Italy

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Boy's Suicide Linked to Macabre Online Challenge

But media reports should be viewed with some skepticism

(Newser) - A boy's suicide has been linked to a possible online "horror challenge" enticing children to take their own lives—if, that is, such challenges even exist. ANSA reports that an 11-year-old boy killed himself Wednesday by jumping off a balcony at his family's home in Naples, Italy....

Italian Official: 'Escape Genius' Bear 'Must Live Free'

He says 'Papillon' shouldn't be treated like a criminal

(Newser) - An "escape genius" bear in Italy is back in a wildlife enclosure after being recaptured for a third time—but friends in high places might help "Papillon" win his freedom permanently. Sergio Costa, Italy's environment minister, said Wednesday that it "hurts to know Papillon is in...

Bottle of Sand Just Cost This Guy $1.2K

French tourist wasn't successful in bid to take home 4.4 pounds of the stuff from Sardinia

(Newser) - Since 2017, taking sand home as a souvenir from the beaches of Sardinia has been illegal —but yet another visitor to the Italian island apparently didn't get that memo. Local authorities say a French tourist was busted at Cagliari Elmas Airport on Sept. 1, trying to leave with...

Man Who 'Terrorized Rome' for Years Escapes Jail a 4th Time

Giuseppe Mastini has been convicted of multiple murders

(Newser) - Giuseppe Mastini has been convicted of multiple murders—and he just escaped from jail for the fourth time. Mastini, 60, who "terrorized Rome," per the Guardian , in the 1970s and 1980s, was on day release from a high-security Italian prison and failed to return at the appointed time...

'Escape Genius' Bear Recaptured After 42 Days

Wildlife groups say they will fight for Papillon's freedom

(Newser) - One of Italy's most famous escape artists is back behind bars, 42 days after he busted out of maximum security. M49, described by the Guardian as "Europe's most wanted bear," was captured by rangers in Trento province with a "tube trap" device Monday. The bear...

Berlusconi Hospitalized With COVID-19

Aide says 83-year-old is in for 'monitoring'

(Newser) - Former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi, who has a history of heart and other medical problems, was admitted to a Milan hospital early Friday as a precaution to monitor his coronavirus infection, a top aide said. Sen. Lucia Ronzulli told RAI state TV Friday morning that the media mogul, 83, who...

Stranded Refugees Get Italy&#39;s Help
Refugees Swamp
Tiny Italian Island
Aug 30, 2020 11:10 AM CDT

Refugees Swamp Tiny Italian Island

Protest meets arrivals, as mayor says nation has no plan

(Newser) - Italy dispatched a coast guard patrol in the Mediterranean Sea to save refugees stranded on a bright pink rescue boat—painted and funded by Banksy, the British street artist. But now there's another problem. The hundreds of evacuees have overwhelmed the shelters on the small island they were ferried...

Millionaire COVID Skeptic Now Has the Virus

Flavio Briatore's nightclub has been tied to dozens of COVID-19 cases

(Newser) - A man who Reuters calls "one of Italy’s most flamboyant businessmen" and who the Times of London dubs "one of Italy's leading COVID skeptics" has been hospitalized in stable condition in Milan after testing positive for the coronavirus—this after railing against the measures his country...

Garbage Falls in Italy, but There's All That PPE

UN, environmental groups warn of danger to seas from microplastics

(Newser) - Italy produced 10% less garbage during its coronavirus lockdown, but environmentalists warn that increased reliance on disposable masks and packaging is imperiling efforts to curb single-use plastics that end up in oceans and seas. Researchers estimate that during the peak months of Italy's lockdown in March and April, the...

Europe Doesn't Quite Get US Response to Virus

Italy reconsiders its envy of the American model

(Newser) - The US failure to contain the spread of the coronavirus has been met with astonishment and alarm in Europe, as the world's most powerful country edges closer to a global record of 5 million confirmed infections. Perhaps nowhere outside the US is America's bungled virus response viewed with...

With Glacier Collapse Looming, an 'Urgent' Evacuation

Residents, tourists in Italian resort town are sent elsewhere due to risk of falling Mont Blanc ice

(Newser) - As scientists nervously keep tabs on a giant section of ice in danger of falling off a Mont Blanc glacier, homes have been evacuated in the resort town of Courmayeur in Italy's Aosta Valley, while visitors have been told to go elsewhere. "We will find [alternative] solutions for...

Tourist Snaps Toes Off 200-Year-Old Statue

He posed for photo with Canova sculpture

(Newser) - A statue of Napoleon's sister in an Italian museum lost three toes in an unfortunate encounter with an Austrian tourist. Police say the man broke off from his tour group so his wife could take a photo of him "sprawled over" the plaster cast model of Pauline Bonaparte...

Island&#39;s Lone Inhabitant, 81, Fights to Stay Put
After 30 Years Alone on an
Island, He's Told to Clear Out
in case you missed it
Aug 1, 2020 7:00 AM CDT

After 30 Years Alone on an Island, He's Told to Clear Out

Italian authorities say Mauro Morandi has no claim to Budelli

(Newser) - It's a good time to be living alone on "one of the most beautiful islands in the entire Mediterranean." But the quiet paradise Mauro Morandi has enjoyed for 30 years on the Isle of Budelli off the coast of Sardinia will soon be taken from him, reports...

In France, Italy, Spain, Virus Wiped Out Years of Growth

Spanish economy shrank 18.5% in 2nd quarter

(Newser) - France, Italy, and Spain reported precipitous contractions Friday for their coronavirus-battered economies, with the pandemic wiping out years of growth in a matter of weeks as the lockdowns closed shops, factories, and restaurants. The Spanish economy shrank by 18.5% in the April-June period from the previous quarter, the French...

Italian Tenor Says He Was 'Humiliated' by Lockdown

Andrea Bocelli says he resented having to stay home

(Newser) - Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, who recovered from COVID-19 and whose moving Easter performance sought to raise hopes during the pandemic, is striking a different public note, saying Italy's lockdown made him feel "humiliated and offended" by depriving him of his freedom. Bocelli spoke at a panel Monday in...

Virus Spares a Tiny Island
Virus Passes Over
Italian Island
Jul 27, 2020 7:20 PM CDT

Virus Passes Over Italian Island

Researchers are still guessing at possible reasons

(Newser) - Stranded on a tiny Italian island, a cancer researcher grew alarmed as one, and then three more visitors fell ill with COVID-19. Paola Muti braced for a rapid spread of the coronavirus to the 800 close-knit islanders. Her mother was born on Giglio Island, and she often stays at the...

Famed Paralympian in Coma After Terrible Crash

'All of Italy is fighting with you,' PM tells Zanardi

(Newser) - After a horrific CART racing crash in 2001 cost him both his legs, Alex Zanardi built his own prosthetics and made an incredible comeback as a Paralympic athlete, winning gold in handcycling four times. Now, a second horrific crash for Zanardi. The 53-year-old former Formula One driver was placed in...

18 Months After Theft, Banksy Piece Found in Attic

Authorities recover mural dedicated to Bataclan victims

(Newser) - Italian authorities on Thursday unveiled a stolen artwork by the British artist Banksy that was painted as a tribute to the victims of the 2015 terror attacks at the Bataclan music hall in Paris. The L'Aquila prosecutors' office said the work was recovered Wednesday during a search of a...

As Docs Operated on Her Brain, She Stuffed 90 Olives

Woman prepares classic Italian snack in under an hour while surgeons removed brain tumor

(Newser) - Playing instruments while your brain is getting operated on is so last decade . Ask "Donna," who recently whipped up a traditional Italian snack while surgeons were removing a tumor from her left temporal lobe. The BBC and ABC News report that the 2.5-hour procedure took place recently...

In Italy, Far Too Few Have Tracing App

Immuni can't be effective if only 2 million people have it

(Newser) - The Italian government’s point person on combating the COVID-19 pandemic says so far not enough Italians have downloaded an app to help health authorities trace contacts with persons testing positive for the virus. Domenico Arcuri said in an interview with Italian state TV on Sunday that 2 million people...

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