London, Britain. The Platinum Jubilee of…

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Italy strongly backs Finland-Sweden bid to join NATO

(ANSA) - ROME, MAY 13 - Italy strongly backs Finland and Sweden's bid to join NATO after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said Friday. "We…

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South is key for diversification of Italy’s energy sources – Draghi

Premier Mario Draghi said Friday that Italy's less wealthy southern regions have a key role to play in the process of diversifying energy sources as the nation seeks to end…

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Migrant disappearances quadruple in Mexico in 2021

Reported cases of missing migrants in Mexico jumped nearly fourfold in 2021 from 2020, as the country struggles to stem the flow of undocumented people from Central America to the…

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UK PM Johnson targets civil service to cut government costs

LONDON (Reuters) -Prime Minister Boris Johnson has tasked his ministers with cutting the number of civil service jobs to levels seen before Britain's vote to leave the European Union in…

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Ukraine collects Russian dead as war rages on multiple fronts

KYIV, May 14 (Reuters) - The bodies of Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine were brought to a rail yard outside Kyiv and stacked with hundreds of others in a refrigerated train, waiting…

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Moscow will respond if NATO moves nuclear forces closer to Russia’s border – RIA

May 14 (Reuters) - Moscow will take adequate precautionary measures if NATO deploys nuclear forces and infrastructure closer to Russia's border, RIA news agency quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko as saying…

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FACTBOX-A brief history of Finland’s and Sweden’s strained ties with Russia

HELSINKI/STOCKHOLM, (Reuters) - Finland and Sweden, who are expected to decide to apply to join NATO, have long had strained ties with their giant neighbour Russia. - Sweden's and Finland's difficult past with…

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Australia’s Morrison vows more empathy if re-elected PM

SYDNEY, May 14 (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison promised on Saturday to be more empathetic if he wins re-election, as his government continues to trail the opposition Labor Party a…

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Duma deputy head visits Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Kherson – RIA

May 14 (Reuters) - Senior Russian lawmaker Anna Kuznetsova visited the Russian-occupied region of Kherson in Ukraine to discuss social and healthcare needs of the local population, the state RIA news agency…

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Top U.S. diplomat Blinken heads to Europe for NATO, trade meetings

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Germany on Saturday for a meeting of NATO foreign ministers on their response to the war in Ukraine, the State Department…

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New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern tests positive for COVID

May 14 (Reuters) - New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern tested positive for COVID-19 with moderate symptoms, her office said in a statement on Saturday. She will not be in parliament for…

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Abortion rights groups push to turn anger into action

In the days after a draft leaked showing the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to strike down Roe v. Wade and a national right to abortion, the left-wing group MoveOn…

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Ukraine tipped for emotional victory at Eurovision

TURIN, Italy (Reuters) - Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra looks set to ride a wave of public sympathy to win the Eurovision Song Contest when performers take to the stage in the…

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Costa Rica declares national emergency amid ransomware attacks

After a month of crippling ransomware attacks, Costa Rica has declared a state of emergency invoking a measure usually reserved to deal with natural disasters or the Covid-19 pandemic to…

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Sri Lanka protesters vow to continue anti-government campaign despite new PM

COLOMBO, May 13 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's new prime minister will begin forming a unity government on Friday, but his appointment has failed to appease anti-government protesters demanding the resignation of the…

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Number of refugees fleeing Ukraine war exceeds 6 million

The number of people who have fled Ukraine to escape Russia's invasion has passed 6 million, in Europe's worst refugee crisis since the end of World War Two, a U.N.…

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Movie critics gush over Tom Cruise’s return in ‘Top Gun’ sequel

LOS ANGELES, May 12 (Reuters) - It took Tom Cruise 36 years to head back to the danger zone, and movie critics said Thursday it was worth the wait to see "Top Gun" back…

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British employment tribunal rules calling a man bald is sexual harassment

Calling someone bald at work is sexual harassment, an employment tribunal has ruled. The decision relates to a claim brought by Tony Finn against the West Yorkshire-based British Bung Company,…

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Spain plans medical leave in new law for those with severe period pain

Spain is planning to introduce medical leave for women who suffer from severe period pain, media reports suggest. A draft bill says women could have three days of leave a…

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Photo Story: Funeral procession for care farm shooting victim in the Netherlands

The funeral procession for the 34-year-old victim of the shooting at the Tro Tardi care farm passes through Alblasserdam, Netherlands, 13 May 2022. A 16-year-old girl was also killed while…

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The Ukrainian roundup

May 13 (Reuters) - Ukrainian forces destroyed a pontoon bridge and parts of Russian armoured column as it tried to cross a river in the Donbas region, video footage released by Ukraine's…

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Vatican number two says giving Ukraine weapons legitimate, with conditions

ROME, May 13 (Reuters) - The Vatican's number two said on Friday that supplying weapons to Ukraine to help it defend itself against Russian aggression is morally legitimate under certain…

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