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 vice president of Italy’s senate, Five Star Movement politician Paola Taverna, came under fire on Monday when it transpired that her eighty year old mother has for years been illicitly living in Rome's public housing despite the family owning several other properties. https://www.thelocal.it/20181009/high-earning-italian-senator-slammed-for-keeping-mother-in-public-housing Tue, 09 Oct 2018 19:40:00 +0200 high-earning-italian-senator-slammed-for-keeping-mother-in-public-housing Italian international footballer Mario Balotelli has blasted the country's first black senator, who was elected in Sunday's general ballot for the far-right, anti-immigrant League party. https://www.thelocal.it/20180307/mario-balotelli-toni-iwobi-italy-first-black-senator Wed, 07 Mar 2018 16:38:20 +0100 mario-balotelli-toni-iwobi-italy-first-black-senator Italy has elected the first black senator in its history, it was announced on Tuesday, and he belongs to the anti-immigration League. https://www.thelocal.it/20180306/italy-elects-first-black-senator-toni-iwobi-league Tue, 06 Mar 2018 18:56:34 +0100 italy-elects-first-black-senator-toni-iwobi-league A bill presented in Italy's Senate on Wednesday proposed introducing fines and prison sentences for those behind fake news reports or hate campaigns - but the text has been widely criticized by lawyers and digital experts. https://www.thelocal.it/20170216/italy-mulls-introducing-fake-news-fines Thu, 16 Feb 2017 21:44:29 +0100 italy-mulls-introducing-fake-news-fines Married couples in Italy will no longer have to promise to be faithful to each other, if a new bill is approved. https://www.thelocal.it/20161215/married-italians-might-no-longer-have-to-promise-to-be-faithful Thu, 15 Dec 2016 16:08:04 +0100 married-italians-might-no-longer-have-to-promise-to-be-faithful Italy's parliament on Wednesday endorsed a new government tipped to be so short-lived that its inauguration was seen as the start of battle for the next election. https://www.thelocal.it/20161214/italy-parliament-approves-new-government-election-battle Wed, 14 Dec 2016 17:47:51 +0100 italy-parliament-approves-new-government-election-battle On Sunday, Italians go to the polls to decide whether or not to vote through a set of changes to the country's constitution. It's a referendum likely to have major consequences for both Italy and Europe - here are the key facts you need to know. https://www.thelocal.it/20161202/italy-referendum-cheat-sheet-seven-key-facts-to-know Fri, 02 Dec 2016 09:58:52 +0100 italy-referendum-cheat-sheet-seven-key-facts-to-know The justice committee of Italy’s lower house of parliament on Wednesday approved the Senate version of a hotly-contested same-sex unions bill, paving the way for the lower house to begin examining the bill’s full text on May 9th. https://www.thelocal.it/20160505/italys-long-awaited-gay-unions-bill-final-vote-lower-house-law Thu, 05 May 2016 13:38:47 +0200 italys-long-awaited-gay-unions-bill-final-vote-lower-house-law A "super-amendment" to a civil unions bill was passed in a vote of confidence in the Senate on Thursday, paving the way for the contested bill to become law. https://www.thelocal.it/20160225/live-italy-set-for-crunch-vote-on-gay-unions Thu, 25 Feb 2016 15:50:52 +0100 live-italy-set-for-crunch-vote-on-gay-unions The timing couldn't be better for Italy, especially as it flirts with economic collapse, to finally come good on giving gay people their rights. https://www.thelocal.it/20160219/gay-unions-will-italy-blow-this-chance-to-boost-its-image Fri, 19 Feb 2016 11:57:48 +0100 gay-unions-will-italy-blow-this-chance-to-boost-its-image Thirty senators from the ruling Democratic Party have opposed gay adoption as part of Italy’s civil unions bill, giving premier Matteo Renzi another hurdle in getting the landmark legislation passed. https://www.thelocal.it/20160114/gay-civil-unions-face-defeat-in-italy-as-left-wing-catholics-rebel Thu, 14 Jan 2016 17:25:20 +0100 gay-civil-unions-face-defeat-in-italy-as-left-wing-catholics-rebel Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi was poised for a historic victory on Tuesday as the Senate votes to relinquish most of its power in a revolutionary move to end decades of political instability. https://www.thelocal.it/20151013/italy-senate-to-vote-on-own-demise-in-coup-for-renzi Tue, 13 Oct 2015 09:38:36 +0200 italy-senate-to-vote-on-own-demise-in-coup-for-renzi The head of Italy's Senate on Tuesday rejected the more than 70 million computer-generated amendments submitted by the anti-immigrant Northern League to a government-sponsored constitutional reform bill. https://www.thelocal.it/20150929/italy-senate-rejects-millions-of-proposed-changes-to-reform-bill Tue, 29 Sep 2015 16:57:16 +0200 italy-senate-rejects-millions-of-proposed-changes-to-reform-bill Italy's far-right, anti-euro Northern League party on Wednesday submitted more than 82 million computer-generated amendments to a draft constitutional reform in a bid to trump the bill. https://www.thelocal.it/20150923/82-million-amendments-stall-renzis-reform Wed, 23 Sep 2015 17:44:56 +0200 82-million-amendments-stall-renzis-reform Italy’s former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi said the axing of his €8,000 a month parliamentary pension was the latest “insult” against him. So much so, because he gave the money to charity. https://www.thelocal.it/20150716/berlusconi-slams-pension-cut-as-an-insult Thu, 16 Jul 2015 15:22:39 +0200 berlusconi-slams-pension-cut-as-an-insult Senators on Wednesday gave its backing to an anti-corruption bill, set to tighten controls on fraud in public administration following a wave of scandals. https://www.thelocal.it/20150402/italy-senate-backs-anti-corruption-bill Thu, 02 Apr 2015 11:46:47 +0200 italy-senate-backs-anti-corruption-bill The Italian Senate on Wednesday approved a bill to allow couples to divorce after six months of separation, a drastic reduction of proceedings currently in place. https://www.thelocal.it/20150319/italian-senate-approves-speedy-divorce Thu, 19 Mar 2015 10:41:03 +0100 italian-senate-approves-speedy-divorce Would-be comeback kid Silvio Berlusconi challenged Italy's Matteo Renzi on Tuesday and lost, as the prime minister won a key vote on his reforms programme, deepening cracks within the already-weak centre right. https://www.thelocal.it/20150310/berlusconi-tantrum-fails-to-stop-reforms Tue, 10 Mar 2015 15:27:43 +0100 berlusconi-tantrum-fails-to-stop-reforms Italy's local councils are increasingly being intimidated by the mafia and other criminals, a new Senate investigation has found. https://www.thelocal.it/20150306/italys-councils-face-growing-intimidation Fri, 06 Mar 2015 14:56:03 +0100 italys-councils-face-growing-intimidation Italian senators on Wednesday voted in favour of a bill criminalizing Holocaust denial, following changes to the proposed law to protect freedom of speech. https://www.thelocal.it/20150211/italy-senate-moves-to-outlaw-holocaust-denial Wed, 11 Feb 2015 17:04:00 +0100 italy-senate-moves-to-outlaw-holocaust-denial