Italy: Drone spots suspected wildfire arsonist

 

A man has been detained after he was spotted by a drone near a recently started wildfire in Calabria, Italy.

The footage was released by authorities in the region, who said a number of recent wildfires were a result of arson.

Italy's right-wing government targets another enemy

Italy is arguing over what constitutes a family. Its right-wing government is putting pressure on gay couples with children.

Giorgia Meloni set to become Italy's most right-wing leader since WWII

Italians have begun casting their ballots in a vote that's expected to bring seismic change. Far-right candidate Giorgia Meloni is forecast to top the poll, and become Italy's most right-wing leader since World War Two, and its first female prime minister.

'Europe must not become an American or a Chinese colony' says former Italian PM Letta

In an exclusive interview with DW's Nina Haase, Enrico Letta talks about the role of Italy within the EU and how it would change if a right-wing coalition under Georgia Meloni from the Brothers of Italy were to win the elections this week.

 

Italy mandates COVID pass, Australia to re-open borders - pandemic latest

 

COVID has upended our routines and lives, and it has left many without the activities that make their lives more fulfilling. We look at what you can do to stay happy during the pandemic.

Conservation vs. economy – the marble quarries of Carrara

 

Italy’s Carrara marble quarries are a source of controversy, pitting nature against economic gain. Environmentalists warn of overexploitation, while others defend the jobs these Tuscan quarries provide.

Bergamo, where the horrors of COVID-19 in Europe started

 Army trucks taking away the bodies of COVID-19 victims. And new infections and deaths reported every day. Until March 2020, these were images only seen in China where the virus felt far away.

Italy’s COVID Hotline: Inside a pandemic call centre

An Italian Carabinieri volunteer fields desperate phone calls during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

Max is a film producer in Milan, Italy. At the end of February 2020, his life takes an unexpected turn when Italy becomes the epicentre of the first wave of the novel coronavirus in Europe.

When the Italian film industry is forced to close, Max is compelled to resume his voluntary service with the Carabinieri, Italy’s widely respected military-run police force.

 

Violent protests erupt in Italy over coronavirus restrictions | DW News

 

Italy has been hit by a wave of protests against a new round of government restrictions aimed at containing the coronavirus. Clashes broke out in Milan, Turin and several other cities Monday evening.

Are EU countries using COVID-19 to clamp down on refugees?

Italy and Greece accused of being more hostile to migrants during the pandemic.

Italy and Greece have long complained of being overwhelmed by undocumented migrants desperate to get into Europe.

The European Union members are the main landing points for refugees and asylum seekers crossing the Mediterranean Sea from North Africa and the Middle East.

Rights groups say the coronavirus pandemic has given both countries a chance to crack down on the unwanted visitors.

Italy's Sikh Slaves

We investigate the exploitation of Sikh agricultural workers in Italy by organised crime amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The vast agricultural plains of the Agro-Pontino in central Italy is now one of the country's main areas of food production.

Yet it was not always the case.

This 100 mile-long stretch of land facing the Tyrrhenian Sea was marshland until a century ago when fascist dictator Benito Mussolini organised a mass migration from northern Italy to drain the swamps and turn them into fertile farmland.

Coronavirus: Italy lifts restrictions after world’s longest shutdown -

Italy, the first country in the world to impose a national lockdown to try to control the pandemic, has lifted some of its toughest restrictions. The country has registered its lowest daily death toll since the lockdown began two months ago. But the effects of closing down much of the country have been harsh for many people.

Coronavirus: Lockdown's heavy toll on Italy's mental health

Italy’s coronavirus death toll is the second highest in the world, and its lockdown is the strictest and longest in Europe. Doctors say both things are creating a mental health emergency. The BBC has been given access to a psychological support centre run by the Red Cross, where staff say they’re overwhelmed by calls from people struggling. Psychologists are warning that Italy is not equipped to deal with the crisis, and that the rest of Europe must prepare.

Do numbers lie? Data and statistics in the age of coronavirus

How accurate are coronavirus infection and death rates? Plus, Italian journalists on reporting COVID-19.

Do numbers lie? Data and statistics in the age of the coronavirus.

COVID-19 is a news story driven by the numbers. The data helps journalists quantify the scale of the pandemic and allows news consumers to assess the risk. The numbers also inform governments on what measures should be taken.

But statisticians say the way in which coronavirus data is collected, interpreted and reported, is inherently flawed. The issue is not misinformation, rather it is the limitations of science, in the early stages of understanding a new virus and a new pandemic.

Coronavirus: US death rates v China, Italy and South Korea

The US has seen its cases spike dramatically in recent days and these graphs show what could be in store.

Produced by the BBC's Franz Strasser, narrated by Hannah Long-Higgins.

Coronavirus ‘worse than a bomb’ on Italy, says doctor coordinating response

Giacomo Grasselli - a senior Italian government health official who is coordinating the network of intensive care units in Lombardy - explains the “critical” situation in Italy, brought about by the Covid-19 outbreak

Should countries follow Italy's coronavirus quarantine?

Movement across Italy will be restricted in a dramatic new crackdown aimed at halting the spread of the coronavirus.

Italy's government has ordered some of the harshest measures outside China to try and contain the coronavirus. The country has the worst outbreak in Europe.

Sixteen million people - a quarter of the population - have already been affected by restrictions on movement. Everyone is banned from leaving 16 provinces in northern Italy, the country's economic heart.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Monday that the travel restrictions and other strict public health measures will be expanded across the country on Tuesday. 

Italy's government is asking the European Union to implement urgent measures as the virus spreads quickly across the continent.

Fascism in the Family

A personal look at Mussolini's regime and how Italy may now be embracing fascist ideologies most believed gone forever.

The word fascism is often used to describe the extreme nationalist and anti-immigrant sentiments that seem to be on the rise across the world.

But what are the similarities between today's far-right movements and the brutal ideology that was born in Italy a century ago?

In this film, Italian-born journalist and Al Jazeera senior presenter, Barbara Serra, examines her own family's links to Benito Mussolini's regime to see if Fascism really is resurfacing in Italy today.

Feeding the Billions: A New Frontier for Sustainable Eating | earthrise

Zero waste restaurant and jellyfish dinners: Alternative food solutions could help alleviate an impending food crisis.

With global demand for food set to increase by nearly 70 percent by 2050, sustainable food production is one of the biggest challenges for the future.

The food industry is one of the most ecologically damaging industries and we will need to completely rethink its approach if we are to keep meals on the table for generations to come.

"Food is the single biggest impact that humans have on nature. We are deforesting the earth to grow more food. It's by far the biggest user of fresh water, the single biggest source of carbon dioxide emissions, and the biggest reason why we're in the middle of the mass species extinction event, the sixth that planet Earth has faced. At least a third of the world's food is currently being wasted," says Tristram Stuart, food waste campaigner and author.

What did Leonardo da Vinci's "Last Supper" really look like? | DW Docume...

In the style of a thriller, the documentary attempts to reconstruct what it originally looked like. Leonardo da Vinci was the epitome of the Renaissance Man. May 2019 marks the 500th anniversary of his death. The artist created world-famous works such as the fresco "The Last Supper" - perhaps the most famous. It is still in its original setting, on the wall of the dining room of the former Dominican convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. The painting, which is 4.60 meters high and 8.80 meters wide, has been undergoing restoration for the last 19 years. But the restorers now know that only 20 percent of the original is visible today. So what did something that is the focus of so many legends originally look like? Our investigation also takes us to the small Belgian abbey of Tongerlo, where a mysterious copy of da Vinci's work has been discovered. It is a painting on canvas that could have been commissioned from da Vinci’s workshop by the French King Louis XII. It has perhaps brought the researchers a step closer to the truth.