News

Catalans vote in crucial election for the separatist movement

More than 5.7 million voters were eligible to vote in a ballot that is expected to be a test both for the strength of the separatist movement in the wealthy…

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Floods in Brazil kill 143

The death toll from heavy rains in Brazil's Rio Grande do Sul state rose to 143, the local civil defense government body said on Sunday, up from 136 in the…

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Afghanistan floods devastate villages, killing 315

Flash floods caused by heavy rains have devastated villages in northern Afghanistan, killing 315 people and injuring more than 1,600, authorities said on Sunday, as villagers buried their dead and…

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Pessimistic young Germans turning to far right, says study

Young people are more likely to vote for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) than previously, a recent study showed. Authors of the "Youth in Germany 2024" study said that under-30s…

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Updated: Malta News Briefing – Sunday 12 May 2024

Update PM Robert Abela expresses support for Chris Fearne, reacts to call for war by PN Prime Minister Robert Abela stood by Chris Fearne on Sunday, vowing to dedicate his…

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Kyiv was 9 May terror target, says SBU

Ukraine’s security service (SBU) prevented a terrorist attack that Russia had planned to carry out in Kyiv on 9 May, according to Ukrainian media reports. “The Security Service of Ukraine was…

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Israel orders evacuation of neighbourhoods in Rafah

The Israeli military has told residents of neighbourhoods in central Rafah to evacuate, signalling a major expansion of its military operations in the city and threatening the displacement of hundreds…

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A mother must never to choose between job, kids – Pope Francis

Pope Francis said Friday that mothers must not be put in a position in which they have to choose between their jobs or their children at the 'States General' conference…

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Netherland’s singer kicked out of Eurovision Song Contest

Several media outlets are reporting that Joost Klein was kicked out of the Eurovision Song Contest. The European Broadcasting Union had said on Friday it was investigating an “incident” involving…

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Israel’s use of American weapons in Gaza likely breached international law – USA

The United States said in a report that it was “reasonable to assess” that Israel has used weapons in ways inconsistent with international humanitarian law during the seven-month war. But…

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Financial services’ bodies express ‘deep concern’ at current situation

The Institute of Financial Services Practitioners (IFSP), the Malta Institute of Accountants (MIA), the Malta Institute of Taxation (MIT) and the Society of Trusts & Estate Practitioner (STEP – Malta)…

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UNGA backs Palestinian bid to become full UN member

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has backed a Palestinian bid to become a full UN member by recognising it as qualified to join and recommending the UN Security Council…

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Updated: Malta News Briefing – Saturday 11 May 2024

UPDATE Chris Fearne agrees to remain Labour Party deputy leader Chris Fearne will remain as deputy leader of the Labour Party, Robert Abela said on Saturday following a meeting of…

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Retailers in Finland want to place restraining orders on unruly customers

A group of Finnish retailers has called on the government to introduce a law allowing businesses to apply for restraining orders to prevent unruly customers from entering their premises. If…

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Greece to bring in Egyptian farm workers amid labour shortage

Greece will start bringing in workers from Egypt this summer to take on temporary farming jobs under a deal between the countries to tackle a labour shortage, the migration ministry…

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Spanish investigation into Shakira’s alleged tax evasion dropped

A Spanish court has shelved an investigation into an alleged tax fraud by the Colombian pop star Shakira, putting an end to her legal woes in the country where she…

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Kyiv expects delivery of first F-16 jets in June or July – military source

A senior Ukrainian military source has told Reuters Kyiv expects the first F-16 jets to be delivered in June or July. Ukraine has sought the US-made F-16 fighter jets to…

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Ukraine send reinforcements to border areas of the Kharkiv

Ukraine defence ministry said on Friday that it has sent military reinforcements to help repel Russian attacks in border areas of the Kharkiv region in the northeast. It added that…

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Britain’s economy exits recession ahead of elections

Britain saw stronger than expected growth in first quarter, as it exited recession in the first quarter of 2024. This comes as the country heads to elections this year. The…

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Deputy PM resigns in wake of Vitals charges / Malta News Briefing – Friday 10 May 2024

Updated 1403 - Fearne resigns Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne has stepped down from his government position due to facing fraud charges linked to the hospitals deal. Fearne announced his…

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Italy seizes $140 million from airline owners compensated for 1980 Ustica crash

Italian police this week seized 130 million euros ($140 million) from two directors of an airline that went bankrupt after a 1980 air disaster that killed 81 people above the…

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China military says it ‘drove away’ US destroyer in South China Sea

China's military said it closely monitored and "drove away" USS Halsey that entered the territorial waters of Paracel Islands in the South China Sea on May 10, the Southern Theater…

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Putin suggests that Mishustin remains as Russia’s prime minister

Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed the reappointment on Friday of Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, a technocrat who has helped him through the war in Ukraine and the economic challenges wrought…

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Pope puts Rome in panic mode by declaring 2025 Holy Year

Pope Francis used the Feast of Ascension on Thursday to preside over the reading of a papal bull at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, declaring 2025 a Holy Year for…

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UN General Assembly set to back Palestinian bid for membership

The United Nations General Assembly on Friday is set to back a Palestinian bid to become a full U.N. member by recognizing it as qualified to join and sending the…

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Israel strikes eastern Rafah as ceasefire talks end with no deal

Israeli forces bombarded areas of Rafah on Thursday, Palestinian residents said, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed U.S. President Joe Biden's threat to withhold weapons from Israel if it assaults…

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Anti-aircraft units intercept drone south of Moscow

Russian anti-aircraft units intercepted a drone south of Moscow and there were no injuries or damage from falling debris, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said early on Friday. Sobyanin, writing on…

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Panama Papers law firm co-founder Ramon Fonseca dies in hospital

Ramon Fonseca, who co-founded the now defunct law firm linked to the Panama Papers scandal, died overnight, his lawyer told Reuters on Thursday morning. During the night Fonseca "died while…

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Russia says Western actions compel it to boost its nuclear deterrent

Russia is warning its Western adversaries that it feels obliged to boost its nuclear deterrent due to what it sees as their "escalatory" course, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was…

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Europe Day: celebrating solidarity, democracy and diversity

Europe Day, celebrated every year on 9 May, marks the anniversary of the Schuman Declaration which was presented in 1950. This founding document of the European Union laid the groundwork for…

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UK’s Labour holds 30-point poll lead over Sunak’s Conservatives

Britain's opposition Labour Party has increased its poll lead over Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservatives to stand 30 points ahead, according to a YouGov poll for the Times newspaper. The…

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UPDATED: Putin warns of global clash as Russia marks Victory Day

MOSCOW, May 9 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the West on Thursday of risking a global conflict and said no one would be allowed to threaten the world's…

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Lithuania minister says Western military trainers could go to Ukraine

Lithuania’s foreign minister has raised the prospect of an ad hoc coalition of western countries sending military training personnel into Ukraine backed by ground-based air defence, days after Russia took…

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UK refuses to sign global vaccine treaty

Britain is refusing to sign the World Health Organization's (WHO) pandemic accord because the country says it would have to give away a fifth of its vaccines, the Telegraph reported.…

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Ukraine lawmakers back bill allowing some convicts to enlist in army

Ukraine's parliament passed a bill on Wednesday that would allow some convicts to enlist in the army in return for a chance at parole, part of a push to generate…

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Ice cream sellers in Germany probed over Mafia money

Authorities in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia said they had charged three men with money laundering. The three are alleged to have used an ice cream parlor in the…

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Biden says US will stop some weapons shipments to Israel if it invades Rafah

President Joe Biden has warned Israel in his toughest public comments so far that the US would stop supplying it with some weapons if Israel invades the southern Gaza city…

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Right-wing opposition makes big gains in North Macedonia election

North Macedonia's right-wing opposition won big in parliamentary and presidential elections on Wednesday, on a night that saw the Balkan country also elect its first female head of state. Hundreds…

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Malta News Briefing – Thursday 9 May 2024

Morning Briefing President says judiciary must be allowed to work in calm environment The President has cautioned that the courts and judiciary must operate in a calm environment to carry…

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Lithuanian intelligence warns of provocations ahead of Russia’s Victory Day

Lithuanian intelligence has warned of possible provocations as Russia and some other former Soviet countries are about to celebrate the so-called World War Two Victory Day on May 9. “Recently,…

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Italy bans NGO planes from using airports close to migrant routes

Italy announced that planes used by charities to track migrant boats in difficulty would no longer be able to fly from airports on the islands of Sicily, Pantelleria and Lampedusa…

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Europe must increase defence capabilities to be safe, says Poland’s Tusk

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that in order for Europe to avoid conflicts and be safe it must increase its defence capabilities, and he repeated his call for the…

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Another British Conservative lawmaker defects to opposition Labour Party

A lawmaker in Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative Party defected to the opposition Labour Party on Wednesday, the second to do so in less than two weeks, criticising what she…

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Russia warns France against sending troops

The Russian Foreign Ministry says Moscow would view any French soldiers deployed in Ukraine as legitimate targets. Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the warning was in response to renewed comments from…

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Canadian man shot dead in Egypt

A Canadian man "of Jewish Israeli descent" has been shot dead during a robbery in the Egyptian city of Alexandria and authorities are investigating the incident as a criminal case,…

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Updated – Malta News Briefing – Wednesday 8 May 2024

Updated 1300 'We will not accept this' - Law students slam PM's criticism of judiciary Law students protested outsidethe law courts, criticising Prime Minister Robert Abela's statements for allegedly pitting…

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Another German politician attacked

A senior figure in Chancellor Olaf Scholz's party became the latest target in a string of attacks on German politicians when a man struck her from behind with a bag…

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Qatar calls for ‘urgent international action’ over Rafah

Qatar called on the international community on Wednesday to prevent a “genocide” in Rafah after Israel’s seizure of the Gaza city’s crossing with Egypt and threats of a wider assault,…

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Russia’s biggest airstrike in weeks piles pressure on Ukraine power grid

Russian missiles and drones struck nearly a dozen Ukrainian critical infrastructure facilities in a major airstrike early on Wednesday, causing serious damage at three Soviet-era thermal power plants, Kyiv officials…

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Australia raises minimum savings for student visa, warns on fake recruitment

Australia said on Wednesday it would raise the amount of savings international students will need to get a visa and warned several colleges of fraudulent student recruitment practices, as part…

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UK rules out cyber threat after resolving passport gate outage

Britain's Home Office said border control systems are operational after an outage that it deemed was not a cyber attack led to lengthy queues and chaotic scenes at airports nationwide.…

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North Macedonia votes in elections crucial for EU accession

North Macedonia will head to the polls on Wednesday in parliamentary and presidential elections in which the rightist opposition is expected to gain ground against a ruling party that has…

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US paused shipment of weapons to Israel to head off Rafah invasion-official

U.S. President Joe Biden's administration paused a shipment of weapons to Israel last week in opposition to apparent moves by the Israelis to invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah,…

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Belarus conducts tactical nuclear inspection together with Russia

Belarus has begun checks on the readiness of its army to deploy tactical nuclear weapons, state media said on Tuesday, simultaneously with preparations for a nuclear drill being carried out…

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US optimistic revised Hamas proposal may break Gaza ceasefire impasse

The United States believes the remaining differences between Israel and Hamas can be bridged in negotiations over the Palestinian militant group's latest ceasefire proposal, as talks resume in Cairo on…

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UPDATED: AstraZeneca to withdraw COVID-19 vaccine worldwide

AstraZeneca said it had initiated the worldwide withdrawal of its COVID-19 vaccine due to a "surplus of available updated vaccines" since the pandemic. The company also said it would proceed…

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Ukraine catches Russian agents plotting Zelenskiy assassination, SBU says

Ukraine's SBU State Security Service said it had caught Russian agents within the Ukrainian state guard service plotting the assassination of the president and other senior governmental officials. "Counterintelligence and…

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