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☆ Italy arrests six in crackdown on fentanyl smuggling from China to U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Emilio Parodi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] An undated handout picture released by Guardia di Finanza shows banknotes that were seized as a part of an operation against fentanyl trafficking from China to U.S., in Piacenza, Italy. Guardia di Finanza Press Office/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsMILAN, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Italian police have arrested six people in a crackdown on a network that allegedly played go-between for fentanyl trafficking from China to the United States, Guardia di Finanza police and prosecutors in the northern city of Piacenza said on Wednesday. Washington is hoping to secure more cooperation from Beijing in combating production of the potent synthetic opioid fentanyl, a scourge in the United States, when President Joe Biden meets Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday. Among those arrested in Italy is the alleged head of the network, a 51-year-old Italian man suspected of buying fentanyl from China over the past three years. He sold it on to buyers in the United States, and in one case in Mexico, the chief prosecutor said.

Persons: Grazia Pradella, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Emilio Parodi, Keith Weir Organizations: Guardia, Finanza, REUTERS Acquire, U.S . Drug Enforcement Administration, Reuters, U.S, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, Police, Thomson Locations: China, U.S, Piacenza, Italy, United States, Guardia, Washington, Beijing, Mexico, Rome, Ukrainian, Switzerland, Eastern Europe, bitcoin

☆ Booking.com settles Italian tax dispute with 94-million euro payment
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Emilio Parodi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMILAN, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Travel website Booking.com (BKNG.O) has agreed to pay about 94 million euros ($100.25 million) to settle a tax dispute in Italy, Genoa prosecutors said on Friday. Italy's Guardia di Finanza tax police alleged in June 2021 that Booking.com evaded 153 million euros of value added tax (VAT) in connection with holiday rentals from 2013 to 2019. Last November, Dutch magistrates accepted a European investigation order (OIE) sent by Italy allowing Italian prosecutors to question two former Booking.com chief financial officers as part of the investigation. Private accommodation sites which are not professionally run often have no VAT number, and Italian tax authorities believe the online travel agency should in such cases act as a withholding agent, collecting tax. In another similar case involving a company's responsibility to collect tax on behalf of tax authorities, an Italian judge on Monday seized 780 million euros from short-term rentals platform Airbnb (ABNB.O).

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Booking.com, Italy's, Toby Sterling, Alvise Armellini, Aurora Ellis Organizations: REUTERS, Apple, Facebook, Italian Revenue Agency, Prosecutors, U.S ., Holdings, Union, Thomson Locations: Italy, Genoa, Booking.com, Netherlands, Friday's, Italian, Delaware, Amsterdam

☆ MPS gets dismissal of $481 mln in claims upheld in court
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MILAN, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Milan's civil appeals court on Thursday upheld a ruling rejecting a 450 million euro ($481 million) damage claim brought by Luxembourg-based fund Alkem against Monte dei Paschi di Siena (BMPS.MI), the bank's former top management and its adviser Nomura , the court said in a statement. The rulings are beneficial for MPS which is 64% owned by the state following a 2017 bailout, and must be re-privatised. Alken had sought around 450 million euros in compensation and Virmont SA another 4.7 million, the court said, adding there were further smaller claims from some Italian investors. The civil appeals court in Milan also cited the ruling of the criminal court of appeal in Milan that had acquitted all the defendants in the case centring around the two derivatives deals, a decision confirmed by Italy's top court last month. ($1 = 0.9356 euros)Reporting by Emilio Parodi, editing by Valentina ZaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Siena, Nomura, Alken, Emilio Parodi, Valentina Za Organizations: MILAN, Monte dei, Deutsche Bank, Nomura, MPS, Virmont SA, Thomson Locations: Luxembourg, Milan

☆ Italy judge seizes 780 mln euros from Airbnb in tax probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A woman talks on the phone at the Airbnb office headquarters in the SOMA district of San Francisco, California, U.S., August 2, 2016. REUTERS/Gabrielle Lurie/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsROME, Nov 6 (Reuters) - An Italian judge has ordered the seizure of 779.5 million euros ($836.40 million) from short-term rentals platform Airbnb's Ireland unit for alleged tax evasion, Milan prosecutors' office said on Monday. The probe concerns Airbnb's (ABNB.O) alleged failure to withold 21% of landlords' rental income and pay it to Italian tax authorities, as required by a 2017 law, prosecutors in the northern Italian city said in a statement. Airbnb's Italian press office did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's administration is meanwhile planning a crackdown on tax cheating on short-term rentals, and wants to raise taxes from 21% to 26% for owners of multiple short-term rental properties.

Persons: Gabrielle Lurie, Milan, Giorgia, Emilio Parodi, Alvise, Chris Reese, Franklin Paul, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, EU, Justice, Thomson Locations: SOMA, San Francisco , California, U.S, Italian

☆ Berlusconi family halts monthly payments to Bunga Bunga party guests
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Forza Italia leader and former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi arrives for a meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella at the Quirinale Palace in Rome, Italy October 21, 2022. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMILAN, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Silvio Berlusconi's family has halted the 2,500 euro ($2,670) monthly payments that the late former prime minister had guaranteed to each of 20 female guests at his so-called Bunga Bunga parties, two legal sources said on Friday. Berlusconi died in June at the age of 86. Berlusconi's family declined to comment. Reporting by Emilio Parodi, additional reporting by Elvira Pollina, editing by Nick MacfieOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Silvio Berlusconi, Sergio Mattarella, Guglielmo Mangiapane, Silvio Berlusconi's, Berlusconi, Berlusconi's, Emilio Parodi, Elvira Pollina, Nick Macfie Organizations: Forza Italia, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Rome, Italy

☆ At least 20 dead after Italian bus falls from Venice bridge
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Italian flag waves in front of The "Altare della Patria" also known as "Vittoriano" downtown Rome, Italy, March 23, 2016. REUTES/ Stefano Rellandini/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsROME, Oct 3 (Reuters) - At least 20 people died on Tuesday after a city bus carrying tourists to a campground crashed off an overpass near Venice in northern Italy and caught fire, the city's Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said. The bus veered off the road and fell close to railway lines in the district of Mestre, which is connected to Venice by a bridge. "There are at least 20 dead, but some people are still trapped in the wreckage," he later told Italian state television channel Rai News24. Italy has suffered a number of deadly bus crashes in recent years.

Persons: REUTES, Stefano Rellandini, Luigi Brugnaro, Brugnaro, ANSA, Giorgia Meloni, Emilio Parodi, Alvise Armellini, Gavin Jones, Crispian Balmer, Jonathan Oatis, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Rights, Sky Italia, Rai, Thomson Locations: Rome, Italy, Venice, Mestre, Italian, Verona, Venice's prefecture

☆ At least 21 dead after Italian bus carrying tourists falls from Venice overpass
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Manuel Silvestri | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VENICE, Italy, Oct 3 (Reuters) - At least 21 people died on Tuesday and 18 were injured after a bus carrying tourists to a campground crashed off an overpass near Venice in northern Italy and caught fire, city officials said. Venice city councillor Renato Boraso said one line of enquiry was that the driver, a 40-year-old Italian who was among those killed, had been taken ill before the crash. He said the coach had been carrying 40 passengers, of whom 21 had died and 18 were injured. Venice's city hall said the injured people had been taken to nearby hospitals, with four in a serious condition. The bus was also carrying passengers from France and Croatia, Italian news agency ANSA reported.

Persons: Renato Boraso, Boraso, Luigi Brugnaro, Manuel Silvestri, Michele Di Bari, ANSA, Di Bari, Giorgia Meloni, Emilio Parodi, Gavin Jones, Keith Weir, Alvise, Crispian Balmer, Lisa Shumaker, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Sky Italia, Rescue, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: VENICE, Italy, Venice, Mestre, Venice's, France, Croatia, Verona

Cinven this month signed an accord with GIC, Singapore's sovereign fund, and another two investors to purchase from them 140 million euros of Tier2 Eurovita bonds, the source added. Cinven, which acquired Eurovita in 2017, also launched a tender offer to buy back another 20 million euros of bonds from investors including Italian financial institutions, so that only around 9 million remain outstanding, the source said. Italian insurance authorities placed Eurovita under special administration this year, the first time they have taken such a step, after rising rates blew a hole in the life insurer's cash reserves. Instead, Cinven was asked to carry out the debt buyback and cancel the bonds to support a solvent liquidation, one of the people added. Like other life insurers, especially those relying on banks to sell products, Eurovita was hit by early redemptions once rates started rising and savers sought better returns.

Persons: Matthew Childs, Cinven, Eurovita, Assicurazioni, Valentina Za, Emilio Parodi, Josie Kao Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, GIC, Germany's Allianz, Allianz, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Cinven

Retail pasta prices rose about 12% this year in Europe and 8% in the United States, according to market research firm Nielsen. CANADA DRYWhen the Prairies turned dry this summer, Canadian farmer Darold Niwa saw hopes of a bumper durum harvest dashed. Durum, the hardest wheat, produces pasta with the prized "al dente" firm texture, unlike soft wheat. In the meantime, Vincenzo Martinelli, president of the durum section of Italian millers association Italmopa, nervously awaits the outcome of the Canadian harvest. "Without Canada, prices will only go up," he said.

Persons: De, Continental Noodles, Vincent Liberatore, Liberatore, Darold Niwa, Jerry Klassen, Philip Werle, There's, Severine, Maisons, Vincenzo Martinelli, Gus Trompiz, Rod Nickel, Emilio Parodi, Ceyda, Julie Ingwersen, Michael Hogan, Caroline Stauffer, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Foods, Nielsen, Grains, CANADA, Prairies, Statistics, Traders, Northstar, European Union, Thomson Locations: Fara San Martino, Italy, PARIS, WINNIPEG , Manitoba, Canada, Turkey, Toronto, Continental, Spain, India, Europe, United States, Oyen , Alberta, durum, Statistics Canada, France, Algeria, TURKEY, Turkish, American, Russia, North Africa, Milan, Ceyda Caglayan, Istanbul, Chicago, Hamburg

☆ Italy's Meta tax review gets underway in potential test case for tech sector
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Emilio Parodi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

That has prompted a dialogue between Meta and the Italian tax agency -- the assessment phase -- which will end this year either with the company's acceptance of payment or with the start of tax litigation. The assessment, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter, involves the highest ranking Italian tax officials because of the sensitivity of the issue. Meta said it takes its tax obligations seriously, pays all tax required in the countries where it operates and will fully cooperate with the Italian authorities. Italy's tax police and revenue agency calculated a model under which Meta would have had to pay around 220 million euros of sales tax in the country in 2021. The EPPO is awaiting the outcome of the Italian case before it decides whether to pursue similar action in other European Union states, a source with knowledge of the matter had said.

Persons: Italy's Guardia, Meta, Sergio Sirabella, Emilio Parodi, Keith Weir, Devika Organizations: MILAN, Facebook, Meta, Italy's, European Public Prosecutor's, Reuters, Economic Financial Police School, Union, Thomson Locations: Italy, U.S, Milan

☆ Italian police blame couple from England for Colosseum graffiti
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A general view of the Colosseum, in Rome, Italy May 30, 2023. REUTERS/Remo Casilli/File PhotoROME, June 29 (Reuters) - Italian police have identified a couple from England as the likely culprits after graffiti was scribbled on a wall at the Colosseum in Rome last week, prompting widespread anger. Italy's Carabinieri police said they had been helped to identify the couple by photographic evidence but did not name them. A police source said the man had been placed under formal investigation but the couple had left the country before the authorities could catch up with them. "This act was offensive to everyone around the world who appreciates the value of archaeology, monuments and history," said Italian Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano.

Persons: Remo Casilli, Ivan, Hayley, Gennaro Sangiuliano, Emilio Parodi, Keith Weir, Conor Humphries Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Rome, Italy, England, Italian

☆ More than 30 arrested in latest Italy raid against 'Ndrangheta mafia
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Police officers carry boxes into a police building in Mainz, Germany, May 3, 2023, after German police arrested dozens of people across the country on Wednesday in an investigation of the Italian 'Ndrangheta organised crime group, German public prosecutors and state police said. REUTERS/Timm... Read moreMILAN, June 27 (Reuters) - Dozens of people have been arrested in a new police raid against the 'Ndrangheta mafia that has revealed how its multiple illegal activities have spread as far as Austria and Germany, Italian authorities said on Tuesday. Suspects, including politicians from the 'Ndrangheta home region of Calabria, face charges including mafia association, murder, extortion, fraud, rigging of public contracts, bribery and vote buying, police said in a statement. Prosecutors from the German town of Stuttgart and the German federal police cooperated with the investigation, they added. The alleged 'Ndrangheta network ran illegal trades from the south to the north of Italy in real estate, catering, fruit and vegetable and livestock trading, security services and video-poker, Italian police said.

Persons: Timm, Read, Nicola Gratteri, Emilio Parodi, Stephanie van den Berg, Alvise Armellini, Christina Fincher, William Maclean Organizations: Police, REUTERS, Mafia, Prosecutors, Europol, Austrian, Cosa Nostra, Thomson Locations: Mainz, Germany, MILAN, Austria, Calabria, Stuttgart, Italy, Austrian, Europe, Italian, The Hague

☆ Exclusive: Italy prosecutors investigating Cinven-owned Eurovita - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MILAN, June 22 (Reuters) - Prosecutors in Milan have opened an investigation into Eurovita, a small life insurer which has been placed under special administration by Italian authorities after running into trouble, two people with direct knowledge of the matter said. Italy is currently trying to orchestrate an industry rescue for Eurovita, which is owned by British private equity fund Cinven. The sources said that, at the moment, nobody was under investigation in the probe and no possible crime had yet been identified. The probe has been opened by the department of Milan prosecutors' office in charge of financial crime, the sources said. Reporting by Emilio Parodi in Milan and Pablo Mayo Cerquiero in London; Additional reporting and writing by Valentina Za; editing by Alvise ArmelliniOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Cinven, Emilio Parodi, Pablo Mayo, Valentina Za, Alvise Organizations: MILAN, Prosecutors, Pablo Mayo Cerquiero, Thomson Locations: Milan, Italy, London

MILAN, June 14 (Reuters) - Merger and acquisition speculation has lifted shares in MFE (MFEB.MI), the late Silvio Berlusconi's TV business, following his death, but a number of obstacles stand in the way of any rapid deal. With a 19.8% MFE stake, Vivendi (VIV.PA) is widely seen as the natural buyer for MFE. This week's rally has lifted the market value of the whole of MFE to 1.8 billion euros. Any accord between Vivendi and Fininvest would require overcoming the deep distrust between the two groups after years of courtroom battles sparked by a failed 2016 TV deal. Like Fininvest, Vivendi faces a loss on any potential sale of its MFE stake given the gap between book and market prices.

Persons: Silvio Berlusconi's, Vincent Bollore, Urbano, Pier Silvio Berlusconi, Fininvest, MFE, Emilio Parodi, Valentina Za, Barbara Lewis Organizations: MILAN, Vivendi, Reuters, della Sera, U.S, Warner Bros ., VIVENDI, FININVEST, Fininvest, MFE, Thomson Locations: MFE, Urbano Cairo, Germany's ProSiebenSat, Italy, Spain, Rome, Netherlands

The funeral homily by Milan's Archbishop Mario Delpini appeared to acknowledge his excesses as well as his qualities. "What can we say about Silvio Berlusconi? [1/9] People wait for the funeral of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, in Milan, Italy June 14, 2023. These included Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. "Final farewell to Silvio Berlusconi.

Persons: Silvio Berlusconi, Berlusconi, Silvio, Marta Fascina, Marina, Donald Trump, Milan's, Mario Delpini, Lucia Adiele, Sergio Mattarella, Giorgia Meloni, Brothers, Matteo Salvini's, Giuseppe Conte, Rosy Bindi, Tomaso Montanari, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad, Mohammed Shia, Viktor Orban, Orban, Vladimir Putin, Putin, there's, Cristiano Corvino, Angelo Amante, Alvise Armellini, Gavin Jones, Federico Maccioni, Alexandra Hudson, Nick Macfie Organizations: MILAN, Wednesday, AC Milan soccer, Reuters, Forza Italia, Police, Italian, REUTERS, Matteo Salvini's League, European Commission, Siena's University for Foreigners, Thomson Locations: Milan, Italian, Altamura, Italy, Thani, Iraqi, Hungarian, Ukraine, Kyiv

Italian premiers have been given state funerals in the past, but this is the first time a national day of mourning has been called for one. Italy is ruled by a right-wing coalition of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's party Brothers of Italy, Matteo Salvini's League and Berlusconi's former party Forza Italia. Bindi, a woman often targeted by Berlusconi's sexist jibes, said the national day of mourning was "disrespectful towards the majority" of Italians who opposed the late leader. WREATHS AND SOCCER BANNERS[1/9] People wait for the funeral of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, in Milan, Italy June 14, 2023. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was also confirmed, but few other senior European politicians were expected.

Persons: Silvio Berlusconi, Berlusconi, Giuseppe Conte, Rosy Bindi, Giorgia, Matteo Salvini's, Donald Trump, Tomaso Montanari, Nardi, Lucia Adiele, Sergio Mattarella, Elly Schlein, Mario Draghi, Mario Monti, Paolo Gentiloni, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad, Mohammed Shia, Al Sudani, Viktor Orban, Cristiano Corvino, Angelo Amante, Alvise Armellini, Federico Maccioni, Alexandra Hudson, Gavin Jones Organizations: MILAN, Italian, Reuters, Matteo Salvini's League, Forza Italia, European Commission, Siena's University for Foreigners, REUTERS, Democratic Party, Thomson Locations: Milan's Cathedral, Milan, Italy, Altamura, Thani

MILAN/BRUSSELS, June 12 (Reuters) - EU antitrust regulators who raided Kering's (PRTP.PA) Gucci and other fashion firms in April are looking into how they set prices of handbags and leather goods for distributors, three people with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. Kering confirmed at the time that Gucci was cooperating with the EU regulators after Reuters previously reported the European Union dawn raid on its site in Milan, which makes such products. The Commission, which did not name the companies it raided, said at the time that they may have breached EU antitrust rules against cartels and restrictive business practices, but did not provide details. Such practices are illegal under EU antitrust rules and breaches can lead to fines up to 10% of a company's global turnover. U.S. clothing company Guess (GES.N) was hit with a 40 million euro ($43 million) fine in 2018 for preventing retailers from setting the retail price of its products independently.

Persons: Gucci, Kering, Foo Yun Chee, Emilio Parodi, Silvia Aloisi, Alexander Smith Organizations: MILAN, Reuters, European, EU, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Kering's, Milan, Paris

MILAN, June 12 (Reuters) - Silvio Berlusconi, the billionaire media mogul and former Italian prime minister who transformed the nation's politics with polarising policies and often alarmed his allies with his brazen remarks, died on Monday aged 86. Berlusconi, Italy's longest-serving premier who counted Russian President Vladimir Putin as a friend and gained notoriety for his "bunga bunga" sex parties, had suffered from leukaemia and recently developed a lung infection. Berlusconi's Forza Italia party is part of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's right-wing coalition, and although he himself did not have a role in government, his death is likely to destabilise Italian politics in the coming months. Farewell Silvio," Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said. After building a television empire in the 1980s, Berlusconi threw himself into politics in 1994 and almost immediately became prime minister.

Persons: Silvio Berlusconi, Berlusconi, Italy's, Vladimir Putin, Paolo, ANSA, Giorgia Meloni's, Marina, Silvio, Giorgia Meloni, Enrico Letta, Putin, Emilio Parodi, Elvira Pollina, Alvise Armellini, Edmund Blair Organizations: MILAN, Berlusconi's Forza Italia, Twitter, Milan bourse, Forza Italia, Monza, Serie, Thomson Locations: San Raffaele, Milan, Italy, Italian, Ukraine, Moscow, Kyiv

HAMBURG, June 11 (Reuters) - BioNTech (22UAy.DE) will go to court on Monday to defend itself against a lawsuit from a German woman who is seeking damages for alleged side effects of its COVID-19 vaccine, the first of potentially hundreds of cases in the country. The plaintiff claims she suffered upper-body pain, swollen extremities, fatigue and sleeping disorder due to the vaccine. Tobias Ulbrich, a lawyer at Rogert & Ulbrich, told Reuters he aimed to challenge in court the assessment made by European Union regulators and German vaccine assessment bodies that the BioNTech shot has a positive risk-benefit profile. Almost 768 million vaccine doses have been administered in the European Economic Area (EEA), which includes the 27 EU member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Rogert & Ulbrich says it has filed about 250 cases for clients seeking damages for alleged side-effects of COVID-19 vaccines.

Persons: Tobias Ulbrich, Caesar, Preller, Ludwig Burger, Patricia Weiss, Emilio Parodi, Natalie Grover, Sam Tobin, Josephine Mason, Mark Potter Organizations: Reuters, European Union, Pfizer, European Medicines Agency, EMA, Economic, BioNTech, United, Thomson Locations: HAMBURG, Hamburg, Germany, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, United States, Italy, Milan, London

☆ Italy's former PM Berlusconi in hospital for leukaemia scheduled checks
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Giulio Piovaccari | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Berlusconi, 86, left San Raffaele Hospital last month after six weeks of treatment for a lung infection linked to a chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia, a type of cancer that affects the white blood cells. "Silvio Berlusconi is currently at the San Raffaele Hospital to undergo scheduled tests in connection with his known hematological pathology," the San Raffaele hospital bulletin signed by doctors Alberto Zangrillo and Fabio Ciceri said. Berlusconi served as prime minister in 1994-1995, 2001-2006 and 2008-2011 and although he does not have a direct role in government, his Forza Italia party is a member of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's right-wing coalition. A source from Forza Italia said Berlusconi might spend the night in hospital, after local media reports that he would stay there overnight. "Come on, Silvio," Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, one of Berlusconi's main political allies, wrote in an Instagram post, commenting on the news of Berlusconi's hospitalisation.

Persons: Silvio Berlusconi, Berlusconi, Alberto Zangrillo, Fabio Ciceri, Giorgia Meloni's, Matteo Salvini, Berlusconi's, Salvini, Angelo Amante, Emilio Parodi, Federico Maccioni, Stefano Bernabei, Toby Chopra, Nick Macfie, William Maclean Organizations: MILAN, Italian, San Raffaele, Forza Italia, Saturday, Salvini's League, Thomson Locations: Milan, Raffaele

Guardia Civil/Handout via REUTERSMADRID, June 1 (Reuters) - Spanish police raided three clandestine tobacco factories early this year, seizing nearly 40 million euros ($44 million) worth of tobacco leaf and illicit cigarettes. This operation is one of dozens across the EU that regional policing and anti-fraud agencies say have driven seizures of illicit cigarettes to record levels. It may have been further accelerated by the war in Ukraine, which for years has been a production hub and transit route for illicit tobacco, OLAF added. TOBACCO INVESTIGATORSThe industry has responded by hiring investigators to research illicit operations and share intelligence with European authorities, executives at Japan Tobacco, BAT and Imperial Brands told Reuters. "A good many workers from Ukraine have been found in these illegal factories," Japan Tobacco's Byrne said about counterfeiting operations across the EU.

Persons: who'd, OLAF, Cyrille Olive, Philip Morris, Olive, Europol, Vincent Byrne, Byrne, Japan Tobacco's Winston, Alex McDonald, Ernesto Bianchi, McDonald, Japan Tobacco's Byrne, They're, they're, Richa Naidu, Emma Pinedo, Emilio Parodi, Matt Scuffham Organizations: Guardia Civil, REUTERS, Spanish, EU, BAT, Imperial Brands, Japan Tobacco, Philip Morris International, Reuters, Marlboro, America's Dunhill, Supplies, Investigators, Mobile, Thomson Locations: Seville, Spain, Guardia, REUTERS MADRID, Alfaro, Europe, Ukraine, British American, France, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Denmark, Czech Republic, Ireland, Japan, China, Asia, EU, Russia, Belarus, Roda de Ter, Barcelona, Spanish, Italy, Pomezia, Russian, Moldovan, London, Madrid, Milan

The case stems from the estate of Gianni Agnelli, the celebrated Fiat boss who was a symbol of Italy's post-war economic boom and died two decades ago. The second pact covered what would happen to the estate of Margherita's mother Marella, who died only in 2019 aged 91. Italian law prohibits such inheritance pacts. Dicembre is at the heart of a web of companies spanning the vast Agnelli family investments. Giovanni Agnelli BV in turn has a 53% controlling stake in listed Exor, which owns stakes in Stellantis, Ferrari and Juventus.

☆ Italian court agrees to extradite EU lawmaker to Belgium
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MILAN, May 16 (Reuters) - An Italian court on Tuesday agreed to extradite to Belgium an EU lawmaker under investigation in a cash-for-influence corruption scandal at the European Parliament, one of his lawyers said. Andrea Cozzolino, European parliamentarian for Italy's centre-left Democratic Party, has been under house arrest in the southern city of Naples since Feb. 10, after he was detained on the basis of a European warrant issued by Belgium. The 60-year-old lawmaker has denied any wrongdoing. A court in Naples ruled on Tuesday that Cozzolino could be sent to Belgium. Panzeri, who was arrested in Brussels in December, has agreed to cooperate with investigations in exchange for a reduced sentence.

PARIS, April 20 (Reuters) - Europe's flourishing luxury goods industry was under scrutiny on Thursday after European Union antitrust regulators inspected Gucci's Milan headquarters this week as part of an investigation spanning several countries and companies. Reuters reported on Wednesday that as part of the probe EU antitrust regulators were inspecting a facility of luxury goods company Gucci in Milan, one of the fashion capitals of the world. The inspection of the Gucci site was aimed at possible violations of the European Union's Article 101, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter. The article prohibits agreements that restrict, prevent or distort competition within the EU and which have an effect on trade between EU member states. Kering (PRTP.PA), the French-listed owner of Gucci, late on Wednesday confirmed the inspection, adding that it was cooperating fully with the European Commission investigation into the industry.

☆ Luxury industry under scrutiny as EU targets Gucci and others
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, April 20 (Reuters) - Europe's flourishing luxury goods industry was under scrutiny on Thursday after European Union antitrust regulators started inspecting a Gucci facility in Milan as part of an investigation spanning several countries. The article prohibits agreements that restrict, prevent or distort competition within the EU and which have an effect on trade between EU member states. Kering (PRTP.PA), the French-listed owner of Gucci, late on Wednesday confirmed a Reuters report on the inspection, adding that it was cooperating fully with the European Commission investigation into the industry. Companies found guilty of breaking EU rules face fines of as much as 10% of their global turnover. The Commission said on Tuesday that the latest action was not related to other raids involving the fashion industry in the past two years.

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