News

UPDATED: Kremlin dismisses speculation Putin to declare war on Ukraine on May 9

The Kremlin on Wednesday dismissed speculation that President Vladimir Putin planned to declare war against Ukraine and declare a national mobilisation on May 9 when Russia commemorates the Soviet Union's…

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Brazil cancels invite for EU observers after Bolsonaro objection

Brazil's Supreme Electoral Court (TSE) has withdrawn an invitation for the European Union to send observers for the October election after President Jair Bolsonaro's government objected, the EU and the…

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UPDATED: EU plans phased oil ban on Russia, also targeting more banks and broadcasters

STRASBOURG, May 4 (Reuters) - The European Union's chief executive on Wednesday proposed a phased oil embargo on Russia, as well as sanctions on its top bank and to ban Russian broadcasters…

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UK army investigating ‘fake priest’ breach with soldiers tasked with protecting Queen Elizabeth

The British army said it had launched an investigation after reports that a man who was pretending to be a priest spent a night at a barracks with soldiers tasked…

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Traffic Accident Kills At Least 26 In Ukraine

A bus collided with a fuel truck on a road in western Ukraine and burst into flames on May 3, killing at least 26 people.The accident, which also injured six…

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Scholz warns: “Don’t assume ‘imperialistic’ Putin won’t attack other countries”

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said no-one could assume that Russia would not attack other countries given its violation of international law in Ukraine and Germany would support Finland and Sweden…

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UPDATED: Ukraine says it is ‘ready’ if Belarus joins Russian war effort

KYIV, May 4 (Reuters) - Kyiv will be ready if Belarus's armed forces join Russia's war effort in Ukraine, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian State Border Service said on Wednesday.…

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UPDATED: Ukraine says Russian forces are storming Azovstal plant as EU set to unveil sanctions on Russian oil

Russia has reportedly sent its forces into the last pocket of resistance in Mariupol, the Azovstal steel mill. Hundreds of civilians are holed up there, along with the last of the…

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U.S. Supreme Court calls leaked draft overturning Roe v Wade decision on abortion authentic but preliminary

WASHINGTON, May 4 (Reuters) - America's decades-old battle over abortion rights exploded anew as the Supreme Court confirmed a draft opinion that signaled it will soon overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v.…

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UPDATED: North Korea fires ballistic missile off east coast ahead of South Korea inauguration

SEOUL, May 4 (Reuters) - North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the sea off its east coast on Wednesday, South Korea and Japan said, about a week after Pyongyang vowed to develop its nuclear…

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U.S. relieved as China appears to heed warnings on Russia

Two months after warning that Beijing appeared poised to help Russia in its fight against Ukraine, senior U.S. officials say they have not detected overt Chinese military and economic support,…

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Ukraine’s ‘finest hour’: UK’s Johnson invokes Churchill as he predicts Russia will lose

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told Ukraine on Tuesday he believed it would defeat Russia and expose the "gigantic error" of the Kremlin's invasion as he invoked Britain's wartime leader Winston Churchill…

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Sinn Fein eyes milestone election victory in push for Irish unity

Sinn Fein, the former political wing of the IRA, is on course to become the biggest party in Northern Ireland's government after Thursday's election, a milestone in its quest for a…

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Britain can’t help everyone now over cost of living, Johnson says

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Tuesday the government could not help everyone through the current cost-of-living crisis and had to remain prudent with its spending to avoid stoking an inflationary…

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Italy PM calls on Europe to adopt ‘strong and immediate’ decisions on energy costs

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi on Tuesday called on the European Union to act on surging energy costs, saying "structural solutions" were needed. "The cost of energy will be at the heart of…

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Family of four spending €100 a month more on food in two years – Caritas / Malta News Briefing – Tuesday 3 May 2022

Updated 1700 - Newsportal Review The Times of Malta quotes a Caritas report which claims that the average family of four is spending €100 a month more on food bills…

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EP greenlights George Hyzler’s Court of Auditors Nomination

The European Parliament has endorsed the nominations of George Hyzler for Malta Lefteris Christoforou for Cyprus and to the European Court of Auditors. Mr Hyzler was supported by 551 votes…

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Putin signs decree on new retaliatory sanctions against West – Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree on retaliatory economic sanctions in response to the "unfriendly actions of certain foreign states and international organisations", the Kremlin said on Tuesday. According to…

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Russia unleashes rockets in Mariupol, EU readies oil sanctions

Russian forces fired rockets at an encircled steel works in Ukraine's southern port city of Mariupol and thick smoke blackened the sky at the plant where officials on Tuesday said…

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Norway sovereign wealth fund CEO warns of rocky times

Norway's $1.2 trillion sovereign wealth fund, the world's largest, expects difficult market conditions in the time to come, affected by geopolitical events and inflation, its chief executive said on Tuesday. Inflation, already…

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Pope says he wants to go to Moscow to meet Putin over Ukraine

Pope Francis said in an interview published on Tuesday that he asked for a meeting in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin to try to stop the war in Ukraine but…

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Ukraine’s Zelenskiy says Russia forgot World War Two lessons

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's suggestion that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler had Jewish origins showed that Moscow has forgotten, or never learned,…

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Italy approves 14 billion euros of stimulus measures as growth outlook weakens

Italy on Monday approved a new stimulus package worth 14 billion euros ($14.71 billion) to shield firms and families from the economic impact of the war in Ukraine, Prime Minister…

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Britain promises further $375 million in military aid for Ukraine

Britain said on Monday it would provide 300 million pounds ($375 million) more in military aid to Ukraine, including electronic warfare equipment and a counter-battery radar system, on top of…

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Hispanics lose faith in Democrats over inflation as U.S. elections loom

Ricardo Aguirre sits near his two taco trucks and laments the soaring cost of tomatoes, onions, meat and cilantro, which have doubled in price in recent months, hammering his Phoenix-based…

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COVID-19 worsens asthma in children, doctors warn

Asthma in children may worsen after an infection with the coronavirus, doctors have warned. They studied nearly 62,000 U.S. children with asthma who had PCR tests for the virus in…

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US Supreme Court set to overturn historic abortion decision – report

The U.S. Supreme Court looks set to vote to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide, according to a leaked initial draft majority opinion published by Politico on Monday.…

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Ukraine formally closes seaports captured by Russia

Ukraine has formally closed its four Black and Azov sea ports, which Russian forces have captured, the Ukrainian agriculture ministry said on Monday. The Azov Sea ports of Mariupol, Berdiansk and Skadovsk and…

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Sanctions will not be lifted until Russia signs peace deal with Ukraine -Germany’s Scholz

The sanctions imposed on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine will not be lifted until Moscow reaches a peace agreement with Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said, adding that it…

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In shift, Germany says it could back immediate EU ban on Russian oil

Germany said on Monday it was prepared to back an immediate European Union embargo on Russian oil, a major shift from Moscow's biggest energy customer that could let Europe impose such a ban within days.…

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EPA’s Eye In The Sky: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

epa09635070 An aerial photo with a drone shows people at the Copacabana beach at sunset in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Photo: EPA-EFE/Antonio Lacerda

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Ukraine evacuees flee to safety after ordeal in Mariupol steel works

ZAPORIZHZHIA/BEZIMENNE, Ukraine (Reuters) -The first evacuees from the ruins of Mariupol's Azovstal steel works were expected to arrive in the Ukrainian-controlled city of Zaporizhzhia later on Monday after weeks of cowering from…

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Italy readies $7 billion package to curb energy prices, help firms

Italy is set to unveil a new stimulus package on Monday worth up to 7 billion euros ($7.35 billion) to curb surging energy prices and help companies cope with the…

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Training, arming does not make Germany a war party – govt spokesperson

Germany will not make itself a party to the war between Russia and Ukraine by training Ukrainian soldiers, German government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit said. He added that the possibility of…

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Anti-Macron front takes shape on left as Melenchon, Greens strike deal

Momentum was building on Monday behind attempts by French left-wing parties to form a united front against President Emmanuel Macron in next month's parliamentary elections, after radical Jean-Luc Melenchon clinched…

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Missile attack causes tank fire in oil refinery in Iraq – security forces

A missile attack targeted an oil refinery in Iraq's northern city of Erbil on Sunday causing a fire in one of its main tanks that was later brought under control, the Iraqi…

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Spanish prime minister’s telephone infected by Pegasus spyware

Spanish authorities have detected "Pegasus" spyware in the mobile phones of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Defence Minister Margarita Robles, the government minister for the presidency, Felix Bolanos, said on Monday.…

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Trump faces biggest test of his ‘king-maker’ clout since leaving White House

The month of May brings Donald Trump the biggest test of his political clout since the end of his presidency, as candidates he has endorsed contest Republican primaries that will…

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EU may offer Hungary, Slovakia exemptions from Russian oil embargo

The European Commission may spare Hungary and Slovakia from an embargo on buying Russian oil, now under preparation, wary of how dependent the two countries are on Russian crude, two EU officials…

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Russian attacks on Ukraine grain network a move to cut competition- German minister

Russian attacks on Ukraine's grain infrastructure look like attempts to reduce the competition in Russia's export markets, German Agriculture Minister Cem Oezdemir was reported as saying on Monday. Ukraine could…

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Denmark reshuffles government after Minister of Justice resigns

COPENHAGEN, May 2 (Reuters) - Denmark's one-party Social Democratic government on Monday announced a reshuffle after Minister of Justice Nick Haekkerup resigned to become head of the Danish Brewers' Association. Haekkerup will…

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Civilians evacuated from Mariupol, Pelosi meets Ukraine’s Zelenskiy

KYIV, Ukraine, May 2 (Reuters) - Around 100 civilians evacuated from the ruined Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol were due to arrive in a Ukrainian-held city on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said,…

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British royals mark seventh birthday of Princess Charlotte with new photos

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Prince William and his wife Kate published three photographs of their daughter Charlotte on Sunday to mark her seventh birthday. The photographs of Charlotte, who turns…

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Greece lifts COVID curbs for travellers ahead of key summer season

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece lifted COVID-19 restrictions on Sunday for foreign and domestic flights, its civil aviation authority said, ahead of the summer tourism season that officials hope will see…

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Government spending review underway/ Malta News Briefing – Monday 2nd May 2022

Updated 1300 Government spending review underway: Finance Minister Clyde Caruana has confirmed that a government spending review is underway to mitigate the impact of energy subsidies on public finances. The…

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56 nations to set new global rules for the internet

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and 55 other nations this week signed a political commitment to push rules for the internet that are underpinned by democratic values, at a…

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Saudi Arabia’s economy estimated to grow 9.6% in Q1 on oil activities

May 1 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's economy grew 9.6% in the first quarter of 2022, compared to a year earlier, powered by oil activities, according to flash government estimates on Sunday. That…

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Belgium explores new avenues of assistance for Ukraine

As the war in Ukraine enters its third month, Belgium’s Select Ministerial Committee is currently reviewing the situation and the assistance that Belgium can provide. Since Russian forces invaded Ukraine…

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Suez Canal records highest ever monthly revenue in April

ISMAILIYA, Egypt, May 1 (Reuters) - Egypt's Suez Canal recorded its highest monthly revenue to date in April, reaping $629 million in ship transit fees, the authority managing the waterway said on…

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Swiss National Bank opposed to holding bitcoin as a reserve currency

ZURICH, (Reuters) - The Swiss National Bank is against buying and holding bitcoin as a reserve currency, Chairman Thomas Jordan said at the central bank's annual general meeting this week. "Buying bitcoin…

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Ukraine’s legendary pilot ‘Ghost of Kyiv’

Reports have surfaced that named the ace as Major Stepan Tarabalka, 29, as the ‘Ghost of Kyiv'. The authorities confirmed that he was killed in combat on 13 March and…

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UK asks North Sea oil and gas sector to set out plan to reinvest profits

LONDON, April 30 (Reuters) - Business minister Kwasi Kwarteng has written to the North Sea oil and gas industry asking it to set out a clear plan to reinvest its profits into…

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Most Poles support providing Ukraine with heavy weapons: poll

The majority of respondents in Poland - 64.5 percent, answered positively to the question of whether NATO countries should transfer heavy offensive weapons to Ukraine, an SW Research poll for…

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Dutch dockers refuse to unload ship with Russian diesel cargo

Dutch dock workers are refusing to unload a tanker with a consignment of Russian diesel in the port of Amsterdam, after a similar action by dockers kept the ship from…

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NATO jets scramble in response to Russian aircraft over Baltic and Black Sea

RAMSTEIN, Germany - NATO fighter jets stationed around the Baltic and Black Seas have scrambled multiple times over the past four days to track and intercept Russian aircraft near Alliance…

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The Ukrainian roundup

May 1 (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv, the latest show of support for Ukraine's fight against Russia by a senior Western…

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Turkish police detain dozens in May Day demonstrations

ISTANBUL, May 1 (Reuters) - Turkish riot police detained dozens of protesters trying to reach Istanbul's main Taksim Square for May Day demonstrations against economic hardship caused by raging inflation.…

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