Category Archives: Italy

Silvio Berlusconi addresses Forza Italia members from hospital room

Posted on by

The former Italian prime minister was speaking for the first time since he was hospitalised a month ago

The former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has given his first address to the public since being hospitalised a month ago, delivering a video message to party members from his hospital room.

“Here I am, here for you, wearing a shirt and jacket for the first time in a month,” the 86-year-old billionaire media mogul said, in a pre-recorded address to a convention of his right-wing Forza Italia party.

Continue reading...

Three sections of Roman wall in City of London given protected status

Posted on by

Remains of once vast riverside structure granted legal protection against unauthorised change

Three sections of a huge but little-known Roman wall, discovered under the City of London, have been given protected status as scheduled national monuments.

The riverside wall was a once vast stone structure that formed part of the defences of Roman London. Built in the third century AD along the Thames, it connected to the city’s landward fortifications, large sections of which still exist.

Continue reading...

Many Europeans want climate action – but less so if it changes their lifestyle, shows poll

Posted on by

Exclusive: YouGov survey in seven countries tested backing for government and individual action on crisis

Many Europeans are alarmed by the climate crisis and would willingly take personal steps and back government policies to help combat it, a survey suggests – but the more a measure would change their lifestyle, the less they support it.

The seven-country YouGov survey tested backing for state-level climate action, such as banning single-use plastics and scrapping fossil-fuel cars, and individual initiatives including buying only secondhand clothes and giving up meat and dairy products.

Continue reading...

‘Vanishing like glaciers’: plunging birthrate threatens Italian schools

Posted on by

With one of the lowest fertility rates in the EU and fewer women to have children, classrooms are emptying and the future of communities is in doubt

For centuries, the infant school in Champorcher, in the Aosta Valley, has been an integral component of the community, with the sound of children’s voices in the playground providing a beacon of hope for the mountain village’s survival.

In September last year, however, the school fell eerily silent. It was forced to close after just two pupils enrolled.

Continue reading...

Italian police arrest ’Ndrangheta mafia boss after five years on the run

Posted on by

Pasquale Bonavota featured on police’s list of most dangerous criminals

Italian authorities have announced the arrest of a top boss of the ’Ndrangheta mafia after he spent almost five years on the run.

Pasquale Bonavota, 49, who featured on the police’s list of most dangerous criminals, had been sought since November 2018 after escaping an arrest warrant for homicide and mafia association issued by a magistrate in Calabria, southern Italy.

Continue reading...

Meloni praises Sunak’s immigration policies on visit to No 10

Posted on by

Far-right Italian prime minister in London for ‘new beginning’ aiming at deeper and wider alliance between the countries

The Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, has praised the work undertaken by her British counterpart, Rishi Sunak, to fight people traffickers and clandestine immigration networks, as two of the most prominent rightwing leaders in Europe met in Downing Street.

At the start of a two-day visit designed to deepen relations between the two governments, Meloni was greeted outside Downing Street by a small group of demonstrators carrying placards reading “stand up to racism” and “no to fascist Meloni”.

Continue reading...

Grazie, Londra: why Milan can thank Brexit for a new lease of life

Posted on by

Finance sector workers are deserting the UK for the Italian city, lured by the weather, the way of life and tax breaks

It wasn’t so long ago that Milan was cast aside as a grey, uninspiring industrial city, with the only sprinkle of colour coming from its fashion sector. But the northern Italian powerhouse now has a newfound energy and confidence – and it’s partly driven by Brexit.

As the consequences of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU have kicked in, a significant number of bankers, fund managers and other financial services workers have shifted from London to Milan – an option that would never have been considered a decade ago.

Continue reading...

Italian court suspends order to put down bear that killed jogger

Posted on by

Animal rights groups appealing against decision to kill bear after death of Andrea Papi

A court in the north Italian province of Trentino has suspended an order to put down a 17-year-old female bear that killed a man while he was jogging in the woods.

Andrea Papi, who died on 7 April and whose funeral was held on Wednesday, was the first person in Italy in modern times to be killed in a bear attack.

Continue reading...

Ministry of Defence awards £650m to firms working on Tempest fighter jet

Posted on by

BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce among those funded, with aim of producing new aircraft by 2035

The Ministry of Defence has awarded £650m to manufacturers working on its Tempest fighter jet, in the latest sign that the UK is pushing forward with the aim of producing the aircraft by 2035.

The companies who will receive the money are led by manufacturer BAE Systems, jet engine maker Rolls-Royce, and the UK arms of Italy’s Leonardo and European missile-maker MBDA.

Continue reading...

‘The Saint’ leaves Italian town after case opened into statue’s ‘tears of blood’

Posted on by

Maria Giuseppe Scarpulla investigated after claim blood stains on statue of Virgin Mary come from a pig

A woman nicknamed “the Saint” has mysteriously vanished from a small lakeside town near Rome where pilgrims have flocked for years to pray before a statue of the Virgin Mary that she claimed shed tears of blood.

Maria Giuseppe Scarpulla, originally from Sicily, and her husband reportedly fled Trevignano Romano last week after a private investigator triggered a judicial investigation against her based on his alleged finding that the blood stains on the statue came from a pig.

Continue reading...

Italian coastguard in rescue of two fishing boats carrying 1,200 people

Posted on by

Operation comes as attempted crossings of Mediterranean from north Africa surge over weekend

The Italian coastguard said on Monday it was carrying out a rescue operation involving two fishing boats with a total of 1,200 passengers on board, as the number of people attempting to cross the Mediterranean from north Africa surged over the weekend.

One vessel carrying about 800 people was more than 120 miles (190 km) south-east of the Sicilian city of Syracuse, the coastguard said.

Continue reading...

Bear kills jogger on woodland path in northern Italy

Posted on by

Mauled body of Andrea Papi, 26, found overnight after he failed to return from run near his village

A bear attacked and killed a jogger on a woodland path in north-east Italy, the first case of its kind, a source close to the case told AFP on Friday.

Andrea Papi, 26, was killed on Wednesday while out running in the mountainous region near his village, Caldes, in the Trentino region. His family raised the alarm when he failed to return and a search team found his body overnight.

Continue reading...

Silvio Berlusconi living with leukaemia for some time, doctor confirms

Posted on by

Former prime minister, 86, is being treated for lung infection at Milan’s San Raffaele hospital

The former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has been suffering from leukaemia for some time and is in intensive care, his doctor has confirmed.

The 86-year-old was admitted to Milan’s San Raffaele hospital on Wednesday, where he is being treated for a lung infection.

This article was amended on 6 April 2023 to correct the type of cancer which Berlusconi overcame in 1997.

Continue reading...

‘I’m still alive’: Pope Francis leaves hospital after bronchitis treatment

Posted on by

Pope, 86, responded well to antibiotic infusion for breathing difficulties, medical team says

Pope Francis has left hospital to return to the Vatican after being treated for bronchitis, quipping to journalists before being driven away: “I’m still alive.”

The pope, 86, was taken to Rome’s Gemelli hospital three days ago after complaining of breathing difficulties. He had responded well to an infusion of antibiotics, his medical team has said.

Continue reading...

Italy’s privacy watchdog bans ChatGPT over data breach concerns

Posted on by

Measure is in place ‘until ChatGPT respects privacy’, says Italian Data Protection Authority

Italy’s privacy watchdog has banned ChatGPT, after raising concerns about a recent data breach and the legal basis for using personal data to train the popular chatbot.

The Italian Data Protection Authority described the move as atemporary measure “until ChatGPT respects privacy”. The watchdog said it was imposing an “immediate temporary limitation on the processing of Italian users’ data” by ChatGPT’s owner, the San Francisco-based OpenAI.

Continue reading...

Italian man, 80, owes €4,000 in fines after dodging motorway tolls

Posted on by

‘Nonno Sprint’ avoided paying by nipping in behind prepaid Telepass customers before barrier descended

An 80-year-old Italian man nicknamed “Nonno Sprint” (Granddad Sprint) risks going on trial after he brazenly dodged paying €4,000 (£3,514) worth of motorway tolls using a technique more frequently reserved for metro fare hoppers.

In his Fiat Punto, the man, whose real name is Mario, “travelled far and wide” on Italy’s motorways for two years without paying a single euro, arguing that the charges were too pricey and not worth it for the poor service, according to Corriere della Sera.

Continue reading...

Pope Francis could be discharged from hospital ‘in next few days’

Posted on by

Doctors say 86-year-old has shown marked improvement and has been treated for bronchitis

Pope Francis has had a marked improvement in his health and could be discharged from hospital “in the next few days”, doctors treating the 86-year-old said on Thursday.

The pontiff was taken to Gemelli hospital in Rome on Wednesday afternoon after complaining of breathing difficulties and chest pain in recent days.

Continue reading...

Italian plan to ban lab-grown food criticised as misguided

Posted on by

Minister says aim is to ‘safeguard our nation’s heritage’ but campaigners say artificial meat holds promise

The Italian government has approved a draft law that would ban food grown in laboratories, including artificial meat, as it seeks to “safeguard our nation’s heritage”.

Under the ban, which needs to be passed in both houses of parliament, those who produce, export or import food grown from animal cells would face fines of up to €60,000 and risk having their manufacturing plants closed.

Continue reading...

Art, not pornography: Florence museum invites Florida parents to see the David

Posted on by

Galleria dell’Accademia director issues invitation in wake of incident that forced principal to resign after parents’ complaints

The Florence museum which houses Michelangelo’s David has invited the board of a Florida Christian charter school to visit, after the school’s principal was forced to resign following parent complaints that pupils were shown an image of the nude sculpture in a class.

Hope Carrasquilla resigned as principal of the Tallahassee Classical school last week, after the school board told her to quit or be fired. Carrasquilla’s exit came after three parents complained about a lesson on David, with one parent claiming the 16th century Renaissance masterpiece was pornographic.

Continue reading...

Italian academic cooks up controversy with claim carbonara is US dish

Posted on by

Alberto Grandi also raises hackles with suggestion Wisconsin has most authentic take on parmesan cheese

An Italian academic has caused more than a stir after saying the recipe for carbonara is American and the only place in the world to find bona fide parmesan cheese nowadays is Wisconsin.

Alberto Grandi, a professor of food history at the University of Parma, made the remarks in an interview with the Financial Times. He also claimed tiramisu and panettone were relatively recent inventions and that most Italians had not even heard of pizza before the 1950s.

Continue reading...