Italy

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Cops Bust Dating Scam in 'Operation Casanova'

More than 2 dozen are under arrest in Italy, accused of scamming women online

(Newser) - Their jobs as pilots, sea captains, military or Interpol officials kept them on the go, unable to meet the women they were wooing online in person. That would happen, they told their victims, but first, they needed money for an emergency, such as a child's illness. Police in Italy...

Rome Museum Receives Apology From US Tourist

She confessed to swiping ancient Roman marble 3 years ago

(Newser) - A Canadian woman who returned artifacts swiped from Pompeii after experiencing terrible luck may have started a trend. The National Roman Museum says it recently received a chunk of ancient marble in a package sent from Atlanta, Georgia, along with a note in which a woman apologized for being an...

Pope John Paul II&#39;s Blood Stolen in Broad Daylight
Pope John Paul II's Blood 
Stolen in Broad Daylight
in case you missed it

Pope John Paul II's Blood Stolen in Broad Daylight

Cops have a suspect, who's been known to lift sacred relics, but vial of blood is still missing

(Newser) - Pope John Paul II died more than 15 years ago, but people still try to get their hands on relics of the Polish pontiff when they can—even his blood. That's what a man from Tuscany is accused of swiping, and Italian authorities are now trying to track down...

Look What Just Turned Up in Pompeii
Look What Just
Turned Up in
Pompeii

Look What Just Turned Up in Pompeii

'The victims were probably looking for shelter'

(Newser) - Skeletal remains of what are believed to have been a rich man and his male slave attempting to escape death from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius nearly 2,000 years ago have been discovered in Pompeii, officials at the archaeological park in Italy said Saturday. Parts of the skulls and...

After Friend Falls to His Death, Man Gets COVID Fine

Runners had breached Italian restrictions

(Newser) - An Italian man's run in the Alps with a friend ended in tragedy—and a fine of around $500 for breaching coronavirus restrictions. Simone Massetti, 34, fell around 650 feet to his death during the run on Mt. Palino Saturday, the BBC reports. After Castello Dell'Acqua called for...

Italy Puts 'Economic Engine' Under Lockdown

Premier Giuseppe Conte says, 'United, we can do it'

(Newser) - Four Italian regions are being put under "red-zone" lockdown, with severe limits imposed on the circumstances under which people can leave home, Premier Giuseppe Conte announced on Wednesday night, the AP reports. What he called "very stringent" restrictions begin on Friday for Lombardy, Piedmont, and Valle d'Aosta...

In One Nation, Infected Doctors Are Asked to Keep Working

Overwhelmed Belgium needs asymptomatic medical workers to continue treating people

(Newser) - A sign of how bad things are in Belgium in regard to COVID-19: Doctors and nurses who've tested positive but have no symptoms are being asked to continue working in some overwhelmed hospitals, reports the Washington Post . "The situation is catastrophic," says an ICU doctor in the...

Mob Allegedly Plotted to Kill Mayor, Her Family

Virginia Raggi says she's become a target of organized crime

(Newser) - The mayor of Rome announced Monday that the mob was plotting to kill her and her family, Reuters reports. Virginia Raggi said in a pre-recorded TV interview that she has been fighting powerful organized crime families that operate in the city, and that the Casamonica family targeted her after she...

Discovery of Intact Brain Cells From 79 AD Is &#39;Unprecedented&#39;
Discovery of Intact Brain Cells
From 79 AD Is 'Unprecedented'
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Discovery of Intact Brain Cells From 79 AD Is 'Unprecedented'

25-year-old man died when Mount Vesuvius erupted

(Newser) - The skeleton of a man killed when Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD 79 was discovered in the 1960s. But it was only recently that a forensic anthropologist made another startling discovery: "incredibly well-preserved" brain cells in the man's skull. Pier Paolo Petrone was working around the skull in...

In Italy, Masks Are Now Mandatory Outdoors

Offenders face fines of more than $1K

(Newser) - Italy imposed a nationwide outdoor mask mandate Wednesday with fines of up to 1,000 euros ($1,163) for violators, as the European country where COVID-19 first hit hard scrambles to keep rebounding infections from spiraling out of control. The government passed the decree even though Italy’s overall per...

Boy's Suicide Linked to Macabre Online Challenge

But media reports should be viewed with some skepticism

(Newser) - A boy's suicide has been linked to a possible online "horror challenge" enticing children to take their own lives—if, that is, such challenges even exist. ANSA reports that an 11-year-old boy killed himself Wednesday by jumping off a balcony at his family's home in Naples, Italy....

Italian Official: 'Escape Genius' Bear 'Must Live Free'

He says 'Papillon' shouldn't be treated like a criminal

(Newser) - An "escape genius" bear in Italy is back in a wildlife enclosure after being recaptured for a third time—but friends in high places might help "Papillon" win his freedom permanently. Sergio Costa, Italy's environment minister, said Wednesday that it "hurts to know Papillon is in...

Bottle of Sand Just Cost This Guy $1.2K

French tourist wasn't successful in bid to take home 4.4 pounds of the stuff from Sardinia

(Newser) - Since 2017, taking sand home as a souvenir from the beaches of Sardinia has been illegal —but yet another visitor to the Italian island apparently didn't get that memo. Local authorities say a French tourist was busted at Cagliari Elmas Airport on Sept. 1, trying to leave with...

Man Who 'Terrorized Rome' for Years Escapes Jail a 4th Time

Giuseppe Mastini has been convicted of multiple murders

(Newser) - Giuseppe Mastini has been convicted of multiple murders—and he just escaped from jail for the fourth time. Mastini, 60, who "terrorized Rome," per the Guardian , in the 1970s and 1980s, was on day release from a high-security Italian prison and failed to return at the appointed time...

'Escape Genius' Bear Recaptured After 42 Days

Wildlife groups say they will fight for Papillon's freedom

(Newser) - One of Italy's most famous escape artists is back behind bars, 42 days after he busted out of maximum security. M49, described by the Guardian as "Europe's most wanted bear," was captured by rangers in Trento province with a "tube trap" device Monday. The bear...

Berlusconi Hospitalized With COVID-19

Aide says 83-year-old is in for 'monitoring'

(Newser) - Former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi, who has a history of heart and other medical problems, was admitted to a Milan hospital early Friday as a precaution to monitor his coronavirus infection, a top aide said. Sen. Lucia Ronzulli told RAI state TV Friday morning that the media mogul, 83, who...

Stranded Refugees Get Italy&#39;s Help
Refugees Swamp
Tiny Italian Island

Refugees Swamp Tiny Italian Island

Protest meets arrivals, as mayor says nation has no plan

(Newser) - Italy dispatched a coast guard patrol in the Mediterranean Sea to save refugees stranded on a bright pink rescue boat—painted and funded by Banksy, the British street artist. But now there's another problem. The hundreds of evacuees have overwhelmed the shelters on the small island they were ferried...

Millionaire COVID Skeptic Now Has the Virus

Flavio Briatore's nightclub has been tied to dozens of COVID-19 cases

(Newser) - A man who Reuters calls "one of Italy’s most flamboyant businessmen" and who the Times of London dubs "one of Italy's leading COVID skeptics" has been hospitalized in stable condition in Milan after testing positive for the coronavirus—this after railing against the measures his country...

Garbage Falls in Italy, but There's All That PPE

UN, environmental groups warn of danger to seas from microplastics

(Newser) - Italy produced 10% less garbage during its coronavirus lockdown, but environmentalists warn that increased reliance on disposable masks and packaging is imperiling efforts to curb single-use plastics that end up in oceans and seas. Researchers estimate that during the peak months of Italy's lockdown in March and April, the...

Europe Doesn't Quite Get US Response to Virus

Italy reconsiders its envy of the American model

(Newser) - The US failure to contain the spread of the coronavirus has been met with astonishment and alarm in Europe, as the world's most powerful country edges closer to a global record of 5 million confirmed infections. Perhaps nowhere outside the US is America's bungled virus response viewed with...

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