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Berlusconi and Putin share a joke at a press conference in Olbia. Photo: Viktor Korotayev/AFP

'Putin wants me for economy minister'

Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to give Silvio Berlusconi Russian citizenship - and the job of economy minister - the disgraced Italian billionaire politician was quoted as saying on Thursday. READ

Ferrari has filed to list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange. Photo: NaotakeMurayama

Ferrari files for New York share listing

The maker of Italy's iconic Ferrari sports car officially filed with US regulators on Thursday its plans to launch an initial public offering on Wall Street, parent company Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said. READ

Photo: Gabriel Buoys/AFP

Alitalia pilots set for 24-hour strike

Alitalia pilots and flight attendants will stage a one-day strike from midnight on Thursday after the flagship airline refused to sign an agreement promising to maintain staff levels. READ

"It's love that makes a family." A Protesting lesbian couple share a kiss. Photo: Claudio Reyes/AFP

Italian judge entrusts child to lesbian couple

A judge in Turin has rejected a father's custody appeal, ruling that his daughter was better off remaining with her mother and female partner. READ

Italy told to recognize same-sex couple rights »

Researchers said the dolphin was most likely the dead calf's mother. Photo: Oceanomare Delphis/YouTube

VIDEO: Dolphin refuses to abandon dead calf

A video showing a dolphin trying to bring a dead calf back to life off the coast of Ostia, near Rome, has melted hearts in Italy. READ

Lavazza is Italy's leading coffee manufacturer. Photo: Dylan Rives / AFP

Lavazza offers to buy France's Carte Noire

Italy's premier coffee brand Lavazza has offered to buy French coffee label, Carte Noire, for a figure believed to be around €800 million. READ

Italy begins privatization wave with post office »

Illario Viviani was working at a citrus farm in Queensland, Australia, when he disappeared on Saturday. Photo: Queensland Police Service

Italian farm worker found dead in Australia

The body of a 26-year-old Italian was found on Wednesday in a dam at the farm he had been working on in Queensland, Australia. READ

Interior Minister Angelino Alfano. Photo: AFP

'No talks with smugglers over abducted Italians'

Italy’s Interior Ministry said on Wednesday that there would be no negotiations with human traffickers over the kidnapping of four Italian constructions workers in Libya. READ

Napping: do not disturb. Photo: Filippo Monteforte / AFP

Italian town bans dog barking during naptime

Sick and tired of barking dogs ruining your midday nap? Then maybe you should move to Controne in Italy's southern province of Campania... READ

Dog charged 30 cents for drink at Treviso bar »

The two were arrested for spreading Isis propaganda online.

Two held over plotting Isis-style attacks

UPDATED: Italian police arrested two men on Wednesday suspected of supporting the Islamic State group and plotting to carrying out attacks in the country. READ

Features

Apericena or Aperitivo? Photo: Ardo Beltz

A beginner's guide to aperitivo in Italy

The Italians go crazy for them – and it's easy to see why. Here, The Local's Patrick Browne gives you the lowdown on one of Italy's most treasured rituals: the aperitivo. READ

Museum for the Memory of Ustica. Photo Ghedolo

Dark tourism: Italy's creepiest attractions

While Italy might be famed for its art, history and food - it is also home to some of the creepiest tourist attractions on Earth. READ

A street scene in Palermo. Photo: Monte Cruz photo

Most liveable cities: five neglected Italian gems

The prestigious culture magazine, Monocle, has published its most liveable cities list for 2015 - with not one Italian city among the top 40. So how did they get it so wrong? READ

Video

Italian comedian Andrea De Marco in his satirical video, 'Ndrangheta Today. Screengrab: YouTube

WATCH: Brilliant video lays bare mafia power

A scathing new video is winning plaudits for showing the global power of the Calabrian mafia, the ‘Ndrangheta - a group that makes more money than McDonald's and Deutsche Bank combined. READ

The Local List

Photo: Gualtiero

Six bizarre health tips Italian grans swear by

Italians have come up with some truly weird and wonderful remedies for common health complaints but do they help, or are they just a bunch of old wives' tales? READ

More News

Photo: Shutterstock

Italy seizes mafia assets worth €2 billion

Italian anti-mafia police said on Wednesday they had seized assets belonging to an organized crime syndicate in Reggio Calabria worth €2 billion. READ

A baby Loggerhead Turtle. Photo: Alejandro Linares Garcia

Nesting sea turtles return to Sicily

Loggerhead sea turtles have returned to lay their eggs at a historical nesting site in Pozzolana di Ponente, on the island of Linosa, in Sicily. READ

Rabbit beach was void of rabbits, according to one TripAdvisor reviewer. Pietro Crincoli

Seven daft TripAdvisor comments about Italy

From award-winning beaches to ancient ruins, Italy is full of amazing holiday destinations. But some of the country’s hotspots have left travellers either nonplussed, or completely bewildered. READ

A tornado over the Italian city of Genoa. Photo: Bibipisi74

Tornado predicted as Italy heatwave ends

The hot stuffy weather brought by the hellish heatwave Caronte is set to end this weekend, but meteorologists are warning that it's no cause for celebration. READ

Italian fashion is the most counterfeited in the EU. Photo: Filippo Monteforte/AFP

Italy loses the most in EU from rip-off fashion

Italy suffers the biggest losses in the EU from counterfeited fashion, according to a study released on Tuesday. READ

The dry riverbed of the Po during a drought. Photo: Giuseppe Cacace /AFP

Livelihoods at risk as River Po runs dry

Italy's longest river is drying up fast, putting the livelihoods of many along its banks at risk. READ

Photo: Shutterstock

Student found with throat slit in Marche woods

Two young Albanians are being questioned by police after the body of a 17-year-old student was found in woods in the Marche region. READ

Gay couples wait to sign the civil unions register in Rome in May. Photo: Tiziana Fabi/AFP

Italy told to recognize same-sex couple rights

The European Court of Human Rights said on Tuesday that Italy must recognize the rights of same-sex couples. READ

It's not such a dog's life in Treviso. Photo: Lisa Runnels

Dog charged 30 cents for drink at Treviso bar

A cup of tap water for your thirsty pooch while you visit the bar? That will be 30 cents please. READ

A man takes part in the annual LGBT parade in Turin. Photo: Marco Bertorello/AFP

Italy says operation not needed for sex change

It is no longer necessary to undergo a sex change operation in order to change your gender at the civil registry office, Italy's Court of Cassation ruled on Monday. READ

Read older articles »

From our other editions:

The Local List

Vienna's Alte Donau. Photo: europetravelculture

Best places in Vienna to escape the heatwave

Vienna is not the most pleasant place to be in the midst of a sweltering heatwave - especially when your friends and colleagues have headed off to the lake for some ‘sommerfrische’. But that doesn’t mean you have to stay inside in front of an electric fan, mopping your sweaty brow. Here are the best options for getting out and about but keeping cool. READ

File photo of a lake view in Switzerland's Ticino region.

Girl, 5, dies after mum leaves her in boiling car

A five-year-old girl in the Swiss canton of Ticino has died after her mother left her alone in a boiling hot car, as Switzerland continues to sizzle in a record-breaking heatwave. READ

An actress plays Chancellor Angela Merkel in the magazine ad. Screenshot:Twitter.

'Angela Merkel' stars in lesbian magazine ad

Wednesday sees the launch of new magazine "Straight," aimed at gay women across Germany – but the magazine's advert is already causing something of a stir, reports Der Tagesspiegel. READ

Mediterranean migrant crisis

Syrian refugees walk to the Akcakale border gate to return their homes in the northern Syrian town of Tel Abyad, in Sanliurfa province, Turkey. Photo: Umit Bektas/Scanpix

Denmark declines to take part in migrant relocation

UPDATED: As European on Monday evening found only a partial solution for the relocation of refugees crossing the Mediterranean, Denmark remained largely on the sidelines due to its EU Justice and Home Affairs opt-out. READ

The mercury is set to soar again. Photo: Pierre-Philippe Marcou/AFP

Warning: third heatwave to bake sweltering Spain

Spain is preparing for its third heatwave of the summer as 18 provinces are put on alert for high temperatures by the country's meteorological agency. READ

Unidentified migrants get in "the Migration and Integration" office at the prefecture of the French northwestern city of Caen

New French law aims to boost foreigners' rights

A new law was put to the French parliament on Monday which aims to shrink the bureaucratic hurdles for foreigners wanting to stay in France. READ

Breivik can study, but can't get a degree unless he can attend certain classes. Photo: AFP

Breivik admitted to Oslo University

Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik has been admitted to a political science course, the University of Oslo said Friday, but his imprisonment means he is unlikely to earn a degree. READ

The Local List

Have you been on paternity leave? Photo: Melker Dahlstrand/Image Bank Sweden

Nine ways to become a truly Swedish man

You can shop the look at cool Scandinavian fashion stores, or stick around long enough to get your own residency permit. But to really become a Swedish man, The Local reckons you've got to share these nine experiences. READ

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