Today in Italy: A roundup of the latest news on Friday
Italy records 120 femicides in a year, two Brighton fans stabbed by masked gang in Rome, thieves steal one million euros' worth of art works in Lombardy, and more news from around Italy on Friday.
Italy records 120 femicides in 2023
Some 120 women were murdered in Italy in 2023, a new report from the Interior Ministry's Criminal Police Directorate said this week.
According to the report, over half of the victims were killed by their partners or former partners, whilst around a quarter of femicides were committed by the victims’ children.
READ ALSO: Giulia Cecchettin: How Italy is facing up to gender violence after student’s murder
Gender-based violence has been at the centre of political discussions in Italy in recent months following a long series of femicides, including the vicious murder of 22-year-old Giulia Cecchettin by her ex-boyfriend last November.
Following Cecchettin's murder, the Italian government announced new measures to tackle violence against women, including harsher restraining orders and heightened surveillance on men found guilty of gender-based offences.
Two Brighton fans stabbed and robbed by masked gang in Rome
Two Brighton supporters were stabbed during a knifepoint robbery in Rome ahead of their side's Europa League match with AS Roma, national news reports said on Thursday.
The two men, aged 28 and 29, were taken to local hospitals after suffering knife wounds to their legs, according to reports.
Local police were called to Rome’s Monti district after a restaurant waiter raised the alarm around midnight on Wednesday evening.
The two football fans were attacked by a group of "six or seven people wearing masks" and stripped of a belt bag containing their identity documents and wallets, a police spokesman told AFP.
Rome police were reportedly investigating the attack on Thursday.
Lufthansa confident in acquiring ITA Airways stake by year's end
German airline Lufthansa said on Thursday that it expects the European Commission to approve its acquisition of a 41-percent, 325-million stake in Italy's flag carrier ITA Airways by the end of the year.
"The Lufthansa Group is working closely and constructively with the EU Commission to achieve a swift conclusion [...] of the transaction,” the airline said in a statement.
Last January, the European Commission launched an in-depth review into the proposed deal between Lufthansa and ITA Airways over concerns that the merger would harm competition on “several short- and long-haul routes", particularly to and from Milan's Linate airport.
The EU executive has until June 6th 2024 to make a final decision on the outcome of the inquiry.
Thieves steal one million euros' worth of art works in Lombardy
Some 20 golden statues and 30 pieces of jewellery by 20th-century Italian sculptor Umberto Mastroianni were stolen on Thursday, just a day before the exhibition they were displayed in was due to close.
The stolen works – valued at a total of one million euros according to national reports – had been on show at the Vittoriale degli Italiani, a hillside estate in Gardone Riviera, Lombardy, from December 30th.
The exhibition, titled Like A Hot And Fluid Gold, featured rings, bracelets, brooches, pins and sculptures fashioned by abstract sculptor Umberto Mastroianni – the uncle of actor Marcello Mastroianni – in the second half of the 20th century.
Italy’s Cultural Heritage Protection Unit launched an investigation into the theft on Thursday.
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Italy records 120 femicides in 2023
Some 120 women were murdered in Italy in 2023, a new report from the Interior Ministry's Criminal Police Directorate said this week.
According to the report, over half of the victims were killed by their partners or former partners, whilst around a quarter of femicides were committed by the victims’ children.
READ ALSO: Giulia Cecchettin: How Italy is facing up to gender violence after student’s murder
Gender-based violence has been at the centre of political discussions in Italy in recent months following a long series of femicides, including the vicious murder of 22-year-old Giulia Cecchettin by her ex-boyfriend last November.
Following Cecchettin's murder, the Italian government announced new measures to tackle violence against women, including harsher restraining orders and heightened surveillance on men found guilty of gender-based offences.
Two Brighton fans stabbed and robbed by masked gang in Rome
Two Brighton supporters were stabbed during a knifepoint robbery in Rome ahead of their side's Europa League match with AS Roma, national news reports said on Thursday.
The two men, aged 28 and 29, were taken to local hospitals after suffering knife wounds to their legs, according to reports.
Local police were called to Rome’s Monti district after a restaurant waiter raised the alarm around midnight on Wednesday evening.
The two football fans were attacked by a group of "six or seven people wearing masks" and stripped of a belt bag containing their identity documents and wallets, a police spokesman told AFP.
Rome police were reportedly investigating the attack on Thursday.
Lufthansa confident in acquiring ITA Airways stake by year's end
German airline Lufthansa said on Thursday that it expects the European Commission to approve its acquisition of a 41-percent, 325-million stake in Italy's flag carrier ITA Airways by the end of the year.
"The Lufthansa Group is working closely and constructively with the EU Commission to achieve a swift conclusion [...] of the transaction,” the airline said in a statement.
Last January, the European Commission launched an in-depth review into the proposed deal between Lufthansa and ITA Airways over concerns that the merger would harm competition on “several short- and long-haul routes", particularly to and from Milan's Linate airport.
The EU executive has until June 6th 2024 to make a final decision on the outcome of the inquiry.
Thieves steal one million euros' worth of art works in Lombardy
Some 20 golden statues and 30 pieces of jewellery by 20th-century Italian sculptor Umberto Mastroianni were stolen on Thursday, just a day before the exhibition they were displayed in was due to close.
The stolen works – valued at a total of one million euros according to national reports – had been on show at the Vittoriale degli Italiani, a hillside estate in Gardone Riviera, Lombardy, from December 30th.
The exhibition, titled Like A Hot And Fluid Gold, featured rings, bracelets, brooches, pins and sculptures fashioned by abstract sculptor Umberto Mastroianni – the uncle of actor Marcello Mastroianni – in the second half of the 20th century.
Italy’s Cultural Heritage Protection Unit launched an investigation into the theft on Thursday.
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