https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Italy in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed An Italian government campaign urging young couples to "get on with it" to boost the country's flagging birthrate has been pulled after a furious backlash on social media. https://www.thelocal.it/20160902/italian-fertility-campaign-scrapped-after-furious-backlash Fri, 02 Sep 2016 14:29:40 +0200 italian-fertility-campaign-scrapped-after-furious-backlash The days of scribbling "I woz here" on Florence's historic monuments are gone: from now on would-be vandals will be able to graffiti via app instead, with their messages kept for posterity. https://www.thelocal.it/20160322/florence-cracks-down-on-heritage-hoodlums-with-new-app Tue, 22 Mar 2016 09:24:57 +0100 florence-cracks-down-on-heritage-hoodlums-with-new-app Italy's health ministry said on Tuesday that probes into a spate of women dying in childbirth had uncovered issues in the handling of three fatal cases, but stopped short of suggesting lives might have been saved. https://www.thelocal.it/20160113/probe-reveals-problems-in-italy-childbirth-deaths Wed, 13 Jan 2016 09:23:56 +0100 probe-reveals-problems-in-italy-childbirth-deaths Italy’s Ministry of Health said on Thursday that tourists have been fed out-of-date fish and sold counterfeit champagne after 23 tonnes of illegal and potentially lethal food products were found this summer. https://www.thelocal.it/20150821/tourists-in-italy-sold-old-fish-and-fake-champagne Fri, 21 Aug 2015 12:40:58 +0200 tourists-in-italy-sold-old-fish-and-fake-champagne Italy is enforcing smoking bans in public places well, while in Germany compliance is limited and there are still “massive violations”, a report found this week. https://www.thelocal.it/20150416/italians-obey-smoking-ban-more-than-germans Thu, 16 Apr 2015 13:00:00 +0200 italians-obey-smoking-ban-more-than-germans Italy registered 509,000 births in 2014, the lowest total since the country's unification in 1870, according to official statistics, prompting a government warning that the country is "dying". https://www.thelocal.it/20150213/dying-italys-birth-numbers-hit-historic-low Fri, 13 Feb 2015 08:26:00 +0100 dying-italys-birth-numbers-hit-historic-low Italy is making moves to ban smoking in parks, beaches and stadiums, while actors could be stopped from lighting up on film and television sets. https://www.thelocal.it/20150112/italy-moves-to-widen-smoking-ban Mon, 12 Jan 2015 11:00:00 +0100 italy-moves-to-widen-smoking-ban In 2013, 3,608 people in Italy were newly diagnosed with HIV, more than double the amount (1,666) in 2004, according to a report from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). https://www.thelocal.it/20141201/italy-hiv-cases-more-than-double-since-2004 Mon, 01 Dec 2014 17:40:00 +0100 italy-hiv-cases-more-than-double-since-2004