Russian ships to visit

Ships from the Russian Black Sea Fleet have been invited by the government to visit Malta in September, according to the Russian news agency Pravda.

The news was released following a meeting between the Commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, Vladimir Masorin, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The visit will be timed to coincide with the 15th anniversary of the meeting between Mikhail Gorbachev and George Bush in Malta, according to Mr Masorin.

Major Russian-Italian joint naval exercises will be held in the Tyrrhennian Sea, starting from September 4.

The ships will arrive at Taranto base, will then sail to the Tyrrhennian Sea and take part in some NATO exercises.

After that, the Russian warships will visit another Italian port, Augusta, before heading to Malta.