World News

Going for universal gold

by Jesmond Saliba The world looked a different place when sports events were suddenly banned at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Ironically, though, the fight against the virus became…

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by Kevin Azzopardi KEVIN AZZOPARDI Half a century ago, sport was generally considered a leisure activity pursued mainly for socialisation and recreation. Things have changed drastically since then, and virtually…

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The state of play

Canada’s Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau actively promoted ice hockey as the country’s national sport in the 1970s and 1980s. His emphasis was more than a simple acknowledgement of a popular…

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Oil producers do themselves a favour

by George Hay via Reuters Breakingviews Saudi Arabia has wised up. The de facto leader of the 13-strong Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, plus 10 allies including Russia who…

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EU report shows positive developments in Member States

by Keith Zahra The European Commission has published the second EU-wide Report on the Rule of Law. The 2021 report looks at the new developments since last September, deepening the…

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Commission seeks public feedback on websites and apps

by Keith Zahra The EU has launched a public consultation on the review of the Web Accessibility Directive. Since 23 June 2021, all public sector websites and mobile apps in…

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UBS’s Ralph Hamers is a CEO in search of a problem

by Liam Proud via Reuters Breakingviews New bank chief executives often inherit messes. Credit Suisse’s Thomas Gottstein took over after a spying scandal, while Citigroup’s Jane Fraser and HSBC’s, Noel…

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Ewropej: We can overcome the challenges our country faces together

“There was a lot on my agenda during the past week as Parliament held the Plenary Session in Strasbourg,” MEP David Casa told this journal. Speaking ahead a meeting of…

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Commission adopts new EU Forest Strategy

by Keith Zahra The European Commission has adopted a New EU Forest Strategy for 2030, a flagship initiative of the European Green Deal that builds on the EU Biodiversity Strategy…

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Intel might spend $30 bln to slim down

by Robert Cyran via Reuters Breakingviews Intel may buy chip manufacturer GlobalFoundries for $30 billion, says a Wall Street Journal report. That seems logical in light of Intel’s production problems,…

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Ewropej: We must keep working to ensure the financing of Malta’s transport and energy projects

Member of the European Parliament Josianne Cutajar, in a plenary meeting in Strasbourg earlier this month, said that geographic seclusion from the European continent makes it important for Malta to…

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New rules seek safe and compliant products on the EU market

by Keith Zahra The EU Market Surveillance and Compliance Regulation came into force in July 2021. The new rules aim to ensure that products placed on the EU market comply…

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A new pitch to the world

The world convened in the diameter stretching from Cornwall to Brussels in June. Not the entire world; quite a small part of it, actually. But the back-to-back meetings of the…

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Ewropej: European Health Union must revolve around patients’ needs

“It is time for a European Health Union that revolves around patients’ needs,” Member of the European Parliament Cyrus Engerer said. “The [Covid-19] pandemic was an eyeopener for all and…

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Ewropej: Long way to go to break gender stereotypes in the business community

There is a long way to go to break gender stereotypes in the business community, MEP Josianne Cutajar told CDpro. The Socialists and Democrats MEP is shadow rapporteur to the…

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Cultivating an economy of wellbeing

In the past two decades, there were various attempts to create new metrics that determine tangible ways how to translate macro-economic wellbeing into an improved quality of life. While the…

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Not so quiet on the eastern front

Founded in response to unease with the USSR, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation has gone through years of wilderness since the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s.…

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Seven nations and China

The group of seven summit in June was refreshingly dull. Leaders were careful to project a sense of stability to the world while playing to their domestic audiences with a…

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North Sea oil IPOs had best take the plunge soon

by George Hay via Reuters Breakingviews North Sea oil companies hoping to float should strip off and take the plunge. Sam Laidlaw, formerly boss of UK utility Centrica (CNA.L), is…

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Bike sharing shifts into a more manageable gear

by Pete Sweeney via Reuters Breakingviews Bike-sharing companies are back in the saddle after a brutal wipe-out. Survivors are now pedalling their way onto public markets in a fresh test…

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Ray-Ban maker may finally live up to merger vision

by Lisa Jucca via Reuters Breakingviews EssilorLuxottica (ESLX.PA) may finally live up to its merger vision. The Paris-listed company on Friday ended the power-sharing pact underpinning the 2018 union that…

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The Tobacco Products Directive: Five years on

The European Commission published its first report on the Tobacco Products Directive, five years after it became applicable in 2016. Following the introduction of this Directive, the EU has witnessed…

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More thorough checks for firearm licences from next year

The Commission has introduced new rules on the systematic exchange of information between member states on refusals to grant authorisations to own a firearm. An estimated 30,000 refusals are issued…

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Eating for your genes

From low-fat to low-carb and from ketogenic to paleolithic, there was no shortage of experimental diets in recent decades. Nutrition experts leveraged food science and human biology to develop healthier…

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Holding the field

Most of the world’s food comes from the ground. Whether raw or infinitely processed, agricultural products are, by far, the largest source of nutrition. But as countries become richer and…

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The sweet and sour of hunger action

With World War II still raging, in 1943, governments from over 40 countries convened to fight another cross-border threat: hunger. Within two years, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) was…

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Crime shouldn’t pay: Why fighting money laundering matters

Among the most pervasive threats to the international economy over the past century, money laundering – or the act by which criminals seek to clean illegally-made gains – has rapidly…

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Inglorious food

by Jesmond Saliba Since at least classical antiquity, civilizations have been longing for an abundance of food. The symbol of the cornucopia was handed down from Greek god to French…

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Shooting the messenger

One night in a turbulent week, news outlets reporting from Gaza City were tipped off about an imminent air assault. The target was their offices. The Al-Jalaa tower housed eight…

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EU to discuss EEA states’ financial contribution for 2021-2027

The Council has adopted a decision authorising the opening of negotiations with Iceland, the Principality of Liechtenstein and the Kingdom of Norway for an agreement on the future financial contribution…

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EU Digital COVID Certificate: EP and Council reach agreement on Commission proposal

The European Parliament and the Council on the Regulation have reached a political agreement governing the EU Digital COVID Certificate. This means that the certificate (previously called the Digital Green…

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The Maltese need to be protected from their own government’

Maltese and Gozitan families need to be protected from their own government, since the Labour government is protecting criminals, MEP David Casa said. He was speaking after the European Parliament…

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Ewropej: Human rights approach needed regarding cannabis legislation

“The war on drugs has failed and a human rights approach is needed on the matter,” Maltese MEP Cyrus Engerer said. The Labour Party MEP was speaking after his office…

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Vega: The first world-class supercomputer in the EU

by Keith Zahra The European Commission together with the European High-Performance Computing Joint Undertaking has launched the operation of the Vega Supercomputer in Maribor, Slovenia. This marks the launch of…

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The first Biden season

These days, far fewer headlines quote the American president than the world had gotten used to in the last four years. To no one’s surprise, Joe Biden has kept a…

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Crossing the Brexit minefield

As spray paint sprawls across public walls and store shutters in Belfast, pronouncing the death of the Good Friday Agreement, the worst fears of the Brexit pact are coming back…

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Vaccination of the fittest

By mid-April, countries around the world administered almost 900 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines. Just a year earlier, confirmed cases of the new disease had risen to one million globally.…

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One hundred & counting

by Jesmond Saliba This year started on the doorstep of change. Historic developments towards the end of 2020 meant that events that had become part of our lives, whether for…

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Ewropej: David Casa pledges to continue to fight ‘those defrauding Malta’

MEP David Casa has pledged to continue the fight against those defrauding the people of Malta and Gozo. “It has never been more important to ensure that the European Parliament…

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EU launches €100 million fund to support vaccination in Africa

by Keith Zahra The EU has formally launched a €100 million humanitarian initiative in support of the COVID-19 vaccination campaigns in Africa. As announced by the President of the European…

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Ewropej: ‘Green Deal should keep in mind island’s challenges in transport and connectivity’

The European Green Deal should go hand in hand with measures that reduce the gap regions face in transport and connectivity, MEP Josianne Cutajar said. The role islands can play…

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Consultation about electoral rights of mobile EU citizens

by Keith Zahra The European Commission has launched a public consultation on the electoral rights of mobile EU citizens, as part of the follow-up of the 2020 Citizenship Report. The…

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Inside looking out

Prince Philip did not have any constitutional position in the Palace, but his sheer strength of character has transformed the monarchy like no one else. With the exception of his…

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A crack at freedom

by Jesmond Saliba The angry crowds that filled the streets of Tunisia in 2011 shouted “Employment, freedom, dignity”, a slogan that would echo in other revolts across the Middle East.…

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The seasons of a revolution – Dr Tonio Borg

by Tonio Borg The popular revolts that raged across the Arab region in 2011 were a turning point, but the direction of change varied from country to country. Dr Tonio…

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The unbroken promise of Libya

by John Naudi ‘Democracy!… Stability!… Prosperity!’. These were a few of the buzz words used by many when the political uprisings and widespread protests erupted in 2011, known as the…

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Fifth instalment of SURE financial support to Member States

by Keith Zahra The European Commission has disbursed €9 billion to seven EU Member States in the fifth instalment of financial support to Member States under the SURE instrument. View…

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Commission sets research & innovation priorities for a sustainable future

by Keith Zahra The European Commission has adopted the first strategic plan for Horizon Europe, the new EU research and innovation programme worth €95.5 billion in current prices. View and…

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Dutch tilt

In February, Amsterdam replaced London as Europe’s largest trade sharing centre. The Capital had held the title for decades, but a ban on EU-based financial institutions trading in the UK…

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Ewropej: ‘Children’s rights should be safeguarded during the pandemic’

Children’s rights should be safeguarded during the pandemic, Member of the European Parliament Josianne Cutajar said. View and Download your free edition of CD Pro here:

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EU extends Ukraine-related sanctions

by Keith Zahra The European Council has extended the sanctions targeting those responsible for undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine for a further six months…

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Ewropej: EU is late on COVID-19 vaccine distribution – European Commission

The European Parliament discussed the Covid-19 vaccine in the presence of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last month. During the debate, the European Commission President admitted that the…

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Eurogroup Finance Ministers warn against premature withdrawal of financial support

by Keith Zahra Eurozone Finance Ministers agreed that respective Member States will ensure that until the health crisis is over and recovery is firmly underway, they will continue to protect…

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Danone CEO exit gives France governance upgrade

by Dasha Afanasieva via Reuters Breakingviews Activist shareholders may find a more receptive audience in Paris. The ouster of Danone boss Emmanuel Faber shows French companies can no longer be…

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Biden’s vaccine pledge looks too modest

by Robert Cyran via Reuters Breakingviews President Joe Biden wants all Americans to be eligible for a shot by May 1 and for the country to be on a path…

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Generating fairness

This month, a consortium in New South Wales, Australia, announced plans for the world’s biggest battery. And at an estimated $2.4 billion, it will also be the priciest. View and…

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Renewables approaching a tipping point

One of the executive orders signed by President Biden on his first day in office, was to revoke the permits for the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline connecting tar…

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