The Dispatch

Hailstorm in Italy leaves 18 injured

Eighteen people including a pregnant woman were hurt by hailstones as big as oranges in Pescara in Abruzzo on Wednesday. The victims were taken to local hospital for medical attention.…

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France publicly acknowledges it still has special forces deployed in Libya, says anti-tank missiles found in Libya were ‘unusable’

France said on Wednesday anti-tank missiles it bought from the United States and were later found in a base belonging to troops loyal to Libya’s eastern commander Khalifa Haftar were…

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Stromboli activity increases

The activity on the Stromboli volcano has shown a marked increase and is now categorized as "very high". After the violent explosion on 3 July, the volcano immediately returned to…

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UPDATED: Washington urges Turkey to halt drilling operations off the coast of Cyprus, Ankara reacts to EU warning

UPDATED: Turkey said on Wednesday it rejected Greek and European Union assertions that Turkish drilling for gas and oil off Cyprus was illegitimate, and said it showed the EU could…

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Video footage released showing moment of deadly mid-air crash above the Alps

Italian police have released two videos of a crash between a helicopter and a light aircraft above the Alps in January that killed seven people, confirming their initial reconstruction. The…

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Sicily suffers from eurozone’s highest rate of youth economic inactivity

The Financial Times gives a detailed look at youth unemployment in Italy with emphasis to the situation in Sicily. One in four Italians aged 15 to 34 is not in…

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Bad weather alert in Italy

A bad weather alert has been issued for rain and storms in seven Italian regions - Lombardy, Trentino, Veneto, Emilia Romagna, Marche, Piedmont and Tuscany. The weather will get worse…

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Pope Francis bombarded with insults after tweeting to pray for migrants

Insults in Italian replying to a tweet from Pope Francis flooded Twitter on Monday after he wrote about migrants. "Migrants are first of all human persons, and that they are…

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7 year old boy, saved from drowning by two dogs in Viterbo, Italy

A 7-year-old boy on Sunday risked drowning, while he was at sea with his grandparents in Tarquinia Lido, Viterbo. The boy, found himself swept away by the waves while playing…

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UK backs stronger protection for Christians worldwide

There needs to be a "sea-change" in how the UK treats worldwide anti-Christian persecution, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said. Hunt had ordered a review into the issue. He said…

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Photo Story: Pope Francis celebrates Mass on the sixth anniversary of his visit to Lampedusa

A handout picture provided by the Vatican Media shows Pope Francis celebrating the Holy Mass on the sixth anniversary of his visit to Lampedusa, Vatican City. Photo: EPA-EFE/VATICAN

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More migrants land in Lampedusa

More migrants have reached Lampedusa in the second landing in a few hours between Sunday and Monday. A small boat was intercepted about one mile from the coast with…

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Second Turkish drillship arrives off coast of Cyprus

A second Turkish drillship arrived off the northeastern coast of Cyprus on Monday. The ship, the Yavuz, is expected to begin drilling for oil and natural gas near Cyprus this…

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VIDEO: Another close call for a cruise liner in Venice

There was another close call for a cruise liner in Venice, Italy, as it came too close to crashing into a dock and once more led to a chorus of…

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Photo story: The Stray Cats at the Eurockeennes Festival

Guitarrist Brian Setzer of the US rockabilly band 'Stray Cats' performs during the 31st Eurockeennes Festival in Belfort, France . The music festival ran from 04 to 07 July…

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Mitsotakis sworn in as new Greek PM

Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Monday was sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Greece shortly after winning the Greek general election held on Sunday. The center-right New Democracy party won…

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“Speak out” urges Brigette Macron as she lashes out at online bullying

The French President's wife, Brigitte Macron, lashed out at online bullying, denouncing it as "relentless" in remarks to G7 education ministers. Macron, a former high school teacher, whilst addressing delegates…

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Mild earthquakes in Sicily and Udine

A minor earthquake has hit Sicily this morning. The epicentre was a kilometre from Adrano in Catania at a depth of 18km. The tremor was measured at 4…

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Three persons gored during annual Pamplona bull run

Three people have been gored during the first bull run at the annual San Fermín festival in Pamplona. Officials say those with gore injuries are two US citizens, aged 23…

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Pope Francis expresses his hope for humanitarian corridors for migrants

Pope Francis on Sunday invited the faithful to join him in prayer for the “poor, unarmed people who were killed or injured by an air strike on a detention center…

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Photo Story: The Festival of San Fermin kicks off in Spain

People cheer before of the traditional firing of the 'chupinazo' to mark the beginning of the Festival of San Fermin 2019 at City Hall Square in Pamplona, Spain, 06 July…

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Rescue ship Alan Kurdi heading to Lampedusa

The German humanitarian group Sea-Eye has said one of its ships is on its way to the Italian port of Lampedusa with 65 rescued migrants on board and possibly another…

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Turkey to hold military manoeuvres in the Aegean on Greek Election Day

. Turkey has issued a navigational warning reserving a large area south of the island of Kastellorizo, within Greece’s continental shelf, for military exercises on Sunday, July 7th. The same…

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Wildfires cause evacuation of villages on Greek island

Four villages were evacuated on the Greek island of Evia after two new brush fires have broken out. The new wildfires came several hours after a major blaze led…

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Photo Story: Rock Fest in Santa Coloma de Gramanet, Spain

US blues and hard rock band ZZ Top performs during a concert during the Rock Fest at the Parc de Can Zam in Santa Coloma de Gramanet, Catalonia, Spain, on…

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Lion tamer killed by tiger in Italy

A lion tamer was killed by a tiger near Bari Thursday night. Ettore Weber, 61, was mauled to death in the Orfei Circus at Triggiano. Weber is said to be…

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Salvini wants to strengthen security at Italian land borders

Interior Minister Matteo Salvini on Friday said "we are controlling our borders by sea, and we also want to control them by land with all means necessary," referring to…

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Sea Watch captain to sue Salvini

The Sea Watch captain Carola Rackete announced she would sue Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini for instigating hatred and crimes, after she received rape threats on social media.…

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Eurojust helps reveal fake organic food fraud in Italy and Serbia

In close cooperation with Eurojust, Italian and Serbian national authorities unraveled a transnational large-scale fraud in the production and trade of allegedly organic food and beverages from rotten apples. In…

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Iran threatens tit-for-tat retaliation after after Royal Marines storm super tanker

Iran has threatened to seize a British tanker after Royal Marines held one of their vessels suspected of taking oil to Syria off the coast of Gibraltar. Mohsen Rezai, a…

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New controversy between Malta and Italy over saved migrants

The Italian NGO run Mediterranea migrant rescue ship carrying 54 migrants rescued off Libya Thursday has been stopped off Lampedusa according to a landing ban issued by Interior Minister Matteo…

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First drop in five years in tourist arrivals in Greece

Tourist arrivals this summer in Greece are slightly slower than last year, according to surveys, air arrival data and hoteliers. The drop observed in May appears to have continued into…

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Greece prepares to head to the polls

Greek Opposition leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis appeared confident of victory in Sunday's snap election during a rally in central Athens on Thursday evening, saying his New Democracy party is “more…

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Paris wants to ban tourist buses from city centre

Authorities in the French capital Paris are seriously considering banning tourist buses from the city centre after complaints about nuisances caused by mass tourism Paris authorities said this will also…

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Photo Story: The Eurockeennes Festival in Belfort

Slash (R) performs on stage with Myles Kennedy (L) and The Conspirators during the 31st Eurockeennes Festival in Belfort, France. The music festival will run from 04 to 07…

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The Netherlands mulling making it a crime to rescue migrants at sea

Government Coalition party the VVD has proposed to make it a crime to rescue migrants from drowning at sea, despite international treaties making it an obligation. The plan has a…

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Photo Story: Tribute to Karl Lagerfeld

Italian model Mariacarla Boscono presents a creation during a fashion show of Italian luxury fashion house Fendi held in tribute of its former creative director, the late German fashion designer…

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Libya considering freeing all migrants, Italian coast guard saves 55 persons whilst others refused port of entry

Libya is weighing freeing all migrants from detention centres after the massacre at Tajoura detention centre after an airstrike on Tuesday evening. Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha said that Libyan authorities…

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Pope Francis receives Vladimir Putin

Pope Francis on Thursday received Vladimir Putin in an audience at the Vatican. It's the Russian president's sixth visit to the Vatican, and his third audience with Pope Francis. Vladimir…

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France to ban smacking of children for good

France has become the 56th country in the world to outlaw smacking and other similar forms of violence towards children, after a unanimous parliament vote. The bill outlaws all “educational,…

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Photo Story: Putin Lands in Rome

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) disembarks from a plane as he arrives at Rome's international airport in Fiumicino, Italy, 04 July 2019. Putin is scheduled to meet with the…

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UPDATED: One person dead after volcanic eruption on the island of Stromboli off Sicily

One person was confirmed dead after the island of Stromboli was hit by a set of violent eruptions Wednesday. The Mayor of Lipari, the biggest of the Aeolian Islands off…

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UPDATED: Royal Marines board oil tanker in Gibraltar

Royal Marines have boarded an oil tanker on its way to Syria thought to be breaching EU sanctions. The government of Gibraltar said there was reason to believe the ship,…

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Putin to meet the Pope today

Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold talks with Pope Francis on Thursday, amid speculation that the visit could be a prelude to the first trip by a pope to Russia.…

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No infringement procedure against Italy

The European Commission on Wednesday took the advice of its European commissioners' cabinet chiefs and decided not to recommend opening an infringement procedure against Italy for breaking the debt…

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Photo Story: The Palio di Siena

Jockey Giovanni Atzeni (below), aka Tittia, on his horse Tale e Quale from La Contrada della Giraffa competes to win the traditional horse race 'Palio di Siena, in Siena, Italy.…

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Entry fee for Venice postponed

The planned new tourist entry fee for Venice has been put off from September 1st to January 1st next year. The delay came following months of discussions between city hall…

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Sea-Watch ship captain moved to secret location after threats

Carola Rackete, the German captain of a rescue charity ship, has received threats and has been moved to a secret location, the German charity Sea-Watch said on Wednesday. An Italian…

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Photo Story: An unique Roman Ship found in Cyprus

An undated handout photo made available by the University of Cyprus shows the ancient Roman-era shipwreck at the bottom of the sea off the coast of Cyprus. Spyros Spyrou and Andreas…

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Swiss women’s international footballer Florijana Ismaili confirmed dead

Switzerland women’s international Florijana Ismaili has been confirmed dead. Ismaili, a female football player with the Swiss national team, has been declared missing after a swimming accident on Lake Como…

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Vatican court orders opening of 2 tombs in Emanuela Orlandi case

The Vatican court's ordered two tombs in the Vatican's Teutonic Cemetery to be opened after a petition from the family of a 15-year-old girl who went missing in 1983, Emanuela…

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Vatican insists that priests cannot reveal confession secrets

The Vatican on Monday strongly reaffirmed Catholic teaching that priests cannot reveal what they learn in confession, in an apparent response to moves in Australia and elsewhere to force them…

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Sea Watch: Over €1 million donated by supporters for captain’s legal costs as Germany asks Italy to release her

Supporters of Sea-Watch 3 captain Carola Rackete raised over €1 million to cover legal costs for the German skipper, who was arrested Saturday for docking in the Italian port of…

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UPDATED: Missile crashes in Cyprus, indication it’s a Russian built missile

No one was hurt after what turned out to be a missile crashed north of the Cypriot capital, Nicosia, early on Monday. Mustafa Akinci, the Turkish Cypriot leader, linked the…

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Italian Guardia di Finanza issues video of the final moment as the Morandi Bridge collapses

The Italian Guardia di Finanza (GdF) issued CCTV video showing the moment the Morandi Bridge collapsed on 14 August 2018 in Genova, northern Italy, killing 43 people and injuring…

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Heatwave alert for Paris withdrawn

Paris authorities on Monday morning announced that they had removed the amber-level heatwave alert that had been declared for the French capital since June 23. Paris had been spared…

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Swiss footballer Florijana Ismaili missing in Lake Como in Italy

Florijana Ismaili, a female football player with the Swiss national team, has been declared missing after a swimming accident on Lake Como in Italy. Ismaili, 24, has played for the…

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