Europe

Valencia closes in on rooms with a view

Authorities in Valencia are proposing a law to restrain holiday rentals around the city. If the regional government votes in favour of the bill, the Spanish city will be empowered…

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Italy breaks two jihadist cells

Italian police moved in on two jihadist rings accused of raising funding for terrorist attacks. 14 people were arrested in an operation that involved searches in 20 properties in Sardinia…

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Sweden, Finland, US sign security agreement

The defence ministers of Sweden, Finland, and the US met in Washington to sign a trilateral letter of intent to reinforce their security cooperation. Peter Hultqvist of Sweden, Jussi Niinistö…

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Italy: Race to reach government agreement by Sunday

Italy may be edging towards forming a new government after Luigi di Maio and Matteo Salvini indicate “significant steps forward” have been made. Fresh negotiations on Wednesday between Movimento Cinque…

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Crying over spilled chocolate – Poland

Authorities in Poland were left with a sticky situation indeed after an accident saw a lorry spill 12 tons of warm, liquid chocolate onto the motorway, Polish radio station RMF…

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Theresa May portrait taken down by Oxford University

Oxford University took down a portrait of Theresa May after a row erupted by students in the geography department. The British Prime Minister read geography at ST Hugh College and…

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Netanyahu indicates Moscow won’t curtail Israeli strikes in Syria

Wrapping up a whirlwind visit to Moscow, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday evening said he has no reason to believe the Kremlin will attempt to limit Israel’s freedom of…

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Could Starbucks make it in the country of espresso?

Starbucks executive chairman Howard Schultz fuelled speculation that the brand is coming to the land of espresso, Italy. The multinational coffee-house chain grew from 11 stores in 1983 to a…

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Protests in Montenegro, following the shooting which wounded investigative journalist

Olivera Lakić, a journalist for the Montenegrin newspaper Vijesti, was wounded in the right leg outside her home in the capital, Podgorica. She was taken to a hospital and was…

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Turbulent times for Air France

Air France-KLM, one of the world’s biggest airline groups, is in deep trouble and facing significant turbulent times. Shares in Air France-KLM crashed as much as 14.5% on Monday after…

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Foreign groups banned from buying Facebook ads in Irish referendum on abortion

Facebook is banning foreign groups from buying advertisements related to Ireland's abortion referendum, the company announced Tuesday. The May 25 referendum will decide whether abortion should be legalised in Ireland.…

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Post Brexit customs union is crazy – Boris Johnson

The idea of a post-Brexit "customs partnership" with the EU would be "madness". The British Foreign Minister, Boris Johnson, leader of the Eurosceptics of the government, rejects in these terms…

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What’s going on in Armenia and why does it matter

Armenia’s Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan stepped down just six days after he was sworn in and backed his political rival to succeed him. Having served 10 years as Armenia’s President,…

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European fintech eyeing stock market listing

Europe’s biggest fintech IPO is looming after Swedish fintech start-up iZettle announced plans to join the Nasdaq Stockholm stock exchange later this year. The company is seeking to raise SEK2…

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Political impasse in Italy sends Government Bond yields rising

Following the unsuccessful final round of coalition talks, Italian president Mattarella declared that the process to form a government had failed. Mattarella’s preferred option remains to install a fixed-mandate technical…

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Is it the end of wet wipes?

The BBC reports that ever so handy wet wipes, used for anything, from cleaning up sticky fingers and removing eye make-up as well as on other parts of the anatomy,…

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Sir Alex Ferguson remains in intensive care

The 76-year-old former Manchester United manager remains in intensive care at Salford Royal hospital after he underwent emergency surgery on Saturday. Neither the hospital nor the club were able to issue an…

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Pro-independent Catalan politicians want to nominate Puigdemont as head of their regional government

Pro-independence Catalan politicians aim to nominate former leader Carles Puigdemont to head their regional government, in defiance of Spain and despite his self-imposed exile in Germany. They proposed nominating Puigdemont,…

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22nd July the most probable date for new elections in Italy

Italy might have failed to reach the World Cup, but at this stage, the months of June and July seem to be taken up by another kind of contest following…

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Putin takes oath of office

Vladimir Putin took the oath of office for his fourth term as Russian president on Monday and promised to pursue an economic agenda that would boost living standards across the…

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Italy – No chance to form ‘Government’

President Sergio Mattarella held a third round of formal political consultations on Monday but there was no sign of a breakthrough to end the gridlock that followed Italy's inconclusive election…

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Major drug haul in Campo De Gibraltar (Spain)

Spanish authorities have seized over five tonnes of cannabis resin and arrested 31 people in two separate major operations targeting drug traffickers in the Campo de Gibraltar (Spain). In one…

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Renzi satisfied that there was no deal between PD and M5s

Former premier and ex Democratic Party (PD) leader Matteo Renzi said that he was pleased he had intervened to scupper the possibility of the centre-left group striking a government deal…

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If re-elected, Turkish President Erdogan vowed that his country will launch new military operations to clear borders fro ‘terrorists’.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has vowed that his country will launch new military operations "to clear its borders from terrorists". President Erdogan was speaking during a rally in Istanbul,…

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Di Maio: “Ready to step back, we choose a premier with Salvini” The League “appreciates”

Luigi Di Maio opens to Matteo Salvini in an attempt to give the country a government after more than 60 days. "Ok to a third premier but with commitment on…

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476 migrants saved in the strait of Gibraltar

Spain’s maritime rescue service has said it saved 476 migrants who were attempting to cross the Mediterranean from Africa. The migrants were pulled from 15 small boats on Friday and…

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First official photos of Prince Louis released, via twitter

It had to be original. It had to use modern technology. It had to reflect love and affection. It had to reflect intimacy. At the same time it had…

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On health care: What are our limits, who should enforce them?

Rome Reports covers the fourth edition of the Unite To Cure Conference, which joins health care professionals from around the world for discussions on the future of medicine. Throughout the three-day…

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Cambridge Analytica ordered to release data on US voter

The UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has ordered Cambridge Analytica to hand a US voter all personal information the company holds about him. The order was issued on Friday and…

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Anti-Putin rallies in Russia

More than 1,600 people — including prominent opposition leader Alexei Navalny — were arrested Saturday in Russia during a day of nationwide protests of the upcoming inauguration of Vladimir Putin…

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Anti-Putin protests in Russia

Russian police on Saturday arrested hundreds of protesters rallying against President Vladimir Putin ahead of his inauguration on Monday, an independent monitor said. Under the motto "He is not our…

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Princess Diana’s memory to be honoured during Royal Wedding

The late Princess Diana will be honoured in the Royal Wedding between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle which will take place in two weeks time. The Telegraph reports that the her…

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Italy – Bid for a PD-M5s coalition closed chapter – Risk of new elections

A bid to form a government between the centre-left Democratic party (PD) and the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) is "over" and there is now the risk of another general election,…

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UK – Local council election results (Updated)

More than 160,000 candidates spent the night expecting their fate waiting for local election results. A total of 4,371 seats were up for grabs in 150 local councils. Results are being…

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Shock and anger as major cancer blunder might have led to cut short 270 people’s lives in the UK

A nurse has accused the NHS of a "cover up" after she and thousands of others fell victim to the biggest cancer scandal in the health service's history. Jeremy Hunt, the UK…

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Pope Francis tells Chilean survivors “I was part of the problem. I apologise”

Three survivors of clerical sex abuse urged Pope Francis to turn his words into action against the "networks of abuse" in the Catholic Church. At a news conference in Rome,…

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Basque Militant Group ETA is being disbanded

In a letter, dated April16, but only published by El Diario newspaper on Wednesday, “ETA announced that it has completely dissolved all its structures and has terminated its political initiative.”…

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Mueller raised possibility of ordering Trump to appear before a Grand Jury – The Washington Post

The Washington Post reports that "In a tense meeting in early March with special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, President Trump’s lawyers insisted he had no obligation to talk with federal investigators probing…

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BREXIT- The Lords deal another blow to May

The House of Lords has voted for an amendment to the Brexit withdrawal bill which gives the Parliament the final say on what the UK government should do if the deal…

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Fresh elections in Italy are more than just a probability

Centre-left Democratic Party (PD) caretaker leader Maurizio Martina said Monday it was "impossible to lead the party" after former leader Matteo Renzi on Sunday scotched the idea of a government…

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May, Merkel and Macron discuss the Iranian nuclear deal, US trade tariffs and the E3

A series of phone calls between German Chancellor Angela Merkel, English Prime Minister Theresa May and French President Emmanuel Macron, over the weekend, ended with an agreement about the importance…

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Italy – Renzi rules out coalition with Di Maio

Matteo Renzi while interviewed on TV programme "Che tempo che fa" said "Those who lost the election can not go to the government. We can not pass the message that…

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UK – The Sunday Times reveals study showing Russian bots influencing the General Election by promoting Jeremy Corbyn

The Sunday Times said an investigation it conducted in conjunction with Swansea University had identified 6,500 Russian accounts tweeting supportive messages for Labour and denigrating the Conservatives. It said that many of…

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Di Maio calls for a German style coalition agreement

There's something fascinating about the Italian way of doing politics. This applies especially to the narrative and the way it is expressed. There are the mass meetings, there are the…

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UK to debate Vote16 – The Guardian

A private members bill to extend the voting age for 16- and 17-year-olds in parliamentary and other elections will have its second reading in the Commons on May 11th. This…

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Merkel and Trump meet in Washington

No much glamour accompanied the meeting between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Donald Trump. The meeting, was significantly labelled as a working meeting, indicating the 'essence' of…

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Libya: General Khalifa Haftar returns to Benghazi

Khalifa Haftar, a veteran general and the most powerful figure in eastern Libya, has returned to the eastern city of Benghazi following an extended absence, including reported treatment in a hospital…

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And they called him Louis

Kensington Palace announced that Prince William and his wife Kate have named their newborn son Louis Arthur Charles. He will be known as His Royal Highness Prince Louis of Cambridge.…

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Russian, Turkish and Iranian Foreign Ministers to meet on April 28

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will hold bilateral talks with the Iranian and Turkish counterparts, Javad Zarif and Mevlut Cavusoglu, as well as three-party talks in Moscow on April 28,…

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Political adverts to be clearly labelled as such on Facebook

Reuters reports that Micke Schroepfer, the Facebook's chief technical officer announced that the company will introduce new measures with the aim of improving transparency around adverts in Britain by June…

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Unprecedented threats to unprecedented growth

The IMF released its World Economic Outlook in January 2018, where it expressed satisfaction with global economic growth in 2017, where the world economy expanded by 3.7%. Looking ahead, the…

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Macron’s evolution towards becoming a global leader

There was a lot of anticipation for the visit of the French President to the United States. A lot of column inches and words have been said on what was…

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Alfie Evans still breathing despite termination of life support.

SKY News reports that the father of Alfie Evans, Tom said doctors were "gobsmacked" his 23-month-old son was still breathing eleven hours after his life support ended. Mr Evans said…

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10 dead, over 17 operations as migrant journeys restart from North Africa

With the good weather and the calm sea, the departures of refugees from North Africa to Italy have resumed. Unfortunately, so did the tragedies and the need for rescue operations.…

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EU Commission opens in-depth investigation into Italian State loan to Alitalia

The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess whether Italy's bridge loan to Alitalia totalling €900 million constitutes State aid and whether it complies with EU rules for…

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Roberto Fico (M5s) given the mandate to explore the formation of a government in Italy

Italian President Sergio Mattarella handed Lower House Speaker Roberto Fico an exploratory mandate to explore the possibility of a government-formation deal between his anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) and the centre-left…

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The Guardian : Azeri ruling families linked to secret investments via Maltese bank

As part of 'The Daphne Project', The Guardian reveals that Azerbaijan’s ruling families are the alleged beneficiaries of dozens of anonymously owned companies that have been used to invest in…

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