Europe

Four Vatican Swiss Guards diagnosed with COVID-19

Ren Leen October 12, 2020

VATICAN CITY (ROME) – Four members of the Vatican Swiss Guards, the corps who protect the pope, have tested positive for COVID-19, the Vatican said on Monday. This came after three other residents or citizens of the tiny Vatican city-state tested positive in recent weeks, according to a

Finance

Enel gears up to launch digital banking services

Editorial Bureau October 11, 2020

MILAN (ITALY) – Italy’s Enel is set to launch new digital banking services this month, allowing customers to open a current account with a debit card for payment of energy bills and accessing other financial services. The move comes in the wake of energy companies in the world making investment of billions in bringing out […]

Business

Italy forms new firm to go ahead with plans to nationalise Alitalia

Editorial Bureau October 10, 2020

MILAN (FRANCE) – Italy has given the nod for the formation of a new firm to lodge the assets of troubled airline. This comes as the government is moving ahead with its plan to nationalise the carrier. The plan was facing delay because of political infighting. Now it needs the approval of the European Commission. […]

Europe

Sources reveal recovery of Italy’s former PM from COVID-19

Editorial Bureau October 7, 2020

ROME (ITALY) – Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has recovered from COVID-19, a source close to the matter said on Wednesday. He has now tested negative for the virus and is waiting for a final confirmation, the source said. Berlusconi, 84, was suffering from double pneumonia and was in Milan’s San Raffaele hospital for […]

Europe

Salvini appears in court over detention of migrants

Editorial Bureau October 3, 2020

CATANIA (ITALY) – Far right Italian leader Matteo Salvini appeared in court on Saturday to try to persuade a judge not to book him for detaining migrants at sea, a crime which has a penalty of 15 years of imprisonment. The case relates to an incident in July 2019, when Salvini, who was the then […]

Europe

Face masks become mandatory in Rome, with spike in coronavirus cases

Ren Leen October 2, 2020

ROME (ITALY) – Local authorities announced on Friday that face masks will have to be worn at all times out of doors in the Italian capital Rome and the surrounding Lazio region, as it witnessed a rise in cases. Italy on Thursday registered more than 2,000 new coronavirus cases for the first time in months. […]

Europe

Italy plans to extend COVID-19 emergency, media reports

Editorial Bureau October 1, 2020

ROME (ITALY) – Italy is planning to extend its state of emergency over the COVID-19 crisis until January 31 next year, two national newspapers said on Thursday. The emergency, which is likely to expire in mid-October, accords the government with greater powers. Dailies Il Messagero and Corriere della Sera said it was discussed in a […]

Europe

Italy’s schools finally reopen, raising concerns

Editorial Bureau September 14, 2020

ROME (ITALY) – After a six-month shutdown, Italy reopened most of its schools on Monday, which might be a true test of the managing skills of the government. Face-to-face lessons resumed in schools from 13 of Italy’s 20 regions, bringing back 5.6 million students. The remaining seven regions have decided to suspend similar classes for […]

Europe

Italy authority expects to review EU court ruling

Editorial Bureau September 9, 2020

MILAN (ITALY) – Italian communications authority AGCOM has started a review of a top EU court ruling regarding a dispute between France’s Vivendi and Italian broadcaster Mediaset. This could completely overturn Italy’s communications laws, sources said on Wednesday. The Court of Justice of the European Union ruled last week that an Italian law which put

Europe

Italy flags off human trials of potential coronavirus vaccine

Editorial Bureau August 24, 2020

ROME (ITALY) – Italy on Monday joined international efforts to develop a vaccine to combat coronavirus by flagging off human trials of a potential shot. This comes as the virus is exhibiting signs of resurgence in Europe. Lazzaro Spallanzani institute in Rome, which specialises in infectious diseases, is all set to conduct trials on 90 […]