The Local

Ferocious storms and torrential rains that lashed France, Switzerland and Italy this weekend have left at least seven people dead, local authorities said on Sunday. ...

The European Union was expected to issue waings to France, Italy and several other govements over excessive spending after new budget rules came into force this year. ...

French national rail operator SNCF said on Wednesday it plaed to offer high-speed passenger services in neighbouring Italy from 2026, competing with rival Trenitalia on its home turf. ...

Police inspect a train between Milan and Paris. Photo: Piero Cruciatti/AFPFrench police discovered the partially bued body of a man on the roof of a train travelling from northe Italy to southe France. His body was found as the regional train arrived early on Sunday moing in Menton, in the south of France, its first stop after Ventimiglia station in Italy. Police suspect that the man climbed on top of the train to make the 15-minute jouey across the border and may have grabbed hold of an overhead electric line to avoid being thrown off. Passengers reported hearing three loud bangs and seeing flames, France Info reported. It is the fifth such incident on the cross-border train line in a year,...

A mountain rescue team in northe Italy on Wednesday found six people, dressed in jeans and gym shoes, attempting to cross a snow-covered pass in freezing temperatures. It was one of several such incidents in recent months, according to rescuers, who say the situation has reached “emergency level”. On Wednesday afteoon, members of CNSAS Piemonte – a voluntary mountain rescue organization in Piedmont –reached the group of six just below the Colle della Scala, an Alpine pass that coects north-west Italy with France, after they had walked for several kilometres in the snow. “They were visibly cold and poorly equipped, but they didn’t want to tu back so close to their ...

In this week's podcast we look at how Austria's govement could soon include an ex-Nazi party. How right wing could it get? We also ask Jessica Phelan in Rome whether northe Italy is really following Catalonia's lead towards independence. And after the Harvey Weinstein sex allegations, The Local France's Evie Burrows-Taylor explains how France is plaing to deal with men who assault women. With James Savage, Emma Löfgren and Paul O'Mahony. ...

France said on Tuesday it was ready to seek other buyers for its biggest shipyard should Italy refuse a 50-50 ownership split, before both countries pledged to find a solution next month. French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire, in Rome for talks, said in an interview with the Corriere della Sera dai...

France's biggest shipyard is about to be temporarily nationalised at a cost of €80 million. France will temporarily nationalise its biggest shipyard after failing to agree with its prospective Italian owner on a deal to share control of the site, Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire aounced Thursday. ...

The 68-year-old manager is hoping to make a successful start. Photo: Tiziana Fabi/AFPChelsea jokes aside, Giampiero Ventura ishoping to pick up where Antonio Conte left off when he leads a new-look Italy for the first time in a friendly against beaten Euro 2016 finalists France on Thursday. "I want to take Antonio's project forward," Ventura told media Monday, aweek before making his competitive debut as coach of Italy in a 2018 World Cupqualifier against Israel in Haifa. "If I follow his path, then I know where to go in two years - Chelsea!" At 68 years old and now realising a long-held dream of coaching thefour-time World Cup wiers, Ventura is highly unlikely to follow 46-year-oldConte's p...

The man was caught with a group of eight illegal migrants in his van. Photo: Italian policeA man has been arrested by Italian police for allegedly smuggling migrants into France. The 37-year-old, a resident of Nice, was arrested in Breil-sur-Roya, a French mountain hamlet close to the border, after being caught carrying eight Eritreans, including three women and two children, in his Citroen van, Italian police said in a statement on Wednesday. The alleged people-smuggler was followed by police from Ventimiglia, an Italian border town which has become a migrant bottleneck. Police said the man was already known to police in the area for his involvement with “no border” activist groups. His arr...

Priest Jacques Hamel, 85, was killed by two teens claiming allegiance to Isis.Photo: Charly Triballeau/Pool/AFPFrench President Francois Hollande will meet Pope Francis at the Vatican on Wednesday to discuss the aftermath of the jihadist murder of a French priest, Hollande's office said on Monday. An official told AFP the meeting was organized "following the events inSaint-Etiee-du-Rouvray", the northe town where 85-year-old priest JacquesHamel was killed by two teens claiming allegiance to the Islamic State group. They are also expected to discuss the situation facing Christians in theMiddle East. Interior Minister Beard Cazeneuve is likely to accompany Hollande, theofficial at the Elysee p...