Italy

Italy acts against ‘wild’ e-scooters after rise in accidents

Italy's parliament approved a bill on Wednesday that will require e-scooter riders to wear helmets and be insured, while also introducing tougher fines for rogue parking as part of a…

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Italian Prime Minister Meloni suffers regional vote setback

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suffered a rare electoral setback when her conservative coalition lost control of one region and lost ground in another that was already a centre-left stronghold.…

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Milan Tops Italy’s Quality of Life Rankings for 2024; Caltanissetta Trails Behind

Milan has once again emerged as the city with the best quality of life in Italy, securing the top spot in the annual Italia Oggi and Ital Communications survey in…

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Foreign-born population grew by 1 mn in 10 years – ISTAT

Households with at least one foreign-born member were over 2.5 million in Italy in 2021, representing 10% of families living in the country - an additional 700,000 family units compared…

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Flood waters drag cars into sea near Catania, Sicily

Flood waters tossed cars around in Torre Archirafi on Wednesday, dragging some into the sea, after the torrential rain that has hit Sicily turned streets into rivers in the town…

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Rome transport staff to wear bodycams, use panic buttons

Rome transport staff are to wear bodycams and use panic buttons amid a wave of attacks by bus users, officials said. The relevant protocol was signed by Rome Mayor Roberto…

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Mayor of Perugia Apologises for Amanda Knox Series Filming

The mayor of Perugia, where the British student Meredith Kercher was murdered, has apologised for allowing a controversial TV series co-produced by Amanda Knox to be filmed in the Italian…

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Italy plans to restrict nascent ‘cannabis light’ industry

Italy's flourishing "cannabis light" industry risks being uprooted this year when Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni pushes a bill through parliament to deflower a crop that is legal across much of…

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Mediterranean Sea Warming by Over One Degree in 25 Years, Study Finds

A recent study has revealed a concerning trend in the Mediterranean Sea, its waters have warmed by more than one degree Celsius over the past 25 years. Conducted by Italy’s…

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Nearly 60 arrested in Italy raid against ‘Ndrangheta mafia

Around 60 people have been arrested in a police raid against the 'Ndrangheta mafia in the southern Italian region of Calabria, police said in a statement on Thursday. Police said…

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Cremation rates surge in Italy as cultural norms shift

The number of Italians choosing to be cremated at the end of their lives has surged over the last 30 years as cultural changes, cost and a more secular society…

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Italy’s Marina Berlusconi lauds Meloni, voices doubts on Trump

Marina Berlusconi, the daughter of former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi whose family are still the main financial backers of his powerful political party, praised the right-wing Italian government but said…

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Italian unions to hold general strike on Nov. 29 against govt budget plans

Italian trade unions CGIL and UIL will hold an eight-hour general strike on Nov. 29 to protest against Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni government's budget plans, their leaders said on Wednesday.The…

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Italy’s Meloni secures tight win in Liguria regional election

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her right-wing coalition pulled off another regional election win on Monday, near final results from Liguria in the northwest showed, in a mid-term boost…

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Italian art critic Vittorio Sgarbi facing trial over ‘stolen painting’

Former culture undersecretary and art critic Vittorio Sgarbi is facing a possible trial over a painting that was allegedly stolen and then allegedly altered to try to disguise its provenance.Prosecutors…

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Italy rocked by hacking scandal where info from state security databases sold to rich clients

Milanese police placed four people under house arrest and are investigating dozens of others in a probe into the alleged illegal access of state security databases by a private investigative…

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Venice to double number of days tourists must pay entry fee

Venice is to double the number of days it charges tourists an entrance fee in 2025, following a "successful" trial last year, the city's mayor said. Luigi Brugnaro said the…

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Italy’s 5-Star leader dumps party founder, comedian Grillo

Italy's 5-Star Movement will sever ties with its founder, comedian Beppe Grillo, due to his "acts of sabotage", party leader and former premier Giuseppe Conte said in book excerpts published…

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Last Great White Sharks of the Mediterranean Found in Sicilian Channel

Researchers have found the Mediterranean's last white sharks in the Sicilian Channel.The traces of the endangers great predators were found in the area during a number of expeditions led by…

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Italy adopts decree to overrule court objections on Albanian migrant camps

Italy's government on Monday passed a decree aimed at overcoming court objections to its flagship immigration plan that is aimed at deterring boat migrants by sending them to detention camps…

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Severe Flooding Hits Emilia-Romagna in Italy

Severe weather has hit Emilia-Romagna, causing major flooding. A 24-year-old man tragically drowned in Pianoro near Bologna after being swept away by floodwaters. Several rivers, including Savena and Idice, have…

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Meloni to visit Beirut and Aqaba, Jordan, on Friday

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will be in Aqaba at midday on Friday for a meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan, her agenda said on Wednesday.The premier will then…

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Italy’s Political Leaders Declare Income for 2024

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has declared income this year of almost half a million euros according to MP income statements posted online this week. The premier's income rose from…

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Italy’s Meloni plans Lebanon visit, seeks security guarantees for troops

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Tuesday she plans to visit Lebanon and called for security guarantees for her country's troops there after U.N. peacekeepers came under fire during…

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First group of migrants from Italy head to Albania

The first group of migrants were heading to Albania Monday to be processed in Italian-run centres set up in the Balkan country which have been criticised by rights groups as…

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Italy’s women doctors outnumber male medics for first time

Italy's women doctors outnumbered their male colleagues for the first time last year, physicians' pension agency Enpam said in a report this week. It said there were 180,916 women doctors…

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Italy’s demographics are worst in Europe for growth, Scope Ratings says

Italy's demographics are the worst in Europe in terms of economic growth potential between 2023 and 2040, Scope Ratings said on Wednesday, with a rapidly ageing population posing a threat…

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Italy to offer more migrant work visas to caregivers for old people

Italy will offer an extra 10,000 migrant work visas next year for people who look after old people and the disabled, the government said, as it adopted a new package…

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Italian rail services in chaos after glitch in Rome

Dozens of trains in Italy were delayed or cancelled on Wednesday after a technical malfunction on a stretch of line between the Italian capital's two main stations, train operator Trenitalia…

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Italy’s government to extend migrant NGO crackdown to planes

Italy will impose fines of up to 10,000 euros ($11,150) on pilots of aircraft that search for migrant boats in distress at sea, according to a draft government decree. The…

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Former Italian Lower House Speaker Irene Pivetti sentenced to 4 years for tax evasion and money laundering

Former Italian Lower House Speaker Irene Pivetti has been sentenced to four years in prison for tax evasion and money laundering. The verdict was handed down by the fourth criminal…

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Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region hit by new devastating floods

A storm system that has wreaked havoc across central Europe brought devastating floods to the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna on Thursday, forcing people to leave their homes and the…

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Milan, Rome and Florence least safe Italian cities

Milan, Rome and Florence, in that order, are the least safe Italian cities amid a rise in crime, according to an annual crime report from business daily Il Sole 24…

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Italy’s prosecutor seeks 6-year jail sentence for Salvini on migrant kidnapping charges

An Italian prosecutor on Saturday asked a judge to sentence right-wing League leader Matteo Salvini to six years in prison over his 2019 decision to prevent more than 100 migrants…

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Italians want destroying nature-climate to be a crime says study

Italian people are overwhelmingly in favour of making 'ecocide' - destroying, polluting or damaging the natural living world on a large scale - a crime, according to the results of…

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Italian Education Minister agrees with ban on cell phones for under-14s

Italian Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara said that he agreed with an appeal launched by education expert Daniele Novara and psychotherapist Alberto Pellai for under-14s to be banned from owning cell…

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Former minister Sangiuliano under investigation

Former culture minister Gennaro Sangiuliano is under investigation in Rome in relation to the a scandal over an affair he had with a would-be advisor that led to his resignation…

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Violent storms batter northern Italy

A 58-year-old is missing after the tractor he was using was swept away on Thursday by flash floods at Feletto, near Turin, after a wave of violent storms and torrential…

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Italy’s culture minister admits trying to hire lover as ministry consultant

Italian PM Giorgia Meloni faces a new blow after her culture minister, a close ally, was forced to admit an affair with a social media influencer he tried to hire…

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Rome and other central and southern parts of Italy hit by fierce thunderstorm

Torrential rain hit Rome and other central and southern parts as a fierce thunderstorm unloaded onto the Italian capital after a weather front ended Italy's long heatwave Tuesday. Many parts…

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Heatwave expected to grip Italy for another week

Italy will be gripped by a heatwave for another seven days before a developing system in the Atlantic makes its way to the country, lowering temperatures, meteorologist Lorenzo Tedici of…

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Renowned Italian photographer Toscani says has terminal disease

Former Benetton photographer Oliviero Toscani revealed to Corriere della Sera on Wednesday that he has been diagnosed with amyloidosis, a terminal illness. The 82-year-old said he is uncertain how much…

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Landslide in southern Italian province of Caserta leaves woman and son missing, feared dead

Torrential rains triggered a landslide in the southern Italian province of Caserta, forcing evacuations, and rescuers were searching for a woman and her adult son on Wednesday who were missing…

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New study suggests Shroud of Turin is 2,000 years old

Italian researchers have used a new X-ray technique to demonstrate that the Shroud of Turin dates from the time of Jesus Christ. Scientists at the Institute of Crystallography of the…

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Body of last missing person found after Sicily yacht sank

Italian search crews on Friday resumed efforts to find the body of Mike Lynch's 18-year-old daughter, the last person missing after the yacht belonging to the British tech magnate sank…

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What we know about the sinking of the superyacht off Sicily

Six people are missing, including British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and a Morgan Stanley executive, one person is dead and there are 15 survivors following the sinking of a luxury…

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UPDATED: Forger linked to 11 mln euros of fake notes arrested in Italy

A forger suspected of printing 11 million euros' ($12 million) worth of fake bank notes was arrested in the Italian city of Naples last week, European police body Europol said.…

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Migrant arrivals in Italy down 62%

Irregular migrant arrivals on Italy's coasts have dropped by 62.3% in the first seven months of 2024, with a boom in landings recorded instead in Spain and Greece, according to…

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Sicily’s orange growers call for help as drought threatens output

Sicily's orange farmers warned that searing heat and drought risked wrecking this year's production and called for help from regional and national authorities to save their business. After months of…

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Sardinia Among Italy’s Top Five Destinations for Extended Holidays in 2023

According to a study published this week by the Sardinian branch of the artisans association Confartigianato, based on ISTAT data, Sardinia was one of Italy's top five regions selected for…

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A growing number of Italian cities are under red heat alert

The number of Italian cities on red heat alert, when even the young and healthy are advised to stay out of the sun, is set to rise from 14 Sunday…

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Italy faces beach umbrella protest as licence row resurfaces

Italy's balneari -- or beach managers -- closed their umbrellas for a few hours on Friday in a symbolic protest against the government's failure to resolve a dispute with the…

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Upcoming weekend predicted to be hottest so far this year in Italy

The upcoming weekend is likely to be the hottest of the year with an increasing number of cities on red and orange alert, according to the health ministry.Overall, nine major…

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Etna gushes volcanic lava, 10-km-high cloud

A lava fountain and a 10-kilometre-high volcanic cloud were reported on Mount Etna Sunday morning by the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology in the fifth paroxysm that Europe's tallest…

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New tourist limits get warm welcome in Venice

Venetians and visitors alike welcomed new rules introduced on Thursday to limit the size of tourist groups in the latest effort to reduce overcrowding. Tourist parties will be capped at…

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Strong earthquake rattles Calabria

A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 4.9 struck Calabria, Italy, early on August 1, 2024. The epicenter was located near the town of Cosenza. Despite the significant magnitude, no…

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‘Disastrous’ drought threatens to wipe out Sicilian goat breed

A blazing sun shining on the arid hills of San Cataldo in Sicily signals only despair for local goat breeder Luca Cammarata as he tries to find something for his…

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