The Dispatch

About 5 million Italians live in absolute poverty

The number of Italians living in absolute poverty held steady in 2018 after three straight years of growth, though the problem remains at a record high. About 5 million…

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France calls for the protection of underwater cultural heritage

Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, opened, together with Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, the International Conference on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage, hosted jointly by…

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Turkey to launch second drilling vessel for natural gas operations near Cyprus

Reuters reports that Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Donmez announced that Turkey will launch a second drilling vessel, the Yavuz, on Thursday that will begin natural gas operations near Cyprus at…

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Photo Story: Paris Airshow kicks off

The Paris Air Show, one of the world’s most important air shows, kicked off Monday in the French capital. There is much attention on Boeing, which was plunged into crisis…

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French art expert insists lost painting is a Caravaggio

French art expert Eric Turquin is not only convinced that a canvas found in the attic of an old house in southwest France is a Caravaggio but also that it…

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Franco Zeffirelli’s funeral to be held on the 18th June

The funeral of world-renowned Italian movie director Franco Zeffirelli will be held next Tuesday at the Duomo in Florence, his hometown. Before the funeral, Zeffirelli will be lying-in-state at…

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Italy lets 10 stranded migrants disembark, moves to ban rescue ships from its waters

Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini allowed 10 of the 53 migrants stranded on the Sea-Watch 3 rescue ship to disembark but pressed ahead with plans to ban such boats…

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Ash emissions from central summit crater on Etna

The Etna volcano in Sicily once more is showing signs of activity after the recent, short-lived eruption ended last week Italian experts report that the volcano remains restless with dense…

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Tourist bookings in Italy drop for 1st time in 5 years

Tourist bookings to Italy this summer have dropped for the first time in five years, the Cst-Assoturismo Confesercenti business group said Thursday. Some 205 million tourists are expected to come…

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EU-wide operation against counterfeit products, Law enforcement agencies in Malta involved in the operation

More than 4.7 million counterfeit products seized, over 16 400 social media accounts suspended and 3 300 websites closed in the EU-wide operation Aphrodite II against trafficking of counterfeit goods.…

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Conte in favour of Merkel as the next president of the European Commission

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said that German Chancellor Angela Merkel would be a good candidate to be the next president of the European Commission, while adding that he does…

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Police in Cyprus find remains of six-year-old, the seventh victim of a serial killer

Police in Cyprus have discovered the seventh victim of what is believed to be the island's first serial killer. The body of six-year-old Sierra Granze was found at the bottom…

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Former senior Italian League party official arrested on corruption charges

Italian police on Wednesday arrested Paolo Arata, former League party energy consultant and former Forza Italia (FI) MP, and his son Francesco, on suspicion of corruption. The pair are accused…

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Italy shuts Mineo migrant camp in Sicily

Interior minister Matteo Salvini announced the closure of a reception centre for asylum seekers in Sicily. The decision to close the Mineo asylum camp in Sicily came after the number…

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Italian Police smash international alcohol smuggling group

Italian police on Wednesday smashed a huge contraband alcohol ring based in the UK and operating in 17 European countries. Police from Udine arrested 20 people in seven Italian…

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Macron ready to back Merkel for new European Commission President post

French President Emmanuel Macron told Swiss TV station RTS that he would back German Chancellor Angela Merkel for European Commission president. Politico reports that Macron, when asked about his…

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Boys who averted a tragedy on hijacked bus to get Italian citizenship

Italian news agency ANSA reports that the two Egyptian boys who helped avert a massacre on a hijacked bus near Milan in March will receive Italian citizenship. The citizenship proposal…

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Italy to start fining NGOs that rescue migrants at sea

A decree adopted by the Italian government would force non-governmental organizations to pay between €10,000 and €50,000 for transporting rescued migrants to Italian ports. Apart from that, the decree…

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Italian centre right win Ferrara in post-war first

The Italian centre right won the northern city of Ferrara, traditionally a stronghold for the left, for the first time in the post-War period after Sunday's runoffs for local elections…

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Photo Story: The San Isidro Bullfighting Fair

The torero or diestro Roman Collado is gored by a bull during the San Isidro Bullfighting Fair, Madrid, Spain. This is considered the most popular and important bullfighting fair in the world.…

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Photo Story: Spain’s El Rocio pilgrimage

Faithful carry the Virgin of El Rocio after the traditional 'jumping the fence' for its procession at El Rocio Virgin Shrine, in the village of El Rocio Andalusia, Spain, early…

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Public transport in Rome to strike on 20 June

The USB trade union announced tht workers at Rome's public transport company ATAC are scheduled to engage in a 24-hour strike, effective from 08.30 to 17.00 and from 20.00 until…

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Woman falls off a cruise ship in the Mediterranean

A search has been called off in Mediterranean Sea for woman who fell off Norwegian Epic cruise ship in the weekend. The passenger fell into the sea while on…

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Pope Francis decries modern ‘culture of insults’ on social media

The Pope warned that the more people use online platforms the less social they become, and criticized the trend "to hurl adjectives" at each other. Pope Francis noted that "the…

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Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia finally receives building permit

After 137 years Barcelona's Sagrada Familia has finally received a building permit. Spanish authorities realised in 2016 that planning permission was never secured for the still under-construction basilica, meaning it…

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WWF publishes report on the extent of plastic pollution in the Mediterranean

As the world today commemorates World Oceans Day, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) issued a report on the worrying state of plastic pollution in the Mediterranean Roughly 600,000…

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Barcelona is the most polluted cruise ship port in Europe

Barcelona is the most polluted cruise ship port in Europe. That’s according to a new report from think tank Transport & Environment, which found Spain had four ports ranking in…

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Western France braces for 130km/h winds

Storm Miguel started moving in on western France Friday morning with winds expected to reach 130km/h. A total of 8 departments - Charente-Maritime, Indre, Indre-et-Loire, Loire-Atlantique, Maine-et-Loire, Deux-Sèvres, Vendée and…

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Paris cracks down on electric scooters

Authorities in the French capital Paris are cracking down on electric scooters after an anarchic year in which startups flooded the city’s streets with their vehicles. The French capital has…

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Big police operation in Portugal against human trafficking for sexual exploitation

The Portuguese Immigration and Borders Service (Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras), supported by Europol, arrested eight suspected members of an international organised criminal group trafficking human beings for sexual…

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Puigdemont refused EU accredidation

The former Catalan president, Charles Puigdemont, has been denied his temporary accreditation as an elected member of the European Parliament at the request of three Spanish political parties. Puigdemont is…

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Pope appeals for more vocations

Pope Francis told participants at a Congress for the Pastoral Care of Vocations in Europe not to be afraid to take up the challenge of the vocation to consecrated…

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UPDATED: 50 persons saved and heading to Pozallo

50 persons were saved as they were trying to cross the Mediterranean to reach reach the European coast. According to Alarm Phone, the group was saved by the commercial…

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Pope and Putin to meet again in July

Pope Francis will receive Russian President Vladimir Putin in an audience in the Vatican on July 4, Vatican spokesperson Alessandro Gisotti told reporters on Thursday. It will be the third…

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UPDATED: Macron and May say ‘thank you’ to D-Day veterans… “we owe you our freedom”

British Prime Minister Theresa May and French President Emmanuel Macron have joined D-Day veterans in northern France for a second day of events to mark the 75th anniversary of the…

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Pope Francis approves big changes to ‘Our Father’ and ‘Gloria’

Pope Francis officially approved a big changes to the most famous prayer in Christianity and the ‘Gloria’. The changes or adjustments to the ‘Our Father’ has been years in…

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Fiat Chrysler withdraws bid for Renault

Fiat Chrysler has withdrawn its merger proposal for French carmaker Renault, the Italian-American firm has said in a statement. The announcement followed a failed attempt by Renault board members…

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Vatican mourns Dutch teenager’s ‘euthanasia’ death

The Vatican on Wednesday mourned the death of Noa Pothoven, a 17-year-old girl from the Netherlands who reportedly ended her life via legal euthanasia on Sunday - although it was…

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EU Commission says Italy is in breach of EU fiscal rules

The European Commission concluded on Wednesday that Italy is in breach of EU fiscal rules because of its growing debt, a situation that justifies the launch of a disciplinary…

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Third body found in Cyprus in serial killer case

Divers in Cyprus found another suitcase containing decomposing human remains from a toxic lake in Cyprus — the third such discovery on the island in a serial killer case…

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Italy set for infringement procedure by EU if figures confirmed

European Budget Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said Wednesday that Brussels may open an infringement procedure against Italy for excessive deficit. "If the (forecasted) figures are confirmed, we will not be…

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Russian and US warplanes confront each other over the Mediterranean

Aircraft of Russia and United States came face to face on Tuesday as the former intercepted a US aircraft flying in international airspace over the Mediterranean Sea three times in…

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63 persons saved by AFM in the Mediterranean

63 persons are expected to disembark in Malta early this morning after being saved during the night by the Armed Forces of Malta The rescued 63 migrants were adrift and…

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Parents arrested in Italy for planning to kill disabled three-year daughter

The Egyptian parents of a disabled three year old girl were arrested in Milan on the suspicion of beating their three-year-old disabled daughter and planning to kill her. Italian police…

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Pregnant women and children who reside around Notre Dame advised to take blood tests

Pregnant women and children living near the fire-ravaged Notre-Dame cathedral have been advised to take blood tests over fears of lead contamination. The warning has been issued after tests…

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Record-breaking Fiat 500X: the 500 thousandth unit is produced

Fiat 500X number 500,000 was built at the Melfi plant in southern Italy. The record-breaking car belongs to the "120th" special series and in this case it is equipped with…

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PhotoStory: 2.500 kilograms of cocaine seized on board a Spanish boat

Spanish Tributary Agency (Spanish Tax Agency) members arrive at Pontevedra's port after seizing 2,500 kilograms of cocaine from South America in Vigo, Galicia, northwestern Spain, 03 June 2019. Spanish Tributary…

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Italian military doctors to fill in for lack of civilian hospital staff

Italian military doctors have been drafted into hospitals in the southern Molise region to cope with a shortfall of civilian hospital staff. Italian news agency ANSA reported that Health Commissioner…

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Muslim world prepares for the end of Ramadan

The Saudi Supreme Court has called on all Muslims throughout Saudi Arabia to sight the crescent of the month of Shawwal on Monday evening. This will signal the end…

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Call to ban cruise ships from Venice canal

Italy’s transport minister Danilo Toninelli has called for cruise ships to be banned from using the Giudecca Canal in Venice, after an out-of-control liner rammed a river tourist boat in…

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PhotoStory: Italy’s Republic Day celebrations

Italy on Sunday celebrated the anniversary marks the founding of the Italian Republic in 1946. June 2nd, 1946, was the day Italians voted to abolish the monarchy, and the Republic…

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Pope pays tribute to Christians in Romania killed or persecuted under Communism

Pope Francis paid tribute to Christians in Romania killed or persecuted under Communism as he warned against any new ideological attempt to sow fear or division in society. On…

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Watch the moment a Cruise liner looses control and hits tourist boat in Venice

A cruise liner early Sunday morning lost control and smashed into tourist boat, the Michelangelo, as it was docking in Venice, Italy. In the incident at least five people were…

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UK prepares to host veterans and world leaders for unprecedented D-Day commemorations

The UK is preparing to host unprecedented commemorations in Portsmouth this week to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day. Over 4000 personnel will be involved in D-Day events in the…

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Maltese Spanish Chamber Launches New Series of Business Meetings

As part of a number of celebrations to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of diplomatic relations between Malta and Spain, the Maltese-Spanish Chamber of Commerce is launching a new series…

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PhotoStory: Spain celebrates Armed Forces Day

King Felipe VI of Spain was joined by Queen Letizia as he presided over the Annual Armed Forces Day ‘Día de las Fuerzas Armadas’ at the Paseo de Cristóbal Colón…

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No problems from Etna activity for Catania airport

The volcanic activity on Mount Etna has not abated, spitting molten lava high into the sky, though cloud cover through the weekend. The latest lava show was not expected…

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