An autopsy into the death of Fiorentina captain Davide Astori will be carried out on Tuesday while his funeral will be held in Florence two days later, the Italian football club announced.

Italy was in shock following the sudden death on Sunday of the 31-year-old defender who played for his country 14 times.&nbsp;

&quot;Fiorentina and Davide`s family inform you that the autopsy will be performed tomorrow... The funeral will take place on Thursday in the Santa Croce basilica,&quot; the Serie A club said Monday on its Twitter account.

A judicial inquiry had been launched following the death of the player, who was found dead in his hotel room in Udine, where his team was due to play Udinese on Sunday.

&quot;We have opened a manslaughter investigation, against X for the moment,&quot; Antonio de Nicolo, a magistrate in the northeastern city of Udine, told Rai radio on Monday, adding that such a procedure was &quot;mandatory&quot;.

De Nicolo was quoted Sunday as saying Astori died of &quot;natural causes&quot; after a &quot;cardiac circulatory collapse&quot; -- a type of heart attack.

All seven matches in Italy`s top flight on Sunday were postponed following the news of Astori`s death.

Dario Nardella, the mayor of Florence, said the city would observe a day of mourning for the player`s funeral.

Former national team coach Antonio Conte and World Cup winner Gianluigi Buffon paid emotional tributes to Astori, describing their Italian compatriot as &quot;fantastic&quot; and &quot;a great guy&quot;.

Chelsea manager Conte, who coached the defender when his was in charge of Italy, said the player`s death was a &quot;tragedy&quot;.

&quot;This is a tragedy and it really hurts me. It`s very difficult at this moment to find the right words for the family,&quot; Conte told Sky Sports on Sunday ahead of his side`s 1-0 loss to Manchester City.

Veteran Buffon, the Juventus captain, called Astori &quot;a great man&quot;.

Buffon, who wrote in a post on Instagram accompanied by a photo of the two players exchanging pennants before a game between their clubs, said he did not usually make a habit of expressing his feelings about others.

&quot;I want to make an exception to my rule because you have a young wife and others close to you who are suffering, but mostly because your little girl deserves to know that her dad was a good man... a great man,&quot; Buffon said of

Astori, who leaves behind a wife and a two-year-old daughter.

Astori began his career at AC Milan, also playing for Cagliari and Roma before joining Fiorentina in 2015.

He made his international debut under coach Cesare Prandelli in March 2011 as a first-half substitute in a 2-0 victory over Ukraine in Kiev before getting sent off with 17 minutes remaining.

Astori scored his only international goal in the 2013 Confederations Cup third-place play-off against Uruguay, giving Italy a first-half lead in a match which finished 2-2. Italy went on to win on penalties.

Italy was in shock following the sudden death on Sunday of Davide Astori who played for his country 14 times

An autopsy into the death of Fiorentina captain Davide Astori will be carried out on Tuesday while his funeral will be held in Florence two days later, the Italian football club announced. Italy was in shock following the sudden death on Sunday of the 31-year-old defender who played for his country 14 times. "Fiorentina and Davide`s family inform you that the autopsy will be performed tomorrow... The funeral will take place on Thursday in the Santa Croce basilica," the Serie A club said Monday on its Twitter account. A judicial inquiry had been launched following the death of the player, who was found dead in his hotel room in Udine, where his team was due to play Udinese on Sunday. "We have opened a manslaughter investigation, against X for the moment," Antonio de Nicolo, a magistrate in the northeastern city of Udine, told Rai radio on Monday, adding that such a procedure was "mandatory". De Nicolo was quoted Sunday as saying Astori died of "natural causes" after a "cardiac circulatory collapse" -- a type of heart attack. All seven matches in Italy`s top flight on Sunday were postponed following the news of Astori`s death. Dario Nardella, the mayor of Florence, said the city would observe a day of mourning for the player`s funeral. Former national team coach Antonio Conte and World Cup winner Gianluigi Buffon paid emotional tributes to Astori, describing their Italian compatriot as "fantastic" and "a great guy". Chelsea manager Conte, who coached the defender when his was in charge of Italy, said the player`s death was a "tragedy". "This is a tragedy and it really hurts me. It`s very difficult at this moment to find the right words for the family," Conte told Sky Sports on Sunday ahead of his side`s 1-0 loss to Manchester City. Veteran Buffon, the Juventus captain, called Astori "a great man". Buffon, who wrote in a post on Instagram accompanied by a photo of the two players exchanging pennants before a game between their clubs, said he did not usually make a habit of expressing his feelings about others. "I want to make an exception to my rule because you have a young wife and others close to you who are suffering, but mostly because your little girl deserves to know that her dad was a good man... a great man," Buffon said of Astori, who leaves behind a wife and a two-year-old daughter. Astori began his career at AC Milan, also playing for Cagliari and Roma before joining Fiorentina in 2015. He made his international debut under coach Cesare Prandelli in March 2011 as a first-half substitute in a 2-0 victory over Ukraine in Kiev before getting sent off with 17 minutes remaining. Astori scored his only international goal in the 2013 Confederations Cup third-place play-off against Uruguay, giving Italy a first-half lead in a match which finished 2-2. Italy went on to win on penalties.

Investigation opened into Astori death in Italy

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&#39;Coco&#39; wins Best Animated Feature Film Oscar. Allison Janney wins Best Supporting Actress Oscar for &#39;I, Tonya&#39;. &#39;A Fantastic Woman&#39; wins the Best Foreign Language Film award. The Oscar for Best Documentary Feature goes to &#39;Icarus&#39;.&nbsp;

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As the stars made way to the main event, Kimmel spoke about Harvey Weinstein scandal along with other things in his opening monologue. He said, Weinstein&#39;s downfall following dozens of allegations of sexual misconduct &quot;was long overdue,&quot; along with the demise of numerous other celebrities caught up in the scandal.&nbsp;

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The outlay was presented to the National People&#39;s Congress with a seven percent increase last year and 7.6 percent in 2016 which marked the first time in six years that spending growth had not risen into double figures.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/earthquake-of-magnitude-42-strikes-oklahoma-enid-34662">Earthquake</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/earthquake-of-magnitude-42-strikes-oklahoma-enid-34662"> of magnitude 4.2 strikes ‪Oklahoma‬, ‪Enid</a> 
So far, there are no reports of damage or injuries. However, Enid residents throughout the city reported shaking, creaking houses, media reports said.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/italys-ruling-centre-left-party-admits-election-defeat-34670">Italy&#39;s ruling centre-left party admits election defeat</a> 
Italy&#39;s ruling centre-left Democratic Party on Monday admitted it had suffered a &quot;clear defeat&quot; in a general election after coming in third according to projections.

Oscars 2018, Live updates: Allison Janney wins Best Supporting Actress award for 'I, Tonya' 'Coco' wins Best Animated Feature Film Oscar. Allison Janney wins Best Supporting Actress Oscar for 'I, Tonya'. 'A Fantastic Woman' wins the Best Foreign Language Film award. The Oscar for Best Documentary Feature goes to 'Icarus'. Jimmy Kimmel hosts Oscars night, mentions Harvey Weinstein scandal As the stars made way to the main event, Kimmel spoke about Harvey Weinstein scandal along with other things in his opening monologue. He said, Weinstein's downfall following dozens of allegations of sexual misconduct "was long overdue," along with the demise of numerous other celebrities caught up in the scandal. China to hike defence budget by 8.1% in 2018 The outlay was presented to the National People's Congress with a seven percent increase last year and 7.6 percent in 2016 which marked the first time in six years that spending growth had not risen into double figures. Earthquake of magnitude 4.2 strikes ‪Oklahoma‬, ‪Enid So far, there are no reports of damage or injuries. However, Enid residents throughout the city reported shaking, creaking houses, media reports said. Italy's ruling centre-left party admits election defeat Italy's ruling centre-left Democratic Party on Monday admitted it had suffered a "clear defeat" in a general election after coming in third according to projections.

WION Morning News Brief, March 5, 2018

Italy&#39;s ruling centre-left Democratic Party on Monday admitted it had suffered a &quot;clear defeat&quot; in a general election after coming in third according to projections.

&quot;This is a very clear defeat for us,&quot; Michele Martina, a minister in the outgoing government, told reporters.

&quot;We are expecting a result below our expectations... This is very clearly a negative result for us,&quot; he said.

A centre-left coalition led by the Democratic Party was projected to score just 23.1 percent, after the main right-wing alliance at 35.5 percent and the anti-establishment Five Star Movement at 32.5 percent.

&quot;Voters have spoken very clearly and irrefutably. The populists have won and the Democratic Party has lost,&quot; Andrea Marcucci, one of the party&#39;s lawmakers in the outgoing parliament, wrote on his Facebook page.

&quot;The party leaves Italy with much better (economic) results than those that came before. We will start again in opposition,&quot; he said.

The AGI news agency said party leader Matteo Renzi was now considering resigning -- a possibility he had previously ruled out even if his party lost. 
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A centre-left coalition led by the Democratic Party was projected to score just 23.1 percent

Italy's ruling centre-left Democratic Party on Monday admitted it had suffered a "clear defeat" in a general election after coming in third according to projections. "This is a very clear defeat for us," Michele Martina, a minister in the outgoing government, told reporters. "We are expecting a result below our expectations... This is very clearly a negative result for us," he said. A centre-left coalition led by the Democratic Party was projected to score just 23.1 percent, after the main right-wing alliance at 35.5 percent and the anti-establishment Five Star Movement at 32.5 percent. "Voters have spoken very clearly and irrefutably. The populists have won and the Democratic Party has lost," Andrea Marcucci, one of the party's lawmakers in the outgoing parliament, wrote on his Facebook page. "The party leaves Italy with much better (economic) results than those that came before. We will start again in opposition," he said. The AGI news agency said party leader Matteo Renzi was now considering resigning -- a possibility he had previously ruled out even if his party lost.

Italy's ruling centre-left party admits election defeat

Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon is prepared to go back on his decision to retire from international football if he is picked for the friendlies against England and Argentina next month.

The 40-year-old had called it a day in November immediately after Italy&rsquo;s astonishing failure to qualify for this year&rsquo;s World Cup, ending a 20-year international career in which he made 175 appearances.

However, on Monday Italy&rsquo;s interim coach Luigi Di Biagio said that it was not right that Buffon&rsquo;s international career should end with the infamous 0-0 draw against Sweden which condemned them to a first World Cup absence for 60 years.

&ldquo;I had thought about going on holiday for a few days with my family, but when the national team needs you, you must be present and not desert them,&rdquo; replied Buffon during the programme Tiki Taka broadcast on the Mediaset network.

&ldquo;There&rsquo;s nothing to add to Di Biagio&rsquo;s words other than I feel a sense of responsibility and loyalty which I must give to the national team in this transitional moment,&rdquo; added the 2006 World Cup winner.

&ldquo;I repeat, it&rsquo;s a way of showing loyalty and a sense of responsibility towards Italy. A new national team is being born and the first games are not comfortable ones because we will face Argentina and England. &ldquo;I think that any experienced player can be useful at the start, even if it&rsquo;s just to give advice to the young ones.&rdquo;

He might be picked for the friendlies against England and Argentina next month

Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon is prepared to go back on his decision to retire from international football if he is picked for the friendlies against England and Argentina next month. The 40-year-old had called it a day in November immediately after Italy’s astonishing failure to qualify for this year’s World Cup, ending a 20-year international career in which he made 175 appearances. However, on Monday Italy’s interim coach Luigi Di Biagio said that it was not right that Buffon’s international career should end with the infamous 0-0 draw against Sweden which condemned them to a first World Cup absence for 60 years. “I had thought about going on holiday for a few days with my family, but when the national team needs you, you must be present and not desert them,” replied Buffon during the programme Tiki Taka broadcast on the Mediaset network. “There’s nothing to add to Di Biagio’s words other than I feel a sense of responsibility and loyalty which I must give to the national team in this transitional moment,” added the 2006 World Cup winner. “I repeat, it’s a way of showing loyalty and a sense of responsibility towards Italy. A new national team is being born and the first games are not comfortable ones because we will face Argentina and England. “I think that any experienced player can be useful at the start, even if it’s just to give advice to the young ones.”

Goalkeeping legend Buffon ready to play again for Italy

Juventus general manager Giuseppe Marotta has dismissed reports that the Serie A champions are interested in signing Italian striker Mario Balotelli as &quot;a hoax&quot;.

There were reports that a five-year deal was in the offing for the former Manchester City striker, who has hit top form for Nice this season with 17 goals.

&quot;Beyond our affection, esteem and liking for this boy it&#39;s a fantasy football story,&quot; Marotta told Mediaset Premium on Monday.

&quot;This is a profile we don&#39;t need.&quot;

Balotelli won six trophies with Inter Milan including the Champions League before moving to Manchester City in 2010, followed by two spells at AC Milan either side of an unsuccessful stint at Liverpool.

The 27-year-old left Liverpool on a free transfer in August 2016 to join Nice, who are sixth in the French league this season.

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Marotta confirmed the reigning six-time league champions&#39; interest in Liverpool&#39;s German international Emre Can, whose contract expires in June.

&quot;We know his contract is expiring but he could renew or have other opportunities,&quot; said Marotta.

&quot;We&#39;ll try to bring him to us, I think a big club has to have the ambition to achieve difficult objectives.&quot;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/rafinha-shares-emotional-message-after-leaving-barcelona-30441">Rafinha shares emotional message after leaving Barcelona</a>

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Giuseppe Marotta: "Beyond our affection, esteem and liking for this boy it's a fantasy football story, this is a profile we don't need"

Juventus general manager Giuseppe Marotta has dismissed reports that the Serie A champions are interested in signing Italian striker Mario Balotelli as "a hoax". There were reports that a five-year deal was in the offing for the former Manchester City striker, who has hit top form for Nice this season with 17 goals. "Beyond our affection, esteem and liking for this boy it's a fantasy football story," Marotta told Mediaset Premium on Monday. "This is a profile we don't need." Balotelli won six trophies with Inter Milan including the Champions League before moving to Manchester City in 2010, followed by two spells at AC Milan either side of an unsuccessful stint at Liverpool. The 27-year-old left Liverpool on a free transfer in August 2016 to join Nice, who are sixth in the French league this season. Finally, the Sanchez-Mkhitaryan deal done In pictures: Five facts on Alexis Sanchez Brazilian midfielder Rafinha moves to Inter Milan Marotta confirmed the reigning six-time league champions' interest in Liverpool's German international Emre Can, whose contract expires in June. "We know his contract is expiring but he could renew or have other opportunities," said Marotta. "We'll try to bring him to us, I think a big club has to have the ambition to achieve difficult objectives." Rafinha shares emotional message after leaving Barcelona

Transfer window: Juventus denies Balotelli move

Italy&#39;s antitrust authority today said it had launched a probe into tech giants Apple and Samsung for allegedly shortening the lives of their products so clients would buy newer models.

The watchdog accused the companies of a &quot;commercial policy aimed at exploiting the shortcomings of some (tech) components to reduce the performance of their products over time and persuade consumers to purchase new versions&quot;.

It said it was also looking into complaints the pair failed to provide information on what consequences software updates pushed by the companies would have on products.

The Italian probe follows an investigation launched this month into Apple in France over suspected &quot;planned obsolescence&quot; in some of its iPhone models.

The US company was forced to admit in December that it intentionally slowed down older models of its iPhones over time, sparking concerns it was unfairly nudging consumers to upgrade.

At the time, Apple denied it intentionally shortened the life on any of its products. It said it slowed models to extend the performance of the phone, which uses less power when running at slower speeds, and prevent unexpected shutdowns.

The California-based group also faces a class-action suit in the United States.

It has been a bad start to the year for Samsung too: the electronics giant faces a legal case in France over the alleged use of child labour and other abuses in Chinese manufacturing plants producing its products.

The watchdog accused the companies of a 'commercial policy aimed at exploiting the shortcomings of some (tech) components to reduce the performance of their products over time and persuade consumers to purchase new versions'

Italy's antitrust authority today said it had launched a probe into tech giants Apple and Samsung for allegedly shortening the lives of their products so clients would buy newer models. The watchdog accused the companies of a "commercial policy aimed at exploiting the shortcomings of some (tech) components to reduce the performance of their products over time and persuade consumers to purchase new versions". It said it was also looking into complaints the pair failed to provide information on what consequences software updates pushed by the companies would have on products. The Italian probe follows an investigation launched this month into Apple in France over suspected "planned obsolescence" in some of its iPhone models. The US company was forced to admit in December that it intentionally slowed down older models of its iPhones over time, sparking concerns it was unfairly nudging consumers to upgrade. At the time, Apple denied it intentionally shortened the life on any of its products. It said it slowed models to extend the performance of the phone, which uses less power when running at slower speeds, and prevent unexpected shutdowns. The California-based group also faces a class-action suit in the United States. It has been a bad start to the year for Samsung too: the electronics giant faces a legal case in France over the alleged use of child labour and other abuses in Chinese manufacturing plants producing its products.

Italy probes Apple, Samsung over cuts to product life

An Italian appeals court on Monday acquitted two former Leonardo executives over a bribery case related to a large 2010 helicopter contract to the Indian government.

Giuseppe Orsi, former chief executive of the state-controlled defence group, formerly known as Finmeccanica, and Bruno Spagnolini, once at the head of helicopter unit AgustaWestland, were cleared of charges as &quot;there isn&#39;t sufficient proof&quot;, according to the sentence read out in court.

In December 2016, Italy&#39;s highest court had ordered a re-trial of the case, after the former executives of the Rome-based group were found guilty on corruption charges related to a 560 million euros ($672 million) contract to supply a dozen helicopters to New Delhi.

A judge earlier that year had sentenced Orsi to four and a half years in prison for corruption and falsifying invoices and Spagnolini to four years in jail.

Giuseppe Orsi and Bruno Spagnolini were cleared of charges as 'there isn't sufficient proof'

An Italian appeals court on Monday acquitted two former Leonardo executives over a bribery case related to a large 2010 helicopter contract to the Indian government. Giuseppe Orsi, former chief executive of the state-controlled defence group, formerly known as Finmeccanica, and Bruno Spagnolini, once at the head of helicopter unit AgustaWestland, were cleared of charges as "there isn't sufficient proof", according to the sentence read out in court. In December 2016, Italy's highest court had ordered a re-trial of the case, after the former executives of the Rome-based group were found guilty on corruption charges related to a 560 million euros ($672 million) contract to supply a dozen helicopters to New Delhi. A judge earlier that year had sentenced Orsi to four and a half years in prison for corruption and falsifying invoices and Spagnolini to four years in jail.

Italian appeals court acquits 2 in AgustaWestland case

Italian Formula One team Ferrari paid tribute to Michael Schumacher on Wednesday as the former seven-time world champion turned 49.

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Seven-time champion Michael Schumacher turns 49 today<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KeepFightingMichael?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KeepFightingMichael</a> <a href="https://t.co/vwqVeOil8J">pic.twitter.com/vwqVeOil8J</a>
&mdash; Formula 1 (@F1) <a href="https://twitter.com/F1/status/948486284481359872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&quot;Today Michael turns 49, our thoughts are always with him. #Keepfighting #ForzaMichael,&quot; the Italian stable wrote on their Twitter account.

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Today Michael turns 49, our thoughts are always with him. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Keepfighting?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Keepfighting</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ForzaMichael?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ForzaMichael</a> <a href="https://t.co/vkRLtDPqOD">pic.twitter.com/vkRLtDPqOD</a>
&mdash; Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) <a href="https://twitter.com/ScuderiaFerrari/status/948463945911799808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The retired seven-time F1 champion German racing ace, widely regarded as one of the greatest Formula One drivers ever, has been battling for his life ever since he suffered catastrophic brain injuries four years ago after he hit his head on a rock during a skiing holiday in the French resort of Meribel in December 2013.

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Hey <a href="https://twitter.com/schumacher?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@schumacher</a> you are still and will always be the very best to me! 
A very happy birthday Michael! All the best to you always! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ForzaMichael?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ForzaMichael</a> <a href="https://t.co/Y44r3AHy6p">pic.twitter.com/Y44r3AHy6p</a>
&mdash; Mechthild B&ouml;ttger (@MechiBoettger) <a href="https://twitter.com/MechiBoettger/status/948478524754747392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Schumacher won two titles with Benetton in 1994 and 1995 before five consecutive world drivers&#39; titles with Ferrari between 2000 and 2004.

His records of seven titles, 91 career victories, fastest laps (77) and most races won in a single season (13), remain unchallenged.

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Seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher is 49 today.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KeepFightingMichael?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KeepFightingMichael</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ForzaMichael?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ForzaMichael</a> <a href="https://t.co/c0Xq8JUy69">pic.twitter.com/c0Xq8JUy69</a>
&mdash; Planet F1 (@Planet_F1) <a href="https://twitter.com/Planet_F1/status/948492633097125888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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SCHUMACHER <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/F1?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#F1</a> STATS 
 
306 - Starts 
91 - Wins 
68 - Pole positions 
155 - Podiums 
77 - Fastest laps 
7 - World titles<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/F1FastFact?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#F1FastFact</a> <a href="https://t.co/jPXMnfDUSd">pic.twitter.com/jPXMnfDUSd</a>
&mdash; Formula 1 (@F1) <a href="https://twitter.com/F1/status/948512319121821701?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

The seven-time F1 champion has been battling for his life ever since he suffered catastrophic brain injuries

Italian Formula One team Ferrari paid tribute to Michael Schumacher on Wednesday as the former seven-time world champion turned 49. Seven-time champion Michael Schumacher turns 49 today#KeepFightingMichael pic.twitter.com/vwqVeOil8J — Formula 1 (@F1) January 3, 2018 × "Today Michael turns 49, our thoughts are always with him. #Keepfighting #ForzaMichael," the Italian stable wrote on their Twitter account. Today Michael turns 49, our thoughts are always with him. #Keepfighting #ForzaMichael pic.twitter.com/vkRLtDPqOD — Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) January 3, 2018 × The retired seven-time F1 champion German racing ace, widely regarded as one of the greatest Formula One drivers ever, has been battling for his life ever since he suffered catastrophic brain injuries four years ago after he hit his head on a rock during a skiing holiday in the French resort of Meribel in December 2013. Hey @schumacher you are still and will always be the very best to me! A very happy birthday Michael! All the best to you always! #ForzaMichael pic.twitter.com/Y44r3AHy6p — Mechthild Böttger (@MechiBoettger) January 3, 2018 × Schumacher won two titles with Benetton in 1994 and 1995 before five consecutive world drivers' titles with Ferrari between 2000 and 2004. His records of seven titles, 91 career victories, fastest laps (77) and most races won in a single season (13), remain unchallenged. Seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher is 49 today.#KeepFightingMichael #ForzaMichael pic.twitter.com/c0Xq8JUy69 — Planet F1 (@Planet_F1) January 3, 2018 × SCHUMACHER #F1 STATS 306 - Starts 91 - Wins 68 - Pole positions 155 - Podiums 77 - Fastest laps 7 - World titles#F1FastFact pic.twitter.com/jPXMnfDUSd — Formula 1 (@F1) January 3, 2018 ×

Formula-1 legend Michael Schumacher turns 49, fans send wishes

Congress leader Randeep Surjewala took a dig at BJP on Wednesday, saying that young men and women should start taking permission from the saffron party before getting married.&nbsp;

The quote comes following BJP MLA&nbsp;Pannalal Shakya&#39;s objection to Virat Kohli-Anushka Sharma wedding.&nbsp;

Surejwala took to Twitter on Wednesday and said: &quot;Attention--To all &#39;Young Men/Women&#39; in India. Please take prior approval from BJP for deciding whom to marry; deciding the venue of marriage; deciding the nature of festivities; deciding the food menu. Thank You. PS- Issued in Public Interest.&quot;

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Madhya Pradesh Pannalal Shakya <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/why-did-virat-anushka-not-hold-their-wedding-in-india-questions-madhya-pradesh-mla-27211">set off a massive controversy</a> on Tuesday after he questioned Indian cricket captain Virat Kolhi and Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma&#39;s decision to get married in Italy, and not in India.

Shakya said: &quot;Virat earned money in India... But he didn&#39;t find any place to marry in the country. Is Hindustan untouchable?&quot;

He further added &quot;Lord Rama, Lord Krishna, Vikramaditya, Yudhishthir got married on this land. You all must have got married here. None of us goes to a foreign country to get married...(Kohli) earned money here and spent billions there (Italy)...(he) doesn&#39;t have any respect for the country. This proves he is not a patriot,&quot; Shakhya had claimed.

Virat and Anushka recently got married at a private function in Italy&#39;s Tuscany recently.

The comment from Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala came after a BJP MLA from Madhya Pradesh asked why Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma had got married outside of the country

Congress leader Randeep Surjewala took a dig at BJP on Wednesday, saying that young men and women should start taking permission from the saffron party before getting married. The quote comes following BJP MLA Pannalal Shakya's objection to Virat Kohli-Anushka Sharma wedding. Surejwala took to Twitter on Wednesday and said: "Attention--To all 'Young Men/Women' in India. Please take prior approval from BJP for deciding whom to marry; deciding the venue of marriage; deciding the nature of festivities; deciding the food menu. Thank You. PS- Issued in Public Interest." Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Madhya Pradesh Pannalal Shakya set off a massive controversy on Tuesday after he questioned Indian cricket captain Virat Kolhi and Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma's decision to get married in Italy, and not in India. Shakya said: "Virat earned money in India... But he didn't find any place to marry in the country. Is Hindustan untouchable?" He further added "Lord Rama, Lord Krishna, Vikramaditya, Yudhishthir got married on this land. You all must have got married here. None of us goes to a foreign country to get married...(Kohli) earned money here and spent billions there (Italy)...(he) doesn't have any respect for the country. This proves he is not a patriot," Shakhya had claimed. Virat and Anushka recently got married at a private function in Italy's Tuscany recently.

Ask BJP before getting married, says Congress

Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma are now reported to have left for their honeymoon.

According to media reports, the power couple has chosen a luxury heritage resort in Tuscany, Italy for their special vacation.&nbsp;

Borgo Finocchieto, one of the most exquisite luxury villas in the world, is touted for its breathtaking decor, elegant architecture and stunning views.

The resort is a thirty-minute drive from South of Siena, close to Montalcino in the Brunello, the wine growing district.

Borgo Finocchieto is also the second most expensive holiday rental in the world, with its price peaking especially in the month of December.

The resort was also the venue for the star couple&#39;s wedding that took place yesterday.&nbsp;

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Borgo Finocchieto, Image via the official website. (Others)
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Cricket sensation <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/entertainment-in-pictures-anushka-sharma-virat-kohlis-photos-with-family-are-frame-worthy-26552" target="_blank">Virat Kohli and Bollywood diva Anushka Sharma</a> have been reported to have been seeing each other for over four years. <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/entertainment-presenting-the-first-official-photo-of-virat-kohli-and-his-bride-anushka-sharma-26487" target="_blank">Virushka</a>, as lovingly called by their fans, tied the knot yesterday morning at an intimate ceremony in Tuscany, Italy.

The couple was decked up in ethereal, traditional garments created by celebrated designer <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/anushka-virat-looked-regal-in-sabyasachi-mukherjee-designs-on-their-wedding-day-26564" target="_blank">Sabyasachi Mukherjee</a>.&nbsp;

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<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bckf0e2F5e9/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Sabyasachi Mukherjee (@sabyasachiofficial)</a> on <time datetime="2017-12-11T17:25:59+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">Dec 11, 2017 at 9:25am PST</time>
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The two are expected to leave for Rome, where they plan to have a short honeymoon and after which the couple will return to India.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/watch-virat-kohli-sings-an-old-kishore-kumar-number-for-anushka-sharma-26526" target="_blank">Virat Kohli</a> and Anushka Sharma will host a grand wedding reception for their families and friends&nbsp;in New Delhi&nbsp;on December 21.

Another reception is likely to take place in Mumbai.&nbsp;

(With inputs from ANI)

The power couple is expected to leave for Rome where they plan to have a short honeymoon

Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma are now reported to have left for their honeymoon. According to media reports, the power couple has chosen a luxury heritage resort in Tuscany, Italy for their special vacation. Borgo Finocchieto, one of the most exquisite luxury villas in the world, is touted for its breathtaking decor, elegant architecture and stunning views. The resort is a thirty-minute drive from South of Siena, close to Montalcino in the Brunello, the wine growing district. Borgo Finocchieto is also the second most expensive holiday rental in the world, with its price peaking especially in the month of December. The resort was also the venue for the star couple's wedding that took place yesterday. Borgo Finocchieto, Image via the official website. (Others) × Cricket sensation Virat Kohli and Bollywood diva Anushka Sharma have been reported to have been seeing each other for over four years. Virushka, as lovingly called by their fans, tied the knot yesterday morning at an intimate ceremony in Tuscany, Italy. The couple was decked up in ethereal, traditional garments created by celebrated designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee. A post shared by Sabyasachi Mukherjee (@sabyasachiofficial) on Dec 11, 2017 at 9:25am PST × The two are expected to leave for Rome, where they plan to have a short honeymoon and after which the couple will return to India. Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma will host a grand wedding reception for their families and friends in New Delhi on December 21. Another reception is likely to take place in Mumbai. (With inputs from ANI)

Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma's honeymoon destination is ethereal

United Nations Security Council ministers will meet on Dec. 15 to discuss North Korea&#39;s nuclear and missiles programs and the body will also meet separately this month to discuss human rights abuses in the North Asian country, an annual meeting that its ally China has tried to prevent for the past three years.

Japan&#39;s UN&nbsp;Ambassador Koro Bessho, president of the 15-member council for December, said several ministers were confirmed to attend the Dec. 15 meeting. He also said the meeting on human rights in North Korea could be held on Dec. 11.

China has unsuccessfully tried to stop three previous human rights meetings by calling a procedural vote. A minimum of nine votes are needed to win such a vote and China, Russia, the United States, Britain and France cannot wield their vetoes.

This year&#39;s meeting has the backing of nine members - the United States, France, Britain, Italy, Japan, Senegal, Sweden, Ukraine and Uruguay.

Last year, the United States angered North Korea by blacklisting its leader Kim Jong Un for human rights abuses.

A landmark 2014 UN&nbsp;report on North Korean human rights concluded that North Korean security chiefs - and possibly Kim himself - should face justice for overseeing a state-controlled system of Nazi-style atrocities.

Michael Kirby, chairman of the UN&nbsp;Commission of Inquiry that drew up the report, said at the time that the crimes the team had catalogued were reminiscent of those committed by the Nazis during World War Two. &quot;Some of them are strikingly similar,&quot; he told Reuters.

North Korea has repeatedly rejected accusations of human rights abuses and blames sanctions for a dire humanitarian situation. Pyongyang has been under UN&nbsp;sanctions since 2006 over its ballistic missiles and nuclear programs.

&quot;Despite persistent sanctions and pressure by the US&nbsp;and other hostile forces, my government concentrates all its efforts on improving people&#39;s livelihood and providing them with a better future,&quot; the North Korean Permanent Mission to the United Nations said in a statement on Nov. 14.

United Nations Security Council ministers will meet on Dec. 15 to discuss North Korea's nuclear and missiles programs and the body will also meet separately this month to discuss human rights abuses in the North Asian country, an annual meeting that its ally China has tried to prevent for the past three years

United Nations Security Council ministers will meet on Dec. 15 to discuss North Korea's nuclear and missiles programs and the body will also meet separately this month to discuss human rights abuses in the North Asian country, an annual meeting that its ally China has tried to prevent for the past three years. Japan's UN Ambassador Koro Bessho, president of the 15-member council for December, said several ministers were confirmed to attend the Dec. 15 meeting. He also said the meeting on human rights in North Korea could be held on Dec. 11. China has unsuccessfully tried to stop three previous human rights meetings by calling a procedural vote. A minimum of nine votes are needed to win such a vote and China, Russia, the United States, Britain and France cannot wield their vetoes. This year's meeting has the backing of nine members - the United States, France, Britain, Italy, Japan, Senegal, Sweden, Ukraine and Uruguay. Last year, the United States angered North Korea by blacklisting its leader Kim Jong Un for human rights abuses. A landmark 2014 UN report on North Korean human rights concluded that North Korean security chiefs - and possibly Kim himself - should face justice for overseeing a state-controlled system of Nazi-style atrocities. Michael Kirby, chairman of the UN Commission of Inquiry that drew up the report, said at the time that the crimes the team had catalogued were reminiscent of those committed by the Nazis during World War Two. "Some of them are strikingly similar," he told Reuters. North Korea has repeatedly rejected accusations of human rights abuses and blames sanctions for a dire humanitarian situation. Pyongyang has been under UN sanctions since 2006 over its ballistic missiles and nuclear programs. "Despite persistent sanctions and pressure by the US and other hostile forces, my government concentrates all its efforts on improving people's livelihood and providing them with a better future," the North Korean Permanent Mission to the United Nations said in a statement on Nov. 14.

UN council to meet in December on North Korea rights abuses, nuclear programme

The European Commission sounded the alarm on Wednesday over Italy&#39;s high level of public debt, adding to concerns about the eurozone&#39;s third-largest economy.

&quot;In the case of Italy, the persisting high government debt is a reason of concern,&quot; the European Commission said in a statement, adding that Brussels would write to Rome giving it until spring 2018 to bring things back in order.

The European Commission sounded the alarm over Italy's high level of public debt on Wednesday, adding to concerns about the eurozone's third-largest economy

The European Commission sounded the alarm on Wednesday over Italy's high level of public debt, adding to concerns about the eurozone's third-largest economy. "In the case of Italy, the persisting high government debt is a reason of concern," the European Commission said in a statement, adding that Brussels would write to Rome giving it until spring 2018 to bring things back in order.

Italy's high level of debt reason for concern: EU

Italy coach Gian Piero Ventura was sacked on Wednesday as he paid the almost inevitable price for their failure to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in 60 years.

The Italian federation (FIGC) initially issued a statement saying that Ventura was &quot;no longer&quot; the coach without clarifying whether he had been sacked or resigned. An FIGC source, however, told Reuters that the 69-year-old had been fired.

The four-times world champions were held to a 0-0 draw at home by Sweden in the second leg of their European playoff on Monday, losing 1-0 on aggregate, and will miss the finals for the first time since 1958.

Unusually in Italy, the federation did not thank Ventura for his services, nor wish him well for the future.

FIGC president Carlo Tavecchio later told reporters that he had spoken to Ventura and &quot;told him we no longer had need of his services, so as of today, Italy does not have a coach.&quot;

Many Italian newspapers also called for the resignation of Tavecchio following the World Cup fiasco, but in Wednesday&#39;s statement, the FIGC said he had declined to quit.

Instead, Tavecchio said he had called a meeting for Monday to discuss the future. &quot;We have thought about some important coaches as next manager,&quot; he said.

Ventura replaced Antonio Conte following Euro 2016 and was initially given a two-year contract. In August, it was extended until the Euro 2020 tournament because the FIGC said it was happy with the team&#39;s progress.

On announcing Ventura&#39;s appointment, Tavecchio had described him as a &quot;master of football&quot;.

Ventura has never won a major title or coached top-tier teams such as AC Milan, Inter Milan or Juventus. He spent much of his career in the lower divisions, but enjoyed a long, steady career and had a reputation for nurturing young talent.

He also gained widespread respect following a five-year spell with Torino when he led them out of Serie B and to several decent finishes in the middle and upper half of Serie A.

Italy finished second in their European qualifying group behind Spain, forcing them into a playoff against Sweden for a place in Russia.

Ventura was in charge for 17 games with 10 wins, four draws and three defeats.

Apart from 1958, the only other occasion Italy missed the World Cup was the inaugural tournament in 1930 when, like many other European teams, they did not enter because of the difficulties of travelling to Uruguay.

The four-times world champions were held to a 0-0 draw at home by Sweden in the second leg of their European playoff on Monday, losing 1-0 on aggregate, and will miss the finals for the first time since 1958.

Italy coach Gian Piero Ventura was sacked on Wednesday as he paid the almost inevitable price for their failure to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in 60 years. The Italian federation (FIGC) initially issued a statement saying that Ventura was "no longer" the coach without clarifying whether he had been sacked or resigned. An FIGC source, however, told Reuters that the 69-year-old had been fired. The four-times world champions were held to a 0-0 draw at home by Sweden in the second leg of their European playoff on Monday, losing 1-0 on aggregate, and will miss the finals for the first time since 1958. Unusually in Italy, the federation did not thank Ventura for his services, nor wish him well for the future. FIGC president Carlo Tavecchio later told reporters that he had spoken to Ventura and "told him we no longer had need of his services, so as of today, Italy does not have a coach." Many Italian newspapers also called for the resignation of Tavecchio following the World Cup fiasco, but in Wednesday's statement, the FIGC said he had declined to quit. Instead, Tavecchio said he had called a meeting for Monday to discuss the future. "We have thought about some important coaches as next manager," he said. Ventura replaced Antonio Conte following Euro 2016 and was initially given a two-year contract. In August, it was extended until the Euro 2020 tournament because the FIGC said it was happy with the team's progress. On announcing Ventura's appointment, Tavecchio had described him as a "master of football". Ventura has never won a major title or coached top-tier teams such as AC Milan, Inter Milan or Juventus. He spent much of his career in the lower divisions, but enjoyed a long, steady career and had a reputation for nurturing young talent. He also gained widespread respect following a five-year spell with Torino when he led them out of Serie B and to several decent finishes in the middle and upper half of Serie A. Italy finished second in their European qualifying group behind Spain, forcing them into a playoff against Sweden for a place in Russia. Ventura was in charge for 17 games with 10 wins, four draws and three defeats. Apart from 1958, the only other occasion Italy missed the World Cup was the inaugural tournament in 1930 when, like many other European teams, they did not enter because of the difficulties of travelling to Uruguay.

Italy national team football coach sacked after World Cup fiasco

The road to Russia is definitely not easy this time. Earlier, it was Argentina, which was struggling to qualify but somehow made it to Russia.

This time it was Italy. Poor performance in the whole season created a fuss in the end where they couldn&#39;t score against Sweden. Eventually, were ousted from the FIFA World Cup 2018. The Azzurri, four-time winners of football&#39;s most important trophy, will miss their first World Cup since 1958.

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Italy players dejected after failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup (AFP)
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You might lose your heart in Italy but Italy losing in qualifiers is heartbreaking.

Daniel Pagani, a war correspondent with WION and an Italian, said, &quot;For Italians, it is a &#39;national tragedy&#39;. Losing to a mediocre side like Sweden is certainly heartbreaking. Every Italian is fond of the game they not only celebrate it but live with it. In Italy, people watch football with friends and family and cherish the memories forever&quot;.

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<h5>FIFA 2018 seems incomplete without Italy but Sweden certainly deserves to enter the world cup as their performance was brilliant in both the legs.</h5>
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FIFA 2018 seems incomplete without Italy but Sweden certainly deserves to enter the World Cup as their performance was brilliant in both the legs. In&nbsp;yesterday&#39;s game, they had 24 per cent possession and only 4 goal attempts, but still, they were able to hold Italian side. Italy underplayed not only in yesterday&#39;s game but throughout the season and now joins fellow big guns such as Chile and the Netherlands in missing out on Russia 2018.

Johan Castell, WION correspondent and a Swede, said, &quot;Sweden won! But we are not going to watch the World Cup (because Italy did not qualify). To beat a country whose national game is football is exponentially amazing. In Sweden, every football spectator will become a critic during a football match, so this moment is beyond magical to all Swedish. It seems Sweden is onto setting a new tradition of beating Italy in every 60 years and not letting them enter the World Cup&quot;.

Italy, with a very poor tactics, failed to reach next year&#39;s World Cup. If Italian team plays the way they did against Sweden then it is a better option to avoid playing in the World Cup. Even with 75 per cent ball possession and 27 goal attempts, they could not score a goal and let the Scandinavians sail through to the qualifiers with an aggregate of 0-1.

What went wrong

In the situation of &quot;do and die&quot; attack&nbsp;was the only option left for Italy but players like Lorenzo Insigne with 6 goals and 5 assists in the season spends 90 minutes on the bench. Even, Andrea Belotti and Stephan El Shaarawy were on the bench when the match started.

Daniele De Rossi snapped on the bench and vented his anger on a staff and also on the coach after the decision was taken to send him on as a substitute rather than Lorenzo Insigne. Later, Italy coach Gian Piero Ventura apologised for World Cup failure.

Digvijay Singh Deo, WION sports editor, who grew up supporting Italy was in distress to see the current schema of Italian Football Federation. He said, &quot;Italy used to be a trendsetter for the football fraternity but its ouster raises question&nbsp;on other important aspects. It&#39;s not about yesterday&#39;s game but there is a continuous decline in the quality in terms of players and management. Where are the players? Apart from Buffon, there is no one else to name. Italy as a team has tailed off from being the best to good&quot;.

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<h5>After the match Gianluigi Buffon and Daniele De Rossi announced retirement. This was maybe the last chance for Buffon to appear in the world cup.</h5>
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Argentina also struggled to enter the World Cup but their star player Lionel Messi played his heart out when it was needed the most. But is there anyone in Italy who is like Messi? Where are the great players in Italy? Why did Italy stop producing legends?

After the match Gianluigi Buffon and Daniele De Rossi announced retirement. This was maybe the last chance for Buffon to appear in the World Cup but he lost it. Though he performed exceptionally well in the game as well the season. His tearful exit seems like the end of an era.

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After the match Gianluigi Buffon and Daniele De Rossi announced retirement. (AFP)
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On Buffon&#39;s retirement,&nbsp;Daniele Pagani&nbsp;said, &quot;Players like Buffon doesn&#39;t need to prove anything to the world but his retirement on a sad note is heart-rending, it&#39;s like Virat Kohli retires after losing against Kenya&quot;.

Collectively many things are responsible for Italy&#39;s ouster, for instance, it hasn&#39;t been able to collect itself from the tragic 3-0 defeat at the Bernabeu against Spain in September not just that it&#39;s also about their continuous decline in their game quality since 2008.

Italian Football Federation now have enough time to think that what went wrong. Whether it was coach Ventura&#39;s mistake or the whole system is somewhere to be blamed for the devastating and heartbreaking ouster of Italy.

Italy failed to reach FIFA world cup 2018. Who is to blame?

The road to Russia is definitely not easy this time. Earlier, it was Argentina, which was struggling to qualify but somehow made it to Russia. This time it was Italy. Poor performance in the whole season created a fuss in the end where they couldn't score against Sweden. Eventually, were ousted from the FIFA World Cup 2018. The Azzurri, four-time winners of football's most important trophy, will miss their first World Cup since 1958. Italy players dejected after failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup (AFP) × You might lose your heart in Italy but Italy losing in qualifiers is heartbreaking. Daniel Pagani, a war correspondent with WION and an Italian, said, "For Italians, it is a 'national tragedy'. Losing to a mediocre side like Sweden is certainly heartbreaking. Every Italian is fond of the game they not only celebrate it but live with it. In Italy, people watch football with friends and family and cherish the memories forever". FIFA 2018 seems incomplete without Italy but Sweden certainly deserves to enter the world cup as their performance was brilliant in both the legs. × FIFA 2018 seems incomplete without Italy but Sweden certainly deserves to enter the World Cup as their performance was brilliant in both the legs. In yesterday's game, they had 24 per cent possession and only 4 goal attempts, but still, they were able to hold Italian side. Italy underplayed not only in yesterday's game but throughout the season and now joins fellow big guns such as Chile and the Netherlands in missing out on Russia 2018. Johan Castell, WION correspondent and a Swede, said, "Sweden won! But we are not going to watch the World Cup (because Italy did not qualify). To beat a country whose national game is football is exponentially amazing. In Sweden, every football spectator will become a critic during a football match, so this moment is beyond magical to all Swedish. It seems Sweden is onto setting a new tradition of beating Italy in every 60 years and not letting them enter the World Cup". Italy, with a very poor tactics, failed to reach next year's World Cup. If Italian team plays the way they did against Sweden then it is a better option to avoid playing in the World Cup. Even with 75 per cent ball possession and 27 goal attempts, they could not score a goal and let the Scandinavians sail through to the qualifiers with an aggregate of 0-1. What went wrong In the situation of "do and die" attack was the only option left for Italy but players like Lorenzo Insigne with 6 goals and 5 assists in the season spends 90 minutes on the bench. Even, Andrea Belotti and Stephan El Shaarawy were on the bench when the match started. Daniele De Rossi snapped on the bench and vented his anger on a staff and also on the coach after the decision was taken to send him on as a substitute rather than Lorenzo Insigne. Later, Italy coach Gian Piero Ventura apologised for World Cup failure. Digvijay Singh Deo, WION sports editor, who grew up supporting Italy was in distress to see the current schema of Italian Football Federation. He said, "Italy used to be a trendsetter for the football fraternity but its ouster raises question on other important aspects. It's not about yesterday's game but there is a continuous decline in the quality in terms of players and management. Where are the players? Apart from Buffon, there is no one else to name. Italy as a team has tailed off from being the best to good". After the match Gianluigi Buffon and Daniele De Rossi announced retirement. This was maybe the last chance for Buffon to appear in the world cup. × Argentina also struggled to enter the World Cup but their star player Lionel Messi played his heart out when it was needed the most. But is there anyone in Italy who is like Messi? Where are the great players in Italy? Why did Italy stop producing legends? After the match Gianluigi Buffon and Daniele De Rossi announced retirement. This was maybe the last chance for Buffon to appear in the World Cup but he lost it. Though he performed exceptionally well in the game as well the season. His tearful exit seems like the end of an era. After the match Gianluigi Buffon and Daniele De Rossi announced retirement. (AFP) × On Buffon's retirement, Daniele Pagani said, "Players like Buffon doesn't need to prove anything to the world but his retirement on a sad note is heart-rending, it's like Virat Kohli retires after losing against Kenya". Collectively many things are responsible for Italy's ouster, for instance, it hasn't been able to collect itself from the tragic 3-0 defeat at the Bernabeu against Spain in September not just that it's also about their continuous decline in their game quality since 2008. Italian Football Federation now have enough time to think that what went wrong. Whether it was coach Ventura's mistake or the whole system is somewhere to be blamed for the devastating and heartbreaking ouster of Italy.

Italy's ouster from football World Cup: What went wrong?

Sweden are taking nothing for granted as they head to Milan for the second leg of their World Cup playoff against Italy on Monday after Jan Andersson&#39;s players took a 1-0 lead in the tie.

Jakob Johansson&#39;s deflected second-half strike gave Sweden a precious win in a physical first leg on Friday, and their task now is to remain focussed in the return match at the San Siro.

&quot;It&#39;s not a normal qualifier where, when the game is over, you can celebrate the three points. We&#39;re only halfway through this double-header,&quot; midfielder Sebastian Larsson told Reuters.

&quot;We&#39;re fully aware of the task ahead of us, going to Italy with a slender 1-0 lead. To keep a clean sheet was obviously something we really wanted and we&#39;re pleased with that. We re-focus and go again.&quot;

Larsson and his team mates put in an enormous defensive effort to snuff out Italy&#39;s attack, and the midfielder was limping at the end. He says, however, there is no risk of him missing the return.

Larsson, who has played 95 times for his country, but never appeared at a World Cup finals, believes staying grounded will be crucial to Sweden reaching the tournament finals in Russia next year.

&quot;We&#39;re going to stay humble and do everything we can to progress,&quot; he said.

Sweden captain Andreas Granqvist says the Italians will have to be careful about how they approach Monday&#39;s decisive game.

&quot;I don&#39;t think Italy are a team that is just going to attack, because then they know that we will create chances and maybe score a goal in Italy, and then they needs to score three,&quot; he said.

&quot;But of course, they play at home and they will have to be a little bit more attacking.&quot;

Granqvist, who spent two years at Italian club Genoa, laughed when asked about Italy&#39;s complaints about the physical nature of Friday&#39;s clash.

&quot;It&#39;s fantastic,&quot; he said. &quot;As a defender, you have to be really tough, but in a good way. I think the referee kept it good -- of course there were some situations they were angry about, but this is football.&quot;

'It's not a normal qualifier where, when the game is over, you can celebrate the three points. We're only halfway through this double-header,' midfielder Sebastian Larsson said

Sweden are taking nothing for granted as they head to Milan for the second leg of their World Cup playoff against Italy on Monday after Jan Andersson's players took a 1-0 lead in the tie. Jakob Johansson's deflected second-half strike gave Sweden a precious win in a physical first leg on Friday, and their task now is to remain focussed in the return match at the San Siro. "It's not a normal qualifier where, when the game is over, you can celebrate the three points. We're only halfway through this double-header," midfielder Sebastian Larsson told Reuters. "We're fully aware of the task ahead of us, going to Italy with a slender 1-0 lead. To keep a clean sheet was obviously something we really wanted and we're pleased with that. We re-focus and go again." Larsson and his team mates put in an enormous defensive effort to snuff out Italy's attack, and the midfielder was limping at the end. He says, however, there is no risk of him missing the return. Larsson, who has played 95 times for his country, but never appeared at a World Cup finals, believes staying grounded will be crucial to Sweden reaching the tournament finals in Russia next year. "We're going to stay humble and do everything we can to progress," he said. Sweden captain Andreas Granqvist says the Italians will have to be careful about how they approach Monday's decisive game. "I don't think Italy are a team that is just going to attack, because then they know that we will create chances and maybe score a goal in Italy, and then they needs to score three," he said. "But of course, they play at home and they will have to be a little bit more attacking." Granqvist, who spent two years at Italian club Genoa, laughed when asked about Italy's complaints about the physical nature of Friday's clash. "It's fantastic," he said. "As a defender, you have to be really tough, but in a good way. I think the referee kept it good -- of course there were some situations they were angry about, but this is football."

Football World Cup play-offs: 'Humble' Sweden taking nothing for granted against Italy

The last time Italy did not go to the World Cup was in 1958.&nbsp;

A 2-1 defeat to Northern Ireland had done them in that time, which is why Italy heaved a sigh of relief when they found they would not have to play Northern Ireland in the play-offs for the 2018 World Cup.&nbsp;

Italy will instead be playing Sweden. The first of their play-off games is early Saturday morning (1.15 am India time).&nbsp;

But that name too could fill fans of the Azzuri with dread.&nbsp;

Sweden had hosted the 1958 World Cup -- the one the Italians missed out on.&nbsp;

Not that the Italians -- who are famous for getting themselves into difficult situations -- are showing outward signs of worry, as yet.&nbsp;

&quot;We are not taking into consideration the idea of not going to the World Cup,&quot; the BBC reported coach Giampiero Ventura as saying.&nbsp;

News reports however have hinted that Ventura has been out of his depth.

And that he has not been able to fill former coach Antonio Conte&#39;s shoes.&nbsp;

This Italy team, the reports said, has been poor but Conte -- who they said was the star of the team, rather than one of the players -- made them bigger than the sum of their parts.&nbsp;

Italy meanwhile have arrived in Sweden for the first game of their two-legged World Cup play-off against Sweden with doubts about the fitness of striker Simone Zaza, Reuters reported.&nbsp;

Zaza, Reuters said, has a knee injury which is likely to keep him out of Saturday&#39;s match.

&quot;We&#39;ll see how it goes. Zaza has a little problem, if he can&#39;t play tomorrow he can play on Monday,&quot; Ventura said.&nbsp;

The last time Italy did not go to the World Cup was in 1958

The last time Italy did not go to the World Cup was in 1958. A 2-1 defeat to Northern Ireland had done them in that time, which is why Italy heaved a sigh of relief when they found they would not have to play Northern Ireland in the play-offs for the 2018 World Cup. Italy will instead be playing Sweden. The first of their play-off games is early Saturday morning (1.15 am India time). But that name too could fill fans of the Azzuri with dread. Sweden had hosted the 1958 World Cup -- the one the Italians missed out on. Not that the Italians -- who are famous for getting themselves into difficult situations -- are showing outward signs of worry, as yet. "We are not taking into consideration the idea of not going to the World Cup," the BBC reported coach Giampiero Ventura as saying. News reports however have hinted that Ventura has been out of his depth. And that he has not been able to fill former coach Antonio Conte's shoes. This Italy team, the reports said, has been poor but Conte -- who they said was the star of the team, rather than one of the players -- made them bigger than the sum of their parts. Italy meanwhile have arrived in Sweden for the first game of their two-legged World Cup play-off against Sweden with doubts about the fitness of striker Simone Zaza, Reuters reported. Zaza, Reuters said, has a knee injury which is likely to keep him out of Saturday's match. "We'll see how it goes. Zaza has a little problem, if he can't play tomorrow he can play on Monday," Ventura said.

Could Italy miss first Football World Cup in 60 years??

Two of Italy&#39;s wealthiest northern regions on Sunday voted overwhelmingly in favour of greater autonomy in the latest example of the powerful centrifugal forces reshaping European politics.

Voters in the Veneto region that includes Venice and Lombardy, home to Milan, turned out at the high end of expectations to support the principle of more powers being devolved from Rome in votes that took place against the backdrop of the crisis created by Catalonia&#39;s push for independence.

Veneto President Luca Zaia hailed the results, which were delayed slightly by a hacker attack, as an institutional &quot;big bang&quot;. But he reiterated that the region&#39;s aspirations were not comparable to the secessionist agenda that has provoked a constitutional crisis in Spain.

Turnout was projected at around 58 per cent in Veneto, where support for autonomy is stronger, and just over 40 per cent in Lombardy. The presidents of both regions said more than 95 per cent of voters who had cast ballots had, as expected, done so to support greater autonomy.

The votes are not binding but they will give the right-wing leaders of the two regions a strong political mandate when they embark on negotiations with the central government on the devolution of powers and tax revenues from Rome.

&nbsp;&#39;Our own backyard&#39;&nbsp;

Secessionist sentiment in Veneto and Lombardy is restricted to fringe groups but analysts see the autonomy drive as reflecting the same cocktail of issues and pressures that resulted in Scotland&#39;s narrowly-defeated independence vote, Britain&#39;s decision to leave the EU and the Catalan crisis.

&quot;What this vote has shown is that there is no &#39;autonomy party&#39; in Veneto -- what there is is an entire people who back this idea,&quot; said Zaia.

&quot;What&#39;s won is the idea that we should be in charge of our own backyard.&quot;

Lombardy governor Roberto Maroni said he would be looking to present detailed proposals on devolution within two weeks, in a bid to ensure they are considered before national elections due by May next year.

&quot;I will go to Rome and ask for more powers and resources within a framework of national unity,&quot; he said.

Analysts say the northern regions&#39; enthusiasm for autonomy does not represent a threat to the unity of Italy in the short term.

But they do see it being a disruptive force over coming decades, particularly as the heavily indebted central government can ill afford to forego the net contribution it gets from the country&#39;s most dynamic areas.

Pandora&#39;s box&nbsp;

&quot;Although not threatening the unity of the State, this process risks opening a Pandora&#39;s box and setting in motion widespread centrifugal forces within Italy,&quot; said economist Lorenzo Codogno.

A former senior official in the finance ministry, Codogno expects Sunday&#39;s referendums to feed into an ongoing discussion on constitutional reform with the likely outcome a much more federalised country on the model of Germany, rather than disintegration.

Lombardy and Veneto are home to around a quarter of Italy&#39;s population and account for 30 per cent of its economic output.

With lower unemployment and welfare costs than the Italian average, both regions are large contributors to Italian government coffers.

Lombardy sends 54 billion euros ($63 billion) more in taxes to Rome than it gets back in public spending. Veneto&#39;s net contribution is 15.5 billion euros.

The two regions would like to roughly halve those contributions by repatriating powers in up to 23 different areas.

The two regional presidents, both members of the far-right Northern League, notably plan to ask for more say over infrastructure, the environment, health, and education.

They also want new powers relating to security issues and immigration, steps which would require changes to the constitution.

Voters in the Veneto region that includes Venice and Lombardy, home to Milan, turned out at the high end of expectations to support the principle of more powers being devolved from Rome in votes that took place against the backdrop of the crisis created by Catalonia's push for independence

Two of Italy's wealthiest northern regions on Sunday voted overwhelmingly in favour of greater autonomy in the latest example of the powerful centrifugal forces reshaping European politics. Voters in the Veneto region that includes Venice and Lombardy, home to Milan, turned out at the high end of expectations to support the principle of more powers being devolved from Rome in votes that took place against the backdrop of the crisis created by Catalonia's push for independence. Veneto President Luca Zaia hailed the results, which were delayed slightly by a hacker attack, as an institutional "big bang". But he reiterated that the region's aspirations were not comparable to the secessionist agenda that has provoked a constitutional crisis in Spain. Turnout was projected at around 58 per cent in Veneto, where support for autonomy is stronger, and just over 40 per cent in Lombardy. The presidents of both regions said more than 95 per cent of voters who had cast ballots had, as expected, done so to support greater autonomy. The votes are not binding but they will give the right-wing leaders of the two regions a strong political mandate when they embark on negotiations with the central government on the devolution of powers and tax revenues from Rome. 'Our own backyard' Secessionist sentiment in Veneto and Lombardy is restricted to fringe groups but analysts see the autonomy drive as reflecting the same cocktail of issues and pressures that resulted in Scotland's narrowly-defeated independence vote, Britain's decision to leave the EU and the Catalan crisis. "What this vote has shown is that there is no 'autonomy party' in Veneto -- what there is is an entire people who back this idea," said Zaia. "What's won is the idea that we should be in charge of our own backyard." Lombardy governor Roberto Maroni said he would be looking to present detailed proposals on devolution within two weeks, in a bid to ensure they are considered before national elections due by May next year. "I will go to Rome and ask for more powers and resources within a framework of national unity," he said. Analysts say the northern regions' enthusiasm for autonomy does not represent a threat to the unity of Italy in the short term. But they do see it being a disruptive force over coming decades, particularly as the heavily indebted central government can ill afford to forego the net contribution it gets from the country's most dynamic areas. Pandora's box "Although not threatening the unity of the State, this process risks opening a Pandora's box and setting in motion widespread centrifugal forces within Italy," said economist Lorenzo Codogno. A former senior official in the finance ministry, Codogno expects Sunday's referendums to feed into an ongoing discussion on constitutional reform with the likely outcome a much more federalised country on the model of Germany, rather than disintegration. Lombardy and Veneto are home to around a quarter of Italy's population and account for 30 per cent of its economic output. With lower unemployment and welfare costs than the Italian average, both regions are large contributors to Italian government coffers. Lombardy sends 54 billion euros ($63 billion) more in taxes to Rome than it gets back in public spending. Veneto's net contribution is 15.5 billion euros. The two regions would like to roughly halve those contributions by repatriating powers in up to 23 different areas. The two regional presidents, both members of the far-right Northern League, notably plan to ask for more say over infrastructure, the environment, health, and education. They also want new powers relating to security issues and immigration, steps which would require changes to the constitution.

Italy regions back 'big bang' autonomy

The leaders of&nbsp;Britain, France and Italy will push social media companies on Wednesday to remove &quot;terrorist content&quot; from the internet within one to two hours of it appearing because they say that is the period when most material is spread.

British Prime Minister Theresa May, French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni will raise the issue at an event on the sidelines of the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations.

Internet companies including Facebook Inc, Microsoft Corp Alphabet Inc&#39;s Google said they will attend the meeting.

Google will be represented by general counsel Kent Walker, who will also speak on behalf of a recently formed industry group called the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism.

Facebook is sending Monika Bickert, head of global policy management, who is expected to make remarks reiterating the companies&#39; commitment to combating online extremism.

Microsoft is sending Dave Heiner, a senior policy advisor.

The European Union has threatened legislation if internet companies do not step up efforts to police what is available on the web.

The British UN&nbsp;mission said May will welcome progress, but urge companies to go &quot;further and faster&quot; to stop groups like Islamic State spreading material that promotes extremism or shows how to make bombs or attack pedestrians with vehicles.

&quot;Terrorist groups are aware that links to their propaganda are being removed more quickly, and are placing a greater emphasis on disseminating content at speed in order to stay ahead,&quot; May plans to tell the event.

&quot;Industry needs to go further and faster in automating the detection and removal of terrorist content online, and developing technological solutions which prevent it being uploaded in the first place,&quot; she will say.

Responding to pressure from governments in Europe and the United States after a spate of militant attacks, key firms created the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism in June to share technical solutions for removing extremist content and work more with counter-terrorism experts.

Twitter said it had removed 299,649 accounts in the first half of this year for the &quot;promotion of terrorism&quot;, a 20 percent decline from the previous six months, although it gave no reason for the drop. Three-quarters of those accounts were suspended before posting their first tweet.

May said ahead of Wednesday&#39;s event: &quot;We need a fundamental shift in the scale and nature of our response &ndash; both from industry and governments &ndash; if we are to match the evolving nature of terrorists&#39; use of the internet.&quot;

Internet companies including Facebook Inc, Microsoft Corp Alphabet Inc&#39;s Google said they will attend the meeting.

Google will be represented by general counsel Kent Walker, who will also speak on behalf of a recently formed industry group called the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism.

Facebook is sending Monika Bickert, head of global policy management, who is expected to make remarks reiterating the companies&#39; commitment to combating online extremism.

Microsoft is sending Dave Heiner, a senior policy advisor.

The European Union has threatened legislation if internet companies do not step up efforts to police what is available on the web.

The British UN&nbsp;mission said May will welcome progress, but urge companies to go &quot;further and faster&quot; to stop groups like Islamic State spreading material that promotes extremism or shows how to make bombs or attack pedestrians with vehicles.

&quot;Terrorist groups are aware that links to their propaganda are being removed more quickly, and are placing a greater emphasis on disseminating content at speed in order to stay ahead,&quot; May plans to tell the event.

&quot;Industry needs to go further and faster in automating the detection and removal of terrorist content online, and developing technological solutions which prevent it being uploaded in the first place,&quot; she will say.

Responding to pressure from governments in Europe and the United States after a spate of militant attacks, key firms created the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism in June to share technical solutions for removing extremist content and work more with counter-terrorism experts.

Twitter said it had removed 299,649 accounts in the first half of this year for the &quot;promotion of terrorism&quot;, a 20 per cent decline from the previous six months, although it gave no reason for the drop. Three-quarters of those accounts were suspended before posting their first tweet.

May said ahead of Wednesday&#39;s event: &quot;We need a fundamental shift in the scale and nature of our response &ndash; both from industry and governments &ndash; if we are to match the evolving nature of terrorists&#39; use of the internet.&quot;

British Prime Minister Theresa May, French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni will raise the issue at an event on the sidelines of the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations.

The leaders of Britain, France and Italy will push social media companies on Wednesday to remove "terrorist content" from the internet within one to two hours of it appearing because they say that is the period when most material is spread. British Prime Minister Theresa May, French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni will raise the issue at an event on the sidelines of the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations. Internet companies including Facebook Inc, Microsoft Corp Alphabet Inc's Google said they will attend the meeting. Google will be represented by general counsel Kent Walker, who will also speak on behalf of a recently formed industry group called the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism. Facebook is sending Monika Bickert, head of global policy management, who is expected to make remarks reiterating the companies' commitment to combating online extremism. Microsoft is sending Dave Heiner, a senior policy advisor. The European Union has threatened legislation if internet companies do not step up efforts to police what is available on the web. The British UN mission said May will welcome progress, but urge companies to go "further and faster" to stop groups like Islamic State spreading material that promotes extremism or shows how to make bombs or attack pedestrians with vehicles. "Terrorist groups are aware that links to their propaganda are being removed more quickly, and are placing a greater emphasis on disseminating content at speed in order to stay ahead," May plans to tell the event. "Industry needs to go further and faster in automating the detection and removal of terrorist content online, and developing technological solutions which prevent it being uploaded in the first place," she will say. Responding to pressure from governments in Europe and the United States after a spate of militant attacks, key firms created the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism in June to share technical solutions for removing extremist content and work more with counter-terrorism experts. Twitter said it had removed 299,649 accounts in the first half of this year for the "promotion of terrorism", a 20 percent decline from the previous six months, although it gave no reason for the drop. Three-quarters of those accounts were suspended before posting their first tweet. May said ahead of Wednesday's event: "We need a fundamental shift in the scale and nature of our response – both from industry and governments – if we are to match the evolving nature of terrorists' use of the internet." Internet companies including Facebook Inc, Microsoft Corp Alphabet Inc's Google said they will attend the meeting. Google will be represented by general counsel Kent Walker, who will also speak on behalf of a recently formed industry group called the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism. Facebook is sending Monika Bickert, head of global policy management, who is expected to make remarks reiterating the companies' commitment to combating online extremism. Microsoft is sending Dave Heiner, a senior policy advisor. The European Union has threatened legislation if internet companies do not step up efforts to police what is available on the web. The British UN mission said May will welcome progress, but urge companies to go "further and faster" to stop groups like Islamic State spreading material that promotes extremism or shows how to make bombs or attack pedestrians with vehicles. "Terrorist groups are aware that links to their propaganda are being removed more quickly, and are placing a greater emphasis on disseminating content at speed in order to stay ahead," May plans to tell the event. "Industry needs to go further and faster in automating the detection and removal of terrorist content online, and developing technological solutions which prevent it being uploaded in the first place," she will say. Responding to pressure from governments in Europe and the United States after a spate of militant attacks, key firms created the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism in June to share technical solutions for removing extremist content and work more with counter-terrorism experts. Twitter said it had removed 299,649 accounts in the first half of this year for the "promotion of terrorism", a 20 per cent decline from the previous six months, although it gave no reason for the drop. Three-quarters of those accounts were suspended before posting their first tweet. May said ahead of Wednesday's event: "We need a fundamental shift in the scale and nature of our response – both from industry and governments – if we are to match the evolving nature of terrorists' use of the internet."

At UN, Britain to push internet firms to remove extremist content quicker

A 4.0 magnitude earthquake struck the Italian holiday island of Ischia late Monday, causing destruction that left one person dead and one missing at peak tourist season, authorities said.

A woman was killed in Casamicciola, in the north of the small tourist island, hit by debris that fell from a church, with around 25 people injured in the quake, for the most part lightly.

At a press conference early Tuesday, the head of the local department of civil protection, Angelo Borrelli, said that two small communes, Casamicciola and neighbouring Lacco Ameno, had borne the brunt of the quake.

&quot;In Casamicciola, a building collapsed and three people were pulled alive from the rubble -- two women and a man,&quot; he said.

Rescue workers were working in the early hours to free three children who were alive but trapped and communicating with emergency services through the rubble, the mayor of Casamicciola told Italian television.

The tremor hit the northwest of the island at 8:57 pm (1957 GMT), with a depth of some 10 kilometres.&nbsp;

Italian authorities first put Monday&#39;s quake at 3.6, but subsequently revised it upward to 4.0 magnitude.

The main earthquake was followed by 14 smaller aftershocks, said Angelo Borrelli.

It came just days ahead of the first anniversary of the 6.0 magnitude quake that killed nearly 300 people in and around Amatrice in central Italy. In October 2016 and January 2017 three other earthquakes hit the same region.

&quot;I was on the couch watching TV. Blackout, shaking, something fell on my head. I scream, my mother grabs me and we ran outside,&quot; one witness wrote on Twitter.

The quake response has benefited from the presence of emergency responders who happened to already be on the island to fight the forest fires that have plagued Italy this summer, local media said.

Teams of firefighters, including two units specialised in extracting people from the rubble, were quickly mobilised, said Bruno Frattasi, who oversees the fire department.

Firefighters said on Twitter that several buildings on the island were damaged or had collapsed.

Ischia&#39;s only hospital was also hit and had to be partially evacuated. Five patients were evacuated to another medical facility by helicopter.

Restaurants were packed and many stores were still open when the shaking began, witnesses said on Twitter.

&quot;A horrible experience, everything was shaking, plunged into darkness, houses were collapsing... a nightmare,&quot; a witness wrote on Twitter.

Electricity was restored after just a few minutes, but many people stayed outdoors after the quake, reluctant to go inside.

Ischia has been a frequent victim of earthquakes, with its worst dating back over a century. Estimated at a magnitude of 5.8, it killed over 2,000 people in July 1883.

Much of Italy&#39;s land mass and some of its surrounding waters are prone to seismic activity with the highest risk concentrated along its mountainous central spine.

Italy straddles the Eurasian and African tectonic plates, making it vulnerable to seismic activity when they move.

A 4.0 magnitude earthquake struck the Italian holiday island of Ischia late on Monday

A 4.0 magnitude earthquake struck the Italian holiday island of Ischia late Monday, causing destruction that left one person dead and one missing at peak tourist season, authorities said. A woman was killed in Casamicciola, in the north of the small tourist island, hit by debris that fell from a church, with around 25 people injured in the quake, for the most part lightly. At a press conference early Tuesday, the head of the local department of civil protection, Angelo Borrelli, said that two small communes, Casamicciola and neighbouring Lacco Ameno, had borne the brunt of the quake. "In Casamicciola, a building collapsed and three people were pulled alive from the rubble -- two women and a man," he said. Rescue workers were working in the early hours to free three children who were alive but trapped and communicating with emergency services through the rubble, the mayor of Casamicciola told Italian television. The tremor hit the northwest of the island at 8:57 pm (1957 GMT), with a depth of some 10 kilometres. Italian authorities first put Monday's quake at 3.6, but subsequently revised it upward to 4.0 magnitude. The main earthquake was followed by 14 smaller aftershocks, said Angelo Borrelli. It came just days ahead of the first anniversary of the 6.0 magnitude quake that killed nearly 300 people in and around Amatrice in central Italy. In October 2016 and January 2017 three other earthquakes hit the same region. "I was on the couch watching TV. Blackout, shaking, something fell on my head. I scream, my mother grabs me and we ran outside," one witness wrote on Twitter. The quake response has benefited from the presence of emergency responders who happened to already be on the island to fight the forest fires that have plagued Italy this summer, local media said. Teams of firefighters, including two units specialised in extracting people from the rubble, were quickly mobilised, said Bruno Frattasi, who oversees the fire department. Firefighters said on Twitter that several buildings on the island were damaged or had collapsed. Ischia's only hospital was also hit and had to be partially evacuated. Five patients were evacuated to another medical facility by helicopter. Restaurants were packed and many stores were still open when the shaking began, witnesses said on Twitter. "A horrible experience, everything was shaking, plunged into darkness, houses were collapsing... a nightmare," a witness wrote on Twitter. Electricity was restored after just a few minutes, but many people stayed outdoors after the quake, reluctant to go inside. Ischia has been a frequent victim of earthquakes, with its worst dating back over a century. Estimated at a magnitude of 5.8, it killed over 2,000 people in July 1883. Much of Italy's land mass and some of its surrounding waters are prone to seismic activity with the highest risk concentrated along its mountainous central spine. Italy straddles the Eurasian and African tectonic plates, making it vulnerable to seismic activity when they move.

One dead, 1 missing after quake hits Italy holiday island

The G-20 (Group of 20)&nbsp;is an international forum which was formed with the purpose of establishing international cooperation on global economic and financial&nbsp;issues. The forum plays an important role in decision making on issues of international relevance.

G20 countries account for three-quarters of global trade. The G-20 countries produce more than&nbsp;80 per cent of the global economic&nbsp;output.&nbsp;

Around two-third&nbsp;of the global population lives in G-20 member countries.&nbsp;

The G-20 started in 1999 as a meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors in the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis that sent shockwaves through the global economic community.

In 2008, the first G-20 Leaders&rsquo; Summit was held, and the group played a key role in responding to the global financial crisis that rattled world markets causing massive financial instabilty and leading to the collapse of financial institutions.&nbsp;Its decisive and coordinated actions boosted consumer and business confidence and supported the global&nbsp;economic recovery.&nbsp;

How it works 
Each year in December&nbsp;a different G-20 member country assumes presidency of the forum. To ensure continuity, the presidency is supported by a &ldquo;troika&rdquo; (Trio) made up of the current, immediate past and next host countries. Being an informal group, the group has no permanent secretariat.&nbsp;

The G-20 president is responsible for bringing together the G-20 agenda in consultation with other members and in response to developments in the global economy. The summit and the preparatory processes &ndash; often including more than 60 ministerial and working group meetings per year &ndash; are coordinated by the respective host country.

Members of G20 
The twenty members of the forum are :

<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width: 500px;">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>
			<ul>
				<li>Argentina</li>
				<li>Australia</li>
				<li>Brazil</li>
				<li>Canada</li>
				<li>China</li>
				<li>France</li>
				<li>Germany</li>
			</ul>
			</td>
			<td>
			<ul>
				<li>India</li>
				<li>Indonesia</li>
				<li>Italy</li>
				<li>Japan</li>
				<li>Republic of Korea</li>
				<li>Mexico</li>
				<li>Russia</li>
			</ul>
			</td>
			<td>
			<ul>
				<li>Saudi Arabia</li>
				<li>South Africa</li>
				<li>Turkey</li>
				<li>The United Kingdom</li>
				<li>The united States</li>
				<li>The European Union</li>
			</ul>
			</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

 
&nbsp;

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The map displays the member countries, which represent two-thirds of the world population (Image source: g20.org) (Others)
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At the invitation of each Presidency, international organisations also regularly attend the G20 meetings. These organisations include the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Financial Stability Board (FSB), the World Bank (WB), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations (UN). The German G20 Presidency has also invited the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2017.

Spain attends the G-20 Summits as a permanent guest. The Presidency can also invite representatives of regional organisations and guests to the G-20 Summit.&nbsp;

India and G20

India has enacted a number of legislations and taken steps to tackle issues like black money, terror financing and food security which can be traced back to G-20. &nbsp;

For instance, India enacted the&nbsp;National Food Security Act with the objective to provide food and nutritional security by ensuring access to adequate quantity of food at affordable prices to people.&nbsp;

India stands to gain from G-20 knowledge sharing and best practices of improving food security without increasing water consumption to unsustainable levels. The same can then also form part of implementation under the National Water Policy of India.

G-20 has emerged as an important forum where global leaders come together to discuss issues of international significance. At a time, when countries like US are turning inwards and showing signs of protectionism, forums like G-20 have assumed all the more importance to steer the global economic community.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

&nbsp;

G20 is an international informal forum where India has made the mark of an emerging economy which aspires to take the world along with it towards development

The G-20 (Group of 20) is an international forum which was formed with the purpose of establishing international cooperation on global economic and financial issues. The forum plays an important role in decision making on issues of international relevance. G20 countries account for three-quarters of global trade. The G-20 countries produce more than 80 per cent of the global economic output. Around two-third of the global population lives in G-20 member countries. The G-20 started in 1999 as a meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors in the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis that sent shockwaves through the global economic community. In 2008, the first G-20 Leaders’ Summit was held, and the group played a key role in responding to the global financial crisis that rattled world markets causing massive financial instabilty and leading to the collapse of financial institutions. Its decisive and coordinated actions boosted consumer and business confidence and supported the global economic recovery. How it works Each year in December a different G-20 member country assumes presidency of the forum. To ensure continuity, the presidency is supported by a “troika” (Trio) made up of the current, immediate past and next host countries. Being an informal group, the group has no permanent secretariat. The G-20 president is responsible for bringing together the G-20 agenda in consultation with other members and in response to developments in the global economy. The summit and the preparatory processes – often including more than 60 ministerial and working group meetings per year – are coordinated by the respective host country. Members of G20 The twenty members of the forum are : Argentina Australia Brazil Canada China France Germany India Indonesia Italy Japan Republic of Korea Mexico Russia Saudi Arabia South Africa Turkey The United Kingdom The united States The European Union The map displays the member countries, which represent two-thirds of the world population (Image source: g20.org) (Others) × At the invitation of each Presidency, international organisations also regularly attend the G20 meetings. These organisations include the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Financial Stability Board (FSB), the World Bank (WB), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations (UN). The German G20 Presidency has also invited the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2017. Spain attends the G-20 Summits as a permanent guest. The Presidency can also invite representatives of regional organisations and guests to the G-20 Summit. India and G20 India has enacted a number of legislations and taken steps to tackle issues like black money, terror financing and food security which can be traced back to G-20. For instance, India enacted the National Food Security Act with the objective to provide food and nutritional security by ensuring access to adequate quantity of food at affordable prices to people. India stands to gain from G-20 knowledge sharing and best practices of improving food security without increasing water consumption to unsustainable levels. The same can then also form part of implementation under the National Water Policy of India. G-20 has emerged as an important forum where global leaders come together to discuss issues of international significance. At a time, when countries like US are turning inwards and showing signs of protectionism, forums like G-20 have assumed all the more importance to steer the global economic community.

All you need to know about G-20

The Italian police seized a massive quantity of tramadol pills, a synthetic opioid-like drug, from India which was headed for Libya, according to media reports.

A significant portion of the drug, used as a painkiller, finds its&nbsp;way to the Islamic State terrorists who are active in Libya, according to sources.

It is used by the Islamic&nbsp;State terrorists to build greater resilience.&nbsp;

The pills, worth $75 million, were found packed in three containers at the port of Genoa and was labelled as blankets and shampoo.

The containers were set to be loaded on a freighter headed for Misrata and Tobruk in Libya, news agency PTI quoted a report in The Times.

&quot;ISIS is making a fortune from this traffic, giving it to its fighters to make them feel no pain,&quot; the British newspaper quoted an Italian investigator as saying.

Italian police said the consignment had come from India and would have been used for two purposes: to help finance Islamist terrorism and for use by jihadist fighters as a stimulant and to heighten resistance to physical stress, the BBC reported.

Boko Haram, the Nigerian terror group, is said to feed child soldiers dates stuffed with tramadol before sending them on missions.

ISIS is already known for feeding its fighters Captagon, an amphetamine that blocks hunger, fear and fatigue.

Italian investigators traced the tramadol shipment to an Indian pharmaceuticals company, which allegedly sold the pills for $250,000 to a Dubai-based importer, which then shipped them from India to Sri Lanka where they disappeared from the freighter&#39;s documents, the report said.

(PTI)

The drug, Tramadol, is used as a painkiller

The Italian police seized a massive quantity of tramadol pills, a synthetic opioid-like drug, from India which was headed for Libya, according to media reports. A significant portion of the drug, used as a painkiller, finds its way to the Islamic State terrorists who are active in Libya, according to sources. It is used by the Islamic State terrorists to build greater resilience. The pills, worth $75 million, were found packed in three containers at the port of Genoa and was labelled as blankets and shampoo. The containers were set to be loaded on a freighter headed for Misrata and Tobruk in Libya, news agency PTI quoted a report in The Times. "ISIS is making a fortune from this traffic, giving it to its fighters to make them feel no pain," the British newspaper quoted an Italian investigator as saying. Italian police said the consignment had come from India and would have been used for two purposes: to help finance Islamist terrorism and for use by jihadist fighters as a stimulant and to heighten resistance to physical stress, the BBC reported. Boko Haram, the Nigerian terror group, is said to feed child soldiers dates stuffed with tramadol before sending them on missions. ISIS is already known for feeding its fighters Captagon, an amphetamine that blocks hunger, fear and fatigue. Italian investigators traced the tramadol shipment to an Indian pharmaceuticals company, which allegedly sold the pills for $250,000 to a Dubai-based importer, which then shipped them from India to Sri Lanka where they disappeared from the freighter's documents, the report said. (PTI)

Painkillers worth $75 million from India bound for Libya seized by Italian police

With <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/inspired-alves-leads-juventus-into-champions-league-final-15415">the victory</a> of Italian football club Juventus in the Champions League semi-final against French club Monaco, Italy will get a chance to win its first Champions League trophy in seven years on June 4.

The last Champions League trophy was annexed by an Italian club was in 2010 when Jose Mourinho&rsquo;s Inter Milan beat Bayern Munich 2-0.&nbsp;

Spain has been pretty much dominant over the past few years with Barcelona and Real Madrid sharing the last three titles between them.

Italy has been waiting seven years for a&nbsp;Champions League win. So how long has it been for other major European countries?

Check the graphic below to find out:

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Source: <a href="http://http://www.rsssf.com/tablese/ec2.html">RSSSF.com</a>

It has been 21 years since Juventus itself won the Champions League.&nbsp;Here&#39;s a breakdown of how long the wait has been for major European clubs.

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Source: <a href="http://http://www.rsssf.com/tablese/ec2.html">RSSSF.com</a>

Juventus hopes to end Italy's seven-year wait for a Champions League title

With the victory of Italian football club Juventus in the Champions League semi-final against French club Monaco, Italy will get a chance to win its first Champions League trophy in seven years on June 4. The last Champions League trophy was annexed by an Italian club was in 2010 when Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan beat Bayern Munich 2-0. Spain has been pretty much dominant over the past few years with Barcelona and Real Madrid sharing the last three titles between them. Italy has been waiting seven years for a Champions League win. So how long has it been for other major European countries? Check the graphic below to find out: Source: RSSSF.com It has been 21 years since Juventus itself won the Champions League. Here's a breakdown of how long the wait has been for major European clubs. Source: RSSSF.com

Infographic: Countries waiting for Champions League trophy

Italy might soon give working women paid menstrual leaves. However it is expected to be limited to women who suffer from excruciating pain during periods every month.&nbsp;

Currently, the lower house of Italy&#39;s Parliament has started discussing a draft law that if approved, will mandate companies&nbsp;to give&nbsp;three paid days off every month as part of &ldquo;menstrual leave policy&rdquo;. If the motion goes through, Italy will become the first Western country to&nbsp;offer&nbsp;paid days for painful periods. It is an existing law in Japan and Indonesia where working women are allowed time off during painful days every month.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Health experts and local media outlets have&nbsp;praised the proposal, calling it&nbsp;a step in the right direction which would shed light on the silent plight of women suffering from debilitating cramps that can sometimes affect their ability to work.

But it seems like that the&nbsp;bill has&nbsp;critics, even among the working women it seeks to protect.

Some fear that the law might backfire and would&nbsp;penalise&nbsp;women in a country where they are already struggling to participate in the workforce. Lorenza Pleuteri in&nbsp;<a href="http://www.donnamoderna.com/news/lavoro/congedo-mestruale-italia-donne">Donna Moderna</a>, a women&#39;s magazine&nbsp;said, &quot;If women were granted extra days of paid leave, employers could become even more oriented to hire men rather than women.&rdquo;

As reported in <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/03/24/giving-italian-women-menstrual-leave-may-backfire-on-their-job-prospects/?utm_term=.563a68c8d915" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a>, Italy has female-friendly labour laws on paper. Five months of paid maternity leave are mandatory both for employers and&nbsp;employees, meaning that companies must grant the leave and women, with few exceptions, cannot renounce it. During this period, a new mother receives 80 per cent of her salary, paid by INPS, Italy&#39;s version of Social Security. After that, parents of both genders have the right to take six extra months of parental leave, which is optional and paid at 30 per cent of their salaries.

This law may have an unfortunate unintended consequence that forces&nbsp;women&nbsp;to decide what hurts more, the workplace implications of this legislation, or their period.&nbsp;

(WION)

If approved, companies will have to give?three paid days off to women who suffer 'excruciating' pain at that time of the month

Italy might soon give working women paid menstrual leaves. However it is expected to be limited to women who suffer from excruciating pain during periods every month. Currently, the lower house of Italy's Parliament has started discussing a draft law that if approved, will mandate companies to give three paid days off every month as part of “menstrual leave policy”. If the motion goes through, Italy will become the first Western country to offer paid days for painful periods. It is an existing law in Japan and Indonesia where working women are allowed time off during painful days every month. Health experts and local media outlets have praised the proposal, calling it a step in the right direction which would shed light on the silent plight of women suffering from debilitating cramps that can sometimes affect their ability to work. But it seems like that the bill has critics, even among the working women it seeks to protect. Some fear that the law might backfire and would penalise women in a country where they are already struggling to participate in the workforce. Lorenza Pleuteri in Donna Moderna, a women's magazine said, "If women were granted extra days of paid leave, employers could become even more oriented to hire men rather than women.” As reported in The Washington Post, Italy has female-friendly labour laws on paper. Five months of paid maternity leave are mandatory both for employers and employees, meaning that companies must grant the leave and women, with few exceptions, cannot renounce it. During this period, a new mother receives 80 per cent of her salary, paid by INPS, Italy's version of Social Security. After that, parents of both genders have the right to take six extra months of parental leave, which is optional and paid at 30 per cent of their salaries. This law may have an unfortunate unintended consequence that forces women to decide what hurts more, the workplace implications of this legislation, or their period. (WION)

Italy may soon give working women paid 'menstrual leaves'

Almost 2,500 boat migrants were rescued in the past three days, the Italian Coast Guard said on Thursday, as this year&#39;s arrivals already far outpace the record-setting 2016.

Some 1,100 were plucked from nine flimsy vessels off the coast of Libya on Thursday, the Coast Guard said, after a total of 1,360 were picked up the two preceding days.

Since the beginning of the year, there have been more than 10,700 sea arrivals, the Interior Ministry said on Thursday, a third higher than the same period last year.

&quot;The situation is more dramatic than ever,&quot; said Mathilde Auvillain, a spokeswoman on board the Aquarius, a rescue ship run by SOS Mediterranee and Doctors without Borders (MSF).&nbsp;

Last year a record 181,000 boat migrants reached Italy and more than 5,000 died in the Mediterranean. Since 2015, more than a million-and-a-half migrants have flooded into Europe.

To stop the flow, Italy and the European Union earlier this month pledged to fund migrant camps in Libya run by the U.N.-backed government, and to supply equipment and training for the fight against people smugglers.

But humanitarian groups including SOS Mediterranee and MSF have criticised the deal, saying Libya is not safe.

&quot;In Libya, the police tells you they will deport you back to your country, but they don&#39;t,&quot; said Collins, 27, from Benin City, Nigeria, according to comments made to the Aquarius crew on Wednesday and Thursday.&nbsp;

&quot;They just sell you to someone else. You cannot trust anybody in Libya, you never know if they are police or gangsters,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

Youssef from Gambia said that since the signing of the EU-Libya migrants have heard that the sea journey may soon be shut down.

&quot;I heard that they will close this route in one month, I&#39;m very worried about my people, the blacks, who are still there in Libya. The situation is terrible,&quot; he said.

(Reuters)

Since the beginning of the year, there have been more than 10,700 sea arrivals, the country's interior ministry said on Thursday

Almost 2,500 boat migrants were rescued in the past three days, the Italian Coast Guard said on Thursday, as this year's arrivals already far outpace the record-setting 2016. Some 1,100 were plucked from nine flimsy vessels off the coast of Libya on Thursday, the Coast Guard said, after a total of 1,360 were picked up the two preceding days. Since the beginning of the year, there have been more than 10,700 sea arrivals, the Interior Ministry said on Thursday, a third higher than the same period last year. "The situation is more dramatic than ever," said Mathilde Auvillain, a spokeswoman on board the Aquarius, a rescue ship run by SOS Mediterranee and Doctors without Borders (MSF). Last year a record 181,000 boat migrants reached Italy and more than 5,000 died in the Mediterranean. Since 2015, more than a million-and-a-half migrants have flooded into Europe. To stop the flow, Italy and the European Union earlier this month pledged to fund migrant camps in Libya run by the U.N.-backed government, and to supply equipment and training for the fight against people smugglers. But humanitarian groups including SOS Mediterranee and MSF have criticised the deal, saying Libya is not safe. "In Libya, the police tells you they will deport you back to your country, but they don't," said Collins, 27, from Benin City, Nigeria, according to comments made to the Aquarius crew on Wednesday and Thursday. "They just sell you to someone else. You cannot trust anybody in Libya, you never know if they are police or gangsters," he said. Youssef from Gambia said that since the signing of the EU-Libya migrants have heard that the sea journey may soon be shut down. "I heard that they will close this route in one month, I'm very worried about my people, the blacks, who are still there in Libya. The situation is terrible," he said. (Reuters)

2,500 boat migrants rescued at sea in three days: Italian Coast Guard

Russian President Vladimir Putin has not been invited to this year&#39;s Group of Seven summit of world leaders, Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni said on Thursday, scotching rumours of a possible last-minute invite.

&quot;To be clear, the Italian G7 presidency has not sent any invitation to Putin to participate at the G7 in Taormina,&quot; Gentiloni said, referring to a summit scheduled for May in Sicily of the leaders of major Western industrialised leaders.

&quot;At this moment in time, (an invitation for Russia) doesn&#39;t seem to me to be at all realistic,&quot; Gentiloni said during a news conference with his British counterpart Theresa May. He added that it was important to continue dialogue with Moscow.

(Reuters)

Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni on Thursday dismissed rumours of a possible last-minute invite

Russian President Vladimir Putin has not been invited to this year's Group of Seven summit of world leaders, Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni said on Thursday, scotching rumours of a possible last-minute invite. "To be clear, the Italian G7 presidency has not sent any invitation to Putin to participate at the G7 in Taormina," Gentiloni said, referring to a summit scheduled for May in Sicily of the leaders of major Western industrialised leaders. "At this moment in time, (an invitation for Russia) doesn't seem to me to be at all realistic," Gentiloni said during a news conference with his British counterpart Theresa May. He added that it was important to continue dialogue with Moscow. (Reuters)

Russian President Putin not invited to G7 summit: Italy

The International Highline Meeting festival is clearly not for the faint-hearted.

It is an event that brings together the most daring of adventurers, who band together to play music and enjoy the scenic beauty of the Italian Alps in hammocks situated hundreds of meters above the ground.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LqYsm7zNhNs" width="970"></iframe>

Those attending the event call themselves the slackers because of the&nbsp;slacklines they balance themselves on. At the event, you can enjoy awesome musical jam sessions while hanging out in the mountains, along with a Yoga workshop and paraglider flights.

The International Highline Meeting festival promises good food, great music and a crazy adventure!

The International Highline Meeting festival is clearly not for the faint-hearted. It is an event that brings together the most daring of adventurers, who band together to play music and enjoy the scenic beauty of the Italian Alps in hammocks situated hundreds of meters above the ground. Those attending the event call themselves the slackers because of the slacklines they balance themselves on. At the event, you can enjoy awesome musical jam sessions while hanging out in the mountains, along with a Yoga workshop and paraglider flights.

Video: Daredevils lounge in hammocks over the Alps

Cedric Herrou, a French farmer, may face five years in prison and a 30,000-euro fine if found guilty of the charge of helping in the unauthorised entry, transit and stay of illegal migrants in France.

He is an olive and poultry farmer from a village on the border with Italy.

Unapologetic for his actions, Herrou said&nbsp;sending him to prison would do nothing to reduce the influx of migrants to France across Europe.

Herrou said, &quot;I subjected myself to illegality because these people are pushing me towards illegality in order to protect the rights of these children that I&#39;ve taken across (the border), of these families that I&#39;ve taken across, I had to put myself in illegality. And if I have to continue, I will continue,&quot; reports Reuters.

A crowd of around 300 people gathered in front of the Palais de Justice in Nice in support of Herrou, the local hero.

Local newspaper Nice Matin named Herrou &quot;Azureen of the year,&quot; a title reserved for the region&#39;s most accomplished individuals, according to a report on Reuters.

In his defence, Herrou said, &quot;It&#39;s not up to me to make a distinction between black and white, people with or without papers. It&#39;s not my job. Farming is what I do, my job is feeding people and that&#39;s what I do.&quot;

Over recent months, Herrou has given shelter to several hundred migrants in the grounds of his home in Breil-sur-Roya, a French valley surrounded by Italian territory.

He was first arrested in August 2016 for accompanying eight Eritrean migrants from Italy into France&nbsp;but was released on a humanitarian immunity clause.

He was arrested again in October, where the same clause did not apply when the Nice prosecutor said his aiding of migrants then was not a response to immediate danger.

According to Herrou, he helped migrants on a purely voluntary basis, and accepted nothing in return from them, and that he had especially tried to help the minors among the migrants.

Herrou is part of an association named &quot;Housing and Citizenship,&quot;&nbsp;which has resorted to semi-clandestine tactics in assisting migrants who are regularly removed by the police from trains crossing into France and sent back to Italy.

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

Herrou may face five years in prison and a 30,000-euro fine if found guilty of the charges

Cedric Herrou, a French farmer, may face five years in prison and a 30,000-euro fine if found guilty of the charge of helping in the unauthorised entry, transit and stay of illegal migrants in France. He is an olive and poultry farmer from a village on the border with Italy. Unapologetic for his actions, Herrou said sending him to prison would do nothing to reduce the influx of migrants to France across Europe. Herrou said, "I subjected myself to illegality because these people are pushing me towards illegality in order to protect the rights of these children that I've taken across (the border), of these families that I've taken across, I had to put myself in illegality. And if I have to continue, I will continue," reports Reuters. A crowd of around 300 people gathered in front of the Palais de Justice in Nice in support of Herrou, the local hero. Local newspaper Nice Matin named Herrou "Azureen of the year," a title reserved for the region's most accomplished individuals, according to a report on Reuters. In his defence, Herrou said, "It's not up to me to make a distinction between black and white, people with or without papers. It's not my job. Farming is what I do, my job is feeding people and that's what I do." Over recent months, Herrou has given shelter to several hundred migrants in the grounds of his home in Breil-sur-Roya, a French valley surrounded by Italian territory. He was first arrested in August 2016 for accompanying eight Eritrean migrants from Italy into France but was released on a humanitarian immunity clause. He was arrested again in October, where the same clause did not apply when the Nice prosecutor said his aiding of migrants then was not a response to immediate danger. According to Herrou, he helped migrants on a purely voluntary basis, and accepted nothing in return from them, and that he had especially tried to help the minors among the migrants. Herrou is part of an association named "Housing and Citizenship," which has resorted to semi-clandestine tactics in assisting migrants who are regularly removed by the police from trains crossing into France and sent back to Italy. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

French farmer on trial for helping illegal migrants across border

Anis Amri, the man believed to be the suspect in the Berlin Christmas market truck attack, was killed in a shootout in a suburb of the northern Italian city of Milan on Friday, a security source told Reuters.

&nbsp;

<img id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_editpreview" src="http://wion.azureedge.net/photos/anis%20amri-20161223101938.JPG" />

German investigators are in contact with Italian authorities over the attack, a spokesman for the Chief Federal Prosecutor&#39;s office told Reuters.

Italy has confirmed the suspect was shot dead in Milan.

Germany said it was &quot;relieved&quot; by reports from Italian authorities that the prime suspect in the Berlin Christmas market attack was shot dead.

There are growing signs that this is actually the person (wanted in the attack). Should this be proved true, the ministry is relieved that this person no longer poses a danger,&quot; interior ministry spokesman&nbsp;Tobias Plate&nbsp;told reporters.

Foreign ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer said Germany was &quot;grateful to the Italian authorities for the very close cooperation based on trust&quot;.

&quot;Our colleagues at the consulate in Milan were informed in a very timely way,&quot; he told the same news briefing.

Plate said that Berlin had not yet received &quot;official confirmation&quot; from Italy that the dead man was in fact the suspect, Anis Amri, after Italy&#39;s interior minister Marco Minniti told a news conference in Rome that Amri had been shot after firing at two police officers.&nbsp;

A spokeswoman for Chancellor Angela Merkel, Ulrike Demmer, declined to comment until the written confirmation had arrived from Rome.

&quot;I ask you for a bit of patience,&quot; she said.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, the Islamic State group said that the man shot dead by Italian police near Milan on Friday carried out the deadly truck attack.

&quot;The Berlin attacker carried out a new attack against an Italian police patrol in Milan and was killed in an exchange of fire,&quot; the IS-linked Amaq agency said.

(Agencies)

Islamic State said the suspect who was killed was the Berlin attacker

Anis Amri, the man believed to be the suspect in the Berlin Christmas market truck attack, was killed in a shootout in a suburb of the northern Italian city of Milan on Friday, a security source told Reuters. German investigators are in contact with Italian authorities over the attack, a spokesman for the Chief Federal Prosecutor's office told Reuters. Italy has confirmed the suspect was shot dead in Milan. Germany said it was "relieved" by reports from Italian authorities that the prime suspect in the Berlin Christmas market attack was shot dead. There are growing signs that this is actually the person (wanted in the attack). Should this be proved true, the ministry is relieved that this person no longer poses a danger," interior ministry spokesman Tobias Plate told reporters. Foreign ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer said Germany was "grateful to the Italian authorities for the very close cooperation based on trust". "Our colleagues at the consulate in Milan were informed in a very timely way," he told the same news briefing. Plate said that Berlin had not yet received "official confirmation" from Italy that the dead man was in fact the suspect, Anis Amri, after Italy's interior minister Marco Minniti told a news conference in Rome that Amri had been shot after firing at two police officers. A spokeswoman for Chancellor Angela Merkel, Ulrike Demmer, declined to comment until the written confirmation had arrived from Rome. "I ask you for a bit of patience," she said. Meanwhile, the Islamic State group said that the man shot dead by Italian police near Milan on Friday carried out the deadly truck attack. "The Berlin attacker carried out a new attack against an Italian police patrol in Milan and was killed in an exchange of fire," the IS-linked Amaq agency said. (Agencies)

Berlin market attack suspect reportedly killed in shootout in Italy

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi formally resigned as the prime minister on Wednesday.

His resignation has kicked-off a period of political uncertainty in the eurozone&rsquo;s third largest economy.

President Sergio Mattarella will begin consultations with political parties over forming a caretaker government&nbsp;at 6:00pm&nbsp;(1700 GMT) on Thursday, a spokesperson told news agency AFP.

41-year-old Renzi was forced to step down after his crushing referendum defeat.

He formally gave his resignation to&nbsp;Matterella&nbsp;on Wednesday evening.

Renzi headed a meeting of the executive of his Democratic Party (PD), before handing back the keys to his Palazzo Chigi residence.

&quot;We are not afraid of anything or anybody, if other parties want to go to the polls .... The PD is not afraid of democracy or elections,&quot; Renzi said in a reference to an opposition call for a nationwide vote due in early 2018 to be brought forward by up to a year, news agency AFP reported.

Renzi&#39;s rule came to an end with his government winning a vote of confidence in the Senate, which he tried to emasculate via a referendum in which he suffered a crushing defeat on Sunday.

The confidence vote put an end to a &nbsp;prolonged discussion on the approval of Italy&#39;s 2017 budget, an unfinished task because of&nbsp;which&nbsp;President Sergio Mattarella had&nbsp;asked Renzi to delay his resignation for a few days.

&quot;Budget law approved. Formal resignation at 1900. Thanks to everyone and viva l&#39;Italia!&quot; (&quot;long live Italy!&quot;) he tweeted.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from AFP)

&nbsp;

The resignation has triggered a period of political uncertainty in eurozone's third largest economy

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi formally resigned as the prime minister on Wednesday. His resignation has kicked-off a period of political uncertainty in the eurozone’s third largest economy. President Sergio Mattarella will begin consultations with political parties over forming a caretaker government at 6:00pm (1700 GMT) on Thursday, a spokesperson told news agency AFP. 41-year-old Renzi was forced to step down after his crushing referendum defeat. He formally gave his resignation to Matterella on Wednesday evening. Renzi headed a meeting of the executive of his Democratic Party (PD), before handing back the keys to his Palazzo Chigi residence. "We are not afraid of anything or anybody, if other parties want to go to the polls .... The PD is not afraid of democracy or elections," Renzi said in a reference to an opposition call for a nationwide vote due in early 2018 to be brought forward by up to a year, news agency AFP reported. Renzi's rule came to an end with his government winning a vote of confidence in the Senate, which he tried to emasculate via a referendum in which he suffered a crushing defeat on Sunday. The confidence vote put an end to a prolonged discussion on the approval of Italy's 2017 budget, an unfinished task because of which President Sergio Mattarella had asked Renzi to delay his resignation for a few days. "Budget law approved. Formal resignation at 1900. Thanks to everyone and viva l'Italia!" ("long live Italy!") he tweeted. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Matteo Renzi formally resigns as Italian Prime Minister, hints at early election

Italian voters on Sunday overwhelmingly rejected constitutional reform proposals on which Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has staked his political future, exit polls suggested.

 
Polls for national broadcaster Rai and the La7 television channel both called the vote for the&nbsp;&ldquo;No&quot; camp by a margin of at least 54 per cent to 46 per cent for the Yes camp, and by an average of 56.7-43.3 per cent.

 
The projected result was in line with what opinion polls had been indicating up until November 18, after which the media were banned from publishing survey results.

 
Renzi, who had vowed to resign if he lost the vote, was due to make a statement at his Palazzo Chigi official residence around midnight.

 
The defeat and Renzi&#39;s likely departure will plunge Italy in a new phase of political uncertainty and possible economic turmoil.

 
Presuming Renzi does step down, President Sergio Mattarella will be charged with brokering the appointment of a new government to run Italy until the next general election, which has to take place by the spring of 2018.

 
The main opposition parties had all gone into the referendum insisting that there should be early elections if the referendum proposals to streamline Italy&#39;s parliament and transfer powers from the regions to the national government were defeated.

&nbsp;

(AFP)

Polls for national broadcaster Rai and the La7 television channel both called the vote for the 'No' camp by a margin of at least 54 per cent

Italian voters on Sunday overwhelmingly rejected constitutional reform proposals on which Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has staked his political future, exit polls suggested. Polls for national broadcaster Rai and the La7 television channel both called the vote for the “No" camp by a margin of at least 54 per cent to 46 per cent for the Yes camp, and by an average of 56.7-43.3 per cent. The projected result was in line with what opinion polls had been indicating up until November 18, after which the media were banned from publishing survey results. Renzi, who had vowed to resign if he lost the vote, was due to make a statement at his Palazzo Chigi official residence around midnight. The defeat and Renzi's likely departure will plunge Italy in a new phase of political uncertainty and possible economic turmoil. Presuming Renzi does step down, President Sergio Mattarella will be charged with brokering the appointment of a new government to run Italy until the next general election, which has to take place by the spring of 2018. The main opposition parties had all gone into the referendum insisting that there should be early elections if the referendum proposals to streamline Italy's parliament and transfer powers from the regions to the national government were defeated. (AFP)

Italy referendum: Exit polls suggest Prime Minister Renzi's defeat

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi formally resigned Monday after a crushing referendum defeat that has sent shockwaves around Europe -- though his departure will be delayed by a final task, passing a budget.

Renzi handed his resignation to President Sergio Mattarella after Italians resoundingly rejected his constitutional reform proposals in Sunday&#39;s referendum, to the delight of the country&#39;s populist leaders, fresh after Brexit and Donald Trump&#39;s US victory.

The departure of the centre-left premier -- who had staked his future on the outcome of the vote -- plunges Italy into political uncertainty and casts a shadow over the future of the eurozone&#39;s third-largest economy.

In an apparent bid to ease investor fears, the presidency said in a statement that Mattarella had &quot;asked the prime minister to postpone his resignation&quot; until the 2017 budget has been passed, a move expected by the end of the week, according to Italian media.

The government has already won a vote of confidence on the budget in the lower house of parliament.

Renzi, who in 2014 became Italy&#39;s youngest-ever premier, was left with no option but to quit after his proposals to streamline parliament were rejected by voters by a decisive 59-41 percent margin.

The 41-year-old former mayor of Florence, who came to power promising radical reform, defended his record.

&quot;1,000 difficult but wonderful days. Thanks to everyone. Viva l&#39;Italia,&quot; he wrote on Facebook.

Italian media said he told his cabinet he had agreed to see the budget passed before his departure &quot;out of a sense of responsibility&quot;.

Landmark moment?

Initial market reaction to Renzi&#39;s departure has been subdued.

The euro briefly sank to a 20-month low as investors fretted that political instability could scupper efforts to resolve debt-ridden Italy&#39;s long-running banking crisis, and over the possibility of an election that could see anti-EU parties challenge for power.

Italy&#39;s FTSE MIB stock index fell 2.0 percent at the opening but recovered to end the day only fractionally down. Italian bond yields rose slightly, having already edged up prior to Sunday&#39;s vote.

Traders were reassured in part by the result of Europe&#39;s other crucial vote this weekend, which saw Austria reject a far-right candidate for president.

But some analysts said the referendum could yet come to be seen as a landmark moment.

Holger Schmieding, at the Berenberg private bank, said the risk that Italy could choose to leave the euro, while still remote, had increased.

Capital Economics said: &quot;Italy has taken the first step along a path that could lead it out of the eurozone.&quot;

An anti-establishment vote

The vote inevitably became something of a referendum on Renzi&#39;s personality and record after his pledge to stand down should he lose, and an opportunity for some to express wider frustrations.

Populists across Europe rejoiced at his downfall, with the founder of Italy&#39;s own anti-establishment Five Star movement Beppe Grillo calling for an election &quot;within a week&quot;.&nbsp;

Giovanni Orsina, Professor of Politics at Rome&#39;s Luiss university, said four out of five voters had cast their vote politically rather than on the merits of the reform.

&quot;The vote has broad similarities with the Brexit and Trump phenomena,&quot; he said. &quot;The electorate voted against the establishment, against Brussels. They didn&#39;t get into the subtleties.&quot;

Poll data showed the No vote was strongest in areas with high unemployment, in the relatively poor south and amongst young voters, pointing to a correlation with levels of discontent.

Britain&#39;s eurosceptic Nigel Farage, who spearheaded the &quot;Brexit&quot; campaign, said the vote appeared to have been &quot;more about the euro than constitutional change&quot;.

But former Bank of Italy economist Lorenzo Codgno insisted: &quot;The outcome of the referendum is much more complex and nuanced than &#39;just another wave of protest across the globe&#39;.&quot;

Padoan favourite for new PM

Most analysts see immediate elections as unlikely.

The most probable scenario is a caretaker administration dominated by Renzi&#39;s Democratic Party taking over before an election that has to take place by March 2018.

Finance Minister Pier Carlo Padoan was installed as the bookmakers favourite to succeed Renzi as prime minister, with Senate speaker Pietro Grasso, a veteran anti-mafia prosecutor, running in second place.

Renzi meanwhile may try to stay on as head of his party, which would leave him well-placed for a potential comeback to frontline politics at the next election. But he faces resistance to that scenario from the many enemies he has made while in office.

(AFP)

Renzi handed his resignation to President Sergio Mattarella after Italians resoundingly rejected his constitutional reform proposals

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi formally resigned Monday after a crushing referendum defeat that has sent shockwaves around Europe -- though his departure will be delayed by a final task, passing a budget. Renzi handed his resignation to President Sergio Mattarella after Italians resoundingly rejected his constitutional reform proposals in Sunday's referendum, to the delight of the country's populist leaders, fresh after Brexit and Donald Trump's US victory. The departure of the centre-left premier -- who had staked his future on the outcome of the vote -- plunges Italy into political uncertainty and casts a shadow over the future of the eurozone's third-largest economy. In an apparent bid to ease investor fears, the presidency said in a statement that Mattarella had "asked the prime minister to postpone his resignation" until the 2017 budget has been passed, a move expected by the end of the week, according to Italian media. The government has already won a vote of confidence on the budget in the lower house of parliament. Renzi, who in 2014 became Italy's youngest-ever premier, was left with no option but to quit after his proposals to streamline parliament were rejected by voters by a decisive 59-41 percent margin. The 41-year-old former mayor of Florence, who came to power promising radical reform, defended his record. "1,000 difficult but wonderful days. Thanks to everyone. Viva l'Italia," he wrote on Facebook. Italian media said he told his cabinet he had agreed to see the budget passed before his departure "out of a sense of responsibility". Landmark moment? Initial market reaction to Renzi's departure has been subdued. The euro briefly sank to a 20-month low as investors fretted that political instability could scupper efforts to resolve debt-ridden Italy's long-running banking crisis, and over the possibility of an election that could see anti-EU parties challenge for power. Italy's FTSE MIB stock index fell 2.0 percent at the opening but recovered to end the day only fractionally down. Italian bond yields rose slightly, having already edged up prior to Sunday's vote. Traders were reassured in part by the result of Europe's other crucial vote this weekend, which saw Austria reject a far-right candidate for president. But some analysts said the referendum could yet come to be seen as a landmark moment. Holger Schmieding, at the Berenberg private bank, said the risk that Italy could choose to leave the euro, while still remote, had increased. Capital Economics said: "Italy has taken the first step along a path that could lead it out of the eurozone." An anti-establishment vote The vote inevitably became something of a referendum on Renzi's personality and record after his pledge to stand down should he lose, and an opportunity for some to express wider frustrations. Populists across Europe rejoiced at his downfall, with the founder of Italy's own anti-establishment Five Star movement Beppe Grillo calling for an election "within a week". Giovanni Orsina, Professor of Politics at Rome's Luiss university, said four out of five voters had cast their vote politically rather than on the merits of the reform. "The vote has broad similarities with the Brexit and Trump phenomena," he said. "The electorate voted against the establishment, against Brussels. They didn't get into the subtleties." Poll data showed the No vote was strongest in areas with high unemployment, in the relatively poor south and amongst young voters, pointing to a correlation with levels of discontent. Britain's eurosceptic Nigel Farage, who spearheaded the "Brexit" campaign, said the vote appeared to have been "more about the euro than constitutional change". But former Bank of Italy economist Lorenzo Codgno insisted: "The outcome of the referendum is much more complex and nuanced than 'just another wave of protest across the globe'." Padoan favourite for new PM Most analysts see immediate elections as unlikely. The most probable scenario is a caretaker administration dominated by Renzi's Democratic Party taking over before an election that has to take place by March 2018. Finance Minister Pier Carlo Padoan was installed as the bookmakers favourite to succeed Renzi as prime minister, with Senate speaker Pietro Grasso, a veteran anti-mafia prosecutor, running in second place. Renzi meanwhile may try to stay on as head of his party, which would leave him well-placed for a potential comeback to frontline politics at the next election. But he faces resistance to that scenario from the many enemies he has made while in office. (AFP)

Italy: PM Renzi to quit after budget

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