Italy

Stylish Irish cruise past Azzurri

Having scored just 14 points at the 2013 World Cup, the Irish matched that tally inside 20 minutes and then kicked on in the second half after the Azzurri had threatened a comeback with tries either side of the interval. 

Tonga top Italy in World Cup warm-up

All eyes were on forwards Jason Taumalolo and Andrew Fifita, both playing their first match for Tonga since turning their backs on New Zealand and Australia, but the duo only played the first 20 minutes of the match.

Italy 5 Liechtenstein 0: Insigne and Belotti shine in easy win

Giampiero Ventura's men rarely had to get out of first gear against Liechtenstein, who lost their 10th consecutive World Cup qualifying match despite holding firm for 35 minutes in Udine.

Insigne broke the deadlock for the hosts with his third international goal, smashing a superb volley in off the post after creating a chance for himself out of nothing.

The Napoli forward then set up the second goal for Italy shortly after half-time as reported Manchester United and AC Milan target Belotti timed his run on to the throughball to bend a clinical finish past Peter Jehle.

'Catastrophe' in central Italy on day of four big quakes

Luca Ceriscioli said quakes and snow had caused landslides and thousands of families were suffering power cuts, with some villages left isolated.

A man was killed and another reported missing in the nearby Abruzzo region.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker vowed EU solidarity with Italy after the tremors.

Marche was one of the regions worst hit by the earthquake of 24 August, with 46 of its 298 victims losing their lives in a single mountain village there, Pescara del Tronto.

Italy 'father-only' surname law rejected

 Lawyers argued that preventing families from giving children their mother's surname discriminated against women.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) had earlier condemned the legislation - which dates from Roman times - and ordered Italy to change it.

Campaigners hailed Tuesday's ruling and called for parliament to endorse it.

"The court has declared the unlawfulness of rules providing for the automatic attribution of the paternal surname to legitimate children, when the parents wish otherwise," the constitutional court said in a statement.

Four questioned in Italy after woman's suicide over sex video

The 31-year-old, identified as Tiziana, sent the video to her ex-boyfriend and three others, who put it online.

More than a million people watched it, and she became the subject of jokes and abuse.

Tiziana killed herself in her aunt's home in Mugnano near Naples on Tuesday.

Local prosecutors have opened an investigation into her death, which came more than a year after the video was circulated on Facebook, WhatsApp and other social media.

The four men are being investigated for defamation.

 

'Right to be forgotten'

Italy: Public masturbation not a crime

The decision came down from the Italian Supreme Court -- La Corte di Cassazione -- in the case of a 69-year-old man, identified only as "PL," who was caught masturbating in Catania, a city on Sicily's east coast.

The man was convicted in May 2015 after he performed the act in front of students on the University of Catania campus, according to documents filed with Supreme Court. The man was sentenced to three months in prison and ordered to pay a fine of €3,200 (around $3,600).

Italy Apulia train crash probe focuses on alert system

They are looking into one of the black boxes recovered at the scene of the collision, on a remote single-track line north of the city of Bari.

The system relied on telephone calls and "human error" remains the main line of inquiry, reports say.

Dozens of rescue workers are still searching the wreckage.

The inquiry is focusing on the lack of automatic signalling system on a small part of the Italian railway network.

Italian mafia boss dies in jail

Provenzano, dubbed "The Tractor" for his ruthless trait of mowing people down, was arrested and jailed in 2006 after spending 43 years on the run.

He took over command of the Sicilian Mafia in 1993 after the arrest of ex-boss Salvatore "Toto" Riina.

Provenzano was serving a life term for several murders, including the 1992 killings of top anti-Mafia judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino.

He was suffering from bladder cancer and serious cognitive impairment and had spent the last two years in a prison hospital ward, Italian media report.

Adele shimmers onstage

The British singer wore a shimmery blue and black dress as she took to the stage at the historic Arena di Verona, the latest stop on her world tour.

The 28-year-old star appeared to be in high spirits as she serenaded the sold-out crowd.

Adele's custom Burberry gown featured black side panels and blue, pink and green shimmering sequins as she performed at the unique outdoor venue, which was built by Ancient Romans in the 1st century.

The London-born singer wore her strawberry blonde hair down in a stylish bob, and added gold earrings and long, dark nails.