Page 2 - Italy

Hundreds of ordinary mourners, VIPs pay last respects to Giorgio Armani

Hundreds of ordinary admirers and VIPs paid their last respects Saturday to Giorgio Armani, remembered by Milan's mayor as a "man of extraordinary elegance" who left an indelible mark on the city and the global fashion world. Armani died Thursday at 91 at his home in central Milan surrounded by loved ones. His fashion house said he worked up to the end. One of his final projects was a runway show marking 50 years of his signature Giorgio Armani brand, which is due to close Milan Fashion Week later this month. Mourners filed into the Armani Theater, where Armani regularly showed his ready-to-wear runway collections. Rows of candles in paper bags cast a shimmering light and piano music by Italian composer Ludovico Einaudi played softly in the background. The closed coffin was adorned with a bouquet of long-stem white roses, and flanked by carabinieri honour guards in ceremonial dress. Among them was including Donatella Versace, who wore a dark skirt suit and carried a bouquet of whit

India certainly crucial in IMEC project: Italy's envoy Francesco Talo'

India is "certainly crucial" in the transnational IMEC project because it's a huge market and producer, as also the initiative is about trade of goods, energy and data connectivity, and New Delhi is a "protagonist in all three sectors," a top Italian diplomat has said. Billed as a pathbreaking initiative, the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) envisages a vast road, railroad and shipping networks among Saudi Arabia, India, the US and Europe with an aim to ensure integration among Asia, Middle East and the West. In an exclusive interview to PTI Videos earlier this week, Italy's special envoy for IMEC, Francesco Talo' also said the ambitious project was started with a "lot of hope" and such initiatives are needed especially in times of volatility and uncertainty driven by global security challenges. Talo', a seasoned diplomat, visited India recently to take part in a meeting of representatives of countries which are partners in the IMEC initiative, which was was firmed

Italy said to support breakup of Iveco with sales to Tata, Leonardo

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government has privately signaled it would back the proposed transaction as long as Iveco's strategically important defense unit is sold to a group led by Leonardo

DRI busts racket involved in duty evasion in branded furniture imports

DRI officers have busted a racket involved in undervaluation of imports of branded luxury furniture and arrested three persons for customs duty evasion of Rs 30 crore, the finance ministry said on Tuesday. Investigation conducted thus far revealed that branded luxury furniture was being directly sourced by a beneficial importer from reputed Italian and other European suppliers, and invoicing was being done in the names of shell companies based in jurisdictions such as Dubai. In parallel, fabricated invoices were obtained through a Singapore-based intermediary in the names of dummy importers falsely declaring the goods as unbranded furniture at significantly undervalued rates to Customs. Once cleared through Customs, the goods were transferred on paper to the intended beneficial owner via a local intermediary created for this purpose, while the goods were directly sent to the customer on the instructions of beneficial owner. "Preliminary findings indicate a gross undervaluation of 7

610 antiquities retrieved from six countries in five years, says govt

A total of 610 antiquities were retrieved from the US, the UK and four other countries over the last five years, the government informed Parliament on Monday. Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat shared this information in a written reply to a question on whether the government has conducted any survey or study regarding theft of Indian artefacts in the last five years; and details of the total number of artefacts recovered, still missing and unaccounted for over the same period. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) maintains up-to-date data of theft cases in respect of protected monuments, sites and museums under its jurisdiction, he said. On retrieval of antiquities from abroad, according to the data shared by him, in 2020, three artefacts were brought back from Australia and five from the UK. In 2021, 157 antiquities were brought back from the US and one each from Canada and the UK. In 2023 and 2024, the figures stood at 105 (the US) and 297 (the US) ...

Earn Rs 5-10 lakh/month? You may get PR in Italy, Greece, Grenada

From France to Grenada, investment-backed relocation is attracting wealthy Indians looking for long-term foreign residency and eventual citizenship

Azerbaijan's SOFAZ to buy 49% stake in Enfinity's Italy solar assets

SOFAZ will acquire 49 per cent of Enfinity's 402-megawatt portfolio, which includes 14 solar plants both operating and under construction across Lazio and Emilia-Romagna in central Italy

Tata Motors in talks to acquire European truckmaker Iveco: Report

India's Tata Motors has approached Exor, the Agnellis' investment company, over its controlling stake in Iveco Group, two of the sources said. A sale would not include Iveco's IDV defence business

Italy script history, secure maiden T20 WC spot alongside Netherlands

Italy faced the Netherlands in a high-stakes clash, knowing they had to keep the match competitive even in defeat to stay alive on net run rate (NRR).

Italy opens Ukraine rebuilding conference as US defence help in doubt

Italy is hosting the fourth annual conference on rebuilding Ukraine even as Russia escalates its war, inviting political and business leaders to Rome to promote public-private partnerships on defence, mining, energy and other projects as uncertainty grows about the US commitment to Kyiv's defence. Premier Giorgia Meloni and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy were opening the meeting Thursday, which gets under way as Russia accelerated its aerial and ground attacks against Ukraine, firing a record number of drones across 10 regions this week. Italian organisers said 100 official delegations were attending and 40 international organisations and development banks. But there are also 2,000 businesses, civil society and local Ukrainian governments sending representatives to participate in a trade fair, complete with booths, on the grounds of the ministerial-level meeting at Rome's funky new Cloud conference centre in the Fascist-era EUR neighbourhood. The conference will pair ...

Kolhapuri chappal row: PIL filed against Prada over summer collection

A PIL has been filed in Bombay HC against Prada for allegedly copying GI-tagged Kolhapuri chappals in its ₹1.2 lakh sandal line; petition seeks apology, compensation, and govt action on GI protection

2 killed in Spanish wildfire as extreme heat wave hits parts of Europe

Europe's continuing heat wave on Wednesday helped fuel a deadly wildfire in Spain while the European Union presented plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under scorching temperatures. The blaze that broke out late on Tuesday created an enormous thick plume of ash and smoke that rose 14,000 metres into the sky, making it the largest registered by firefighters in Catalonia, a northeastern region of Spain. Two farmers were killed while apparently trying to flee in a vehicle, local authorities said Wednesday. Firefighters said that the fire spread at 28 kph (17 mph) at one point as it consumed 6,500 hectares (16,000 acres) mostly of grain fields. Wildfires today are not like they were before, Salvador Illa, the regional president of Catalonia, said. These are extremely dangerous. From the very first moment, it was considered to be beyond the capacity of extinction. I mean that not even with two or three times the number of firefighters, they have told me, it would have been possib

Heatwaves grip Europe: Red alerts, wildfires, Eiffel Tower closed

Spain sees hottest June in a century; more than 50,000 people evacuated amid wildfires in Turkiye and the Balkans

Italy opens 500,000 jobs for foreigners by 2028: How Indians can benefit

Italy to allow nearly 500,000 legal migrant entries by 2028 amid worker shortages, creating new opportunities for Indian professionals and labourers

Prada admits Kolhapuri chappals inspired footwear collection after backlash

Prada has acknowledged that its Spring/Summer 2026 men's footwear line was inspired by India's traditional Kolhapuri chappals, following backlash over lack of credit to the original artisans

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez tie the knot in star-studded Venice wedding

The bride announced the marriage on Friday night in an Instagram post under the name Lauren Sánchez Bezos

Italy's referendum on citizenship, job protections fails on low turnout

Italy's referendums aimed at relaxing citizenship laws and improving job protections failed on Monday due to low turnout, partial data showed. It was a clear defeat for the centre-left opposition and a victory for Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the ruling right-wing coalition, who openly supported abstaining from voting. Official data from almost 90 per cent of polling stations showed that turnout hovered around 30 per cent of eligible voters after two days of voting, well below the 50 per cent plus one required to make the vote valid. Meloni's far-right Brothers of Italy party celebrated the referendum's failure. The only real goal of this referendum was to bring down the Meloni government," the party said on social media, posting a picture of the main opposition's leaders. In the end, it was the Italians who brought you down. Maurizio Landini, leader of the CGIL trade union that was behind the initiative, acknowledged the defeat. We knew it wouldn't be a walk in the park, he

India, Italy to increase cooperation in aerospace, energy, mobility, auto

India and Italy have agreed to increase cooperation in areas such as manufacturing, auto, aerospace, energy transition, migration and mobility, an official statement said on Friday. These issues were discussed during the meetings between Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Italy's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Antonio Tajani, here. Brescia is Italy's manufacturing hub. "India and Italy agreed to prioritise cooperation in several emerging and strategic sectors. These include Industry 4.0, aerospace, energy transition, and sustainable mobility," the commerce ministry said. The two sides also stressed the importance of joint efforts in skill development, digital transformation, migration and mobility, as well as global connectivity initiatives such as the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). The two leaders co-chaired the 22nd session of the India-Italy Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation (JCEC). T

Italy's Mount Etna volcano erupts again, videos go viral on social media

Mount Etna erupted on June 2, sending ash plumes skyward. INGV reports intense Strombolian activity from the Southeast Crater, sparking concern among tourists

All-party delegation in Italy underscores India's firm stance on terrorism

An all-party delegation led by BJP MP Ravi Shankar has met senior Italian officials to reaffirm India's "zero-tolerance" stance on terrorism and New Delhi's resolve to combat all forms of terror. The eight-member team is one of the seven multi-party delegations India has tasked to visit 33 global capitals to reach out to the international community on Pakistan's designs and India's response to terror. The group, which arrived in Rome on Tuesday, had a "productive" meeting with former foreign minister Giulio Terzi on Wednesday. "Led by Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, the All-Party Indian Parliamentary Delegation, had a productive meeting with Senator @GiulioTerzi, President of the India-Italy Parliamentary Friendship Group and its Members," the Indian embassy in Rome said in a post on X. "The Indian delegation voiced India's resolute stance on combating terrorism and zero tolerance to all forms of terror," it said. Both sides also reaffirmed the significance of India-Italy strategic ...