Italy

Giuseppe Conte addresses the media after a meeting Wednesday with Italian President Sergio Mattarella at the presidential palace in Rome. Mattarella approved the lawyer's nomination to serve as prime minister.

World News

Italy Finally Designates A Prime Minister, But Some Fear Future Political Storms

4:15pm May 24, 2018

by Colin Dwyer

After turbulent talks, the leading parties settled on Giuseppe Conte as premier. Still, between the wary partners in power and Conte's political inexperience, the turbulence may remain.

A Nigerian sex worker in Italy waits for clients.

Health & Safety

Italian Cops Try To Stop A Sex Trafficking Gang Called Black Axe

4:21pm May 16, 2018

by Krista Mahr

After years of battling the mafia, the authorities are now going after gangs that force migrants from Nigeria into sex work.

Queue Listen Now

Matteo Salvini, leader of the far-right League party, speaks to the media Monday after meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella in Rome for coalition talks.

World News

Months After Election, Italy's Populist Parties Seek More Time To Negotiate Coalition

5:12pm May 14, 2018

by Colin Dwyer

The two major winners of March's elections, the far-right League party and anti-establishment 5-Star Movement, have so far failed to compromise. The crux of talks now: Who should be prime minister?

Matteo Salvini, left, leader of Lega political party and Silvio Berlusconi, Leader of Forza Italia, speak to the media after meetings with Italian President Sergio Mattarella on Monday in Rome, Italy.

World News

Coalition Talks Collapse In Italy As Country Heads Toward A New Vote

8:37am May 08, 2018

The two largest parties — the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement and the League, a right-wing alliance — have been in two months of fruitless talks.

Technicians attend a rehearsal of the show Universal Judgment: Michelangelo and the Secrets of the Sistine Chapel, directed by Marco Balich, on March 13 near the Vatican. The Vatican Museums, which house the Sistine Chapel, provided high-definition digita

The Sistine Chapel Gets Its Own High-Tech Spectacle, With Music By Sting

7:01am May 06, 2018

by Sylvia Poggioli

Now there's a new spectacle where visitors can feast their eyes on every detail of Michelangelo's masterpieces, with high-definition projections, actors, acrobats and music.

Detainees stand in a hall at a detention center for migrants in Al Kararim, Libya. The North African country is a key transit spot and destination for migrants seeking employment or a path to Europe.

World News

Migrants Captured In Libya Say They End Up Sold As Slaves

8:18pm March 21, 2018

by Ruth Sherlock

Men detained en route to Europe in Libya tell NPR that guards held them for ransom and sold them off to other detention centers and ultimately into forced labor.

Queue Listen Now

Italian far-right League party leader Matteo Salvini gives the thumbs-up in Milan on Monday. Salvini said his right-wing coalition had the "right and the duty" to form a government after taking 37 percent of the vote in the weekend election.

After Italy's Election, 2 Rival Populist Parties Claim Right To Lead Next Government

12:49pm March 05, 2018

by Sylvia Poggioli

The success of the 5-Star Movement and the right-wing League in Sunday's election is the worst blow to the European Union since British voters chose to leave the EU two years ago.

An election poster for the 5-Star Movement showing leader Luigi di Maio and the motto "Participate. Choose. Change" is seen on the side of a bus in Rome ahead of the March 4 general elections.

World News

Italy's 5-Star Movement Leads In Polls, But Some Past Supporters Vow 'Never Again'

4:20pm March 02, 2018

by Sylvia Poggioli

Italy votes for a new parliament Sunday. The populist 5-Star Movement has set its sights on heading the next government, but in Rome, where its politicians run the city, some voters are disenchanted.

Italian far-right party activists hold a banner reading "fatherland" during a demonstration against a government proposal to reform citizenship procedures for the descendants of immigrants living in Italy, in Rome, Nov. 4, 2017.

World News

Anti-Migrant Slogans Are Overshadowing Italy's Election Race

7:12am February 21, 2018

by Sylvia Poggioli

Far-right parties are campaigning for the March 4 elections, and they're not the only ones heightening the rhetoric against foreigners.

Queue Listen Now

Sugar is considered critical for achieving a smooth and silky consistency in gelato. But new technology is aiming to achieve the same results with less (or no) sugar.

New Technology Aims To Take The Sugar Out Of Gelato — Not The Flavor

8:28am February 09, 2018

by Vicky Hallett

The Italian treat requires a certain formula to make it just right, and that means sugar. But as more people try to eat healthy, gelaterias must keep pace. A new machine is a step in that direction.