The Dispatch

Burglars break into Salvini’s home in Rome

Burglars on Sunday night broke into the Rome home of Deputy Premier, Transport Minister and rightwing League party leader Matteo Salvini, police said Monday.The home intruders reportedly did not manage…

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Greek PM urges EU to tackle high prices ahead of elections

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has urged the European Union to bring down prices as soon as possible, which he labelled a crucial political challenge ahead of European parliamentary elections.…

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EP elections – Meloni committed to defend family as a pillar of society; oppose introduction of gender theory in schools

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni firmly expressed her commitment to defending the family as a pillar of society and to counteract the introduction of gender theory in schools, as well…

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Benigni to join Pope for Children’s Day

Life Is Beautiful Oscar winner Roberto Benigni will read a monologue alongside Pope Francis at a ceremony in St Peter's Square marking World Children's Day on Sunday May 26, the…

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Alcohol ban in Ibiza and Majorca

Tourists in parts of Majorca and Ibiza will face hefty fines for drinking alcohol on the streets as part of a crackdown in areas of "excessive tourism". The government of…

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Vatican urges caution over weeping Madonnas and other supposed apparitions

The Vatican issued new guidelines on Friday recommending a cautious approach to supposed supernatural events such as weeping Madonnas and blood-dripping crucifixes that have for centuries whipped up the Catholic…

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Pope Francis to visit Turkey next year

Pope Francis is planning to visit Turkey next year to mark the anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, the spiritual head of the world's Orthodox Christians said.The early centuries…

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Spain will not authorise calling of ships carrying weapons for Israel

Spain will not authorise ships carrying weapons for Israel to call at its ports, Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said on Friday, after the country refused to let a ship…

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Suspected gunshots near Israeli embassy in Stockholm, synagogue arson averted in Rouen, France

Swedish police have detained several people and cordoned off an area in Stockholm after a patrol heard suspected gunshots, they said on Friday, with the Israeli embassy located in the…

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Italian police uncover billion-euro tax credit scam

Italian police said they had uncovered a billion-euro scam to obtain illegal tax credits from government incentives that were meant to encourage home renovations. Finance Police (GdF) in the northwestern…

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Spain tell mariners to stay close to the shore after orca attack

Officials in Spain are warning mariners after a killer whale was responsible for sinking a boat in the Strait of Gibraltar. Small vessels have been warned to stick to the…

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Italy police find drug dealers testing remote-controlled sub

Italian police on Tuesday said they had uncovered a gang of drug dealers testing a remote-controlled submarine which they were most likely planning to use for smuggling. The organisation was…

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Two French prison guards killed, inmate escapes in ambush; manhunt launched

At least two French prison guards were shot dead and three others seriously injured on Tuesday after heavily armed men ambushed a prison van to free an inmate, French police…

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The Hezbollah leader urges Syrians to flee to Cyprus

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has urged Lebanese authorities to “open the sea” for boatloads of refugees to come to Cyprus, in a bid to put pressure on Europe, it emerged…

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Greek’s centre-right ahead in EU elections

New Democracy's local EPP affiliates stand out as one of the leading ruling parties in the EU, according to the latest polls ahead of the European elections. Greece's current centre-right…

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Spain’s Socialists hail ‘new era’ in Catalonia as separatist support dims in elections

Spain's Socialists won the biggest share of the vote in Sunday's Catalan elections, dealing a serious blow to more than a decade of separatist governance and the independence dreams still…

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Vatican staff start unprecedented legal action over labour conditions

Forty-nine Vatican Museums employees have started an unprecedented labour dispute over what they say are unfair and poor conditions at their workplace, which could lead to an embarrassing lawsuit against…

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France gets $16 billion of foreign investments as part of ‘Choose France’ event

This year's "Choose France" event - an annual summit aimed at attracting foreign investment to France - will result in 15 billion euros ($16.2 billion) worth of foreign investments, up…

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Catalans vote in crucial election for the separatist movement

More than 5.7 million voters were eligible to vote in a ballot that is expected to be a test both for the strength of the separatist movement in the wealthy…

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A mother must never to choose between job, kids – Pope Francis

Pope Francis said Friday that mothers must not be put in a position in which they have to choose between their jobs or their children at the 'States General' conference…

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Greece to bring in Egyptian farm workers amid labour shortage

Greece will start bringing in workers from Egypt this summer to take on temporary farming jobs under a deal between the countries to tackle a labour shortage, the migration ministry…

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Spanish investigation into Shakira’s alleged tax evasion dropped

A Spanish court has shelved an investigation into an alleged tax fraud by the Colombian pop star Shakira, putting an end to her legal woes in the country where she…

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Italy seizes $140 million from airline owners compensated for 1980 Ustica crash

Italian police this week seized 130 million euros ($140 million) from two directors of an airline that went bankrupt after a 1980 air disaster that killed 81 people above the…

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Pope puts Rome in panic mode by declaring 2025 Holy Year

Pope Francis used the Feast of Ascension on Thursday to preside over the reading of a papal bull at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, declaring 2025 a Holy Year for…

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Italy bans NGO planes from using airports close to migrant routes

Italy announced that planes used by charities to track migrant boats in difficulty would no longer be able to fly from airports on the islands of Sicily, Pantelleria and Lampedusa…

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Italy won’t send soldiers to Ukraine – Tajani

The Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said that his country will not send soldiers to Ukraine after French President Emmanuel Macron said NATO should send ground troops if the Russian…

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Macron reaffirms possibility of sending troops to Ukraine

French President Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed he did not rule out sending troops to Ukraine, saying the issue would "legitimately" arise if Russia broke through Ukrainian front lines and Kyiv made…

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G7 commits to phasing out coal by 2035

The G7 countries have expressed their renewed commitment to the gradual elimination of coal-generated energy during the first half of the 2030s or in a period consistent with keeping the…

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Italy’s ex-foreign minister Fini convicted over Monte Carlo apartment sale

An Italian court sentenced former foreign minister Gianfranco Fini to two years and eight months in jail after he was convicted for his role in the sale of a Monte…

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Pedro Sanchez stays on as Spain’s prime minister

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Monday he had decided to stay in office after days of publicly weighing his future, generating relief amongst leftist allies, exasperation among the…

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Pope makes first visit out of Rome for seven months after health scares

Pope Francis made his first trip out of Rome for seven months on Sunday with a packed visit to Venice that took in an art exhibition, a prison and a…

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France’s nuclear weapons should be part of European defence debate, Macron says

France's nuclear weapons should be part of the European defence debate, French President Emmanuel Macron told a group of regional newspapers on Sunday, in comments that drew fire from his…

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Italian PM Meloni to contest EP elections

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced that she will be a candidate in next June's European elections. On the stage of the her party's conference in Pescara, Meloni recalled the…

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Greece raises bar for ‘golden visas’

Greek authorities have decided to raise the minimum property purchase price for the "golden visa" scheme, which grants residency rights to foreigners in exchange for buying real estate, from 250,000…

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Government in Cyprus shifts to electric and hybrid vehicles

With electric and hybrid vehicles set to be on the roads of Cyprusfrom next year, Cypriot government officials have announced that the State will purchase 35 vehicles to replace polluting…

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Spain’s Sanchez urged to stay by supporters

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was given a vote of confidence by supporters who gathered in their thousands urging him not to step down from office. Earlier this week, Sanchez said…

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Venice begins charging day-trippers for access

Venice became the first city in the world on Thursday to introduce a payment system for tourists in an effort to thin the crowds that throng the canals during the…

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Why Spain’s Prime Minister Sanchez is taking a break from public duties

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he will suspend public duties until next week to decide whether he wants to continue leading the government after a court launched a preliminary…

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UPDATED: ‘Europe could die,’ Macron warns, as he calls for stronger defences

President Emmanuel Macron appealed on Thursday for stronger, more integrated European defences and said the continent must not become a vassal of the United States, as he outlined his vision…

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France’s air traffic control strikes ground flights across Europe

Delays and flight cancellations were set to impact swathes of Europe on Thursday, after authorities failed to reach a deal with some French air traffic control workers to avert a…

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UPDATED: Spanish prosecutor seeks dismissal of case against PM Sanchez’s wife

Madrid's prosecuting authority on Thursday sought the dismissal of a case against Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's wife. A judge in Madrid on Wednesday agreed to look into a private…

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Racist violence surges in Greece

Attacks against migrants, refugees and LGBT people in Greece surged to their highest level in nearly a decade last year, a report by the Athens-based Racist Violence Recording Network (RVRN)…

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Italy registered a 29% rise in cyber attacks in 2023

Italy's National Cyber Security Agency (ACN) said Wednesday that it deal with 1,411 cyber attacks in 2023, 29% more than the previous year. In its annual report to parliament, ACN…

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Herculaneum papyri reveal Plato’s burial place

The Herculaneum papyri have revealed the location of Plato's burial place in the Platonic Academy in Athens, an Italian researcher said on Tuesday. The Herculaneum papyri are more than 1,800…

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CABS reports decrease in illegal bird trapping in Cyprus

In Cyprus, over recent weeks, the ‘Committee Against Bird Slaughter’ (CABS) has monitored familiar trapping sites in the Larnaca and Famagusta districts. Despite intensive searches, only eleven active trapping sites…

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Italy’s Meloni and allies keep control of Basilicata region

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her right-wing allies have kept control of the small southern region of Basilicata, election results on Monday showed, defeating their centre-left opponents by a…

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Milan to ban the sale of takeaway food after midnight in war on ‘wild nightlife’

Milan’s leaders have been accused of waging war against ice-cream in their bid to combat “wild nightlife” in the northern Italian city. Marco Granelli, the deputy mayor for public security,…

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Murder rate in Italy increases by 15% in 4 yrs

Italy's murder rate rose 15% in the four years from 2020 to 2023 and there were 329 homicides in 2023, up from 287 in 2022, according to figures released recently…

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In Greece, Golden Visa program sees steady increase in applications

New applications in Greece for five-year residence permits through the Golden Visa program continue unabated, as 1,299 new applications were submitted in the first two months of this year, compared…

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Dozens injured on Capri ferry in Naples

At least 29 people were injured in Italy on Friday when a ferry carrying people from the Italian island of Capri collided with a quay in Naples. The island is…

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France urges no travel to Iran, Lebanon, Israel and Palestinian territories

France on Friday warned its citizens to “imperatively refrain from travel in the coming days to Iran, Lebanon, Israel and the Palestinian territories”, the foreign minister’s entourage told Agence France-Presse…

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France prepares for naval warfare

The French navy is shifting its training away from a focus on policing operations to gird for war against foes who want "to destroy us," says Rear Admiral Jacques Mallard,…

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Amanda Knox retrial over slander conviction begins in Italy

An Italian court has opened a new trial against Amanda Knox over a slander conviction she received for wrongly accusing a bar owner of murdering the British student Meredith Kercher.…

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Little girl among nine migrants that drowned in Malta’s SAR area

Nine migrants including a little girl died in waters within Malta's search and rescue zone on Wednesday while another 22 were rescued, the Italian Coast Guard said. It said that…

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Italian Senate approves bill on seizing smartphones in schools

The Italian Senate approved a bill on seizing smartphones, tablets and other electronic devices in Italian schools.The measure now moves to the House. Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara said in a…

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Italy approves Berlusconi postage stamp

The government approved the issuing of a pstage stamp commemorating late three-time ex premier and media mogul Silvio Berlusconi who died last June aged 86 having dominated Italian public life…

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Earthquake magnitude 3 between the provinces of Reggio Emilia and Parma

A magnitude earthquake 3 was registered at 6:20 am between the provinces of Reggio Emilia and Parma.According to data from the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (Ingv), the earthquake…

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