News | Latest Breaking News Stories & Headlines

Lufthansa has finalised its acquisition of a 41% stake in Italian state-owned airline ITA Airways

Lufthansa finalises acquisition of 41% stake in ITA

Lufthansa has finalised its acquisition of a 41% stake in Italian state-owned airline ITA after European antitrust remedies were put in place, in a deal designed to boost the carrier's presence in the lucrative southern European market.

Business • 20 Jan 25

People sit outside restaurants and cafes on Capri Island, Italy

Italy to curb 'fake' online hotel and restaurant reviews

Italy's government has announced a draft law to regulate online reviews of hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions, in a bid to stop fake or paid reviewers.

World • 14 Jan 25

Lufthansa is set to buy 41% of Italy's ITA, the successor airline to bankrupt Alitalia, for €325m

Lufthansa to buy stake in Italy's ITA next week - source

Lufthansa is set to acquire a stake in Italian state-owned airline ITA Airways on January 13, a source familiar with the situation told Reuters today, bringing to a close years of talks.

Business • 08 Jan 25

Giorgia Meloni sought to buttress ties with Donald Trump before his inauguration on 20 January

Italian Prime Minister Meloni meets Donald Trump

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni flew to Florida to meet President-elect Donald Trump yesterday, as the key European leader sought to buttress ties with Mr Trump before his inauguration on 20 January.

World • 06 Jan 25

Stellantis, which was created in 2021 from the merger of Fiat Chrysler and France's PSA-Peugeot, last year manufactured 475,090 vehicles in Italy, down from 751,384 in 2023

Stellantis Italy output slows by 37% in 2024

Vehicle production by car maker Stellantis in Italy fell by 37% last year, hit in particular by a steep plunge in car manufacturing, union figures showed today.

Business • 03 Jan 25

Those who defy the new prohibition could be fined between €40 to €240

Milan prohibits all outdoor smoking as ban takes effect

Smokers in Italian city of Milan risk being fined for lighting up on city streets or crowded public areas, after the country's toughest ban came into effect.

Europe • 02 Jan 25

Geox said it is expecting yearly revenues above €850m by 2029, compared with €720m in 2023

Italian shoemaker Geox to invest €125m in five-year plan

Italian shoemaker Geox plans to invest about €120m as part of an industrial plan to 2029 and has signed a five-year deal with a leading Chinese operator to expand its presence in the country.

Business • 31 Dec 24

Villa Spada was bought by the government in 1946 as the residence of the Ambassador to the Vatican (Credit: DFA)

Issues with Rome embassy pool described as a 'debacle'

An official in Rome described issues with the Irish embassy's swimming poll a "debacle"

State Papers • 30 Dec 24

Cecilia Sala, works for newspaper Il Foglio and for podcast company Chora Media

Italian journalist arrested in Iran, says Italy

An Italian journalist has been under arrest in Iran for more than a week, Italy's foreign ministry said, adding it was following the case with the "utmost attention".

World • 27 Dec 24

The Vasari Corridor was closed for eight years

Medici secret passageway in Florence reopens after refit

A secret passageway built 500 years ago to allow the Medici family to pass through the Italian city of Florence unhindered is reopening to the public after a €10m restoration.

World • 21 Dec 24

Italy's UniCredi has raised its stake in Germany's Commerzbank to 28% using derivatives

Germany rejects UniCredit's new Commerzbank stake hike

Germany has rejected UniCredit's latest Commerzbank stake increase as an "uncoordinated and unfriendly approach", strongly rebuking the Italian bank.

Business • 19 Dec 24

Ottavia Piana spent four days trapped underground before being rescued

Italian caver rescued again, after four days underground

An emergency team said they had rescued an injured Italian caver trapped underground for four days - the second time the woman has had to be carried out of the same cave.

World • 18 Dec 24

Lamborghini, a unit of Volkswagen, had previously said its first EV was due in 2028.

Lamborghini delays first EV launch to 2029

Italy's Lamborghini will always make cars in Italy as it plans to launch its first electric model only in 2029, amid a market for luxury sports cars which is not ripe for full electrification, CEO Stephan Winkelmann said today.

Business • 16 Dec 24

Stellantis is set to extend the stoppage of car production at its Mirafiori plant in Italy until January 20

Stellantis to extend stoppage at Mirafiori plant - union

Stellantis will extend the stoppage of car production at its Italian Mirafiori plant by a further two weeks, until January 20, the head of the FIOM-Cgil trade union at the site said today.

Business • 12 Dec 24

Sister Anna Donelli was a volunteer in Milan's San Vittore prison

Italian nun arrested for suspected mafia collusion

Italian police have arrested a nun known for her prison work, and 24 other people, as part of an investigation into the 'Ndrangheta mafia.

Europe • 05 Dec 24

Floral tributes laid at the foot of a banner bearing a photograph of Giulia Cecchettin who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend

Life jail term for killer in femicide that outraged Italy

A student who admitted murdering his ex-girlfriend in a brutal case that sparked outrage and soul searching in Italy has been sentenced to life in prison.

Europe • 03 Dec 24

UniCredit said the buyout offer for Banco BPM was independent of its proposed investment in Germany's Commerzbank

UniCredit launches surprise €10 billion bid for Banco BPM

Italy's UniCredit has today launched a surprise €10 billion bid for domestic peer Banco BPM, which CEO Andrea Orcel said would take precedence over any potential move on Germany's Commerzbank.

Business • 25 Nov 24

Lufthansa in July won EU antitrust approval to buy 41% of Italy's ITA Airways, the successor airline to bankrupt Alitalia, for €325m

ITA's finances improving, all set for Lufthansa deal

Italy's ITA Airways is heading for a full-year profit and is in good financial shape for a planned tie-up with Lufthansa which can yield significant synergies, the Italian carrier's chairman Antonino Turicchi said in a newspaper interview today.

Business • 20 Nov 24

Ryanair has pledged to refund Italian customers who in 2021-2023 filed a complaint about a €55 surcharge, and pay back €15 or give a €20 voucher to all passengers who paid the fee during the period

Italian regulator drops Ryanair case after refund pledge

Italy's antitrust authority (AGCM) has dropped a case against Ryanair after the low-cost airline committed to refund more than €1.5m to customers who incurred in extra check-in costs.

Business • 14 Nov 24

Lufthansa Group has submitted a package of remedies to the European Commission needed to secure EU antitrust approval to take a minority stake in Italy's ITA Airways

Lufthansa nears deal to buy Italy's ITA Airways

Germany's Lufthansa Group said it had submitted a package of remedies to the European Commission needed to secure EU antitrust approval to take a minority stake in Italy's ITA Airways, bringing it a step closer to closing the deal.

Business • 12 Nov 24

Trenitalia said the train had to take a slower route due to maintenance on the usual line

Train in Italy leaves early to arrive on time

Passengers of an high-speed train in Italy were left stranded after it departed almost one hour early - so it could arrive on time, the operator has acknowledged.

News Lens • 11 Nov 24

Stellantis to halt production at Mirafiori for longer

Carmaker Stellantis will once again halt car production in December at its Mirafiori plant in Turin, for at least another month, daily MF reported today, citing two sources.

Business • 08 Nov 24

Monte dei Paschi has begun benefitting from deferred tax assets (DTAs) accumulated during years of steep losses

Monte dei Paschi posts stronger than expected Q3 profits

Italian bank Monte dei Paschi di Siena has today reported a larger than expected 31% yearly rise in profit for the third quarter of the year, as income from its lending business performed strongly in the period.

Business • 08 Nov 24

Ferrari said its shipments declined 2% to 3,383 units in the third quarter, with a 29% decrease in China

Ferrari's core profit rises 7%, helped by product mix

A richer model lineup and increased demand for personalisation continued to support growth at Ferrari, which today reported a 7% core earnings increase in the third quarter, despite a slight drop in car shipments.

Business • 05 Nov 24

Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares at the Paris car show earlier this year

Stellantis revenues slide as it cuts bloated inventories

Reduced shipments and lower pricing power slashed Stellantis revenue by 27% in the third quarter, the car maker said today as it seeks to fix bloated inventories and poor commercial performance that led to a major profit warning last month.

Business • 31 Oct 24