Russia

Sunday Morning Briefing

Good morning, This is the morning briefing for today. Malta's newspapers report that Bojan Cmelik a Serbian national with no fixed address this morning was accused of attempting to kill businessman…

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World Cup Russia vs Croatia

Twenty years on from Croatia first taking the FIFA World Cup™ by storm, Zlatko Dalic's team have booked the country's place in the semi-finals for the second time in their…

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Insight : What is the nerve agent Novichok?

The Week: Novichok is a series of highly toxic nerve agents, each with a different potency, first developed in the former Soviet Union in the 1970s and 1980s, Reuters reports. The specific circumstances of…

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World Cup – Russia vs Spain

Russia defeated Spain on penalties to earn victory after the inaugural shootout of the 2018 FIFA World Cup™. Koke saw his effort saved by Igor Akinfeev, before Iago Aspas's unsuccessful…

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Putin – Trump Summit will take place in Helsinki on July 16

AP: The Kremlin and the White House say the summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump will take place in Helsinki on July 16. The synchronized…

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Breaking News: Agreement on Summit between Trump and Putin

News Agencies: Presidential adviser to Vladimir Putin on foreign affairs, Yuri Ushakov, said that Moscow and Washington have reached an agreement on Putin having a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump.…

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German intelligence claim Russia attempted hacking into the electric grid

Intelnews.org: The head of Germany’s domestic security agency has publicly blamed the Russian government for a large-scale cyberattack that has targeted German energy providers. The comments follow a June 13 announcement…

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Giuliani says he’ll say no to pardons in Russia investigation

Politico: As long as Rudy Giuliani is serving as President Donald Trump’s lawyer, he’ll advise the president to say no to pardons in the Russia investigation, Giuliani told CNN’s Jake Tapper…

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Taxi driver who hit Moscow pedestrians fell asleep while driving – Moscow Police

AP: The suspect in a taxi crash near Red Square that injured two Mexican World Cup fans and other pedestrians told interrogators that he fell asleep at the wheel, Moscow police…

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Corporate Dispatch Sunday’s Morning Briefing

Good morning, Our Sunday Morning Brief takes you around the globe. Wishing you a good day. Thanks for joining. Jesmond Saliba Managing Editor Amongst various stories, the Maltese stories…

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View the moment a taxi runs into crowd in central Moscow, injuring eight

Authorities said there were no fatalities after a taxi lost control of his vehicle and drove into a crowd in central Moscow on Saturday. https://twitter.com/naran_official/status/1008040313208868871 Eight people sought medical assistance,…

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Report on FBI’s handling of Clinton’s email investigation to be published

AP: The Justice Department’s internal watchdog is expected to criticise the FBI’s handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation, stepping into a political minefield while examining how a determinedly nonpartisan law…

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Let the games begin – World Cup kicks off!

Photos Source : FIFA.com

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Don’t have sex with men from ‘different race’ during World Cup, warns Russian politician

The Guardian: Russian women should avoid sex with non-white foreign men during the football World Cup because they could become single mothers to mixed-race children, a senior lawmaker in Moscow…

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Monday’s Morning Briefing

Good morning A rather hot day as temperatures are expected to reach the 30 degree mark on the Celsius scale, which at times will feel like 34 degrees. The main…

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Trump says Russia should be re-instated to G7

President Donald Trump said Friday that Russia should be reinstated to a leading group of industrialized nations ahead of his visit to the G7 summit this weekend. Trump's statement is…

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The fear of World War 3 should stop global powers from attacking each other -Putin

A fear of mutual destruction should stop global powers from attacking each other and prompting World War III, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday during a public phone-in. "The understanding…

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Putin visits Austria in first visit in EU state since re-election

Easing of sanctions against Russia, the relations with the US and the European Union were the main topics discussed during a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Austrian chancellor, Sebastian…

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Russia accused of literally toying with ex-Soviet neighbour

Distressed Lithuanian shoppers are asking questions about a game that surfaced in the market. The board game includes four military figurines and a peculiar cat that children are meant to…

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Fierce political situation in the US is to blame for delays in US-Russia summit – Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed fierce political disturbances in the United States for difficulties in arranging a summit with President Donald Trump, in remarks broadcast on Monday. Trump said in…

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Monday’s morning briefing – 4th June

Good morning It might be cloudy, and despite the early hours, its 21degrees. The heat intends to persist as the temperature in Malta is expected to reach the 30degree mark.…

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British MPs claim Russia ‘abused’ of Interpol to target British critic of Putin

The Telegraph reports that MPs will urge the Home Secretary to intervene over Russia's "abuse" of Interpol to target a prominent British critic of Vladimir Putin. For a brief time Wednesday, Bill…

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Thursday’s Morning Briefing

Good morning, A number of stories are covered on today's Maltese newspapers. The government of Malta has signed an agreement with the World Health Organisation on technical help for a…

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Polish Political Scientist refused entry in Russia

Poland's government has asked Moscow to explain why Russia has refused entry to the head of Poland's Institute of international affairs, the Polish Foreign Ministry said on May 29. Slawomir…

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‘Politically harassed journalist’ shot dead in Ukraine

Police in Kyiv reported that Arkady Babchenko, a Russian journalist who fled to Ukraine after what he called “political harassment” in Russia, has been shot dead at his home by…

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Salisbury hospital staff reveal their concerns as the Salisbury’s drama unfolded

The Hospital staff who saved the lives of poisoned Russians Sergei and Yulia Skripal, revealed to the BBC, the concerns they had when it emerged they were dealing with victims of a nerve…

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The ‘voice’ which led to the conclusion of Russia’s involvement in the downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17

Radio Free Europe reports that Oleg Vladimirovich Ivannikov's atypical voice led to the conclusion, the 51-year-old was "with very high certainty", as being a missile specialist who was in charge of military operations…

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Putin denies that missile which brought down Malaysian aircraft was a Russian military equipment

Vladimir Putin denied that the missile which brought down a Malaysian airliner in July 2014, killing almost 300 people was a Russian military piece of equipment. This was the first…

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JCPOA remaining partners convene after US withdrawal from Iranian Nuclear deal. They welcome the fact that the (IAEA) has again confirmed the continued adherence by Iran to its nuclear-related commitments

China, Russia, France, the UK and Germany have expressed their commitment to maintain the Iranian nuclear deal, but a solution has not yet been found on how to diffuse and…

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Investigators: Buk Missile From Russian Antiaircraft Brigade Downed Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 in Donetsk, Ukraine

A Dutch-led international criminal investigation has established that the Buk missile that shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine in 2014 came from Russia's 53rd Antiaircraft Missile Brigade. The…

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Thursday’s Morning Briefing – 24th May, 2018

Good morning The Maltese newspapers lead with the story related to a bomb which exploded yesterday in Gharghur. In this explosion a man Kevin Ellul (43), who happens to…

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Yulia Skripal speaks for the first time after Salisbury poisoning

Yulia Skripal, who survived an assassination attempt that UK authorities blame on Russia spoke for the first time following her release from hospital. In an exclusive interview with Reuters, Skripal…

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Reuters : Cyber researchers, Ukraine warn of possible Russian attack

Reuters reports that "hackers have infected at least 500,000 routers and storage devices in dozens of countries, some of the world’s biggest cyber security firms warned on Wednesday, in a campaign…

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Russia blocks UN sanctions on six Libyan people accused of human trufficking

The Libya Observer reports that Russia has blocked a proposal to impose sanctions on six Libyan figures accused of human trafficking and managing smuggling networks for migrants, giving as reason the…

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Tuesday’s Morning Briefing – 22nd May, 2018

Good morning Hazy morning in Malta. The overcast seems to stay throughout the day, even though temperatures should reach 21 degrees (C). Our morning round up follows. Today’s Malta's newspapers…

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UK : Russian ‘dirty’ money is damaging our economy – MPs

Britain’s Foreign Affairs Committee released a report today (May 21) detailing how the UK has been a major beneficiary of Russian money since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, and…

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Chelsea’s Abramovich visa renewal delayed amidst UK-Russia tensions

Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich UK visa renewal has met delays. The issue was highlighted because he was unable to attend the FA Cup final on Saturday in which…

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Obituary – Former Maltese Ambassador Dr. Joseph Cassar passes away

Seasoned Maltese diplomat Dr. Joseph Cassar passed away. Born in 1947, Dr Cassar served as Malta's Ambassador to Portugal, Libya, the Russian Federation and Italy. He served as, Malta's permanent…

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Angela Merkel and Vladimir Putin meet

Germany has a strategic interest in good relations with Russia. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said this following meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The meetings focused on Syria, the conflict…

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Salisbury poisoned agent leaves hospital

Former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, whose poisoning with a nerve agent in the UK triggered a diplomatic crisis with Russia, has been discharged from a British hospital. The 66-year-old, a former colonel in Russia's…

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Vladimir Putin meets Syrian President Bashar al-Assad

Russian President Vladimir Putin met Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad on Thursday and said their "military success" in Syria allowed for a large-scale "political process" leading to the withdrawal of foreign…

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Ukraine expresses its anger as Putin inaugurates bridge to the Crimean Peninsula.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has opened the country's newly built bridge to the annexed Crimean Peninsula, driving a truck across the span and drawing angry condemnation from Kyiv and the…

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Potential motive for Salisbury poisioning

Attack victim Sergei Skripal gave briefings to European intelligence in the past years, reports say. The former Russian spy who moved to Britain was targeted by a nerve agent and…

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Netanyahu indicates Moscow won’t curtail Israeli strikes in Syria

Wrapping up a whirlwind visit to Moscow, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday evening said he has no reason to believe the Kremlin will attempt to limit Israel’s freedom of…

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Reactions to Trump’s announcement on withdrawal from Iran’s nuclear deal

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he is deeply concerned by the US decision to withdraw from Iran nuclear deal, and calls on all other parties to fully abide by…

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Putin takes oath of office

Vladimir Putin took the oath of office for his fourth term as Russian president on Monday and promised to pursue an economic agenda that would boost living standards across the…

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Anti-Putin rallies in Russia

More than 1,600 people — including prominent opposition leader Alexei Navalny — were arrested Saturday in Russia during a day of nationwide protests of the upcoming inauguration of Vladimir Putin…

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Mueller raised possibility of ordering Trump to appear before a Grand Jury – The Washington Post

The Washington Post reports that "In a tense meeting in early March with special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, President Trump’s lawyers insisted he had no obligation to talk with federal investigators probing…

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UK – The Sunday Times reveals study showing Russian bots influencing the General Election by promoting Jeremy Corbyn

The Sunday Times said an investigation it conducted in conjunction with Swansea University had identified 6,500 Russian accounts tweeting supportive messages for Labour and denigrating the Conservatives. It said that many of…

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Russian, Turkish and Iranian Foreign Ministers to meet on April 28

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will hold bilateral talks with the Iranian and Turkish counterparts, Javad Zarif and Mevlut Cavusoglu, as well as three-party talks in Moscow on April 28,…

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Oil prices are artificially Very High! – Trump

"Looks like OPEC is at it again," he wrote. "With record amounts of oil all over the place, including the fully loaded ships at sea, Oil prices are artificially Very…

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US: Democrats file a lawsuit against Russian government, WikiLeaks and Donald Trump’s presidential campaign

The Democratic Party in the USA has filed a lawsuit against the Russian government, WikiLeaks and Donald Trump's presidential campaign that says they conspired to interfere with the 2016 U.S.…

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Ofcom investigating RT

The United Kingdom launched an investigation on a series of programmes aired by Russian TV, RT. Ofcom is in fact examining instances where Kremlin-backed news channel potentially breached UK broadcast…

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Air Strikes on Syria – Russia to allow OPCW inspectors in Douma

Russia said that chemical weapons inspectors in Syria will be permitted to visit the site of an alleged chemical attack, on Wednesday. A representative of Russia's military said late Monday…

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Air Strikes on Syria. What we know so far UPDATED

US President Trump ordered a military attack against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Friday, joining allies Britain and France in launching missile strikes in retaliation for what Western nations said…

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Air Strikes on Syria – Berlusconi weighs in his view on Italy’s position

In a letter published on Sunday's edition of Il Corriere Della Sera, Silvio Berlusconi said that faced with a complex and dramatic situation such as that which has been determined…

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Air Strikes on Syria – Pope Francis urges common action

In his first comments since the missile attacks on Syria by the United States, Britain and France, Pope Francis said on Sunday, April 15, that he is deeply disturbed by…

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