Italy

UPDATED: Big operation against Cosa Nostra in Palermo and New York

More than 200 members of the Italian Police and the FBI are taking part in a massive operation against the Italian Mafia based in Palermo know as Cosa Nostra. The…

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Qatar says French missile found among arms seized in Italy was sold 25 years ago

Qatar said that a French missile once owned by Qatar’s military and found among a huge arsenal of weapons seized in Italy was sold by Qatar 25 years ago to…

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Genoa Bridge had safety problems before collapse – Report

The Genoa bridge that collapsed last year with the death of 43 people had a series of safety problems in the 10 years before the disaster, according to a report…

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Tragic death in Italy, man throws baby from second floor

Tragedy struck Naples on Monday morning as a 35-year-old man threw his 16-months old daughter to her death from a second-floor balcony and then jumped himself, seriously injuring himself. The…

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UPDATED: Missile among weapons seized during raids across Italy

Italian security forces conducted a series of raids in the north of the country during which several weapons, including assault weapons and even an air-to-air missile, were discovered. Italian media…

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Violent incidents between squatters and police in Rome

Police evicting anticapitalistic and anarchist squatters from a former school on the outskirts of Rome were showered with objects from the windows on Monday. The incidents took place in via…

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Romano Prodi urges Europe to stick together

In an interview with The South China Morning Post, former European Commission President and Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi said that if France, Italy fail to maintain unity, Europe will…

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UPDATED: Tragic weekend in Italy as 12 persons die in road accidents

It was a tragic weekend in Italy as 12 persons lost their life in various traffic accidents across the country. Among them nine youths who lost their life in four…

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Trash crisis in Rome sparks health fears

Landfills in flames and rats feasting on waste in the streets have sparked health fears in Rome, as doctors warn families to steer clear of disease-ridden kerbside garbage and…

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A new mystery has surfaced in the Emanuela Orlandi case

Another twist emerged on Saturday in the puzzle surrounding the disappearance 35 years ago of Emanuela Orlandi, a Vatican employee's 15-year-old daughter. The Vatican confirmed that two sets of bones…

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Italy’s Tria hopes Atlantia will buy a stake in Alitalia

Italy’s Economy Minister Giovanni Tria said he hoped infrastructure group Atlantia would buy a stake in Alitalia, the troubled airline company the government is struggling to rescue. After meeting on…

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Vatican tombs in Orlandi search found empty

The tombs of two princesses in the Vatican's Teutonic Cemetry, opened in a search for the body of Emanuela Orlandi, have been found empty, her brother said Thursday. Orlandi, the…

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Photo Story: ‘Emanuela Orlandi’ demonstration at the Vatican

A woman with a t-shirt 'You said She is in heaven, but where is her body?' during a demostration in front of the Sant'Uffizio gate at the Vatican, 11…

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Envelope with bullet sent to Salvini

Italian police have opened an investigation after an anonymous letter with a bullet inside was sent to Matteo Salvini, the Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior.…

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Political storm over allegations Salvini’s party took money from Russians

Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini denied a media report that his League party had sought millions of euros from Russian investors via a secret oil deal. The U.S. website…

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Beachgoers rush to the sea as Catania coast catches fire

A large fire broke out on the coast of Plaia di Catania on Wednesday prompting many beachgoers to rush into the sea. One beach establishment was badly damaged and others…

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Hailstorm in Italy leaves 18 injured

Eighteen people including a pregnant woman were hurt by hailstones as big as oranges in Pescara in Abruzzo on Wednesday. The victims were taken to local hospital for medical attention.…

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Stromboli activity increases

The activity on the Stromboli volcano has shown a marked increase and is now categorized as "very high". After the violent explosion on 3 July, the volcano immediately returned to…

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Video footage released showing moment of deadly mid-air crash above the Alps

Italian police have released two videos of a crash between a helicopter and a light aircraft above the Alps in January that killed seven people, confirming their initial reconstruction. The…

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Sicily suffers from eurozone’s highest rate of youth economic inactivity

The Financial Times gives a detailed look at youth unemployment in Italy with emphasis to the situation in Sicily. One in four Italians aged 15 to 34 is not in…

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Bad weather alert in Italy

A bad weather alert has been issued for rain and storms in seven Italian regions - Lombardy, Trentino, Veneto, Emilia Romagna, Marche, Piedmont and Tuscany. The weather will get worse…

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7 year old boy, saved from drowning by two dogs in Viterbo, Italy

A 7-year-old boy on Sunday risked drowning, while he was at sea with his grandparents in Tarquinia Lido, Viterbo. The boy, found himself swept away by the waves while playing…

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More migrants land in Lampedusa

More migrants have reached Lampedusa in the second landing in a few hours between Sunday and Monday. A small boat was intercepted about one mile from the coast with…

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VIDEO: Another close call for a cruise liner in Venice

There was another close call for a cruise liner in Venice, Italy, as it came too close to crashing into a dock and once more led to a chorus of…

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Mild earthquakes in Sicily and Udine

A minor earthquake has hit Sicily this morning. The epicentre was a kilometre from Adrano in Catania at a depth of 18km. The tremor was measured at 4…

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Rescue ship Alan Kurdi heading to Lampedusa

The German humanitarian group Sea-Eye has said one of its ships is on its way to the Italian port of Lampedusa with 65 rescued migrants on board and possibly another…

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Lion tamer killed by tiger in Italy

A lion tamer was killed by a tiger near Bari Thursday night. Ettore Weber, 61, was mauled to death in the Orfei Circus at Triggiano. Weber is said to be…

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Salvini wants to strengthen security at Italian land borders

Interior Minister Matteo Salvini on Friday said "we are controlling our borders by sea, and we also want to control them by land with all means necessary," referring to…

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Sea Watch captain to sue Salvini

The Sea Watch captain Carola Rackete announced she would sue Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini for instigating hatred and crimes, after she received rape threats on social media.…

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Eurojust helps reveal fake organic food fraud in Italy and Serbia

In close cooperation with Eurojust, Italian and Serbian national authorities unraveled a transnational large-scale fraud in the production and trade of allegedly organic food and beverages from rotten apples. In…

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New controversy between Malta and Italy over saved migrants

The Italian NGO run Mediterranea migrant rescue ship carrying 54 migrants rescued off Libya Thursday has been stopped off Lampedusa according to a landing ban issued by Interior Minister Matteo…

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Photo Story: Tribute to Karl Lagerfeld

Italian model Mariacarla Boscono presents a creation during a fashion show of Italian luxury fashion house Fendi held in tribute of its former creative director, the late German fashion designer…

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Libya considering freeing all migrants, Italian coast guard saves 55 persons whilst others refused port of entry

Libya is weighing freeing all migrants from detention centres after the massacre at Tajoura detention centre after an airstrike on Tuesday evening. Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha said that Libyan authorities…

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Photo Story: Putin Lands in Rome

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) disembarks from a plane as he arrives at Rome's international airport in Fiumicino, Italy, 04 July 2019. Putin is scheduled to meet with the…

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UPDATED: One person dead after volcanic eruption on the island of Stromboli off Sicily

One person was confirmed dead after the island of Stromboli was hit by a set of violent eruptions Wednesday. The Mayor of Lipari, the biggest of the Aeolian Islands off…

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No infringement procedure against Italy

The European Commission on Wednesday took the advice of its European commissioners' cabinet chiefs and decided not to recommend opening an infringement procedure against Italy for breaking the debt…

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Photo Story: The Palio di Siena

Jockey Giovanni Atzeni (below), aka Tittia, on his horse Tale e Quale from La Contrada della Giraffa competes to win the traditional horse race 'Palio di Siena, in Siena, Italy.…

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Entry fee for Venice postponed

The planned new tourist entry fee for Venice has been put off from September 1st to January 1st next year. The delay came following months of discussions between city hall…

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Sea-Watch ship captain moved to secret location after threats

Carola Rackete, the German captain of a rescue charity ship, has received threats and has been moved to a secret location, the German charity Sea-Watch said on Wednesday. An Italian…

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Swiss women’s international footballer Florijana Ismaili confirmed dead

Switzerland women’s international Florijana Ismaili has been confirmed dead. Ismaili, a female football player with the Swiss national team, has been declared missing after a swimming accident on Lake Como…

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Vatican court orders opening of 2 tombs in Emanuela Orlandi case

The Vatican court's ordered two tombs in the Vatican's Teutonic Cemetery to be opened after a petition from the family of a 15-year-old girl who went missing in 1983, Emanuela…

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Sea Watch: Over €1 million donated by supporters for captain’s legal costs as Germany asks Italy to release her

Supporters of Sea-Watch 3 captain Carola Rackete raised over €1 million to cover legal costs for the German skipper, who was arrested Saturday for docking in the Italian port of…

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Italian Guardia di Finanza issues video of the final moment as the Morandi Bridge collapses

The Italian Guardia di Finanza (GdF) issued CCTV video showing the moment the Morandi Bridge collapsed on 14 August 2018 in Genova, northern Italy, killing 43 people and injuring…

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Swiss footballer Florijana Ismaili missing in Lake Como in Italy

Florijana Ismaili, a female football player with the Swiss national team, has been declared missing after a swimming accident on Lake Como in Italy. Ismaili, 24, has played for the…

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Italy fines Facebook €1 million over Cambridge Analytica case

Italy's privacy regulator said Friday that it was fining Facebook one million euros for offenses related to the Cambridge Analytica case. The disgraced and now-defunct British company harvested the personal…

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Catania University dean, professors investigated

Nine Catania University professors and the institute's dean, Francesco Basile, were suspended by a preliminary investigations judge on Friday. The move relates to probe into the alleged rigging of…

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Photo Story: The Morandi Bridge demolition in Genova

A general view shows the demolition of the large towers '10' and '11' of the Morandi bridge using micro-explosive charges, in Genoa, northern Italy, 28 June 2019. Thousands of…

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Experts prepare to demolish Morandi Bridge in Genova

Demolition experts are set to blow up what remains of the Morandi bridge on Friday in the Italian city of Genoa nearly a year after the structure collapsed. Around…

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EU working on solution for Sea-Watch saga

European Home Affairs Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos said Thursday that the European Union was working to find a solution for the 42 migrants on the Sea-Watch 3 ship but added that…

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Salvini considers border wall in northeast Italy

Italian Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said he is considering the idea of erecting a border barrier in northeastern Italy. "The Balkan route (for migrant flows) has reopened,"…

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Sea Watch ignores orders to stop, anchors in front of Lampedusa

The Sea-Watch 3 migrant-rescue ship on Wednesday defied an order from a tax police motor launch to stop and pressed on until it came close to the port of…

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Italian Health Ministry issues heat alert for 6 cities, for 16 on Friday

The Italian health ministry has issued a heat alert for six Italian cities for Thursday and for 16 on Friday. The red alert indicates the maximum risk level for all…

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ECHR rejects Sea Watch appeal

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has rejected a request presented by migrant search-and-rescue vessel Sea Watch 3 for the ECHR to implement interim measures asking Italy to allow…

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Sea Watch case taken to the European Court of Human Rights

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) said Monday it has received a request from the migrant search-and-rescue vessel Sea Watch 3 for the ECHR to implement interim measures asking…

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Italian doctors say leaving overflowing garbage in the streets in the heat is dangerous

Doctors in the Italian capital Rome highlighted the health dangers from overflowing street rubbish brewing toxic fumes in the summer heat. "With the arrival of the heat in a…

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Italy holds Netherlands, EU ‘responsible’ for Sea Watch 3 issue

Italy's interior minister Matteo Salvini said he is holding the Netherlands and the European Union "responsible" for the fate of 42 migrants on board the Sea Watch 3. The Italian…

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Tourists fined for cycling bare-chested in Venice

Two British tourists were fined a total of 350 euros for cycling bare-chested around Venice Friday. The incident happened in the busy square outside the church of San Simeon Piccolo.…

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