At the 81st Venice International Film Festival, opening tomorrow and running to 7 September, American actress Sigourney Weaver will be awarded the prestigious Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement, the Venice Biennale announced

Mount Etna, Europe's largest active volcano, erupted with a spectacular pyroclastic flow - an avalanche of hot lava blocks, ash, gas and volcanic material; the activity may have started following a collapse of material in South-East crater

A bar in Treviso, Veneto, has decided to put a 1 euro fee on every blasphemy to fund charitable projects; blasphemy - annoying for most Italian even if not religious and formally banned by law - is on a growing trend among youn generations

A huge snowfall whitened the Alps, by far the biggest of the 24-25 season, with the avalanche danger at a rare maximum 5 out 5 in area of the Western Alps; the snowfall is a good news for glaciers and snowpack before the arrival of summer

Italy is under investigation by the International Criminal Court for non-cooperation with the Court in the Almasri case, wanted for war crimes and crimes against humanity: it is the first time this happens to a European country