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Italy

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Italy. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Rome

Head of State

President Sergio Mattarella

Head of Government

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni

Anna Possi, 100, outside her cafe Bar Centrale in Nebbiuno, in northern Italy, where she has been serving coffee every day for 67 years. Photo: courtesy of Anna Possi

Food and Drinks

Italy’s oldest barista, still serving at 100, asks: ‘Why should I stop?’

Since her last holiday 67 years ago, Anna Possi has opened her cafe in northern Italy every day. ‘I’m around people. I feel good,’ she says.

20 Mar 2025 - 4:15AM

Catholic Church

Vatican releases first photo of Pope Francis in hospital

17 Mar 2025 - 9:07AM

Food and Drinks

Cappuccino after noon? 100-year-old barista in Italy thinks it’s fine

15 Mar 2025 - 7:15PM

Celebrity children

Who are Donatella Versace’s children, Allegra and Daniel Versace?

Donatella Versace is stepping down from her role as creative director at Versace after almost 3 decades – here’s what we know about her 2 grown-up children, Allegra and Daniel Versace.

14 Mar 2025 - 6:03PM

Fashion

Profile | Donatella Versace, out at namesake fashion label, overcame many obstacles

Versace, 69, took over her brother’s label after his 1997 murder. Carrying on his legacy has been ’the greatest honour of my life’, she says.

14 Mar 2025 - 10:34AM

Ukraine war

Rubio vows to block ‘antagonistic’ language on Russia at G7 meeting

US wants softer tone on Russia when G7 foreign ministers meet in Quebec from Wednesday.

11 Mar 2025 - 10:05AM

Artificial intelligence

China’s iFlyTek eyes Europe expansion as US trade war heats up

iFlyTek plans to expand in Europe, diversifying its supply chain amid rising US-China trade tensions and aiming for new markets.

7 Mar 2025 - 10:03AM

The iFlyTek stand at MWC Barcelona 2025. Photo: Reuters

South Korea

‘One size’ fashion store in Korea sparks concern over thin-body ideals

Brandy Melville defies conventional fashion marketing strategies, promoting the idea that customers should fit into its clothes.

5 Mar 2025 - 7:05PM

Pope Francis

Pope Francis resting after 2 episodes of ‘acute respiratory failure’

The 88-year-old pope has not been seen in public since entering hospital on February 14.

4 Mar 2025 - 4:15PM

Pope Francis

Pope Francis no longer needs ventilation, is stable, Vatican says

The pope, 88, was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on February 14 with a respiratory infection that degenerated into double pneumonia.

3 Mar 2025 - 2:21AM

A woman takes a picture of a wax statue of Pope Francis, as he continues his hospitalisation, in Rome, Italy on Sunday. Photo: Reuters

Ukraine war

Europeans embrace Ukraine’s Zelensky at London summit after Trump row

UK’s Starmer says ‘Europe must do the heavy lifting’ as leaders agree to steps for Ukraine peace.

3 Mar 2025 - 8:08PMvideocam

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky at a summit on Ukraine in London, on Sunday. Photo: AP

Milan Fashion Week

Milan Fashion Week 2025: from Gucci’s transition to Fendi’s 100th anniversary

Gucci offers a ‘foundational’ collection as it awaits a new creative director, while Marni’s Francesco Risso wows with creative collaborations; Fendi’s family affair meanwhile hits it out of the park.

28 Feb 2025 - 11:09AM

China-EU relations

Exclusive | Your best friend has abandoned you: inside China’s EU charm offensive

As bloc’s ties with US plummet over Donald Trump’s embrace of Russia, Beijing pitches itself as a more reliable partner than Washington.

28 Feb 2025 - 8:06PMvideocam

Natural disasters

Mount Vesuvius eruption turned man’s brain into glass. Here’s how it happened

The disaster that obliterated two cities also created the intense heat and rapid cooling behind the one-of-a-kind transformation.

28 Feb 2025 - 12:57PM

A fragment of organic glass was found inside the skull of a man killed in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Photo: Pier Paolo Petrone via Reuters

Indonesia

Indonesia’s budget battles sink its aircraft-carrier dreams

Financial constraints and strategic concerns look set to overshadow the Indonesian navy’s ambitions of owning a dual-use carrier.

24 Feb 2025 - 8:00AM

The Italian aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi pictured in 2016. Indonesia is reportedly considering buying the recently retired vessel. Photo: AFP

United States

Flight from New York to New Delhi lands in Rome after ‘security’ issue

American Airlines flight 292 was escorted by fighter jets, but the security concern later proved to be ‘non-credible’.

24 Feb 2025 - 4:07PM

Pope Francis

Pope in critical condition with early kidney failure, remains alert as prayers pour in

Doctors have said 88-year-old Francis’ condition is touch-and-go, given his age, fragility and pre-existing lung disease.

24 Feb 2025 - 5:29AMvideocam

Pope Francis

Pope begins second week in hospital, cancels Sunday prayer

Francis is alert but still ‘not out of danger’ according to his doctors, while top cardinals sought to dampen speculation about his future.

22 Feb 2025 - 8:26PM

Nuns pray next to the statue of late Pope John Paul II outside the Gemelli Hospital, where Pope Francis is being treated, in Rome on Saturday. Photo: Reuters

European Union

Europe can defend itself without US but needs more coordination: study

Europe needs to spend around €250 billion (US$261.6 billion) annually in defence investments to secure itself without US support.

21 Feb 2025 - 9:05PMvideocam

TikTok

TikTok to expand e-commerce in more countries as US business remains in limbo

TikTok Shop is expected to enter Italy, Germany, France, Japan and Brazil this year, according to sources.

19 Feb 2025 - 7:00AMvideocam

Tourism

In pictures: 2025 Venice Carnival dedicated to Casanova opens

Giant inflatable rat leads Grand Canal boat parade, then explodes raining confetti to open 2025 Carnival honouring legendary philanderer.

18 Feb 2025 - 1:45PM

Revellers participate in the celebrations of the historic Venetian Carnival in St Mark’s Square, Venice, Italy. Photo: AP

Fashion

Q&A | Leonardo Ferragamo on maintaining brand values and independence

Florence-born Ferragamo remains in the hands of its founding family in an industry dominated by conglomerates like LVMH and Kering – its chairman shares why this is important and how they’ve done it.

18 Feb 2025 - 12:00PM

Leonardo Ferragamo, chairman of Ferragamo, started working for the family company at the age of 20. Photo: handout

Pope Francis

Pope Francis to remain in hospital as doctors treat ‘complex’ infection

The 88-year-old pontiff has been suffering from a respiratory infection for more than a week, but the Vatican said he was in ‘good humour’.

18 Feb 2025 - 4:16PM

Wellness

‘I poisoned my children,’ says woman in court over PFAS ‘forever chemicals’

PFAS have caused an environmental disaster in Italy. Here’s why getting rid of the harmful substances found everywhere on Earth is difficult.

18 Feb 2025 - 10:00AM

Artificial intelligence

Chinese sex doll maker sees jump in 2025 sales as AI improves user experience

WMDoll founder Liu Jiangxia says the integration of generative AI models ‘makes the dolls more responsive and interactive’.

7 Mar 2025 - 9:52AMvideocam

About 90 per cent of WMDoll’s sales are outside mainland China, with sex doll shipments to the US making up half of the company’s export volume. Photo: Thomas Yau

Pope Francis

Pope Francis taken to hospital for bronchitis after struggling to speak

Francis, 88, has been pope since 2013 and has suffered from influenza and other health problems several times over the past two years.

14 Feb 2025 - 9:26PM

Pope Francis arrives for the weekly general audience in the Vatican on February 12, 2025. Photo: Reuters

Food and Drinks

Italian science produces the ‘perfect’ boiled egg. It takes 32 minutes

Scientists claim to have come up with a 32-minute two-pan solution, and say it offers the best taste and nutrition.

8 Feb 2025 - 5:07AM

United States

Trump’s son accused of killing protected duck while hunting in Italy

An environmentalist slammed Trump Jnr for killing a Ruddy Shelduck and violating EU and Italian wildlife laws.

4 Feb 2025 - 7:08PM

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