Italy

A collection of 46 posts

Italy Passes Tougher Measures to Deter Migrant Arrivals

On Monday, the Italian government passed stricter measures to crack down on immigration after about 10K migrants reached the southern Italian island of Lampedusa last week....

Politics

Italy Imposes 40% Windfall Tax on Bank Profits

On Monday, Italian PM Giorgia Meloni approved a one-off 40% windfall tax on record-breaking profits earned by Italian banks due to increased interest rates, stating that the proceeds will be used to help mortgage holders and cut taxes.

Money

At Least Two Killed in Shipwrecks off Italian Coast

The sinking of two ships off the Italian island of Lampedusa on Saturday has left at least two people dead and dozens more missing.

Social issues

Dozens Dead After Migrant Ship Capsizes Off Tunisia

On Wednesday, Italian state media reported that 41 people are believed to have died after a boat capsized off the coast of Tunisia, with four survivors arriving in Italy after being rescued by a Maltese carrier.

Social issues

UNESCO: Venice Should Be Put on Endangered List

A new UNESCO report released on Monday has recommended adding Venice to its list of World Heritage in Danger to secure the historic city and its lagoon from climate change and mass tourism.

Social issues

Mediterranean Wildfires Kill Dozens

Deadly wildfires burning in at least nine countries across the Mediterranean have so far claimed the lives of dozens of people as thousands of firefighters continue to bring the infernos under control.

Social issues

Italy: Cops Say UK Tourist Defaced Rome's Colosseum

The Italian Carabinieri paramilitary police said it has identified the man filmed last week engraving his and his partner's names into a wall of Rome's 2K-year-old Colosseum as a tourist from the UK but declined to name the suspect.

Social issues

Virgin Galactic Names Crew for First Commercial Space Flight

On Monday, Virgin Galactic announced the crew for the company’s first commercial space flight, Galactic 01, which is set to launch this week.

Italy

Pope Francis Removes Long-Time Benedict Aide

Pope Francis has ordered the removal of Archbishop Georg Gänswein, a close aide and confidant of the late Pope Benedict XVI, sending him back to his native Germany by the end of the month without any new assignment.

Social issues

Former Italian PM Berlusconi Dies at 86

Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who led three governments between 1994 and 2011, has died at the age of 86 at the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan.

Politics

Italy: Meloni Govt. Accused of 'Ruthless' Influence Over State Media

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's right-wing government has been accused of trying to bend Italy's public broadcaster RAI [Radiotelevisione Italiana] to its will after a series of high-profile departures, including left-leaning talk show hosts Fabio Fazio and Luciana Littizzetto.

Media

Italy: 36K Displaced By Worst Floods In A Century

On Saturday, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni made an early departure from the G7 summit in Japan to deal with the worst flooding seen in the country in a century; at least 14 people have been left dead and more than 36K homeless.

Weather

Italy: At least 13 dead and 20K Homeless in Flooding

As of Thursday, at least 13 people have been killed and 20K displaced as Italy experiences its worst flooding in nearly a century.

Social issues

Pope Calls On Italians To Have More Kids, Fewer Pets

On Friday, Pope Francis urged young Italians to forgo "selfish, egotistical" decisions and have larger families as Italy faces its greatest population crisis due to a record low birth rate.

Social issues

Italian Regulators Start Apple Antitrust Probe

Italy’s antitrust agency revealed on Thursday that it has begun a probe into Apple’s alleged abuse of its prominence in the app market.

Politics

Italy: Explosion in Milan Sets Multiple Cars Ablaze

On Thursday, several cars and motorbikes went up in flames after a van carrying oxygen cylinders exploded in the center of Milan in northern Italy.

Social issues

Italy's FM Calls Off Paris Trip Amid Diplomatic Row

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on Thursday called off a trip to Paris, citing comments from French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin on Rome's migration management that he said were offensive and a "stab in the back."

Politics

Italy's Napoli Wins First Serie A Title in 33 Years

Italian soccer club Napoli won its first Serie A title in 33 years after its 1-1 draw at Udinese on Thursday, having only needed a tie to secure a 16-point lead with five games left and clinch the Scudetto.

Sports

Soccer: Juventus' 15-Point Deduction Overturned

On Thursday, the Italian Olympic Committee, the country's highest sporting court, overturned a 15-point penalty previously given to soccer team Juventus for financial violations — pending a final decision by the Italian Football Association's appeals court.

Sports

Dozens Dead After Migrant Boat to Europe Sinks off Tunisia

As of Friday, at least 33 people are reportedly dead after a boat carrying migrants from sub-Saharan Africa toward Europe sank off the coast of Tunisia earlier this week....

Italy

European Privacy Watchdog Creates ChatGPT Task Force

The European Data Protection Board (EDPB), a body that unites Europe's national privacy watchdogs, announced on Thursday that it had set up a task force to study ChatGPT, an important first step in developing privacy guidelines for chatbots....

Artificial Intelligence

Italy Declares State of Emergency to Tackle Migrant Surge

On Tuesday, Italian PM Giorgia Meloni's government declared a six-month state of emergency backed by €5M (roughly $5.5M) in funding to help the country face a surge in migrants arriving on its southern shores....

Italy

Boat Carrying 400 Migrants Adrift in the Mediterranean

A vessel with around 400 migrants and refugees onboard is adrift in the Mediterranean between Italy and Malta as it awaits rescue from the Italian coast guard, according to sea rescue support service Alarm Phone....

Afghanistan

Italy Temporarily Blocks ChatGPT Over Privacy Concerns

On Friday, Italy's Data Protection Authority temporarily blocked the artificial intelligence (AI) software ChatGPT over data privacy concerns, making it the first Western country to take such action against the chatbot....

Artificial Intelligence

Italy: Meloni Government Introduces Bill to Ban Lab-Grown Meat

Italy is reportedly preparing to approve legislation that would ban the use of laboratory-grown meat in food and animal feed, as the government seeks to protect the country's "agri-food heritage."

Social issues