Tag: Malta

Haiti, Malta, Philippines, South Sudan put on money laundering watch list

  Haiti, Malta, Philippines and South Sudan were placed Friday on a “grey list” of countries under increased monitoring to counter money laundering and terrorist financing. The Financial Action Task Force, an international organisation that coordinates global efforts to crack down on money laundering and terrorism financing, said nations on the list are working with it to correct deficiencies in their financial systems. The additions bring to 22 the number of countries currently under increased […]

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Bolt offered contract with Malta football club: reports

SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Sprint king Usain Bolt could be making his way to Europe after being offered a two-year professional football contract in Malta, reports said Tuesday, following his goal-scoring exploits in Australia. Bolt, 32, has been on trial with A-League club the Central Coast Mariners since arriving in Australia in August in his bid to pursue a boyhood dream of becoming a footballer after retiring from athletics last year. The 100 meters world […]

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Malta detains second migrant rescue ship as hundreds die at sea

VALLETTA, Malta (AFP)–Malta on Monday stopped a second migrant rescue ship from leaving its port, as the UN refugee agency reported over 300 migrant deaths at sea in four days. German charity Sea-Watch said in a statement published on its website that the Sea-Watch 3 vessel had been “detained in Malta, without any legal grounds provided by authorities.” The decision by Malta to detain the ship comes just days after Lifeline, another charity boat, was impounded […]

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Storm destroys Malta’s famous rock window

VALLETA, Malta (AFP) — Gale force winds and huge waves on Wednesday destroyed the iconic Azure Window, a coastal rock formation on the Maltese island of Gozo. The Azure Window, believed to have formed naturally in the mid-19th century, has become a landmark of Gozo and the island’s natural beauty. The massive rock arch landmark, with its flat top over the blue sea at Dwejra, is a staple image for Maltese tourist brochures. It seemed to […]

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Updated: Hijackers of Libyan plane surrender in Malta

  by Matthew Xuereb Agence France Presse VALLETTA, Malta (AFP) –Two men used fake weapons Friday to hijack a Libyan plane with 117 people on board and divert it to Malta, before releasing everyone and surrendering, officials said. The Afriqiyah Airways Airbus A320 was en route from Sabha in southern Libya to the capital Tripoli when it was taken over and forced to fly to Malta, sparking a four-hour runway standoff. While they were initially […]

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Man waves Gaddafi-era flag from hijacked Libyan plane in Malta

  (Reuters) — A man exited the hijacked Afriqiyah Airways plane in Malta on Friday (December 23) to wave a green flag similar to those used by supporters of toppled Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi before reentering the aircraft. One of the men who hijacked a Libyan internal flight and diverted it to Malta told Libyan TV on Friday that he was the head of a party supporting the late Gaddafi. The man, who gave his […]

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Passengers released from hijacked Libyan plane: PM

  by Matthew Xuereb Agence France Presse VALLETA, Malta (AFP) — Hijackers claiming to have a grenade took over a Libyan plane and diverted it to Malta Friday, before releasing almost all the passengers onboard, the prime minister of the Mediterranean island said. After more than an hour on the tarmac, the door of the Airbus A320 opened and a first group of women and children were seen descending a mobile staircase. Dozens more passengers […]

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