Tag: Italy

Abandoned at birth, little Alba had already been refused by more than 20 families awaiting adoption when along came Luca, single, gay and now the proud father of this little girl with down syndrome. This 41-year-old from Naples in Italy had always wanted to be a father but in Italy, adoption is only allowed for

Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini has banned another rescue ship carrying forty migrants from entering Italian waters. The Alan Kurdi is run by German charity Sea-Eye and is heading towards Lampedusa. It is currently travelling towards the Italian island and will arrive in the afternoon of August 1. This rescue mission comes shortly after more than one-hundred migrants were allowed to disembark from a different boat in Sicily. But they were only able to do so after a new deal...

Italy said on Wednesday it would allow an Italian coastguard ship to finally disembark 116 migrants who were stranded for days in a Sicilian port, ending its latest standoff with the European Union over migration policy. Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said he had reached a deal with the EU for Germany, France, Portugal, Luxembourg and Ireland to take in the asylum seekers who were rescued at sea last week. The Bruno Gregoretti coastguard ship was given permission to dock but...

An Italian MP faces losing her seat in parliament for being elected under her birth name, and after claiming the rights to her true identity. The case involves Piera Aiello, the first anti-mafia witness elected to the Chamber of Deputies in Italy's history. For 27 years, Aiello lived in a secret location under an assumed name as part of a witness protection programme hiding her from the Mafia. But the 52-year-old, whose testimonies against the notorious crime syndicate led to dozens of...

Italy is engaged in another standoff with the European Union over migrants in the Mediterranean, refusing to allow 115 Africans to disembark in Sicily. They are on board the Bruno Gregoretti, an Italian coastguard vessel that took them last Thursday after they had been saved off Malta. The European Commission says efforts are underway to find other EU countries who can take them in. The migrants had been in two groups in rubber dinghies that had got into trouble after leaving...

Boris Johnson is set to become the UK's prime minister after outgoing leader Theresa May resigns later today. The 55-year-old former journalist is facing a challenging period as soon as he steps into the role with the looming Brexit deadline approaching at the end of October. So how has Europe's media reacted to the new appointment? BELGIUM De Morgen "The EU is not afraid of Johnson." De Tijd "Boris Johnson has 100 days to prepare for Brexit." L'Echo "The 100 days of Bojo before a hard Brexit." FRANCE Le Figaro "Boris...

Three new crewmembers will lift off for the International Space Station on the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. NASA astronaut Andrew Morgan, Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano from the European Space Agency and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov are due to lift off in a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmosdrone in Kazakhstan. You can watch the launch live in the video player above, from 18.20 CEST. The three crew members are expected to arrive at the ISS at around 11:50pm...

The University of Basilicata has joined several other academic institutes in Italy in allowing transgender students to self-identify on official documents. The University will also allow them to use their preferred pronouns and chosen name. The measure, known as carriera alias, means that trans students who have not yet gender transitioned will still be correctly identified, and it is hoped this will lead to a more positive academic experience for them. However, although trans students will be correctly identified on all...

A newly-elected MEP has called Italy's Matteo Salvini a coward over his stance on migration. Magid Magid made the outburst during a fierce debate in Strasbourg ahead of an emergency meeting of European interior ministers on how to tackle the migration issue. France and Germany have again suggested creating a coalition of the willing: a group of countries that would systematically admit migrants whenever they disembark from rescue ships. The idea — a temporary solution — would be for the...

Soothing surroundings, the latest spa treatments and thermal baths: there are plenty of great options both here in the UK and further afield in Europe for a relaxing trip. Pair it with culturally rich locations nearby and you’ve got yourself a holiday that will renew both mind and body. STAY – BATH While a trip to Bath will confirm its inherent Britishness, the city is a continental wonder and wouldn’t look out of place in Italy or France. Her regency façade draws...

The start of the summer holidays has meant the start of summer tailbacks. In Croatia, increased traffic from Italy and Slovenia has meant 4 km long queues at border crossings Kaštel and Plovanija, as well as Rupa and Pasjak and at toll booths in Lučko and Demerje heading towards Zagreb. In Austria, a measure is due to come into force preventing travellers from Germany from leaving the A10 motorway near Salzburg to escape the congestion at weekends. It's a bid to help...

Flippo Magnini / Image via Instagram @filomagno82 A former Italian Olympic swimmer is being praised for saving a married gay man from drowning. According to the BBC, 45-year-old Andrea Benedetto recently married his boyfriend in Cagliari, Italy. The two were then celebrating with a beach trip on the island of Sardinia. But disaster struck while on the water. The pair were sitting in an inflatable unicorn when Benedetto fell into the water, which was colder than expected. Even worse, Benedetto was incapable...

Doctors used a lasso to pull out a 23-inch dildo from an Italian man’s butt. According to a published British Medical Journal Case report, an unnamed man appeared at an Italian hospital with a 23-inch dildo stuck inside of him. After trying to get the dildo out of himself for 24 hours, the man decided to seek professional help at ASST Great Metropolitan Hospital in Niguarda, Italy. When he got there, he only shared that he had mild abdominal paid. Of...

A 19-year-old Italian gay man was savagely beaten by an unidentified attacker in a popular nighttime area of the city of Turin on Saturday. The teenager, who was only identified by the fictitious name Alberto in the Italian press, and a female friend were on their way to meet other friends when a group of people approached them near an crowded station of the underground. One of the guys, who appeared to be in his early 20s, mocked the way...