Rome Times

Vivienne Westwood Casts Cicciolina, 74, in Its New Autumn Campaign

The former adult-film performer and Italian parliamentarian fronts Juergen Teller’s latest campaign for a fashion house whose visual language has long joined historical dress with sexual provocation.

Dejavu: Germany’s Military Expansion Reshapes Europe’s Strategic Balance With France

History Repeats: Berlin’s record defense budget, larger armed forces and increasingly autonomous industrial programs are challenging France’s traditional military leadership, even as the two countries deepen cooperation in nuclear deterr...

Proposed U.S.-Saudi Nuclear Pact Could Permit Limited Uranium Enrichment Under International Safeguards

A draft cooperation framework would open Saudi Arabia’s civilian nuclear market to American technology while potentially allowing sensitive fuel-cycle activities under negotiated restrictions, but no final agreement has been signed or su...

Rome Accelerates Infrastructure Upgrades Ahead of the Catholic Jubilee

Rome's municipal government stepped up road improvements, public transport projects and urban renewal works as the city prepares to welcome an estimated thirty million pilgrims for the upcoming Catholic Jubilee.

Italian Universities Win New European Funding for Quantum Computing Research

The Ministry of University and Research announced that leading academic institutions secured additional European Union funding to establish advanced quantum computing laboratories and expand scientific research.

Netherlands Declares Water Shortage Emergency After Drought Pushes Rivers to Historic Lows

The Dutch government has activated emergency water-allocation measures as prolonged drought, exceptionally low river flows and rising demand strain freshwater supplies, while authorities prioritize drinking water, flood defenses and crit...

Italian Tourism Industry Heads for Record Summer Revenue

Tourism officials and hospitality groups said international visitor spending across destinations including Rome, Tuscany, the Amalfi Coast and Sardinia is on course to reach record levels despite extreme summer heat.

Serie A Secures New International Broadcasting Agreements

Italy's top football league finalised new international television and streaming rights deals aimed at increasing commercial revenue and improving its competitiveness with rival European leagues.

Emilia-Romagna Accelerates Reconstruction After Devastating Floods

Regional authorities approved additional funding to rebuild transport links and agricultural infrastructure damaged by recent flooding, highlighting the long-term costs of climate resilience.

Italy Expands Defence Industry Cooperation With NATO and European Partners

The Ministry of Defence and leading aerospace companies announced broader manufacturing and procurement agreements with European allies, supporting the continent's accelerating defence modernisation.

Vatican Steps Up Diplomatic Efforts on Ukraine and Middle East Conflicts

Pope Francis and the Holy See's Secretariat of State intensified diplomatic engagement with international representatives in support of humanitarian ceasefires and negotiated solutions for the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.

Milan-Cortina Olympic Projects Reach Key Construction Milestones

Organisers of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics said transport upgrades and competition venues remain on schedule despite continued scrutiny over project costs.

Regional Health Authorities Warn of Critical Staffing Shortages in Public Hospitals

Healthcare administrators across several regions urged the national government to increase funding as shortages of doctors and nurses place growing pressure on Italy's public health system.

Italian Luxury Fashion Houses Continue Strong Overseas Sales Growth

Leading fashion groups based in Milan and Florence reported solid demand from Asian and North American customers, helping offset weaker domestic economic conditions.

Milan Housing Prices Reach Record Levels as Affordability Concerns Deepen

Residential property values in Milan climbed to new highs, prompting debate over affordable housing policies as many middle-income residents struggle to remain in the city.

Venice Anti-Tourism Protest Highlights Growing Opposition to Superyacht Traffic

Environmental activists and residents clashed with police during protests over the arrival of United States Ambassador Tilman Fertitta aboard a superyacht, reflecting rising concern about overtourism and maritime traffic in Venice's lagoon.

Milan Emerges as a Growing Hub for Artificial Intelligence Investment

Record venture capital inflows into artificial intelligence and cloud computing startups are reinforcing Milan and the wider Lombardy region as one of Italy's fastest-growing technology centres.

Port of Genoa Reaches Key Milestone in Breakwater Expansion Project

Construction authorities reported significant progress on Genoa's multi-billion euro breakwater project, which is designed to accommodate larger container ships and strengthen northern Italy's role in global shipping networks.

Ferrari Leads Italian Luxury Manufacturers Through Slowing European Auto Market

Ferrari and other Italian luxury vehicle makers continued to post resilient international sales in North America and the Middle East, outperforming much of Europe's broader automotive industry.

Italy Calls for More European Union Support as Mediterranean Migration Increases

The Italian Coast Guard reported a rise in migrant arrivals from North Africa, prompting renewed government appeals for additional European Union funding and closer cooperation on border management.

TIM Advances Network Spinoff to Cut Debt and Expand Fibre Infrastructure

Telecom Italia, operating as TIM, reported further progress on its fixed-network separation, a restructuring plan intended to reduce debt and accelerate the nationwide rollout of high-speed fibre broadband.

Wildfires Spread Across Sicily and Campania as Drought Damages Agriculture

Firefighters supported by aircraft battled fast-moving wildfires near Palermo, Catania, Syracuse and Naples as prolonged drought continued to threaten communities and reduce olive and wine production across southern Italy.

Eni and Snam Expand Mediterranean Energy Projects to Strengthen Winter Gas Supplies

Eni and Snam announced faster investment in liquefied natural gas terminals and North African pipeline infrastructure, reinforcing Italy's strategy to become a key southern European energy hub ahead of winter.

Italy Seeks Greater Fiscal Flexibility in European Union Budget Talks

The Ministry of Economy and Finance intensified negotiations with the European Commission, seeking more flexibility on deficit reduction while calling for stronger European support to protect Italian industry from global competitive pres...

Italy Places Fourteen Cities on Red Alert as Extreme Heatwave Intensifies

The Health Ministry issued its highest heat warning for fourteen cities, including Rome, Florence and Turin, as an African anticyclone brought prolonged high temperatures that threaten public health and place additional strain on electri...

Italian Parliament Approves Landmark Law to Remove Children From Mafia Families

Italy's Parliament unanimously passed legislation allowing prosecutors to remove women and children from entrenched organised crime families, aiming to break intergenerational mafia influence through stronger judicial intervention.

Bank of Italy Lowers Growth Outlook as Higher Energy Costs Weigh on the Economy

The Bank of Italy said economic growth slowed during the second quarter as rising energy prices and instability in the Middle East curbed household spending and business investment, reinforcing concerns over the country's near-term outlook.

Why Kentucky Fried Chicken Became KFC—and Why the False Explanations Persist

The 1991 rebrand was a calculated effort to modernize the chain, broaden its menu identity and soften the increasingly unfashionable association with fried food—not a response to state licensing demands or genetically altered chickens. :...

Ukrainian Drones Strike Wildberries Warehouses Deep Inside Russia

Attacks on logistics centres in the Tambov and Moscow regions killed eight people, while Kyiv said the facilities supplied restricted components for Russian drone production—a claim not independently substantiated.

Artificial Intelligence Capital Fuels Markets While Governments and Regulators Face Mounting Strategic Tests

Global investment is concentrating around artificial intelligence, driving financial markets, reshaping corporate strategy and intensifying competition between governments, even as regulatory and governance challenges emerge across Asia.

China’s Moonshot’s Kimi K3 Narrows the Gap With Anthropic Through Scale, Openness and Lower Cost

The Chinese start-up’s new open-weight model posts competitive coding and agentic results against leading American systems, challenging the assumption that frontier artificial intelligence remains confined to a small group of United Stat...

The Ledger Will Not Trust on Faith

Artificial-intelligence agents can reconcile accounts, pursue anomalies and draft reports, but finance will accept autonomy only when every action remains visible, reversible and humanly accountable.

Trump Administration Pressures Banks to Restrict Financial Access for Undocumented Immigrants

New federal guidance encourages banks to scrutinize immigration-related credit risks and share more customer information, advancing a broader strategy intended to make remaining in the United States without legal status increasingly diff...

Italy's Women's Lacrosse Team Wins Historic World Championship Gold

Italy's women's lacrosse team claimed its first Division II world championship title in Poland, highlighting the country's growing investment and success in sports beyond football.

Vatican Calls for Greater European Cooperation on Mediterranean Migration

Pope Francis and senior Vatican officials renewed appeals for European Union members to share responsibility for managing migrant arrivals as crossings into southern Italy increase during the summer season.

Consumer Confidence Stabilizes Despite Cost-of-Living Pressures

Italy's national statistics bureau ISTAT reported improving consumer sentiment heading into summer, although retailers said higher food and energy costs continue to weigh on lower-income households.

Frontex and Italy Deploy Autonomous Drones for Mediterranean Maritime Patrols

Frontex and the Italian Coast Guard have completed a pilot programme using heavy vertical-takeoff drones from offshore patrol vessels to expand surveillance and improve search-and-rescue coordination in the central Mediterranean.

European Inflation Eases as Italian Price Pressures Moderate

Eurostat reported eurozone inflation slowing to 2.8 percent, helping ease pressure on Italian government borrowing costs as lower energy prices offset persistent inflation in services.

Florence and Venice Move to Tighten Short-Term Rental Rules

Municipal authorities in Florence and Venice are advancing stricter limits on short-term tourist accommodation as they seek to improve housing affordability for permanent residents.

Luxury Tourism Drives Record Summer Spending Across Italy

Tourism authorities and luxury retailers reported record summer revenues as rising numbers of high-spending visitors from the United States and Asia boosted consumer spending in Rome, Milan, Florence and the Amalfi Coast.

Italian Machinery and Robotics Exports Record Double-Digit Growth

Confindustria reported strong export growth for Italian industrial machinery, robotics and automated packaging systems, highlighting continued international demand for manufacturers in Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy.

Italy Seeks Greater European Union Fiscal Flexibility for Industrial Investment

Finance Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti is pressing the European Commission for greater flexibility under the bloc's fiscal rules, arguing that strategic public investment is essential to preserve European industrial competitiveness.

Italy Debates Judicial Reform Over Wiretaps and Pretrial Detention

Parliament has begun debating Justice Minister Carlo Nordio's proposed judicial reforms, which would limit the use of wiretaps and pretrial detention while supporters argue the changes would better protect civil liberties and speed up co...