Wim Kok, a former Dutch prime minister who helped forge the country’s famed consensus-based politics and oversaw the pioneering legalisation of euthanasia and gay marriage, has died of heart failure at the age of 80.
Kok led two centrist coalitions between 1994 and 2002, overseeing a period of recovery and then of strong economic growth.
A labour union leader earlier in his career, he was one architect of the country’s famed “polder” or consensus-based model of politics, in which unions agreed to pay restraint in exchange for more jobs, while employers and the government guaranteed support and retraining after redundancies.
5th March 2026
Emmanuel Macron said he asked Benjamin Netanyahu to refrain from launching a ground offensive in Lebanon during a phone call between the two leaders.
Macron said he also held talks wi...
5th March 2026
Updated 1120
Malta Arranges Special Flight to Repatriate Citizens from UAE: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Ian Borg said Malta is organising a special private flig...
5th March 2026
Updated 1120
Malta Arranges Special Flight to Repatriate Citizens from UAE: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Ian Borg said Malta is organising a special private flig...
4th March 2026
Updated 1100
Parliament Approves Random Drug Testing and Tougher Road PenaltiesParliament has unanimously approved legal amendments allowing police to carry out random roadside drug t...
19th February 2026
The Socialists and Democrats (S&D) Group in the European Parliament has demanded urgent clarification from the European Commission over its participation in the first meeting of the ...
4th February 2026
The rising cost of living has emerged as the major issue that Maltese citizens want the European Parliament to address, according to the latest Eurobarometer survey published today.
T...
5th March 2026
Oil prices surged over 3% in Asian trade on Thursday as the Middle East conflict entered its sixth day with no signs of easing, raising concerns about potential supply disruptions from a...
4th March 2026
Chinese shipping and logistics conglomerate COSCO Shipping's container liner unit said on Wednesday it had suspended all new bookings for routes to and from ports in the Middle East...
2nd February 2026
Vivian continues to widen its portfolio with the announcement of new representation agreements with worldwide R&D pharmaceutical companies. “These latest agreements crown a very succ...
19th December 2025
Two local analysts have cautioned that any attempt by EU Member States to block or restrict the passporting of crypto-asset service providers (CASPs) authorised under the Markets in...
2nd March 2026
The Association of Tractor and Trailer Operators (ATTO) has warned that persistentcongestion, limited parking, and clashes with football events are making logistics at theGrand Harbour u...
18th February 2026
“ATTO is not against plans to regenerate the Grand Harbour but all stakeholders need to engage in focused discussions to ensure guaranteed berths with adequate quay operations that do no...
5th March 2026
The conflict involving Iran and Israel entered its fifth day on Wednesday, with tensions escalating across the region and new military developments emerging. Explosions were reported in ...
3rd March 2026
Entrances to Iran's underground and previously bombed uranium-enrichment plant at Natanz have been struck as part of the U.S.-Israeli military attacks on the country, the U.N. nuclear...
25th February 2026
Thousands of Cuban security personnel have begun leaving Caracas after nearly two decades in Venezuela, as Washington ramps up efforts to dismantle the long standing alliance between the...
9th February 2026
María Corina Machado is a prominent figure in Venezuela’s opposition. She has reported that one of her closest associates, Juan Pablo Guanipa, was abducted. This occurred mere hours afte...
3rd March 2026
Ukraine will complete the technical work needed to open negotiations on all topics for its European Union accession process within days, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said.
Zelenski...
26th February 2026
More than 1,700 Africans are fighting for Russia in its war in Ukraine, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said, adding that Moscow was using deception to trick them into fighting....