The Dispatch

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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Pope praises Trump-Kim meeting

Pope Francis praised on Sunday the meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and said he hoped it would lead to peace. He said…

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Mediterranean Migrant Arrivals Reach 27,834 in 2019

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that 27,834 migrants and refugees have entered Europe by sea through 1 May, roughly a 35 per cent decrease from the 42,274 arriving…

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Tension between the Vatican and China

The Vatican has told bishops and priests in China that they must follow their own consciences in deciding whether to register with the government, and it urged Catholics in the…

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Italy fines Facebook €1 million over Cambridge Analytica case

Italy's privacy regulator said Friday that it was fining Facebook one million euros for offenses related to the Cambridge Analytica case. The disgraced and now-defunct British company harvested the personal…

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Photo Story: The Pope and the Grand Master

Current Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Fra' Giacomo Dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto (L) kisses the hand of Pope Francis at the start…

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Catania University dean, professors investigated

Nine Catania University professors and the institute's dean, Francesco Basile, were suspended by a preliminary investigations judge on Friday. The move relates to probe into the alleged rigging of…

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France’s debt increases even more

The French national statistics bureau warned that the countries debt has slipped further into the red. The rise in the public sector debt was mostly due to central government spending,…

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Photo Story: The Morandi Bridge demolition in Genova

A general view shows the demolition of the large towers '10' and '11' of the Morandi bridge using micro-explosive charges, in Genoa, northern Italy, 28 June 2019. Thousands of…

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Experts prepare to demolish Morandi Bridge in Genova

Demolition experts are set to blow up what remains of the Morandi bridge on Friday in the Italian city of Genoa nearly a year after the structure collapsed. Around…

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EU working on solution for Sea-Watch saga

European Home Affairs Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos said Thursday that the European Union was working to find a solution for the 42 migrants on the Sea-Watch 3 ship but added that…

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Salvini considers border wall in northeast Italy

Italian Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said he is considering the idea of erecting a border barrier in northeastern Italy. "The Balkan route (for migrant flows) has reopened,"…

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Sea Watch ignores orders to stop, anchors in front of Lampedusa

The Sea-Watch 3 migrant-rescue ship on Wednesday defied an order from a tax police motor launch to stop and pressed on until it came close to the port of…

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Italian Health Ministry issues heat alert for 6 cities, for 16 on Friday

The Italian health ministry has issued a heat alert for six Italian cities for Thursday and for 16 on Friday. The red alert indicates the maximum risk level for all…

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Pope saddened by image of dead migrant father and baby at US-Mexico border

Reader's discretion is recommended due to the graphic nature of the photo attached to the story Pope Francis is profoundly saddened by the death of two migrants – a…

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French consumer group launches class action against Google

A French consumer rights group has launched a class action lawsuit against US tech giant Google for violating the EU's strict data privacy laws. The compensation claim is a first…

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One in five churches in the Netherlands are no longer used for religious purposes

One in five churches in the Netherlands are no longer used as a place of worship and most have been turned into homes or cultural centres, according to research…

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ECHR rejects Sea Watch appeal

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has rejected a request presented by migrant search-and-rescue vessel Sea Watch 3 for the ECHR to implement interim measures asking Italy to allow…

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Photo Story: The Summit of of the Two Shores

French President Emmanuel Macron poses with foreign ministers of Spain, Italy, Portugal, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Mauritania, Malta, France and the members of civil society after the 'Summit of the…

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Sea Watch case taken to the European Court of Human Rights

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) said Monday it has received a request from the migrant search-and-rescue vessel Sea Watch 3 for the ECHR to implement interim measures asking…

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Italian doctors say leaving overflowing garbage in the streets in the heat is dangerous

Doctors in the Italian capital Rome highlighted the health dangers from overflowing street rubbish brewing toxic fumes in the summer heat. "With the arrival of the heat in a…

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Photo Story: Saint John’s Eve in Spain

Candles sit on steps during a vigil held on occasion of Saint John's Eve in Cordoba, Spain, 23 June 2019 (issued 24 June 2019). The San Juan Fiesta (Saint John's…

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Spanish doctor suspended for claiming vaccines cause autism

A female Spanish doctor has been barred from practicing her profession after claiming vaccines cause autism. El Pais reports that the Madrid Medical Association (Icomem) has banned Spanish…

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Italy holds Netherlands, EU ‘responsible’ for Sea Watch 3 issue

Italy's interior minister Matteo Salvini said he is holding the Netherlands and the European Union "responsible" for the fate of 42 migrants on board the Sea Watch 3. The Italian…

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Three dead in Paris building fire

Police in Paris have not yet established the cause of a fire that left three people dead and another gravely injured on Saturday morning. The building they were in went…

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Tourists fined for cycling bare-chested in Venice

Two British tourists were fined a total of 350 euros for cycling bare-chested around Venice Friday. The incident happened in the busy square outside the church of San Simeon Piccolo.…

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Sea Watch kidnapping case against Salvini shelved

A Catania probe into Interior Minister Matteo Salvini for allegedly kidnapping migrants aboard the Sea-Watch3 NGO rescue ship in January has been shelved. About the case, Salvini said that…

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Photo Story: Elton John gets top French award

Sir Elton John, a newly awarded Legion of Honor, France's highest award, pinned to his suit, joined a call Friday by French President Emmanuel Macron to fund AIDS research and…

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Spanish Police disrupt criminal organisation which financed Al Qaeda

The Spanish National Police (Policia Nacional) disrupted a criminal organisation which was financing Al Qaeda terrorist militias. The complex operation was carried out in the Spanish cities of Madrid,…

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EU threatens Turkey with sanctions over drilling off Cyprus

The EU has threatened to impose sanctions on Turkey if it continues "illegal drilling" in waters near Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean. The warning came at an EU summit…

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Photo Story: 63 persons saved off Almeria in Spain

Sixty-three persons arrive on a Spanish sea rescue boat after being rescued while sailing on two small canoes on the Alboran Sea, in Almeria, southeastern Spain on the night of…

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Italian top court decrees that a foetus is a ‘person’ during labour

Italy’s top court has declared that the foetus must be considered a person during its mother's labour. The decision concerns an obstetrician who was accused with negligence in the death…

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The changing climate threatening Spain’s tourism industry

Though one might assume that hotter weather favours the tourism industry in certain countries, experts warned that such a situation is causing more harm than good to the Spanish tourism…

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Salvini says will quit if government can’t cut 10 billion euros in taxes

Deputy Italian Prime Minister Matteo Salvini on Friday vowed to quit the government unless he was able to push through tax cuts for at least 10 billion euros. Salvini has…

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13 arrested for sexual exploitation of young women in French-Romanian operation

A large-scale joint investigation, led by the French Gendarmerie Nationale in cooperation with the Romanian DIICOT (Directorate for the Investigation of Organised Crime and Terrorism), and supported by Europol and…

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