Italy

Italian Mafia boss Messina Denaro dies of cancer months after capture

Italian Mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro, who was convicted of multiple murders and was arrested in January after spending 30 years on the run, has died of cancer, officials said…

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EU, Italy talk tough on migration but action won’t be easy

By Alvise Armellini ROME, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Three years ago, when EU naval mission "Sophia" was shut down after rescuing 45,000 migrants in the central Mediterranean, Italian opposition leader…

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Former Italian president Napolitano dies aged 98

ROME, (Reuters) - Former Italian president Giorgio Napolitano, a onetime communist who helped to steer his country through a debt crisis in 2011, died on Friday aged 98. Condolences poured…

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Asylum seekers in Italy told to pay to avoid detention

By Crispian Balmer ROME (Reuters) - Asylum seekers in Italy will have to pay 4,938 euros ($5,259) to avoid detention while their request for protection is being processed, the government…

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Cosa Nostra superboss Messina Denaro in irreversible coma

One-time top Mafia fugitive Matteo Messina Denaro, caught after 30 years on the run in a Palermo cancer clinic in mid-January, is now in an irreversible coma, sources at L'Aquila…

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Council of Europe expresses concern at Italy’s violence-against-women data

The Council of Europe said Friday that it was worried about Italy's figures regarding violence against women. The human rights body's Committee of Ministers said that it "notes with concern"…

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More than 50 arrested in latest Italy raid against ‘Ndrangheta mafia

MILAN, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Over 50 people have been arrested in a new police raid against the 'Ndrangheta mafia in Italy, Carabinieri police said in a statement on Friday.…

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Over 30,000 pigs culled in Italy’s north to counter swine fever

MILAN, (Reuters) - Almost 34,000 pigs at 12 farms in the northern Italian region of Lombardy have been culled to counter the spread of African swine fever (ASF), a spokesperson…

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I won’t let Italy become Europe’s refugee camp – Meloni

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said that "I will not allow Italy to become Europe's refugee camp" in New York, where she is taking part in the United Nations…

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UPDATED: Pope hopes critically ill Napolitano finds ‘comfort’

Pope Francis said on Wednesday that he was thinking of former Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, whose already serious health condition has deteriorated over the last few days. "I urge you…

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Italy to pass tougher measures to deter migrant arrivals

By Angelo Amante ROME, Sept 18 (Reuters) - The Italian government, struggling with a surge in migrant arrivals, will pass measures on Monday to lengthen the time migrants can be…

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Migrant situation is not explosive, it has exploded: Italian FM Tajani

Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Monday that the situation regarding the arrival of migrants from Africa "is not explosive, it has already exploded". Speaking to reporters at…

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Italy investigates if acrobatic plane struck birds before it crashed

The Italian Air Force said it was investigating whether an aircraft of its acrobatic team, Frecce Tricolori, struck birds before it crashed near an airport, killing a child on the…

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UPDATED: Earthquake jolts parts of Northern Italy

ROME, Sept 18 (Reuters) - A 4.8 magnitude earthquake struck early on Monday near Florence in central Italy, but regional authorities said it did not seem to have caused significant…

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Berlusconi heirs accept will, agree five-year freeze on stakes

MILAN, Sept 11 (Reuters) - The five children of the late media tycoon Silvio Berlusconi this week accepted "in full harmony" their father's will, the former prime minister's heirs said,…

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UPDATED: Von der Leyen presents 10-point plan to address the migrant emergency Lampedusa

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday presented a 10-point action plan to address the migrant emergency during her visit to the Italian island of Lampedusa with Premier…

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Italian Frecce Tricolore jet crashes during exercise, killing 5-year-old girl

TURIN, (Reuters) - An Italian military jet crashed during an exercise in Turin, hitting a car in which an entire family was travelling and killing a five-year-old girl, Defence Minister…

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Italy’s Lampedusa overwhelmed after thousands of migrant arrivals

By Yara Nardi Island sees 7,000 migrants arrive in 48 hours Lampedusa has population of just over 6,000 Arrivals to Spain's Canary Islands more than treble LAMPEDUSA, Italy (Reuters) -…

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Italy’s PM says migration won’t solve Europe’s demographic crisis

Some legal migration can benefit European economies, but migration is not the solution to the continent's demographic crisis, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Thursday as she met right-wing…

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Italy poised to shake up Treasury with new unit for state-run firms

Influential Treasury department to be split up Italian audit court approves plan Former banker Sala approached to lead new unit By Giuseppe Fonte ROME, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Italy is…

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Red fire ant colonies found in Italy, fear they could spread across Europe

An invasive non-native ant species has become established in Italy and could rapidly spread through Europe to the UK with global heating, a study warns. The red fire ant, Solenopsis…

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Migrants protest at Lampedusa port, Meloni says priority to stop arrivals to Italy

There were moments of tension at Lampedusa port on Wednesday afternoon as hundreds of migrants and refugees who had recently disembarked on the island demanded to be allowed to leave…

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Italy’s Lampedusa island hit with record migrant arrivals

LAMPEDUSA (Reuters) - The Italian island of Lampedusa is struggling with a record number of landings from boat migrants, local officials said, describing the situation as "dramatic." Lampedusa, Italy's southernmost…

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Ryanair’s O’Leary says Italian price decree “illegal and unenforceable”

Ryanair group CEO Michael O'Leary said an Italian government decree to cap the price of flights to Sicily and Sardinia was "illegal and unenforceable" and confirmed the budget airline had…

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EU cuts Italy GDP outlook, crimping room for Meloni’s budget promises

The European Commission on Monday cut its forecasts for the Italian economy this year and next, following a slew of weak data which limits Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's scope to…

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Meloni pushes EU to give thumbs up to Lufthansa-ITA airline deal

ROME, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is putting pressure on the European Commission to back an agreement where German airline Lufthansa would take over a minority stake in the Italian…

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Fresh upsurge in Italy of COVID cases, up 44% in a week

There has been a fresh and largely unexpected upsurge in COVID-19 cases in Italy which have risen by 44% in the last week, the weekly bulletin from the health ministry…

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Italy, France agree to postpone closure of Mont Blanc tunnel by a year

MILAN, Sept 8 (Reuters) - Key maintenance works on the Mont Blanc tunnel between Italy and France have been postponed until September next year, Italy's transport ministry said, after the…

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Nationwide airport ground staff strike in Italy causes flight disruptions

Sixty flights have been cancelled at Milan Malpensa airport and 20 at Linate in the same city as a result of the nationwide strike of ground staff workers, according to…

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Italy delays regional plan to limit diesel cars after protests

ROME, (Reuters) - Italy's government postponed a plan by one of the country's most polluted regions to ban old diesel vehicles from towns and cities during working hours, an initiative…

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Italy government targets violent teens and parents in “Baby gang” crackdown

By Giuseppe Fonte and Alvise Armellini ROME (Reuters) - Parents of Italian children who drop out of school could face jail sentences under new steps to counter juvenile delinquency in…

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Photo Story: Italian interforce anti-Mafia operation in Rome and Naples

Special police units, financial police and carabinieri, take part in the joint operation with 'High Impact' mode, in the Spanish quarters of Naples, Italy, 07 September 2023. In total, 800…

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Italian government to meet supermarkets, small retailers to address high prices

By Giuseppe Fonte ROME, Sept 6 (Reuters) - Italy's government will meet with supermarkets and small retailers' associations on Wednesday to address stubborn inflation in the prices of consumer staples,…

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Italian ex-PM appeals to France must come clean on 1980 Ustica mystery plane crash

ROME, (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron must say whether his country was to blame for an Italian air disaster that killed 81 people more than 40 years ago, former…

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Venice to start charging visitors €5 entry fee next year

VENICE, Italy, (Reuters) - Venice plans to experiment with an admission fee of 5 euros($5.35) for day trippers next year to try to manage the flow of tourists drawn to…

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Ex Italian PM Amato says Ustica tragedy was French attempt to assassinate Gaddafi

Ex-premier Giuliano Amato has said that a French missile was behind the mysterious 1980 Ustica plane crash that left 81 people dead. Amato said the Dc9 Bologna-Palermo flight operated by…

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Closure of Mont Blanc tunnel between Italy and France postponed

ROME, (Reuters) - A planned closure for maintenance of the Mont Blanc tunnel between Italy and France will be postponed after an alternative Alpine route was disrupted by a landslide…

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Italy fears military solution to Niger crisis could foment migration

TOLEDO, Spain, Aug 31 (Reuters) - A military solution to the coup in Niger would be a "disaster" that could trigger a new migration crisis, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani…

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Death threats to Italian PM Meloni

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni has received death threats ahead of her visit Thursday to a crime-ridden town near Naples that has hit the headlines again for an alleged gang rape,…

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Photo Story: Train hits seven workers, kills five, on tracks in Brandizzo, Italy

Firefighters and carabinieri arrive at the site where a regional train hit seven workers who were working on the tracks near the Brandizzo station, in Brandizzo, Turin, Italy, 31 August…

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Italy’s northern routes disrupted by Alpine tunnel closures

ReutersROME, (Reuters) - Italy is facing serious disruption to transport links with its northern neighbours due to the planned shutdown of the Mont Blanc tunnel for maintenance and the closure…

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Italy in the grip of bad weather

Extreme bad weather is lashing Italy again and is not confined to the north as it was on Monday, but wreaking havoc across the whole of the country in a…

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Italy set to take over Telecom Italia’s submarine cable unit -draft

Italy's Treasury can take full ownership of Telecom Italia's (TIM) submarine cable unit Sparkle as part of an agreement with U.S. fund KKR to jointly bid for the group's landline…

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Italy struggles with spike in migrant arrivals

Italy was struggling to accommodate arrivals from North Africa and the Balkans as the country's Red Cross called for more international efforts against migration "chaos". On Lampedusa island, Italy's southernmost…

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Rome moves to clear rats out of Colosseum area

ROME (Reuters) - Rome's city government said it was taking action to tackle an infestation of rats around the Colosseum after tourists posted photos on social media of the rodents…

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Record migrant arrivals on Lampedusa

Lampedusa was under serious pressure on Saturday following the arrival on the island of a record 1,918 people in 65 landings on Friday and a further 1,116 people in 29…

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Italy’s president calls for more legal migration to beat people trafficking

ROME (Reuters) - The European Union should allow more legal migration into its borders to stop people trafficking, Italian President Sergio Mattarella said this weekend, amid a surge in arrivals…

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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