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☆ Toto Cutugno, Italian singer famous for smash-hit single ‘L’Italiano,’ dies
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Hafsa Khalil | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Salvatore “Toto” Cutugno, the Italian singer-songwriter best known for his 1983 hit “L’Italiano,” has died at age 80, local media reported Tuesday. Cutugno was also a regular at Italy’s Sanremo song contest, which he won in 1980 with “Solo Noi,” and was runner-up multiple times. But he was most famous for his 1983 smash hit, “L’Italiano,” a pop song that celebrated the nation’s identity and culture. Though it didn’t make an impression in the United States or United Kingdom, it shot him to stardom across Europe. In Zagreb in 1990, Cutugno won Italy its second Eurovision Song Contest victory, with his song “Insieme: 1992” (“Together: 1992”), which he composed and wrote himself.

Persons: CNN — Salvatore “ Toto ” Cutugno, “, ”, Cutugno’s, Danilo Mancuso, Hospital “, Giorgia Meloni, Cutugno, Johnny Hallyday, Dalida, senza, sotto gli, Toto Cutugno, Gigliola, Carla, Nicolo Organizations: CNN, Hospital, Italian, Sanremo, European Union, Eurovision Locations: Italian, Milan’s San, United States, United Kingdom, Europe, Zagreb, Italy, Rome

☆ Wildfires rage in Greece, Spain and Italy as heatwave spreads
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Alexandros Avramidis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] Flames burn a tree as a wildfire rages in Alexandroupolis, on the region of Evros, Greece. Authorities urged residents to avoid the heat as France, Italy, Spain and elsewhere suffered hot, dry and windy conditions that scientists have linked to climate change. WILDFIRES IN SPAIN, ITALYThe blaze has burned through 15,000 hectares in 12 municipalities forcing the evacuation of thousands of people. In France, four southern regions - the Rhone, Drome, Ardeche and Haute-Loire - were placed under red alert, the most serious warning. Grape-pickers in wine-producing regions of southern France have been advised to start work on the harvest in the early hours of the morning to avoid sweltering in a late summer heatwave.

Persons: Alexandros Avramidis, I've, Nikos Gioktsidis, Vassilis Varthakogiannis, AEMET, Alessandro Vitaliano, ANSA, Karolina Tagaris, Dominique Vidalon, Gisela Vignoni, Crispian Balmer, Ingrid Melander, Janet Lawrence Organizations: Flames, REUTERS, Greece Firefighters, heatwave, University Hospital, ERT, Rio Marina, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Alexandroupolis, Evros, Greece, Spain, Italy, Europe, France, Turkey, Tenerife, SPAIN, ITALY, Elba, Rio, Rome, Milan, Florence, Drome, Ardeche, Haute, Loire, Rhone, Alexandropoulis, Athens, Paris

☆ Pope Francis denounces 'pain and shame' of Mediterranean migrant deaths
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] Pope Francis leads the Angelus prayer from his window at the Vatican, August 13, 2023. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERSMILAN, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday urged politicians to address the "open wound" of migrant deaths in the Mediterranean, saying he had been praying for the 41 people who died in a shipwreck earlier this month. More than 22,000 people have died or gone missing in its waters since 2014, according to the International Organization for Migration. Port officials on the Italian island of Sicily recovered one body on Sunday after a boat carrying 13 migrants capsized on Saturday night off the nearby island of Marettimo, ANSA news agency reported. The pope also called for prayers for Ukraine and for the victims of the wildfires in Maui in Hawaii.

Persons: Pope Francis, Francis, Valentina Za, Frances Kerry Organizations: Vatican, Handout, REUTERS, Sunday, International Organization for Migration, Thomson Locations: REUTERS MILAN, Europe, Sicily, Marettimo, France, Britain, Ukraine, Maui, Hawaii

ROME, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Italian authorities on Wednesday said forty-one migrants are thought to have died in a shipwreck last week in the central Mediterranean, according to accounts by survivors who have been taken to the island of Lampedusa. Local public prosecutor Salvatore Vella confirmed media reports that four people who survived the shipwreck told rescuers they were on a boat carrying 45 people, including three children. They were then transferred onto an Italian coast guard vessel and disembarked in Lampedusa, where they shared their story. The Italian coast guard did not respond to a request for comment. A source with knowledge of the matter said it was unlikely that the shipwreck experienced by the survivors was one of two the coast guard had reported on Sunday.

Persons: Salvatore Vella, Tunisia's, Vella, Federico Maccioni, Federica, Keith Weir, Crispian Balmer, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: Watch, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Lampedusa . Local, Italian, Lampedusa, Sfax, Italy, Europe

☆ Pope says Church open to everyone, including LGBT people, but has rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Pope Francis attends a press conference onboard a plane en route to Rome, at the end of the XXXVII World Youth Day in Lisbon, August 6, 2023. ANSA/Maurizio Brambatti/Pool via REUTERSABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Sunday that the Catholic Church is open to everyone, including the gay community, and that it has a duty to accompany them on a personal path of spirituality but within the framework of its rules. "The Church is open to everyone but there are laws that regulate life inside the church," he said. He said ministers in the Church had to accompany all people, including those not conforming to the rules, with the patience and love of a mother. The Church teaches that women cannot become priests because Jesus chose only men as his apostles.

Persons: Pope Francis, ANSA, Maurizio Brambatti, Francis, Jesus, Philip Pullella, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: REUTERS, Catholic, Vatican, Thomson Locations: Rome, Lisbon, Portugal

☆ Two dead, 57 rescued from migrant shipwrecks off Italy's Lampedusa
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Migrants on board of NGO Proactiva Open Arms Uno rescue boat looks at boat Guardia Costiera heading to Lampedusa island, in central Mediterranean Sea, close to Lampedusa island, Italy, August 19, 2022. REUTERS/Juan Medina/File PhotoROME, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Italy's coastguard said on Sunday it had recovered two bodies and rescued 57 people off the southern island of Lampedusa, amid reports that more than 30 people were missing following two shipwrecks. A coastguard spokesperson said he could only confirm the number of survivors and the recovery of two bodies. Italy's right-wing government has adopted a policy of assigning far-away ports to charity ships, rather than letting them disembark rescued migrants in nearer Lampedusa or Sicily, with the aim of spreading arrivals across the country. Reporting by Angelo Amante and Alvise Armellini; Editing by Toby Chopra and Philippa FletcherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Juan Medina, Ansa, Angelo Amante, Toby Chopra, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Migrants, Uno, Guardia, REUTERS, Italy's coastguard, coastguard, Thomson Locations: Lampedusa, Italy, Sfax, Europe, Ivory Coast, Brindisi, Sicily

☆ U.S. publishing executive killed in Italian boating accident
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, Aug 5 (Reuters) - An American publishing executive died after being knocked overboard in a boating accident off the Amalfi Coast in southern Italy, the Association of American Publishers (AAP) said. Adrienne Vaughan headed the U.S. division of British publishing group Bloomsbury (BLPU.L), best known for the Harry Potter novels. "Adrienne Vaughan was a leader of dazzling talent and infectious passion and had a deep commitment to authors and readers. Prosecutors in the southern port city of Salerno are investigating how the accident happened. Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported the skipper of the motorboat was placed under investigation and initially tested positive for substance use.

Persons: Adrienne Vaughan, Harry Potter, Vaughan, Italy's, Ansa, della Sera, Giuseppe Borrelli, Corriere, Keith Weir, Angelo Amante, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Association of American Publishers, Bloomsbury, AAP, Prosecutors, della, Thomson Locations: American, Amalfi, Italy, U.S, Ravello, Salerno

☆ Wildfires rage across the Mediterranean destroying land and claiming lives
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Barbie Latza Nadeau Hamdi Alkhshali Martin Goillandeau Isa Soares Sugam Pokharel Elinda Labropoulou Chris Liakos Hande Atay Alam Laura Paddison | Barbie Latza Nadeau | Hamdi Alkhshali | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

More than 8,000 firefighters have been deployed to control the blazes as residents living near forested areas were evacuated, according to EPTV. Nasri Elyas/APThe Algerian Ministry of the Interior announced at least 34 deaths in multiple forest fires across the country. A 98-year-old man died as flames reached his home in the coastal city of Reggio Calabria in southern Italy, according to ANSA. Flames burn a tree in Vati village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on Tuesday, July 25, 2023. Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP/Getty ImagesIn Turkey, forest wildfires ignited Monday night in the southern Mediterranean province of Antalya, according to Antalya Municipality’s statement.

Persons: Nasri Elyas, Billel, Nello Musumeci, ”, Alberto Lo Bianco, Fabrizio Villa, Maria Feggou, ” Feggou, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Petros Giannakouris, Angelos Tzortzinis, Muhittin Bocek, “, ” Bocek Organizations: CNN, EPTV, Reuters, Algerian Ministry of, Interior, ANSA, Civil, Twitter, Residents, Hellenic Red Cross, Greek Air Force, Getty, Anadolu Locations: Italy, Greece, Algeria, North, Bourbatache, Sicily, Calabria, Abruzzo, Puglia, Reggio Calabria, Palermo, Capaci, Catania, Rhodes, Corfu, Evia, Crete, Vati, AFP, Turkey, Antalya, Antalya’s Kemer, Croatia, Dubrovnik, Croatian

☆ Italy shuts main Sicily airport until Wednesday due to fire
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, July 17 (Reuters) - The airport in the Sicilian city of Catania, close to some of the main tourist hot spots in eastern Sicily, has been shut down until Wednesday due to a fire, its management company wrote on Twitter. The fire broke out late on Sunday and there were no injuries, the airport said. Firefighters said they managed to contain the blaze about 90 minutes after it was called in, but provided no details on possible causes or any link to current high temperatures in the region. Flights at the Sicilian airport, which according to the Assoaeroporti sector group, ranked fifth for traffic in Italy last year and first on the island, have been suspended until 1200 GMT on Wednesday, the company said. The Catania airport is regularly used by tourists heading to places like Mount Etna and Taormina, which is about 70 kilometers (43.5 miles) away, and Siracusa, with its Greek Theatre and the historical centre on the Ortigia island.

Persons: Firefighters, Angelo Amante, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Twitter, Greek Theatre, Thomson Locations: Sicilian, Catania, Sicily, Palermo, Messina, Italy, Mount Etna, Taormina

July 6 (Reuters) - Global tech investor Insight Partners has raised $118 million in its second 20/20 Vision Capital fund that aims to invest in venture capital funds led by diverse managers, the firm told Reuters. This new fund expands a strategy Insights first started in 2020, after its own employees pledged $15 million of their personal capital to diverse early-stage fund managers. The environment is especially challenging for first-time fund managers. Funds including Ansa Capital Management, Hannah Grey Ventures, and Wischoff Ventures have already received backing from the Vision Capital II. Richard Wells, Managing Director at Insight Partners, said it's too early to measure fund I returns, as seed investment is a long-term game.

Persons: Dionne Chingkoe, Hannah Grey, Richard Wells, it's, Wells, Krystal Hu, Chizu Organizations: Global, Partners, Vision Capital, Reuters, Vision, Insight Partners, Investment Management Board, Pennsylvania Public School, New, The, Ansa Capital Management, Hannah Grey Ventures, Wischoff Ventures, ”, Thomson Locations: Massachusetts, New York, The U.S

☆ Berlusconi leaves control of family business to two eldest children
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Elvira Pollina | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Eleonora Berlusconi, , Pier Silvio Berlusconi, Barbara Berlusconi, Luigi Berlusconi, Marina Berlusconi walk to attend the funeral of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi at the Duomo Cathedral, in Milan, Italy June 14, 2023. Marina and Pier Silvio Berlusconi, who both already have executive roles in parts of the business, will hold equal stakes jointly worth around 53% in the Fininvest family holding company, the source said, confirming an earlier report from ANSA news agency. Marina chairs Fininvest while Pier Silvio has been in charge of the MFE-MediaForEurope (MFEB.MI) TV business which has long been the jewel in the family's crown. Barbara, Eleonora and Luigi Berlusconi, his three children from his second marriage, have been less involved in the family business. Berlusconi, who founded a business empire based on real estate and then television, died in Milan.

Persons: Eleonora Berlusconi, Pier Silvio Berlusconi, Barbara Berlusconi, Luigi Berlusconi, Marina Berlusconi, Silvio Berlusconi, Claudia Greco, Marta Fascina, Dell'Utri, Silvio Berlusconi's, Marina, Pier Silvio, Silvio, Barbara, Eleonora, Berlusconi, Paolo, Marcello Dell'Utri, Fascina, Milan's, Villa San, Villa, Costa, Vladimir Putin, Tony Blair, Giulio Piovaccari, Federico Maccioni, Keith Weir, Alvise Armellini, Mark Potter Organizations: Italian, Cathedral, REUTERS, MILAN, Fininvest SpA, Reuters, Forza Italia, Italian Serie A, Monza, Villa, British, Thomson Locations: Milan, Italy, Marina, Fininvest, Raffaele, Italian, Villa San Martino, Arcore, Russian

☆ Police say tourist filmed allegedly carving ‘Ivan+Hayley’ on Rome’s Colosseum has been identified
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —He caused shockwaves around the world when he was filmed apparently carving his name into a wall of Rome’s 2,000-year-old Colosseum – and grinning when he realized he was caught on camera. The visitor who this week allegedly scratched “Ivan+Hayley 23” on a brick wall of one of the world’s most precious buildings, has been identified, according to Italy’s culture minister. Police “identified the main suspect through traditional investigations and photographic comparison,” they wrote. In 2020, an Irish tourist was reported to the police for allegedly carving his initials into a wall. Last August, an American couple were caught carving their initials into the Arch of Augustus, a 2,000-year-old monument beside the Colosseum.

Persons: Ivan, Hayley, ”, Gennaro Sangiuliano, Hayley ”, Sangiuliano, commesso, k2apyx026A — Gennaro Sangiuliano, UK . Police “, “, ” Sangiuliano, Augustus, CNN’s Sharon Braithwaite Organizations: CNN, . Culture, Ministry, Culture, Piazza Venezia, Carabinieri, UK . Police, ” Locations: shockwaves, England, Irish, American

☆ EU-funded hybrid car prototype explodes in Italy, killing two people
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ROME, June 29 (Reuters) - Two people have died after a hybrid car prototype that was being developed and tested with European Union funds blew up last week in the southern Italian city of Naples. The Life-Save project aimed to turn cars with conventional combustion engines into hybrid vehicles, running at least partly on solar energy. One vehicle equipped with the experimental technology caught fire last Friday, seriously injuring the two people who were on board. Maria Vittoria Prati, a researcher at Italy's National Council of Research (CNR), died of complications from third-degree burns on Monday. The other occupant, research apprentice Fulvio Filace, died overnight, a spokesperson for the Cardarelli hospital in Naples told Reuters on Thursday.

Persons: Maria Vittoria Prati, Fulvio Filace, Filace, Pietro Rinaldi, Prati, Alvise Armellini, David Evans Organizations: European Union, National Council of Research, Reuters, CNR, University of Salerno, Thomson Locations: Italian, Naples, Italy

☆ Italy vows to find and punish tourist who defaced Colosseum wall
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, June 27 (Reuters) - Italian authorities are looking for a tourist who scribbled graffiti on a wall of the Colosseum, with Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano calling for exemplary punishment for the so-far unidentified man. The tourist was caught in a video, posted on social media on Saturday, scratching his and his girlfriend's name with a key on an internal wall of the ancient Roman stone amphitheatre. He can be seen smiling, even as the author of the video, speaking in English and using swear words, reprimands him. [1/5]A tourist holding keys carves on the wall of the Colosseum in Rome, Italy June 23, 2023 in this picture obtained from social media. Built 2,000 years ago, the Colosseum was the biggest amphitheatre in the Roman empire and used to host gladiator fights, executions and animal hunts.

Persons: Gennaro Sangiuliano, Ivan, Hayley, Sangiuliano, Ryan Lutz, ANSA, Alvise, Keith Weir Organizations: Thomson Locations: Rome, Italy

☆ Tourist filmed carving his girlfriend’s name into Rome’s Colosseum
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Amarachi Orie | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Italy’s culture minister is calling for a man to be “identified and sanctioned” after he was filmed allegedly carving his and his fiancée’s names into the Colosseum in Rome. The inscription read “Ivan+Haley 23,” according to Italian news agency ANSA. The alleged incident took place on Friday, and police were alerted by videos appearing on social media, ANSA reported. If convicted of a crime, the man could face a fine of at least €15,000 ($16,360) or up to five years in prison, the news agency said. A similar incident occurred in 2020, when an Irish tourist was accused of vandalizing the Colosseum, after security staff spotted him allegedly carving his initials into the ancient structure and reported him to the police.

Persons: Gennaro Sangiuliano, “, ”, Ivan, Haley, ANSA Organizations: CNN Locations: Rome, Irish

☆ Pope offers prayers to family of 'Vatican girl' who went missing 40 years ago
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Pope Francis leads the Angelus prayer from his window at the Vatican, June 25, 2023. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERSVATICAN CITY, June 25 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday offered prayers and solidarity to the family of a Vatican schoolgirl who went missing 40 years ago in one of Italy's most enduring mysteries. The case has drawn renewed worldwide attention following the release of the Netflix series "Vatican Girl" late last year. Pietro Orlandi was standing with a group of supporters holding up photographs and banners that called for "truth" and "justice". In April, Pope Francis called the allegations "offensive and unfounded insinuations".

Persons: Pope Francis, Emanuela Orlandi, Francis, Pietro, Pietro Orlandi, ANSA, Pope John Paul II, John Paul II, Alvise Armellini, Emelia Sithole Organizations: Vatican, Handout, REUTERS VATICAN CITY, Netflix, Thomson Locations: Rome, St Peter's, Italian

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

☆ Italy's elite special forces stormed a cargo ship taken over by knife-wielding stowaways, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Kieran Corcoran | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Italian special forces scrambled to a cargo vessel in trouble on Friday. Italy's elite San Marco Brigade was photographed landing by helicopter on the Turkish Galata Seaways vessel off the Italian coast on Friday. Italian special forces landing on the Galata Seaways cargo ship on June 9, 2023. Italian special forces on board the Galata Seaways cargo ship on June 9, 2023. Getty ImagesItaly's ANSA news agency reported that the emergency broke out on Friday off the coast of Naples, leading the Italian military to scramble special forces to recapture it.

Persons: —, ANSA, Nobody, Guido Crosetto Organizations: Service, San Marco Brigade, Getty, Reuters, Italy's Navy, Royal Marines, US Marine Corps Locations: Turkish Galata, Galata, Danish, Turkey, France, Italian, Naples, East, North Africa, Europe, San Marco

☆ Italy special forces board Turkish vessel after alert over unidentified passengers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, June 10 (Reuters) - A Turkish cargo vessel that Italian special forces boarded after the crew detected a group of unidentified people on board is now sitting off the southern city of Naples, website MarineTraffic showed, while police continue to investigate the situation. "My congratulations to the guys of the San Marco battalion and the police, who completed a wonderful operation," he wrote. A Turkish transport ministry statement said on Friday the Galata Seaways roll-on-roll-off cargo vessel was sailing from the Turkish port of Yalova to Sete, France. The captain told Italian police he issued the alarm after he saw two of them carrying knives, Ansa reported. The crew locked themselves in the engine room and alerted maritime authorities in Turkey, who in turn contacted Italy and France.

Persons: MarineTraffic, Guido Crosetto, Crosetto, Ansa, Angelo Amante, Federica, Yesim, Nick Macfie, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Twitter, San Marco, Thomson Locations: Turkish, Naples, Yalova, Sete, France, Turkey, Italy

☆ 4 people died after a boat sank on a picturesque lake. All of the passengers had connections to Israeli and Italian intelligence.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Four people died in a boating accident on Italy's Lake Maggiore last month in a violent storm. All 21 passengers were linked to Israeli and Italian defense and intelligence work. All 21 passengers on the 52-foot houseboat were currently or formerly tied to Israeli and Italian defense and intelligence work, officials said, per CNN. Two of those who died had worked for the Italian intelligence authority. Lake Maggiore Mbdortmund/Wikimedia CmmonsSeveral companies that produce both military and civilian technology use are located in Lombardy, the BCC reported.

Persons: —, Benjamin Netanyahu, it's Organizations: Authorities, Service, CNN, Reuters, Wikimedia, BCC, BBC, Guardian, BBC News, New York Times Locations: Maggiore, Russian, Israel, Swiss, Italy's Lombardy, Ticino, Lake, Mbdortmund, Lombardy, Switzerland, Milan

☆ Venice's waters turn fluorescent green near Rialto Bridge
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Venice's waters turn green due to an unknown substance near the Rialto Bridge, in Venice, Italy in this handout image released May 28, 2023. Vigili del Fuoco/Handout via REUTERSMILAN, May 28 (Reuters) - The waters in Venice's main canal turned fluorescent green on Sunday in the area near the Rialto bridge and authorities are seeking to trace the cause, Italy's fire department said. The Venice prefect has called an emergency meeting of police forces to understand what happened and study possible countermeasures, the Ansa news agency reported. The incident echoes recent episodes in Italy where environmental groups have been colouring monuments, including using vegetable charcoal to turn the waters of Rome's Trevi fountain black in a protest against fossil fuels. However, unlike previous cases, no activist group has come forward to claim responsibility for what happened in Venice.

CNN —Flights from Catania airport in Sicily were grounded on Sunday after volcanic ash from an eruption of Mount Etna covered the runways. Volcanic ash in Nicolosi, near Catania Orietta Scardino/EPA-EFE/ShutterstockPictures and video footage show black volcanic ash covering planes at the airport, and blanketing roads in the area. In 2010, a volcanic eruption in Iceland sent a huge plume of ash moving across the Atlantic, causing massive disruption to air traffic across Western Europe. In the aftermath of the crisis, international aviation regulators introduced new risk management guidance on flight safety and volcanic ash. Mount Etna is Europe’s most active volcano, and also the highest, at about 3,350 meters (almost 11,000 feet) tall.

☆ Finland's Kaurismaki back in Cannes competition after over a decade
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] The 76th Cannes Film Festival - Screening of the film "Kuolleet lehdet" (Fallen Leaves - Les feuilles mortes) in competition - Red Carpet Arrivals - Cannes, France, May 22, 2023. Director Aki... Read moreCANNES, May 22 (Reuters) - Finnish director Aki Kaurismaki is back in competition for the Cannes Film Festival's top prize after more than a decade with his 20th film, "Fallen Leaves," which premiered on Monday. Under a sweltering afternoon sun, Kaurismaki, 66, was joined on the red carpet by his lead actors Alma Poysti and Jussi Vatanen. Written and directed by Kaurismaki, "Fallen Leaves" is his first feature in six years. "Fallen Leaves" is Kaurismaki's fifth competition title at Cannes.

☆ Italy is convening a crisis meeting this week to address soaring pasta prices, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Italy's industry minister has called a crisis meeting to address the soaring price of pasta, Reuters reported. Pasta prices jumped 16.3% in April, while broader Italian inflation came in at 8.8%. The comparable increase in Italy's harmonized index of consumer prices, a weighted average of Italian goods and services, measured a provisional 8.8% in April. But Coldiretti, an Italian agriculture group, said soaring pasta prices represented an "anomaly that needs clarification," given the price of a key ingredient, durum wheat, fell 30% in the year, per local publication Ansa. The National Consumer Union said until speculation on wheat prices was defined as an "unfair practice," the price of pasta may stay elevated, per Ansa.

☆ One dead, seven injured in Naples in night of soccer celebrations
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, May 5 (Reuters) - One man died from gunshot wounds and seven people were injured overnight in Naples as the southern Italian city exploded in joy at the success of its soccer team, a local government official said on Friday. Hours later, a man died from gunshot wounds but the incident had "nothing to do with the celebrations", Naples Prefect Claudio Palomba told RAI public radio. Police are investigating the death, Palomba said, adding that of the seven people who were hurt during the night, some suffered fireworks injuries. Wild partying was widely expected in Naples over the "Scudetto" title win, and authorities had taken several steps to try to contain risks to public order. The city centre was pedestrianised while fireworks and firecrackers were banned, but that did not stop Neapolitans celebrating with such items throughout the night.

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