Italy’s cabinet of PM Mario Draghi has reached an agreement on a compromise in relation to a reform of Italy's criminal-justice system, sources said on Thursday, ANSA reported. The compromise has the backing of the 5-Star Movement (M5S), the sources said. The reform, drafted by Justice Minister Marta Cartabia, is aimed at speeding up Italy's criminal-law system.

Mario Draghi is struggling to hold together his coalition government due to divisions over a proposed justice reform which is contested by the 5-Star Movement, the largest ruling party, and by many Italian prosecutors, Reuters reports.

The European Union is sending four forest firefighting planes to Sardinia in response to a request from Italy to help tame fires that have swept across parts of the island, prompting the evacuation of hundreds of people, news wires reported.

The Italy’s government announced on Thursday that a Covid Green Pass vaccine passport will be needed from 6 August to get into restaurants indoors, open-air shows, spas, swimming pools, gyms, fairs, congresses and competitive examinations, news wires reported. "The Green Pass is essential if we want to keep businesses open," PM Mario Draghi told reporters.

Italy reported just three coronavirus-related deaths on Sunday against 13 the day before, wihich is the lowest toll since last August, while the daily tally of new infections edged up to 3,127 from 3,121, news wires reported.

The European Commission announced it had given green light to the plans of Italy to partially compensate energy-intensive companies for higher electricity prices resulting from indirect emission costs under the EU Emission Trading Scheme (ETS). The scheme will cover indirect emission costs incurred in the period 2020-2030, with a provisional budget of approximately €1.49 billion.

Taxes will be in the focus of the first face to face meeting of finance ministers and central bankers of the G20 countries since the start of pandemic. The meeting takes place in Venice, Italy, Reuters elaborated. The agreement of minimum corporate tax valid worldwide will be the core of debates.

The Ocean Viking rescue ship has been granted authorization to dock at the Italian port of Augusta after days of seeking a safe harbour, the organization announced late on Thursday. Earlier, the crew of the vessel had described deteriorating conditions on board the ship, which is carrying more than 570 migrants on board, dpa reported. "The situation is beyond imagination. Tensions and exhaustion are at a peak on board the Ocean Viking," Luisa Albera, search and rescue coordinator on the ship, said in a statement.

With the opening of an exhibition by architectural photographer Camilla Borghese on 7 July in the Bulgarian capital, the Embassy of Italy and the Italian Cultural Institute in Sofia mark Italian Design Day. The exhibition is entitled Form and Light: The Sign of Architectural Continuity.

Italian police announced it had broken up a large number of online schemes set to offer for sale fake EU digital Covid-19 status certificates or falsely administered coronavirus vaccines. The investigation was supervised by the cybercrime prosecutor’s office in Milan and showed that thousands of people were ready to pay for false certificates, Reuters reported. The EU on Thursday launched a digital Covid-19 certificate designed to help citizens travel across Europe bloc and restart the summer tourism.