Italy

ROME-- Hundreds of so-called ‘recession widows’ and their supporters marched in Bologna to draw attention to the spate of suicides precipitated by the financial crisis.

ROME --  “I’ll be home late tonight, there’s an important meeting.” “Sure darling, I’ll keep the minestrone warm for you.” “Did they fix the sink?”

ROME--  Doctors report that ex-prime minister Giulio Andreotti has passed a "peaceful" night in hospital, where he was admitted with heart problems.

ROME -- A Genoa court has sentenced a parish priest to just under 10 years in prison for child sex abuse.

ROME-- Seven-time prime minister and senator for life Giulio Andreotti has been rushed to hospital with heart problems said to be complications of a respiratory infection.

ROME-- Italians are being encouraged to report wasteful public spending online as part of a new initiative which aims to save over 2.1bn euros by the end of the year.

ROME -- Meredith Kercher’s father, John, has published a book about his daughter and his family’s gruelling experience during the investigation into her murder.

ROME -- Until Aug. 27, the Leopold Museum in Vienna hosts the exhibition 'Klimt persönlich', dedicated to the great master Gustav Klimt, one of the finest contributors to Art Nouveau.

ROME--  Two men were stabbed inside the church of Santa Maria in Trastevere at a free lunch for the area’s poor and homeless on Sunday.

Italy is known for its macho, misogynistic culture, not at all helped by its former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's 'bunga bunga' antics.

The FAO's new chief has taken promising steps toward reversing the demoralisation that stymied the UN agency under the pisspoor leadership of Jacques Diouf.

ROME-- In just four months, more than 50 women have been murdered in Italy in what is being described as a "social emergency".

ROME -- A cat loving charity is organising a 12 day tour of Italy’s cultural and catty hotspots.

ROME -- Finnish flag carrier Finnair has reported excellent financial results for the first quarter of 2012 for its Italy branch.

ROME -- The United Nations Security Council has adopted a resolution which enables an observer mission in Syria. Italy has announced its support of the mission.

ROME – While celebrating the 67^thAnniversary of Liberation Day many Italians will be wondering why their democratic country is being managed by unelected technocrats. 

ROME -- Italy does parties very well -- as we all know, the festive kind have been around at least since the pre-Roman Etruscan triumphs.

ROME -- Prime Minister Mario Monti has set himself three major tasks so far -- The first was the austerity budget, which he called “Save Italy,” passed in November and now is beginning to bite.

ROME -- The cemetery for non-Catholics in Rome rivals Highgate in London and the Père Lachaise in Paris as an assembly of extraordinary figures, with John Keats the most renowned.

ROME -- The grand finale of the ‘Days of Azerbaijani Culture’ programme was a concert promoting the culture of Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku.

Pope Benedict XVI this month celebrated his 85^th birthday, making him the sixth oldest pontiff since 1295, and his seventh anniversary as pontiff.

ROME -- Valter Lavitola, linked to a sex scandal involving former Italian Prime Minister and media mogul Silvio Berlusconi, has returned to Italy to face a host of criminal charges.

ROME -- Finnish Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen met the head of Italy's technocrat government, Prime Minister Mario Monti, in Rome.