The Dispatch

Pope Leo will ‘stand with’ Catholic leaders in protecting immigrants’ rights, advocates say

Pope Leo XIV said he will stand with Catholic leaders in protecting immigrants facing mass deportations in the U.S., according to a group of American Catholic leaders and advocacy groups…

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New Italian bill targets Islamic face coverings and religious funding

Italy's ruling Brothers of Italy party put forward legislation on Wednesday to ban the burqa and niqab in public spaces, part of a broader bill aimed at combating what it…

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Italy’s Meloni says she has been denounced to ICC for complicity in genocide

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Tuesday that she and two of her ministers had been reported to the International Criminal Court for alleged complicity in genocide in connection…

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Luxury hybrid car thieves taken down in Belgium, Italy and Spain

A highly specialised organised crime network responsible for the theft of more than 100 luxury hybrid cars has been dismantled in an international operation led by the Italian Carabinieri with…

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Pope Leo to visit Turkey, Lebanon in November in first trip abroad

Pope Leo will travel to Turkey and Lebanon in late November, the Vatican announced on Tuesday, in the first visit outside Italy by the new leader of the 1.4-billion-member global…

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France’s political crisis: How did we get here and what comes next?

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu resigned on Monday, just hours after appointing his new cabinet, plunging France straight back into a political crisis it has been stuck in since 2022.…

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Pope Leo trims powers of Vatican bank, rolling back a Francis reform

Pope Leo cancelled the Vatican bank's sole authority over investments held by the city-state on Monday, rolling back one of the financial reforms of his predecessor Francis. In a short…

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UPDATED: Political turmoil increases after French PM Sébastien Lecornu resigns, less than a day after his cabinet was unveiled

France's Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has resigned, less than a day after his cabinet was unveiled. "The conditions were not fulfilled for me to carry on as prime minister," Lecornu…

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Protests erupt in Spain, Italy, Ireland, France, Germany and Switzerland

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators in Europe on Thursday blocked traffic and vandalised shops and restaurants after Israeli forces intercepted a Gaza-bound humanitarian aid flotilla. Israel faced international condemnation after armed Israeli soldiers…

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Strike called in Italy, protests flare over interception of Gaza aid ships

Italian unions called a general strike for Friday in solidarity with the international aid flotilla for Gaza, while protests sprang up in a number of cities late on Wednesday after…

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French military boards Russia-linked oil tanker suspected of launching drones

French military personnel have boarded an oil tanker named on a list of Russia’s “shadow fleet” vessels and suspected of being a launchpad for mystery drone flights that forced the…

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Italy Police Break Up Illegal Streaming Network; Eight Held

Italian police placed eight people under house arrest Friday in a Catania-led investigation into an alleged criminal network accused of running the country’s largest illegal streaming service. Prosecutors said the…

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UPDATED: Nicolas Sarkozy sentenced to 5 years in prison

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was sentenced to 5 years in prison after being found guilty in a case relating to whether his 2007 presidential campaign received illicit donations from…

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Autumn Storm Batters Italy: Floods, Landslides and Hundreds of Rescues

A powerful autumn storm swept across Italy this week, unleashing torrential rains, flash floods and landslides from the Alps to the southern islands, forcing school evacuations, closing roads and triggering…

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French Armed Forces Sound Alarm on Escalating Space Hostilities

France’s top military space official has warned of intensifying "hostile or unfriendly" activity in space, particularly by Russia, joining a growing chorus of Western powers publicly warning about a rapidly…

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Italian port of Ravenna blocks arms for Israel

The Italian Adriatic port of Ravenna refused entry to two trucks said to be carrying arms to Israel, as protests mount among Italian dockworkers and other labour groups against the…

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New routes and concealment methods identified in cocaine crackdowns in Spain

Europol supported Portuguese and Spanish authorities in two major investigations against cocaine trafficking involving law enforcement on both sides of the Atlantic. These operations exemplified a shifting landscape of global…

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Italy to Support UN Resolution on Palestinian Statehood, Open to Sanctions on Israeli Hardliners

Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced Thursday that Italy will endorse a United Nations resolution on Palestinian statehood later this month, underscoring Rome’s commitment to a two-state solution…

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Pope Leo plans to keep Francis’ key reforms but avoid bigger changes

Pope Leo will keep Pope Francis' signature policies to welcome gay Catholics, discuss women's ordination and give China input on bishop appointments, but is not planning big changes to Church…

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France braces for more widespread strike and protest action on Thursday

France is gearing up for more nationwide strikes and mass protests this Thursday, expected to be one of the largest in recent years. All of the country's major unions have…

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Pope decries ‘unacceptable’ plight of Palestinians in Gaza, urges truce

Pope Leo on Wednesday denounced the "unacceptable" conditions faced by Palestinians in Gaza, voicing solidarity with civilians and renewing his appeal for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and…

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2025 Summer Heat in Spain Breaks All Previous Temperature Records

Spain recorded its hottest summer in 2025, according to data released the national meteorological agency AEMET on Tuesday. The average temperature was 24.2 Celsius (75.56 Fahrenheit), going beyond the previous record of…

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Italy unprepared for attack by Russia or anyone else – Defence minister Crosetto

Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said Monday that Italy would not be ready if Russia or anyone else decided to attack it. "We are not ready for either a Russian…

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Pope Leo writing first document on needs of poor

Pope Leo is preparing to publish the first high-level document of his four-month papacy, which is expected to signal continuity with his predecessor Pope Francis and focus on the needs…

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Pope Leo tells Catholic bishops not to hide abuse allegations

Pope Leo has instructed the Catholic Church's newest bishops to confront sexual abuse by priests and not to hide allegations of misconduct, in a text released by the Vatican on…

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France to send warplanes to protect Polish airspace

France will send three warplanes to protect Poland's airspace, President Emmanuel Macron announced Thursday evening. "Following the Russian drone incursions into Poland, I have decided to deploy three Rafale fighter…

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Local chikungunya cases soar in France

France has recorded nearly 400 locally-acquired cases of chikungunya this summer, a sharp increase from last year, French health authorities announced. As of Sept. 8, there have been 382 cases…

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Spain’s parliament kills shorter work week bill

Spain's lower house has shelved a bill that would have shortened the work week by 2-1/2 hours, dealing yet another blow to the fragile Socialist-led minority government which is struggling…

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‘Block Everything’ protests sweep across France, scores arrested

Protesters across France obstructed highways, burned barricades and clashed sporadically with police on Wednesday in a show of anger against President Emmanuel Macron, the political elite and planned spending cuts.…

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Spain plans smoking ban at bar terraces, beaches, stadiums

Spain's minority leftist government introduced a bill on Tuesday to ban smoking at outdoor venues including beaches, bar and restaurant terraces, bus stops and stadiums. The ban would also apply…

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Macron names ally Sébastien Lecornu as new French PM

President Emmanuel Macron has named close ally Sébastien Lecornu as the new French prime minister, 24 hours after a vote of confidence ousted François Bayrou as head of government. Lecornu,…

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Strong earthquake strikes Evia island, felt in Athens

An earthquake rattled Athens on Tuesday morning with no reports of any damage or fatalities. The Athens Geodynamic Institute said the quake, of magnitude 5.2, was off Evia island about…

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French parliament ousts prime minister, deepening political crisis

France's parliament brought down the government on Monday over its plans to tame the ballooning national debt, deepening a political crisis that is weakening the euro zone's second-largest economy. Lawmakers…

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Italian teen, Carlo Acutis, to become first millennial Catholic saint on Sunday

A British-born Italian boy who died of leukaemia in 2006 will become the first Catholic saint of the millennial generation on Sunday, in a ceremony led by Pope Leo in…

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Italy rules out sending troops to Ukraine under peace plan

Italy will not send troops to Ukraine as part of any future peace deal with Russia, Premier Giorgia Meloni told a meeting of the “coalition of the willing” Thursday, her…

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Legendary Italian designer Giorgio Armani dies aged 91

The Italian fashion designer and billionaire brand owner Giorgio Armani has died at the age of 91. He was the archetype of Italian style and elegance, reimagining men's and women's…

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UPDATED: Lisbon mourns 17 victims of cable car crash as investigation begins

Flags flew at half-mast in Lisbon on Thursday after at least 17 people were killed and 21 injured in a crash of a hillside funicular railway popular with tourists, while…

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Man shot dead by French police after stabbings at Marseille hotel

A man was shot dead by police in Marseille after stabbing five people on Tuesday afternoon. Prosecutor Nicolas Bessone said the attacker, a Tunisian national legally residing in France, had…

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French PM Bayrou’s marathon talks unlikely to avert no-confidence vote

French Prime Minister François Bayrou is holding intensive talks with political leaders in a last-ditch attempt to prevent a no-confidence vote scheduled for 8 September, which threatens to topple his…

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Spain’s far right gains as leading parties fight over fires

Spain has endured its worst wildfire season in 30 years, with nearly 400,000 hectares burned, sparking both environmental and political crises. The blazes have exposed tensions between Prime Minister Pedro…

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Italy protests US double tariff on cheese exports

The European Union’s recent trade deal with the United States may have averted a damaging tariff war, but it has already sparked tension with Italy over the treatment of hard…

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Tourists Arrivals in Italy Rose 9.3% in August

Tourist arrivals in Italy increased by 9.3% in the first half of August compared with the same period last year, the Interior Ministry said Wednesday. Between Aug. 1 and Aug.…

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Pope Leo calls for ceasefire, hostages’ release in Israel-Hamas conflict

Pope Leo made a "strong appeal" to the global community on Wednesday to end the nearly two-year conflict between Israel and Hamas, calling for a permanent ceasefire, the release of…

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France plunges back into crisis after PM Bayrou’s confidence-vote backfires

France found itself mired in yet another crisis on Tuesday, after Prime Minister Francois Bayrou's gamble to win backing for his deeply unpopular debt-reduction plan backfired, plunging the country deeper…

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Eruption at Mount Etna, Catania Airport Stays Open

Mount Etna is exhibiting intense Strombolian activity at its summit craters, accompanied by a strong emission of volcanic ash, according to Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), Etna…

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MSC Cruise Ship Bound for Malta Arrives Safely in Naples After Engine Failure

The flagship of MSC Cruises, the World Europa, arrived safely in Naples late Monday after drifting powerless for nearly 10 hours off the Italian island of Ponza due to an…

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MSC Cruise Ship Suffers Engine Failure off Ponza

An MSC cruise ship suffered an engine failure off the island of Ponza in the Pontine Archipelago, south of Rome, early Monday morning. The MSC World Europa, sailing from Genoa…

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Libyan Coast Guard Fires on Ocean Viking NGO Vessel After Rescue Operation

The humanitarian ship Ocean Viking, operated by SOS Mediterranée, came under heavy fire from the Libyan Coast Guard in what the NGO has denounced as a “violent and deliberate attack.”…

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In Madrid’s Poorest Areas, Residents Ask for Trees to Survive Heatwaves

As Madrid sweltered at the peak of one of Spain's longest-ever heatwaves, the temperature on a street in one of its poorest neighbourhoods - Puente de Vallecas - measured 41.4…

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Paris’ Montmartre battles overtourism

Residents of Montmartre in Paris are sounding the alarm over overtourism, fearing their picturesque hilltop neighbourhood could become the next Barcelona or Venice, as tourist numbers spike following last year's…

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DNA Traces Reveal Shark Activity in the Mediterranean

The Mediterranean white shark is as elusive and mysterious as the sharks in the Atlantic and Pacific are well known. “There’s really not much known about them, and they are…

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Greece’s travel sector sees 6 billion euro surplus in first half of 2025

The Greek travel services sector saw a surplus of 6 billion euros ($7 billion) in the first half of 2025, a 9.1% increase from the previous year, the data from…

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Mediterranean Heat Grips Cyprus and Italy as Weather Extremes Intensify

Much of the Mediterranean sweltered Thursday as Cyprus issued a yellow alert for soaring inland temperatures and Italy battled a mix of searing southern heat and violent storms in the…

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Arrest made in Italy over Nord Stream pipeline explosions

German prosecutors announced Thursday that a suspect had been arrested in connection with an alleged 2022 attack on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which transported Russian gas to…

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Pope Leo plans to visit Lebanon by December, marking his first trip outside Italy

Pope Leo plans to visit Lebanon, the country's senior Catholic official announced, in what could be the first visit outside Italy by the new leader of the global Church. The…

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Pope Leo sets day of fasting, prayers for peace on Friday

Pope Leo has asked Catholics and other religious faithful to observe a day of fasting and prayers for peace in the Middle East, Ukraine and other war-torn areas of the…

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Cyprus Reservoirs Near Record Lows as Drought Persists

Cyprus warned the population of severe water shortages as reservoir levels plunged to just 16% of capacity amid the island’s worst drought in years. The Water Development Department said inflow…

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