Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

TODAY IN ITALY

Today in Italy: A roundup of the latest news on Monday

Meloni hails Europe's "decisive elections", riot breaks out in southern Italian prison, and more news from Italy on Monday.

Published: 20 May 2024 08:35 CEST
Today in Italy: A roundup of the latest news on Monday
Italy's Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni pictures at Palazzo Chigi in Rome. (Photo by Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP)

Far-right parties “renaissance of our continent”: Meloni

This year’s European elections will be “decisive elections”, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Sunday via video link with a conference hosted by Spanish far-right party Vox in Madrid, Italian news agency Ansa reported.

“A change in Europe is possible if European conservatives are united. We are the engine of the renaissance of our continent,” she said, adding that this would be the first time that “the outcome of the European elections could mark the end of unnatural and counterproductive majorities”.

“The 2019-2024 European legislature was marked by the wrong priorities and strategies,” she continued. “We want and can build a different and better European Union than the current one.”

The European elections take place in Italy on 8th and 9th June, 2024.

Riot breaks out in Benevento prison

Tensions remained “very high” in southern Italy’s Benevento prison where armed inmates injured two guards and destroyed part of the prison, the Sappe prison police union said on Sunday, Ansa reported.

“The situation is very serious”, said Tiziana Guacci, secretary of the Sappe.

“We are receiving alarming signals from Benevento of growing tension… the prisoners on the fourth floor… have devastated the rotunda, computers, glass and everything there. At first sight, it would seem that they have taken colleagues hostage – two were taken to hospital. The situation is very critical and operators from the other police forces are also present on site,” Guacci added.

“It seems clear to me that there is a need for immediate intervention on the part of the ministerial and regional bodies of the penitentiary administration to ensure order and safety in prison in Benevento by protecting the penitentiary police officers who serve there,” said Guacci. 

Iconic Italian DJ and singer Franchino dies at 71

Popular DJ and singer Franchino who revolutionised Italian clubbing with his ‘storytelling disco’ has died after a short illness at the age of 71, news agency Ansa reported.

Born in Sicily, he moved to Tuscany at 18 to start an apprenticeship as a hairdresser. He then began working in nightclubs and collaborating with well-known DJs, adding his voice to house and techno tracks.

He remained beloved by different generations, both in Italy and around the world, Ansa reported.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

TODAY IN ITALY

Today in Italy: A roundup of the latest news on Tuesday

Autopsy finds Indian labourer left for dead could have been saved, 39 percent of Italians pirated content in 2023, rain and storms forecast for northern Italy, and more news from around Italy on Tuesday.

Published: 25 June 2024 08:08 CEST
Today in Italy: A roundup of the latest news on Tuesday

Italy’s top story on Tuesday:

Satnam Singh, a 31-year-old Sikh labourer left for dead by his Italian employer after his arm was sliced off by farm machinery, could have been saved had he received prompt medical attention, an initial autopsy report found on Monday.

Singh, who was working without legal papers, was dumped outside his home after the incident, leaving his family to make an emergency call. The report shows he later died in hospital from massive haemorrhaging, according to Skytg24.

The death of the agricultural worker spurred public outrage at the exploitation of migrants in Italy and calls for action to root out gangmastering, which is rife in Italy, news agency Ansa reported.

Italy’s Labour Minister Marina Calderone said on Friday it was “everybody’s aim to declare war on gangmastering.”

39 percent of Italians pirated content in 2023

39 percent of Italians pirated at least one piece of audio or visual content in 2023, according to the results of a survey published by research group Ipsos on Monday.

Piracy caused estimated losses to the Italian economy of an estimated €2 billion in turnover last year, putting a dent of around €821 million in the country’s GDP, the report said.

While high, the overall figure was three percentage points down on last year. Films were the most popular pirated content, while the illegal viewing of TV shows dropped by 14 percent between 2022 and 2023.

The average person who commits piracy in Italy is under the age of 35, has a higher educational level than most adults, and is based in the south of the country or its islands, the survey found.

Italian teen stabbed to death in drug dispute

Italian police on Monday were investigating the the killing of a teen stabbed to death in a park in the Italian coastal town of Pescara, according to La Repubblica newspaper.

The 17-year-old’s body was found in the city’s Baden Powell park on Sunday evening. The suspected killers, also minors, are the sons of a prominent local lawyer and police commander.

The apparent motive for the attack was an unpaid drug debt of a couple of hundred euros owed by the victim, according to reports.

“The murder of a very young man, which apparently occurred at the hands of other young people, leaves us dismayed and speechless,” Pescara Mayor Carlo Masci said in a statement on Monday.

“My embrace goes out to the victim’s family and friends, and my thoughts also go out to the families of those implicated in the murder, who have been shattered by such a terrible event.”

Rain and storms forecast for northern Italy

The arrival of a low-pressure system from the North Atlantic was expected to bring cool temperatures, rain and storms to the centre-north of Italy towards the start of this week, La Repubblica newspaper reported on Monday.

Italy’s Civil Protection Department issued adverse weather warnings for Tuesday to 10 regions, including Emilia Romagna, Veneto, Basilicata, Lombardy, Marche, Puglia, Sicily, Tuscany, Umbria, and Piedmont.

Parts of the country were already receiving large quantities of rain by the end of the weekend: a video published to the Corriere della Sera news site on Sunday showed a flooded Lake Garda in the town of Lazise, where water levels were reportedly at their highest since 1977.

The abrupt change in weather conditions comes days after Italy’s first heatwave of the summer, with highs of over 40°C recorded in parts of the country.

SHOW COMMENTS