The Dispatch

Pope to visit Spain this year, with stops in Madrid, Barcelona and Canary Islands

Pope Leo XIV is planning to travel to Spain this year, with stops in Madrid, Barcelona and the Canary Islands to fulfil Pope Francis’ wish of visiting a key migration…

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34 arrests in Spain during action against the ‘Black Axe’ criminal organisation

The Spanish National Police (Policía Nacional), in close cooperation with the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office (Bayerisches Landeskriminalamt) and with the support of Europol, has conducted an operation against the…

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Italy wants stricter 5% safeguard trigger in Mercosur deal

Italy wants a stricter threshold for the suspension of imports under the planned Mercosur trade agreement, its agriculture minister said in an interview published on Thursday, ahead of an EU…

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Severe Weather in Italy: Aniene River Floods Rome as Snow Brings Motorway Disruption

Rome is grappling with severe weather conditions after the Aniene River burst its banks, flooding roads and prompting closures across parts of the capital, while heavy snowfall caused major disruption…

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Cyprus parties receive €12.7 million in state funding ahead of parliamentary elections

Political parties in Cyprus will this week receive €12.7 million in public funding, providing a significant financial boost ahead of the island’s next parliamentary elections. The funds form part of…

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UPDATED: Severe Snow, Ice and Cold Disrupt Air and Rail Travel Across Western Europe

Freezing weather gripped swathes of Europe on Tuesday, with snow and icy conditions forcing the cancellation of hundreds of flights in the Netherlands and leading to the deaths of five…

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Anna Falcone, sister of anti-Mafia judge Giovanni Falcone, dies aged 95

Anna Falcone, the elder sister of renowned anti-Mafia prosecutor Giovanni Falcone, has died at the age of 95, her family announced on Monday. Giovanni Falcone was killed by Cosa Nostra…

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UPDATED: Greece says a radio failure that grounded flights is unlikely to be a cyberattack

Greece’s transport minister said Monday that a major radio communications failure that shut the country’s airspace a day earlier is unlikely to have been a cyberattack, though the cause remains…

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Autostrada tolls in Italy to go up 1.5%

Italy's highway tolls are to go up by 1.5% to track inflation in the New Year, the transport ministry said this week saying it was a move they had tried…

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Italy’s Tajani calls for electoral reform with majority bonus before next national vote

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Wednesday the country's electoral law should be reformed to adopt a more proportional system as the ruling bloc seeks to safeguard its majority…

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More than 3,000 migrants died trying to reach Spain in 2025

More than 3,000 people died trying to reach Spain by sea over the past year, a sharp fall from the previous 12 months. However, activists cautioned that the drop reflected…

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Greece, Israel and Cyprus to step up joint exercises in eastern Mediterranean

Greece, Israel and Cyprus will step up joint air and naval exercises in the eastern Mediterranean in 2026, deepening their defence cooperation, Greek military officials and a senior source said…

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French cinema legend Brigitte Bardot dies at 91

French movie star and animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot has died at age 91, her foundation said Sunday. "The Brigitte Bardot Foundation announces with immense sadness the death of its…

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Italy’s Charity Associations and Terror Financing Exposed

Charity Associations Used in Terror Financing, Including the President of Palestinian Association in Italy Italian authorities have arrested nine individuals. Among them is Mohammad Hannoun, president of the Association of…

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In first Christmas sermon, Pope Leo decries conditions for Palestinians in Gaza

Pope Leo decried conditions for Palestinians in Gaza in his Christmas sermon on Thursday, in an unusually direct appeal during what is normally a solemn, spiritual service on the day…

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Pope Leo expresses ‘much sadness’ about Russia refusing Christmas ceasefire

Pope Leo said on Tuesday that he feels "much sadness" that Russia did not agree to a Christmas ceasefire in its nearly four-year old war with Ukraine. "Among the things…

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Pope Leo Appeals for Renewed Spirit of Joy in Address to Church Hierarchy

Pope Leo indicated on Monday that he plans to follow the reform agenda of his predecessor Francis, praising the late pontiff's attempts to make the global Catholic Church more inclusive…

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Investigation Advances in Emanuela Orlandi Case as Friend Becomes Subject of Inquiry

A significant development has emerged in the long-running investigation into the disappearance of Vatican citizen Emanuela Orlandi, who vanished in Rome on 22 June 1983 at age 15. Laura Casagrande,…

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Greece rescues 545 migrants off Gavdos as Libya route sees surge in crossings

Greek authorities rescued 545 migrants from a vessel off Gavdos on Friday in one of the largest recent operations, amid a sharp rise in arrivals from Libya to Greece’s southern…

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Pope Leo replaces New York’s Cardinal Dolan in shake-up of US church

Pope Leo XIV has accepted the resignation of New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan and appointed Bishop Ronald Hicks of Illinois as his successor, the Vatican announced on Thursday. Dolan, a…

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Meloni says Italy will back EU-Mercosur deal, but does not commit to a date

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Italy is prepared to back the EU-Mercosur trade deal but stopped short of committing to a timeline, as divisions persist among EU leaders over…

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French lawmakers in final attempt to get 2026 budget approved

French lawmakers will make what is likely their final attempt this year to approve the country’s 2026 fiscal plans when members of the National Assembly and Senate meet in a…

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Spanish PM rejects calls for early election despite scandals

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez rejected calls for snap elections despite mounting sexual harassment allegations and corruption investigations involving members of his Socialist Party. In his end-of-year address on Monday,…

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Italy’s silence puts EU–Mercosur trade deal on a knife edge

Italy’s reluctance to declare its position on the EU–Mercosur trade agreement is emerging as a decisive factor as the bloc edges closer to a final vote. With France leading opposition…

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Cyprus seeks to ease EU-Turkey tensions while advancing NATO bid

Cyprus plans to use its upcoming EU Council presidency to lower tensions with Turkey in exchange for progress on joining NATO, President Nikos Christodoulides told POLITICO. The key goal is…

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Europe’s housing costs akin to ‘new pandemic’, warns Barcelona mayor

The spiralling cost of housing is like a “new pandemic” gripping Europe, Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni has warned, as he and 16 other city leaders called on the EU to…

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France seeks delay to EU-Mercosur vote, exposing deepening divisions over trade deal

France has called for a postponement of a key EU vote on the long-running EU-Mercosur trade agreement, deepening divisions among member states over the deal. Paris wants December deadlines pushed…

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Meloni urges Europe to build its own defence as US signals disengagement

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni used the closing address of her party’s annual Atreju rally in Rome to call on Europe to take greater responsibility for its own defence, citing…

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Sea urchin species on brink of extinction after marine pandemic

A marine pandemic is bringing some species of sea urchin to the brink of extinction, and some populations have disappeared altogether, a study has found. Since 2021, Diadema africanum urchins…

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Europe cracks down on badly behaved tourists

While cost-hiking measures serve a dual purpose of cutting visitor numbers and raising funds, other new rules are aimed more squarely at curbing undesirable tourist behaviour. San Sebastián is the…

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Suspected drones seen over French military intelligence base

Suspected drones were seen flying above a French military intelligence base on three separate nights last month, the French Air and Space Force said on Tuesday, in the latest possible…

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Pope Urges Continued Dialogue in Meeting With Zelensky

Pope Leo XIV underscored the need to press ahead with dialogue aimed at ending the war in Ukraine during talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday at the papal…

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Veteran Italian Journalist Giletti Struck While Probing Sensitive Lead in Orlandi Disappearance

Veteran TV journalist and presenter Massimo Giletti was reportedly assaulted on the streets of Rome last Thursday while preparing a segment for the programme Lo Stato delle Cose on Rai…

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Growing Inequality and Digital Dependence Reshape Italian Life

A newly released national survey this week by Censis paints a stark picture of contemporary Italy: a middle class under pressure, a generation growing older, and a collective “dream” increasingly…

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France investigates reports of drones over nuclear sub base

French prosecutors are investigating after drones were suspected to have flown over a nuclear submarine base on the Atlantic coast late on Thursday, a prosecutor in charge of military affairs…

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France wants to end free health care for foreign pensioners

Foreign pensioners who dream of spending their retirement under the sun in the French Riviera might have to reconsider their plans if their free health care gets axed. France wants…

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Mediterranean, Black Sea fish stocks show recovery but threats persist, UN says

Fishing pressure in the Mediterranean and Black Sea has fallen sharply over the past decade, but just over half of assessed fish populations remain overfished and climate threats are mounting,…

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Italian court rules against Sicily bridge, government wants to press on

An Italian court has ruled that plans for the world's largest suspension bridge between mainland Italy and the island of Sicily would break EU environmental and tender rules, but the…

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Cyprus Introduces €85 Penalty for Blocking Public EV Charging Points

Parliament in Cyprus has endorsed new measures aimed at curbing the misuse of electric-vehicle charging bays, approving a bill that introduces an €85 fine for parking violations at publicly accessible…

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Italy Weighs Return to Voluntary Military Service Amid Shifting Security Climate

Italy’s defence chief has signalled a potential return to voluntary military service, two decades after the country phased out conscription. Speaking on Thursday, Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said he intends…

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Louvre to hike ticket prices for most non-EU tourists by 45%

Ticket prices for the Louvre museum in Paris will rise by 45% for most non-European Union visitors, the museum's board decided on Thursday. From early next year, tourists from countries…

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France’s Macron unveils voluntary military service

President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday announced the creation of a new voluntary youth military service to begin by mid-2026, which would help France respond to "accelerating threats" on the global…

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Interpol elects France’s Lucas Philippe as new president

Global police agency Interpol elected French police official Lucas Philippe as its president on Thursday. Philippe was elected for a four-year term during Interpol's general assembly in Marrakech. The assembly…

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Vatican reports first budget surplus after years of deficits

The Vatican closed 2024 with a budget surplus of 1.6 million euros ($1.85 million), it said, signalling a turnaround after years of deficits that had frustrated Church leaders, including the…

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Pope Leo to take peace message to Turkey, Lebanon on first overseas trip

Pope Leo will embark on his first trip outside Italy as the leader of the Catholic Church on Thursday, travelling to Turkey and Lebanon, where he is expected to make…

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Italy’s Senate delays rape bill, exposing government rifts

Italy's Senate has postponed debate on a landmark bill that would stipulate for the first time that sex without consent constitutes rape, exposing tensions within Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's coalition.…

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Italian parliament unanimously votes to make femicide a crime

Deputies in the Italian parliament have voted unanimously to introduce the crime of femicide – the murder of a woman, motivated by gender – as a distinct law to be…

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Italian Local Elections Reinforce Status Quo, Offer Limited Traction for Opposition

Italy's leftist opposition and ruling parties held their ground in regional votes, provisional results showed on Monday, wrapping up a round of races in 2025 that saw no signs of…

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French poll shows far-right leader Bardella winning presidential election

French pollster Odoxa predicted for the first time that 30-year-old far-right leader Jordan Bardella would win the next presidential election, scheduled in 2027, no matter who his opponents would be.…

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Macron set to present voluntary military service plan

French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to present a new voluntary military service on Thursday — and most political parties are likely to go along with the plan. The project, which stops…

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‘We are under attack’: Italian defense minister accuses Russia of waging hybrid war

Italy’s defense minister is calling for the West to fight back against increasing numbers of potentially “catastrophic” Russian hybrid attacks. In a 125-page paper published on Tuesday afternoon, Guido Crosetto…

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New Lead Emerges in Orlandi Case as Parliamentary Inquiry Uncovers Handwritten Note

A newly identified lead in the long-running disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi has come to light through the ongoing work of the bicameral commission examining the cases of both Orlandi and…

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Italian lawmakers revive Italy’s claim on central bank’s $300 billion gold pile

Italian lawmakers have revived attempts to establish that the central bank's $300 billion in gold reserves belong to the state by presenting a proposal to parliament. The lawmakers who signed…

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France seals ‘historic’ warplane deal with Kyiv

French President Emmanuel Macron has said he firmly believes that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy can successfully bring corruption in his country under control. Speaking at a joint press conference with…

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Migrant arrivals in Spain’s Balearics surge as smugglers switch routes

Nineteen boats carrying around 360 people reached Spain's Balearic Islands in the past two days, the latest surge in arrivals defying attempts by authorities to curb the fastest-growing migratory route…

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Sarkozy appeal against conspiracy conviction to begin in March

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy's appeal against a conviction for criminal conspiracy related to illegal Libyan financing for his successful 2007 presidential bid will be heard from March 16 to…

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Holy See Refutes Alleged Vision of Jesus in France

Jesus may answer prayers but he has not made special appearances in a small town in the north of France, the Vatican declared.. In a new instruction approved by Pope…

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