US

Interpol busts international pedophilia ring

A two-year international operation coordinated by INTERPOL has led to the rescue of 50 children, as well as the arrest and prosecution of child sex offenders in Thailand, Australia and…

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Libya’s conflict is no good news for Malta, Europe or the world in general

Libya has witnessed eight years of chaos and disaster since the arrival of the Arab Spring and the assassination of its longest serving ruler Muammar Gaddafi on October 20, 2011,…

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Multiple injuries in synagogue shooting in California – Update

Update : Authorities have identified the suspect in a shooting at a synagogue outside San Diego as John Earnest and say he’s also being investigated in a fire at a…

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Malta based company, using island to declare profits, to underpay tax, mentioned as example of UK’s effort to curb on tax underpayment by big multinationals

UK authorities are stepping up investigations into the tax affairs of US multinationals, which account for a growing share of suspected underpayment by large businesses. HM Revenue & Customs believes…

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UK’s Huawei role in future 5G mobile network provokes controversy in weakened British Government

Two Cabinet ministers have publicly denied leaking details of the Huawei controversy as Theresa May launched a formal inquiry into the affair. The Telegraph reports that Jeremy Hunt and Gavin Williamson…

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Number of civilian deaths in Syria five times higher than numbers released by US-led coalition

An inquiry by Amnesty International into civilian deaths in modern conflict claimed the US-led coalition killed 1,600 noncombatants in the fight for Raqqa. The figure is five times higher than…

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Couple who starved and tortured 12 of its 13 children sentenced to life imprisonment

A US couple who starved and locked up 12 of their 13 children have been jailed for life. David and Louise Turpin were sentenced during an emotional hearing that saw…

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USA threatens to impose new tariffs on European products over subsidies to Airbus

The White House on Monday threatened to impose new tariffs on European products over subsidies to aerospace giant Airbus. The FT reports that the US is weighing tariffs on $11bn of…

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Morning Briefing News Review

Good morning, Your morning briefing for today with the salient news to start your day informed. Libya: Fighting escalated on Sunday around Libyan capital Tripoli as a military assault on the…

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Armed men kidnap American tourist in Uganda

Four armed men kidnapped an American tourist in Uganda Tuesday and have demanded $500,000 as ransom, the Ugandan Tourism Board and Ugandan police force have said. The American citizen --…

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2003 and 2011 – Iraq and Libya – On this day, two US led military interventions started with one end result – A weaker standing in world ‘policing’

On this day in 2003, the United States, along with coalition forces primarily from the United Kingdom, initiates war on Iraq. Just after explosions began to rock Baghdad, Iraq’s capital,…

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Giraffe’s birth attracts 300,000 viewers on You Tube

April the Giraffe gave birth once again in front of an enthralled YouTube audience on Saturday. More than 300,000 watched live as April gave birth to a healthy male calf…

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Corporate Dispatch Morning Briefing and Newspaper Review

Good morning, Our morning briefing brings you a round up of the latest news, today focusing on New Zealand's massacre, the reports on Malta's newspapers' front pages and a quick…

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EU, US and Canada announce new sanctions against Russia

EU, US and Canada announced new sanctions targeting individuals and companies. The penalties come in response to Russia's actions in the Kerch Strait, the detention of Ukrainian sailors and the…

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President Trump vetoes Congress revocation of emergency situation at Us-Mexico Border

President Donald Trump has vetoed a measure from Congress revoking his declaration of a national emergency at the US-Mexico border. Lawmakers, including 12 Republicans, had passed the rejection resolution on…

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Americans travelling to Europe will have to register for travel authorisation

Americans who want to travel to 26 European nations will have to register and receive a travel authorization before visiting, the European Commission announced on Friday. POLITICO reports that as…

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North Korea disputes Trump’s explanation on summit breakdown

North Korea has disputed Donald Trump’s explanation for the breakdown of talks in Hanoi, saying it only wanted a partial lifting of sanctions in exchange for the dismantlement of its…

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UN Security Council to vote on US and Russian resolutions on Venezuela

The United Nations Security Council is due to vote on Thursday on rival U.S. and Russian draft resolutions on Venezuela, diplomats said, with Washington’s proposal calling for free and fair…

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Michael Cohen expected to accuse Trump of criminal conduct and being a conman, a racist and a cheat – Updated

Michael Cohen is to call Donald Trump “a racist”, a “conman” and a “cheat” in his upcoming testimony, according to a copy of his opening statement obtained by the New…

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House Votes to Block Trump’s National Emergency Declaration About the Border

The House voted on Tuesday to overturn President Trump’s declaration of a national emergency on the Mexican border, with just 13 Republicans joining Democrats to try to block his effort…

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EU warns against military intervention in Venezuela

The European Union on Monday urged the United States and Latin American powers against launching a military intervention to oust the regime of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela. Meanwhile the United States…

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US will refuse to share information with UK if it decides to use Huawei Technology

The US secretary of state has indicated America will refuse to share information with the UK if it decides to use Huawei technology in sensitive areas of infrastructure. Mike Pompeo has said the US,…

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US to leave 200 troops in Syria, in partial reversal of declared intentions

The White House said Thursday that “a small peacekeeping group of about 200” U.S. troops will stay in Syria beyond the planned withdrawal of American forces this spring. An announcement…

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US airline passengers who don’t identify as “male” or “female” will soon have more gender options to choose when booking tickets

US airline passengers who don't identify as "male" or "female" will soon have more gender options to choose when booking tickets. The new gender options to be added include "unspecified" and "undisclosed."…

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Corporate Dispatch Morning Briefing

Good morning, Your Tuesday's morning briefing with a review of the main news outlets from around the world and Malta's newspapers. The Times reports links between the Labour Party and…

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Former FBI deputy director claims that Trump might have committed a crime

Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe said in an interview that a “crime may have been committed” when President Donald Trump fired the head of the FBI and tried to…

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Trump demands Europe to take hundreds of IS fighters captured in Syria

US President Donald Trump has demanded that Europe take in hundreds of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) fighters captured in Syria, threatening that…

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US planes deliver humanitarian aid for Venezuela in Colombia’s border town

US military planes have been delivering humanitarian aid for Venezuela in the Colombian border town of Cucuta. The aid is being stockpiled at the request of the Venezuelan opposition leader,…

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Trump’s nominee for US ambassador to UN withdraws from consideration

Former Fox News anchor and State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert on Saturday withdrew from consideration to be the US ambassador to the United Nations amid criticism that she lacked the…

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Trump’s ‘National Emergency’ declaration to be challenged in court

President Donald Trump declared a national emergency along the southern border Friday and predicted his administration would end up defending it all the way to the Supreme Court. That might…

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Special Counsel Mueller seeks prison sentence for Manafort

Prosecutors for Special Counsel Robert Mueller urged a federal judge in Virginia on Friday to impose a strict prison sentence for President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort, after…

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William Barr confirmed by senate as next US attorney general

The Senate confirmed William Barr as the next attorney general Thursday, putting him in charge of special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. Developing Story

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Corporate Dispatch Morning Briefing – Thursday

Good morning Your morning briefing gives you an overview of the salient news from Malta and around the world. Bank of Valletta said this morning that following yesterday’s events, it…

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Former Trump’s campaign manger Paul Manafort lied to investigators and federal grand jury, Federal Judge rules

A federal judge in the United States has ruled that Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump's former campaign manager, intentionally lied to investigators and a federal grand jury in the special counsel in the Russia probe. The…

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UK Foreign Secretary condemns attack on BBC cameraman by Trump’s supporter

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has condemned an attack on a BBC cameraman by a supporter of Donald Trump at a campaign rally in El Paso, Texas. Asked whether it was acceptable…

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New US Government shutdown looms

Talks between congressional Republicans and Democrats aimed at averting another US government shutdown have broken down without agreement. The negotiators were hoping for a deal by Monday to give Congress…

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US pushing Venezuela’s military to abandon Maduro

The United States is holding direct communications with members of Venezuela’s military urging them to abandon President Nicolas Maduro and is also preparing new sanctions aimed at increasing pressure on…

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Cartoon: God Wanted Trump to Be a President

First published in The Salt Lake Tribune, U.S., February 1, 2019 | By Pat Bagley - Via Politico

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Democracy dies in darkness – Washington Post airs powerful Super Bowl advert on importance of journalists memorialising those who were captured or killed

The Washington Post aired a powerful ad narrated by Tom Hanks during Super Bowl LII on Sunday, complete with its "Democracy Dies In Darkness" tagline. The moving spot begins with…

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US : Police dispatcher helps boy calls 911 asking help in view of his ‘bad-day’ because of a ‘ton of homework’

A very patient police dispatcher is being praised for having the sweetest reaction to a little boy who dialled 911 with a not-so-urgent problem. Antonia Bundy works as a dispatcher…

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Several data collected from Trump’s long-time ally and advisor Roger Stone in Mueller’s investigation

The Justice Department collected volume amounts of evidence from Roger Stone’s iCloud accounts, email accounts and on computer hardware "span several years," special counsel Robert Mueller said Thursday. While prosecutors…

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Compassionate stranger pays hotel stay for 70 homeless people for shelter from record-breaking polar temperatures in the MidWest

Amidst record-breaking polar temperatures in the Midwest, a compassionate stranger paid for 70 homeless people to stay in a hotel. Though Chicago city officials have urged their homeless residents to…

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Trump warns European Countries not to try to evade Iran sanctions

The Trump administration is closely eyeing efforts in Europe to set up an alternative money payment channel to ease doing business with Iran and avoid running afoul of sanctions the…

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Nancy Pelosi invites Trump to deliver State of the Union speech on February 5th

Speaker Nancy Pelosi has sent a letter to President Donald Trump asking him to deliver the State of the Union address on February 5. Pelosi had previously rescinded the invitation…

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The 12-year-old who operates an organisation to hand out meals to the homeless

Liam Hannon may only be 12 years old, but he is already making a big difference in Massachusetts. Liam is the founder and operator of “Liam’s Lunches of Love,” an…

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Top US diplomat for EU affairs resigns

The top US diplomat for European affairs, Wess Mitchell, has resigned. The news come at a time of tension between the European Union and the Trump administration due to US…

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US to pursue extradition of Huawei CFO

The US Justice Department said on Tuesday that it will pursue the extradition of Huawei Technologies Co Ltd's chief financial officer, arrested in Canada in December on allegations that she participated in…

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Supreme Court allowed Trump to enforce banning of transgender people from military

The United States Supreme Court has allowed President Donald Trump to enforce his policy of banning certain transgender people from the military. The court voted 5-4 to grant a Trump…

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Lawyer for a former U.S. marine accused of spying by Russia says his client had been misled

The lawyer for a former U.S. marine accused of spying by Russia said on Tuesday that his client had been misled before his arrest and believed that a thumb drive…

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On this day, 10 years ago, Obama was sworn in as US President

Obama served as the 44th President of the United States (2009-2017). Previously he was a Senator from Illinois before a 2004 speech at the Democratic National Convention cast him into…

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Denuclearisation on agenda as top N. Korea official expected to meet US President Trump

A top North Korean general is in Washington Friday for a rare visit, during which he is expected to meet President Donald Trump as the two countries seek to finalize…

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Trump retaliates against Pelosi’s threat of cancelling SOTU speech by postponing her planned ‘excursion’

President Trump retaliated on Thursday against Speaker Nancy Pelosi for threatening to cancel his planned State of the Union address on Jan. 29, writing in a letter that he, in…

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Manafort worked with alleged Russian agent even after criminal charges – Mueller

"Paul Manafort and an alleged Russian intelligence operative hatched a plan for the future of Ukraine during the 2016 presidential election campaign that continued even after Manafort was criminally charged, prosecutors…

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11 Republican senators break ranks with party to side with Democrats on Russian sanctions

A group of 11 Republican senators broke ranks with their leadership and the administration on Tuesday to side with Democrats in a showdown over sanctions on Russia, underscoring the political…

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Pompeo met Saudi Arabia leaders amidst pressure on relationship with US after Khashoggi’s murder

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met Monday with Saudi Arabia’s leaders, bearing a message of support for a close Trump administration ally at a time when the relationship is under…

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Traveler boards flight from US to Tokyo with firearm

A traveler carrying a firearm boarded a flight from Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and flew to Tokyo Narita International Airport on January 3, according to a statement from the Transportation…

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Brexit and the Border Wall – Two governments paralysed. Two populist projects stalled. Two venerable democracies in crisis – NYT

In Parliament, lawmakers are mired in gridlock over Britain’s departure from the European Union, with no clear path forward. In Washington, President Trump stormed out of a meeting with congressional…

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