Europe – Mediterranean

Meredith Kercher killer put under restraining order

A preliminary investigations judge in Viterbo issued a restraining order against Rudy Guede, the 36-year-old Ivorian national convicted of murdering British exchange student Meredith Kercher in Perugia in 2007, for…

Read More Here

Meloni: Italy can improve trade with China after Belt and Road departure

Italy signed pact in 2019 expecting big boost to exports Hoped-for economic gains did not materialise Rome says still expects good relations with Beijing By Crispian Balmer and Angelo Amante…

Read More Here

France’s DGSI warns that ISIS propaganda seducing “a new generation of teens”

A new generation of French teenagers is being wooed by the Islamic State terrorist group — infamous for its on-camera immolations of captives in Iraq — and seems ominously…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Greece, Turkey seek to restart relations with meetings in Athens

By Renee Maltezou ATHENS, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan sounded an upbeat note on the future of Greco-Turkish relations as he arrived in Athens on Thursday in…

Read More Here

France passes law to protect farmers against neighbours’ complaints over noise and smells

By Geert De Clercq French parliament has passed a law to protect farmers from complaints from neighbours about noise or stench from agricultural activities, to stop "abusive" lawsuits from former…

Read More Here

Pope Francis says feeling “much better”, voice still weak

VATICAN CITY, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Pope Francis, who has been suffering from a lung inflammation, said on Wednesday that he is feeling a lot better, although he still has…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Italy tells China it is leaving Belt and Road Initiative

ROME, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Italy has officially informed China that it is quitting the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), dismissing fears the move might sour relations and damage the…

Read More Here

Crime group distributing counterfeit euro coins dismantled in Italy

Europol supported the Italian Carabinieri in dismantling an organised crime group involved in the production and distribution of counterfeit euro coins. The European Commission’s European Technical and Scientific Centre also…

Read More Here

Hungary’s Orban to meet Macron ahead of EU summit

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban will meet French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Thursday, his press chief said, ahead of an EU summit at which talks on Ukraine's joining the bloc and financial…

Read More Here

France on ‘high’ alert for bird flu after new cases detected

France raised the risk level of bird flu to 'high' from 'moderate' on Tuesday after new cases of the disease were detected, forcing poultry farms to keep birds indoors to…

Read More Here

Protect Mediterranean ports from EU environmental taxes – Salvini

New green taxes affecting Mediterranean ports damage maritime transport and European Union (EU) competitiveness, Deputy Premier and Transport and Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini said on Monday."The maritime transport sector is…

Read More Here

Europol’s Operation OPSON breaks up a counterfeit olive oil ring

In the framework of Operation OPSON, Europol’s coordinated effort to combat food fraud and counterfeiting, Europol has supported a spin-off investigation into counterfeit olive oil. The operation was initiated by…

Read More Here

‘No plan B’ for Paris opening ceremony after knife attack – sports minister

Dec 4 (Reuters) - There is no "plan B" for the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games, the French sports minister said on Monday, after a man…

Read More Here

Two arrested in Italy for spreading Islamist propaganda

ROME, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Two people have been arrested in Italy for spreading online terrorist propaganda linked to militant groups Palestine Islamic Jihad, Islamic State and al-Qaeda, police in…

Read More Here

Paris on high alert after knifeman kills tourist, wounds others near France’s Eiffel Tower

By Dominique Vidalon and Gilles Guillaume PARIS, (Reuters) – Security forces in the French capital and major cities in France are on high alert after a man armed with a…

Read More Here

Italy sees a decrease in work-related deaths and accidents in 2023

In Italy, in the first 10 months of the year 868 reports of work-related deaths were submitted to workplace accident insurance agency INAIL, down 4.5% over the same period in…

Read More Here

Pope’s condition improving but will stay indoors to be on safe side, Vatican says

The health of Pope Francis, who is suffering from a lung inflammation, is improving but he will read his Sunday message indoors from his residence to be on the safe…

Read More Here

Italian ski resort of Cervinia reverts back to original name of Le Breuil

A small town in the Italian Alps has ditched its Mussolini-era name and reverted to its original one. Cervinia, a well-known ski resort in the Valle d’Aosta region, was for…

Read More Here

Spain arrests a man wanted by US over North Korea crypto conspiracy

MADRID, (Reuters) - Spanish police said they detained a Spaniard wanted by the United States for allegedly conspiring with a convicted American cryptocurrency researcher to help North Korea evade U.S.…

Read More Here

Italy’s parliament approves crackdown on teenage migrants

ROME (Reuters) - Italian lawmakers approved a government decree that allows migrants aged 16 or 17 to be held in adult reception centres and gives police stronger powers to check…

Read More Here

Pope says he has acute, infectious bronchitis

VATICAN CITY, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Thursday said he was suffering from a highly infectious and acute form of bronchitis that has prevented him from making the…

Read More Here

Portugal extends tax breaks for foreign residents despite house price concerns

By Sergio Goncalves Portugal's parliament on Wednesday extended tax breaks for foreign residents until the end of next year despite criticism that the scheme has stoked housing prices to levels…

Read More Here

Greece to repay more euro zone bailout loans ahead of schedule

Greece will next month repay ahead of schedule 5.3 billion euros ($5.8 billion) of loans owed to euro zone countries under its first bailout, and hopes to repeat the move…

Read More Here

France reports bird flu on turkey farm as disease spreads in Europe

PARIS, (Reuters) - France has detected an outbreak of highly pathogenic bird flu virus on a turkey farm in the northwest of the country, the agriculture ministry said, as a…

Read More Here

Pope strips conservative US cardinal of Vatican privileges

VATICAN CITY, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Pope Francis has removed some of the Vatican privileges of conservative American Cardinal Raymond Burke, including a large subsidized apartment and his salary, a…

Read More Here

Pope says he is ‘still not well’ in first appearance since cancelling Dubai trip

VATICAN CITY, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Pope Francis sounded wheezy and limited his speaking at a public event on Wednesday, a day after he cancelled a trip to the COP28…

Read More Here

Spain ready to sign a deal with Britain on Gibraltar

Spain is ready to sign a deal on the post-Brexit status of Gibraltar as early as Wednesday, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said, before setting off to meet newly…

Read More Here

Italy, Saudi and South Korea compete to host 2030 world fair

Italy, Saudi Arabia and South Korea are battling it out in Paris on Tuesday for the right to host the Expo 2030 world fair, a five-yearly event that attracts millions…

Read More Here

Spanish supermarkets lock up olive oil as shoplifting surges

By Corina Pons MADRID, (Reuters) - In Spain, the world's biggest olive oil producer, supermarkets are locking up bottles of the staple cooking oil as prices surge and theft increases.…

Read More Here

Paris mayor quits X platform, calling it a ‘gigantic global sewer’

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo announced she was quitting the X platform formerly known as Twitter, calling it a "gigantic global sewer" that was "destroying our democracies" by spreading abuse and…

Read More Here

Cyprus outlines plans for seaborne aid to Gaza

A sea corridor from Cyprus to supply humanitarian aid to Gaza is creating some formidable logistical challenges and could require innovative fixes ranging from landing craft to a large floating…

Read More Here

Pope in ‘good, stable’ condition, on antibiotic IV for lung inflammation – Vatican

VATICAN CITY, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Pope Francis, who is suffering from lung inflammation, is in "good and stable" condition, receiving antibiotic therapy intravenously, and will limit his activities for…

Read More Here

Six teenagers in court over beheading of French teacher

PARIS, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Six teenagers go on trial behind closed doors on Monday, accused of involvement in the beheading of French history teacher Samuel Paty by a suspected…

Read More Here

Greece PM laments lack of progress with UK on Parthenon Sculptures

LONDON, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Talks over a possible return of the British Museum's Parthenon Sculptures to Athens are not advancing quickly enough, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on…

Read More Here

Italy urges Libya, Tunisia to establish control room for immigrants’ voluntary return

The Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi stressed the need to take measures to implement and strengthen voluntary returns of illegal immigrants to their countries of origin with the help of…

Read More Here

Thousands worldwide protest violence against women

Thousands of people in cities across the world rallied on Saturday to condemn violence against women on the occassion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Pope says he has lung inflammation, aide reads message for him

By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Pope Francis, suffering from a "lung inflammation", appeared seated in the chapel of his residence instead of in St. Peter's Square…

Read More Here

Portugal’s attorney general says she’s not responsible for PM Costa’s downfall

By Sergio Goncalves LISBON, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Portugal's Attorney General Lucilia Gago rejected criticism from the ruling Socialist Party (PS) that she was responsible for Prime Minister Antonio Costa's…

Read More Here

France’s Sarkozy denies wrongdoing in illegal campaign financing case

PARIS, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Former President Nicolas Sarkozy told a Paris appeals court on Friday he was innocent of any wrongdoing, as he tried to overturn a 2021 conviction…

Read More Here

Venice to experiment with entry fee, visitor cap from April 2024

By Federico Maccioni MILAN, (Reuters) - Venice will start testing a daily admission fee and cap on visitor access to its famous canals from next April, in what the Italian…

Read More Here

Italy’s parties unanimously back clampdown on violence against women

By Angelo Amante Italian lawmakers on Wednesday unanimously backed a raft of measures to clamp down on violence against women after the killing of a university student, and the arrest…

Read More Here

Dispute erupts over whether Pope called Gaza situation a ‘genocide’

By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - A messy dispute broke out over whether Pope Francis used the word "genocide" to describe events in Gaza, with Palestinians who met with…

Read More Here

Italy’s privacy regulator looks into online data gathering to train AI

Italy's data protection authority has kicked-off a fact-finding investigation into the practice of gathering large amounts of personal data online for use in training artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms, the regulator…

Read More Here

Student’s murder highlights violence against women in Italy

By Alvise Armellini ROME, (Reuters) - The killing of a university student and the arrest of her ex-boyfriend have highlighted the issue of violence against women in Italy, with Prime…

Read More Here

Spain PM Sanchez keeps Calvino, other senior ministers in cabinet

By Belén Carreño MADRID, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Spain's Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez retained Nadia Calvino as his economy minister on Monday, revealing a largely unchanged new cabinet he…

Read More Here

Bolzano tops quality of life survey in Italy, Crotone, Messina, and Caltanissetta last

The northern province of Bolzano near the Austrian border topped the latest and 25th quality of life survey from newspaper ItaliaOggi and Ital Communications, in collaboration with Rome's La Sapienza…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Shakira reaches deal with authorities to avoid 14.5m euro tax fraud trial

BARCELONA, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Colombian pop star Shakira on Monday reached a settlement with prosecutors to avoid a trial in Barcelona over charges she failed to pay 14.5 million…

Read More Here

The Spanish amnesty law for Catalonia separatists, explained

Spain has undergone a period of great political uncertainty and upheaval since since general elections delivered an inconclusive result in July. In order to hold on to power and gain…

Read More Here

Over 5.674 million people in absolute poverty in Italy – Caritas

Poverty has become deeply embedded in Italy, Catholic Charity said in its annual report on poverty and social exclusion here. "Almost thirty years since the report was first published, the…

Read More Here

Retired Spanish generals call for coup to eject Socialist PM Sanchez

A group of retired military officers in Spain have called for an army coup against the prime minister after Pedro Sánchez secured a new term through a controversial amnesty for…

Read More Here

Italy PM says deal with Albania on migrants could serve as blueprint

A deal reached this month by Italy with Albania to build centres for migrants coming ashore by sea could serve as a blueprint for other EU countries, Italian Prime Minister…

Read More Here

Pope to meet relatives of hostages, Palestinians with family in Gaza

By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis will meet separately next week with relatives of hostages held by Hamas militants and with a group of Palestinians with family…

Read More Here

France makes case for Paris to host new EU dirty money watchdog

PARIS, Nov 17 (Reuters) - French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire made the case on Friday for Paris to host the European Union's Authority for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the…

Read More Here

Pope to meet relatives of Israeli hostages next week

VATICAN CITY, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Pope Francis will meet next week with relatives of Israeli hostages held by Hamas militants in Gaza, a source said on Friday. The source…

Read More Here

Italians face disruption as workers strike over government budget

ROME, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Italians faced disruption on Friday as transport workers and other public sector employees from two of the country's largest unions went on strike in protest…

Read More Here

Italy’s cabinet backs crack down on women pickpockets

By Angelo Amante Italy's rightist government on Thursday backed a raft of measures to improve public security including potentially tougher penalties for women offenders who are pregnant or have very…

Read More Here

Sanchez wins Spanish parliament’s backing for new term as PM

MADRID, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Spain's lower house of parliament on Thursday voted to make Pedro Sanchez prime minister for another term by a wafer-thin margin, ending a protracted deadlock…

Read More Here