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Italy's PM Matteo Renzi. Photo: Thierry Charlier/AFP

Italy PM set for Med 'solidarity' boat trip

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini will on Monday board a vessel in the Mediterranean Sea to show their "solidarity" after a series of boat migrant tragedies, the EU said. READ

The suspects allegedly plotted to bomb the Vatican. Photo: Sneaker Dog

Bin Laden allies suspected of Vatican plot

Italian police said on Friday they had dismantled an Islamist network they have linked to Osama bin Laden, one of Pakistan's deadliest attacks and, more loosely, a possible plot to bomb the Vatican. READ

24/04 Italy arrests suspected Bin Laden aides »

Mohammed Ali Malek (C) faces a potential indictment for culpable homicide and causing a shipwreck. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli/AFP

Migrant disaster ship skipper faces judge

The Tunisian captain of a migrant boat in which at least 700 people drowned was to learn on Friday what charges he will face over the deadly disaster. READ

24/04 EU leaders triple rescue mission funds »
23/04 Survivors describe terror on dry land »
22/04 Med migrants could surge to 500,000 »

Overall Italy ranked 50th, one spot below Bahrain and just above Bolivia. Unhappiness photo: Shutterstock

Italians' happiness levels plummet

Italy has seen the third-steepest fall in happiness levels out of 125 countries ranked in a new UN report, coming far behind its European neighbours. READ 4 comments

Europa League

Karl-Heinz Riedle, the ambassador for the Uefa Champions League final in Berlin shows the name of Napoli during the draw for the Uefa Europa League semi-final. Photo: Fabrice Coffirini/AFP

Italian clubs kept apart in Europa League semis

The draw for the semi-finals of the Europa League on Friday kept alive the possibility of an all-Italian final as Serie A sides Napoli and Fiorentina avoided each other. READ

24/04 Juventus need luck after last four draw: Marotta »

According to figures from Istat, the national statistics agency, 8.2 million Italians aged 11 and over drink excessive amounts of alcohol. Drinking photo: Shutter

Are Italians becoming boozier than the Brits?

Italians are usually admired for their ability to drink alcohol in moderation, but statistics published late last week revealed that more people are binge-drinking, with some blaming the change on the British and American influence. Anna Pujol Mazzini investigates. READ 2 comments

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi praised Giovanni Lo Porto for devoting his life "to serving others". Photo: Frederick Florin/AFP

Lo Porto devoted life to serving others: Renzi

Giovanni Lo Porto, killed inadvertently in a US strike against Al-Qaeda, was a seasoned humanitarian who spent years helping poor communities recover from war and natural disaster. READ

Mediterranean migrant crisis

A child being rescued by the Italian navy in June 2014. Photo: Marina Militare

EU leaders triple rescue mission funds

European leaders agreed on Thursday to triple the funding for the EU's Triton mission in the Mediterranean, but stopped short of providing answers to where rescued boat migrants should be resettled. READ

An 18th-century book on the history of Saint Peter's Basilica that was stolen last year in Rome has been recovered at a bookstore in Buenos Aires. Photo: Jimmy Harris

Stolen 18th-century book found in Argentina

An 18th-century book on the history of Saint Peter's Basilica that was stolen last year in Rome has been recovered at a bookstore in Buenos Aires, officials said on Thursday. READ

US President Barack Obama said the government would identify any lessons to be learned from the deaths. Obama photo: Shutterstock

US to compensate families of hostages

The White House on Thursday said the United States would compensate the families' of an American and Italian hostage killed in a counter terrorism operation near the Afghan-Pakistan border. READ

Features

Second World War: 70 years

Photo: Angela Giuffrida

Revealed: the Italians who worship Mussolini

He muzzled the press, sent Jews to death camps and led Italy to defeat. So why do some Italians openly idolize Mussolini 70 years after his death, asks Angela Giuffrida. READ

Italian with scarf in summer photo: Shutterstock

My Italian habits that foreigners just don’t get

Do Italians have certain habits you just can't work out? Here, Anna Pujol-Mazzini lists a number of typical traits or customs that leave her Anglo friends bemused. READ 41 comments

Simona Moreno (C), a BonAppetour host, cooks for her husband and four guests. Photo: BonAppetour

Come dine with the Italians

The concept of people throwing dinner parties for strangers has been popular in other countries for a few years now, but the trend is starting to take off in Italy. The Local explores. READ 4 comments

Illness photo: Shutterstock

Illnesses that only seem to strike Italians

It’s World Health Day, and those of you living in Italy will no doubt be familiar with maladies that only Italians seem to suffer from. To mark the day, Anna Pujol-Mazzini, whose mum is Italian, shares some insight into growing up being taught how to avoid Italian-only ailments. READ 14 comments

My Italian Career

Linda Martinez and Steve Brenner outside The Beehive in Rome.

'Italy’s probably the worst place for business'

Linda Martinez and Steve Brenner, an American couple, own The Beehive, a hostel and café in the heart of Rome. They talk to The Local about running a business here. READ 15 comments

More News

Champions League

Juventus CEO Giuseppe Marotta says the Italian champions will need luck to make the Champions League final. Photo: Gabriel Buoys/AFP

Juventus need luck after last four draw: Marotta

Juventus CEO Giuseppe Marotta says the Italian champions will need luck to make the Champions League final after coming up against three "powerhouses" in Friday's last four draw. READ

Giovanni Lo Porto and fellow aid worker Weinstein were killed inadvertently in a covert operation against Al-Qaeda on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in January. Photo: Noorullah Shirzaddah/AFP

Hostage death 'tragic and fatal error' by US

Italy on Thursday termed the death of hostage Giovanni Lo Porto a "tragic and fatal error by our US allies" but said "terrorists" were entirely to blame. READ

Mediterranean migrant crisis

Maltese soldiers carry a coffin during the funeral of 24 of the migrants who died in the shipwreck. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli/AFP

Survivors describe terror on dry land

People smugglers responsible for the Mediterranean's worst disaster in decades beat several migrants to death and executed at least one minor before the boat left Libya with more than 750 people aboard, survivors have told investigators. READ

The Expo world fair opens in Milan in May. Expo photo: Shutterstock

Milan hotels risk Expo bookings 'flop'

Milan hotels are facing a "flop on a global scale" over bookings for the city's Expo, the president of Italy's hotels association has said. But the director tasked with promoting tourism at the world fair told The Local that there are signs of improvement. READ

A Kurdish marksman who fought against Islamic militant group Isis in Kobane, Syria. Photo: Bulent Kilic/AFP

Italian police swoop on foreign fighter suspect

Police have detained a Tunisian man suspected of wanting to fight alongside Islamic militants, a would-be foreign fighter who claimed he was thrown out of a Milan mosque. READ

Silvio Berlusconi reportedly claims he is an Isis target. Photo: Andreas Solaro/AFP

'I’m a top Isis target': Berlusconi

Italy’s former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has claimed he’s a top target of the Islamic militant group, Isis, and for this reason he can only take part in closed-door political campaigns. READ 5 comments

AC Milan has struggled to keep up with the pace in Serie A. AC Milan photo: Shutterstock

Berlusconi mulls AC Milan sale to Asia

AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi is preparing to weigh up two separate offers for the club that could see a majority stake in the Italian Serie A giants sold to either a Thai or Hong Kong businessman, reports said on Thursday. READ

Experts see any attempt to tackle the migration crisis militarily as doomed to fail. Photo: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP

Experts warn against military response in Med

Calls have mounted for a military response to the Mediterranean migrant crisis, but experts say such plans are totally unworkable and mark an attempt to militarize what should be a purely humanitarian problem. READ

The migrant died on a ferry linking Greece with Bari (pictured). Photo: PayHere

Migrant dies 'clinging to bus' on Italy-bound ferry

A young Afghan migrant who tried to smuggle himself onto a car ferry headed for Italy by clinging to the undercarriage of a tourist bus died after being run over by the coach, Greek news agency Ana reported on Wednesday. READ

Italy's youth unemployment rate is nearly twice as the EU average. Jobless photo: Shutterstock

Calabria's youth jobless rate among EU worst

Italy's southern Calabria region has one of the worst youth unemployment rates of all Europe's regions, while Puglia also does badly, based on figures released by the EU on Wednesday. READ

Read older articles »

From our other editions:

A screen grab from the video.

Racist outburst prompts civil courage debate

A video of a man hurling racist abuse at a Somali passenger on a tram in Vienna has caused outrage on social media and provoked a discussion about moral courage. READ

Ranking downgrades Swiss passport's 'power'

The passports of 18 countries are regarded as more “powerful” than the one offered by Switzerland, according to a new survey. READ

Defence minister Ursula von der Leyen. Photo: DPA

G36 rifle 'has no future' in German army

Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen announced on Wednesday that the controversial G36 rifle 'has no future in the German Army,' signalling the end of a two decade relationship between the army and the dodgy weapon. READ

Food and Agriculture Minister Dan Jørgensen was behind the ban. Photo: Sonny Munk Carlsen/Scanpix

Denmark officially bans bestiality

As of Tuesday it is no longer legal to have sex with animals in Denmark, bringing the country's bestiality laws in line with its neighbours. READ

Barcelona school attack

Police officers stand guard outside Joan Fuster secondary school in Barcelona. Photo: Josep Lago/AFP

Student kills teacher with crossbow in Barcelona

UPDATED: Police have detained a 13-year-old after a teacher was shot dead with a crossbow and several others injured in a Barcelona secondary school. READ

Photo: Richard Pohle/AFP

British expats left in lurch by NHS clampdown

British people living in France and other European countries could be forced to take out private health insurance, due to the latest clampdown on expats using the UK's National Health Service. READ

These healthy looking salmon need no sugar pills. Photo: Norsk Havbrukssenter/Flickr

EU's crazy homeopathy cure for Norway fish

Norwegian vets are up in arms about a “scientifically illiterate” European directive that mandates the use of homeopathic medicines as the first line of treatment for organic farmed fish. READ

The Local List

Swedes eat crayfish in August. Only in August. Photo: Carolina Romare/imagebank.sweden.se

My Swedish habits that foreigners just don't get

Do the Swedes have certain habits you just can't work out? Here, The Local's Emma Löfgren, who has recently returned to Sweden from the UK, lists some of the Nordic traits that leave her foreign friends bemused. READ