Latest world news

Panama Papers journalist killed by a car bomb in Malta

Published

9 years ago

October 17, 2017

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]By Stephen Calleja/AP

Daphne Caruana Galizia had exposed the island nation’s links to offshore tax havens through the leaked Panama Papers

A Maltese investigative journalist who exposed the island nation’s links to offshore tax havens through the leaked Panama Papers was killed when a bomb exploded in her car, on Monday.

Daphne Caruana Galizia, 53, had just driven away from her home in Mosta, a large town on Malta’s main island, when the bomb went off, sending the vehicle’s wreckage spiraling over a wall and into a field, Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said.

Caruana Galizia’s death resulted from a “barbaric attack” that also amounted to an assault on freedom of expression, Muscat said. He described her as “one of my harshest critics, on a political and personal level” as he denounced her slaying.

One of the topics the veteran reporter examined was what the documents from the 2016 leak said about Malta. She wrote that Muscat’s wife, the country’s energy minister and the government’s chief-of-staff had offshore holdings in Panama to receive money from Azerbaijan.

Muscat and his wife, Michelle, denied they had companies in Panama.

Caruana Galizia filed a police report two weeks ago saying she was receiving threats, law enforcement officials told Malta news outlets on Monday.

The slain journalist had been a regular columnist for The Malta Independent, writing twice weekly for the newspaper since 1996. She also wrote a blog called “Running Commentary,” which was followed by in Malta.

A half hour before she was killed, she posted to her web site an item about a libel claim the prime minister’s chief of staff had brought against a former opposition over comments the latter made about corruption.

Caruana Galizia herself had been sued for libel over articles she wrote for her blog. Opposition leader Adrian Delia sued her over a series of stories linking him to a prostitution racket in London. Economy Minister Chris Cardona claimed libel when she wrote that he visited a brothel while in Germany on government business.

Monday evening’s Parliament session was scrapped, except for briefings about the bombing given by Muscat and Delia, who called the reporter’s slaying a “political murder”.

Muscat said he has asked the U.S. government and the FBI for help investigating the car bombing.

Caruana Galizia is survived by her husband and three sons. One son, Matthew, was on the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists team that won the Pulitzer Prize for its work on the Panama Papers scandal.

The leak exposed the identities of rich and powerful people around the world who allegedly had offshore holdings in Panama.

Caruana Galizia’s family has asked the Courts of Malta to have the magistrate assigned to conduct the inquiry into the journalist’s death replaced.

The family said the magistrate, Consuelo Scerri Herrera, “in her personal capacity, had launched judicial procedures against (Caruana Galizia) regarding comments she had written.”

Caruana Galizia for many years was a harsh critic of Malta’s Labor party and government. More recently she had expanded her criticism to include the opposition Nationalist Party.

Her slaying drew swift denunciations in the tiny EU nation.

“Daphne played a vitally important role in unearthing serious allegations of money laundering and corruption in Malta, including those involving senior figures in the Maltese government,” said Sven Giegold, a Greens member in the European Parliament.

Italian newsweekly L’Espresso, which has also written about alleged corruption linked to Malta, said the reporter’s murder demonstrated that a well-documented expose’ “is perceived as a danger by the powerful and by organized crime.” European Parliament President Antonio Tajani in a tweet called the development a “tragic example of a journalist who sacrificed her life to search for the truth.”

(This article is from a syndicated feed provided by the AP)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Latest world news

Magnitude 7 earthquake strikes Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula

A magnitude 7 earthquake struck Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula region on Friday. The initial report placed the earthquake at a depth of 140 kilometres.

Published

6 hours ago

October 16, 2026

APNLive Desk

A magnitude 7 earthquake struck Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula region on Friday, October 16, according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC).

The initial report placed the earthquake at a depth of 140 kilometres (approximately 87 miles). Details about the impact of the earthquake, including any damage or casualties, were not immediately available in the initial report.

Earthquake strikes seismically active Kamchatka region

Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula is a seismically active region where earthquakes occur because of tectonic activity.

The latest earthquake was reported by the EMSC, which provided the initial magnitude and depth estimates. Further information about the situation on the ground was not available in the initial report.

What is known so far

Location: Kamchatka Peninsula region, Russia
Magnitude: 7.0
Date: Friday, October 16, 2026
Reported depth: 140 kilometres
Casualties and damage: Not provided in the initial report

Latest world news

S Jaishankar says India is a natural option for Russia amid Europe tensions

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said India remained a natural option for Russia as Moscow increasingly turned towards Asia amid strained relations with Europe. He highlighted the continuity of India-Russia ties and their significance for the balance of power in Asia.

Published

2 days ago

October 14, 2026

APNLive Desk

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has described India as a natural option for Russia as Moscow increasingly looks towards Asia amid deteriorating relations with Europe. He said India’s longstanding relationship with Russia had remained steady despite significant changes in the international strategic landscape.

Jaishankar made the remarks during a conversation with John Micklethwait, editor-in-chief of the Bloomberg New Economy Forum. He discussed how the Russia-Ukraine war had affected Moscow’s relationship with Europe and contributed to Russia’s growing focus on Asia.

Jaishankar highlights Russia’s shift towards Asia

Jaishankar said Russia’s relationship with Europe had become deeply strained following the Ukraine war. He noted that Russia had historically viewed itself as a European country and placed considerable importance on its relations with Europe and the United States.

However, the conflict had pushed Moscow to look increasingly towards Asia,with much of that shift directed towards China.

The minister said it was in India’s interest, as well as the wider world’s interest, for Russia to maintain multiple relationships in Asia rather than having its options concentrated in one direction.

Against this backdrop, he described India as a natural partner for Russia, pointing to the longstanding nature of the relationship between the two countries.

India-Russia ties remain steady despite global changes

Jaishankar said India and Russia had maintained a consistent relationship over several decades. He emphasised that New Delhi continued to engage with Moscow even as the global order and Russia’s strategic calculations evolved.

According to the minister, India was reassuring Russia that the relationship built over nearly eight decades remained steady despite the changes in Moscow’s relations with Europe and the wider West.

He stressed that India was not passing a value judgment on those changes but was continuing its bilateral engagement with Russia.

Jaishankar said the relationship had benefited both countries and contributed to the balance of power and the broader status quo in Asia.

Why the relationship matters for Asia

Jaishankar’s remarks highlighted India’s position in Russia’s changing regional outlook. As Moscow increasingly turns towards Asia, India continues to maintain its longstanding ties with Russia while navigating a changing international environment.

The minister’s comments underscored the importance he placed on preserving India-Russia ties and ensuring that Russia maintained multiple relationships in Asia.

His assessment came against the backdrop of strained Russia-Europe relations following the war in Ukraine, which has reshaped Moscow’s engagement with Western countries and increased its focus on Asian partners.

Latest world news

Putin praises PM Modi, says he has very good ideas on Ukraine war

Russian President Vladimir Putin has praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for repeatedly raising the need to end the Ukraine war, describing his ideas for a settlement as “very good”.

Published

2 weeks ago

October 2, 2026

APNLive Desk

Russian President Vladimir Putin has praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his continued efforts to promote an end to the Russia-Ukraine war, saying the Indian leader has “very good ideas” aimed at finding a mutually acceptable solution.

Putin made the remarks while addressing the Valdai Forum of international Russia experts, where he spoke about Modi’s repeated efforts to raise the issue of ending the conflict.

What Putin said about PM Modi

Putin said Modi has continued to raise the question of ending the conflict despite the close and friendly relationship between India and Russia.

According to Putin, the Prime Minister has shown a strong interest in finding a solution and has ideas that could help identify mutually acceptable ways to resolve the conflict.

Putin also described India’s position as neutral while highlighting Modi’s interest in bringing the conflict to an end through peaceful means.

The Russian president expressed gratitude to Modi for his ideas and his desire to see the conflict end as soon as possible.

Modi’s position on the Ukraine war

PM Modi has repeatedly called for dialogue and diplomacy to resolve conflicts, including during his meetings with Putin.

During their September 11 meeting in New Delhi, Modi reiterated that dialogue and diplomacy are the way forward for resolving conflicts.

Modi had also told Putin during their meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek that the situation needed to move from “endless war” towards an end to the war.

India has consistently maintained that conflicts should be addressed through dialogue and peaceful means, with Modi previously describing the present period as not being an era of war.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict began in February 2022 and has continued despite repeated diplomatic efforts to seek a resolution.