Italy

UPDATED: Italian singer Blanco investigated for damage during Sanremo festival

Italian singer Blanco has been placed under investigation by Imperia police for damaging public property after he wrecked a floral arrangement at the Sanremo Song Festival after problems with his…

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Italian banks to cut 27% of branches over next 7 years

MILAN, (Reuters) - The number of bank branches in Italy is set to shrink to around 16,000 in 2029 from 22,000 last year, consultancy Deloitte said, as customers increasingly embrace…

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Venice faces mystery fish die-off

Venice is facing a mysterious die-off of fish in its canals. For days now Venetians have been seeing countless fish on their canal beds and are unable to explain the…

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Italian ministers blast EU ban on petrol cars from 2035

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and Business Minister Adolfo Urso on Wednesday blasted the European Union's decision to ban the sale of new carbon-emitting petrol and diesel cars by 2035,…

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UPDATED: Italy’s Berlusconi acquitted in Bunga Bunga bribe case

MILAN, Feb 15 (Reuters) - An Italian court on Wednesday acquitted former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi over allegations of bribing witnesses in a underage prostitution case that has dogged the…

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Ukraine says Italy’s Berlusconi ‘spreading Russian propaganda’

Ukraine accused former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Monday of spreading Russian propaganda after he said he would not seek a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy if he…

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Meloni triumphs in regional votes, strengthens grip on power

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her coalition allies secured emphatic election wins in the two wealthiest regions of the country on Monday, strengthening the right's grip on power amid growing voter…

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Italy’s Poste launches power, gas supply for small customers

Italy's post office Poste Italiane started on Monday to offer power and gas contracts to retail customers, entering a sector where well-established players such as Enel and Eni's Plenitude vie with new…

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ECB must avoid unnecessary rise in real interest rates – Bank of Italy Governor

The European Central Bank (ECB) must avoid pushing real interest rates too high, given the level of private and public debt in the euro area, a top Italian policymaker said on Saturday. ECB Governing…

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Italy to use EU funds to become energy hub for Europe, Meloni says

ROME (Reuters) - Italy intends to use funds coming from the European Union under the so-called REPowerEU plan to completely wean itself off Russian gas and turn the country into…

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Marco Mengoni wins San Remo

The iconic Festival di Sanremo crowned Marco Mengoni with his song Due Vite. Tonight, all 28 artists performed their songs for a third time. Once the first round of voting (determined…

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Number of Italians moving abroad has decreased

ISTAT said in a report this week that the number of people residing in Italy's less wealthy southern regions dropped by 525,000 between 2012 and 2021.In the report, the national…

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Italy’s right poised to win regional vote after national triumph

Right expected to win in Lazio and Lombardy First major vote since last September's national election Outcome could fuel rivalries in ruling national coalition By Crispian Balmer ROME, Feb 9…

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Photo Story: Heavy rains trigger landslide at cemetery in Sicily

Collapsed cemetery mausoleums lie on the side of a cliff following a landslide triggered by heavy rains in Mineo, near Catania, Sicily, Italy. The Italian Farmers' association Coldiretti said that…

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Italy has asked for flexibility on use of existing EU funds – Meloni

BRUSSELS, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Italy has asked for flexibility on using existing European Union (EU) funds, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Friday while speaking in Brussels. Relaxing state…

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Thunderstorms, gales whip eastern Sicily

Thunderstorms and gales have been whipping eastern Sicily since Wednesday night causing widespread flooding, local sources said. Mayors have told citizens not to go out unless it is strictly necessary…

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Italian authorities issue weather red alert for Sicily

A weather red alert will be in force in eastern Sicily on Thursday, the Italian civil protection agency said. Eastern Sicilian areas, in particular, will be at risk of flooding…

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Panic in Siena as earth rumbles

Many people took to the street after a minor was recorded on Wednesday evening in Italy with its epicentre near Siena and at a depth 8 kilometers. The National Institute…

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British Foreign Secretary visits Italy and Malta with security, migration and trade dominating the agenda

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly will visit Italy and Malta to discuss how to accelerate support for Ukraine and discourage illegal migration. working with our European friends to accelerate support…

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Britain and Italy sign export and investment partnership

LONDON, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Britain and Italy on Wednesday signed an export and investment partnership, Britain's first with a European Union member since it left the bloc, aimed at…

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Italy wants more money for Africa to curb arrivals in Europe

Italy pressing EU bloc for more action over migrants National leaders to meet on Thursday and Friday Irregular migration picking up since COVID pandemic BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister…

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Italian Foreign Minister Tajani protection upped after death threats

Protection measures around Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani have been boosted after the foreign ministry on Tuesday received a letter containing death threats against him, the ministry said. A threatening…

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No evidence global ransomware hack was by state entity, Italy says

Global ransomware activity that targeted thousands of computer servers in Italy and other countries was probably the handiwork of criminal hackers and not a state or state-like entity, the Italian…

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Italy to use EU funds to become energy hub for Europe, Meloni says

ROME, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Italy intends to use funds coming from the European Union under the so-called REPowerEUplan to completely wean itself off Russian gas and turn the country into energy hub…

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UPDATED: Italy’s govt: global cyber attack did not come from state entity

ROME, Feb 6 (Reuters) - The global ransomware hacking attack that targeted thousands of computer servers in Italy and other countries likely came from cybercriminals and not from a state…

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UPDATED: Italy withdraws tsunami warning after Turkey, Syria earthquake

ROME, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Italian authorities said on Monday they had withdrawn a tsunami warning for the country's southern coast that was raised after a major earthquake struck central…

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Italy sounds alarm on large-scale computer hacking attack

ROME, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Thousands of computer servers around the world have been targeted by a ransomware hacking attack, Italy's National Cybersecurity Agency (ACN) said on Sunday, warning organisations to take…

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Wedding tourism booms in Italy

dding tourism is booming in Italy with over 11,000 overseas couples tying the knot in Italy last year, according to the Destination Weddings in Italy Observatory, complied by the Centro…

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Internet network disrupted in most of Italy

Large parts of Italy on Sunday experienced disruption or total blackout of the Internet. Most reports seem to come from large cities, including Turin, Milan, Bologna, Florence, Perugia, Rome, Naples,…

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Photo story: Grand opening of 2023 Venice Carnival

An overview of the opening parade of the Venetian carnival, led by the large head of the Unicorn, along the Grand Canal, Venice, Italy, on Saturday night 04 February 2023.…

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Italy gets cold feet over EU greener buildings plan

EU initiative aims to make buildings more climate friendly New Italy coalition approved plan, then backed off Rome looks to water down proposals, slow down change Climate experts fear Italy…

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8 migrants found dead on boat including pregnant woman by Italian coastguard vessel in Maltese SAR

ANSA reports that the Italian coastguard vessel found eight bodies including that of a pregnant woman aboard a migrant boat in Maltese search and rescue (SAR) waters Friday. The coastguard…

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Italy bans U.S.-based AI chatbot Replika from using personal data

MILAN, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Italy's Data Protection Agency said on Friday it was prohibiting artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot company Replika from using the personal data of Italian users, citing…

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Draghi doesn’t want EU envoy job, source says, after Italy backed him

ROME (Reuters) - Former European Central Bank (ECB) chief Mario Draghi is not interested in a new job as a European Union envoy, a source close to him said on…

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Photo Story: Migrants’ boat with eight bodies docks in Lampedusa

Police officers on the quay of the port wait for the boat containing the bodies of 8 migrants in Lampedusa, Sicily, Italy, 03 February 2023. Eight migrants were found dead…

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Council of Europe urges Italy to scrap or change migration decree

MILAN, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Italy should scrap or rewrite its new anti-immigration decree aimed at curtailing NGO rescue ships to ensure it "fully complies" with human rights and international…

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Italy moots EU-funded migrant corridors

Italy has mooted EU-funded migrant corridors in a 'non-paper' ahead of next week's extraordinary EU summit on migration, according to a draft ANSA has seen. "We call for the development…

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Warning Italian embassies all over the world are at risk of anarchist attacks

ROME (Reuters) - Italian embassies all over the world are at risk of anarchist attacks linked to the case of the hunger-striking Alfredo Cospito, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said. Cospito,…

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Mafia boss asks judge to order seizure of Roberto Saviano book

Giuseppe Graviano, a Sicilian Mafia boss who is serving a life sentence in a maximum security prison has asked a court to seize a book by Roberto Saviano, claiming inaccuracies…

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WATCH: 95 migrants disembark in Carrara after Med journey

95 migrants have been disembarked in the Marina di Carrara port after being rescued close to Libyan waters, TGCOM has reported. 15 women and 38 minors are reportedly on board…

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Italy’s Meloni in Libya concludes $8 billion gas deal

TRIPOLI, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited Tripoli on Saturday to conclude an $8 billion gas deal aimed at boosting energy supplies to Europe despite the insecurity and…

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Lufthansa edges closer to getting stake in Alitalia successor airline

Italy's Treasury on Friday said it had signed a letter of intent with Lufthansa over the sale of a minority stake in state-owned airline ITA Airways, paving the way for negotiations with…

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JPMorgan looking to finance Italy’s Serie A for up to 1 billion euros

JPMorgan Chase & Co has written to Italy's top soccer league to express a preliminary interest in supporting the development of Serie A's media business, three people close to the…

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Italy business morale improves in January but consumers more downbeat

ROME, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Morale amongst Italian businesses rose in January but consumer confidence worsened, national statistics bureau ISTAT reported on Thursday, pointing to uncertain economic prospects at the…

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Italy’s pandemic recovery plan must halt demographic “tsunami” in south – ISTAT

(Reuters) - Italy's south is on track for a "demographic tsunami" if it fails to capitalise on European Union pandemic recovery funds to bridge the gap with the productive north,…

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Italy plans to renew relief measures to soften energy prices

ROME, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Italy's government plans to review and extend existing relief measures aimed at helping families and firms cope with sky-high energy prices, Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti…

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Italian petrol-station groups call off 2nd day of strike

Petrol station groups Fegica and Figisc Confcommercio called off the second day of a two-day strike for today that was called in protest about being accused of price gouging after…

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Italian petrol stations start two-day strike

Italy's top two petrol-station groups have started a two day strike for Wednesday and Thursday after government claims they may have been engaged in price gouging. The heads of Fegica…

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Extreme weather continues to hit much of Italy

A wave of extreme weather featuring freezing temperatures, heavy snow, violent storms and gale-force winds continued to make life difficult in many parts of Italy. Snow and heavy rain took…

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Italy can boost African gas imports, Eni CEO says

Italy can significantly increase its gas imports from Africa and transfer some of the supply to northern Europe if it boosts its infrastructure in the next few years, the CEO…

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Centre-right European leaders seeking options leading to tie-up with Meloni – Politico

Centre-right politicians in Brussels and Strasbourg are considering ways to involve, or even eventually to include, Giorgia Meloni's hard-right with the continent's mainstream conservative, Politico has revealed. This move comes…

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Man who lent identity to Messina Denaro arrested

A week after the blitz that led to the capture of the boss Matteo Messina Denaro, Andrea Bonafede, a surveyor from Campobello di Mazara, was arrested on charges of mafia…

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Many Italian regions on alert over extreme weather; Homeless man dies of cold in Milan

Several Italian regions have been put on alert due to a wave of extreme weather in Italy, with many part of the country hit by freezing cold, torrential rain or…

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Milan quietly gears up for return of big-spending Chinese tourists

By Elisa Anzolin MILAN (Reuters) - Some stores in via Montenapoleone, the heart of Milan's most exclusive shopping area, are displaying clothes and accessories dedicated to the Lunar New Year…

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Gina Lollobrigida: From post-war film legend to artist

By Philip Pullella ROME, (Reuters) - Gina Lollobrigida, who has died at the age of 95, shot to fame in the 1950s as a sultry Mediterranean sex symbol, then became…

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Years of cat-and-mouse end as top mafioso cornered in Italian clinic

Messina Denaro captured after 30 years on the run Top mafioso faces 20 life prison terms for multiple crimes Started killing young, guilty of a slew of murders Secret letters…

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Italy plans Treasury shake-up with new department for state-owned firms -sources

ROME, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Italian Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti plans to reorganise the ministry, creating a new unit at the Treasury department to manage state-owned firms and banking regulation…

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