Italy's PM Giuseppe Conte said on Thursday that his government wants to extend the COVID-19 state of emergency until the end of January and it would put the proposal to parliament, ANSA reported. The current state of emergency is set to expire on 15 October. The government's scientific and technical committee has recommended that it be extended until 31 January 2021.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella said on Thursday that the Italian people cherish freedom as much as any other nation after British PM Boris Johnson recently put the UK's rising COVID-19 infection rates down to the country's superior love of liberty.

The Italians are set to approve a cut in the number of parliamentarians, according to an exit poll released after the closing on ballot stations for the Constitutional referendum on Monday, ANSA reported.

Italy holds seven regional elections and a constitutional referendum on Sunday and Monday, with an alliance of rightist parties looking certain to make gains at the expense of divided government partners.

Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said the government should forget about applying for funding from the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) because the issue is generating friction and focus on the resources set to be made available by the EU Recovery Fund.

Italy's PM Giuseppe Conte on Thursday welcomed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's announcement that the Dublin Regulation, whereby migrants must register in the EU country they arrive, will be overhauled, ANSA reported.

Schools reopened in much of Italy on Monday for the first time since the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in early March, ANSA reported. Some 5.6m pupils are back in class in 12 regions, plus the autonomous province of Trento.

Italy’s PM Giuseppe Conte on Monday evening signed the latest set of rules under the country's coronavirus state of emergency that introduced the sweeping restrictions of the past six months. The new decree will be valid for 30 days, until 7 October, when ministers will again decide if rules should be extended or revisited.

Italy kicked off human trials of a potential Covid-19 vaccine on Monday, joining a global effort to develop a response to the virus which has shown signs of resurging in Europe.

Italy produced 10% less garbage during its coronavirus lockdown, but environmentalists warn that increased reliance on disposable masks and packaging is imperiling efforts to curb single-use plastics that end up in oceans and seas.