The Dispatch

French lawmakers in final attempt to get 2026 budget approved

French lawmakers will make what is likely their final attempt this year to approve the country’s 2026 fiscal plans when members of the National Assembly and Senate meet in a…

Read More Here

Spanish PM rejects calls for early election despite scandals

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez rejected calls for snap elections despite mounting sexual harassment allegations and corruption investigations involving members of his Socialist Party. In his end-of-year address on Monday,…

Read More Here

Italy’s silence puts EU–Mercosur trade deal on a knife edge

Italy’s reluctance to declare its position on the EU–Mercosur trade agreement is emerging as a decisive factor as the bloc edges closer to a final vote. With France leading opposition…

Read More Here

Cyprus seeks to ease EU-Turkey tensions while advancing NATO bid

Cyprus plans to use its upcoming EU Council presidency to lower tensions with Turkey in exchange for progress on joining NATO, President Nikos Christodoulides told POLITICO. The key goal is…

Read More Here

Europe’s housing costs akin to ‘new pandemic’, warns Barcelona mayor

The spiralling cost of housing is like a “new pandemic” gripping Europe, Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni has warned, as he and 16 other city leaders called on the EU to…

Read More Here

France seeks delay to EU-Mercosur vote, exposing deepening divisions over trade deal

France has called for a postponement of a key EU vote on the long-running EU-Mercosur trade agreement, deepening divisions among member states over the deal. Paris wants December deadlines pushed…

Read More Here

Meloni urges Europe to build its own defence as US signals disengagement

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni used the closing address of her party’s annual Atreju rally in Rome to call on Europe to take greater responsibility for its own defence, citing…

Read More Here

Sea urchin species on brink of extinction after marine pandemic

A marine pandemic is bringing some species of sea urchin to the brink of extinction, and some populations have disappeared altogether, a study has found. Since 2021, Diadema africanum urchins…

Read More Here

Europe cracks down on badly behaved tourists

While cost-hiking measures serve a dual purpose of cutting visitor numbers and raising funds, other new rules are aimed more squarely at curbing undesirable tourist behaviour. San Sebastián is the…

Read More Here

Suspected drones seen over French military intelligence base

Suspected drones were seen flying above a French military intelligence base on three separate nights last month, the French Air and Space Force said on Tuesday, in the latest possible…

Read More Here

Pope Urges Continued Dialogue in Meeting With Zelensky

Pope Leo XIV underscored the need to press ahead with dialogue aimed at ending the war in Ukraine during talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday at the papal…

Read More Here

Veteran Italian Journalist Giletti Struck While Probing Sensitive Lead in Orlandi Disappearance

Veteran TV journalist and presenter Massimo Giletti was reportedly assaulted on the streets of Rome last Thursday while preparing a segment for the programme Lo Stato delle Cose on Rai…

Read More Here

Growing Inequality and Digital Dependence Reshape Italian Life

A newly released national survey this week by Censis paints a stark picture of contemporary Italy: a middle class under pressure, a generation growing older, and a collective “dream” increasingly…

Read More Here

France investigates reports of drones over nuclear sub base

French prosecutors are investigating after drones were suspected to have flown over a nuclear submarine base on the Atlantic coast late on Thursday, a prosecutor in charge of military affairs…

Read More Here

France wants to end free health care for foreign pensioners

Foreign pensioners who dream of spending their retirement under the sun in the French Riviera might have to reconsider their plans if their free health care gets axed. France wants…

Read More Here

Mediterranean, Black Sea fish stocks show recovery but threats persist, UN says

Fishing pressure in the Mediterranean and Black Sea has fallen sharply over the past decade, but just over half of assessed fish populations remain overfished and climate threats are mounting,…

Read More Here

Italian court rules against Sicily bridge, government wants to press on

An Italian court has ruled that plans for the world's largest suspension bridge between mainland Italy and the island of Sicily would break EU environmental and tender rules, but the…

Read More Here

Cyprus Introduces €85 Penalty for Blocking Public EV Charging Points

Parliament in Cyprus has endorsed new measures aimed at curbing the misuse of electric-vehicle charging bays, approving a bill that introduces an €85 fine for parking violations at publicly accessible…

Read More Here

Italy Weighs Return to Voluntary Military Service Amid Shifting Security Climate

Italy’s defence chief has signalled a potential return to voluntary military service, two decades after the country phased out conscription. Speaking on Thursday, Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said he intends…

Read More Here

Louvre to hike ticket prices for most non-EU tourists by 45%

Ticket prices for the Louvre museum in Paris will rise by 45% for most non-European Union visitors, the museum's board decided on Thursday. From early next year, tourists from countries…

Read More Here

France’s Macron unveils voluntary military service

President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday announced the creation of a new voluntary youth military service to begin by mid-2026, which would help France respond to "accelerating threats" on the global…

Read More Here

Interpol elects France’s Lucas Philippe as new president

Global police agency Interpol elected French police official Lucas Philippe as its president on Thursday. Philippe was elected for a four-year term during Interpol's general assembly in Marrakech. The assembly…

Read More Here

Vatican reports first budget surplus after years of deficits

The Vatican closed 2024 with a budget surplus of 1.6 million euros ($1.85 million), it said, signalling a turnaround after years of deficits that had frustrated Church leaders, including the…

Read More Here

Pope Leo to take peace message to Turkey, Lebanon on first overseas trip

Pope Leo will embark on his first trip outside Italy as the leader of the Catholic Church on Thursday, travelling to Turkey and Lebanon, where he is expected to make…

Read More Here

Italy’s Senate delays rape bill, exposing government rifts

Italy's Senate has postponed debate on a landmark bill that would stipulate for the first time that sex without consent constitutes rape, exposing tensions within Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's coalition.…

Read More Here

Italian parliament unanimously votes to make femicide a crime

Deputies in the Italian parliament have voted unanimously to introduce the crime of femicide – the murder of a woman, motivated by gender – as a distinct law to be…

Read More Here

Italian Local Elections Reinforce Status Quo, Offer Limited Traction for Opposition

Italy's leftist opposition and ruling parties held their ground in regional votes, provisional results showed on Monday, wrapping up a round of races in 2025 that saw no signs of…

Read More Here

French poll shows far-right leader Bardella winning presidential election

French pollster Odoxa predicted for the first time that 30-year-old far-right leader Jordan Bardella would win the next presidential election, scheduled in 2027, no matter who his opponents would be.…

Read More Here

Macron set to present voluntary military service plan

French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to present a new voluntary military service on Thursday — and most political parties are likely to go along with the plan. The project, which stops…

Read More Here

‘We are under attack’: Italian defense minister accuses Russia of waging hybrid war

Italy’s defense minister is calling for the West to fight back against increasing numbers of potentially “catastrophic” Russian hybrid attacks. In a 125-page paper published on Tuesday afternoon, Guido Crosetto…

Read More Here

New Lead Emerges in Orlandi Case as Parliamentary Inquiry Uncovers Handwritten Note

A newly identified lead in the long-running disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi has come to light through the ongoing work of the bicameral commission examining the cases of both Orlandi and…

Read More Here

Italian lawmakers revive Italy’s claim on central bank’s $300 billion gold pile

Italian lawmakers have revived attempts to establish that the central bank's $300 billion in gold reserves belong to the state by presenting a proposal to parliament. The lawmakers who signed…

Read More Here

France seals ‘historic’ warplane deal with Kyiv

French President Emmanuel Macron has said he firmly believes that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy can successfully bring corruption in his country under control. Speaking at a joint press conference with…

Read More Here

Migrant arrivals in Spain’s Balearics surge as smugglers switch routes

Nineteen boats carrying around 360 people reached Spain's Balearic Islands in the past two days, the latest surge in arrivals defying attempts by authorities to curb the fastest-growing migratory route…

Read More Here

Sarkozy appeal against conspiracy conviction to begin in March

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy's appeal against a conviction for criminal conspiracy related to illegal Libyan financing for his successful 2007 presidential bid will be heard from March 16 to…

Read More Here

Holy See Refutes Alleged Vision of Jesus in France

Jesus may answer prayers but he has not made special appearances in a small town in the north of France, the Vatican declared.. In a new instruction approved by Pope…

Read More Here

Italy seeks faster introduction of EU levy on low-value parcels

The European Union needs to adopt "strong and fast" rules against the invasion of cheap and unregulated products, Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti said. He also said the EU should bring…

Read More Here

Strong earthquake rocks Cyprus

A moderate earthquake, registering 4.7 on the Richter scale as per the Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Centre, was experienced on the island at approximately 11.30 am on Wednesday. According to Paphos district…

Read More Here

Cyprus Tables Bill to Cut Traffic Congestion and Promote Sustainable Mobility

Cyprus has unveiled a new bill introducing five key measures to tackle chronic traffic congestion and promote sustainable mobility. The proposed Road Network Decongestion and Sustainable Mobility Law seeks to…

Read More Here

“War Safari” Scandal: Italy Reopens Dark Chapter from the Siege of Sarajevo

Prosecutors in Milan have launched an investigation into allegations that Italian citizens paid large sums of money to join Serbian militias as “weekend snipers” during the 1993–1995 Siege of Sarajevo,…

Read More Here

Major Solar Storm Causes Radio Blackouts Across Europe and Africa

A powerful geomagnetic storm has been underway since the night of November 11–12, reaching G4 intensity—one step below the highest G5 level, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric…

Read More Here

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy to be released from prison

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy is set to leave La Santé Prison in Paris on Monday after serving three weeks, following an appeals court’s approval of his request for release.…

Read More Here

Three dead and 15 injured in Tenerife tidal surge

Three people have died and 15 others were injured after huge waves struck the popular Spanish holiday island of Tenerife. Emergency services said a woman died after being swept into…

Read More Here

Pope Leo’s critique of Trump emboldens top US Catholics to help immigrants

Pope Leo’s recent criticism of U.S. President Donald Trump’s immigration policies has energised Catholic organisations working to assist migrants affected by the administration’s strict enforcement measures, according to senior Church…

Read More Here

Abbas Meets Pope as Holy See Marks 10 Years Since Recognition of Palestine

Pope Leo XIV reaffirmed the Vatican’s long-standing support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict during a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the Apostolic Palace on Thursday,…

Read More Here

Europe-Wide Operation Targets Labour Exploitation, 54 Arrests

Authorities across Europe have carried out a coordinated operation to tackle labour exploitation, resulting in 54 arrests and the identification of 404 potential victims of human trafficking. The action, led…

Read More Here

Jesus, not Virgin Mary, saved the world, Vatican says

Jesus may have heard words of wisdom from his mother Mary, but she did not help him save the world from damnation, the Vatican said on Tuesday. In a new…

Read More Here

Majorca, Ibiza and Menorca Visitors Could Face Steep Tourist Tax Increase Under New Union Proposal

One of Spain’s largest trade unions is calling for a sharp increase in the taxes paid by visitors to the Balearic Islands, arguing that current measures have failed to ease…

Read More Here

Medieval tower in Rome being restored using EU cash collapses

A medieval tower in the center of Rome undergoing EU-funded restoration work partially collapsed on Monday, injuring a worker and leaving another dead. A Romanian worker trapped for hours under…

Read More Here

Louvre heist: Amateurs, not professionals, carried out theft

Four suspects who have been charged and remanded in custody following a heist at the Louvre are considered more petty thieves than criminal masterminds, the Paris prosecutor said on Sunday.…

Read More Here

Barcelona’s Sagrada Família becomes world’s tallest church

The Sagrada Família has become the tallest church in the world, after workers placed the first part of a cross at the top of its central tower. Now measuring 162.91…

Read More Here

Meloni’s bid to overhaul Italy’s justice system wins backing from lawmakers

Italy’s Senate on Thursday approved Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s flagship justice reform, marking significant progress for the right-wing plan to overhaul the country’s judiciary. With 112 votes in favor, 59 against…

Read More Here

Italian court rejects Sicily bridge project

Italy’s Court of Auditors on Wednesday rejected the government’s plan to build a long-debated bridge from mainland Italy to Sicily, dealing a body blow to one of Rome’s most ambitious…

Read More Here

Spain’s Sánchez Faces Setback as Catalan Allies Abandon Coalition

Catalan separatists voted to sever ties with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s Socialists, further weakening his minority government. Citing a “lack of will” from the Socialists, separatist Junts’ party leader…

Read More Here

Pope Leo to visit eight cities in Turkey, Lebanon on first trip abroad as pontiff

Pope Leo will visit eight towns and cities in Turkey and Lebanon later this year, the Vatican said on Monday, his first trip outside Italy as pontiff, and he is…

Read More Here

Italy’s Webuild Begins Recruitment for Messina Strait Bridge Project

Italian construction giant Webuild on Friday launched recruitment for the long-delayed Messina Strait Bridge, a 13.5-billion-euro project to connect Sicily with the mainland via what will be the world’s longest…

Read More Here

Almost 4,400 people abused by priests in Italy, victims’ group alleges

Nearly 4,400 people have been abused by Catholic priests in Italy in cases reported since 2020, a victims' group alleged on Friday, renewing pressure on bishops to confront a crisis…

Read More Here