Catania airport remains closed amid Mount Etna eruption

All arrivals and departures at Catania's Fontanarossa airport remained suspended on Thursday until at least 4pm, in the latest in a run of shutdowns in August caused by clouds of ash and smoke from nearby Mount Etna.

Airport operator Sac extended the closure after wind carried volcanic ash back over the airspace above eastern Sicily on Wednesday, Ansa reported. Nearby Comiso airport, shut for the same reason on Sunday, reopened on Wednesday.

Around 700 flights were cancelled at Catania between August 8th and 11th. Civil protection minister Nello Musumeci said: "It's the airport that's out of place, not the volcano," pointing to his proposal to relocate it back in 1999.

Sac warned passengers to check flight status with airlines before travelling to the airport.

Businessman confesses to ordering bomb attack on Rai journalist

A businessman with ties to former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi told a Rome judge on Wednesday that he was behind the bomb attack on prominent investigative journalist Sigfrido Ranucci, star of Rai's Report programme.

Valter Lavitola was arrested last week over the attack in October 2025 outside Ranucci's home, which damaged two cars and part of his gate. He denied any political motive and claimed he ordered the bombing to get Ranucci more police protection, not to hurt him, according to his lawyer.

Ranucci's lawyer dismissed the explanation as "bewildering," pointing out the journalist has had round-the-clock protection since 2021. "A confession is one thing, but assessing Lavitola's credibility is another,” he added.

Ranucci, who has investigated Italy's mafia and political corruption, has described Lavitola as a "true friend."

Nine-day wildfire burns through 1,000 hectares in Piedmont

A major forest fire continued to rage for a ninth day on Monte Barone in Piedmont's Biella province, and has now destroyed around 1,000 hectares of woodland, according to Ansa.

The fire in the Valsessera valley has spread down towards the valley floor, with the fire front now stretching nine kilometres. A refuge on the mountain has been surrounded by flames, and its structure may have been damaged.

Firefighters, civil protection teams and forest-fire volunteers were working to contain the blaze, backed by helicopters and Canadair water-bomber planes, which were back in the air on Wednesday trying to limit the damage.

The fire started on August 3rd after a lightning strike hit the mountain, and has burned steadily since despite the sustained response.