France has summoned Italy’s ambassador after the Italian deputy prime minister accused the French of exploiting Africa and fuelling migration. On Sunday, Luigi di Maio called on the European Union to impose sanctions on France for its policies in Africa.…
Bernardo Bertolucci, Italian film director, dies at 77 (BBC)
Bernardo Bertolucci, Italian director of Last Tango in Paris and The Last Emperor, has died in Rome, aged 77. Born in Parma in 1941, his other films included The Conformist, The Dreamers, 1900 and The Sheltering Sky. Winner of two…
Italy to introduce ‘sugar tax’ to fund varsity research (Punch)
Italy plans to introduce a tax on fizzy drinks to help fund university research. Carla Ruocco, a lawmaker from the 5-Star Movement, announced late on Thursday that the so-called ‘sugar tax’ would be presented as an amendment to the budget.…
Italy promises land as gift to increase birth rate (Punch)
In a bid to increase its birth rate the Italian government plans to reward parents with three children with a land. Italy’s populist government plans to reward parents who have a third child by awarding them a piece of land,…
Death toll in Italy storms rises to nine (Guardian)
The death toll from fierce storms battering Italy has risen to nine, civil protection authorities said Tuesday, as wild weather caused schools to close and trapped dozens of tourists in the north of the country. With ferocious storms lashing the…
Italy fines Apple, Samsung €15m for slowing down smartphones (Punch)
Italy’s competition authority on Wednesday said it was fining Apple and Samsung 10 and five million euros ($11.5 and $5.7 million) respectively for the so-called “planned obsolescence” of their smartphones. The ruling is believed to be the first against the…
Benetton co-founder dies age 77 (CNN)
Gilberto Benetton, co-founder of Italian fashion label Benetton Group, died Monday at the age of 77. Gilberto died at his home in Treviso, northeast Italy, following a brief illness, the Benetton Group said in a statement provided to media. His…
European shares fall to lowest levels in nearly two years (Nation)
European shares fell to their lowest levels in nearly two years on Tuesday as a new batch of third-quarter earnings failed to offset growing concerns on Brexit, Italy’s budget, Saudi isolation, trade wars, Chinese growth and U.S. interest rates. The…
Pope says abortion is like hiring ‘contract killer’ (Guardian)
Pope Francis on Wednesday compared having an abortion to hiring a “contract killer”. “Interrupting a pregnancy is like eliminating someone,” Francis said in an address to worshippers in the Vatican. “Getting rid of a human being is like resorting to…
Fan asked to stay in jail and meet football hero Totti
Fans will often go to unusual lengths to get a selfie alongside their favorite star but not many would consider an extra week in jail as an option. But that’s exactly what happened when it was announced that Francesco Totti…
