USA

US: Michael Cohen testifies that Trump directed him to commit a crime

U.S. President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen testified on Tuesday that Trump had directed him to commit a crime by arranging payments ahead of the 2016 presidential election…

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Trump releases proposal to roll back regulation which were part of Obama’s climate change agenda

Politico reports that the Trump administration released its proposal to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from power plants today, rolling back the far more ambitious 2015 regulation that was a core…

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Trump tells Reuters about his worry that any statements under oath could be used to bring perjury charges

In an exclusive interview with Reuters, U.S. President Donald Trump said he was worried that any statements under oath he provides to Special Counsel Robert Mueller could be used to…

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Monday Morning Briefing

Good morning, Today's morning briefing is served. Latest: In Afghanistan, Taliban took more than 100 people, including women and children hostage in ambush in North. (AP) The issue…

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US government wants Facebook to break Messenger’s encryption

Reuters report that the U.S. government is trying to force Facebook to break the encryption in its popular Messenger app. The U.S. Government is saying that this needed so that law enforcement…

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Bomb used in Yemen’s school bus attack made and sold by US

CNN reports that the bomb used by the Saudi-led coalition in a devastating attack on a school bus in Yemen was sold as part of a US State Department-sanctioned arms deal with Saudi…

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Saturday Morning Briefing

Good morning Today's morning briefing covering news from Malta, the Mediterranean, Europe and the World as reported by the main news agencies and outlets. Special counsel prosecutors are asking…

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On this day in 1998, Clinton testifies in Grand Jury

On this day in 1998, President Bill Clinton becomes the first sitting president to testify before the Office of Independent Council as the subject of a grand-jury investigation. The testimony came after…

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Jurors began their deliberations in the trial of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort

Jurors began their deliberations Thursday in the trial of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who prosecutors say earned $60 million advising Russia-backed politicians in Ukraine, hid much of it…

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Turkish court rejects appeal of US Pastor Brunsonto who is at the centre of the recent US – Turkey diplomatic rift

Hurriyet Daily News reports that a Turkish court has rejected an appeal for United States Christian pastor Andrew Brunsonto be released from house arrest during his trial on terrorism charges. Brunson’s lawyer, İsmail…

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Thursday Morning Briefing

Good morning, The following Morning Briefing presents the salient news as reported from the main newspapers and news media. Malta’s frontpages report the settlement of the MV Aquarius stalemate…

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Manafort’s lawyers rest case without defence witnesses

Paul Manafort’s lawyers declined Tuesday to call any witnesses to defend him against charges of bank and tax fraud. Mr. Manafort, President Trump’s former campaign chairman, also told the judge…

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Wednesday Morning Briefing

Good morning, The news around the world, including Malta are dominated with the tragedy that took place on Tuesday in Genoa, Italy. Earlier, the last news cycle started off with…

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Report reveals child sexual abuse cases which bishops covered up in Pennsylvania for 70 years

The New York Times reports that bishops and other leaders of the Roman Catholic Church in Pennsylvania covered up child sexual abuse by hundreds of priests over a period of 70…

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Trump says that fired former aide who released tapes of recorded conversations is low life

Updated: AP reports that Omarosa Manigault Newman's former colleagues said they are shocked that she secretly recorded private conversations with President Donald Trump and his chief of staff. But surreptitious…

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FBI senior official who belittled Trump fired for violating FBI policies

>> The New York Times reports that Peter Strzok, the F.B.I. senior counterintelligence agent who disparaged President Trump in inflammatory text messages and helped oversee the Hillary Clinton email and Russia…

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Trump’s anti-press rhetoric very close to incitement to violence – Outgoing UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

The Guardian reports that the outgoing UN human rights commissioner described Donald Trump’s anti-press rhetoric as “very close to incitement to violence” that would lead to journalists censoring themselves or being attacked.…

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Sunday Morning Briefing

Good morning, Today's morning briefing covers the stories we find on the Maltese Newspapers and some of the main news which took place in the past 24 hours around the…

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1st Anniversary since Charlottesville violence

AP/Reuters: The city of Charlottesville marked the anniversary of last summer’s white supremacist violence that sent ripples through the country with largely peaceful vigils and other events, but police had a…

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Collins suspends re-election campaign

New York Republican representative Chris Collins announced he was suspending his campaign for re-elections, days after federal prosecutors charged him with insider trading. New York Times reports that Mr. Collins, who…

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Monsanto has been ordered to pay $289m (£226m) damages to a man who claimed herbicides containing glyphosate had caused his cancer

Chemical giant Monsanto has been ordered to pay $289m (£226m) damages to a groundskeeper Dewayne Johnson, a man who claimed herbicides containing glyphosate had caused his cancer. The BBC reports…

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Saturday Morning Briefing

Good morning, Your morning briefing for today. We wish you a good day. The Police issued a statement stating that former Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit and Economic Crimes Unit…

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Erdogan phones Putin as Turkish Lira loses value as tensions with USA reach high levels (UPDATED)

UPDATE: A statement by the Kremlin announced that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke by phone with Vladimir Putin to discuss “trade and economic cooperation. The statement will fuel speculation that Erdoğan…

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North Korea claims the US is not adhering to what was agreed on

North Korea issued a forceful statement Thursday against what it said were elements of the US government which are not adhering to the spirit of the dialogue established by US…

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Friday Morning Briefing

Good morning, Start your day informed with your morning briefing providing you the highlights of what happened in the last 24 hours Malta, Europe and the World, in just under…

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US Federal Court orders ban of pesticide chlorpyrifos linked to developmental and neurological disorders, especially in children and infants.

A federal appeals court has ordered the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ban the pesticide chlorpyrifos, which former Administrator Scott Pruitt refused to do last year. The decision is a major win…

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US announces Space Force as the new branch of US Security

Vice President Mike Pence announced the Pentagon's detailed plan for President Donald Trump's vision of a Space Force on Thursday, which would establish the first military branch in over 70 years. Trump first floated…

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50 killed, 77 injured in an attack on school bus in Yemen. US-backed Saudi military alliance blamed (UPDATED)

An airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition fighting Shiite rebels hit a bus driving in a busy market in northern Yemen on Thursday, killing least 50 people including children and wounding…

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Largest wildfires ever recorded in California threaten urban areas and incinerate neighbourhoods

The Press Democrat reports that the largest wildfire ever recorded in California needed just 11 days to blacken an area nearly the size of Los Angeles — and it's only one…

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POLITICO : Putin lobbied Trump on arms control

Vladimir Putin presented President Donald Trump with a series of requests during their private meeting in Helsinki last month, including new talks on controlling nuclear arms and prohibiting weapons in space, according…

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The Inquiry about the ties between Russia and President Trump’s campaign to include woman who ran upscale escort service

A woman who once ran an upscale New York City escort service will appear on Friday before a federal grand jury that is hearing evidence in the wide-ranging inquiry into…

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The tariff war and the cloud

The Financial Times reports that the information factories for the cloud computing age are about to get caught in the crossfire of the US-China trade war. Two rounds of US…

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Trump urged to stop tweeting about meeting with Russians at Trump Tower

President Donald Trump has been urged to stop tweeting about the 2016 Trump Tower meeting between Trump's top advisers and several Russians, a source familiar with discussions tells CNN. The…

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Tuesday Morning Briefing

Good morning Your Tuesday Morning Briefing covers the main headlines of the news. The main story remains the powerful explosion which took place in Bologna on Monday afternoon. 2…

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European diplomats vow to work together to preserve nuclear deal with Iran

Europe's top diplomats have vowed to work together to preserve a multinational nuclear deal with Iran, as US President Donald Trump signed an executive order paving the way for the…

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US President signed executive order reimposing sanctions on Iran (UPDATED)

Times of Israel: Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said Monday that Washington’s call for new negotiations at the same time as it reimposes crippling sanctions “makes no sense.” Rouhani said “Negotiations with…

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Trump changes versions about meetings his son held, where ‘dirt on Clinton’ was provided

AP reports that President Donald Trump appears to have changed his story about a 2016 meeting at Trump Tower that is pivotal to the special counsel’s investigation, tweeting that his son…

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Is Trump pushing towards ending Palestinans’ refugee status?

Foreign Policy reports that Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor, has quietly been trying to do away with the U.N. relief agency that has provided food and…

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Reuters: Despite tensions, Russia seeks U.S. help to rebuild Syria

An exclusive story by Reuters says that Russia has used a closely guarded communications channel with America’s top general to propose the two former Cold War foes cooperate to rebuild Syria and repatriate…

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President Trump unleashes attack on media – UN expresses concern, daughter distances herself

AP/BBC President Donald Trump is renewing his campaign against the media, claiming at a Pennsylvania rally that the media is the “fake, fake disgusting news” and casting journalists as his true…

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Insight: The political implications of the change of the Church’s position on Death Penalty

Based on reports from CNN and the Catholic News and Catholic News Agency The Vatican changed on Thursday the Catechism of the Catholic Church's teaching on the permissibility of the…

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Friday Morning Briefing

Good morning, Your Morning Briefing for today follows. Both the Times and The Malta Independent refer to the S&P credit rating on the banking system. Respected credit ratings agency Standard and Poors has…

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Iranian naval forces increase activity near key oil areas in Middle East

USA Today reports that Iranian naval forces have increased activity near key oil shipping choke points in the Middle East, U.S. military officials said Wednesday. Iran recently threatened to…

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Casualties from Korean war laid to rest on American land

AP: In an emotional and solemn ceremony in Hawaii, the remains of dozens of presumed casualties from the Korean War were escorted by military honour guards onto U.S. soil on…

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Russian Election Interference Probe investigations : Trump tweets that Attorney General should stop “Rigged Witch Hunt’ – Giuliani: Mueller should put up or shut up – Mueller insists Trump should answer in person – White House argues Trump’s tweets are just an opinion and not orders

On Wednesday Trump unleashed several tweets on Wednesday attacking special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian election interference and possible ties to the president’s campaign. Special counsel Robert Mueller has…

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