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Malta

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Malta. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Valletta

Head of State

President Myriam Spiteri Debono

Head of Government

Prime Minister Robert Abela

Employees work on an electric-vehicle production line at a factory under Jiangling Group Electric Vehicle in Nanchang, China, on May 22, 2024. The European Union this week imposed provisional tariffs on Chinese-made EVs. Photo: Reuters

World Trade Organization (WTO)

At WTO, China’s trade policy sparks war of words amid geopolitical unease

Concerns about industrial overcapacity and lack of transparency in state subsidies elicit ‘frank and open’ exchanges, revealing deep schisms.

20 Jul 2024 - 1:45AMvideocam

Wellness

Profile | 158cm Singaporean pharmacist on her transition to champion powerlifter

14 Jul 2024 - 7:45AM

Profile

Filmmaker Yang Manman on China’s millions searching for belonging

13 Jul 2024 - 11:45AM

Singapore

Singapore outranks Japan for world’s most powerful passport in 2024

Singapore passport holders have the most flexibility for travel worldwide, with the ability to visit 195 countries without a visa.

29 Jun 2024 - 11:02PMvideocam

Singapore passport holders have the most flexibility for travel worldwide. Photo: Shutterstock

US-China relations

Clash or coexist? Defusing US-China tensions is uncertain, even unlikely: analysts

‘The concept of peaceful coexistence is very laudable as a long-term aspirational goal. But I think it’s a bridge too far in today’s environment,’ one expert concludes.

30 Jun 2024 - 5:57AMvideocam

China-EU relations

Inside the EU’s China EV probe: ‘whole supply chain’ subsidy shock

Dozens of case handlers, 100-plus company visits, piecing together thousands of pages of evidence, tears new rift in an already fraught relationship.

27 Sep 2024 - 10:07AMvideocam

Euro 2024

Czech player forced to miss Euro 2024 after falling off bike in freak injury

Michal Sadilek, who plays for Dutch side FC Twente, recently captained his country in friendly win against Malta but will sit out the European Championship tournament in Germany.

10 Jun 2024 - 1:00PM

Czech Republic midfielder Michal Sadilek will miss Euro 2024 after suffering a freak injury when he fell off his bike. Photo: DPA

European Union

Slovaks and others vote in EU elections under shadow of assassination attempt

Analysts say the Slovak ruling coalition has been using the attack on PM Robert Fico ‘expediently’ to boost his party’s chances of victory.

8 Jun 2024 - 5:10PM

China's economic recovery

The FOMO is real for China’s eager emigrants who see a move as now or never

Middle-class Chinese with the means to move abroad see a rapidly closing window of opportunity as developed countries tighten immigration policies, and the race is on as applicant interest surges.

7 Jun 2024 - 6:00AMvideocam

European Union

Explainer | What’s at stake in the 2024 European Union elections

Nearly 400 million European Union citizens can go to the polls over the coming days to elect members of the European Parliament, or MEPs, in one of the biggest global democratic events.

6 Jun 2024 - 3:04PM

People casting their votes for the European Parliament in Castricum, The Netherlands. Photo: EPA-EFE

China-EU relations

EU members split sharply over measures to de-risk China economic ties

France leads those states eager to protect their industries from any unfair competition by Beijing while Germany and other free-traders say the market can handle it.

4 Jul 2024 - 2:55PMvideocam

An EU investigation is likely to see tougher import duties imposed on electric cars made in China from July. Photo: Chinatopix via AP

Israel-Gaza war

Israeli minister blasts Spain’s plans to recognise Palestinian state

Speaking at a Madrid meeting of global far-right leaders, Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli said plans to recognise Palestinian state would be ‘rewarding’ Hamas attack.

20 May 2024 - 4:55AMvideocam

Technology

Letters | Mental strength can ensure a future for humans in the AI economy

Readers discuss nurturing the human capacity for learning, embracing the technology and using it ethically and responsibly.

12 May 2024 - 2:30PM

Ukraine war

China sees ‘opportune moment’ as it pushes for direct Russia-Ukraine talks

Special envoy Li Hui’s latest mission to Europe was met with scepticism, and could be seen as ‘signalling’ to the Global South that China is a responsible power.

20 Apr 2024 - 6:25AMvideocam

Food and Drinks

‘Best fish and chips’, dumplings: Austrian’s Hong Kong food picks

Stefan Gross, the managing director of food and wine importer Blue Danube Gourmet, reveals where he likes to eat in Hong Kong, from where to get ‘the city’s best fish and chips’ to ‘real comfort food’.

17 Apr 2024 - 12:45PM

Hooked Fish and Chips. Credit: Facebook / Hooked Fish and Chips

Women and gender

Polish lawmakers vote to advance work on lifting near-total abortion ban

Abortion is a highly divisive issue in the traditionally Roman Catholic country, which has one of the most restrictive laws in Europe.

12 Apr 2024 - 9:25PM

United Nations

UN Security Council refers Palestinian full UN member application to committee

The United Nations Security Council said on Monday that it would decide this month on the Palestinians’ bid for full UN membership, with the long-shot campaign unlikely to survive US opposition.

9 Apr 2024 - 11:43AM

Fame and celebrity

Who is Louis Rees-Zammit, the ex-rugby player joining Travis Kelce in the NFL?

Former rugby player Louis Rees-Zammit – who hails from a small town in Wales with a population of less than 30,000 – is now part of the NFL’s biggest team, the Kansas City Chiefs … here’s what we know about him

5 Apr 2024 - 2:00PM

The Kansas City Chiefs have just signed former Wales rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit, which means his new teammates include Taylor Swift’s beau Travis Kelce. Photos: @lrzammit/Instagram

United States

Pentagon scraps plan to spend US$2.5 billion on Intel chip grant

The shortfall is disrupting plans to distribute money from the Chips Act, a landmark piece of legislation meant to revitalise the US semiconductor industry.

13 Mar 2024 - 6:53AMvideocam

Americas and the Caribbean

Haiti gangs threaten civil war as PM faces pressure to quit

Haiti Prime Minister Ariel Henry is being pressured to quit or present a plan for a new government, as gang leaders who have unleashed deadly violence tighten their grip on the country.

7 Mar 2024 - 4:40PM

Ukraine war

China’s special envoy is again heading to Russia and Ukraine. Expectations are low

Li Hui will also visit the EU headquarters in Brussels, as well as Poland, Germany and France to push for a diplomatic solution to the war.

1 Mar 2024 - 12:00PMvideocam

Two years on from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, there is no end to the war in sight. Photo: EPA-EFE

Food and Drinks

Simple pleasures: how Asia’s wine bars are shedding their stuffy image

Serving great wines with a food menu to match, these three wine bars in Hong Kong and Singapore show the oh-so-serious business is finally shedding its elitist image and becoming more welcoming.

23 Feb 2024 - 4:15PM

In Nothing Fancy, a natural wine bar in Singapore, pink neon lights set the tone. Photo: Instagram / @nothingfancy.sg

Semiconductors

US awards US$1.5 billion to GlobalFoundries for chip manufacture

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said: ‘The chips that GlobalFoundries will make … are essential chips to our national security.’

20 Feb 2024 - 5:38AM

US-China relations

China and US ‘step in the right direction’ with top-level talks in Thailand

US national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi tackle Taiwan and the Middle East in discussions in Bangkok, and pave the way for a call between Xi Jinping and Joe Biden in ‘coming months’.

28 Jan 2024 - 2:09PMvideocam

Middle East

US strikes Yemen missile site, will reclassify Houthis as terror group

The US military carried out new strikes in Yemen against anti-ship ballistic missiles in a Houthi-controlled part of the country as a missile struck a Greek-owned vessel in the Red Sea.

17 Jan 2024 - 11:46AMvideocam

A missile being launched from a warship during a US-led coalition operation against Houthi targets in Yemen on January 12. Photo: US Central Command via via Reuters

Middle East

US seizes Iranian-made missile parts en route to Houthi rebels

The raid marks the latest seizure by the US Navy and its allies of weapon shipments bound for the rebels, who have launched a series of attacks now threatening global trade.

16 Jan 2024 - 11:13PMvideocam

The US military said it seized Iranian-made missile parts en route to Huthi rebels from a boat in the Arabian Sea, the first such operation since the start of Huthi attacks against commercial ships last year. Photo: US Navy Visual News Service/AFP

Asia travel

Mumbai: upsides and downsides for visitors to India’s City of Dreams

India’s largest city, Mumbai is home to Bollywood and the country’s second most-photographed building after the Taj Mahal. But there are downsides, including bad traffic, dirty streets and crowded trains.

13 Jan 2024 - 11:15AM

Ukraine war

Ukraine is ‘test site’ for North Korean missiles, Seoul tells UN

The US, meanwhile, said it was abhorrent that Russia, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, was violating resolutions by using arms from Pyongyang.

11 Jan 2024 - 5:10AMvideocam

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