Category Archives: Italy

Former pope Benedict says ‘fanatical’ Catholics still won’t believe he’s not the pope

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Pope emeritus says some who are unhappy with successor Pope Francis have refused to believe he willingly stepped down

Former pope Benedict has chided conservative Roman Catholics who have not accepted his decision to resign, calling them “fanatical” and reminding them there is only one pope and it is Francis.

Benedict, now 93, became the first pope in more than 600 years to resign instead of ruling for life, saying he no longer had the strength to govern the 1.3 billion-member church.

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Archaeologists find unique ceremonial vehicle near Pompeii

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Well-preserved iron, bronze and tin carriage discovery is ‘without precedent in Italy’

Archaeologists have unearthed a unique Roman ceremonial carriage from a villa just outside Pompeii, the city buried in a volcanic eruption in 79 AD.

The almost perfectly preserved four-wheeled carriage, made of iron, bronze and tin, was found near the stables of an ancient villa at Civita Giuliana, about 700 metres north of the walls of ancient Pompeii and close to where the remains of three horses were unearthed in 2018, including one still in its harness.

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‘Stop this madness’: NYT angers Italians with ‘smoky tomato carbonara’ recipe

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Recipe using bacon and parmesan cheese attracts ire of chefs, foodies and farmers’ association

The New York Times has cooked up a controversy in Italy after tinkering with the recipe for the classic Roman dish pasta carbonara.

Called “Smoky Tomato Carbonara”, the recipe, by Kay Chun, was published by NYT Cooking. To be fair to Chun, she did preface her version of the recipe by saying that “tomatoes are not traditional in carbonara, but they lend a bright tang to the dish”.

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Mount Etna: footage captures volcano erupting at night, illuminating sky – video

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Spectacular eruptions of red lava from Mount Etna, on the Italian island of Sicily, continued overnight from Monday into Tuesday, illuminating the night sky. The volcano’s lava fountains soared to 1,500 metres, according to the Etna Observatory at Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology

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Mount Etna illuminates night sky with 1,500-metre lava fountain

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Europe’s most active volcano produces one of most striking eruptions in decades

Mount Etna’s spectacular eruptions reached a peak on Monday when the volcano’s lava fountains soared to 1,500 metres – a display described by one expert as “one of the most striking in the last few decades”.

Europe’s most active volcano has been on explosive form in recent weeks, spewing incandescent magma and a copious shower of ash, reaching as far as Catania.

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Italian ambassador to DR Congo dies in attack on UN convoy

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Luca Attanasio and two others killed in attempted kidnapping north of Goma in eastern DRC

Italy’s ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and two other people have been killed in an attack on a United Nations convoy in the restive east of the central African country.

The convoy from the World Food Programme (WFP) was attacked at about 10.30am local time (0830 GMT) during an attempted kidnapping near the town of Kanyamahoro, about 10 miles north of the regional capital, Goma, a spokesperson for Virunga national park said.

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New prime minister, Mario Draghi, vows to speed up Italy’s Covid vaccinations

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Italy recorded 336 more coronavirus deaths – the second highest rate in Europe

Italy’s new prime minister, Mario Draghi, has pledged to speed up the country’s coronavirus vaccination programme as he presented his government’s priorities before a confidence vote in the upper house of parliament on Wednesday.

In his much-anticipated maiden speech, Draghi, who was sworn into office on Saturday, said the government’s first duty was to “fight the pandemic by all means and safeguard the lives of citizens”.

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Italians want Mario Draghi to deliver ‘normality’ – and therein lies the danger | Lorenzo Marsili

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The problems Europe faces will not be solved by a return to the status quo – complete overhaul of a bankrupt system is needed

“Would it not be simpler for the government to dissolve the people and elect another?” Bertolt Brecht’s line is often quoted after dubious upsets in the democratic process – such as the imposition of Mario Monti’s austerity administration in Italy in 2011, or the crushing of Syriza’s aspirations in Greece in 2015. And yet, Mario Draghi’s top-down appointment as Italy’s new prime minister tells a different story, one that doubles as a cautionary tale for the rest of Europe.

A recent survey shows that 85% of Italians approve of the former European Central Bank chief and establishment prodigy running the government following the collapse of Giuseppe Conte’s administration. This is an astonishing result for a country where combined support for populist parties represented an absolute majority at the last elections. How can such a glaring contradiction be explained?

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Italian mayor warns public after black panther sightings

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Residents urged to avoid local fields and countryside as authorities in Puglia search for animal

Italian authorities are scouting an area in Puglia where locals have reported seeing a black panther on the loose.

In the last two weeks, several witnesses have spotted and filmed a large, black feline prowling around the province of Bari, near the towns of Castellana Grotte and Acquaviva delle Fonti.

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Migrant boat sinks off Lampedusa with one dead and 22 missing

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Tunisian navy had to end rescue effort early due to bad weather but pulled one body from the water

One migrant is dead and 22 others are missing after their boat sank in the Mediterranean sea off the Italian island of Lampedusa, the Tunisian navy has said.

Bad weather interrupted rescue operations around 100 kilometres (62 miles) north-west of Lampedusa, the navy said on Saturday, adding that the body of one migrant had been pulled from the water, while 22 were missing.

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Mario Draghi sworn in as prime minister of Italy

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Former European Central Bank chief to lead unity government as it tackles Covid and economic slump

The former European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi has been sworn in as Italy’s prime minister at the head of a unity government called on to confront the coronavirus crisis and economic slump.

Draghi, a respected figure at home and internationally, managed to convince almost all of the country’s main parties to support his government, with leaders from the far-right League and populist Five Star Movement (M5S) adopting more moderate, pro-European tones in recent days.

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Mario Draghi’s new government to be sworn in on Saturday

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Italians optimistic as former ECB chief appoints mix of political and technocratic ministers to cabinet

Italy’s new government, led by former European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi, will be sworn in on Saturday, ending weeks of political turmoil.

Draghi, 73, announced his cabinet, which contains a mix of political and technocratic ministers, to president Sergio Mattarella on Friday.

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Coronavirus live news: US could have prevented 40% of deaths; new China cases at five-month low

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Lancet commission review condemns Trump’s virus response; Two masks ‘substantially reduce expose US CDC says; cheap asthma drug appears to reduce risk of severe illness. Follow latest updates

The Czech Republic on Thursday announced a stricter lockdown in three districts from east to west where coronavirus infections have soared and hospitals are struggling to cope.

The order means a ban on movement from and into the eastern district of Trutnov on the border with Poland and the western districts of Cheb and Sokolov on the border with Germany, the health minister Jan Blatny said.

CNA is reporting three community cases among 12 new Covid-19 infections in Singapore.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) said the remaining nine infections were imported and had been placed on stay-home notice upon arrival in Singapore. No new infections were reported in foreign worker dormitories.

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Cemetery workers in Calabria ‘removed bodies’ to make way for new corpses

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Police arrest three men accused of demanding money from mourning relatives for spaces in Tropea graves

Italian police have arrested three cemetery workers in Calabria accused of illegally removing bodies from tombs to make way for new corpses, as the country struggles with a shortage of burial space.

According to military police investigators, the suspects allegedly demanded money from mourning relatives to get the deceased a place in the local cemetery in Tropea, a seaside resort town near Vibo Valentia.

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Enter the Draghi: can ‘Super Mario’ save Italy as he did the euro?

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Called on to lead Italy’s government in crisis, the former central banker will need all the skills he honed saving the European currency

“Whatever it takes.” Three simple words that tamed the financial markets, saved the euro from possible collapse and turned Mario Draghi from an Italian technocrat into the central banker of his generation.

And an obvious choice to head a new coalition government in Rome at a time when the country is facing the triple whammy of Covid-19, economic collapse and political chaos.

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Mario Draghi accepts mandate to form new Italian government

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Former ECB chief summoned by President Mattarella after collapse of Conte’s coalition in January

Mario Draghi, the former European Central Bank chief, has accepted a mandate to try to form a new Italian government as the country seeks a way out of the political crisis triggered by the collapse of its most recent coalition.

Draghi, nicknamed “Super Mario” for his role in saving the European single currency, will have to galvanise support in parliament to quickly build a technical administration needed to manage the coronavirus pandemic and revive its battered economy.

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Italian president Sergio Mattarella to seek a ‘high-profile’ government

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Media speculations suggest former European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi could become prime minister

Italy’s president, Sergio Mattarella, has said he would seek a “high profile” government, as speculation grew that it may be led by the former European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi.

Mattarella made the announcement after ruling coalition partners failed to form a majority following Giuseppe Conte’s resignation as prime minister last week.

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Great-grandson of fascist dictator Mussolini joins Lazio’s under-19 team

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  • Romano Floriani Mussolini brought into youth team
  • Lazio have a history of links to the far right

The great-grandson of Italy’s fascist dictator Benito Mussolini has officially joined Lazio’s under-19 team.

Romano Floriani Mussolini, son of the former European parliamentarian Alessandra Mussolini, plays as a right-back and has already been called up twice by Lazio’s youth team.

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