Italy

Italian President Mattarella praises Silk Road memorandum

Italian President Sergio Mattarella said Friday that Chinese President Xi Jinping's State visit was strengthening cooperation between the nations after meeting Xi at the presidential palace in Rome. Mattarella…

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No evidence of radioactivity in key ‘Ruby’ witness Fadil

Sources in Italy are being quoted as saying that no evidence of radioactivity has been found in the organs of key Ruby witness Imane Fadil, after the results of testing…

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The dramatic phone call from hero school boy who saved hijacked bus

The dramatic phone call has been released that Ramy Shehata, a 13-year-old Egyptian boy, made to the police whilst on board a school bus hijacked and later torched by…

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Suspension of EU’s Operation Sophia not of great concern to Libya

The spokesman for the Libyan Navy, Ayoub Qassim said that the European statements regarding the suspension of Operation Sophia are not of the Libyan state's concern in any means.…

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Italian politician opposed to mandatory vaccines for children gets chicken pox

Massimiliano Fedriga, president of the north-eastern region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia and a member of the Lega party, was hospitalised earlier this month with the highly contagious chicken pox infection. In…

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27 arrest warrants in probe into secret Masonic lodge in Sicily

Italian security forces on Thursday staged an operation to execute 27 arrest warrants related to a probe into a secret Masonic lodge in the Sicilian town of Castelvetrano. Among the…

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Italy rolls out the red carpet for President Xi Jinping

Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, later today arrives in Italy for a three-day visit where the highlight is expected to be Italy’s signing up to China’s multi-billion pound Belt…

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Senate blocks Salvini trial

The Senate on Wednesday voted against granting authorisation to prosecutors in Sicily to proceed with a case of alleged kidnapping against Interior Minister Matteo Salvini. Prosecutors in Sicily wanted…

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Bus full of students hijacked and torched in Italy

Italian security forces arrested a 47-year-old man after allegedly hijacking a bus he was driving full of schoolchildren and subsequently starting a fire inside the vehicle. The suspect has been…

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China says it’s normal Belt and Road Initiative has sparked debate

China said that it is normal that Italy's potential involvement in its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), nicknamed the Silk Road, has sparked debate. The initiative is a massive infrastructure…

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Migrants on board the ‘Mare Ionio’ to disembark at Lampedusa

The 49 migrants on board the Italian NGO rescue ship 'Mare Ionio' will be disembarking at Lampedusa on the orders of Guardia di Finanza. The 'Mare Ionio' was embroiled…

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President of Rome Municipality Council arrested on corruption charges

Marcello De Vito, President of Rome Municipality Council, as well as spokesman for the M5S movement, was arrested as part of an investigation into corruption in the issuing of tenders in…

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Italy prepares for no-deal Brexit

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has reassured the Lower House of Parliament in Rome that Italy is fully prepared for the eventuality of a no deal Brexit and the rights…

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High presence of cadmium and antimony found in blood of Imane Fadil

Milan prosecutor Francesco Greco told a press conference Monday that preliminary test on the Moroccan model and key prosecution witness in a Berlusconi trial had, a high concentration of…

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Al Bano to sue the Ukraine for damages

Popular Italian singer Al Bano said he might sue Ukraine at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) after the Kiev government put him on its black list of threats…

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ISIS announces the killing of an Italian citizen

ISIS announced that it killed an Italian citizen identified as 33 year Lorenzo Orsetti from Florence. Initial information indicates that Orsetti had left Italy to join Kurdish forces fighting against…

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Corpse of Moroccan model Imane Fadil kept in isolation

Milan prosecutors have ordered that the corpse of Moroccan model Imane Fadil be kept in total isolation and that no one, not even family members, are to be allowed to…

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Italian authorities on alert after Christchurch attacks

Italian authorities have warned that there is a risk that the terror attack in New Zealand that killed at least 49 people may spur copycat attacks or reprisals in…

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Italy to sign Silk Road memorandum with China

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte confirmed that his government intends to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Chinese government for its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The huge…

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Request to have Toto Cutugno blacklisted in the Ukraine

A group of Ukrainian Members of Parliament requested that Italian singer Toto Cutugno be banned from the country. According to the Ukrainian website Economistua.com, the Ukrainian MPs wrote to Vasily…

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Italy registers record drop in asylum requests

Italy registered the largest drop in 2018 in asylum requests of all European Union countries - down 61% on 2017 figures, while requests across the EU dropped by 11%…

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European Parliament’s President Tajani under fire for Mussolini comments

The European Parliament's Italian President, Antonio Tajani, is facing harsh criticism for suggesting fascist dictator Benito Mussolini did some positive things before he turned bad. The outcry was sparked…

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Italian singer Al Bano blacklisted by the Ukrainian Government

Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture declared popular Italian singer Al Bano as a threat to national security and hence blacklisted him. The veteran Italian entertainer has now been included on…

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The EU and the US concerned following reports that Italy is close to signing up to China’s Belt and Road initiative

The European Commission stressed the need for EU States to stay united following reports that Italy is close to signing up to China's huge Belt and Road infrastructure initiative.…

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Marked slowdown in eurozone growth says ECB chief

Countries with high public debt like Italy should increase their efforts to cut it, European Central Bank Governor Mario Draghi. Italy has the highest debt in the eurozone after Greece,…

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Italian economy in difficulty – ISTAT

ISTAT, the Italian National Institute of Statistics, on Wednesday announced that the Italian economy is continuing to experience difficulty after slipping into recession in the second half of 2018. The…

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Italy plans to join China’s Belt and Road Initiative

The Financial Times reported that Italy is planning to sign a memorandum of understanding to become part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. The Belt and Road initiative, championed by…

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Macron seeks reconciliation with Italy

French President Emmanuel Macron held out the olive branch with Italy following a diplomatic spat that saw Paris briefly recall its ambassador. In the spirit of reconciliation, Macron said he…

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Italy’s PD elects Zingaretti as new leader

Nicola Zingaretti (photo above) is the new leader of Italy's centre-left Democratic Party (PD) after winning over 70% of the vote in an election on Sunday. More than 1.6 million…

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200,000 attend Milan anti-racism protest

Italian media headlines, amongst them Corriere della Sera, are dominated by the huge crowds that on Saturday gathered in Milan to protest against racism and spurned by what the organisers…

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Insight : The new Italian government’s pledge to fight corruption

LSE: The coalition that has just taken office in Rome did not begin well. But as Andrea Capussela writes, among its proposals is a plan to strengthen the rule of law, which…

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Italian authorities should seize League funds “wherever they may be” until it has recouped some €49 million of public money received by the party’s former leader and convicted fraudster, Italy’s supreme court has ruled

The Local: In a ruling on Tuesday, the Court of Cassation recommended a "blanket" seizure of funds from the hard-right party's bank accounts, deposits and other assets in connection with the…

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Italian Police dismantle international gang of artefact robbers

DW: Italian police on Wednesday said an international criminal gang who stole artefacts from Sicilian archaeological sites had been dismantled with scores of arrests made. A total of 23 people have…

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Matteo Salvini backed by politician ‘with links to mafia’ – The Guardian

The Guardian: Matteo Salvini’s electoral victory in the southern region of Calabria during the Italian general election this year was supported by a former politician who law enforcement authorities have claimed…

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Breaking News – 17 arrested in Palermo for arms and migrant trafficking

Sky News Italia - Italian police are currently carrying a major operation in Palermo which led to the arrest of 17 people allegedly involved in arms and migrant trafficking. According…

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OECD: Italy once again amongst world leaders in terms of the country of origin of economic migrants

Sole 24 Ore : In the last report on migrants, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) pointed out that Italy has once again became part of list of…

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“I dream of a League of European Leagues” – Matteo Salvini

"I am here for a pact of honor and a pact of love". Matteo Salvini said this when he was addressing the traditional Pontida rally for the Lega Nord members for…

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Simona Ventura’s son suffers multiple stab wounds

Niccolo Bettarini, the son of Italian TV presenter Simona Ventura and former footballer Stefano Bettarini for a moment was in a critical condition, after suffering multiple stabbings following a fight…

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Tensions in Movimento 5 Stelle after “I would not close ports” declaration by Roberto Fico

Tension in the Movimento 5 Stelle (M5s) was registered after the speaker of the Italian Chamber Roberto Fico (who hails from the same party), during a visit in Pozzallo said…

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Open Arms to go to Spain

Washington Times: Spain says Barcelona will be the docking port for an aid boat that rescued 60 migrants in waters near Libya but was not allowed to land by both…

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New migrants situation leads to new dispute between Malta and Italy as tweets fly in Italian between the countries’ two Interior Ministers

Times of Malta: An NGO boat with around 50 rescued migrants on board should head to Malta because it provided the closest port, Italy's right-wing deputy prime minister said on Saturday,…

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Italy: Di Maio intends banning betting sponsorships and advertising from TV and Sports

The Minister of Economic Development and Minister of Labor and Social Policy, Luigi Di Maio, has announced that he intends to start to necessary legal procedures which will lead to…

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EU Summit – Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte Comments

Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is reported to be satisfied by the deal. "It was a long negotiation but from today Italy is no longer alone." He listed the elements…

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Proactiva Open Arms tweets that Italy and Malta are refusing to allow a migrant rescue ship in their territorial waters

Italy and Malta are refusing to allow a migrant rescue ship operated by the award-winning Spanish charity Proactiva Open Arms to enter their territorial waters, the NGO tweeted on Thursday.…

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Italian Prime Minister to Meet Trump on July 30

Politico: Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte will meet U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on July 30, the White House said in a statement. “Italy is an important NATO ally and…

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INSIGHT: Italy vs France – How oil interests and territorial control are fuelling the migration disputes and stand offs

Il Fatto Quotidiano reports that it is not all as it seems in the very tough clash between Italy and France, between Matteo Salvini and Emmanuel Macron on immigration; a real diplomatic…

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Macron and Conte meet to defuse tension between the two over immigration

A report on Financial Times says that Giuseppe Conte and Emmanuel Macron held an unscheduled dinner this week to defuse tension over immigration — the issue convulsing European politics and which threatens…

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Salvini’s Lega continues to to increase its support amongst Italian voters

Financial Times: Matteo Salvini’s position at the heart of Italy’s new coalition government was bolstered after his candidates made big gains in municipal elections, including the capture of a trio of…

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After 4 days, the Italian Government authorises ‘Alexander Maersk’ to dock at Ragusa harbour

ANSA: The Italian Ministry of the Interior authorised the cargo ship Alexander Maersk to dock at the port of Ragusa. This was announced by the mayor Roberto Ammatuna, underlining that "this…

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Italy is ready to provide Libya with support to guarantee security in the Mediterranean – Salvini

Italy is ready to provide Libya with "technical and economic support to guarantee security in the Mediterranean together and to strengthen investigative cooperation and security cooperation". This was stated by Matteo Salvini,…

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Salvini visiting Libya

The Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini is on his way to Libya. Salvini announced this on his twitter account by posting a series of photos. The visit takes place against…

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EU Migration Mini-Summit underway

Politico reports that Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said he would put forward a “completely new proposal” for managing Europe’s most divisive political issue. Conte said the proposal, the “European Multilevel Strategy…

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Insight: Salvini’s domination of Italian politics

Matteo Salvini’s responsibilities are technically limited to oversight of immigration, elections and domestic security. But the head of the League – or Lega Nord as it was known in Italy – has…

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Cargo ship Alexander Maersk with 110 rescued migrants on board waiting for instructions in front of Pozzallo

The cargo ship Alexander Maersk, which the Danish flag, and which is carrying more than 110 migrants rescued in the Mediterranean, has been waiting for instructions infront of the port…

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MV Lifeline Media reports update

History repeats itself as a second vessel is rejected from docking - just days after the Aquarius was stranded for a week. We try to present you a status update…

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Fresh controversy for Matteo Salvini as he claims that 10 mandatory vaccines are useless, in many cases dangerous, if not harmful

Corriere Della Sera Italian Minister of the Interior, Matteo Salvini, opens a new front. This time, interviewed by Radio Studio 54, he said that " 10 mandatory vaccines are useless, in many cases dangerous…

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Malta should open its ports for Lifeline – Matteo Salvini

Times of Malta : Malta should open its ports to a sea rescue ship carrying 239 migrants, Italy's far-right deputy prime minister threatened on Friday morning. The Lifeline is now in…

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