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☆ Former Italian PM Berlusconi in intensive care in hospital -source
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

MILAN, April 5 (Reuters) - Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is in intensive care in a Milan hospital, a political source told Reuters on Wednesday. The billionaire media tycoon and four-times premier has suffered repeated bouts of ill-health in recent years and came out of hospital just last week. Reporting by Angelo Amante, writing by Gavin Jones, editing by Crispian BalmerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Italy probes Meta over abuse of position in music rights case
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MILAN, April 5 (Reuters) - Italy's antitrust authority said on Wednesday it would investigate Meta Platform (META.O) over the possible abuse of its position in talks over the rights to music posted on Meta's platforms and potentially hurting competition in the sector. According to the antitrust regulator, Mark Zuckerberg's company may have "unduly interrupted the negotiations for the stipulation of the licence for the use on its platforms" of SIAE's music rights, it said in a statement. Last month, Meta, which owns Facebook, Whatsapp and Instagram, failed to reach a deal with SIAE to renew the copyright license. Protecting the copyrights of songwriters and artists is an important priority for us," a spokesperson for Meta said on Wednesday. The investigation involves Meta Platforms Inc, Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, Meta Platforms Technologies UK Limited and Facebook Italy S.r.l.

☆ Former Italian PM Berlusconi in intensive care in hospital
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Federico Maccioni Angelo Amante | Angelo Amante | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Forza Italia leader and former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi looks on following a meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella at the Quirinale Palace in Rome, Italy October 21, 2022. REUTERS/Yara NardiMILAN, April 5 (Reuters) - Silvio Berlusconi, who was Italian prime minister four times, is in intensive care in a cardiac unit at Milan's San Raffaele Hospital, political sources said on Wednesday. Berlusconi's Forza Italia party is part of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's right-wing coalition although he does not have a role in government. Three sources from Berlusconi's Forza Italia party said he was in intensive care, and one of them confirmed Italian media reports that he was being treated in a cardiac unit. An Italian court acquitted Berlusconi in February over allegations of paying witnesses to lie in an underage prostitution case that has dogged the former prime minister for more than a decade.

☆ Italy's ski industry fires cannon against climate change
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Stefano Bernabei | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/7] Skiers pass on an artificial snow slope as end of the ski season nears, in Monte Cimone, Italy, March 31, 2023. "The ski-lifts were closed, the ski instructors and seasonal workers had nothing to do and we lost 40% of our revenue for the whole season," said Luciano Magnani, head of the local consortium of ski tourism operators. Some 90% of Italy's pistes rely on artificial snow, compared with 70% in Austria, 50% in Switzerland and 39% in France, according to data from Italian Green lobby Legambiente. Italy's ski sector directly or indirectly employs 400,000 people and generates turnover of 11 billion euros ($11.92 billion), according to Anef data, equal to about 0.5% of national output. Some economists and climatologists argue that trying to keep low-altitude ski resorts in business is destined to fail, and snow-making merely delays the inevitable.

☆ ECB's De Guindos warns of broad risks in financial sector
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( Giancarlo Navach | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

CERNOBBIO, Italy, April 1 (Reuters) - The European Central Bank (ECB) is monitoring current market tensions closely and will act to preserve price and financial stability in the euro area, ECB vice-president Luis de Guindos said in a speech on Saturday. "...In our view, vulnerabilities in the financial system prevail in the non-bank financial sector, which grew fast and increased its risk-taking during the low interest rate environment," De Guindos told the Ambrosetti business forum in northern Italy. Reporting by Giancarlo Navach Writing by Keith Weir, editing by Gavin JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Italy data protection agency opens ChatGPT probe on privacy concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MILAN, March 31 (Reuters) - Italy's data protection agency said on Friday it had opened a probe into OpenAI's ChatGPT chatbot over a suspected breach of the artificial intelligence application's data collection rules. The agency also accused ChatGPT, which is financially supported by Microsoft, of failing to check the age of its users. The agency said in a note it had provisionally restricted chatbot's use of Italian users' personal data. Since its release last year, ChatGPT has set off a tech craze, prompting rivals to launch similar products and companies to integrate it or similar technologies into their apps and products. The Italian agency alleged "the absence of any legal basis that justifies the massive collection and storage of personal data in order to 'train' the algorithms underlying the operation of the platform".

☆ Pope spent a second peaceful night in hospital - Vatican source
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, March 31 (Reuters) - Pope Francis spent a second peaceful night in hospital, a Vatican source said on Friday, in the latest sign he is recovering well from a bronchitis infection. The pope was taken to Rome's Gemelli hospital on Wednesday after complaining of breathing difficulties, raising fresh concerns over the health of the 86-year-old pontiff, who suffers from a number of ailments. However, the Vatican said on Thursday he was already much better after beginning treatment with antibiotics and would probably be discharged within a few days. The Vatican expects to issue another bulletin on Francis's progress later on Friday, the source said. Reporting by Crispian Balmer; Writing by Gavin Jones; Editing by Alison WilliamsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

ChatGPT has an "absence of any legal basis that justifies the massive collection and storage of personal data" to "train" the chatbot, Garante said. OpenAI has 20 days to respond with remedies or could risk a fine of up to 4% of its annual worldwide turnover. ChatGPT was still answering questions posted by Italian users on the platform on Friday evening. Italy, which provisionally restricted ChatGPT's use of domestic users' personal data, became the first Western country to take action against a chatbot powered by artificial intelligence. The European Commission, which is debating the EU AI Act, may not be inclined to ban AI, European Commission Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager tweeted.

☆ Italy moves to ban lab-grown meat in drive to protect home products
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Angelo Amante | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

It does not apply to products made or sold elsewhere in the European Union, in Turkey or in the European Economic Area (EEA). The nationalist administration of Giorgia Meloni has pledged to shield Italy's food from technological innovations seen as harmful, and renamed the agriculture ministry the "ministry for agriculture and food sovereignty". Minister Francesco Lollobrigida, one of Meloni's closest allies, says laboratory products endanger the traditional link between agriculture and food. The ban on "cell-based" meat is not the only initiative the right-wing government in Rome has put in place to block non-conventional food from being served on Italian tables. Agricultural lobby Coldiretti on Tuesday praised the government's move against "synthetic food", saying the ban was needed to safeguard home production "from the attacks of multinational companies".

The 19-billion-euro tranche is related to the 55 targets and milestones in Italy's pandemic Recovery Plan that were supposed to be reached in the second half of last year. The extra time means Italy has now until the end of April to persuade Brussels to release the funds, a government source told Reuters. Rome has so far secured almost 67 billion euros of the roughly 200 billion it is due to receive through 2026, dependent on it achieving Brussels' policy prescriptions. Rome is eligible for a further 34 billion euros in 2023, split into two tranches, provided it can meet all 96 objectives set for this year. The initial timetable set out in 2021 envisaged spending more than 40 billion euros of them by 2022, but this goal was repeatedly revised down and was most recently set at around 20 billion euros.

☆ Europe risks migrant surge without aid to Tunisia, Italy PM warns
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, March 24 (Reuters) - Europe risks seeing a huge wave of migrants arriving on its shores from North Africa if financial stability in Tunisia is not safeguarded, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Friday. Tunisia has been gripped by political upheavals since July 2021, when President Kais Saied seized most powers, shutting down parliament and moving to rule by decree. "Maybe not everyone is aware of the need to preserve the financial stability in a country which has severe financial problems," Meloni told reporters following a summit of European Union leaders in Brussels. Earlier on Friday Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told RAI public radio Europe could see "tens, maybe hundreds of thousands" of boat migrant arrivals if economic aid is not granted soon to Tunisia. According to United Nations data, at least 12,000 of those who have reached Italy this year set sail from Tunisia, against 1,300 in the same period of 2022.

☆ Italy approves bill cutting income tax, easing sanctions for evaders
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Giuseppe Fonte | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The scheme is "aimed at simplifying and reducing the tax burden, encouraging investment and hiring," the Treasury said in a statement. Tax evasion is a chronic problem in Italy, costing state coffers some 90 billion euros ($95.5 billion) each year, according to the most recent Treasury data. Looking to overhaul the fiscal system, the bill aims to reduce current income tax bands from four to three within two years, with the final aim of achieving a single tax rate at a later stage, the Treasury said. The current income tax levy, named IRPEF, is based on rates running from a minimum of 23% on annual income up to 15,000 euros, to a top rate of 43% on income above 50,000 euros. These so-called "tax expenditures" deprive the state of 165 billion euros in revenues every year, a separate Treasury document showed.

☆ Italian government tells Milan to stop registering same-sex couples' children
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Federico Maccioni | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MILAN, March 14 (Reuters) - Italy's right-wing government has told Milan's city council to stop registering same-sex parents' children, re-igniting a debate around Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's conservative agenda. In the absence of clear legislation on the issue some courts have ruled in favour of allowing same sex couples to adopt each others' children, and mayors of some cities, including Milan, have registered surrogate births to same-sex couples. Milan's centre-left mayor Giuseppe Sala said on Monday he had received a letter from the interior ministry telling him to stop registering the children of same-sex couples. Sala said in a podcast on Tuesday he would respect the prefecture's order but would keep fighting politically to guarantee that the rights of same-sex parents and their children are recognised. Fabrizio Marrazzo, a leading gay rights campaigner, called for Sala and other mayors to keep registering the birth certificates.

☆ Israel offers Italy gas, wants it to recognise Jerusalem as capital
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ROME, March 9 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to boost economic ties with Italy, he said ahead of a visit to the country, raising the prospect of supplying Rome with natural gas. "I would like to see more economic cooperation (between Israel and Italy) ... In June last year, Israel and Egypt signed a deal with the European Union aimed at boosting natural gas exports to Europe. He also told la Repubblica he would ask Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Israel claims Jerusalem as its capital but it is not recognised as such by most countries and its status under international law is disputed pending a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

☆ Pope says equal opportunities for women are key to a better world
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Gavin Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VATICAN CITY, March 8 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Wednesday decried violence and prejudice against women and said granting equal pay and opportunities could help create a more peaceful and sustainable world. Francis has condemned discrimination against women in the past but, like his predecessors, he has ruled out a female clergy. "Women's thinking is different from men's," the pope wrote in the preface to a book entitled: More Women's Leadership for a Better World. "Women know that they give birth in pain to achieve a great joy: to give life and open vast, new horizons. He said women need to get equal remuneration with men for equal roles and described ongoing pay gaps as "a serious injustice."

☆ Italy's Visco raps ECB colleagues in widening hawk-dove divide
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Gavin Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ROME, March 8 (Reuters) - European Central Bank governing council member Ignazio Visco on Wednesday criticized some fellow policymakers for comments on future interest rates that diverged from what had been agreed at ECB meetings. "For this reason I don't appreciate comments by my colleagues regarding future and prolonged increases in rates," Visco added, in unusually blunt remarks that highlight a widening rift at the Frankfurt-based ECB. Visco said that while the ECB had managed to stabilise inflation expectations, geopolitical uncertainties meant economic developments were hard to predict. Other governing council members, considered policy hawks who attach overriding importance to curbing inflation even if it means hurting growth and employment, have gone further. The ECB has no policy meeting in April.

☆ Women's Day in Italy hit by drought as flower supply dries up
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Federico Maccioni | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MILAN, March 7 (Reuters) - Italy's celebrations of International Women's Day on Wednesday risk being spoiled by a drought that has slashed production of the yellow mimosa flowers that are traditionally gifted for the occasion. The depleted supply of mimosas has pushed up prices, Coldiretti said, with large bunches selling for more than 20 euros ($21.20). Mimosas, first introduced to Italy in the 19th century, were chosen as the country's symbol of International Women's Day in 1946, the year after the end of World War Two. The choice was made by two members of an anti-fascist organization to embody women's strength, energy and perseverance. The first recorded celebration of the International Women’s Day was in 1911 in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland when over a million people rallied to support women's rights.

☆ Italy may have staved off recession, economy minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Giuseppe Fonte | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

However, he did warn that European Central Bank rate rises would pose "serious problems" for high-debt countries such as Italy. An economic recession is widely defined as two consecutive quarters of declining GDP and the euro zone's third largest economy shrank 0.1% in the fourth quarter of 2022 from the previous three months. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's administration is due to unveil its new growth estimates and public finance targets next month. Annual growth is now expected at almost 1%, up from the 0.6% target set in November, a Treasury official has previously said. With the European Central Bank (ECB) raising interest rates, Giorgetti said Italy should keep following a "cautious and responsible" fiscal policy in order to lower its public debt.

☆ Put that out! Italy ministers fume over proposed smoking ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Electronic cigarette firms in Italy say a new levy that doubles the price of e-liquid refills unfairly helps tobacco giants and will hurt their industry. REUTERS/Tony Gentile/File PhotoROME, March 6 (Reuters) - The Italian health minister's proposals to extend a smoking ban include the outdoor areas of bars and parks, according to details reported by local media, drawing the ire of right-wing cabinet colleagues who labelled him a "communist." Minister Orazio Schillaci, a technocrat with no party affiliation, said in January he would crackdown on smoking, including of e-cigarettes, which are being widely used by teenagers. The government passed a ban on smoking indoors in 2003, which came into force two years later. Health association Fondazione Umberto Veronesi estimates at least 43,000 people die in Italy every year for smoke-related reasons.

☆ Italian PM Meloni to visit Kyiv on Monday to meet Zelenskiy
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will travel to Kyiv on Monday to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, a political source said on Sunday. Meloni, who took office in October, had said she planned to visit Kyiv before the Feb. 24 anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year. Despite friction on the issue within her rightist ruling coalition and divided public opinion, Meloni has been a firm supporter of Ukraine. Italy and France have recently finalised talks over delivery of an advanced air defence system to Kyiv in the spring. Reporting by Angelo Amante Writing by Gianluca Semeraro Editing by David Goodman and Gavin JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Italy's La Scala goes live with opera and concert streaming service
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MILAN, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Italy's La Scala has launched a streaming service allowing viewers to watch its operas, concerts and ballets online, in an effort to widen its audience worldwide. The first concert will be broadcast live on "La Scala TV" on Saturday with three Mozart symphonies conducted by Daniel Barenboim, the renowned Milan-based opera house said in a statement. With a ticket price range between 2.9 euros and 11.9 euros ($3.1-$12.7), subscribers this year can choose between seven live opera performances, nine concerts and three ballets. The online service debuted on Tuesday with Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi opera' "The Sicilian Vespers", conducted by director Fabio Lusi. "The project is part of a broader effort to modernize the theatre ahead of the 2026 Olympics" that will take place in the Milan area, La Scala said.

☆ Italian banks to cut 27% of branches over next 7 years, Deloitte says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MILAN, Feb 15 (Reuters) - The number of bank branches in Italy is set to shrink to around 16,000 in 2029 from 22,000 last year, consultancy Deloitte said on Wednesday, as customers increasingly embrace digital banking. In a report on banks' digital progress, Deloitte forecast online banking would reach a penetration of 60% in Italy over the next seven years, from 45% in 2022. The company ranks lenders on a scale ranging from 'digital latecomers' to 'digital champions', based on its Digital Banking Maturity (DBM) score. Overall, Italian banks' DBM improved from the previous ranking in 2018 with two lenders, whose identity was not disclosed, classed as digital champions. Deloitte said this was thanks to a wide range of digital services which clients deem relevant and a better than peers' digital experience for users.

However, two sources briefed on the matter told Reuters that the cap did not apply to MPS, based on the Treasury's interpretation of the rule. The salary cap compares with Lovaglio's current pay of 466,000 euros a year with no variable compensation, which is already well below peers. The MPS rescue deal Italy agreed in 2017 with European Union authorities cost taxpayers 5.4 billion euros. In November he worked with Rome to pull off a make-or-break 2.5 billion euro new share issue that saw Italy pump another 1.6 billion euros into MPS. MPS already enforces EU-mandated caps to its top executives' pay, which cannot total more than 10 times the average employee salary.

☆ Saipem shares drop, group says cannot explain why
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MILAN, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Saipem (SPMI.MI) does not have any information explaining Monday's share movements, a spokesman for the Italian energy contractor said, after the stock closed down 5.7%. More than 10% of the share capital of the group was traded on the Milan stock exchange, according to Refinitiv data. In July a pool of lender bought Saipem's shares worth almost 600 million euros after a cash call fell short of the 2 billion euro target. BNP Paribas, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, HSBC, Intesa Sanpaolo and UniCredit were the joint global coordinators of the Saipem issue. Reporting by Francesca Landini and Giancarlo Navach, editing by Gianluca Semeraro and Gavin JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

"This result consolidates the centre-right and strengthens the work of the government," Meloni wrote on Twitter. However, fears inside the coalition that support might crumble for Meloni's two main partners proved unfounded. The result offered no comfort to the centre-left camp, comprising the Democratic Party (PD), the 5-Star Movement and so-called Third Pole, which is riven by mutual loathing. Italy's electoral laws at both a national and regional level favour parties that combine forces meaning Meloni's opponents face years in the wilderness unless they learn to work together. Reporting by Crispian Balmer and Angelo Amante; Editing by Gavin Jones and Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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