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Dufry to buy Italy's WDF to create duty-free giant

Switzerland's Dufry group will acquire a majority stake in chief rival World Duty Free (WDF) in a $3.8 billion (3.6-million-euro) deal to create the biggest travel retailer in the world. READ

Meredith Kercher was found dead in the home she shared with Knox in Perugia in 2007. Photo by John Kercher. Supplied by TJMK

Kercher's mother 'shocked' by Italy verdict

UPDATED: Meredith Kercher's mother said on Friday she was "surprised and very shocked" by Italy's top court clearing Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito of her daughter's murder. READ

Amanda Knox waves to supporters after arriving in Seattle following her acquittal in 2011. Photo: Kevin Casey/AFP

Knox 'relieved and grateful' after Italy verdict

American Amanda Knox expressed "tremendous" relief on Friday after Italy's top court cleared her of the 2007 murder of British student Meredith Kercher, drawing a line under the eight-year legal saga. READ

28/03 Italy clears Knox and Sollecito of murder »

Meredith Kercher murder case

Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito have been cleared of the murder of Meredith Kercher. Photos: Filippo Monteforte/Tiziana Fabi/AFP

Italy clears Knox and Sollecito of murder

UPDATED: Italy's top court on Friday cleared Amanda Knox of the 2007 murder of British student Meredith Kercher, bringing a sensational end to an eight-year legal drama. READ 18 comments

27/03 Judges burn midnight oil mulling Knox fate »

Prato reported having 17,000 Chinese nationals in 2010. Photo: Fabio Muzzia/AFP

Pope to visit Chinese community in Florence

Pope Francis will visit one of Italy's largest Chinese communities in November, at a time when the Vatican is engaged in negotiations to normalize relations with Beijing, the Holy See said on Friday. READ

26/03 Homeless get private tour of Sistine Chapel »
23/03 Pope Francis's 'half-miracle' in Naples »
21/03 Pope Francis: 'Corruption stinks' »

Five Star Movement leader Beppe Grillo. Photo: Marco Bertorello/AFP

Uproar as Grillo likens Renzi to crash pilot

The leader of Italy’s Five Star Movement sparked outrage on Friday when he said there were similarities between the “depressed” Germanwings co-pilot who officials said deliberately crashed his plane, killing 150 people, and Italian premier Matteo Renzi. READ 2 comments

Alps plane crash

Alitalia said the new rule would immediately apply to all of its flights. Alitalia photo: Shutterstock

Alitalia brings in two-person cockpit rule

Italy's flagship airline Alitalia has changed its rules to ensure there are two people in the cockpit at all times, after French investigators said a Germanwings plane was intentionally downed by a co-pilot. READ

24/03 Renzi 'deeply shocked' by France air crash »

The historic Monza race was first held in 1950. Monza photo: Shutterstock

F1 may scrap Italian Grand Prix: Ecclestone

Bernie Ecclestone on Friday said he was prepared to let the Italian Grand Prix follow Germany by dropping off the Formula One calendar, in a stark warning for organizers. READ 2 comments

The pupils were suspended for impersonating Isis terrorists (pictured). Photo: AFP

Italian pupils suspended for Isis beheading stunt

A group of 13-year-old pupils have been suspended from school after reenacting the beheading of hostages by terrorist group Isis, before distributing the images through social media. READ 5 comments

The cost of a taxi trip between Milan's Malpensa airport to the centre is among the priciest in Europe. Photo: Milan taxi photo: Shutterstock

Milan-airport cab fare third priciest in Europe

Taxi transfers between central Milan and Malpensa airport are the third most expensive in Europe, with a one-way trip costing over €80, according to research released on Friday from a UK-based travel money specialist. READ

Features

Soldiers in Benghazi, eastern Libya, in February 2015. Photo: Abdullah Doma/AFP

Why Libya is ringing alarm bells in Italy

As Rome rings alarm bells over the deteriorating situation in Libya, The Local investigates the ramifications of a conflict across the Mediterranean. READ

The Local List

Bond, played by Roger Moore, in a gondola in Moonraker. Screengrab: Adrien Malbosc/YouTube

James Bond's best Italian moments

From a car chase along the Sardinian coast to a high-speed gondola chase in Venice, Italy has provided the backdrop for some of the most exciting James Bond scenes to date. As filming wraps on Spectre - the latest 007 film - we take a look at Bond’s best Italian moments. READ

Plans are underway to bring an Islamic University to Lecce, in Puglia. Photo: Lecce photo: Shutterstock

How Islamic college plan has split Italian town

Plans to build an Islamic university for 5,000 students in a small town in Italy's heel will help change attitudes towards Muslims, organizers say. But many locals are afraid that it will change the character of Lecce - and are asking who's paying for it. READ

The Local List

In Italian a blind date is an "appuntamento al buio" (literally a date in the dark). Blind date photo:Shutterstock

Ten phrases to arm you for your Italian date

Just like English, the Italian language has some interesting expressions when it comes to love and dating. We’ve put together a list of ten of phrases – just in time for Valentine’s Day. READ

Dating in Italy

It might be harder to find love online in Italy. Italy romance photo: Shutterstock

Why flirty Italians still don't do online dating

Online dating has taken off around the world but in Italy it still hasn't quite caught on. As Valentines Day looms, The Local's Angela Giuffrida finds out why. READ 2 comments

More News

The Local List

Baci, the chocolate made by Perugina, kissed goodbye to Italy when it was bought by Nestlé in 1998. Photo: Baci photo: Shutterstock

Ten 'Italian' firms that aren't actually Italian

The takeover of tyre maker Pirelli by a Chinese firm ignited some fiery debate over the loss of homegrown businesses this week. But the acquisition of prized Italian assets started years ago. The Local has compiled a list of some of the biggest brands that are foreign-owned. READ

Celebrated Spanish artist, Pablo Picasso. Photo: Ralph Gatti/AFP

Pensioner claims €15m Picasso was a gift

UPDATED: Italian police are trying to establish the true owner of a Picasso painting worth €15 million after confiscating it from a pensioner who says he was given it for free. READ

Euro 2016 qualifiers

Antonio Conte quit Juventus with three scudetto titles to his name. Photo: Fredrik Varfjell/AFP

Conte primes Juve-inspired Italy for Bulgaria

World Cup flops Italy look to continue their strong start to Euro 2016 qualifying when they face Bulgaria away in a Group H clash that could revive memories of coach Antonio Conte's spell at Juventus. READ

Italy has chosen Neapolitan pizza as its candidate for protection under Unesco's Intangible Cultural Heritage list. Photo: Neopolitan pizza photo: Shutterstock

Naples' pizza offered for Unesco heritage menu

Italy has chosen Neapolitan pizza as its candidate for protection under Unesco's Intangible Cultural Heritage list, Italian media reported late on Thursday. READ

The global love affair with Italy's finest fizz is not about to go flat. Photo: Dinner Series

Italian prosecco sales continue to fizz

If there was one tipple wine lovers couldn't get enough of last year it was prosecco, the Italian sparkler that has outstripped champagne as the world's favourite bubbly. READ

Matteo Renzi requested the snooping measure be removed from draft legislation. Matteo Renzi photo: Shutterstock

Renzi moves to stop anti-terror snooping

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has blocked legislation which would have allowed anti-terrorism authorities to remotely access people's computers, Italian media reported on Thursday. READ 4 comments

Eni's Rome headquarters. Photo: Eni

Eni-Kogas come up dry in Cyprus gas drill

Italian-South Korean energy consortium Eni-Kogas has failed to discover any exploitable gas reserves after deep-sea drilling off the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, the energy ministry said on Thursday. READ

The Sistine Chapel is home to Michelangelo's celebrated ceiling frescoes. Photo: Filippo Monteforte/AFP

Homeless get private tour of Sistine Chapel

Dozens of homeless people were on Thursday treated to a private viewing of the Sistine Chapel in Pope Francis's latest gesture towards the most vulnerable in society. READ

Thousands of pizza making jobs are available in Italy. Photo: Pizza maker photo: Shutterstock

Four in ten pizza makers in Italy are foreign

Four in ten pizza makers in Italy are foreign, while 6,000 pizza-making jobs are vacant across Italy, the farmers' association Coldiretti said on Thursday. READ

Marco Tronchetti is chief executive of Pirelli. Photo: Giuseppe Cacace/AFP

Pirelli chief says future safe in Chinese hands

ChemChina's takeover of Pirelli has guaranteed the future of the Italian tyremaker, and its celebrated racy calendars, according to the group's chief executive. READ

Read older articles »

From our other editions:

The Mauthausen Memorial site. Photo: APA/Rubra

Doctor (71) sentenced for Holocaust denial

A 71-year-old doctor from Upper Austria has been sentenced to one year’s house arrest for Holocaust denial. READ

Photo: Shutterstock

Six steps to getting along better with the Swiss

If you value the same things the Swiss do, you have a better chance of building positive relationships with them, says Zurich-based communications trainer Shane Norton. But what if you don’t? Norton’s advice is to learn to — and if that fails, at least show some willingness to appreciate them. Here are his top tips on how to do that. READ

Alps Plane Crash

Photo: DPA

Germanwings captain's compassion goes viral

A Facebook post describing how a Germanwings pilot personally reassured his passengers of their safety on a flight on Wednesday has received over quarter of a million likes. READ

Denmark issues 11,000 invalid passports

If you or your family members have been issued a Danish passport since February, it may include a vital mistake that makes it invalid for international travel. READ

Alps plane crash

Photo: AFP

No-show passenger: 'It's a second chance at life'

Claudia Vásquez was meant to be on board doomed Germanwings flight 4U9525 but a twist of fate meant that she is alive today. READ

Alps Plane Crash

Emergency services are on the scene. Photo: AFP

As it happened: Plane crashes in French Alps

AS IT HAPPENED: An airbus A320 carrying 150 people has crashed in the southern French Alps. French President François Hollande has said there are no survivors from the crash. READ

An image from an Islamic State propaganda video released in March.

Police find torture clips on refugee phones

Norwegian Police have found video clips of torture, mutilation, and executions saved on the mobile phones of those seeking asylum in Norway, the Police Immigration Service has told the country’s Dagsavisen newspaper. READ

An SU-27 fighter jet. Photo: TT

Russian jets spotted off Sweden's east coast

UPDATED: Swedish military identified and followed four Russian fighter plane near Gotland and Bornholm, off the country's east coast on Tuesday morning. READ