News

Biden says Russia committing genocide in Ukraine, Concern over unconfirmed use of chemical weapons

LVIV, Ukraine, April 13 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time that Moscow's invasion of Ukraine amounts to genocide, as President Vladimir Putin said Russia would "rhythmically and…

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US President tells India buying Russian oil not in its interest

President Joe Biden told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that buying more oil from Russia was not in India's interest and could hamper the U.S. response to the war in Ukraine, U.S. officials said.…

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Putin warns the West: Russia cannot be isolated – or held back

President Vladimir Putin warned the West on Tuesday that attempts to isolate Moscow would fail, citing the success of the Soviet space programme as evidence that Russia could achieve spectacular leaps forward…

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German gas reserves can last until late summer, says regulator

Germany's gas reserves would last until at least late summer should Russian supplies stop now, the network regulator said on Tuesday, warning pressure on the European Union to ban Russian…

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Italy seizes properties belonging to Russian racer Mazepin-police sources

Italy has seized properties worth some 105 million euros ($114.45 million) owned by Russian former Formula One driver Nikita Dmitrievich Mazepin and his oligarch father, two police sources told Reuters…

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EU plans to counter Russia with food diplomacy in North Africa, Balkans

The EU aims to address rising wheat and fertilizer prices and expected shortages in the Balkans, North Africa and the Middle East with "food diplomacy" to counter Russia's narrative on…

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UPDATED: Manhunt under way for gunman in NYC subway shooting that injured at least 23

NEW YORK, (Reuters) - Police mounted an intense manhunt for a gunman who set off two smoke bombs and opened fire in a New York subway car, injuring more than…

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Multiple people shot in New York subway station, explosives found

Multiple people were shot and at least 13 were injured on Tuesday in a New York City subway station where authorities found undetonated explosive devices, the Fire Department said, in the latest spasm…

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UK PM Johnson and finance minister to be fined for lockdown breaches

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and finance minister Rishi Sunak will be fined by police for breaching COVID-19 lockdown rules, the government said on Tuesday. Police said earlier on Tuesday…

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Britain widens access to Pfizer’s COVID antiviral drug through trial

Britain will expand access to Pfizer's oral antiviral COVID-19 treatment to thousands more people by adding it to a trial to assess how best to use the drug in its…

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American aircraft carrier deploys off Korean peninsula amid tensions with North – official

The USS Abraham Lincoln strike group is operating in waters off the Korean peninsula, a U.S. official said, after South Korean media reported that the ships were deployed amid tensions…

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PN elects five new faces through casual elections, Jason Azzopardi fails to make it / Malta News Briefing – Tuesday 12 April 2022

1745- Latest News update Times of Malta says Former MP Jason Azzopardi on Tuesday said his time with the Nationalist Party has come to an end after being left "deliberately…

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Ukraine: Close to 5 million children displaced from their homes, UN says

The United Nations' Children's Agency said that 4.8 million Ukrainian children have fled their homes following the invasion by Russia. Manuel Fontaine, UNICEF’s emergency programs director, described as “quite incredible”…

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Macron-Le Pen duel in French runoff could spark tension in markets, says analyst

Incumbent French President Emmanuel Macron’s lead against Marine Le Pen in the first round of the election came as a relief for foreign investors who have been facing “tension” due…

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Harrowing stories of rape and violence emerge after Russians exit outskirts of Kiev

The departure of Russian forces from the outskirts of Kyiv has brought to light harrowing allegations of war crimes including executions and rape of civilians. Moscow dismisses the allegations as Ukrainian and Western…

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Ukraine’s Zelenskiy warns Russia could use chemical weapons, calls for more sanctions

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday that Russia could use chemical weapons in Ukraine and called on the West to impose strong sanctions on Moscow that would deter even…

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Italy clinches gas deal with Algeria to temper Russian reliance

Italy clinched an agreement on Monday to ramp up gas imports from Algeria by around 40% in its first major deal to find alternative supplies following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.…

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Taiwan issues first war survival handbook amid China threat

Taiwan's military released a handbook on civil defence for the first time on Tuesday, giving citizens survival guidance in a war scenario as Russia's invasion of Ukraine focuses attention on how the island should respond to China's pressure. China has…

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Lithuania wants NATO to expand Baltic battalions into brigades

Lithuania wants the NATO battalions in the Baltic countries to be expanded into brigades, the country's defence ministry said on Monday. A brigade consists of several battalions of troops. Lithuania…

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Vatican mulling Jerusalem meeting between pope, Russian patriarch -sources

The Vatican is studying the possibility of extending Pope Francis' trip to Lebanon in June so he can fly to Jerusalem to meet there Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, who has backed Russia's…

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Austrian Chancellor in “open and tough” talks with Putin

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer held "very direct, open and tough" talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin near Moscow on Monday, in Putin's first meeting with a European Union leader since the invasion of…

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OPEC tells EU it’s not possible to replace potential Russian oil supply loss

OPEC told the European Union on Monday that current and future sanctions on Russia could create one of the worst ever oil supply shocks and it would be impossible to replace those volumes,…

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Biden cracks down on ghost guns with new rule to tackle gun violence

President Joe Biden will announce a new rule to rein in ghost guns and ban the manufacturing of such firearms on Monday as the administration faces growing pressure to crack down on gun deaths and…

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Macron, Le Pen battle out on cost of living in heated runoff campaign

Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen traded blows at a distance on Monday over who would best protect French voters' purchasing power, kicking off a tense fight to win the presidential election…

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Ukraine says Russia holding many civilians in prisons – deputy PM

Ukraine's deputy prime minister on Monday accused Russia of holding civilians, including journalists, activists and elected officials, in prisons on Russian territory. "We have many priests, journalists, activists, mayors, and…

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Israel and West Bank on edge after more bloodshed

Israeli forces killed two Palestinian women after one ran towards troops and the other stabbed a soldier in separate incidents in the occupied West Bank, Israeli security officials said. With violence surging after…

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EPA’s Eye In The Sky: Grand Canal, Yangzhou, China

A photo made with a drone shows ships transporting coal on the Grand Canal in Yangzhou, Jiangsu province, Chin. The Yangzhou section of the Grand Canal in Jiangsu Province is…

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Australian election campaign kicks off with opposition ahead in polls

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison's government could lose the federal election to be held on May 21, according to polls on Monday, even as they showed him consolidating his position as the country's…

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France’s centre right fighting for survival after election humiliation

It was going to be bad. It turned out to be worse. Conservative Valerie Pecresse scored below 5% in the first round of the France's presidential election, the centre right's…

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Pakistan’s parliament votes in Sharif as prime minister

Pakistan's parliament on Monday elected Shehbaz Sharif prime minister after a week-long constitutional crisis that climaxed on Sunday when his predecessor Imran Khan lost a no-confidence vote. Shehbaz, 70, who…

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Hungary says roubles-for-Russian gas plan breaches no EU sanctions

Hungary plans to pay for Russian gas in euros through Gazprombank, which will convert the payment into roubles to meet a new requirement set by President Vladimir Putin, Foreign Minister…

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Ukraine’s Zelenskiy says tens of thousands killed in Mariupol, seeks military aid from South Korea

Tens of thousands of people have likely been killed in Russia's assault on the southeastern city of Mariupol, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a video address to South Korean…

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UK growth stutters in February as cost-of-living squeeze looms

ritain's economy slowed more sharply than expected in February, reflecting a hit to car production from component shortages, storm disruption and reduced health spending as households braced for a tighter…

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Tourism barely reaches half of pre-pandemic levels – MIA / Malta News Briefing – Monday 11 April 2022

1745- Latest News update Times of Malta says Malta will not be expelling any Russian diplomats, Ian Borg has said, but will instead be freezing a pending request by Russia…

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Russian oil embargo could be part of next EU sanctions package, ministers say

The European Union's executive is drafting proposals for an EU oil embargo on Russia, the foreign ministers of Ireland, Lithuania and the Netherlands said on Monday, although there is still no agreement…

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Queen Elizabeth says COVID left “one very tired and exhausted”

Britain's Queen Elizabeth said COVID-19 had left "one very tired and exhausted" as she talked to health workers and a former patient about her own experience of "this horrible pandemic".…

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Malta: Slight increase in property sales in first three months of 2022, but promises of sale collapse

In the first quarter of 2022, 3,373 final deeds of sale were registered, an annual increase of 2.9 per cent, the NSO said today. The value of the deeds registered…

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NATO plans full-scale military presence at border, says Stoltenberg

NATO is working on plans for a full-scale military presence on its border in an effort to battle future Russian aggression, The Telegraph reported, citing NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. NATO was "in the midst of a…

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Austrian leader to meet Putin in Moscow, hoping to build bridges

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday, he said, adding he hoped to help build bridges between Russia and Ukraine and stop the "war of aggression".…

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East Ukraine focus of new Russian assaults

Ukrainian troops have repulsed several Russian assaults in the country's east, the focus of a new offensive by the invading forces, British intelligence said on Monday, while President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said this…

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Russian rockets destroy Dnipro airport, Ukraine officials say

Russian forces fired rockets into Ukraine's Luhansk and Dnipro regions on Sunday, Ukrainian officials said, completely destroying an airport and wounding at least five people. Valentyn Reznichenko, governor of the central Dnipropetrovsk region,…

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France’s Macron and Le Pen head for cliffhanger April 24 election runoff

French leader Emmanuel Macron and challenger Marine Le Pen qualified on Sunday for what promises to be a very tightly fought presidential election runoff on April 24, pitting a pro-European economic liberal…

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Chechen chief Kadyrov says Russian forces will take Kyiv

Ramzan Kadyrov, the powerful head of Russia's republic of Chechnya, said early on Monday that there will be an offensive by Russian forces not only on the besieged port of…

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Finland, Sweden set to join NATO as soon as summer – reports

Russia has made a "massive strategic blunder" as Finland and Sweden look poised to join NATO as early as the summer, the British press has reported on Monday, citing officials. London-based The Times said…

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Ukraine prepares for Russian assault, calls for more support

Ukraine's armed forces braced on Monday for a new Russian offensive as powerful explosions rocked cities in the south and east, while Austria's leader planned to meet Russian President Vladimir…

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Macron and Le Pen head for French election runoff – projections

PARIS, April 10 (Reuters) - France's incumbent leader Emmanuel Macron and far-right challenger Marine Le Pen are heading for an April 24 presidential election runoff, projections showed after first round voting on…

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Nuns in Odesa Monastery take care of abandoned cats following Russian invasion of Ukraine

A nun cares for cats in the Odesa women's monastery in South Ukrainian city of Odesa, Ukraine. Monastery nuns pick up cats which were left by the departed owners from…

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Solar, wind and diesel: European companies tool up in energy crisis

BERLIN/MADRID/COPENHAGEN, (Reuters) - Big companies aren't waiting around for Europe to wean itself off Russian fossil fuels. With Moscow's invasion of Ukraine deepening the region's energy crisis, some are taking matters into…

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Bank of Spain urges banks to monitor risks, keep provisions amid Ukraine conflict

MADRID (Reuters) - The Bank of Spain told lenders to adequately monitor credit risks of some of their customers most exposed to the economic impact from Russia's invasion of Ukraine and urged…

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Jerusalem’s Holy Sepulchre ‘resurrected’ for Palm Sunday mass as pilgrims return

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Prayers in Arabic and Latin echoed in the rotunda of Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Sunday as Christians from around the world were once again…

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Kyiv keeps pressure on West to do more as battle looms in Ukraine’s east

KYIV/BUZOVA, Ukraine, April 10 (Reuters) - Ukraine said on Sunday it was seeking another round of European Union sanctions against Moscow and more military aid from its allies as it braces for…

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Omicron spawns U.S. search for better kids’ masks, new standard

LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) - The fast-spreading Omicron variant stoked U.S. interest in better masks for children to ward off COVID-19, and that is adding fuel to an effort that could set the…

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9,043 Active Covid-19 cases in Malta / Malta News Briefing – Sunday 10 April

Covid-19 update - Following the latest release of information related to Covid-19 in Malta, the number of known current active cases is 9,043 which is the highest since January 18.…

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Shehbaz Sharif submits nomination for prime minister to Pakistani parliament

ISLAMABAD, April 10 (Reuters) - Opposition politician Shehbaz Sharif submitted his nomination to be Pakistan's next prime minister to the legislature on Sunday, his party said, after incumbent Imran Khan lost a…

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Zelenskiy says discussed additional Russia sanctions with Germany’s Scholz

(Reuters) - Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday he had held spoken on the phone with German chancellor Olaf Scholz on the possibility of additional sanctions on Russia, as…

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Pope calls for Easter truce in Ukraine leading to peace negotiations

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday called for an Easter truce in Ukraine, leading to negotiations and peace. "Put the weapons down!" he said at the end of…

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Shanghai COVID cases keep rising, food supply problems persist

SHANGHAI, April 10 (Reuters) - Shanghai reported nearly 25,000 locally transmitted COVID-19 infections on Sunday, as residents of China's most populous city voiced complaints over food and basic supplies and concern spread…

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