Italy's news in English

Change edition:
Austria ·
Denmark ·
France ·
Germany ·
Norway ·
Spain ·
Sweden ·
Switzerland

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

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

23/03 Pope Francis's 'half-miracle' in Naples »
21/03 Pope Francis: 'Corruption stinks' »

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

The car chase and shoot-out happened after a supermarket robbery. Supermarket photo: Shutterstock

One dead in Naples supermarket shoot-out

UPDATED: One person was killed and nine were injured in a shoot-out following a robbery at a supermarket in the Naples area on Wednesday. READ

23/03 Pope Francis's 'half-miracle' in Naples »

Italy produces Europe's most reckless drivers, according to a survey by the French motorway operator, Vinci. Photo: Italy traffic photo: Shutterstock

Why are Italians such crazy drivers?

The Italians may have given the world Ferrari, but surveys rate them as some of Europe's scariest drivers. The problem? A blatant disregard for the rules, the locals tell us. READ 6 comments

Italy accepted the highest number of Ukrainian applicants compared to all other EU countries. Photo: Shutterstock

Italy sees Ukrainian asylum seeker boom

Italy saw a huge spike in Ukrainians applying for asylum in 2014, according to data released by Eurostat last week and analyzed by The Local. READ

Children in Italy have around three months off school each summer. Holiday photo: Shutterstock

Should Italy cut its school summer break?

Italy’s labour minister on Monday ignited debate by suggesting pupils’ three-month summer break was too long. As The Local found out from our readers and the streets of Rome, the government’s view is yet to gain unanimous support. READ

A bacteria has devastated olive trees in southern Italy. Photo: Olive tree photo: Shutterstock

Olive disease threatens Italian Easter tradition

Italy's tradition of blessing olive branches on Palm Sunday should be ditched this year for fear of spreading a bacteria devastating trees in the south, farmers warned on Wednesday. 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

Marco Verratti (pictured) said it would be difficult to replace Andrea Pirlo. Photo: Franck Fife/AFP

Verratti seizes chance in Italy squad

Footballer Marco Verratti said on Wednesday he wants to take the opportunity this week to establish himself as the successor to Italy great Andrea Pirlo. READ

Meredith Kercher was murdered in Perugia in 2007. Photo by John Kercher. Supplied by TJMK.

Italy ruling on Knox conviction delayed

UPDATED: Italy's top court has put back a ruling on Amanda Knox's murder conviction to Friday, delaying what could be the final act of an eight-year legal drama that has captivated a global audience. READ

Cars are displayed in the Pininfarina Museum during the company's 80th anniversary in 2010. Photo: Giuseppe Cacace/AFP

Italy's Pininfarina shares surge on India interest

Shares in Italian auto design group Pininfarina surged more than ten percent on Wednesday on a report Indian conglomerate Mahindra was planning a bid. READ

Judges in Florence ruled on the case in January 2014. Photo: Andreas Solaro/AFP

Timeline: Kercher murder case reaches high court

Italy's top court is Wednesday considering whether to uphold the convictions of American Amanda Knox and her Italian former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito for the murder of British student Meredith Kercher. The Local brings you the key dates in the case. READ 2 comments

Italy lags behind when it comes to facilitating online purchases. Photo: UNCTAD

Italy lags behind in online business: UN

A UN study looking at how easy different countries make it for businesses to facilitate online purchases shows that Italy lags behind most other European nations. READ

Motorcyclists accounted for 21 percent of Italy's road deaths. Scooter photo: Shutterstock

Italy's roads are getting safer: EU

Italy's roads are getting safer, although the number of deaths is still higher than the regional average, the European Commission said. The data follows a survey which found that Italy produces Europe's most reckless drivers. READ

Alleged Isis militants stand next to an Isis flag atop a hill in the Syrian town of Ain al-Arab. Photo: Aris Messinis/AFP

Italy arrests suspected Isis recruiters

Italian authorities have arrested two people suspected of being involved in the recruitment of fighters for the Isis extremist group, and a third who was the alleged author of the Italian version of an Isis propaganda document. READ

General Director of Agro Ittica, Lelio Mondella (L), and "Caviar Master" Renzo Zanin, pose at the Agro Ittica Lombarda sturgeons farm. Photo: Olivier Morin/AFP

Lombardy: The new Caspian for caviar

With pools 85 times the size of the nearby pitches where Rugby Calvisano plays, the company Agro Ittica Lombarda is putting this northern Italian town on the map again - as the world's top caviar producer. READ

A helicopter flies off to the scene of the crash site in the French Alps. Photo: AFP

Renzi 'deeply shocked' by France air crash

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi on Tuesday said he was "deeply shocked" by the Germanwings plane crash in France, in which all 150 people on board are feared to be dead. READ

Marco Verratti joined PSG from Pescara in 2012. Photo: Franck Fife/AFP

Italy's Verratti steps up to replace legend Pirlo

Italy coach Antonio Conte has called on Marco Verratti to take the next step towards replacing Andrea Pirlo as the Azzurri's midfield orchestrator ahead of this weekend's Euro 2016 qualifier away to Bulgaria. READ

Read older articles »

From our other editions:

Photo: Sonnenkopf webcam

Mysterious snow art baffles ski patrol

Skiers got more than they bargained for early Friday morning on the slopes of Sonnenkopf ski-field in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg, when they were confronted with giant graffiti in the snow. 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

Liveblog

French emergency services and military helicopters near the crash site in the French Alps. Photo: DPA

Germanwings plane crashes in French Alps

A Germanwings plane with 150 people on board has crashed in the French Alps. READ

A 2008 photo shows Russian Topol ICBMs missiles during a rehearsal for the nation's annual May 9 Victory Day parade. Photo: Dima Korotayev

Russia delivers nuclear threat to Denmark

Russia's ambassador to Denmark warned on Saturday that Danish ships will become Russian targets if Denmark joins Nato's missile defence system. READ

Alps plane crash

Emergency services arrive on the scene. Photo: ActuSecours/Twitter

As it happened: Plane crashes in French Alps

An airbus A320 travelling from Barcelona to Dusseldorf has crashed in the southern French Alps, a security source has said. The plane reportedly had 150 people on board. 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

Icelandair's flight ICE 342 loops for its customers' delight. Photo: Flightradar24

Pilots wow passengers with eclipse detours

At least three pilots in Norway decided to take extra, unscheduled detours on Friday to give their passengers extended breathtaking views of the day's solar eclipse. 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