Italy

Italy’s Meloni suffers setback as centre-left claims Sardinia election win

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is set for her first regional election loss since winning power in 2022 after a centre-left candidate appeared to have won the vote for the…

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Smartphones and tablets to be banned in Italian schools

The use of smartphones and tablets is to be banned in Italian classrooms even for teaching purposes under new guidelines to be issued shortly, Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara said in…

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Italy arrests 12 people over speed boat migrant trips from Tunisia

ROME, (Reuters) - Italian police said they had arrested 12 suspected human traffickers for allegedly organising high-speed transfers for at least 73 illegal migrants from Tunisia to Europe. Expert pilots…

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Milan residents grapple with high pollution

By Claudia Greco And Alessandro Parodi Pietro De Luca lives in Italy's finance and fashion capital Milan but often thinks of moving to a cleaner city with his wife and…

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Italian Supreme Court declares handing over of migrants to Tripoli is a crime

It is a crime to hand over refugees and migrants rescued in the Central Mediterranean to the Libyan coast guard because the north African country is not a safe port,…

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30 kph limit in Bologna leads to fewer accidents

Road accidents have dropped by 15.8% in Bologna after a 30 kph speed limit was imposed a month ago, the city council in the Emilian capital said. "The hoped-for decrease…

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Deaths and injuries after Florence structural collapse

Two workers are dead, two more are dying and two others are missing feared dead after a structural collapse in a Florence supermarket construction site on Friday, local officials said.…

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Anti-dengue fever measures introduced at Fiumicino airport

Authorities at Rome's Fiumicino airport have lifted the level of alert for planes and goods arriving from countries where the risk of contracting dengue fever is "frequent and ongoing". The…

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Italy launches COVID inquiry over opposition protest

By Angelo Amante Italy's parliament approved on Wednesday the creation of an official inquiry into the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, angering opposition parties who were in power at the…

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Italian far-right leader Salvini fights to escape Meloni’s shadow

Five years ago, Matteo Salvini confirmed his status as a rising star of European far-right politics when his League party swept a third of the vote in Italian EU parliamentary…

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Meredith Kercher killer Guede put under special surveillance

Rome court this week ruled that Rudy Guede, the 36-year-old Ivorian national convicted of murdering British exchange student Meredith Kercher in Perugia in 2007, must spend the next 12 months…

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Italian Carabinieri and Malta Police in joint operation against ID forgers

On 7 February, Europol supported the Italian Carabinieri Corps (Arma dei Carabinieri) and the Malta Police Force (Pulizija) in an operation against a criminal network involved in the facilitation of…

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Italy tops new European ranking for tourism reputation

Italy is top of a new ranking for overall reputation as a European tourist destination but it needs to improve on its institutional use of social media, the market research…

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UK, Italy seek ‘innovative partnerships’ to deal with illegal migration

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni agreed to keep working together to deal with illegal migration by developing "innovative partnerships" along migration routes, Sunak's office…

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Italy’s junior culture minister quits after stolen painting scandal

Italian junior culture minister and art critic Vittorio Sgarbi, under investigation over possession of a stolen painting, announced he was quitting because Rome's antitrust body was trying to curb his…

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Vittorio Emanuele of Savoy, son of Italy’s last king, dies aged 86

Vittorio Emanuele of Savoy, the only son of Italy's last king, who lived in exile in neighbouring Switzerland for most of his life, has died aged 86 at his home…

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Nearly 100 dead or missing migrants in Mediterranean so far in 2024 – IOM

Nearly 100 migrants have died or disappeared in the central and eastern Mediterranean since the beginning of 2024, more than double the toll recorded last year during the same period,…

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Italy’s government clashes with Fiat-owner Stellantis

ROME, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's rightist government is set to unveil new subsidies on Thursday for buyers of electric, hybrid and low-emission internal combustion cars.…

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Italy plans $1 bln of subsidies this year to boost car industry, ready to buy stake in Stellantis

By Giuseppe Fonte ROME, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Italy will provide 950 million euros ($1 billion) in subsidies this year to help drivers make the switch to cleaner cars and…

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Italy may send aircraft to the Red Sea

Italy may send aircraft to the Red Sea as part of its involvement in the EU Aspides naval mission to protect merchant ships from attacks from Houthi rebels based in…

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Italy to hunt tax dodgers on social media, deputy minister says

ROME, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Italy plans to use information on living standards that professionals and entrepreneurs post on social media to track down tax dodgers, Deputy Economy Minister Maurizio…

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Meloni: Italy’s African investment plan worth initial 5.5 bln euros

ROME, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Italy's much vaunted development plan for Africa will have an initial endowment of more than 5.5 billion euros ($5.95 billion), including public guarantees for investment…

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UPDATED: Britain and Italy suspend financing for UNRWA

ROME, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Italy has decided to suspend financing of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Saturday. The decision follows…

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Italy uncovers $1.9 billion fraud linked to Chinese shadow bank network

Italian police said they had uncovered a tax fraud carried out by 85 suspects involving 1.7 billion euros ($1.9 billion) in false invoices, with the money laundered through a system…

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UN rights chief voices concerns over Italy-Albania migrant pact

A deal allowing Italy to build reception camps in Albania for thousands of migrants arriving by sea raises concerns about arbitrary detention and living conditions, the U.N. human rights chief…

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Italy fines first city for privacy breaches in use of AI

ROME, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Italy's privacy watchdog has fined the northern city of Trento for breaking data protection rules in the way it used artificial intelligence (AI) in street…

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Italy, EU’s oldest country, plans more spending for elderly

ROME, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is set to introduce a new welfare subsidy for the low-income elderly, according to a draft decree seen by Reuters…

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Italy government proposes tougher jail terms for cybercriminals

Italy's government is set to propose tougher jail terms for cybercrime and stricter disclosure rules for public bodies that come under attack from hackers, according to a draft law seen…

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Rome, Paris, Berlin say action needed in Red Sea

Italy, France and Germany are calling for an EU naval mission to protect Red Sea shipping from attacks by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen with a joint document they are…

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Italy approves bigger fines for ‘eco vandals’ targeting artworks

Italy's parliament on Thursday gave final approval to a law introducing tougher penalties on those who damage monuments and cultural sites, following a series of climate protests. In recent months,…

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Italian ports fear blow to business from Red Sea crisis

By Angelo Amante and Elisa Anzolin ROME/MILAN, (Reuters) - Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping are causing major disruption to Italian ports, operators say, fuelling fears that a prolonged crisis…

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Italy hit record number of influenza cases

Italy has passed its yearly influenza peak, which this year has been the highest on record, according to the latest bulletin of the RespiVirNet surveillance system of the Istituto Superiore…

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UPDATED: Italy not asked to take part in Yemen strikes

Italy was not asked to take part in US-led air strikes against Houthi rebel bases in Yemen amid the rebels' attacks on Red Sea shipping, sources at the premier's office…

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Motorists in Italy who abandon animals to face driving ban

A group of League MPs expressed satisfaction after a parliamentary committee approved a change to the highway code proposed by the party that will see motorists who abandon animals at…

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Italy regulator tightens rules on influencers after Ferragni scandal

ROME, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Italy's communications authority AGCOM has approved stringent new rules to improve transparency on social media posts made by celebrities with mass online audiences. The decision…

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Italian Undersecretary Sgarbi under investigation

Culture Undersecretary Vittorio Sgarbi is being investigated for the alleged self-laundering of cultural assets, Macerata Giovanni Fabrizio Narbone said. The statement was made after daily newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano reported…

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Sicily among Italian regions on extreme-weather alert

The civil protection authority has put eight regions on yellow alert for potentially dangerous weather events on Monday as a wave of violent winds and snow that arrived at the…

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COVID hospitalisations in Italy down but flu cases raising concern

COVID-19 hospitalisations in Italy are down slightly but a spike in flu cases is concerning, hospital group FIASO said this week. The rate of occupancy in ICUs has risen from…

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Italy court clears Maradona of tax evasion years after his death

Italy's highest court cleared the late Agentine soccer legend Diego Maradona of tax evasion charges, ending a 30-year-long legal battle between the ex-Napoli striker and revenue authorities. Known as "El…

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Africa, AI to be key G7 issues for Italy, Meloni says

ROME, Jan 4 (Reuters) - Africa and the dangers posed by artificial intelligence (AI) will be two of the key themes for Italy during its one-year presidency of the Group…

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Snow, cold spell to hit Italy over the weekend; Finns urged to limit power use amid cold weather

The above-average temperatures Italy has had so far this winter are set to end with a wave of cold weather and snow that is coming following a rainy Epiphany national…

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Italian lawmaker placed under investigation over New Year’s gun accident

Italian prosecutors placed a lawmaker from Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's party under investigation after a bystander was injured by a shot fired from his gun at a New Year's celebration.…

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Italy’s Treccani Encyclopaedia chooses ‘Femicide’ as word of the year

Italy's prestigious Treccani Encyclopaedia has chosen ‘Femminicidio’ (Femicide )as its word of the year amid a wave of deadly gender violence recently highlighted by the murder by her ex-boyfriend of…

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Italian parliament gives final approval to government’s 2024 budget

The Italian Chamber of Deputies on Friday passed the government's tax-cutting 2024 budget, giving parliament's final approval to the package which becomes law just ahead of an end-year deadline. Prime…

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Italy regulated electricity bills to fall 10.8%

Italy's regulated household electricity prices will fall by 10.8% in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the previous three months, Italy's energy authority ARERA said in a statement. ARERA…

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Matteo Renzi is Italy’s richest party leader

Ex Italian Prime Minister and populist 5-StarMovement (M5S) secretary Giuseppe Conte is Italy's poorest political party leader while ex premier and centrist Italia Viva (IV) chief Matteo Renzi is the…

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Italy drafts law to ‘safeguard’ school nativity scenes

Italy’s ruling far-right party has identified a new battleground in its war to protect the country’s “cultural roots”: the school nativity scene. A draft law proposed by the Brothers of…

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Italy braces for NYE terror risk

Italy is bracing for the risk of a terrorist attack and "eye-catching" climate crisis protests in its piazze on New Year's Eve, according to a circular from the department of…

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Same-sex nativity scene causes anger in Italy

By Ciro De Luca CAPOCASTELLO DI MERCOGLIANO, Italy, (Reuters) - A church nativity scene which features two mothers of the Baby Jesus, instead of the conventional Mary and Joseph figurines,…

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Italian population falls to under 59 million

Italy's population continues to decline, national statistics agency ISTAT said this week.As of December 31, 2022 the number of people living in the country fell to 58,997,201, according to the…

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Italy’s government wins Senate confidence vote on 2024 budget

ROME, Dec 22 (Reuters) - The Italian government on Friday comfortably won a vote of confidence in the Senate, which it called to speed up approval of its expansionary 2024…

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Italy parliament rejects ESM reform, irking Brussels

By Giuseppe Fonte and Angelo Amante Italy's lower house of parliament voted on Thursday against a long-awaited reform of the euro zone bailout fund, throwing into doubt ratification of a…

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High-debt Italy to carry on fighting for laxer EU budget rules

ROME, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Hours after signing up to a European Union deal on more lenient budget rules for the 20-nation eurozone, highly-indebted Italy said the rules were still…

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Meloni sick with flu, cancels engagements

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is sick with the flu and has had to cancel all her engagements for the coming days, premier's office sources said. These include the traditional…

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Italy toughens rules on video-sharing platforms to protect minors

Italy's communication watchdog AGCOM has approved new rules enabling it to order online video-sharing platforms to remove "harmful content" to protect minors and consumers in the country, it said. The…

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Italian food historian cooks up carbonara controversy

By Francesca Piscioneri Food is a serious business in Italy, part of the national identity, as illustrated by a row that has broken out over how to make carbonara pasta…

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Italy could veto deal on EU stability pact rules – Meloni

ROME, Dec 13 (Reuters) - Italy could use its veto to prevent the adoption of the European Union's new fiscal rules if the outcome of negotiations among partners does not meet its…

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