The Dispatch

Milan records hottest day since 1763

Italy's northern city of Milan registered a new record high average daily temperature of 33 Celsius (91.4 Fahrenheit) on Wednesday as a heatwave which began around mid-August reached its peak,…

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Sewer problems in Seine behind cancellation of Paris 2024 run-up event – media

A faulty valve in Paris' sewage system was likely to have degraded the River Seine's water quality, leading to the cancellation of a pre-Olympics swimming event, Le Canard Enchaine and…

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Eighteen burned bodies, possibly of migrants, found in Greece fires

Eighteen burned bodies, possibly of migrants, were found in a remote, rural area south of the village of Avantas in northern Greece on Tuesday where wildfires have been burning for…

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Italian music great Toto Cutugno dies

Toto Cutugno, a prominent figure among the greatest interpreters of Italian music, passed away on Tuesday at San Raffaele Hospital in Milan. His manager, Danilo Mancuso, informed ANSA about the…

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Dozens of patients evacuated as Greece wildfires burn for fourth day

Dozens of hospital patients were evacuated onto a ferry in the Greek port city of Alexandroupolis early on Tuesday, the fire brigade said, as wildfires in the area raged uncontrolled…

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Italy’s prosecutors investigate ex-minister over Solvay plant licence -sources

Italy's former energy transition minister Roberto Cingolani is under investigation by Rome prosecutors for having renewed an environmental authorisation to the Rosignano Solvay plant on a Tuscan beach in 2022,…

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France issues ‘red alert’ over heatwave in south

France has issued a "red alert" for four southern regions amid a spell of excessively hot weather, with temperatures expected to peak at 41 degrees Celsius (106 degrees Fahrenheit) in…

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Pope Francis pledges updates to landmark document on world environmental crisis

Pope Francis said on Monday that he was writing a follow-up to his landmark 2015 encyclical on the protection of the environment and the dangers of climate change "to bring…

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60 migrants saved from small boats in Aegean Sea

Interceptions have greatly reduced the number of migrant arrivals in Greece, but with intense criticism of potential risk to people following dangerous Mediterranean migration routes. Greek authorities on Saturday rescued…

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Italian migration capacity on verge of collapse – Italian municipalities organisation ANCI

(ANSA) - ROME, AUG 19 - The immigration pointman for Italian municipalities group ANCI said Saturday that migrant reception facilities in the country's cities and towns were "on the verge…

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Spain asks EU for inclusion of three toungues to its list of official languages

FT reports that Brussels would need to translate hundreds of thousands of pages of EU law into Basque, Galician and Catalan under a Spanish proposal that will add to the…

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ECB to write to Italy raising objections over windfall tax on banks – press

The European Central Bank (ECB) is preparing to send a letter to Italy raising objections about the government's windfall tax on banks' profits, the Corriere della Sera daily wrote on…

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Spain’s acting PM Sanchez says he will seek investiture vote

Spain's acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Wednesday he intended to seek the support of the lower house to form a new government after an inconclusive election on July 23. "I…

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Wildfire in Tenerife national park prompts village evacuations

Spanish authorities on Wednesday ordered the evacuation of four villages on the Canary island of Tenerife after a wildfire broke out in the nature park surrounding the Mount Teide volcano.The…

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Italy PM Meloni takes ‘full responsibility’ for bank tax

MILAN, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Monday took "full responsibility" for last week's shock decision to impose a one-off bank tax that has been blamed…

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Sicily’s Mount Etna erupts, Catania airport temporarily closed

Flights to and from Catania airport in southern Italy were suspended on Monday morning due to a volcanic eruption of Mount Etna, the airport's managing company said. Spewing ash onto…

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Migrant deaths at sea ‘open wound on humanity’ says pope

ANSA) - ROME, AUG 13 - The death at sea of migrants and refugees crossing the Mediterranean in search of safety and a better life in Europe is an "open…

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At least one dead, dozens rescued as migrant boat crossing Channel from France capsizes

At least one person died and more than 50 were rescued after a migrant boat trying to cross the Channel from France capsized early on Saturday, local authorities said.Local mayor…

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Italy’s cap on island airfares ignites feud with Ryanair

A decision by the Italian government to cap airfares to the islands of Sicily and Sardinia has prompted a dispute with airlines and been branded illegal by Ryanair, in a…

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Italian government’s raid on banks undermined by confusion

A drive to shore up its political base and appeal to the less well off lay behind the Italian government's decision to impose a windfall tax on banks but its…

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Eleven missing after fire breaks out in disabled people cottage in France

Eleven people were missing after a fire broke out in a holiday cottage welcoming disabled people in eastern France, in the town of Wintzenheim, local authorities said on Wednesday. Interior…

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Italy earmarks 2.9 million euros to tackle blue crab invasion

ROME, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Italy's government has earmarked 2.9 million euros ($3.2 million) to tackle the spread of a particularly aggressive crab species that is threatening the country's role…

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Spain’s PP sees path to power after hard-right Vox dials down demands

By Charlie Devereux MADRID, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Spain's conservative People's Party said on Monday it believed it could break a political deadlock and form a government after the hard-right…

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Heatwave caused higher than normal death rate in southern Italy

ROME, Aug 7 (Reuters) - The central and southern regions of Italy recorded 7% more deaths than normal in July after a baking heatwave, health ministry data showed, while firefighters…

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Italy calls on West African states (ECOWAS) to extend Niger ultimatum

ROME, Aug 7 (Reuters) - The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) should prolong their deadline for the reinstatement of Niger's ousted president, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said…

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Pope says Church open to everyone, including LGBT people, but has rules

By Philip Pullella ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (Reuters) - Pope Francis said that the Catholic Church is open to everyone, including the gay community, and that it has a duty…

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Italy’s clam industry under threat from blue crab ‘invasion’

By Alvise Armellini ROME, (Reuters) - A particularly aggressive crab species from the western Atlantic is threatening Italy's role as one of the world's top producers of clams - as…

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Portugal wildfire rages as strong winds and heat fan flames

LISBON (Reuters) - More than 1,100 firefighters and 14 water-carrying aircraft battled a wildfire in central Portugal's Castelo Branco area as civil protection authorities said hot, windy conditions meant it…

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Closing youth festival in Portugal, Pope shares ‘old man’s’ dream of peace

By Philip Pullella and Catarina Demony LISBON, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Pope Francis closed an international festival of Catholic Youth on Sunday with a huge outdoor Mass and his own…

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Italy plans measures to support key sectors including microelectronics

By Elvira Pollina and Giuseppe Fonte Decree to be discussed by cabinet on Monday Italy earmarks 630 mln euros for microelectronics Govt in talks with Intel over packaging factory ROME…

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Two dead, 57 rescued from migrant shipwrecks off Italy’s Lampedusa

ROME, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Italy's coastguard said on Sunday it had recovered two bodies and rescued 57 people off the southern island of Lampedusa, amid reports that more than…

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Spanish PM’s Moroccan holiday amid election impasse criticised

By David Latona MADRID (Reuters) - An unannounced family holiday to Morocco by Spain's acting prime minister has sparked criticism by both right-wing rivals and left-wing allies at the…

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Catania airport in Sicily cleared to reopen main terminal

(Reuters) - The Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) on Saturday gave its green light to reopen the main terminal at Sicily's Catania airport, a statement said, nearly three weeks after…

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Italy’s lower house approves ‘right to be forgotten’ law for cancer survivors

ROME, Aug 4 (Reuters) - An Italian law giving cancer survivors the right not to declare their past condition to banks and insurance agencies, shielding them from discrimination, has been…

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Photo Story: Record temperatures in Mediterranean Sea

Joao Carvalho of the Sorbonne Institute measures the temperature of the Mediterranean Sea waters in Villefranche-sur-Mer, France, 04 August 2023. The water temperature of the Mediterranean Sea has reached a…

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Photo Story: Pope Francis at the Parish Center of Serafina

Pope Francis meets pilgrims during a meeting with representatives of some charity centres at Centro Paroquial de Serafin, in Lisbon, Portugal. Pope Francis visited a Church-run social centre in a…

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Italy braced for three days of extreme weather

Italy is braced for three days of potentially extreme weather, starting on Friday, when Cyclone Circe is forecast to hit the country, bringing storms with torrential rain and powerful winds.…

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UNESCO recommends adding Venice to list of world heritage sites in danger

(Reuters) - UNESCO experts have recommended that Venice and its lagoon be added to its list of World Heritage in Danger as Italy is not doing enough to protect the…

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Italy’s parliament poised to approve fiscal reform plan

Bill gives tax-dodgers more leeway to cut deals PM Meloni also plans income tax cuts Aims for single tax band by 2027 Opposition parties, unions criticise plans By Giuseppe Fonte…

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Greece offers free holiday to tourists who fled Rhodes fires

ATHENS, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Greece said on Wednesday it will offer a week-long free stay on Rhodes in 2024 to tourists whose vacation was cut short by wildfires that…

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Photo Story: Three most-wanted Hungarian fugitives arrested in coastal city of eastern Spain

A handout photo made available by the Spanish Civil Guard on 02 August 2023 shows Civil Guard officers arresting two of three Hungarian fugitives in the coastal city of Calpe,…

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Italian government plans to put more taxis on the road

By Alvise Armellini and Keith Weir ROME (Reuters) - The Italian government proposed steps to improve taxi services after the country's antitrust authority (AGCM) said it was looking into problems…

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UPDATED: Pope, arriving in Portugal, promises to ‘stir things up’

By Catarina Demony and Philip Pullella LISBON, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Pope Francis promised on Wednesday to continue to "stir things up" in the Catholic Church as he moves…

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Russian hackers crash Italian bank websites

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's cyber security agency said it had detected hacker attacks against websites of at least five banks, which temporarily made it impossible to access some of their…

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Call to restrict public access to Trevi Fountain

Access to the Trevi Fountain should be limited and controlled, Rome's tourism pointman said in the wake of a social media video showing a man climbing onto the iconic monument…

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Spain political stalemate drags on

BARCELONA (Reuters) - Spain's Socialists have emerged with one seat fewer after counts of votes from abroad in last week's election, making it harder for them to be able to…

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Italy minister: joining China’s Belt and Road was ‘atrocious’ decision

By Alvise Armellini Italy entered pact in 2019 under a previous government Current administration is considering how to pull out PM Meloni says a decision will be taken by December…

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Consumption of meat, eggs banned in Palermo due to dioxin alert

An alert over dioxin from a recent waste dump fire in Palermo on Sunday spurred an ordinance from the Sicilian capital's council banning citizens from eating eggs and meat for…

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Mediterranean diet followed by only one in 10 Italians

The UNESCO-listed famously healthy Mediterranean Diet is followed by only one in 10 Italians, according to Legacoop Alimentare in a report this week. The healthy elixir and emblems of the…

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Tourists flock to the Mediterranean as if the climate crisis isn’t happening. This year’s heat and fire will force change

Thousands of people on the beach. Children reportedly falling off evacuation boats. Panic. People fleeing with the clothes on their backs. It felt like “the end of the world”, according…

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