Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi Italy’s former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been sentenced to seven years in prison over a sex scandal and abuse of power. On Monday, an Italian court in Milan handed Berlusconi the prison term and a lifetime ban from holding public positions, after convicting him of inappropriate relations with an under-age girl and then using his influence... 

Italian students protesting against austerity measures Tens of thousands of workers and jobless people have taken part in a rally in the Italian capital, Rome, in protest against the country’s rising unemployment rate and unfair taxes. Italy’s three largest labor union confederations, the CGIL, CISL, and the UIL, organized the Saturday rally. The protesters slammed the government of Prime Minister... 

Italy’s economy shrinks more than previously estimated in the first quarter of 2013. Italy’s economy has contracted more than initially estimated in the first quarter of 2013, marking the seventh quarterly contraction in a row, the country’s statistical agency says. Figures from the national statistical agency, Istat, showed on Monday that Italy’s gross domestic product (GDP) shrank by... 

Young Spaniards protesting against the government in Madrid. European leaders have warned that youth unemployment in the European Union (EU) must be tackled urgently, as nearly one in four young people in the bloc is out of work. At a conference in Paris on Tuesday, ministers from France, Italy and Germany said if the issue is not addressed at once, the young people in Europe will lose faith in their... 

Official figures show that the number of Italians who are in a grave economic condition has increased to an alarming point, Press TV reports. Italy’s National Statistics Institute, ISTAT, said in a newly released report that at the end of 2012, around 15 million people were dealing with some form of economic hardship. The report added that over 8.5 million of those people were living in a seriously... 

Millions of Italians cannot afford to heat their homes properly or eat meat as their country is racked by recession and soaring unemployment, an official report has revealed. The report released on Wednesday by Italy’s National Statistics Institute, ISTAT, said the number of people considered seriously deprived has doubled in the past two years. The findings underlined the scale of the challenge... 

A bizarre video has emerged of Pope Francis appearing to perform an exorcism on a man in St Peter’s Square. The footage was shot following Pentecostal mass on Sunday 19th May. The clip shows a priest explaining something to Pope Francis about the man, who is in a wheelchair, before the Pope becomes serious and places his hands firmly on the man’s head. While pushing the man down into his chair,... 

Demonstrators marching during a protest against austerity measures in Italy’s capital, Rome. Thousands of Italians have taken to the streets in the capital Rome to protest against tough austerity measures adopted by the government of Prime Minister Mario Monti. Thousands of anti-austerity demonstrators gathered in Rome’s Piazza della Repubblica on Saturday, expressing their anger at the government’s... 

The new integration minister in the Italian government, born to a polygamous father, plans to legalize polygamy in Italy. Cécile Kyenge, Minister for Integration in the new Italian government, who admits having been an illegal immigrant in Italy when she first arrived, has stirred up controversy in Italy by saying she wants to suppress the notion of illegal immigration in Italy. Born into a family... 

Italy’s new Prime Minister Enrico Letta delivers his speech at the parliament in Rome on April 29, 2013. Italy’s new Prime Minister Enrico Letta says the coalition government will pursue growth policies to reverse an austerity drive which is killing Italy. The remarks were made on Monday during Letta’s inaugural speech to parliament. “Italy is dying from austerity alone. Growth policies... 

Some words have a magical property – we know exactly what we are talking about when we hear them. This is especially true of national cuisines, be it borsch or soup, pizza or sushi, kebabs or lard. Nearly all of these items are considered a symbol of national cuisine, although this is not entirely true. What dish instead of pizza should be rightly regarded as Italian? Pizza is not part of a... 

Giorgio Napolitano is reelected as Italy’s president. Giorgio Napolitano has been reelected as the president of Italy, after accepting an appeal by the country’s major political parties to stand for a second term. In their sixth round of voting, 1,007 Italian lawmakers and regional representatives voted for Napolitano, 87, on Saturday, putting an end to a two-month political deadlock. “I... 

Italian President Giorgio Napolitano Italian lawmakers have failed to elect a new president during the first two rounds of voting, as tensions grow among center-left politicians. Italy’s parliament failed to elect a new successor to President Giorgio Napolitano during the first and second rounds of voting on Thursday, with no candidate able to secure the required two-thirds vote. Frontrunner... 

Italy’s main union leaders speak to crowds outside Parliament in Rome April 16, 2013. Thousands of Italians have protested against the deteriorating conditions for the country’s workforce, blaming the political stalemate for the worsening economic situation. The country’s three major unions organized the rally outside Parliament on Tuesday, where workers demanded more money to a state... 

Italians staging a protest against austerity in Rome Official figures show that Italian households have experienced a record fall in income for 2012, as the country’s economy is expected to remain bleak. Italy’s national statistics agency Istat reported on Tuesday that the households’ purchasing power contracted by 4.8 percent last year, making it the worst result since 1990 for Eurozone’s...