Culture
Turin Book Fair opens with Zadie Smith
The 38th Salone Internazionale del Libro opens in Turin on Thursday with Zadie Smith delivering the inaugural lecture and Alessandro Baricco staging a night of words and music. The programme spans Greek crime fiction to football legend Roberto Baggio. The whole event is around the theme of children as the world’s last hope.
Life in Italy
Nearly one in four Italian children living in poverty
A new UNICEF report on children and economic inequality places Italy in the middle tier of wealthy nations. However, it flags serious concerns over child poverty and obesity while also recognising the country’s comparatively low rates of adolescent suicide.
Environment
Wolf death toll rises to 18 in Abruzzo Park
Laboratory tests have confirmed the presence of agricultural pesticides in wolf carcasses recovered from one of Italy’s oldest and most celebrated national parks. Conservationists and opposition politicians demand urgent government action and call for a planned parliamentary bill to cull wolves to be shelved.
Damaged Russian tanker may explode Italy warns
A damaged Russian tanker carrying liquefied natural gas is drifting unmanned in the Mediterranean, raising fears of a potential environmental disaster off the southern coast of Italy.
Storms and heavy snow sweep Italian peninsula
A low-pressure system sweeping across Italy has brought heavy rain, strong winds and heavy snow to large parts of the country, with the worst conditions reported in the north-west and further storms forecast for the south.
