The Dispatch

Italy adopts state of emergency over migrants

By Angelo Amante ROME, (Reuters) - Italy's cabinet on Tuesday announced a state of emergency on immigration following a "sharp rise" in flows across the Mediterranean, a statement said, in…

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Greek EU-harmonised inflation eases to 5.4% y/y in March

April 10 (Reuters) - Greece's annual EU-harmonised inflation slowed to 5.4% in March from 6.5% in February, data showed on Monday. The cost of housing dropped by 10.4%, while prices…

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Pope hopes N.Ireland accord can be ‘consolidated’ to benefit all Ireland

VATICAN CITY, April 10 (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Monday he was praying that the Good Friday agreement signed 25 years ago that largely ended violence in Northern Ireland…

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Italy’s Berlusconi health conditions steadily improving, his doctors say

MILAN, April 10 (Reuters) - Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's health condition is steadily improving as he is treated in hospital for a lung infection caused by chronic leukaemia,…

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Israel says signs $400 mln deal to sell Greece anti-tank missiles

JERUSALEM, April 10 (Reuters) - Israel signed a 1.44 billion shekel ($400 million) deal to sell Spike anti-tank missiles to Greece, Israel's Defence Ministry said on Monday, just days after…

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France denies military presence in Ukraine

The French government denied that French soldiers were on the ground in Ukraine, Le Monde reported. “There are no French forces engaged in operations in Ukraine,” the team of Armed…

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UPDATED: French rescue workers recover four bodies from collapsed Marseille buildings

PARIS, April 10 (Reuters) - French rescue workers have found four bodies in the rubble of buildings in the southern city of Marseille that collapsed following an explosion, police said…

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Macron says Europe should not follow U.S. or Chinese policy over Taiwan

(Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron said in comments published on Sunday that Europe had no interest in an acceleration of the crisis over Taiwan and should pursue a strategy…

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Boat with 400 migrants adrift between Greece and Malta

MILAN, (Reuters) - A vessel with around 400 people on board is adrift between Greece and Malta and is taking on water, support service Alarm Phone said, after a sharp…

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Italian drugs cartels conceal payments via Chinese shadow banks

By Emilio Parodi MILAN (Reuters) - Drugs cartels operating in Italy are increasingly using shadow networks of unlicensed Chinese money brokers to conceal cross-border payments, according to Italian judicial and…

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Photo Story: Snowstorm hits Abruzzo as Italy prepares for cold Easter

A view of snow-covered area after a storm of wind and snow in Rovere, Rocca di Mezzo, Abruzzo district, central Italy, 08 April 2023. Italian weather forecasters said that Easter…

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Portugal party Chega sets far-right world summit with Brazil’s Bolsonaro, Italy’s Salvini

LISBON, April 7 (Reuters) - Portuguese party Chega will hold a world summit in Lisbon with several far-right party leaders in May, including former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro and Italian…

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Italy steps up security for Easter holidays

The Italian interior ministry has ordered that security be boosted at sites considered to be at risk in view of Easter, Italian news agency ANSA reported. These sensitive sites include…

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Italy’s Berlusconi still in hospital, but “better than he was”

By Elvira Pollina and Emilio Parodi MILAN (Reuters) - Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is "better than he was", his friend Fedele Confalonieri said after visiting him in hospital,…

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After bronchitis, cold weather forces Pope to skip Via Crucis at the Colosseum

By Philip Pullella and Crispian Balmer ROME (Reuters) - Pope Francis presided at one indoor service on Good Friday, but doctors ordered him to skip an outdoor evening "Way of…

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France launches first order for bird flu vaccines

By Sybille De La Hamaide PARIS (Reuters) - France has launched a tender for 80 million doses of bird flu vaccines in order to be ready to start its vaccination…

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Cyprus to offer technical aid to Ukraine on mines clearance

NICOSIA, April 7 (Reuters) - Cyprus will offer Ukraine technical training on landmine clearing as part of its humanitarian assistance, its defence minister said on Friday. Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii…

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Birth rate in Italy at all-time low, registers increase in foreign population

The number of foreign citizens living in Italy grew in 2022, the national statistics institute Istat said on Friday.As of January 1, 2023, there were 5,050,000 foreigners living in Italy,…

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UPDATED: Italy’s Berlusconi spends second night in hospital, friends hopeful

Berlusconi, 86, is suffering from leukaemia Currently in intensive care for lung infection Taken to hospital on Wednesday with breathing problems Billionaire media tycoon leads Forza Italia party MILAN, April…

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Italian businesses more upbeat about economy-central bank survey

MILAN, April 6 (Reuters) - The opinion of Italian businesses on the prospects for the economy improved in the first quarter of 2023 compared with the previous three months, the…

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On Holy Thursday, healthy-looking Pope urges priests to shun disunity

VATICAN CITY, April 6 (Reuters) - Pope Francis, appearing fully recovered from a bout with bronchitis, on Thursday began an intense four days leading to Easter urging priests to avoid…

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Pension protests to bring ‘maximum’ workers in France after government, union talks fail

By Marine Strauss and Silvia Aloisi PARIS, April 6 (Reuters) - France faced a new round of nationwide protests and strikes on Thursday after a meeting between the prime minister…

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Photo Story: Holy Week procession in Alicante

People touch the cross during the procession of the Holy Christ of the Gypsies during the Holy Week in Alicante, eastern Spain, on Wednesday. Via EPA-EFE/Manuel Lorenzo

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UPDATED: Italy ex-premier Berlusconi has leukaemia

Berlusconi, 86, is suffering from leukaemia -source Taken to hospital on Wednesday with breathing problems Billionaire media tycoon leads Forza Italia party By Elvira Pollina MILAN, April 6 (Reuters) -…

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3.3 magnitude earthquake in the sea between Catania and Reggio Calabria

An earthquake of magnitude 3.3 was registered at 3:34 in the Ionian Sea, between Sicily and Calabria. According to data from the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (Ingv), the…

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Italy retail sales fall in February as food-buying contracts

April 5 (Reuters) - Italy's retail sales fell both in value and in volume in February from the month before, statistics institute ISTAT said on Wednesday, as families cut down…

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No let up in Pope Francis’ busy Holy Week schedule

Pope Francis continued with his busy schedule in the week running up to Easter on Wednesday with his general audience in Saint Peter's Square.The Argentine pontiff spent three days in…

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French unions to keep up pensions protest after talks with PM fail

PARIS, April 5 (Reuters) - France's labour unions will keep up their fight against a planned rise of the legal retirement age, they said on Wednesday, after a meeting with…

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UPDATED: Former Italian PM Berlusconi in intensive care in hospital

By Federico, Maccioni and Angelo Amante MILAN, April 5 (Reuters) - Silvio Berlusconi, who was Italian prime minister four times, is in intensive care in a cardiac unit at Milan's…

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MSF rescues 440 migrants from fishing boat off Malta in stormy seas

ROME, April 5 (Reuters) - A total of 440 migrants have been rescued from an overcrowded fishing boat in international waters off Malta, after a complex 11-hour operation in stormy…

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Rome to ‘drastically’ reduce number of e-scooters on the roads

Rome is to "drastically" cut e-scooter numbers, Mayor Roberto Gualtieri said commenting on the Parisian ban on for-hire e-scooters following a referendum. "A referendum on scooters? We have opted for…

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Italy’s ChatGPT ban attracts EU privacy regulators

Italy's move to temporarily ban ChatGPT has inspired other European countries to study if harsher measures are needed to rein in the wildly popular chatbots and whether to coordinate such…

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Macron says France will prepare ‘end of life’ bill this year

President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday France must improve the availability of palliative care and there would be a draft bill by the end of the summer on whether some…

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WATCH: NASA names woman, Black astronauts to Artemis II crew in lunar first

NASA on Monday named the first woman and the first African American ever assigned as astronauts to a lunar mission, introducing them as part of the four-member team chosen to…

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Italy seeks to ensure receiving all EU post-COVID funds

Italy's government is determined not to lose any of the money it is entitled from the European Union post-pandemic recovery funds, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Monday. Italy is…

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Italy rescues 32 migrants near Lampedusa

Italy's Coast Guard said on Monday it was forced to use a helicopter to rescue 32 migrants, including a child, who had been stranded on a desert island in the…

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Italian minister says country’s ban on ChatGPT is excessive

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's deputy prime minister on Sunday criticised a decision by the government's Data Protection Authority to temporarily ban chatbot ChatGPT, saying the block over privacy concerns seemed…

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Italian delays over Recovery plan negative for rating – Scope

By Sara Rossi and Alessia Pe MILAN, April 3 (Reuters) - Significant delays in Italian efforts to meet the targets in its pandemic Recovery Plan would likely lower the country's…

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Pope says pension systems must not weigh on future generations

VATICAN CITY, April 3 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Monday said future generations must not be overloaded with the cost of today's pension systems, in apparent support for reform at…

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French junior minister under fire for Playboy front cover

PARIS, April 3 (Reuters) - French junior social affairs minister Marlene Schiappa is facing criticism from her own party for posing in a white dress for the cover of Playboy,…

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UPDATED: Paris to ban e-scooters from September

PARIS (Reuters) - Paris will ban electric scooters from September 1, the French capital's mayor said, after the public voted to remove them from the streets, however e-scooter operators said…

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Italy’s water crisis exacerbated by leaky pipes, data shows

ROME (Reuters) - Italy is wasting more and more of its water from leaky aqueducts, leaving the country increasingly vulnerable to droughts, national statistics bureau ISTAT said. Scientists and environmental…

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Embattled Macron heads to China, leaving burning Paris behind

Macron will head to Beijing, Guangzhou on April 5-8 Trip comes as he struggles to contain pension protests War in Ukraine to dominate discussions By Michel Rose and John Irish…

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Photo Story: New Spanish left-wing political party presented in Madrid

Spanish second Deputy Prime Minister and Work Minister Yolanda Diaz presents her party 'Sumar' (Add) during an electoral event in Madrid, Spain, 02 April 2023. The new party is an…

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Anger in Portugal over soaring rents and house prices

LISBON, April 1 (Reuters) - Thousands of people took to the streets of Lisbon and other cities across Portugal on Saturday in protest against soaring rents and house prices at…

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Spanish authorities blame ‘terrorist’ arsonists for Asturias fires

By Vincent West SETIENES, Spain (Reuters) - The lush region of Asturias in northern Spain was ravaged by more than 90 wildfires on Friday, most of them believed to have…

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UPDATED: Pope Francis attends Palm Sunday service after hospital stay

VATICAN CITY, April 2 (Reuters) - Pope Francis led a Palm Sunday service the day after he was discharged from hospital following a bout of bronchitis, and urged the world…

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Meloni’s party looks to shield Italian language from foreign contamination

ROME (Reuters) - Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's party has proposed imposing fines of up to 100,000 euros ($108,750) on public and private entities which use foreign terms, most notably English,…

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Paris votes on whether electric scooters should be banned

On 2 April, Paris will decide whether the capital city’s 15,000 for-hire electric scooters will survive. The city hall has called for a referendum asking residents: “Do we or don’t…

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Pope Francis to lead Palm Sunday services day after leaving hospital

Pope Francis will lead Mass in St Peter's Square on Sunday as he kicks off events leading to Easter, just a day after leaving hospital. He was admitted to Rome's…

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Italy wages war on lab-grown food in drive to protect tradition

By Angelo Amante Ban on cell-based food production subject to parliament approval Agriculture lobby praises government move Angry reactions from food companies, animal rights groups ROME, (Reuters) - Italy's government…

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Portugal’s March inflation slows down to 7.4%

LISBON, March 31 (Reuters) - Portuguese consumer prices rose 7.4% year-on-year in March, at a slower pace than the 8.2% increase in the previous month, flash data released by the…

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Photo Story: The drought in southern France

Boats abandoned on the shores of the Serre-Poncon lake at low water, the waters of the lake have dropped sharply due to a drought affecting the southern regions of France,…

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Italy data protection agency opens ChatGPT probe on privacy concerns

MILAN, March 31 (Reuters) - Italy's data protection agency said on Friday it had opened a probe into OpenAI's ChatGPT chatbot over a suspected breach of the artificial intelligence application's…

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Pope Francis: What do we know about his health problems?

Pope in hospital for second time in two years Vatican plays down health concerns Bad knee, bowel ailment take their toll VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - While the Vatican has looked…

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Wildfires ravage Spain’s Asturias as temperatures hit record highs

MADRID (Reuters) - More than 100 wildfires broke out in Spain's northern Asturias region on Thursday, most of them started on purpose by arsonists and others, authorities said, as temperatures…

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UPDATED: Pope to leave hospital Saturday – Vatican

By Crispian Balmer and Alvise Armellini Pontiff was hospitalised unexpectedly on Wednesday Vatican says he has respiratory infection Illness comes ahead of busy Holy Week starting on Sunday Pope Francis…

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