Insights

Slovakia’s Polarised Politics: Insights into Robert Fico’s Political Controversies

Tomas Sniegon, Lund University Slovak society is in shock after a 71-year-old man fired five shots at the prime minister, Robert Fico, while he was greeting a small crowd after…

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King Charles III Portrait: Decoding the Symbolism and Legacy

Gabriele Neher, University of Nottingham It looks as if many people are “seeing red” when it comes to the first official portrait of King Charles III. Reactions to Jonathan Yeo’s…

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The fossils being formed today will show how humankind disrupted life on Earth

Mark Williams, University of Leicester; Anthony D. Barnosky, University of California, Berkeley; Elizabeth Hadly, Stanford University, and Jan Zalasiewicz, University of Leicester When we think of fossils it is usually…

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These local council results suggest Tory decimation at the general election ahead

Paul Whiteley, University of Essex The local elections which took place on May 2 have provided an unusually rich set of results to pore over. Around 2,600 seats were up…

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What does ESG mean? Two business scholars explain what environmental, social and governance standards and principles are

Environmental, social and governance business standards and principles, often referred to as ESG, are becoming both more commonplace and controversial. But what does “ESG” really mean? It’s shorthand for the…

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Malta registers second largest drop in employees in the cultural sector

In 2021, 7.36 million people were employed in the cultural sector in the EU, representing 3.7% of total employment. At the EU level, the number of people working in culture in the…

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Malta: Debt levels reach €8.56 billion by August

By the end of August 2022, the Government’s Consolidated Fund reported a deficit of €359.0 million, the NSO said, while debt levels continued to increase - now reaching €8.56 billion,…

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Malta: Unemployment drops further in July

In July 2022, the number of persons registering for work stood at 925 decreasing by 617 when compared to the corresponding month in 2021. Data provided by Jobsplus for July…

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Explainer – How did Libya Fall Apart?

Aug 28 (Reuters) - Libya's worst fighting for two years suddenly hit the capital, Tripoli, on Saturday. This explains what led to the violence, why it matters, and how things may play…

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Living with COVID: how treating masks like umbrellas could help us weather future pandemic threats

Thankfully, the UK now looks to be past the peak of both the recent heatwave and the latest COVID wave. But there will be more of both – and in…

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EXPLAINER-What’s driving the power struggle in Iraq?

BAGHDAD, July 31 (Reuters) - A power struggle in Iraq between the influential Shi'ite cleric Moqtada Sadr and Iran-backed Shi'ite rivals has escalated with his supporters breaking into parliament and beginning an…

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Less than a thousand registering for work – NSO

The NSO reported that there are only 961 persons still registering for work, with the number being more than halved over the past twelve months. Data provided by Jobsplus for…

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Three NATO gambles that have played a big role in the horrors of war in Ukraine

by John Duncan - For 25 years, experts warned that the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was risky. The leading voice among them was the late American…

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From soaring gas prices to another world war, economic sanctions can lead to dire unintended consequences

The Conversation - Western governments have united to bring in a number of serious economic sanctions against Russia in retaliation for its violence in Ukraine, including the latest announcement that…

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Ukraine: nonviolent resistance is a brave and often effective response to aggression

by - Alexandre Christoyannopoulos - Responses to the Russian invasion have been swift. Thousands of people both in Ukraine and abroad are enlisting to fight against the odds. Ukrainian men…

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Meet Russia’s oligarchs, a group of men who won’t be toppling Putin anytime soon

by Stanislav Markus - U.S. President Joe Biden and other world leaders are setting their sights on Russia’s oligarchs as they seek new ways to punish Vladimir Putin – and…

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How do Russia’s reasons for war stack up? An expert on ‘just war’ explains

by Valerie Morkevicius - War is always a tragedy. It sometimes seems inevitable. But is it ever justified? Philosophers, theologians, politicians and military leaders have wrestled with this question for…

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Malta: Inflation jumps to 4.1% in January

In January 2022, the annual rate of inflation as measured by the HICP was 4.1% up from 2.6% in December 2021, one of the highest increases recorded in recent times,…

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Malta: Industrial production in heavy decrease over 2021

In November 2021, the seasonally adjusted index of industrial production decreased by 3.7% over the previous month, data released by the NSO has shown. When compared to November 2020, the…

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EXPLAINER – From stability to turmoil – what’s going on in Kazakhstan

Jan 8 (Reuters) - Dozens of people have died and thousands have been detained in Kazakhstan over the past week during the worst violence seen in the Central Asian nation…

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Malta: Graduates drop 5% in 2020 – NSO

Tertiary-level graduates totalled 4,629 during 2020, equivalent to a decrease of 4.9 per cent over the previous year.The largest share of tertiary graduates (55.5 per cent) attained a qualification at…

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Malta: Food drags inflation upwards again

Food remained the largest contributor to inflation as measured by the Retail Price Index, the NSO said today. The annual rate of inflation has reached 2.25% in October, up from…

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Malta: Health workers behind increase in full-time employment

In May 2021, registered full-time employment increased by 2.6% while part-time employment as a primary job increased by 2.1% compared to the corresponding month in 2020. Administrative data provided by…

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Doomscrolling COVID news takes an emotional toll – here’s how to make your social media a happier place

Picture this: it’s April 2020, you’re between Zoom meetings, and scrolling through your social media newsfeed. Headlines like “Death toll continues to rise”, “COVID-19 may cause long-term health implications” and…

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Malta: Exports decline in first eight months of the year

Despite stronger economic activity in 2021, exports have registered a slight drop in the first eight months of the year compared to the corresponding period last year, a matter of…

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Malta: Education costs tops food as largest contributor to cost of living increase in September

As thousands of children and students returned to their classes in the past few weeks, education performed as the highest contributor to annual inflation, at 17.2%, with food and beverage,…

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Malta: Financial services contribute 90% to FDI in 2020

The Financial services industry contributed to over 90% of total Foreign Direct Investment Flows in 2020. These totalled €196.2 billion, an increase of €3.4 billion over the year before. According…

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Malta: Self-employed make 15% of working population

Nearly 40,500 persons in Malta are self-employed, equivalent to 15.1 per cent of all persons with a main job. Figures by the National Statistics Office show that just over 28,800…

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Malta: Total employment rises in Q2

The total number of persons in employment stood at 266,553 in the second quarter this year, an increase of 3.2 per cent from the same period in 2020. According to…

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Malta: Early school leaving rate higher among men

The total rate of early leavers from education and training stood at 12.8 per cent in 2020, down from 13.9 per cent the year before. Figures by the National Statistics…

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Malta: Almost half of population registers a low level of education

The rate of person with a low level of education stood at 46.4 per cent in 2020, according to figures published by the National Statistics Office. A low educational attainment…

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Over-the-counter rapid antigen tests for COVID-19 can help slow the spread of the delta variant — here’s when to use them

The rise of the highly transmissible delta variant around the U.S. has increased demand for rapid antigen COVID-19 tests that can be purchased from a pharmacy without a prescription, used…

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The Ronaldo effect: what big players mean for the business goals of clubs like Manchester United

The prodigal son returns. In the last few days of a frenzied football transfer window, Manchester United pulled off a dream signing, welcoming Cristiano Ronaldo back to his former club.…

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How online mindfulness training can help students thrive during the pandemic

COVID-19 is reasserting itself, with the Delta variant posing a serious threat to young people. The pandemic has made physical distancing an inescapable new reality of post-secondary education as universities…

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How Japan’s Olympic success has been followed by COVID failure

From a sporting perspective, the Tokyo Olympics were a massive success for Japan. Finishing third behind the Olympic behemoths of the US and China, Japan secured a record 27 gold…

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Malta: Tourists from the UK make less than 5% in June

Total visitors from arriving from France reached nearly 13,000 in June this year, the highest number of tourists from any single country. Figures by the National Statistics Office show an…

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Malta: Women in long-term unemployment increase by 10 per cent

The overall rate of unemployment among women fell from 1,698 in June 2020 to 569 in the same month this year. Figures by the National Statistics Office show that the…

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Malta: Producer goods sustain monthly rise

Industrial producer prices in June rose for the fourth consecutive month, registering an increase of 0.36 per cent from May. The total producer price index stood at 110.88 in June,…

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Malta: Internal tourism accounts for 90% of Gozo visitors in 2020

Domestic tourism between Malta and Gozo rose to 360,460 in 2020, an increase of 52 per cent from 2019. Data by the National Statistics Office shows that nearly 97 per…

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Malta: Electric and hybrid cars increase by a fifth in the second quarter

The annual rate of inflation in July stood at 0.7 percent, the lowest increase in the months under review since January 2018. Figures by the National Statistics Office show that…

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Malta: House prices drop in the first quarter

The House Price Index fell by 1.6 per cent between January and March this year compared to the preceding quarter. Data by Eurostat shows that Malta was one of only…

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Malta: Retail registers one of the highest annual increases in the EU

Total retail trade grew by 22 per cent between May 2020 and May 2021, well above the 9.0 per cent average registered in the EU. Data by Eurostat shows that…

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Malta: Public debt soars in first quarter

Total government debt grew to €7,478.2 million between January and March, up from €6,958.5 million in the preceding quarter. Figures by the National Statistics Office show an increase of €1.544.8…

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Malta: Youth unemployment drops below two thousand

Youth unemployment stood at 1,944 in May, the first time it fell below 2,000 in a year. Figures by the National Statistics Office show a month-on-month decrease of 0.7 percentage…

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Malta: Industrial prices up by a tenth in four years

The industrial producer price index rose to its highest point in May 2021, an increase of 9.92 per cent from the same month in 2017. Figures by the National Statistics…

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Malta: Energy from photovoltaics up by a fifth in 2020

Production of energy from photovoltaic installations amounted to just under 185,000 kWp in 2020, an increase of 19.6 per cent from the previous year. Data by the National Statistics Office…

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Malta: Industrial production eclipses EU average in April

Industrial production rose by 5.6 per cent between March and April, the second-highest rate among EU members. Figures by Eurostat show that the increase outpaced the EU average of 0.5…

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Malta: Production grows across the board for the first time in a year

Industrial Production increased by 5.3 per cent in April compared to the previous month, registering growth across all major groupings for the first month in twelve months. The Index of…

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Malta: Property transactions decrease in May but total value increases

Final deeds of property sales in May surpassed a total value of €300 million for the first time since October 2018. Figures by the National Statistics Office show transactions adding…

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Malta: Women score lower unemployment rate than men

The rate of unemployment among women stood at 3.7 per cent in April, the first time it fell lower than the male unemployment rate in twelve months. Unemployment among men…

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Malta: Total value of residential property sales nears €230 million in April

Final deeds of sale for residential properties reached a combined value of €228.4 million in April, almost level with the same month in 2019. Last year, total transactions amounted to…

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Malta: Asia represents a fifth of trade in goods

Exports to Asian countries accounted for 18.8 per cent of the total trade goods in the first quarter of 2021, with a combined value of €142.2 million. Imports from Asia…

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Malta: Imports from UK fall by 45% since Brexit

Total imports from Britain stood at €75.3 million in the first three months since the UK’s withdrawal from the EU came into full effect on January 1, 2021. In the…

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Malta: Passengers between the islands decrease by a third

The number of passengers crossing between Malta and Gozo in the first quarter this year decreased by 31.5 percent compared with the same period in 2020. Figures by the National…

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Malta: Nine students for every teacher in schools

The overall ratio between teachers and the student population stood at 9.2 in the academic year 2018-2019. Data by the National Statistics Office shows that the ratio was lowest in…

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Malta: Retail sector registers sharpest drop in the EU

The volume of retail trade fell for a second consecutive month in February, decreasing by 1.5 percent from January. Data by Eurostat shows that the drop in Malta was the…

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Malta: Fewer tourists but longer stays in February

Inbound tourism in February dropped nearly 94 percent compared with the same month last year, with a total of 9,151 visitors. Figures by the National Statistics Office, however, show that…

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