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 The leader of Italy's populist Five Star Movement party appears rattled by accusations that it is behind a network of fake news sites, but sidestepped some key questions in his response to the claims. https://www.thelocal.it/20161130/five-star-movement-sidesteps-claims-of-pro-russia-fake-news Wed, 30 Nov 2016 13:38:42 +0100 five-star-movement-sidesteps-claims-of-pro-russia-fake-news Germany's top consumer rights organization Stiftung Warentest revealed that 16 of 21 chocolate spreads they tested contain potentially cancer-causing toxins. An all-clear for Nutella though - the beloved Italian brand is fungus-free and flavourful as ever. https://www.thelocal.it/20160324/german-consumer-rights-group-warns-of-toxic-knock-off-nutella Thu, 24 Mar 2016 12:29:42 +0100 german-consumer-rights-group-warns-of-toxic-knock-off-nutella A man carrying what turned out to be a plastic gun sparked an evacuation at Rome's main train station late on Monday after railway police received an alert that an armed man was on the city's transport network. https://www.thelocal.it/20160126/man-with-fake-gun-sparks-rome-metro-panic Tue, 26 Jan 2016 09:14:08 +0100 man-with-fake-gun-sparks-rome-metro-panic A French woman is facing charges for counterfeiting after she allegedly created a cloned Prada website, which sold fake copies of merchandise made by the famous Italian fashion house. https://www.thelocal.it/20160122/french-woman-behind-cloned-site-that-sold-fake-prada-goods Fri, 22 Jan 2016 16:17:39 +0100 french-woman-behind-cloned-site-that-sold-fake-prada-goods Italian police have confiscated 3,500 fake "papal benedictions" worth €70,000 in a blitz on counterfeit goods which saw one million objects seized in a week, the interior ministry said on Monday. https://www.thelocal.it/20151214/italy-police-swoop-on-papal-blessing-swindlers Mon, 14 Dec 2015 16:57:35 +0100 italy-police-swoop-on-papal-blessing-swindlers Olive oil has been a staple part of the Italian diet since time immemorial. But how do you tell the real deal apart from the cheap copies flooding the market? https://www.thelocal.it/20151112/how-to-spot-fake-italian-extra-virgin-olive-oil Thu, 12 Nov 2015 18:55:28 +0100 how-to-spot-fake-italian-extra-virgin-olive-oil Seven Italian olive oil producers, including Bertolli, Sasso and Carapelli, are being investigated over allegations that the firms falsely sold olive oil products a “extra virgin”. https://www.thelocal.it/20151111/seven-italian-firms-probed-in-olive-oil-scam Wed, 11 Nov 2015 12:46:18 +0100 seven-italian-firms-probed-in-olive-oil-scam A 78-year-old man from a sleepy village in Campania decided to fake his own death on Tuesday - just to see how his friends and neighbours would react. https://www.thelocal.it/20151008/pensioner-fakes-death-to-see-towns-reaction Thu, 08 Oct 2015 18:27:25 +0200 pensioner-fakes-death-to-see-towns-reaction An 18-year-old migrant from Gambia wowed an Abruzzo football club with his silky football skills after convincing them he was a Senegalese football player. https://www.thelocal.it/20150901/fake-migrant-footballer-almost-lands-italy-club-deal Tue, 01 Sep 2015 12:47:19 +0200 fake-migrant-footballer-almost-lands-italy-club-deal Doubts emerged on Wednesday over the authenticity of an Italian painting supposedly worth $1.5 million, which hit headlines after a 12-year-old boy punched a hole through it as he tripped and fell during an exhibition in Taiwan. https://www.thelocal.it/20150826/damaged-italian-painting-might-be-fake-expert Wed, 26 Aug 2015 14:46:52 +0200 damaged-italian-painting-might-be-fake-expert An Italian court overturned on Monday a €500,000 fine slapped on TripAdvisor for failing to warn users that some opinions posted on the popular hotel and restaurant review website may be fakes. https://www.thelocal.it/20150714/tripadvisor-escapes-italy-fine-over-fake-reviews Tue, 14 Jul 2015 10:27:04 +0200 tripadvisor-escapes-italy-fine-over-fake-reviews An illegal underground laboratory where cured meat from Poland was boned and re-labeled as Italian has been raided by police in Villaricca, near Naples. https://www.thelocal.it/20150629/italys-food-police-bust-polish-ham-scam Mon, 29 Jun 2015 12:45:17 +0200 italys-food-police-bust-polish-ham-scam The Italian farmers association Coldiretti has warned of a growing number of counterfeit Italian goods in Russia after a fake Italian cheese was discovered in the Russian pavilion at the World Expo. https://www.thelocal.it/20150624/russias-italian-rip-offs-offend-at-expo Wed, 24 Jun 2015 18:21:14 +0200 russias-italian-rip-offs-offend-at-expo A 60-year-old man has been charged with identity theft after allegedly parading around the Italian island of Ischia as a priest and hosting mass in private homes. https://www.thelocal.it/20150612/fake-priest-caught-in-ischia Fri, 12 Jun 2015 12:00:48 +0200 fake-priest-caught-in-ischia A 56-year-old doctor who pretended to be paraplegic for three years in a bid to get a €1.2 million payout and a lifetime pension, has been arrested in Turin. https://www.thelocal.it/20150216/doctor-pretended-to-be-paraplegic-for-12m-payout Mon, 16 Feb 2015 15:27:00 +0100 doctor-pretended-to-be-paraplegic-for-12m-payout Italy's financial police said Thursday they had seized over one million fake €50 banknotes which were almost ready to be put into circulation, and arrested five people. https://www.thelocal.it/20150109/over-a-million-fake-50-banknotes-seized-in-naples-italy Fri, 09 Jan 2015 09:00:00 +0100 over-a-million-fake-50-banknotes-seized-in-naples-italy Shoppers looking to step out in the perfect Gucci shoes but save on the price tag were thwarted on Thursday by Italian police, who seized over a thousand counterfeit pairs. https://www.thelocal.it/20141211/thousands-of-perfect-fake-gucci-shoes-seized-in-italy Thu, 11 Dec 2014 18:11:00 +0100 thousands-of-perfect-fake-gucci-shoes-seized-in-italy Finance Police in Siena have seized 160,000 litres of Tuscan wine falsely labelled as Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino wine, which are among Italy’s most prestigious and expensive wines. https://www.thelocal.it/20140909/1-million-docg-scam-hits-top-tuscan-wine-brunello-montalcino Tue, 09 Sep 2014 14:44:00 +0200 1-million-docg-scam-hits-top-tuscan-wine-brunello-montalcino A man in Italy's southern Calabria region has been arrested for allegedly masquerading as an officer from the financial police, inviting Italians to join the force in exchange for cash and favours. https://www.thelocal.it/20140626/fake-police-officer-offered-jobs-for-cash Thu, 26 Jun 2014 15:33:00 +0200 fake-police-officer-offered-jobs-for-cash Four factory workers at the Italian car manufacturer Fiat have been fired for enacting the fake suicide of CEO Sergio Marchionne in retaliation for the suicide of a colleague in May. https://www.thelocal.it/20140625/fiat-workers-sacked-for-staging-ceos-fake-suicide Wed, 25 Jun 2014 19:00:00 +0200 fiat-workers-sacked-for-staging-ceos-fake-suicide