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 Countries across Europe were battling a wave of new wildfires Friday as blistering temperatures and tinder-dry landscapes made for dangerous conditions. https://www.thelocal.it/20260814/europe-battles-new-wave-of-wildfires Fri, 14 Aug 2026 14:49:54 +0200 europe-battles-new-wave-of-wildfires The Colosseum has extended opening hours at night this summer to allow more visitors to see the famous Roman amphitheatre in cooler temperatures after sunset. https://www.thelocal.it/20260814/romes-colosseum-extends-opening-hours-amid-summer-heatwaves Fri, 14 Aug 2026 14:05:47 +0200 romes-colosseum-extends-opening-hours-amid-summer-heatwaves Millions of people across Europe -- particularly in France, Italy, Spain and Britain -- baked through a new wave of extreme temperatures Thursday as the continent's latest heatwave picked up. https://www.thelocal.it/20260812/europes-latest-heatwave-more-than-90-million-set-for-plus-35c-temperatures Wed, 12 Aug 2026 13:42:33 +0200 europes-latest-heatwave-more-than-90-million-set-for-plus-35c-temperatures Bopping to Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley in a Roman square, an elderly dancing duo has become a viral sensation in Italy – something they hope will inspire other seniors to take up a more active lifestyle. https://www.thelocal.it/20260813/italian-senior-couple-dancing-in-roman-piazza-become-internet-sensation Thu, 13 Aug 2026 16:22:26 +0200 italian-senior-couple-dancing-in-roman-piazza-become-internet-sensation Eurovision Song Contest organisers announced Wednesday that they were excluding any country in an armed conflict from hosting the competition, as the Bulgarian Black Sea city of Burgas will host Eurovision 2027. https://www.thelocal.it/20260813/eurovision-to-bar-countries-at-war-from-hosting Thu, 13 Aug 2026 09:35:09 +0200 eurovision-to-bar-countries-at-war-from-hosting Spectacular images of lava flowing down the slopes of an erupting Mount Etna have drawn flocks of sometimes ill-equipped tourists to the Italian volcano – drawing concern from local guides. https://www.thelocal.it/20260813/safety-warnings-as-tourists-rush-to-erupting-mount-etna Thu, 13 Aug 2026 09:26:10 +0200 safety-warnings-as-tourists-rush-to-erupting-mount-etna New EU restrictions on toxic substances known as "forever chemicals" in food packaging kicked in Wednesday along with broader rules on cutting packaging waste in the bloc. https://www.thelocal.it/20260812/eu-curbs-on-forever-chemicals-in-food-packaging-kick-in Wed, 12 Aug 2026 16:28:43 +0200 eu-curbs-on-forever-chemicals-in-food-packaging-kick-in Travel giant TUI said Wednesday that bookings were returning to normal levels despite the ongoing Mideast war, as it presented its latest financial results. https://www.thelocal.it/20260812/war-impact-on-european-travel-bookings-fading Wed, 12 Aug 2026 15:47:05 +0200 war-impact-on-european-travel-bookings-fading For hundreds of people recently kicked out of a social centre in Rome, extreme heat is proving an added strain on top of a dispute highlighting the Italian capital's housing crisis. https://www.thelocal.it/20260812/heatwave-hits-evicted-families-sleeping-rough-in-rome Wed, 12 Aug 2026 09:02:53 +0200 heatwave-hits-evicted-families-sleeping-rough-in-rome Italian police said Monday they had arrested a businessman who had ties to the former premier Silvio Berlusconi for ordering a bomb attack targeting prominent television journalist Sigfrido Ranucci last year. https://www.thelocal.it/20260810/italy-arrests-former-berlusconi-associate-over-journalist-bomb-attack Mon, 10 Aug 2026 16:15:18 +0200 italy-arrests-former-berlusconi-associate-over-journalist-bomb-attack With scorching temperatures breaking records across Europe this summer, The Local has put together tried and tested tips for surviving heatwaves from southern Europe, where locals have had decades of practice coping with the heat. https://www.thelocal.it/20260810/gelato-for-lunch-bedlinen-in-the-freezer-heatwave-tips-from-southern-europe Mon, 10 Aug 2026 15:46:06 +0200 gelato-for-lunch-bedlinen-in-the-freezer-heatwave-tips-from-southern-europe Western Europe experienced its hottest June-July on record as climate change fuels an historic summer of heat, drought and wildfires across the region, the EU's global warming monitor said Monday. https://www.thelocal.it/20260810/western-europe-experienced-hottest-june-july-on-record Mon, 10 Aug 2026 10:35:47 +0200 western-europe-experienced-hottest-june-july-on-record Spain on Saturday started border checks on travellers arriving from Italy, responding to similar measures Rome imposed following a massive migrant rush into the Spanish north African enclave of Ceuta. https://www.thelocal.it/20260809/spain-starts-border-checks-on-italy-after-migrant-row Sun, 09 Aug 2026 08:18:26 +0200 spain-starts-border-checks-on-italy-after-migrant-row The EU's tech chief called on Meta and TikTok to "act decisively" to stem disinformation at times of crisis, saying the European Commission held talks with both platforms Friday following last week's Ceuta migrant surge. https://www.thelocal.it/20260808/eu-tells-meta-tiktok-to-boost-monitoring-fact-checking Sat, 08 Aug 2026 16:00:28 +0200 eu-tells-meta-tiktok-to-boost-monitoring-fact-checking Thousands of people gathered outside a Milan church Tuesday to pay tribute to Italian football great Franco Baresi, who died last week aged 66. https://www.thelocal.it/20260805/thousands-pay-tribute-to-italian-football-legend-baresi Wed, 05 Aug 2026 10:18:54 +0200 thousands-pay-tribute-to-italian-football-legend-baresi The Italian government released €100 million ($115 million) in aid to tackle damage caused by last week's earthquake in the Naples area, the civil protection minister said on Tuesday. https://www.thelocal.it/20260805/italy-announces-e100-million-aid-for-quake-hit-areas Wed, 05 Aug 2026 08:55:45 +0200 italy-announces-e100-million-aid-for-quake-hit-areas A €1 million lottery ticket was recovered from the trash in Italy after the frantic winner called on garbagemen to help her retrieve it, the waste management company told AFP. https://www.thelocal.it/20260804/italian-binmen-help-recover-lost-e1-million-lottery-ticket Tue, 04 Aug 2026 16:37:00 +0200 italian-binmen-help-recover-lost-e1-million-lottery-ticket Spain and fellow EU nations moved to bury the hatchet Tuesday after a mass influx of migrants into the North African enclave of Ceuta laid bare fault lines on migration within the 27-nation bloc. https://www.thelocal.it/20260803/eu-chief-urges-united-action-on-borders-after-spains-ceuta-migrant-rush Mon, 03 Aug 2026 15:09:23 +0200 eu-chief-urges-united-action-on-borders-after-spains-ceuta-migrant-rush AI watermarking and deepfake labelling will soon be required by law in the EU as the transparency part of the bloc’s sweeping AI Act comes into force on August 2nd. https://www.thelocal.it/20260727/explained-eus-new-rules-on-ai-deepfakes-and-chatbots Mon, 27 Jul 2026 11:38:09 +0200 explained-eus-new-rules-on-ai-deepfakes-and-chatbots Italy is placing nearly all of its major cities under the highest alert for heat from Monday, as a fresh heatwave grips the country, authorities said on Saturday. https://www.thelocal.it/20260801/italy-puts-nearly-all-cities-on-highest-alert-over-heat Sat, 01 Aug 2026 16:40:05 +0200 italy-puts-nearly-all-cities-on-highest-alert-over-heat