World

US, Italy united on Ukraine, with slightly different tones

Editorial Bureau May 9, 2022

MILAN — Italian Premier Mario Draghi meets with U.S. President Joe Biden this week in Washington as Europe faces another “whatever it takes” moment with Russia’s war in Ukraine raging on its eastern flank. Both Rome and Washington will emphasize their historic friendship and shared desire to

Europe

Italy party chief wants Russia energy embargo

Editorial Bureau April 4, 2022

ROME — The head of Italy’s Democratic Party called for a full oil and gas embargo in reaction to images emerging of atrocities against civilians by Russian soldiers retreating from the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. “How many #Buca before we move to a full oil and gas Russia embargo,” Enrico Letta wrote on Twitter Sunday. “Time […]

Europe

Bus full of Ukrainian refugees overturns in Italy; 1 dead

Editorial Bureau March 13, 2022

ROME — A bus carrying about 50 Ukrainian refugees overturned on a major highway in northern Italy at dawn on Sunday, killing one person, Italian firefighters said. Italian state radio said there were several injured in the accident on the A14 autostrada near Forli’, a town in the Emilia-Romagna region in northeastern Italy. It said […]

Europe

Italy’s 80-year-old president sworn in for a second term

Editorial Bureau February 4, 2022

ROME — Italian President Sergio Mattarella received an astounding 55 rounds of applause from an otherwise divided parliament Thursday after he was sworn in to a second term in office. Mattarella, 80, agreed to remain in office after Italy’s fractious parties failed to agree on a successor, citing a sense of responsibility given the ongoing […]

Europe

Political leaders struggle to decide Italy’s next president

Editorial Bureau January 30, 2022

ROME — Support for Italian President Sergio Mattarella to stay on for a second term quickly swelled on Saturday among party leaders after days of failed balloting to find an alternative candidate and amid the risk that protracted political squabbling would erode the nation’s stability and international credibility. Mattarella’s term ends on Feb. 3. The […]

Europe

Vote for Italy’s president fails again; no political deal

Editorial Bureau January 29, 2022

ROME — Insistence by Italy’s center-right bloc that one of their candidates is vaulted to the country’s presidency backfired on Friday, as their political opponents abstained in droves in the latest round of so far fruitless balloting in Parliament to elect a new head of state. Tensions and frustration continued to mount among the uneasy […]

Europe

No winner yet in second day of Italian vote for president

Editorial Bureau January 26, 2022

ROME — Italian lawmakers failed to agree again Tuesday in a vote selecting Italy’s next president, as a consensus on who to support continued to elude party leaders. On Tuesday, 1,008 Grand Electors, most of them members of Parliament with some regional representatives, were eligible to vote, but that second round of balloting, like Monday’s, […]

Europe

Italy begins voting for next president with unclear slate

Editorial Bureau January 25, 2022

ROME — A first round of voting in Italy’s Parliament for the country’s next president yielded an avalanche of blank ballots Monday, as lawmakers and special regional electors failed to deliver a winner amid a political stalemate. With special pandemic precautions, balloting began even as party leaders huddled during a flurry of backroom meetings to […]

Europe

Berlusconi drops bid to be elected as Italy’s president

Editorial Bureau January 23, 2022

ROME — Former premier Silvio Berlusconi on Saturday bowed out of Italy’s presidential election set for next week, claiming he had the votes to win but the country could ill-afford political divisions during the pandemic. Berlusconi also announced that he is opposing, along with his allies in a center-right bloc, any bid for the presidency […]

Europe

Italy requires coronavirus vaccines for people 50 and older

Editorial Bureau January 6, 2022

ROME — The Italian government approved a measure Wednesday requiring people older than 50 to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. as the country struggles with nearly daily new records of fresh infections fueled by the omicron variant. Earlier in the day, 189,000 new infections were confirmed in the country of some 59 million people. “We […]